Getting so close...

I finally finished the cover for Joe's second year album. It was probably the most intricate layout I've ever made, and it certainly took longer than any other layout I've ever done. It was actually more like two big layouts in one. But it was worth the work. I'm so thrilled with it! And I'll definitely have to do something similar another time. I think the best part was picking out the particular magazine I wanted to make. It wasn't easy! There are many more cute kids magazines around today than I ever remember seeing when I was younger. I'll have to remember to maybe ask for this one for a gift for Joe next year; it's really more for the 3-5 year old crowd. ;)

There's really only about 3 or 4 layouts I want to add towards the end, and after that, the album will be complete. :) And since that is the case, I'll be looking around again for options for making this into a movie. It might fall through again; the hard part wasn't the programming but the right music. lol But regardless, I know that I will be prepared for the family reunion this year with just the right thing to give folks.

Hope everyone is doing well! (((hugs)))

Meet Fred & George, or Struggling to Corral the Twins

Ok, so before everyone who knows me well has a heart attack, I'm not pregnant and I don't have twin children. lol But I do have some twins that everyone who knows me well knows about. And I've been struggling with them lately. You see, a relatively recent growth spurt has caused me to be unable to control them with the equipment I already owned. I know some that think that is a special blessing, but anyone who has personally faced the same problem knows that it's a real pain in the neck. So I've had to devote some special time and thought (and bucks) to helping take care of the problem.

You see, it's not that they're there. I mean, I've dealt with these two most of my life. The primary problem is that I've really never given much time to really getting a handle on the situation. You see, Fred is a bit smaller than George. Fred is a lot less trouble to corral. George, on the other hand, is always trying to escape or make things a bit more difficult. Unsightly, to say the least. I mean, I know everyone is lopsided, but this is ridiculous! And were you to just gaze at them, you might not notice. But giving them a close side-by-side comparison can definitely show the differences. And ever since I've had Joe, it's gotten worse. Maybe it's my own fault. I should have known that, once I had a new child, that it would be more difficult to keep other life issues under control. But the twins never really kick up much of a fuss on their own. It's all the other things that they affect that really shows the problems.

So, I had to chip in and get some new equipment for them. And boy, I knew I would have to change sizes of that equipment. So I tried several different models. And the model I ended up with was... a bit of a surprise. Perhaps a bit too personal to share online, but the twins needed a 42 DDD for their comfort! That can translate to 42 F, for those who are curious. Thus the new nickname of Fred for the twin on my left. But George is still causing difficulties! So, while the new solution is indeed an upgrade (in more ways than one!), I'm afraid that the next piece of equipment bought will have to be a whopping 42 G. (Thus the new nickname of George.) Sure, Fred will have a little extra space. Somehow, I think that's not going to be a problem. Maybe Fred deserves a little extra attention after all these years of George being the problem twin.

For the curious, here is the new equipment I acquired:



(grin) Y'all have fun now, you hear?

Furbaby

Fur
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

I had a good bit of inspiration in the last few days, and for the first time in a couple weeks, my eyes are killing me with allergy fuzzies. Sooooo.... I have a couple new layouts that I did today alone! :) This first one was inspired by Jacquie's new fantastic Pets - Dogs word art set. Awesome, huh? She finds awesome quotes and stuff. If you haven't checked out her blog before, I highly recommend it, and not just because I'm on her CT. She's fantastic!

I've learned a few new things about GIMP lately, which makes me rather happy. I still feel like a beginner with GIMP, even though I know that I'm probably closer to intermediate. But there is a huge amount of things that one can do with GIMP that I have yet to tap. So, I'm enjoying learning new things, like new Script-fu stuff. There are so many Script-fu settings in the "basic" model of GIMP that I'm not familiar with that are really helpful with sprucing up one's layouts. Besides that, I want to do more designing. I really enjoyed making that first set. (It's still down there, if you want to look at it. Just saying. :P)

I also made a little layout with Daniel and Joe for Easter egg hunting. Joe didn't really get the whole hunting thing. He saw lots of kids running, so he ran after them. He saw one purple egg, so he picked it up. So, Mommy got him a few eggs. After that, he got Daddy to open his eggs. It was precious. I did it with this Font Challenge's font, Happy Days.



I also have a couple of cute baby moments to share. Joe is so funny these days! He's starting to show that he has a sense of humor. For instance, we're not certain if he really does think that unh unh (the no version) mean yes or if he's just pulling our leg. (He shakes his head no simultaneously, and we're pretty sure he knows that means no.) It's really cute, though, to watch him do it. Plus, he is such a player! He loves to do things to get your attention and then pretend like he wasn't doing it. That, and he loves to play kiss and hug. He'll do that over and over. Talk about making your heart melt!

Ok, this is late at night for me. Mommy is getting sleepy! lol So I'll let you wonderful people go. Have a great night!

Doing my best Sinatra impression

Doing my best Sinatra impression
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

I had a lot of fun doing this layout. There's not really much of a story behind it; Daniel, Joe and I were out for Saturday grocery shopping and stopped for breakfast at Shoney's first. When we got back in the car, Joe was looking so cute in his little blue outfit that I whipped out the camera and got a couple of shots in. Of course, I'm always torturing him this way. lol Actually, he loves to ham it up for the camera, just seconds before he attempts to take it from me and push buttons or pretend it's a cell phone. (sigh) Children. ;)

I probably should have picked a kit that had some good navy blues in it along with the greens, but something about this one hit me as regal and perfect for the look on his face. Then again, maybe I'm a weirdo. After all, I do like to look at single pictures for long periods of time. :P

Live is going fairly well at the moment, just busy. We're gonna get a breather here soon enough, so I think I'll make it to the weekend. Jo, Joe, Daniel, and I are going to the park this weekend, so it's something to hold out for. Park trip! :D

Hope you all have a lovely evening!

A challenging post! :)

Hey, folks! Hope everyone's having a great day! My day has been less than stellar, since I'm still coughing like an old smoker. lol It was kind of fun, hanging out with the baby, but watching him trying not to go to sleep has even been more of a challenge than making this ad. Which, by the way, is what the challenge is about! I am the hostess for the font challenge this time, so I got to make the ad and pick the font! Click on the ad to go to the challenge forum. Tomorrow, I'll have the thread started and the font we're using displayed.

I'm probably going to have to post again today; I got the funniest video of Joe that I've just gotta share. As soon as I can get it up on You Tube, I'll share it. :)

Hope everyone's having a great day!

RAK for Angi

RAK for Angi
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

This layout is a bit of a departure for me. For one, I don't think I've ever used characters as big elements in a layout before. Well, kind of. I've used some extractions of Joe as big elements in a layout before, but that's kind of different. Plus, since we didn't do Halloween with Joe last year, I haven't ever done a Halloween layout before this one. It was fun! :) Angi also made a lovely layout of Joe for me. She's obviously a bit more experienced than I am with the wonderful clustering you see in some folks' layouts. It was gorgeous. I just like to look at it. :) But then again, I just like to look at photos in general anyway, so maybe I'm just strange. lol Though this may not look it, the elements are all from Twisted Halloween by Bubblescrap Designs. I know, different from her style now. It's neat to see how her design has changed over the last year. Awesome!

I'm amazed that I got any layouts done today. I'm feeling better than I have for the last couple of days, but I still feel like I may cough up a lung at any moment. I haven't been as tired by it today, though. It's walking around and getting too hot or cold that really get me now. Then, the wheezing starts again. I hope it's just a minor virus, but I'm not holding my breath. Especially not right now, when I can really use any breath I can get. (snort)

Precious (our dog) is looking much better. She is still holding her hind paw high, but she is favoring it much less. I think the saddest moment today was when she ran back to the steps to come in and hit that hind leg kind of hard on the first step. She was so disappointed. I almost thought she'd want me to carry her up the steps again like I did the first night, but she didn't. I was proud of her. We'll probably still need to give her more ibuprofen for a couple of days, but it looks like she'll be ready to run au naturel before the week is out. I'm glad; I was so worried when she first limped home on Friday.

Have a great work week, everyone!

At the Zoo

At the Zoo
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

Sarah and her husband both worked at the local grocery store when I first met them. I got to watch Sarah grow day by day while she was pregnant, and I watched her husband go to barber school with my sister-in-law. They've both moved on since the baby was born, so this was the first time I had seen him. I've missed a lot of time, apparently! He turned out to be so sweet. :) It was a neat surprise to run into them unexpectedly. I made this layout for the color inspiration challenge at MLAS. The elements are from Yellow Inspiration by Dogs Day Designs and Bubblescrap Designs. It's one of my fav new kits lately. :)

I've really started to get very serious about my health in the last couple of months. Even so, my panic attacks have been getting worse. I am beginning to really think that my blood sugar has some role in this. So, I went to the doctor yesterday to start taking charge. I haven't gotten my test results back yet, but I am already keeping track of my blood sugar on the "vampire," which is what I call my glucose meter. I'm hoping it will help me keep on track. I've got to get out of the grip of this sugar habit! It's killing me in many more ways than one.

Boy, I'm tired. Where's all my energy going? Guess I'll go to bed for now. Ciao! :)

Ready, set, walk!

Ready, set, walk!
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

One step closer... Every picture I had of Joe when he was eleven months old was of him learning how to walk. Some were better subjects than others; he got some pretty impressive war wounds this month. He didn't seem to mind, though. :) I did this LO for the font challenge at MLAS, and it has elements from the Naughty Little Monster kit by Isabella La Roux and the alpha from Boys Club by Scrappy Kat. It was super fun to do!

Joe is still a little pitiful this evening, but he's doing better. Slowly and surely! I'm just soooo glad he doesn't have that awful fever anymore. On the negative side, though, the dog smells like she rolled in something dead. I am *not* looking forward to that bath. Wish it were warm enough to wash her outside! lol