Before and After

I thought I'd show you guys another before and after! This is from one of my Ocean Beach images. Pretty much all I did was lower the exposure in the sky (in Bridge), clarify the clouds (a lot), removed a few things, and added some saturation. Quick and easy. I love the colors in this one!

Before:

 After:

Ocean Beach, CA

I had no idea we were going to meet up with some friends at Ocean Beach - it was last minute! That is why Amelia was wearing clothes and not a swim suit =) Ocean Beach, or as we call it out here OB, is a really unique beach! It sort of has the same feeling as Venice Beach to me. It's just a fun place to hang out, always something to see, and just has this very laid back feel. The pier is AWESOME!

I Heart Faces - Raise Your Hands Challenge

Show and Tell Photo Challenge - Black and White

Edited in an old film grainy process - I've been meaning to try this. I have a few other ideas I want to try. 

At it again ..

So we tried the Cake in a Jar idea once again, but with the Neon colors. They turned out awesome! Amelia had a girls night with her friends and everyone enjoyed making these (and eating them)!

This is all you need (2 boxes make about 6 jars) and of course you need frosting!

 You separate about 2 cups of cake batter in 5 bowls (or cups) Add food coloring - use the Neon - trust me on this one!

 Then you pour about 3 tablespoons of each color

 This is what it starts to look like!

 And this is how you eat it =)

Morning walk to school

Wordless Wednesday

Self Portrait in Color and B/W - I think I like the B/W better.

Monday ...

I love Mondays. I do. After the weekend is over I am ready for the kids to go back to school so I can get a little time to myself. Today though. First, I've been having issues with my phone and the USB charger port in the phone. It's been giving me issues holding a chance these past few days. My phone is my life. My only alarm clock and my only phone. I don't have a house phone, so I relay on my cell for everything! Well, my phone died while charging last night and my alarm never went off this morning. It always happens when I need to be up early Ashton decides he's going to sleep in - he did until 7:15. We were late. I decided to take Ashton to his bus stop first - his bus comes at 8 - then drop Amelia off late. Ashton's bus got a flat tire this morning, so we waited at the bus stop for 1/2 hour over until I finally gave up since I can't call Transportation because my phone is dead! I drop Amelia off and then take Ashton to school. THEN, I get a flat! Fixable, but wow, annoying! I head to Sprint to have them look at my phone. I find out it's a problem these Evo's are having. They had to take my phone for inspection to make sure it wasn't something I did and they needed to charge my battery. Great! Being without a phone was a very very unsettling feeling! You don't know how much you relay of something until you don't have it. So, I left Sprint and decided to go food shopping. Thankfully that was uneventful, except it was mobbed. The Marine Base was closed all weekend do to the Air Show, so everyone that put off shopping over the weekend was there! I went back to Sprint to find out it wasn't me (THANK-GOD) and I'll have a replacement in 5-7 DAYS!!!!!!! Ugh. I'm thankful they are replacing it for free since I didn't have insurance, but now I have to go to Sprint every morning and have them charge my phone until my replacement comes!

So after all this I decided I needed some fun time with the kids. We attempted to make Rainbow Cake in a Jar. Amelia wanted to make pastel color ones. So, we did. I wish I would have talked her out of it. I think the bright bold colors would have worked SO much better .... so guess what I am doing tomorrow while they are at school?! Yes, making the bight colorful ones! The kids still enjoyed making them and eating them! It was a lot of fun doing this with them as well!

I had to add this. I needed to pick up jars for the cake at our local kitchen store and Amelia spotted this bug zapper. She HAD to have it. She was so excited to get this thing home and try it out. I, of course, had to make sure this was OK for her to use, so I touched just ONE of the strands of wire and OMG!!! This is just as strong as one of those taser guns! This got put up and out of the kids reach. Amelia saw what it did to me and refuses to now be near the thing, LOL Dangerous! Very dangerous!

   

My Lazy Boy

Sundays are the best days to just kick back and relax. Although I tend to do all my cleaning on Sundays, so that way Monday when the kids are off to school I can go do my things without worrying about my house needing cleaning. I also love to cook on Sunday - the one day a week (mostly) that I actually cook 3 meals. Amelia is still off with my friend and her girls, so it's just been Ashton and I all weekend. I think he may be enjoying the fact he's an only child right now - he's been quite happy and quite calm! 

Our adventure

Last night a friend of mine picked up my daughter, Amelia, for a sleep over with her girls. She didn't plan on returning with Amelia until tonight. So, Ashton and I are having some mommy and me time - which doesn't happen too often. Today PB was having a yearly Pacific Beachfest. We live close enough to walk to the boardwalk from our home, so Ashton and I hiked down 8 blocks to the beach for some fun, food, music, and more. I knew he wouldn't be able to handle the crowd for very long. He doesn't do very well with crowds. We got through some of it with little trouble, but once we hit the amazing Reggae band that was playing he b-lined strait out of there covering his ears and with the funniest look on his face! He was done.

We decided to explore Crystal Pier, he loved that. The only thing was every-time I called it "the pier" he lost his mind! He'd scream back "bridge." "Ok-Ok it's a bridge!" He has labels for most everything and if you don't recall what he calls it, or if you don't know what he calls it; be prepared for the wrath of Ashton! In Ashton's world we should just know, duh!

Walking home we took Garnet Ave, which is a very vivacious Street to begin with. Ashton on Garnet Avenue was like walking with a very annoying drunk person! He knocked down 3 mannequins, kicked closed almost every business' doors along the way, purposely walked into store front windows (okay, slammed himself into them), and laid down in the middle of the sidewalk rolling around. On top of all this, he must have walked into at least 10 people riding bikes or jogging. I mean in his defense, he doesn't know his lefts or rights and big fat chances are he doesn't even hear the person on the bike/jogger scream from behind him "on your left" or "on your right!" I'm getting better and quicker with pulling him out of the way though.

Here are a few shots from today!

Walking on our street to the beach -

THIS is how he preferred to see the waves from the Pier - you can only imagine ALL the strange looks we got - made me happy though. I'd rather him safe on the ground than trying to climb the Pier fence!

Even Ashton can appreciate an amazing view!

Sitting in the middle of the sidewalk on Garnet Ave - probably plotting how he's going to take out those mannequins!

Have you seen Madagascar (the first one)? Well, every time he sees a pay phone he HAS to stop, dial numbers, pick up the phone, speak a bunch of gibberish, than SCREAM "ANIMALS" LOL