Free 4th of July Storyboard/Collage Template (holds 12 photos)

Are you guys getting ready for the 4th of July?  Or should I say getting the camera ready?  I don’t know about you but I’m the type of person that can’t let a holiday pass without snapping some pictures (even if they are only taken with my phone camera)!  And since holidays make such perfect photo opportunities; you’ll definitely find me behind the lens!  There are so many amazing moments to capture.  Whether they be of family and friends you haven’t seen in awhile, your Aunts homemade ice cream, patriotic tablescapes you’ve strategically designed, water activities like sprinklers/pools/slip-n-slides, little ones running around in diapers and bare feet, a volleyball or badminton tournament, a hula hoop competition, etc.; you’re sure to catch some great expressions like smiles, laughs, giggles, maybe even happy tears?  Have I painted a pretty enough picture?  No?  Let me fast forward to the evening then.  How about glow sticks, sparklers, cracker snaps, and FIREWORKS?  Sharing some champagne with your significant other under a glowing sky?  Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!  I’m getting myself all fired up for the holiday (pun intended)! 

Want to make your own storyboard?

No problem.  Since I’m always creating storyboards/collages for my readers, I thought it would be fun to share my knowledge so that you can create your very own!  It’s actually pretty simple.  My recommendations for viewing this video tutorial at its maximum quality are:

1. Make sure the volume is up on the video.
2. Make sure the volume is up on your computer.
3. Change the viewing quality to 720p HD (the first button/icon on the bottom right side of the video).
4. Use the large player on YouTube (the fourth button/icon on the bottom right side of the video).  Viewing at full screen tends to look a little blurry/fuzzy.

Free collage template (9 photos)!

This is going to be a less words on Wednesday for me!  I’m resorting to my Instagram shots; haven’t been able to pick up my camera in a few days.  If you like the collage below, feel free to grab it HERE!  It’s a .psd Photoshop file 850 px wide.  As a reminder, you just click on the layer named “PLACE PHOTO HERE”, that I highlighted in red, and go to FILE / PLACE to choose the image you’d like to insert in the square.  My template does not include the text.

Free storyboard template with 6 photos!

I’m on a roll I guess!  I’ve been feeling creative, hence the new storyboard!  Not sure what I’m going to call it but the bottom layer reminds me of cork board which is kind of cool.  Feel free to grab it HERE!  Hope you guys like it!  It is a .psd Photoshop file and is 850 px wide.  As long as you are even a little familiar with Photoshop you should have no problem using the template.  Just click on the layers that read “PLACE YOUR PHOTO HERE” then go to File / Place and choose the image you’d like to insert.  If you have any problems downloading, feel free to leave me a comment.

This too shall pass

I’m loving tonight.  I finally got Alivia out of the house even if it was only for a couple of hours.  I think she’s been going a little stir crazy.  You’d never know it the way she keeps herself so busy and happy.  I’m lucky she is so independent especially these past few months I hadn’t been feeling well.  Unfortunately, I had been reduced to watching her from the couch.  While I rested, she would play.  It was getting a little depressing there for awhile having to watch and not being able to participate.  I’d find myself wiping tears from my eyes when she wasn’t looking.  I think I was a little sadder than I wanted to admit.  I guess that’s what illness will do to a person.  I just had to keep reminding myself that it was temporary. 

Happy 4th… (freebie holiday collage)!

Hey there!  I have something special for you guys today!  I created a 4th of July collage!  For my sample, I took pictures of Aliva’s 4th of July dress which, I thought, went perfectly with this collage.  I hope to get some tomorrow of her actually in it!  I’m sure these will be a lot more interesting.  Although, I’m not quite sure the dress is going to fit her.  I’m thinking it’s a bit too small!  It’s a good thing I kept the tag on and have the receipt.  Something tells me we may be taking this back!  I hope not though!  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  I really should have tried the dress on her today.  You think I would have thought of that sooner when I had the darn thing out and she was actually awake (she’s in bed now).  My brain is mush today and it’s only Wednesday.  I’ve been extra busy over here trying to clean the house and prepare for a vacation that we are taking in 3 days!  Woo hoo!  Yeah, I’m a nut.  I start preparing for a vacation a week in advance.  I admit it!  I just hate to forget anything.

Finagle a Foto Guest Judge and FREEBIE

Guess what?  I am going to be a Guest Judge for the Finagle a Foto challenge this week!  You could say that I’m a a little excited!  Okay, a lot excited! Woo Hoo! So, have you heard of this photo challenge? Did you say “No”? Uh oh, well I hate to tell you but, you sure are missing out!  I hate to see people missing out.  If you are interested, here is a little information about the challenge!  If you’d like to join in the fun and link up, feel free to click on that button below!  The linky goes live on Sundays!  See you there!  I can’t wait to see your submissions!

New Grungy Collage

Hey there!  Yeah, I’m a little late posting for Tuesday.  You’ll have to forgive me, I went to bed super early last night (which is when I would have been drafting my Tuesday post) because I wasn’t feeling well.  I’ve been feeling super run down and almost like I’m fighting what could be a pretty serious cold.  Either that or I have allergies.  Not sure.  I didn’t give myself the ol’ booger test.  You know what I’m talking about right?  You blow your nose and if your boogies are green it’s a cold but if they are clear than it’s allergies.  It comes in handy when the little ankle biter gets sick.  It’s nice to be certain what she has so that I can treat it correctly.  Anyhoo, so last night when the hubby came home from work (at round 7:15 pm), I took advantage and ran myself a nice hot bath and then climbed right into bed afterwards at around 8:00 pm.  I don’t think I’ve been to bed at 8 o’clock since I started this blog seeing as my nights are really the only time I have to myself.  Anyhow, it was nice.  Today, I am feeling a tiny bit better, but still not myself.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t come down with anything.  I’m already envisioning Alivia and I sick for the weekend.

A few of my favorite things & GFC update

Apparently I don’t think us Blogger folks have anything to worry about regarding Google Friend Connect (GFC). I received quite a few comments regarding my previous GFC post (HERE) and I’m pretty convinced that GFC is only going to be retired for non-Blogger blogs. This link was provided by Skye over at First Time Mama – First Time Blogger confirming this. I also noticed that a lot of you commented with this same thing (about Non-Blogger blogs) so I think it’s safe to say we are in the clear! A BIG thanks to everyone that responded! Whew, right? And so the world is NOT coming to an end after all! I will still continue to follow my favorite blogs via GFC assuming it is available on your website. I am finding, however, at least 35% of the blogs that I’d like to follow don’t contain a GFC button at all which is a little disappointing especially seeing as I really don’t like to follow via feeds. Don’t get me wrong, I respect all of my fellow bloggers and your choices to include or not include the GFC button on your websites ;o)

New Pics… Mother’s Day

So, how was everyone’s Mother’s Day?  I got some beautiful flowers from Alivia and the hubby!  They must love me bunches!  Thought you’d like to see just how beautiful the bouquet was.  Gorgeous colors right?  And who doesn’t love roses?  Especially white ones!

Almost truly wordless and another Freebie

I can’t do it.  I can never publish a post with no words at all.  Seriously, though, this post is going to be a lot less wordier than any of my previous Wednesday posts.   I usually draft my posts the night before but I will not be home on Tuesday night so if you can believe it I am drafting this on a Monday night.  For Tuesday,  I have planned a girls night out with my sister and mom for an early Mother’s Day celebration.  My sister and I bought her tickets to Burn the Floor.  I can’t wait to see the show.  I’ve seen it once before, but many many years ago.  It was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. 

Anyhow, I can’t let a Wednesday pass without linking up to all the Wordless Wednesdays out there.

New Pics… More Freebies and a Photo Challenge

Do you know how I drafted this post?  With Alivia in my lap moving around as if she had ants in her pants.  She was grabbing my glasses, playing with my hair, and calling out parts of the face.  Eyes, nose, ears, cheeks, etc.  She has been crazy clingy lately.  I have no idea what’s going on.  She has been crying if I don’t hold her.  She has been getting very upset even if I get up to get a drink, go to the bathroom, anything that requires me to be away from her if even for a couple seconds.  This is like separation anxiety to the extreme.  Now I have to get up and get her some water.  Wait for it.  Can you hearr the wailing?  I can’t carry her with me everywhere, she is way too heavy for her little mama.  Seriously, I’m 93 lbs. and she is about 24 lbs.  Shall I do the math?  She is more than a quarter of my weight!  To say I’m weak would be putting it mildly.  I lack upper body strength badly.  You should see the size of my scrawny arms.  Don’t mind me while I rag on myself!

Just a few photo challenges

I hope everyone had a splendid weekend!  Our weather wasn’t too bad this past weekend.  It was about 62 degrees on Saturday but overcast and around 65 degrees on Sunday with partial sun.  Hey I’ll take what I can get. 

I had a very busy weekend.  It was sort of non-stop from Saturday morning right up until 8:00 pm on Sunday when I placed Alivia in her crib for the night.  I went clothes shopping for myself on both mornings, then a little walk around the neighborhood to get Alivia some fresh air, some chores around the house, and a visit to my sister’s.  I’ve been trying to get Alivia outside every chance I get since I’m pretty sure we are supposed to get rain after Monday for three days straight.  

Issues with Posting?

Now onto more frustrating things...

I hate to be a complainer, but I've been experiencing some problems with Blogger.  When I draft my posts and format them exactly the way I want them, the minute I hit that Publish button, my formatting changes.  When I say formatting, I am referring to the spacing between lines, paragraphs, pictures, etc.  For example, let's just say I single space between paragraphs and double space between pictures (using the enter/return key), then I publish the post only to find it has completely reformatted itself.  Once in a blue moon Blogger will remove line spaces, but mostly it will add additional line spaces between content so that there are HUGE gaps of empty space between paragraphs and pictures.  Then my posts look sloppy.  Additionally, I draft posts that I am not ready to publish at that very moment so I will save and close them.  The next time I open these same posts to make updates, the formatting is entirely different.  It is quite frustrating to say the least.  Sometimes I have to go into that post and reformat it multiple times (usually 4 or 5 times) for it to finally be correct.  I'm way too anal to let it go.  So now that I've vented, I feel a little better.  I wanted to show you what I mean, so I've attached screen shots of the way I format my posts (pictures 1 & 2) and screen shots of the way Blogger reformats my posts (pictures 3 & 4).  Damn you Blogger!

A month in photos

This will be my first time linking up to A Month in Photos over at SIMPLE AS THAT.  I like the idea of putting a collage together of your favorite photos for the month.  I had a difficult time choosing my favorites and since my collage only allows 6 pictures, I had to put together two.  I hope that's okay.  I look forward to seeing the other submissions as well.

The Missing Link - Week 3

Have you ever felt like something was missing from your life? Well, it could just be one of the links below. Hence my post title! You may ask yourself "Is she serious?" Well the answer is "No, I'm definitely NOT serious." I'm just feeling silly. Seriously though, I thought I'd share some of my favorite links with you in an effort to spread the love. What's better is that I thought I'd make this post a weekly thang! No that isn't a typo. I told you I was feeling silly. So the links below may not complete your life, but I'm hoping they, in some way, add to it. I separated them into categories for easy navigation. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

My Day of Randomness

Okay so here's the scoop.  It was quite chilly yesterday so I didn't get any outdoor photos!  Boo!  I did, however, make up for it in Instagrams and indoor shots!  Yay!  Livvy and I didn't too much yesterday.  We had a little trip to the Carter's store to use some gift certificates that had been sitting in my wallet just beggin' to be used!  I bought her 6 sundresses.  On the way home from Carter's we stopped at DSW for my mom to buy some shoes she wanted.  While I waited in the car with Livvy, I snapped some Instagrams.  Then it was back home to have chicken for lunch and strawberries for dessert.  Livvy watched an episode of The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Neverland Pirates and then it was back out to my mom's house where we visited for a couple hours and stayed for a pork roast, corn on the cob, and broccoli dinner!  We left my mom's at around 5:45 pm and were back at our house by 5:49 pm.  Did I mention my mom lives across the street?  Yes, it is very cool!  I don't know how many times we've walked to each others houses in our pajamas, slippers,  or kitchen aprons, sometimes not having showered yet, no make-up with our hair dirty and all!  What a sight!  I'm sure you can imagine.  Although you wouldn't have to imagine if I got some pictures of us.  No, I wouldn't do that to you!  That's just wrong!  Trust me when I say it's NOT pretty!  Seriously though and silliness aside, I wouldn't change it for the world!  I'm sort of a mama's girl.  Even still, at 35 years old. 

New Pics... The Instagram (and some more Freebies)

I don't think I'm so wordless on this Wednesday but what do you think? 

Intermittent Exotropia (Alivia's follow-up Ophthalmologist Appointment):

You can find a previous post about Alivia's Intermittent Exotropia HERE.

Livvy had her follow-up Ophthalmologist appointment at Children's Hospital yesterday.  She has been seen in the past for Intermittent Exotropia.  Since her last appointment, her eye has gotten increasingly worse so I was anxious to get her in to see the doctor as soon as possible.  I was almost certain that the vision in her eye was starting to deteriorate and was preparing myself to hear treatment options.  Luckily her vision was fine!  Apparently because her eye is only turning outward some of the time her vision is less apt to deteriorate at a rapid pace if at all.  On the bad and scary side, the doctor informed us that she would probably need eye muscle surgery in the future but that it was difficult to know for sure since she couldn't get an accurate reading of her eye placement.  The only thing that would allow her to get an accurate eye reading was if Alivia were a little older and more cooperative.  With this said, the doctor will continue to see Alivia every three months.  In the meantime, she had suggested the patch as treatment for the eye muscle.  I am supposed to patch her strong eye for 20 minutes to a half an hour a day.  With her strong eye patched Alivia will be forced to exercise her weak eye in hopes of strengthening the eye muscle.  Unfortunately, however, the eye patch can cause the strong eye to deviate (since the eye muscle is not being used, this can sometimes happen).  In this case, I am instructed to stop the patch treatment immediately.  Now, for the BIG question.  How the hell am I going to get my 20 month old to wear a HUGE band aid patch over her eye?  And the other little questions that seem to follow.  What if I can't get her to wear it?  Am I a bad mother if I don't insist she wear it?  Do I argue with her?  Will she dislike me for making her wear it?  I guess I'll just have to see what happens.  It doesn't make any sense to worry about it now.