Come on over -- I'll bring the jam, you bring the toast!

Just in case you've missed me, I wanted to let you know.... I'm over here now, still clicking away....

...Pretty please... come on over and follow along again!

Are you still here?????

Are you still looking for me here?

If so..... you're missing out on some fab-u-lous-ness over {here}!

 Please update your links and {Google Reader} so we can see each other again!  
I miss you!

I've moved!!!!!!

This blog has officially flown the coop!!!!

I'd be so delighted if you would join me {here} in my new digs!

Where've you been?

.... you might ask me...

And you would be totally justified in asking..... because I have been a bad blogger the past couple of weeks.

I'm sorry.

So I thought I'd let you in on a little secret....

(shhh..... this is what I've been doing....packing, unpacking, and redecorating)

This lovely blog is moving....soon!

Crazy, I know!

I'd be SO happy if you'd join me when I move!

Soon, I promise!

(is that enough exclamation marks?!!!!!)

Until then, I will be a little absent, and tardy, and distracted......

I hope you'll forgive me.

A little Beauty....

Here we are in the winter doldrums.... I think it's high time for a little beautifying inside our little home...

what do you think?

A few tulips from Costco (thanks to boys who are all too willing to pick out flowers for Mom) will do the trick.

And how about sprucing up the mantel a little....
I have a thing for white ceramics and brown nests and bird themed accessories...

and nesting chickens....

I have just a few ;)

and a few more...

I love white nesting chickens... they add a little sparkle to the dark wood.

...crisp, clean white, a little glass and silver, and earthy tones....

...that is late winter beauty to me.

PS. Don't forget you can make food beautiful, too!

Have a beautiful day!!!

***************************************************************

PPS......And..... if you'd like to see some more "beauty"....

please click over to my guest post on

Better Life Bags blog

where Rebecca blogs about a life lived in service to others and sewing handbags.

She has a beautiful heart and sews beautiful bags to inspire others.

This and that....

Soooooooooo.......... you might be wondering if I fell into the sinkhole (otherwise known as the toy room)....

...or maybe I was carried off by the Great Horned Owl (much like we thought the black duck had been)........

...or maybe I was scared to death by all the little monsters running around the house...

(the little x-ray, the knight, the duck, and the veterinarian)
... but no.... nothing that exciting...

(please ignore the lousy flash... I'm trying to learn how to use my SB-600)

...just a little of this...

...and a little of that...

(she's eating a chocolate...bribery)

...and scrubbing floors from the one end to the other after a certain little girl (who shall remain nameless) decided to decorate the floor with a certain brown "paint" that should really remain in the toilet or in her diaper.... while her brothers "didn't notice a thing" and Mom was doing "this and that".....double ugh...

...{the floors were in need of cleaning anyway}...

And now, since I most solemnly pinky swore to provide some answers to your questions.... here they are:

1} Are you using storyboards to get multiple pics side-by-side on your blog?

Yes, I sometimes use storyboards that I've purchased from digi scrapbooking stores. However, most often I either just pull all my photos onto a transparent document in Photoshop and then line them up the way I want and flatten them. Then I resize for the web. Also, I sometimes use the print templates in Lightroom and then "print to file" and save them that way.

2} Do you have a Flickr account?

Yes I do, but I only load photos into it that I need loaded there for posting on other sites... such as Pioneer Woman's contests.

3} Does your daughter smile all the time?

Yes, most of the time..... she is quite the cheerful little girl.... even when she's "painting".

4} I love your photos... do you do any editing?
Yes, I edit every single one of the photos you see on my blog. I import my photos into Lightroom 3 and since I shoot in Raw, every single photo needs boosted and sharpened. So at the very least, I do this. From there I may play around more in PSE7. I highly recommend resizing your images to the exact size you will be posting them on your blog and then sharpening them. This makes a huge difference in the way they look on screen.

5} Did you create your blog layout?

Yes, I did. I started with the Blogger Minima template (almost two years ago!) and slowly added and tweaked until it was to my liking. I followed many different tutorials I found on the web to get the look I have right now. But, what would life be without change? The winds of change are blowing and soon there will be a new look.... ;)

So there you have it! I hope you have a safe and warm weekend!

PS -- the little black duck that was missing since Sunday (and presumed carried off by the Great Horned Owl) magically appeared yesterday!!!! Yea!!!!!

I have no idea....none.