What did I get myself in to? But...there is a silver lining - precious video found!

I bought a MacBook Pro.  I bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.  I sent off for Adobe PSE8 - Classroom in a Book.  I am being a good student and learning this very comprehensive program.  Most of my photos (or so I thought) were already loaded into iPhoto on the Mac.  Then I remembered that I had alot backed up on 2 external hard drives as well as some on a desk top in my studio and of course

that old laptop tucked away in my bill desk.  And maybe a few on Motorcycle Man's computer that he had taken and downloaded there.  Long story short, I stayed up till after 2:30 this morning downloading all these pics on the Mac so that I could organize them.  And then noticed that I had to start double checking and deleting the duplicates.

Got up early this morning and rode with Motorcycle Man across town for him to do some work and took the laptop with me - spent over 5 hours (until the battery went dead on Mac) continuing the delete the duplicates and naming the pics, grouping them, sorting by child and their families, the trips and the date.  This is a full-time job!  No really, this IS a full-time job - one that might take me weeks.  But in the end I will be able to open the pics in Adobe Bridge CS4 and edit them all different kinds of ways.  I already tried it on a few and let's just say it blew me away!  

I love the added bonus of seeing memories that had been placed away and all of a sudden there it was in front of me.  Our children very young, our children grown and with their children, the trips we have taken alone, with family or friends.  The wildlife that travels through my yard and I caught pics of.  Just a flood of memories.

By far one of the best part was finding the short videos I took of Our Angel that I have been searching for that his mother has never seen or heard.  He lived just 6 1/2 short months and all of it in hospitals but he was a fighter!  He taught me SO much in his short life that I will carry with me to my grave.  Seeing his pictures since he passed away has been a blessing but hearing him for the first time in two years was the most touching thing all of this venture has brought me.  I can not wait to burn all his pics and the videos to a CD and take them to Mother Goose and let her have a blessing through this too.

An hour after he was born 2 months early

3 months later with his Mom

2 months later at 5 months with me singing to him

2 Bucks came to visit today

Looked at the back door on the way to the kitchen and there were several of my deer family friends.  These were two young bucks - both 6-pointers - feeding on the polk salad that grows wild behind our fence.  Motorcycle Man told me that this is one of the last times we will get to see them together before
the season and they divide up to hunt on their own.  I remember when they were half this size last year and we have another set of twins this year that have recently lost their spots.

Golden Girl at play and sleep

Pictures I took of her in her first snow, begging with her Tweety cup (while hiding her tennis ball in her mouth at the same time I later saw after I zoomed in on the pic!), "listening" to my iPod with her nose,
sleeping on her back after she covered herself with a towel and just being out and out beautiful!  I love this dog!  We are so blessed to have her as part of our family!

Resting in the sun

Listening to her favorite music on the iPod

holding the Tweety cup AND her tennis ball

begging with her Tweety cup

Priceless

A 'lil snow on my nose Mama

her and her Tweety cup again

while camping with Mama and Daddy

she has two different color eyes

taking a nap under her play towel

My Golden Girl - One who loves me

Today was the needle in the spine day - takes most of the day to sleep off the effects and hurts for days more than I can describe.  The best part of this you ask?  There are two - one is the relief it will bring me for hopefully several months and two - my Golden Girl who laid on the floor next to the couch all
day keeping watch over me.

I will just hold Mama's hand

But first, let us pray....

What's that??? My favorite commercial on the TV?  Got to turn around for a better view!

ok girl - you are turning this into a food blog...NOT!

ok - I am having to stop myself - I am doing it all over again.  I had another blog for about 3 years that was supposed to be about all of my loves.  Basically what this blog is going to be.  The other one turned into more of a just quilting and knitting blog and all my other passions kinda got lost in the mix. 
However, after reading my last post tonight I see that it is turning into a food blog.  Soooooo here goes - here so some of the things I love to do.

I love to quilt

and quilt

and quilt

I am learning how to make cards

I loved this one

with a tree and presents

before all the finishing touches with ink edging

need to still add presents or more to the tree

one for a grandchild

still wondering what else it needs

grow plants of any kind...

Christmas cactus

Houseplants

build and paint birdhouses

of all colors...

and styles

paint ceramics

scrapbook

which requires tools

and tools

and paper plus I made the totes and purses on the door too

study and use all types of softwares

dabble in photography of all the birds that come to visit

the feeders at the window of my studio

some even in flight

some just sitting and resting

some in the tree waiting their turn

while these are having seconds.