Saturday, July 30, 2011

Sayings by James and Boo-Boo

James has really been cracking me up lately. He says some of the funniest things. He also picks up on everything we say and will repeat it at the worst times. So, we better start being careful who we talk about LOL. While shopping last weekend, I was telling James something and he says, "Whoop-see-do" as in, who cares?! He's said it a couple of times since then and I just laugh and laugh. I think this kid came to us from 1957 sometimes. Last night he was playing with one of our neighbors and their Ipad. He comes in for the night talking about this cool game, Mad Chickens. I'm thinking what is he talking about? Then he tells me that his friend has 3 different ones including a Rio game. It dawned on me, he meant to say Angry Birds! I love that boy!

Well, most of you know by now, but Gene broke his ankle. It actually happened on Wednesday night and I finally convinced him to go to the doctor on Thursday evening. He actually worked Wed. night hobbling around on a broken ankle! He broke a piece off the inside of his ankle and it requires surgery. We got to see the Orthopedic Surgeon yesterday and he gave us the news that this would definitely need surgery and I told him we need to get him in next week since I was already on vacation. So, we went and pre-registered at the Surgery Center and found out we have to be there bright and early at 6 am on Tuesday! Surgery will be at 7 and takes about 45 minutes. Then, he should spend 30 minutes in recovery and maybe another 30 minutes in post recovery, then we can go home. Gene is nervous about being put under and I don't blame him. We'll be laying around the house keeping his foot elevated until Tuesday morning, with me waiting on him hand and ankle :)  Since Gene works for himself, this really throws a kink into things. Prayers are appreciated!!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Anniversary and School Shopping

Tuesday night was our anniversary, happy 3 years to us! Sadly, I didn't take a picture of us. But here's one of my favorites of us. I came home from work on Tuesday and got ready and we headed out to Doe's Eat Place. It's down on Dickson Street in Fayetteville. We've always heard great things about this steakhouse, but I'll just say I wasn't too impressed. The steak was good, but I didn't care for the salad and potatoes. And those are usually my favorite parts! We also had the homemade tamales, which were good, but when you've had actual homemade tamales, they don't compare. All in all, it was a nice dinner, but not somewhere I want to go back. After our dinner, we rented Insidious. Romantic, right? We both love scary movies, but we never get to watch them with James around. It was super freaky and I didn't want to sleep afterward! I just want to say that marriage isn't easy. It takes work on both parts and sometimes things happen that neither of you thought you could handle. I love you Gene and I look forward to many more years with you!







Yesterday my good friend and James' aunt Gail came up front Oklahoma and went shopping with us. Let me just say that I can no longer shop for James' shoes in the children's section. I can't believe how much he's grown this summer. I only bought him 1 pair of Levi's yesterday and they were size 16!!!! OMG!!! I had ordered him some things online so I'm a little nervous now if they are going to fit or not. I guess we'll see and hope for an easy return policy! Other than the 1 pair of jeans and new shoes he got a new backpack. I've bought him several shirts already and we just need a few more jeans and he will be all set. I picked up his school supply list at our local Walmart this morning so I'll be getting those things one day this week probably. School starts on August 15th and it just seems so soon! I'll be on vacation next week so hopefully we can all spend some time together. We don't really have any plans so hopefully we'll find something to do!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

I made a homemade pizza tonight and it was really great! Here's what you'll need:

1 refrigerated pizza crust
1 small jar Alfredo sauce
1 container of sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 small red onion
1 bell pepper
1 cup of thinly sliced, cooked steak (great use for leftovers!)
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Saute your mushrooms until they are soft, then throw in the onions and bell peppers. I left out the peppers because I'm not really fond of cooked peppers and I didn't have any. Once your veggies are cooked and you have your grilled steak, you are ready to assemble your pizza. Follow the baking directions on your crust and pre-bake it if needed. Then I layered Alfredo sauce, steak, and the veggie combo. Then I topped it with the cheese. Pop in the oven, and 10 minutes later, you have a scrumptious homemade pizza! This was even hubby approved :)

Friday, July 15, 2011

Summer Days

James was invited to his baby sitter's house for some major slip n slide fun. Christal is our sweet neighbor who watches James for me during the school year. She gets up at the crack of dawn and takes my little one to school. We love her and her sweet kiddos. I'm pretty sure James and her daughter will be dating one day. The fight like cats and dogs right now and I just chuckle! Her little boy is so sweet and I think he really looks up to James as a big brother. Christal snapped a few pics and they turned out great!



 I love the Superman move here!


I don't know if this happens to everyone, but I feel like this will be James' last summer as my sweet little boy. He's grown so much over the summer. We will have to buy him some new shorts for school because the ones I bought at the beginning of the summer are too small! It sounds strange, but I really think he's becoming a little pre-teen. His mannerisms are more grown up and he just doesn't look like my little boy anymore. I'm a little sad, but excited to see what kind of man he will grow to be. He's so respectful and helpful around the house and I hope that stays with him. I love you monkey moo!


 He had to show me how big his booty has gotten LOL


Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Watermarks and Right Clicks

I promised to do a post on watermarking and disabling right clicks. So here it is! I hope it's simple and straightforward, but if you have questions, let me know!

First off, I found a pretty simple watermarking tool, it's called Visual Watermark. I think it cost somewhere around $20 and that's a one time fee. I like this program because once you select your pictures and design your watermark, it adds that watermark to all of your selected pictures instead of adding the watermark one by one. The link can be found here and you can test out the free trial version before committing to the $20 fee.

Please do NOT choose 'overwrite original images' when saving your watermarked photos because your originals will be gone. The default is to 'rename modified images and place them in the source folder'. It's just warning. This program is a 3 step process.

  1. Select your photos. You can use the CTRL function to select multiples at one time.
  2. Design your watermark. You can use a picture or text, which I love. I need to play around with this more. There are tons of effects you can use.
  3. Select Watermark at the bottom and presto! It's done. You will then be prompted to save your pics. I have created a special folder just for my watermarked photos, but do whatever tickles your fancy.  :)
I also have disabled right clicks on my blog. You can learn more about that HERE. In the code, you can change the pop up message that is displayed so play around with it and see what works best for you. I got this idea from Kelly over at Kelly's Korner. She's a local blogger in my area and she seems like the sweetest lady. Her girls are adorable!

I hope after reading this, you will find what works for you. I feel a little better about spreading my pictures around and I haven't had any issues so far!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Not GUILTY?

I just wanted to do a quick post about the Casey Anthony trial. The verdict came today and she was found not guilty of 1st degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. She was basically only found guilty of lying to the police which could land her 4 years in jail. Considering she has already served 3, she will probably walk FREE! I was so shocked by the verdict today. I have followed the trial and I am saddened by the evidence that was presented. What happened to little Caylee was horrific. I take comfort in knowing that one day Casey will judged by God and her she may not come out of that one smiling and making jokes.


As a side note, I'm working on a post about watermarking and protecting yourself a little better. Sorry it's taking so long!