I took this picture at the park earlier this week and LOVED the way the blue eyes just POPPED. Unfortunately, his cracker/snot/drool face was a bit disgusting. So…I used some photoshop tools (the bandaid…which probably has a real name) and some of MCP Magic Skin and ta da! Instant napkin! Not perfectly clean, but now the beauty of his eyes is not overshadowed by the crumbs on his face. This went from a kinda cute picture to one of the millions I have hanging around my house. I’m still such a novice but it really is amazing what you can do with Photoshop. I just wanted to share this with those of you who have been around since the days of my Pre-DSLR camera use. I’ve come a long way, Baby!

Although…I still have to constantly look up what SLR stands for. So, you know, not completely awesome yet.

I take a lot of pictures. Did you know that? I do! And I go through those pictures every day. I take them off the camera, edit, store and upload to flickr. I don’t get too behind on this as it’s my treat. There are few things I like more than sitting down at the computer and reliving moments through the pictures taken off my camera. Often times when I take the pictures, there’s a lot going on and I just snap, without really savoring. I’m too busy trying to make sure my kids aren’t stealing bears at the store, or eating chalk, to really enjoy the pictures as I take them. But later, when it’s quiet and it’s just me and the photos? I can really look back on the moments and think Damn. What did I ever do to deserve this much good fortune in my life? I mean, I bitch and whine a lot (Like about my youngest waking up at 4:45am this morning…WHY DOES HE HATE ME?) but I want to make sure it’s abundantly clear. I love my life. I love my family. I often feel like I couldn’t be any more blessed than I am right now. And with so many people in the world suffering? I felt I’d take a moment to be grateful.

For at least five minutes. Because I really want to whine about this closet renovation that’s going on in my house. Deep down inside. Because it might be killing me.

Sunset at Catalina State Park

We are home from one of the best trips of my life. Not only was it exactly what I needed in terms of hanging out with my brother, which is always good for the soul, and taking a break from being a Mom which is what I needed to boost my energy for the holidays. It also inspired the photographer in me with new scenery. And finally? We ate some hella’ good food. Which is awesome for my waistline.

Fisheye Lens at Catalina

We discussed a few times how much Dad would have a) Loved that we were doing all of these things together and b) Probably have come along with us. He loved the desert and always talked about heading up to the Kitt Peak observatory. That entire night I thought of him.

My brother’s house was also awesome. He’s done a much better job about turning Dad’s weird possessions into workable decor in a modern home. My favorite was what he did with the globe and random medical accessories.

He finally found a new light for the bulb, but the best part is what it’s sitting on. My Dad was a biomedical engineer at a hospital for 25 years. He accumulated a lot of cool medical items like Display Only false hips and shoulders that would get thrown out when they were no longer needed for display. That’s what’s in the glass cylinder…Display Versions of titanium hips and shoulders! And around the base of the cylinder? Some sort of surgical brace. If I could have found a way to sneak the entire contraption home, I would have. Dad would have been amazed that his dusty box of cool medical gadgets could be displayed in such a pretty fashion.

And then…of course…there’s Lance Armstrong. My brother and I agreed Dad wouldn’t have come out for the book signing with us, but he would have loved to hear our goofy stories about it. And he would have loved to receive one of the autographed copies for Christmas. But seeing us waiting in line like giddy school girls at a boy band concert? Would have just made him shake his head in awe. Which made us completely happy to think about.

Most importantly, we had a great time as a couple. MrZ even humored me by holding my hand every where, which he hates to do. We needed that time to remember that we like each other as more than The Other Person To Pass Poopy Diapers Off On. It’s hard to remember that sometimes.

My family has typically come into town for Christmas OR Thanksgiving every year. This year they come in for both and I couldn’t be more happy. I have always used this visit as my motivation to update pictures in frames around the house. I twittered about doing this one day and it seems that I’m slightly unique in this endeavor. Yay! Finally! Something I might be able to throw out to the internet as a Good Idea to pay it back for all of the Good Ideas I’ve gotten in years past.

I take so many photos (Really?) that it seems silly to never print and frame any of them. Sometimes I’ll buy new frames for photos but we don’t have a lot of free shelf-space in this house. So, I do an annual replacement in frames already up around the house. I don’t replace every photo in every frame every year. But I replace at least 75% of them. Sometimes I just like a picture too much to replace. Other times it’s just a perfect fit for the frame and I cant replace it until I find a suitable picture for that particular frame.

Putting up the new photos every year guarantees my family something new to look at. Especially since most of the time they’re in some of the new photos. This also just allows me a chance to find my favorite photos from the year past and make sure I do something with them. Sitting on flickr is great for you and me, but not really great for anyone in my non-internet life. It is hard to see some of the old photos covered up, so I’m always on the quest for unique ways to display a lot of photos in a small area so I don’t have to spend my life savings on frames and I can still keep my favorite old ones displayed while adding new ones. I ordered this magnetic rope last year and displayed these photos:

However, this year I tried to figure out how to cram more photos on the wire. I found these magnets (100 for $5!) and they’re almost the exact ones that come with the rope from Photojojo. I was able to put more photos on the same wires this year. I also opted to print them without the border this time, just to spice things up a bit.

I think it turned out great and I have plenty more magnets so I think I’m going to order more of those wires. I’m almost doubling their capacity allowing me to keep some of my favorites from the year before while adding new ones to update.

Do you do this? Update frames around your house? Or does a photo sit in the same frame forever?