SnapWidget:Instagram

you might have noticed that my Instagram photos have popped up over there in my sidebar.

through a tweet on Twitter, i discovered a fun little tool that creates a slick, easy way to share your Instagram photos in a blog post or on your sidebar....and it's completely FREE. (i love free)

do you use Instagram?
have fun making your own at SnapWidget!
it's now available on Android phones. :)
follow me: @taniawillis

gosh, i have so much to tell you!

do you have any idea how hard it is to blog for an entire week pimping out scrapbook layouts (most of which had stock photos on them of people/animals i've never even met)----and not talk about anything else!?

it's hard, people! just so you know.

because while i was posting those, i was also out playing in the snow with these two ornery fools. and the photos i captured make my heart sing. :)

on Monday, doug had mandatory overtime in the evening, so i worked an early shift and came home with an impromptu announcement that we were going to bundle up and go sledding. it was hovering around 34 degrees---the warmest day in months--with the promise of even higher temps and rain the next day. which meant the snow would be melting.



so with borrowed sleds, three layers of clothes, and four extra pair of gloves we headed out to find a hill. it took driving to 3 different hills i used to sled on as a kid before we found one with enough snow cover to get some speed. but it was SO worth it.

it's the first time i've had my camera out for photos (other than scrapbook assignments) since Christmas. collecting smiles makes me giddy.....so i was feeling a bit bummed with the lack of camera action.

for the first time in a really, really long time, i saw my girl let go of everything that normally sends her through the roof and just enjoy everything about the activity she was doing.....wet gloves, cold hands and all. :) now, mind you, we still had to change gloves 4 times because they just didn't 'feel' right. but, that's minor stuff we're talking about there.

not many people get to witness seeing her laugh the way she did that night. it's laughs like these that make me forget all the struggles we have with her.

the light was changing so fast since we went just before evening rush hour. it's dark here around 530pm now. so, i was having a hard time compensating with the settings on my camera to get the results i wanted. at one point i turned the iso up to 1600 and left it there resulting in most of my photos being dark and grainy with a very purple-y blue hue to them.

like this one....

but i recently re-discovered a super fun, and addicting photo editing site called Picnik and i'm in LOVE. i took that photo above and turned it into this one....


and it makes me want to cry!

i'll forever and ever remember the fun and laughter that was had on that sledding hill.....and it didn't cost me a single penny. don't you just love those kind of memories?

in Picnik, i opened the photo and first changed the exposure and contrast. then tweaked the color and saturation. then tinkered with the effects adding a vingette and a seasonal/breast cancer color wash---thus the pink hue. and it all took less than 2 minutes...........and it was FREE. :)

i love free.

that photo of ashlyn up there with the biggest smile ever? it started out like this:

here's the comparision...

she liked the brighter one above---she's obsessed with color just like me, but i couldn't resist going one step further and adding the vingette, shown below.

oh.my.gosh, how i SO badly want to put this on a big canvas! i just might have to place an order. speaking of photo canvas'.........i got one just before Christmas from Photo-Canvas that i can't wait to show you. it's GORGEOUS. soon. soon. gotta take a photo of it first.

bunny trail there.

do you have any clue how hard it is to photograph a kid sledding down a hill? i took about 100 pictures of nothing but snow or nothing but a little piece of them in the corner of the photo because my finger just wasn't fast enough clicking. i need to learn so much more about my camera.

most of them where shots i was trying to take of spidergirl. she's a fast little thing. here's one of those shots where the top of her head was cut off, but i couldn't stand to delete it.


oh, how that smile melts me.

in just over and hour, they must have gone down that hill nearly 100 times.

wore.them.out. :)


this one especially. it was a double dose chemo day for her, so she was extra tired afterward.

i loaded them back into the car, dropped off the borrowed sleds, and drove home feeling like the luckiest mom in the world!

yes, i will.

such a delightful print i came across yesterday while browsing etsy---print by dazeychic.

i really want one for my home.

last night/today is one of those that if i don't laugh, i'll be crying. the stomach flu has hit our house and Spidergirl is the first (and hopefully last) victim. it was a loooooooong night.

can't chat long. i need to start more wash.

they're still growing.

these grow your own animals we found in the $1 bin at michael's have been the most entertaining gift we've ever given the kids. most of the grow in water toys are pretty worthless and not even slightly entertaining, but these have broken all previous negative thoughts about such toys.

they started small, like palm size.


and then graduated to my largest soup pot.


then to the jacuzzi tub.


and then they met some friends.


and then i stopped taking pictures of them. even though the girls stop what they are doing at least a dozen times and almost get more excited than they were on Christmas morning, and run down as fast as they can to go check on their growth.

that's what's happening in my neck of the woods. along with strep throat. and pink eye. and pluggin away on CHA samples and class tutorials. oh, and we can't forget all the meltdowns and sibling squabbles. *sigh* i'm ready for a normal routine again.

cool finds...

grandma spoiled me with this book at hobby lobby yesterday. if you have kids, it is a MUST have. it is packed full of brilliant ideas for crafts. i mean, i've gotten pretty creative with art projects for the kids, but this book has me beat. look for some finished projects coming soon.

and some websites i find inspiring for kids craft ideas:

Kiddley

Family Fun

Alphamom

Scrumdillydo

Kids Craft Weekly

if you've been reading along for any length of time, you'll surely remember ashlyn's irrational fear of any sort of bug.....no matter how little it is. remember we've had to send "bug spray" to pre-K with her----a spritzer bottle with water. well, big papa solved that problem when he picked up these cutie patootie little toys (one for each of them).

this thing is the coolest toy ever. it vacuums bugs right off the ground or trees and has a catch/release switch that is a magnifying glass. so when they capture their bug, they can look through the end of the vacuum and see their little critter magnified. they have the mini version of the vacuum and it is from a series of toys called Backyard Safari by Summit Toys. he found it at walmart, but i'm sure you could get it at target or toys r us too.

then, last night ash and i ran to wally world for some diapers and a few of her school supplies. she had her heart set on spending the $3 that she dug from her bank and talked me into a trip to the dollar store. it was the first trip that she understood the value of her money and she only had so much to spend and she had to choose wisely. and i was impressed with her decision making. she settled on some glitter glue, some decorative river rocks to paint, and this......

we spent a sweet hour of practing over, under, over, under, over. reinforcing the concept of patterns. yes an hour. she sat in one place, focusing on one thing for an hour. progress. i think the therapy is finally helping her make some progress with her sensory disorder. and she is oh, so stoked to have made a "quilt" for her barbies out of this loom/loop potholder kit. it has got to be the best dollar ever spent.

and another layout i made for the March Newsletter at Scrapsupply