Whirlwind

Hi!  There is so much going on in my life write now.  The past few months have been a time of self-discovery for me.  And I'm so far behind on my blog reading that I have no idea what any of you are up to!  Maybe I should remedy that this weekend.

One of the biggest things is the website that I'm creating for Emma's high school drama group.  I started that last spring then took a long break from it.  We now have the goal of starting it on November 1 - which we missed.  But we are so close!  The graphic artist has to finish up the new logo and I'm troubleshooting a few things and changing our email service to Google Apps (I hope!).  After it's up and running, we'll add phase two elements like more photos, putting in articles we've skipped for now, getting the summer camp registration form up, etc.  For anyone who needs to develop a website, I can recommend using Joomla! to do it.  I hope I can share the site with you soon.

Another great thing is that I signed up to take Project Real Life with Becky Higgins through Big Picture Classes.  I never paid much attention to the Project Life scrapbooking system, but I knew some of my friends were enjoying using it.  The great thing about Project Real Life is the extra stuff in the class.  Each week has a theme and the themes have activities associated with them.  These activities make you think about your priorities and I'm reprioritizing some things in my life.  I've learned that I need to take more (and better!) photos and that my iPhone isn't taking the best photos if I want to use them in scrapbooking.

Do you use Photoshop Elements?  I downloaded the trial version and I've played around with it a bit.  I downloaded it to be able to use the Christmas newsletter template I bought.  I'd better get to that before my trial expires!  It's also helpful for editing photos for the website.  I just signed up for another online class called Two Views.  By the end of the two week workshop, I'll have an 8x8 album that contains pictures and journaling about how I see things and how Emma sees things.  It's so great that she agreed to be the second person in my album!  This class will be a great way to learn more about digital scrapbooking and using Photoshop Elements.  There is still time to sign up if you're interested.

On a different level, I've been reading my Bible more and doing a Bible study called Unglued.  It's about not letting our raw emotions rule our lives.  So far I've learned that I get angry and raise my voice when I feel accused or demeaned.  But the study is helping me voice my feelings and what's bothering me instead of letting my feelings take control.

Whew - that's a lot!  There is more (like knitting), but I think I've written enough for tonight.  I hope to catch up with you soon.  I miss hearing what's been going on in your lives!

 

Comments

[Raelene]

Nice to see you back. You are certainly having a busy time there but it sounds fulfilling as well. I look forward to catching up on your knitting too!

[Carole]

That's a lot of big stuff you've been doing. I use Photoshop Elements and I love it. I highly recommend taking an online class with Kim Klassen, it will really help you get started.

[lydia]

i have photoshop element, but have LOTS still to learn. i'll be on board with project life next year, and i've signed up for the 25 days of december. am hoping for more inspiration in what to write and photograph. good luck on the photo taking part- the iphone 4s takes AMAZING photos, and i'm looking forward to a 5 the end of december so i have a "camera" always at the ready. happy friday.

[Ruth]

Nice to hear from you. Sounds like you've got a lot going on.

[Mary]

good to hear from you! good busy is always good...and yours sounds like it's fun, too! I love the photos on my iphone 4s...and you know I'm totally into project life (and hoping to get current this upcoming week so I can document all the holidays without any catching up clouds over my head). let's get together soon to knit!