Picasa This!

Okay, so I am really excited about what Picasa can do! I pop my camera card into my computer and Picasa automatically puts all of my pictures into a folder or an album, which you can break up, move around or do whatever. Then you can play with each picture, share the album with friends or other web locations and even order prints! Picasa is connected with a number of photo printers like Shutterfly and Walgreens so you have choices AND it's easy!

So these are pics I took of my little Drew yesterday! They were great pics to begin with (loving my Canon Rebel T1i, thank you David very much!), but once I got them into Picasa, I was able to really perfect the composure and light! Most of these photos were warmed, some I made black and white and several I cropped. Oooooooh, what fun! Click here to see the collection of Baby Andrew!  I am just in LOVE with these photos!

Picasa!

So this is my first attempt at an inspiration board using Picasa!  It allows you to make mosaics or inspiration boards the way Adobe Photo Shop does only it's free! The only thing I don't like about it is I can't choose where the pictures are placed on the mosaic (at least I don't think I can), which is really frustrating to me.  This, to me, is the most important part of the creative process. You can, however, shuffle the pictures over and over, until you find the best arrangement. You can also edit the photos. So I will play with it and let you know what I think!

5 Great Baby Shower Books!

1. Buddhism for Mothers: A Calm Approach to Caring for Yourself and Your Children by Sarah Napthali, 2003, $10.85 at amazon.com

"This book will be most useful for mothers of young children, providing them spiritual resources at a life stage when women need all the help they can get."

Seriously, what mom (no matter how old her children) couldn't use a little zen to get her through the day?  Loved the reviews on this book and it looks like an easy read for the busy mom.

2. The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by William Sears, Martha Sears, Robert Sears and James Sears (2003), $14.29 from amazon.com

I bought this book for Bethany as a Christmas Gift because it had a lot on preparing for birth and bringing baby home. I was looking for a good over all resource guide and this book had the best reviews for a book published fairly recently (I try to find books published within the past 10 years at least).  Beth has really been enjoying reading it-everything you need to know about breast-feeding, swaddling and setting up the nursery!

3. Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality by Laura A. Jana MD, FAAP and Jennifer Shu MD, FAAP (2005) $10.85 from amazon.com

Another great resource book for the new parents-only more specific to the newborn than The Baby Book above.Again, great reviews, critiqued as "light-hearted", "refreshing", "accessible", "funny" and "sage like".

4. Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads by Gary Greenberg and Jeannie Hayden (2004) $10.20 from amazon.com

What fun! Especially for a co-ed shower! A funny but legitimate guide for new dads. The reviews on this were fantastic--many people say they give this to every new dad they know.  It delivers to dads all the same wisdom we think new moms should know but it does it in guy-talk!

5. It gets easier! . . . And Other Lies We Tell New Mothers: A Fun, Practical Guide to Becoming A Mom by Claudine Wolk (2009) $11.20 from amazon.com

This book looks like the perfect light read for the new mom! It's a new read with only 12 reviews, but all excellent! Fun, fun, fun!

“…written by the mother of three, this book is full of humor and practical tips for surviving motherhood.” -- Foreword magazine

Happy New Year!

2009 was one of the busiest, craziest years of my life!  With it came both great sadness and great joy.  It began with the sad and sudden loss of my mom and also the moving of my papa into assisted living, but ended with the weddings of both my daughters and the birth of my new little grandson, Andrew!

God works in special ways. Never could I have imagined how I might survive losing my mother, who I was so close with and admired so dearly.  I thought the grief might swallow me whole when the moment came, but there was no time to let that happen!  What I found was that my mother was alive and well in all the moments of great joy God gave to me after her death. And it was a new and surprising way to grieve and heal that I never expected.

2009 was the year of weddings; I think 2010 may be the year of babies!  Andrew (3 months old today!) is the light of our lives right now-he is sweet and adorable and turning into this remarkable little person every day. Another grandson is on the way--Bethany's baby is due in April!  We are very excited for his arrival-busy planning the baby shower and decorating his nursery!  And who knows, maybe Jenni will be next!

I begin 2010 feeling very blessed and grateful.

Peace and Good Health to all.