365's from August 14 - 20

August 17 - Before - I started work on painting the china cabinet. Just a crappy snappy of the "before" August 18 - Heat in Hand - Self portrait Thursday on Wednesday.

August 14 - Bacon & Egg Sandwiches - a family favorite

August 15 - Grandma's Quilt - Grandma made a quilt for each of her children and grandchildren as wedding presents. This is mine. I choose the pattern, and fabric. She did an amazing job, and I love having something that Grandma spent so much time handling.

August 16 - From the Wood Pile - I think my brother in law thinks I am nuts when I take pictures of his wood pile. I love the creamy tone of the inside of the wood and the texture.

August 19 - Somewhere Out There -somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight, some one's thinking of me and loving me tonight. Missing the Kid, she is spending two weeks at a friends cottage.

August 20 - Almost Finished - and lovin' it!

365 Project - August 13 - Road Trip

I like to bring my camera in the front seat with me when we go on a road trip. These pictures are from our drive out to Turkey Point.

Betty Blogger Task #8: RSS Feeds

RSS is a process through which you can streamline your online browsing.

For the Betty Blogger task this week, I subscribed to Jenn's Journey, a blog written by my friend. She blogs about her running, guiding, crafting and family adventures. I also subscribed to the Shutter Sisters website, this is one of my favorite places to go for great photography articles and inspiration. And finally the last blog that I added was one I stumbled across not too long ago called Made in the Midwest, these ladies have a quirky sense of humour and are also involved in a 365 project.

I found Google Reader a little tricky at first, but it was easy enough once I got the hang of it. I will continue to use Google Reader to add/manage my favorite websites or blogs.

365 Project - August 6 - 12

Betty Blogger Task #7 - Wikis

For Betty Blogger task #7 we were introduced to wikis. A wiki is a collection of web pages that any one can add to and edit. Wikipedia is the best know wiki.

• What dish will you be bringing to our family meal?

I will bring a party sized pizza and drink boxes for the kids.

• How was your PB Wiki experience? Was it easy to use?

My wiki experience was very straightforward. An easy stress free assignment.

• Do you have any need for your own wiki?

No, I don't think so, not at this time, but I am always happy to learn about new things.

Betty Blogger Task # 6 Productivity Tools

For this Betty Blogger task, I had to write a cooking story on Google Docs, and publish it to my blog.

https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=10IxN_rdPxXf6WHQu4ba7Uqf0dj0G-Uw8tLH468v9fEw&hl=en

365 Project - July 29 - August 3

June 29 - Out of my Box - Thursday self portrait

June 30 - TGIF- rockband, red wine and time with my favorite people. Life is Good.

June 31- Comfort Food - tummy was feeling off today, ( possibly the red wine from the night before.) I couldn't eat all day, but by dinner time, I was craving baked potatoes.

August 1 - Shell Globe - I love the texture of this piece. Makes we want to rub my hands over it.

August 2 - Tools of the Trade - I am working on an outdoor art project. Not done yet, and not sure if my vision will work.

August 3 - Hohawk - The Little Man went for a hair cut today, and instead of asking for a fauxhawk, he asked for a Hohawk!

August 3 - Apples -

365 Project - August 4 - Water Fun

Water + balloons + boys = Summer Fun!

365 Project - August 5 - Big Boy Bed

The Little Man finally got his first big boy bed last night. He had been sleeping in a toddler sized blue race car bed. I thought that he would sad to see his race car go, but he was so proud and excited to be a big boy.

Funny how one additional piece of furniture means rearranging the whole house. I spent the better part of the day moving furniture. His smile at bedtime made it all worthwhile.

Betty Blogger Task #5 Photo Sharing

In January I started a 365 project. A 365 is taking a picture a day for a year. Before starting my project, I took a lot of pictures, but it was sporadic. I would go weeks without picking up the camera. For me, 365, meant a commitment to myself to work on becoming a better photographer. My images have improved, and I am proud of most of them. My journey has been a joy and I am literally seeing my life through a new lens. But now at over 200 days into my project, I feel like I am in a bit of a creative, mid summer slump. It is easy to take a beautiful image of flowers or fruit, but some days I feel like I am cheating myself out of the more rewarding shots.
I enjoyed looking at the pictures posted on Picasa, especially the ones tagged with 365. I found Picasa to be interesting and inspiring. Looking at other photographers images revs up my own creative engine. I will continue to browse through it in the future. Also, I plan to download it to my computer. I think that their photo editing tools will give my pictures a fresh look - just like an artist gets a new look from using different mediums. The picture I sent to the Library Lady was of a water drop. Now that would be a rewarding picture to capture! I just have to clear the sink of the dirty dishes first. The image was tagged with: 365, day 34, drops.

Betty Blogger Task # 4 Social Networks

When I read through this weeks Betty Blogger task I thought it would be a breeze. Someone wants my opinion of facebook?! Well, as it turns out my opinion of Facebook is as varied as my friend list. Facebook is a social network, so it reflects both the best and the worst of society itself.

I love that with facebook I feel connected with people that I care about. I can cheer up a friend going through a rough patch, or "LOL" at a funny picture that without facebook I might never have seen. I love that on facebook I can put out a call for a last minute, much needed Girls Night or plan to get together with a friend that I haven't seen in years. Facebook is a great tool to share and connect with others.

And then there is the down side. Just who am I connecting with? Is it safe? Now that the Kid is on facebook, there is the concern for her safety as well. There is also the issue of cyberbullying. I have witnessed cyberbullying with both adults and teens on facebook, and have seen friendships crumble.

Facebook reflects both the best and worst of society. Most people, most of the time are good. To protect myself from the bad in the world, I feel that I would have to be in a bubble. A a parent, it's my job to street proof and Internet proof my kids, not keep them shut off from the world altogether. Facebook is here to stay. It may loose some popularity over the next few years, but I think its going to remain as a tool for communication. With some caution, it's a tool that I will continue to use.

365 Project - July 21 - 28

July 28 - Pearls


July 27 - Car Reflection

July 26 - Squirrel Face

July 25 - Family Shadow

July 24 - Rained Out

July 23 - Bizarre evening Light

July 22 - Spider Web

July 21 - Morning Hawk

Betty Blogger Task #3 - Tagging

This week's Betty Blogger task was to join Diigo. Diigo is an online bookmarking service that enables users to access their tagged photos and websites from any computer in the world. The added benefit to Diigo is that it is a community in which to share and recommend favorite reads/ images.

I have a L-O-N-G list of favorite websites/blogs that I check regularly, so I was interested in checking out Diigo to see if their service was one that would make my life easier. Joining was quick and painless. The process of adding my some of my favorite sites was also super simple.

I added five of my favorite web sites. U create, DLTK-kids, Busy Bee Kid Crafts, Flickr: Shutter Sisters 365 Group, and of course Betty Blogger 2010. The first three sites were all tagged with "crafts". I added the tag "mom" to U create as it has more adult craft content, and the tag "kid" to DLTK-kids and Busy Bee Kid Crafts because the crafts found on these sites are child oriented. Flickr: Shutter Sisters 365 Group got tagged as "photography". The Betty Blogger site was tagged "education" and I think I should go back and add the tag "blog".

As easy as Diigo was to navigate, I am not sure whether or not I will use it often. I am usually on my home computer; my habit is to go straight to the favorite list and click on the site I want to visit, as the saying goes "old habits are hard to break" It will be interesting to see the recommendations that Diigo makes based on the sites that I have added to my profile. I am always on the lookout for new blogs to read. ( now I just need more time to read them ! )

365 Project - July 9 - 20

July 20 - Cherry Tomatoes July 19 - Family Dinner

July 18 - Pear

July 17 - Poison

July 16 - Cone Flowers

July 16 - Leaf in the Pond

July 15 - Pool Feet

July 14 - Bean Bounty

July 12 - Sepia Daisies

July 11 - Night Light Fish

July 10 - Jerk Chicken

July 9 - Cool Clouds

365 Project - June 22 - July 8

July 8 - Waiting


July 7 - Sunlight Grass

July 6 - Looking up

July 5 - Leaf Shadow on Canvas

July 3 - Happy Campers

July 2 - Sweet Girl

July 1 - Happy Birthday Canada

June 29 - Congratulations

June 28 - Princess Grads

June 27 - Happy 5th Birthday Little Man!

June 26 - Camp Charlie ( rain or shine )

June 24 - What I should be doing....

June 25 - Pinata Fun

June 23 - Rusted Chain

June 22 -Little Boy, Big Bubble

Betty Blogger Task #2 Streaming

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This week's Betty Blogger Task was Streaming. Streaming is when you watch or listen to media on the Internet without downloading it to your computer first. You Tube is arguably the most popular form of streaming.

You Tube is very popular in our home. We have used You Tube for both entertainment and education. I think the popularity of You Tube is due to the fact that we as a society are so busy. You Tube enables us to have a free source of information/entertainment on demand at our finger tips, without the hassle of downloading it first.

I enjoyed surfing You Tube this week. It was difficult to decide which video to post, but I ended up with Mom 2.0 because I found the photography and words inspirational. Inspiration that I found I needed. The surfing was fun, but the task of getting it posted on my blog was frustrating.

I will continue to use You Tube, and even post another You Tube video my blog. Thankfully the level of frustration is equal to the level of accomplishment I feel.