Sunday, February 27, 2011

Joshua's bees...

These are only some of the bees that have been inhabiting the ceiling over the outside entryway leading to Joshua, Erica, and Thalia's front door...

Joshua told us the bees had gotten worse, meaning some days they couldn't even go in their front door because so many bees would be swarming around. He got an estimate, $900, to have the bees removed. When he told me that, I told him to hold on...his Pops probably knew something about removing bees...

which he did...

but Joshua figured out another way...

fogging...
After fogging them...he took down a piece of the wood that was covering the hive...not having any idea exactly where it was...this is what he saw! You can easily see 8 huge honeycombs...and Joshua said you couldn't see the little ones... you realize those are 2 x 4's next to the combs...
He started pulling them down, Erica had been excited about all the natural honey.

"No, it's nasty," Joshua told me.

His tools are a mess...just so incredibly sticky...he said he just laid his tools in the backyard instead of the garage...thinking ants would think they struck gold if the tools were in the garage...
Oh my gosh...Joshua told me he'd send more photos Tuesday when he had more time, but I had to blog this now...

Joshua's bees are a thing of the past...

Thank goodness!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Photoshop Elements 9


My new toy!

I'd been looking at the Photoshop family...asking lots of questions...and finally decided to get this, along with the Premiere, which is for editing video. I haven't even started that yet!

Anyone that knows me, knows how much I love taking pictures. I also love to paint, to watercolor. I think this combines them...taking photos and manipulating them, tweaking them, making them a little bit different, maybe a little bit better.

For these photos, the original is first, the photoshopped one second (and maybe third). I love all the originals...but I also love the PS9 one!

I've ordered a subscription to Elements magazine...which I haven't gotten yet, so at this point, I'm learning by trial and error....and videos from different internet sites...

I absolutely am loving it!

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Lindsey is 30 years old today!

My baby girl, Lindsey, is 30 years old today. I can hardly believe it's been 30 years since the day she was born...
She told me today that a friend of hers told her that pretty soon, she'd be measuring her age by the age of her children... I agreed with her friend...
Lindsey is our only daughter... the youngest... with two older brothers, Joshua and Gabrial...who dealt her misery...at times...but loved her intensely...
She was Mimi's first great-granddaughter....
She was her Saddie's first granddaughter... Saddie had a yellow firebird...looks like Joshua was organizing a carwash...Gabe must have gotten soap on his arm...Lindsey is saying, "Uh-oh"
Uncle John, now endeared as 'UJ', finally had a niece...Here, they were playing in Mimi's backyard...
Saddie hasn't changed...she loves it when she's with her family...and her family is happy when they're with her. She had come to visit in California...and Gabe, well, he had the chicken pox...
Lindsey with her brothers...we'll ignore that thing in Saddie's fingers...thank goodness it's a thing of the past!

We had gone clam digging with Stan, Ron's old boss...I've always loved this picture of Lindsey!
This was on Christmas day in 1999...Gabe and Lindsey...he could and did certainly deal Lindsey some misery, but it was all in love??? or was it?
Lindsey's first car...the 'stang'...
Lindsey has always loved the outdoors...we had a boat for a while, and here she is after skiing...or kneeboarding...I can't remember...
She and I went to Sausalito and met Uncle John, who was there on a business trip.
This was probably her 16th birthday...not sure...I think she still keeps in contact with all of them, at least via Facebook...
The travel bug hit Lindsey when she was able to do an exchange program to Japan...
She still communicates with the Katos, the family she stayed with in Japan. They came to California and we met them in San Francisco. Next to Lindsey, is Misuzu, who was our foreign exchange student from Japan.
Loving the outdoors, includes loving sports. Soccer has always been her favorite...she played all the way through college...and still plays today. She and her dear friend, Lindsey, were both on their high school team.
Graduation from high school...1999...almost 12 years ago!
Lindsey, Tammy, and Lindsey were all very close friends in high school...soccer players, travelers to Hawaii...
Both the Lindseys and their parents at graduation...
I wouldn't say Lindsey is a gun toting mama...but she did great when we went shooting down at Joshua's one Thanksgiving. Look at Thalia! She's taller than Erica now.
I would guess that Lindsey always identified herself as an athlete and a scholar...but eight years ago she became Donnie's wife...and nearly 21 months ago, she became a mother...a mama to Benjamin. This little miracle baby has transformed Lindsey...She's still everything she always was, but being a mother...she has embraced with all she has in her.
Lindsey at 29...






As I said, she still plays soccer...
The family... this was at Benjamin's dedication...
I love this picture of Lindsey with her two men!
...and my guy and I...are so blessed to have her as our baby girl! We love you, Lindsey Nicole...

Happy Birthday....Happy 30th Birthday!!!