My thought process this morning, fueled by a mere 2 out of my required 3 cups of Peet’s French Roast:
What the heck do I write about today?
My house is a cluttered mess (see previous bed posts) so I can’t take any pretty photos.
Open iPhoto and see if any previously taken photos inspire me enough to think of a post topic.
See photo of seashells, which leads me to think of beaches and sun instead of the snow and sub-zero temperatures of my current living situation.
Export photo. Remember that I just downloaded a 30 day trial copy of Lightroom 5, the photo editing software by Adobe. I know hardly anything about it but I did pin several tutorials yesterday in my new Lightroom Board.
What the heck? Let’s try editing the photo.
Here’s the original:
And here’s the edited Lightroom 5 version:
And here it is with the spots at the top center of the photo removed and more fiddling:
What did I do?
I can’t tell you really. I just played around with things like temperature (correcting the yellow tones in the first photo), luminance, sharpening and a bit of this and that. Much of this can be done in PicMonkey but the amount of control and detail you get in Lightroom is much better. I have much, much to learn about this photo editing program, but you know I love photography, so I think it might be worth it. If anything, I get 30 days to play around with it. My friend Dawn uses it and recommends it highly. Dawn, I’m sure I will be calling you for much needed guidance.
Figuring out how to do the watermark took me at least 15 minutes.
But I like a challenge.
Snow is coming today, about 1 to 3 inches. The bitter sub-zero temperatures continue. I’m over winter, how about you? Today I read that we might get a lot of snow in February, which is not good news as Don will be away in Boston. That leaves me as Chief (and only) Snow Shoveler.
Here’s what I want to do while Don’s away. Paint the kitchen. Put everything back together in the house. Sort and purge my craft closet. Sort and purge the closet in the den. Work on my quilt in the evenings.
Hmmmm. Do you think I’ll pull it off? I hate painting, so if anything is eliminated from my list, it will be that particular item.
I heard from Judy yesterday. John came through the surgery with flying colors, the cancer was contained and removed. John is doing very well. The doctor told Judy that the surgery was a “true miracle.” Judy thanks you for all your prayers; “Tell your readers I am just overwhelmed and grateful.”
What wonderful news! Thank you, my dear friends.
Happy Saturday.
If you get all THAT done, you’re definitely running circles around me :)
We’ll see. My eyes may be bigger than my stomach!
I glad to hear the happy news about your friend’s husband, Claudia.
You have an impressive list of things to accomplish. I could use some fresh paint in places around here, but am reluctant to do it this time of year, preferring to throw the windows open to let any smell find an exit. That’s my excuse. I do have, as of yesterday, a freshly organized closet. Today will be another indoor day, as the wind whips the snow around. I’m not over winter yet, though; I like this “snug” time, as long as it doesn’t translate into heavy, wet snow shoveling.
Have fun with your photo editing program.
-Karen
I would probably use low VOC paint because of that. The minute we hit spring, bugs start to appear (we live in the country!) and it makes painting all the more challenging.
What wonderful news about John!! That will keep me going all day. I also pray everyday for all of you back east to be safe and warm in all that snow and freezing weather. Winter weather is no fun unless you are a kid.
It’s snowing heavily at the moment, Tana! Oh boy.
Do the painting first thing as soon as you can get to it. You will feel so good to have it done and then you can “go to town” on the other things.
Doing it first is probably a good idea, Betty!
Such wonderful news about John! Prayers work! I have said before I don’t know how you blog everyday, but I’m glad you do. :)
The new photo editing sounds interesting I’m using PIcMonkey and pretty happy with it. Unless I get back into photography and new a better editing, that is most likely where I will stay. The sun is shining here and while it’s cold for Houston the sun does make one feel better!!
I like PicMonkey too, but I think I need to stretch myself. Who knows whether I’ll like it or not?
The power of prayer. Thank you for asking us to help.
You are going to be one busy lady, do the worst job first.
Such good news about John!
Such good news to find this morning! Speedy healing, John!
Oh, I have such a love/hate relationship with photo editing. Sometimes it’s so quick and easy, and sometimes….well, you know. : ) Good luck with your purging and tidying. I’m doing much the same today.
I’d be doing a lot of it if that darn bed had been delivered by now!
Good news indeed ~ I can only imagine how relieved Judy feels.
Wish I was a neighbor, I’d come do your kitchen painting. I love painting ~ everything always feels so fresh afterwords. Unfortunately, I chose a paint color (ancient marble) last year when I painted, and for gosh darn sake, I still like it ;-) so, no repainting for a while for me. Be careful out there shoveling.
I wish you were my neighbor, too! I could use your help!
I have been so happy to see the news about John. They are such wonderful people,,,, I don’t *know* them, of course, but through Judy’s blog and Brenda’s blog, and through all of you who have shared such sweet stories of the kindness Judy displays and shares…. well, it just makes me very happy, indeed!
You have quite a To-Do list for the time Don is gone. I am willing to bet that you will get it all done, and by doing so, the time will go by at least a bit more quickly.
Oh, I am so very tired of this winter. The snow is being blown about by 30+ mph winds today, but the sun is shining. I hate the thought of even leaving the house. The next 3 or 4 days sound brutal for us. May have to mortgage the house to pay the heating bills this year!!!!
I am really tired of it too, Chris. Enough already!
Such good news from Judy and her husband.
I’ve been thinking about painting the kitchen but cannot decide on a color.
What color will you be using?
Funny what blogging brings to us….just this morning I changed the sheets on our bed and had my husband help me flip the mattress. All I could think of was you and how you don’t even have a mattress. I think I mumbled “poor Claudia” and my husband asked who Claudia was and why was I thinking of Claudia while I was changing the sheets! So now Charlie knows your “mattress story” along with the rest of us.
Pretty close to the same color we’ve had. We have so many colorful accessories in the house that I ten to go for a more neutral paint color. (I’m getting a kick out of Charlie knowing the mattress story!!)
Thanks for the wonderful news from John and Judy. Such a great way to start out the weekend. Yay!!! Our temps here in Fla are nothing like yours Claudia but I am so sick of being cold. It seems like we just warm up a little and bam the cold comes back. Don’t know how people deal with freezing temps for months at a time. Sounds like you’re all set to get to work once your mattress gets there. When we have any kind of repair work done on our home and it takes more than a day I get antsy about the way everything looks out of place. I truly don’t know how anyone can live like the people on the Hoarding show do. I like things nice and tidy! Maybe it has to do with how I was raised. Have a good day and stay warm.
I am going a bit nuts, actually, more than a bit nuts, with all the upheaval here. I have to somehow turn a blind eye to it, Janie, but it isn’t always easy.
Oh, PAINT THE KITCHEN for sure. When it’s done you’re be SO glad. But… do it first and get it out of the way. Then while it’s drying and setting up and waiting to be put back together again, you can have fun sorting and purging closets. And when Spring comes, you’ll practically have a whole new house! PS – yes ma’am. I have been seriously over Winter since the first of December. Stay cozy…
The whole house needs to be painted, but the kitchen needs it most, so I thought I would start from there.
I need my kitchen cabinets painted, I wish we live close we could help each other and gab, making the project more enjoyable. You will love lightroom once you fully learn it. Great job with the pics:)
Gosh, I wish we did too, Dawn. Wouldn’t that make the whole thing more fun??
Love your edited photo! Becoming proficient with Lightroom and improving my photography skills are 2 things that I wish to accomplish this year. Obtaining a high quality telephoto lens is on my wish list. Good news regarding Judy’s husband. You have quite a “to do” list while Don is away. I’m sure you’ll get it all accomplished.
I have a telephoto lens on my wish list, too, Sandy.
Love the seashells.
Down here in Mid-Tenn, we are just cold. A few flurries, but no accumulation.
I also make plans when I see an opportunity to have free time. Been painting, putting down new flooring and refreshing my bathroom for months. Just when I feel I have the time to get everything done, something more immediate comes up.
Try to get that painting out of the way first. Takes the longest and makes the biggest mess. Wish I had taken my own advise.
I commented on Judy’s blog this AM. The news is so wonderful. Just what is needed.
Thank you and take care.
I think I need to tackle the painting first, simply because I dislike it so much and I’ll put it off otherwise.
Great news from John and Judy. And thanks for the seashell pic! I’m imagining a beach…somewhere warm…you get my drift I’m sure. As far as your projects go…ambitious…but do-able. I suppose it depends on how much snow you actually get…they are wrong more times than they are right! It’s a beautiful, sun-shiny day here…I’ll let it go at that! Enjoy! ;)
I’m wishing I was walking along a sunny, warm beach collecting seashells, Donna!
Yes…exactly…if only! ;)
xo
I’m so happy to hear that things turned out well for Judy and John.
I don’t know them, but from what I’ve read, in other blogs, Judy is a truly selfless, generous, caring woman, and I’m sure John is the same. I hope those they have helped, return the favor, and continue to pray for them and be supportive.
Hope you are out of the deep freeze soon! Think spring.
nancyr
I’m sure that everyone in Judy and John’s life has been praying right along with them!
How is it possible to feel such relief about someone we don’t know personally?
I guess it’s your talent for writing, Claudia, that evokes such empathy. Good for you. Good for Judy and John. Blessings on both your houses.
Your photography is wonderful, as usual. The seashells look as realistic as they possibly could in two dimensions.
Oh, thanks so much, Nancy.
Hi Claudia, so sorry to hear about the mattress situation. My place is topsy turvy, too, for no other reason than I just have way too much stuff and no place to put it all. Was sad to read about Judy’s husband and popped over to leave them well wishes. I kinda like the original seashell photo the best. I’m not one for editing my photos. Except through instragram where you just change the lighting to get different looks. Warm wishes, Tammy
Well every photo on this blog is edited in some way, even if it’s just to resize, crop and sharpen and insert my watermark. That photo at the top is not true to color, the yellow tones came from lamplight during the day. The other photos, especially the last one, are much closer to the real color of the shells. Editing is done for a variety of reason, not the least of which is compensating for bad lighting. xo
I have never used any photo editing software except for the basic program on my computer and just a teeny bit with PicMonkey. Heck, I still have a point and shoot camera! But, I will persevere…my son gave me his first DSLR (it’s a Canon, but can’t remember which model). Problem is, it needs a lens. And the certain basic lens that he insists I start with costs $400. When you’re unemployed, $400 may as well be a million dollars! I do have $200 saved from birthday and Christmas money from the past 1-1/2 years, so I’ll get there soon-ish. And then I have Photoshop Elements on my computer, which a friend installed for me. I haven’t even dared to look at it yet. Anyhoo…we’re having the same weather as you. Snow, high winds (I can see the trees out my window, bending all over the place), and BITTER cold coming again. No relief in sight until next Thursday. Are we going to go crazy, climbing the walls?! Was so glad to see Judy’s post yesterday that all went well (better than expected) with John. Thank God!
PicMonkey is a lot of fun and it’s fast and pretty easy. Melanie. I used Photoshop elements for a while (another free trial) and found it to be pretty good, but I think Lightroom is supposed to be easier to navigate.
Yes, I’m going crazy, Melanie!! I’m sick of winter and it’s only January!
Blessings to John & Judy..wishing you both health and happiness and many more loving years together..I have so many things I want to paint here Claudia..including my kitchen..I will most likely be waiting until closer to Spring..I prefer to spray paint whatever I can as it is much faster..for anything done in the house I have to open windows because of my lung problem..Good luck with your list!
Thanks, Nancy. It will be the old-fashioned way for me and besides, I couldn’t spray paint with Scout in the house, and since this is one big open room, there’s nowhere for her to go.
I am sooooo over winter. I long for the feel of warm breezes on my face and the hot sun shining down. We’ve had a pretty snowfall and I am now ready for it to be gone. SIGH!! Stay warm my friend and if you get all of that done I will be so much more than impressed. xo Laura
Hey Girlfriend! I have been MIA lately and had to come by to apologize. I’m doing a catch-up today so you will see a lot of comments from me throughout the day, lol! Sounds like the bed is an issue that I can’t wait to read about… Hmmm, Lightroom you say? I’ll have to check it out… I really want to learn one of the photo editing programs… well, I’m off to do some more catching up… talk again soon my sweet blogging sister!
Hugs,
Beth P
P. S. you know I moved my blog to wordpress?
Good job with the shells picture..Glad Johns surgery was a success..Wouldn’t hurt to have radiation just to be sure…
I’m so relieved your friends had such good news, Claudia. The power of prayer!
I inherited a digital camera from my brother and each day I work up the courage to fuss with it a little more. Yesterday I found the CANDLELIGHT mode, which is fairly useful for a house that tends to have Blanche DuBois lighting!? It made all my photos seem less grainy and have a nice glow, rather than a dingy dungeon look. Still learning!
(And I, too, am DONE and DONE with Winter!?)
Yes, done with winter, although it was rather nice to have a cozy snowed in day on Saturday. Good news from your friend must leave you feeling very relieved. I dislike painting but I am good supervisor watching someone else do it. It’s nice to have projects planned for indoors this time of year.
Stay warm!
Patti