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7.1.12 – Weekend Wrap-up

1 Jul

Happy July everyone! Hope everyone is staying cool in this steamy weather. I am so thankful for air conditioning. I can’t believe how many of our neighbors don’t have it.

We had a pretty low-key weekend as we gear up for our busy July. Here is a quick wrap-up:

Friday: We ate some Thai food at Noodi before we headed to the movie theatre to see People Like Us. We both really enjoyed the movie. If you are looking for a dramedy to go see, I would recommend it!

Saturday: We headed to IKEA and the King of Prussia Mall to do a little shopping for our baby girl’s nursery. While we were there, we ate at the Cheesecake Factory. I couldn’t believe Kyle had never eaten at one. They have a new Skinnylicious menu that helped us feel less guilty about splitting a piece of Snickers cheesecake. :) It was pretty tasty!

Sunday: Church, lunch, UEFA soccer game, and maternity pictures! I’m looking forward to it, but hopefully it won’t be too steamy this evening – otherwise they are going to be some sweaty pictures!

Sorry no fun pictures to post…yet! We look forward to posting our maternity and nursery pics soon.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

And a special “Happy Birthday” to Kyle’s mom today! :)

6.28.12 – Jamie’s Goals: Week 3

28 Jun

Time is flying by, and it is already week 3 since I set my goals.

For photography, I edited some pictures using this tutorial in addition to some things I learned in a photography book I finished this week. The book is called Understanding Digital Photography by Bryan Peterson. I wanted to learn some quick editing techniques in Photoshop to enhance any picture I take, and I’m pretty pleased with what I have learned so far. Basically, I have been playing with filters as well as adjusting the levels, colors, and hue/saturation.

Here is a before/after example:

The differences are pretty subtle, but that’s what I was going for – things I can do to adjust/enhance most pics I take. My main issue with this picture is the sky is blown out because of the time of day (the sun was too bright during Kyle’s marathon). I’m still learning. :)

For my craft project, I took my second sewing class at JoAnn Fabrics.

Here is my luggage tag creation:

20120628-165128.jpg

Definitely not perfect, but the instructor’s wasn’t either, so I didn’t feel so bad.

On to planning next week’s projects. Have a great weekend, everyone!

6.24.12 – Atlantic City!

24 Jun

We had the pleasure of hosting our friend Eric again this weekend, since he was back in the area for work last week. We had a stormy, rainy start to the weekend on Friday night, so we had dinner at Iron Hill Brewery and hung out at the house.

On Saturday night, Kyle and I had already planned a trip to Atlantic City to see comedian Jim Gaffigan at the Borgata, so we decided to make a day of it. For those who don’t know much about New Jersey, most beaches require you to purchase “beach tags” on each visit to use the beach. However, Atlantic City is free to use. I don’t think any of us had very high expectations, but we all thought it was a pretty great place! The beach was really large, well-kept, and was not overly crowded. Casinos, shops, and restaurants line the huge boardwalk, and there are several beach bars on the beach with music. Kyle and I both liked the atmosphere and amenities better than Ocean City.

The weather was perfect! The water was a little cold for me, but the boys found it refreshing.  In true boy fashion, Eric and Kyle entertained themselves with some beach competitions including hand stand contests and 100 yard sprints. Sorry Kyle, but I think Eric won in both events. :) Check out the pics below.

After our day in the sun, we got cleaned up and drove over to the Borgata (which is off the boardwalk) for our show. The Borgata is huge and beautiful and reminded us all of Vegas. Jim Gaffigan was really funny! We even played a little roulette after the show and doubled our money! We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food court and headed back to Philly.

Overall, we really enjoyed Atlantic City and all felt it gets a bad rap. It’s a mini-Vegas with a beach! And I think we will definitely visit again.

6.22.12 – Jamie’s Goals: Week 2

22 Jun

Holy hotness! It is roasty toasty outside! From talking to some friends and family back in the Midwest, I hear we are not alone.

One advantage to all this heat: staying indoors to complete my weekly goals, and that is exactly what I did.

For my photography goal this week, I learned how to create a hand drawn frame in Photoshop. I thought this would be a nifty skill to have for creating party invitations or announcements in the future. Thanks to my fav photography blog I was able to create a fun little frame around Kyle’s mug using this tutorial.

Here is the finished product:

On the crafty side, I took a sewing class at JoAnn Fabrics. I hadn’t used a sewing machine since the 7th grade. My Grandma had given me a nice little “Tiny Tailor” that I had never used because I couldn’t remember how to get things started. I am proud to say I now know how to use it, and I created a pillow case. I then bought some more fabric to create one on my own, and after a lot of sighing and redoing, I did it! It is far from perfect, but I’m learning. Thanks, Gramma!

Here are my two creations:

I already have some projects in the works for next week. :)

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