Photoshop Is So Much Fun!

Original eye

Really dramatic eye

Original photo of Chris

After photoshopped Chris

Okay. So, yesterday was the first day I have even attempted Photoshop. I read a few tutorials online, and tried them out today. Here is what I have. Keep in mind that it is only my second day learning this stuff, so if it is rough, that is why. I used an old photo of Chris to shade in some really defined abs, make his muscles bigger, and bring in his waist a bit. I changed the color of his eyes too. If you didn't know I did, hopefully it looks like all of it was real.

Hobby Change

Original Photo of us at the temple

I completely changed the way Chris looks in Picasa by thinning out his eyebrows, changing his eye shape, smoothing out the wrinkles and cutting down some of his hair, and moving it to look more polished. I did it just for fun to show Chris.

This is an original photo of an eye

In photoshop cs4, I exaggerated the colors a bit, and I could have made it more of a natural color, but some of the coolest eye photos, are the cool color ones.

First, I want to start off by updating our lives thus far.
Chris will be graduating with his Bachelor's in Urban Planning by next Fall. Then onto the Mechanical Engineering portion.
We went to a friend of his sealing. He was the best man. We enjoyed the sealing, and it is still exciting knowing we can go to the temple together for events like that.
I have a job. I have not started yet, but I will be working with Chris's Dad here in the next little while. I will be doing all of his invoicing, paperwork, etc..... It will be good.
I have decided that I would like to start learning photoshop fluently, so to speak. I would like to do that, and start doing some photography. I mess around in Picasa alot with changing photos, and fixing things, or completely changing the way someone looks. I would eventually like to take pictures at weddings, engagements, bridals, etc..... I love doing stuff like that. It's really difficult to learn. I am buying a book on it, and there are some tutorials on the internet. I have already started learning some things. I taught myself how to do an eye color change today. I just love manipulating photos to make them look better, and I feel that I could be good at it.

Hallow's Eve

Chris and I helped with the ward party this year with Mom and Dad. It went something like this. The party was supposed to start at 5:30, and we didn't get to start setting up until about 4:15. Mom and Dad had Aubree and Tim running around the stores getting stuff they forgot. Mom had a grocery-sized bag full of randomness, and said "Here, create a miracle". We didn't have any ideas for table coverings. We found some paper in the library thankfully. Chris and I just worked with what we had. It looked pretty ghetto for the longest time. The food made it look really nice once it was all there. On the banquet table, I cut the sides of the paper nicely to look like uniformed tatters. Aubree tried doing that, using the ripping technique on all of the sitting tables. It looked like BOOT! It looked like the paper had gotten in a fight with a mulcher. We all laughed though. We pulled it all together last minute.
We squeezed in some time to carve pumpkins with his siblings and mom. I had all of these big ideas about a detailed pumpkin, and I started in on it, and messed up early. I got frustrated, and just decided to carve open a big circle and a star. It was lame. I carved another one with jail-like bars, and made a man out of the extras. Chris spent a lot of time on his pumpkin. It was Bart Simpson. He did a really great job. We stayed home for Halloween and watched a movie. A total of 2 children came to our door for candy. We bought candy for Chris pretty much. I bought Chris some lounge pants that look like jeans with chaps, and he wore a cowboy hat and everything to answer the door. He was more dressed up then the kids!

Conference Weekend

So, on Sunday, Chris and I were able to go to the a.m. session of conference. We were both saddened by stuff we saw. There were soooo many girls wearing super short skirts, and really inappropriate outfits. It felt like it was more of a competition between the girls who could wear the shorter skirt and try to look "sexier". I think they forgot the purpose of going in the first place. We get there, and it is crazy now. It was apparent that the world is getting crazier and crazier. Going in was like going through an airport with all of it's security checks, metal detectors, conveyor belts, x-ray machines etc.... to check out your valuables, they go through your purse in detail. There are so many wackos out there, that they have to do it. When I was in Young Women's, I went to a fireside at the Conference Center, and when President Hinckley was speaking, someone ran up on stage full-force at him, and a bunch of security guys tackled him. Strange.....
Well, anyways. I had to go to the bathroom, and I cannot see very well, even with my glasses on, and Chris pointed over to a "bathroom". It looked like it and I was just walking in. I almost walked into a hostess area. The hostess that saw me chased me down. I was pretty embarrassed, but it was pretty funny.
Conference is so much better in person. I tend to pay attention a lot more, and feel the spirit a lot more. The song that the Tabernacle choir sang during Music and the Spoken Word called "My Song In The Night" was really spiritual to me. It was a beautiful song.
Well, I have also noticed that the speakers are getting more and more blunt. There are no gray areas anymore with things in the world. The lines are no longer blurred, and we are being told exactly what is right and wrong. I loved it. I loved President Packer's talk on Proposition 8, and how we cannot just vote against natural law. We need to defend what is right and just with marriage. It was not something new. It is something we have always believe and will believe. That gay marriage is wrong. I cannot believe the uproar that it has caused with a bunch of people. It makes me laugh, because everyone acts like it was something new. When I say everyone, I mean non-members and inactive people. After that, every post on facebook was about that.
After conference, we were walking by the protesters, and this guy with a microphone, so that everyone could hear him said "There are a bunch of you young ladies that are wearing really short skirts.... Isn't that against your church? What have your prophets been teaching you? To look like whores?!" Chris and I were so surprised! It really got to me, that these girls are getting dressed in the morning, thinking they are looking really cute and trendy, but they are showing a really bad example. We are all representatives of our church, and need to show it. Especially at public events like these, where we are scrutinized for everything. It reflects bad on the whole church. Chris and I wanted him to point the people out that were wearing too short of skirts, so that maybe next time, they came to conference, they could change their thinking about their attire.

Best Peanut Butter Finger Recipes!

This recipe is Chris's mother's recipe. It is better than the school one. I will include the school one also. Chris's grandmother worked for the school, and got the exact recipe.

Tammy's Recipe

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix butter, both sugars & peanut butter. Cream together
Add eggs to mix. Add dry ingredients.
Bake greased cookie sheet at 350° 10-12 minutes.
Watch after about 8 minutes to make sure they don't burn
Cool for 20 minutes, then spread thin layer of peanut butter

Tammy doesn't have a specific amount recipe for the frosting. You may have to add more milk, or more sugar as needed to get to the consistency you want

Chocolate Frosting

Mix:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup softened butter
Dash of salt
1/3 cup milk

Mix together the powdered sugar and cocoa. Add the softened butter to the mix and a dash of salt. Add the milk to make the mix thicker, but still spreadable. When it goes on the warm bars, it will thin out, so make sure to make it thick enough.


School Peanut Butter Fingers Recipe

Makes 2 Pans

3 squares butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
4 cups + 2 tablespoons oatmeal

Cream butter, vanilla, and sugars together. Add eggs, and beat well. Mix in peanut butter. Gradually add the dry ingredients. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Cool and spread with thin layer of whipped peanut butter. Then frost with fudge frosting.

Fudge Frosting

Recipe for 2 pans

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cocoa
5 cups powdered sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Bring butter and water to a boil. Then whip the cocoa into the hot water with a wire whisk. Add hot mixture to powdered sugar. Stir on low speed with an electric mixer. Then beat on medium speed until it loses gloss. Add vanilla. Spread on bars immediately.
If you have extra, you can add nuts or put in a dish an inch thick and let cool. It will make fudge.

I have done a lot of posting lately, so make sure to look at older posts.