New Hobby - Digital Scrapbooking

Aside from my two boys this newfound hobby is keeping me busy - digital scrapbooking. This a good and creative way of capturing life's moments. I'm just starting to learn and below is a list of sites I found that are of great help for beginners like me. They have lots information, tips and free downloads.

Digital Scrapbooking Websites
http://freedigitalscrapbooking.com/
http://www.shabbyprincess.com/
http://www.simplescrapper.com/
http://thedailydigi.com/new/
http://aliedwards.com/


The software I use is photoshop elements 8. I still have a lot to learn about this software ;-) To have a better understanding of which software to use, click on this link.


Here is one of my first experiments :)

(patterned paper background and embellishments were downloaded from ShabbyPrincess)

I know it looks like it was created by an elementary student. Hehe. I have tons of things to learn to be able to create beautiful and captivating scrapbook pages. But this is a good start. It takes practice to master a skill (that's what I keep telling myself).

Lyle's good behavior at church

Last Sunday is very memorable for me because for the first time that Lyle was able to finish the the 1-hour mass without any tantrums and we didn't have to leave the church earlier. He is still making some fuss but they were manageable =) Looking forward for next Sunday's mass.

Below is an article from BabyCenter.com about some tips/advice on how you can get your toddler to sit still during church service. The one that works best for us is finding a seat that's along a side aisle and near the door so we can easily escape in case of emergency i.e. tantrums, crying, shouting. hehe

 

How can I get my toddler to sit still during church services?

Our church doesn't have a childcare program. How can I get my toddler to sit still during services?

 

Expert Answers

Patricia Henderson Shimm, parent educator and author

Toddlers have a limit to how long they can sit still, wherever you may be. Your daughter's too young to pay attention to the service, and eventually her natural toddler energy will make her want to get up and go. So instead of planning to attend the service for the entire time with a well-behaved toddler (probably a bit unrealistic), your best bet is to devise ways to keep her occupied. Before you leave for the service, pack her a bag with some of her favorite books, crayons and paper, a juice box, and maybe even a snack, as long as it's something she can eat quietly (nothing too crunchy!). When you get to church, try to find seats along a side aisle so you're away from the center of activity and she has space on the floor to play. Be prepared to take her outside a few times during the service so she doesn't get antsy. You and your partner can tag team, so that each of you gets to attend part of the service while the other entertains her outside. Another possibility is to organize your day so that your toddler is tired by the time you go to church — for example, you could skip her afternoon nap before an evening service, or wake her up early and take her out to play before a morning service. If she's tuckered out, she may fall asleep on your lap, thus allowing you to enjoy the service in peace.

While it's understandable that you'd want your daughter to join you at church, it's best to keep your expectations low. To a child this age, attending services may be no different from a long wait at the doctor's office. When she's a little older, she'll be able to participate more meaningfully.


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First Attempt to bake brownies - FAILED

I've been wanting to learn how to bake for so long and today is the day that I said to myself that I will bake brownies and will try the recipe that my friend Cel has given me a long time ago. I also found this online recipe which is quite similar to my friend's recipe.Well, the preparations and the mixing I can say that I didn't had any problem. I followed the measurements of each ingredients and each and every steps in the recipe. And I thought that this isn't hard as I thought and I'm having fun preparing and mixing the batter. The smell and the look of the batter is good and it also taste good. So I poured the batter into the pan and put it inside the preheated oven. The temperature was set as indicated in the recipe. After about 10mins after I left the pan inside the oven I saw smoke coming out of the oven and the smell of something burning is starting to spread in the kitchen. I immediately turned off the oven and take out the pan and saw what happened - it really broke my heart. The upper layer has turned black and the bottom is still uncooked. My mom said I should still put it inside the oven and just lower the temperature so that the inner portion will be cooked. Below how my first baking product looks like (yeah, I know it doesn't look appealing).

Hubby said it's because our oven's temperature isn't precise anymore. It's hotter than what I expected it to be. But not minding how this looks then removing the top layer, the brownie still taste good and my mom and sister agree =)

My first attempt at baking is a FAILURE but this doesn't stop me from doing this again and try to make a better version of it. There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons.

Here's some tips I googled which will be of great help the next time I try to bake brownies - http://www.ochef.com/1096.htm