More Pictures! I Saved Alot of Money Too!

Sorry it took so long to post! I've had a rough couple of days- still trying to get the van fixed and the kids found their Christmas presents! Still not sure what I'm going to tell them about that.

Something else I've been busy doing is getting the Christmas pictures done for this year. I used garland, Christmas tins, and a small Christmas tree for props. For my backgrounds I used a red quilt and an old tablecloth. I do have a few more tips.

Tips:

• Use good lighting, it really makes a difference. If you can get good lighting, use that instead of the flash. A flash tends to crest shadows you don't want.

• If you're subject is children be prepared to take a lot of pictures. As quickly as possible. Children are hard to get pictures of as they hardly ever stop moving and they don't understand what's going on.

• Use a distraction. A bell, a rubber duck and a favorite stuffed animal all are good. It will help get the kids or any subject by giving them something to look at. It's also good to get small children's attention.

• Try to use symetrics. Tallest in the middle or even largest to smallest. The tallest child should be in the back.

• With full body photos of adults try not to just let them face you- it looks like a mug shot. The slightest turn will make a difference there.

• Don't let the bottoms of shoes be visible in the pictures. Trust me on this one.

• Try not to get much bare wall in your pictures. This is the biggest problem I see- people get too far away before snapping the pictures.

• Experiment. You'll get the hang of it. You'll be able to tell what you like and don't like. Pictures are all about the people they're for. What do you like? I can't stress this enough with the editing software either- just experiment around and figure out what does what. Don't save your changes and always use pictures you don't like- blurry ones or eyes closed- to practice on.

Run, Run, As Fast As You Can

We haven't got to do our gingerbread houses yet this year like we normally do but I decided to post about them anyway. I'm sure you have all seen the little gingerbread kits at Walmart and other stores. If you haven't, you should check it out. They're normally less than ten bucks and they're a lot of fun. There's no baking involved, the house pieces come pre-cut and pre-baked and they even include the royal icing and candies! If you want you can purchase different candies that you prefer, or maybe some healthier alternatives like candied or dried fruits and nuts. We just use what it comes with, I'm all for healthy diets and proper nutrition, but these are children and it's Christmas!!!

These kits are a real time saver, I don't know if you've ever tried to make a gingerbread house from scratch but it's really time consuming and not something I'm willing to undertake with three toddlers running around. These kits are the perfect solution!







There's little Tobi, ready to eat them even though we just finished them! The kits even come with a little tray, as seen above, where the pieces fit in nicely for display purposes. Or, if you'd rather you can make them seperate like the one to the right. However, the doors and windows are already pre-marked on the walls. You may want to take that into consideration before purchasing your own.



There's my Bubba! He's in his high chair if you're wondering. He was in a terrible climbing phase at the time. I had found him on the table and countertops several times around this age and decided that it would be best if he were strapped down during this process. Don't worry if you make a mess with any of this as it was very easily cleaned up with a little hot water- another HUGE plus!! So, get out there and have fun!!!