The East Coast...

There was a little crazy going on last week and over the weekend on the East Coast. Early in the week there was an Earthquake that started in VA, then starting on Thursday Hurricane Irene made her way from Florida all the way to New England. It looks like the Carolinas, New York State, and New Jersey got hit pretty bad. There were also some Tornados that came through some areas. It's sad to hear about the tragedies and I hope everyone reading is safe as well as your loved ones. We had some tree branches down and some of the near by creeks flooded a little bit, as well as some trees down in the nearby park, and power outages around town, but as far as our home and everyone in our family we are safe, dry, and with power. We hope that those who are without power are safe and those in flooded areas have made it to a dry, safe place to stay. It's no joke when it comes to Mother Nature...if there is reason to leave and go some place else...please do so.

Now for some happier thoughts...



Thanks to Amy-Jo at Bride Chic who told me about the fun photo editor site Picnik! Most of the things on there are free...like making your photo a polaroid, giving your photo round corners, adding fun stickers, changing the shade of the exposure, etc. But there are some things on there that you can only get by upgrading. I've already played around with some photos and so far my fav thing is turning my photos into a polaroid...

PS: I got my hair cut!

I also love how our wedding photo turned out by changing the exposure!

So if you are looking for a cool way to turn your blog photos into something creative def check out this site. You can upload from your computer or connect right to facebook. After you are done, save your photo and share it to facebook, twitter, Flickr, email, or even print your photo!

Update on Back to School...

The kids are back at school and my younger stepdaughter was very nervous about her first day. When she came home she was still pretty worried about figuring out the lay of the school, making friends, liking all of her teachers, and doing well in her classes....

On day two I am happy to say she did much better! The teachers she was worried about are now, "OK", which is better than, "Horrible", she has made some friends and found some she already knew from the neighborhood and junior high, and she likes all of her classes; esp. Math!

My other stepdaughter is in 11th grade and she loves it! She likes all of her teachers, classes, and has a great group of friends. I'm just so glad to hear they are both doing well and that I really don't have to worry about them with their school work and such.

How was your weekend and week so far?

So Long Summer!!

WOW can you believe Summer is coming to an end soon, not so much in the weather and calendar sense but in the back to school for the kids sense! Last week we took my two step-daughters out for "back to school" shopping. It was pretty easy, but we ended up going to three or four different stores and probably spending more than we planned on! I still can't get over these graphing calculators that are a "must need", even for a Chemistry class, and they aren't cheap...they cost about $80 or more! We were thinking of getting one online, but when you look at the ratings and feedback of the sellers and then you add in shipping costs you really just want to be safe and be able to take it back to the store if anything happens to it.

So the day after having so much fun doing back to school shopping, we went on our first family camping trip at Knoebels Amusement Park! The park has a very old time feel and a very family and even pet friendly atmosphere! There were dogs everywhere, I guess when people go camping for a few days they like to take their pets with them. We had a great time on the rides, roasting marshmellows by the fire, and just hanging out with our close friends who brought some of their family members along as well. The little kids and our daughters had such a great time. I have to tell you this park had some great food that really impressed me as far as amusement park food goes. I ate some of the best white pizza I've ever had...yum!! We also had some great tasting pierogies and refreshing slushies too! OMG...and they have the craziest wooden rollercoaster you have ever been on! Every time the coaster went up a hill or around a corner my butt was in the air! It was fun, but a little scary too!

What is everyone doing to celebrate the end of summer? Here are some fun photos from the park!

PS what are some programs you use to make your photos look more interesting on your blog?

Sister's Bridal Shower

This passed weekend was my older sister's bridal shower, which was at the same restaurant where mine was last year! We all knew she wasn't surprised, but she still loved that it was all about her...who doesn't! We had cake, watched her open wonderful gifts, and played some games. It was a really nice time and I can't wait for her beach wedding in two months! I can't believe she has 11 people in her bridal party; 8 bridesmaids, two junior bridesmaids, and her flower girl...who is so adorable and excited to be in her soon to be aunt's wedding! Her flower girl is the daughter of her soon to be sister-in-law, her husband-2-be has three sisters and a great extended family. I'm so happy for them, they hope to soon start a family of their own.

How was your weekend? Doing anything special before the summer comes to an end?

Cake!

I put some seashell stamps and a cute couple on the gift bags!

The bride (center), my mom (left), me (in back), and my younger sister (right in pink)

Who came up with this ribbon hat idea!

The sweet couple! CONGRATS!

(All photos taken by me and a family friend!)