Aloha Friday | The Angel Forever

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Picnik Replacement Possibility

Posted on February 24, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Photos are a huge part of my blog. I include them in almost every post that I write. Thanks to Picnik, I often made collages, added in text, or placed a fun sticker for a holiday within my pictures. Imagine my reaction when I heard that Google was going to cease operating Picnik in their current location this April. To say I was devastated would be an understatement. Sure they said it would be integrated on Google+, but it was far from the same. The new space for Picnik was not as easy to use, hardly as flexible, did not have the features I needed, and would not allow me to download my creations to put onto my blog.

I asked TechyDad to see if he could find me another solution. Sure, I could use a great photo publishing program like PaintShop Pro, but the reality is I wanted something that did not take a lot of time to learn and would be quick and easy. The other day he told me about PhotoScape. That night, I put it on my computer and had some fun.

First I made a collage of photos from Disney parks.

Then, TechyDad told me that one of the great benefits of PhotoScape is you can put any font into it to use. So I downloaded a Disney one to use, along with another one. After that, I saw the stickers/stamps that you can add to photos. Check out the boys to see what I was able to do, along with the sign near Figment.

I am still exploring all of the possibilities with this new tool, but I really love it. Even TechyDad has joined in on the fun. Check out the Wordless Wednesday that he had this week using PhotoScape. Is it as easy as Picnik was right away? Not initially. Still, I think it may be more powerful and once you understand a few little quirks – it is fun and has so much to offer.

So my questions to you this week:

Are you a fan of Picnik and what will you be using once it closes in April? If you don’t use Picknik, what do you use to touch up or create items for your blog?

It's Me

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #192

Categories:
Aloha Friday Disney me moments photos TechyDad vent

Crafting Ideas for Winter Break

Posted on February 17, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Some parts of the country have a week of school off in February. We live in one of those areas and it is next week to coordinate with President’s Day. Although it has been a mild winter, we still may have days that are too cold to head outside or snow may keep us home.

Thanks to this, I have been looking at Pinterest for crafting ideas to do with the boys. Over the last few weeks, I have gathered some items that may work for one, or both of the kids. I also tried to find items that we could do with supplies that we already own. To see some of the items that I pinned click on the Crafts for kids button below.

I know that NHL really wants to try finger knitting. With all of the extra yarn that I have in the house, this would be great. The boys would also love to make and then play with their own play-dough. Why not pull them into the kitchen to make something that they can use for hours with the toys that we already have. Of course, we will also be testing our their Shrinky Dinks that they got from Nana and Papa for Valentine’s Day. Who knows, maybe I will even have a chance to try some of the items in this board too:

So this week my question is:

If money, time, space, and mess factor were no issue – what craft would you love to do with your children and/or yourself and why?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #191

Categories:
Aloha Friday arts and crafts me moments Pinterest vacation

A Week of Awareness for the Heart

Posted on February 10, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

With Valentine’s Day next week, it only seems fitting that February 7 – 14 are CHD Awareness Week. Prior to three years ago, I had very little understand and/or knowledge of CHD. Now, thanks to my friend, Kristine Brite McCormick, and her angel baby Cora, I know much more.

Yesterday, Kristine had a guest post on my blog that explained how she learned about CHD. Her story is a hard one to read about, but by doing so – many babies and others have had CHD identified and saved their lives. If you do not know about CHD, I ask you to take some time to familiarize yourself with it. If you are expecting a baby, please check and see if your hospital does pulse oximetery testing on newborns to try to catch these heart defects that are often not caught otherwise.

My question to you this week is inspired by all of the CHD warriors and their families:

Did you know that it was CHD awareness week? Also curious to know what you plan on doing for Valentine’s Day on Tuesday.

Please also think about spreading the word about CHD awareness. The more that people know, the better informed they can be to watch for these items in their lives.

It's Me

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #190

Categories:
Aloha Friday bloggy friends health awareness PSA

The Big Think Pink Stink

Posted on February 3, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Awareness about a cause is not found with a Facebook status message, nor placing a colored ribbon on your car, or even buying products that support them. Awareness is knowing someone that has battled something, realizing how it changes their life, and trying to help them. A post by my friend Ellen, Confessions of an IT Girl, titled On Awareness hit a nerve with me. Prior to this, Ellen also wrote about the recent coverage on the Susan G. Komen Foundation discontinuing their support to Planned Parenthood.

As I have been trying to take everything in, TechyDad sent me a link to he video below. It is about the new documentary called Pink Ribbons, Inc. that will be released in Canada today.

Over the years, I have supported the Think Pink movement, especially when my amazing friend A Frugal Friend has her month long event in honor of her mother. I have watched my aunt bravely battle cancer. She has been a survivor for almost nine years now. As others have noted, I have also seen the focus of the moment stray from helping people who are fighting for their life against breast cancer to a more commercial message. I am not a fan of this. I must say, I think it’s a bit odd that funding was cut this week, perhaps to take focus away from this new documentary that would also paint a not so pretty picture. Conspiracy theorist I am not, but it just is odd.

This makes me more focused to see what I can do to help others. Ellen’s post made me realize that I can call local oncology groups to see if they need knitted items for patients. Perhaps a lap blanket while sitting and receiving chemo, a pretty hat to make them less upset about their hair loss, or some cloths to help them pamper themselves. I also hope to see the film and work more with my family and community to make a difference. If anyone has seen a preview, I would also love to know your thoughts.

So my question to you this week is to help me brainstorm:

What would you do to help an organization or cause? Think of a way to bring awareness to the real people involved.

It's Me

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #189

Categories:
Aloha Friday health awareness me moments PSA

Collection Time

Posted on January 27, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Growing up, we would usually take at least one family vacation a year. It would be to Disney World, Ocean City Maryland, Virginia, or various other places along the east coast. Along the way, my brother and I started to collect buttons/pins from the places that we would go to. This collection continued as I would get pins from locations I visited when I was in college and even beyond.

Over the summer, the boys and I found my giant box of goodies from growing up.

The boys were mesmerized with everything inside. They loved seeing all of the ones from different Disney attractions and locations. Some of these sadly are long gone. NHL spent quite a lot of time reading all of them and asking me questions about the different pins and when I received them.

My question to you this week is inspired by my old collection:

What items have you and/or your children decided to collect and why?

It's Me

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #188