Aloha Friday | The Angel Forever

Category Archives Aloha Friday

Time for Girl Scout Cookies

Posted on November 30, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

A long time ago, I was a Girl Scout. For many years, I was in a troop that did a lot of amazing things (thanks Mom). Crafts, cooking, winter camping, volunteer activities, and we traveled.

Of course, I remember selling Girl Scout Cookies. It was a way for us to get credit for summer camp and for the troop to get funding for new adventures. As the mother of two little boys, Girl Scouts is not something I will experience with my children. Of course, I always help other kids in the neighborhood and this year, I get to support my niece. Yes, my niece SG is in kindergarten and now a Daisy. Check out what we just bought from her over Thanksgiving weekend.

The names of some cookies are different (they use a different baking company in her area), but they look and taste just as delicious. I had to laugh at the QR codes on the back of the boxes.

So my question to you this week is:

What is your favorite type of Girl Scout cookie and why? If you’re not able to get them or can’t remember, let me know your favorite cookie that you bake.

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 #231

Categories:
Aloha Friday family looking back

Looking Back at Thanksgiving

Posted on November 23, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

November seems to be going really quickly. There are days that I am glad about that, but others where I want to slow things down and enjoy them more. Thanksgiving was certainly one of them. While TechyDad opted to work for another day off, the boys and I relaxed and did some crafts.

Then, in the evening, we went to my Aunt S and Uncle M’s house for the amazing meal that Cousin J planned out. It was a very nice time with extended family. We were able to chat, enjoy, and watch the kids play.

So my question to you this week:

What was your family part of Thanksgiving if you celebrated? If you did not, what are you looking forward to in the month ahead of us?

Categories:
Aloha Friday holidays

Thoughts of Thanksgiving

Posted on November 16, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is hard to believe that in less than a week it will be Thanksgiving. The last month or so seems to have gone by really quickly (most days). Thanksgiving is a great time to make you think about what you are thankful for and traditions. JSL came home from kindergarten with his first class project. He had to decorate a turkey feather, write what he is thankful for, and complete a sheet with family traditions. The feather would be part of a giant turkey for outside the classroom.

When we sat down to work on his feather, he immediately stated what he was thankful for. He said NHL (big brother) and his family. I figured this would be what he would wrote on the blank line, but it was not. He told me that was a given that he loved us and he wanted to share something different. So my kindergarten kiddo wrote about his two best buddies that are a comfort to him. Perry the Platypus and his little itty-bitty monkey.

I cherish the innocence in his items and wish that I could keep it like this forever. I know that my list would be a lot more complex for many reasons, but there are days that I miss my stuffed friends and the comfort that they could bring me.

This week my questions to you are:

What are you thankful for and what is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?

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 #229

Categories:
Aloha Friday holidays

Searching for iPad Apps

Posted on November 9, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The other day, a very special package arrived and fulfilled every wish that I had about one day owning a tablet.

I still have to name her, although perhaps it is a him (not too sure how to check for that). Still, our unnamed iPad has quickly become a favorite family friend thanks to the people that Sweet Pickles who supplied the prize from a Twitter party and the fun Sweet Pickles books loaded on it.

Since I have not focused a lot on apps for an iPad, I am now searching for some. Ones that would be good for a 9 year old who loves math and science, and a ready to learn to read 5 year old. The boys are thrilled that we can now get some of the Disney apps that we could not before, like Jake’s Never Land Pirate School. Secretly, I have fallen in love with the Fix-It Felix app.

I should not forget TechyDad and me. I am still looking for some photo options in case I am away and want to blog on the iPad. So far, the WordPress app is not as user friendly as the one on my Droid. I already have the Kindle and OverDrive Media apps so I can read and listen to books.

This week my question to you is:

Do you have a favorite iPad app? I would love to know what you, your kids, and others enjoy. If you do not have an iPad or tablet, what app intrigues you the most that you have heard of. One other item, any name suggestions that start with an “I” for the new family member?

It's Me

FYI – Do not forget to enter my current giveaway for Marlow and the Monster (ends 11/14). It is a great book for kids that would make a great holiday gift.

Disclosure: I won the iPad during a Sweet Pickles sponsored Twitter party.

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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 #228

Categories:
Aloha Friday Technology

Photo Editing on the Go

Posted on November 2, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

I have had my Droid Bionic phone for a while now. There are a group of apps that I really enjoy, but there was something that was missing. I wanted a photo editing app that would allow me to fix color and do a little more. I stumbled upon PicsArt and decided to give it a try. I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised and I have barely scratched the surface with what I could probably do.

While we were at Walt Disney World in April, I blogged from my phone. I had a watermarking app, but nothing to “fix” photos and make them more mine. With PicsArt I can add fun effects, make a collage, draw, edit a photo, and so much more. This was my first attempt several weeks ago at fixing up a blurry, washed out nighttime photo.

It still isn’t perfect to my standards, but for a first attempt and without a more sophisticated editing tool on my computer – it works well. Next, I wanted to try some of the fun effects. I tried the PopArt and thought it was fun. I liked it (on the left below this), but decided to tweak it a little bit more and came up with another variation (on the right).

Thanks to the grid dimensions, the collages work well to put right into Instagram when you are finished. For Halloween, I was able to make a fun pumpkin and share it there.

Here’s another example of something I made for Instagram to show a project that I am currently knitting. I love that I can just do most things right in the one screen.

So my question to you this week:

Do you like to edit photos on your computer and/or phone. What do you use and why do you like it? On my computer, I use PhotoScape and PicMonkey in case you were curious.

FYI – Do not forget to enter my current giveaway for Marlow and the Monster (ends 11/14). It is a great book for kids that would make a great holiday gift.

___________________________________________________________________________

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 #227