Insta Friday: life in review via cell phone photos

Cousins





Tree




Tree




My friend Amy is having a baby!



Our Elf on the Shelf appears



Couch shopping



How we found Tony the Elf today



Join others for Insta Friday at Life Rearranged.

 

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December: Ideas for Giving

As I said on the post before, giving really feels good! I am determined to do some nice, unexpected things during this holiday season. I hope to include my girls in many of them. I (we) have a few ideas so far:

+ deliver a gift card to our neighbors who unselfishly maintain our neighborhood sign and decorate it for each season

+ tomorrow I am meeting a small group to plan a classroom party and I am treating them to Starbucks (yeah!)

+ more pet presents...additional catnip pillows and hopefully some braided dog toys...maybe even fleece pet beds/pillows

like these:

+ I found a brand new pair of snow pants and matching winter coat that I bought at a deep discount last year for Shelby, however, I just bought her that same thing about one month ago. I am on the look out for a deserving size 7/8 little girl who needs this.

+ make a delivery (or mail) the few things I have for the Ronald McDonald House

+ send more notes and thank yous via the US Postal Service

PLEASE share your additional, practical, ideas.



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our good deed: Petsmart delivery

Olivia has been collecting money for a long time to donate to an animal shelter and one day last week we started talking about actually getting that money in the right hands.

Out of that discussion came the idea to begin small, so we talked about making some catnip pillows and taking them to our local Petsmart where they have cats available for adoption. Friday night, I created fabric pillows and yesterday she filled them with stuffing and catnip and I sewed them shut.

Today, both girls and me went to Petsmart in Milford. When we told the 3-4 staff members at the cash registers what we were there to do, they all were excited and so surprised we had come with a donation like this.

Funny, there were only 3 cats there today but that means they are being readily adopted, which is good. The Petsmart staff allowed the girls behind the cages to give each cat it's gift. And we left the remaining 5 catnip pillows behind for new tenants :)

It did not take long for the cats to go WILD! They were batting them around and rolling around like crazy. It was an instant mood lifter...for the cats and for us.

This was the perfect reminder that it's the little things that often mean the most. It inspired us to make more of these little treats and perhaps deliver a larger number to a bigger shelter. Along with some handmade dog toys or beds too.

In addition, we are making a short list of other small things we can do that brighten another being's day. We are so blessed and it's nice to pay it forward. As the guy at Petsmart said: I beleive in Karma.Me too. Me too.

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Family Outing: Entertainment Junction

Not only was this a fun time because we all committed to being in the same place at the same time, but it was a great opportunity to break out the iPhone fisheye lens again!!



This was at breakfast/lunch beforehand. I am wowing them with my new lens :) But look, it fit everyone in with ease...



Here are 4 people who top my list: My mom, Jim, Tyler and Shelby.



This is a cool one of the train display. This area had tiny replicas of Cincinnati as it would have been in the past. There was a yellow trolley circling in there too. My sister said: Oh look, Mr. Rogers. Tell me YOU know who Mr. Rogers is because most of the people around us did not. Hmmph.



Farther down, there was an observation deck so this shot is taken from above. The detail is unbelievable in the displays. They provide scavenger hunt type sheets which really made it fun for Olivia and some of the big people. Shelby...not so into that.



But about 2/3 of the way through, she took over the camera (not a fan of the Fisheye, she chucked that immediately!). She took so.many.photos but it kept her interest and she captured much of the detail. Doesn't this one above look realistic?



The requisite family picture :)




 Along with the requisite group photo :) It was a great way to spend a Sunday. All of us give Entertrainment Junction 2 thumbs up. And oh yea, we scored a super Groupon on Friday that saved us tons on admission.

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Fisheye Lens for the iPhone camera

I think you have to be a pretty big photography geek to even consider buying add on lenses for your phone's camera.

This is me, raising my hand as a card carrying member of the geek squad.

A fisheye lens for a DSLR is a big investment, one I have not been wiling to make as just a "mom with camera"/hobbyist. But I have always LOVED the rounded look of the fisheye lens.

For a very small investment, I got one for my iPhone from PhotoJojo which could not be a cooler place. Even my invoice is clever. So, the quality is not that great...but the effect is spot on. I love it. And I highly recommend it. Wanna know how the lens attaches? A super strong magnet. Like I said, just an all around cool gadget.

 (image from photojojo)

And a few more shots from yesterday:

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