Tuesday, September 30, 2008

How I print my Digital Scrapbook Pages

I have had a couple people ask how I print my digital scrapbook pages , so here is my answer. I have tried two different ways of printing my pages out they are as follows:
The first way I have printed out my pages is by printing them out as 8x10 photos. I do this is by creating 8x8 digital pages and then pasting them onto a blank white 8x10 surface (or 2400x3000 pixels). Here is an example of what I send to the photo place to be printed:
After I get my prints back I just cut off the extra white space and put it in an 8x8 scrapbook (I actually have a 8.5x8.5 scrapbook right now but I just attach the digital page to card stalk and put it in my scrapbook). Printing out a bunch of 8x10 pictures can get a little pricey but I know that Sam's Club prints them for a little less then $1.50 each and I found a place called http://www.artscow.com/ that will print them for less then $0.50 each. Nice! Here are some examples of what my pages look like when I print them out this way:


The other way I have discovered I can print out my pages is by making an 8x8 photobook. A lot of online photo places are offering these now days. All you do is upload your digital pages onto the website of whatever photo place you decide to use (I used that artscow website I mentioned above, they have some killer deals for new customers)and arrange them in your book however you'd like. Here are some examples of the pages I printed in a photo book:



Here is the cover
The Title page
Here is a picture that compares the scrapbook to the photobook: I really like the look of both of these methods and I would recommend either way.

So that is how I print out my digital scrapbook pages. I hope this helped someone out there out :).

Monday, September 29, 2008

All About my Rugrats...

Ariane tagged me to do this for Landon and I decided to do it for Tori too (I'd would do one for Ella but most of the questions don't apply as she is so little)...

Name and Meaning: Landon Edgar. When we were pregnant with Landon we had originally planned on naming him Scott but that was when the whole Scott Peterson trail was going on and we figured it would be bad form to give him that name. Jared and I had a hard time agreeing on a name we both liked but one day we were talking about names and we both decided we really liked the name Landon. Edgar is Jared's middle name and Jared's grandpa's middle name so that is where Edgar came from.
Age: 3 1/2
Nicknames: L-dizzle, L-dawg
Favorite Activities: Going to school, going to church, Family Home Evening, going to Target, Walmart, or the Pet Store, reading books, playing with Daddy, dancing, singing.
Favorite Foods: PB&J sandwiches, pizza, chicken nuggets, fruit snacks, cereal, yogurt,and fruit.
Least Favorite Foods: Vegetables and anything with meat (besides chicken nuggets) Landon is so hot and cold with food and getting him to eat has been a struggle since he was a little baby.
Favorite Music: I am a Child of God, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, ABC's, any song on the album They Might Be Giants Here Come the 1 2 3's
Favorite Toy: Any type of automobile
Favorite Book: How I Became a Pirate, The Pigeon Eats a Hot Dog
Favorite Item of clothing: I don't think he cares too much about his clothes but he has some super cute stuff! eta: His Lightening McQueen shoes
What makes him Happy: Going to School, going to church, playing with his friends and family, playing outside, overall he is pretty happy kid so a lot of things make him happy.
What makes him Sad: Cleaning up, getting in trouble, when Tori tries to take his stuff, getting hurt.

Name and Meaning:Torilynn Scout. We picked the name Torilynn because I have a friend named Torrilyn and she is a super nice girl and Jared and I both really liked her name. Scout is a name we both though was cute and unique. No real Special meaning to her name but we really like both names.
Age: Almost 17 months old.
Nicknames: Tori, Tori Tor, Baby Tori, sometimes Landon tells her she is a princess.
Favorite Activities: Dancing, playing with Landon, getting into things she isn't supposed to get into, playing outside, trying to "play" with Ella, reading books.
Favorite Foods: Pizza, yogurt, fruit, basically if it is food she likes it.
Least Favorite Foods: I have yet to find a food she doesn't like, she is so different from her brother in this area, and that is definitely a good thing.
Favorite Music: Forever by Chris Brown, any music on Yo Gaba Gaba
Favorite Toy: babies, cars, and princesses
Favorite Book: Dr. Seuss's ABC An Amazing Alphabet Book.
Favorite Item of clothing: Probably her dresses , she always says "princess" when we put them on her.
What makes her Happy: Being read to, playing with Landon, watching Yo Gaba Gaba, playing with Daddy, Ella, dancing
What makes her Sad: When Landon takes her toys or bosses her around, getting in trouble, nap time, teething, having to behave herself at Church.
I tag anyone who wants to do this...

Saturday, September 27, 2008

7 Weird Things about me....

My awesome Uncle Earl tagged me to write a list of 7 weird things about me and because I love him so much I decided to do it:).

1. My mind goes into hyperactive mode at night when I lay down to go to sleep. For some reason no matter how tired I am I often keep myself up at night pondering the mysteries of the universe or finding some random thing to worry about. I often get my best ideas at night, but overall this is super annoying because it keeps me from getting a good full nights rest.
2. I am a major homebody. I really like getting out and doing things with other people but for some reason it always give me a little bit of anxiety before hand. I am usually really happy when I decide to get out and do things with other people but I almost always feel anxious about it before hand. You can ask me why this is but I won't have a good answer for you. I really can't explain it, maybe I am agoraphobic, more likely I am just weird.
3. I don't really like to watch movies. I used to love watching movies and then I married Jared who really doesn't care for movies. Since Jared didn't really enjoy watching movies I pretty much stopped watching them and developed what I like to call movie ADD. Movie ADD is when you have a hard time sitting through a movie. I however have no problem watching TV, go figure.
4. I really can't dance but I love to do it. It pleases me greatly that my children also love to dance. If you could be a fly on the wall at the Peterson home you would see a lot of dancing.
5. Like my Uncle Earl mentioned in his list, I enjoy ketchup on my tacos and steak too. I also enjoy on my Mac and Cheese and Grilled Cheese sandwiches. Some people think that it is gross but I think it is delicious.
6. When I was growing up my brother and I would make up random words to wordless music. When The Bad Guy Plays the Cello comes to mind. Don't ask it was completely random and it all boils down to me being weird.
7. According to Jared I randomly say weird things.
I tag whoever wants to do this.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

My Rockstar

When Landon turned three I was SO excited because I thought it would be the end of the terrible twos. Much to my dismay turning three only seemed to bring more temper tantrums and mischief. I was beginning to wonder if this stage was ever going to end and then it happened. About a month or so ago it seemed as though a magic change came over my boy. It's true the terrible twos (and threes) are finally over! Hallelujah. I don't know exactly when it happened, but it did. Suddenly my son is helpful, polite, and learning new things at a rapid rate. Now don't get me wrong he still has his moments where he makes me want to pull my hair out, and he has long way to go with learning not to torment his little sister (Tori) but overall I am so pleased with the little boy that he is becoming.
I think this all hit me on Sunday. I was in Nursery because Tori would just not behave anywhere else (November can not come soon enough). As I sat there I watched Landon and to my utter delight he was so well behaved. He followed directions, he cleaned up when he was supposed to, he paid attention to the lesson, and sang loudly during singing time. This was not the same boy who I had observed in Nursery only a few short months ago. For once I wasn't worried about how it would be when he had to move up to Sunbeams, I knew he would do just fine. I often get stressed out with being a mother and I sometimes can only see the negative so it is nice to be reminded every once and awhile that I really do have great kids.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

I love Fall!!

OK so you all are probably thinking that this is going to be a post about how much I love Fall and the changing leaves and Halloween, and all that stuff . Maybe you are thinking I have some cute Fall pictures of the kids too post, but its not and I don't (don't worry I am sure I will have some of those in the future). I love Fall because it means that my favorite TV shows start up with new episodes. So here is my list of shows that I am excited to see back.

1. Heroes is my Monday night show. I originally started watching this show because it had "Jess" from Gilmore Girls in it, I continued watching because it is a great show. I am not big on the whole super hero thing, in fact I haven't even seen like the last 4 Batman movies but for some reason I really enjoy this super hero show. Jared will also watch it with me so that is an added bonus. I am also a little embarrassed to admit that my other Monday night TV show is One Tree Hill. I know anyone over the age of like 16 should not watch or like this show but during the writers strike nothing was on and I got pulled in. Oh well we are all allowed guilty pleasures.
2. My Tuesday Night Show is The Biggest Loser. This is one of my favorite reality TV shows. I just really like seeing what the people look like after they lose all that weight. I don't love this show so much that I am sad if I miss an episode but when I don't have anything else going on it is nice to settle down and watch this after I put my kids down to bed.

3. Another one of my Writers Strike finds was "Friday Night Lights" I LOVE LOVE LOVE this show and I was really sad that to find out that it was going to be cancelled at the end of last season. Well we all lucked out and they changed there mind. They will be showing "Friday Night Lights" on the Direct TV 101 this fall on Wednesday nights and then reshowing the same episodes for everyone who doesn't have Direct TV on NBC in the Winter. I highly recommend this show for anyone who hasn't seen it, I don't think you will be disappointed. ( I think you can watch seasons one and two on NBC.com).
4. You all probably know by now how much I adore The Office. It is seriously my all time favorite show and I can watch it over and over and it never stops being funny to me. I am so excited for the new season to start this Thursday I can hardly contain myself.
So this is my list of weekly shows. I know some of you probably think I am pathetic but what can I say I love TV. So what will all of you be watching? Is there anything that you love that you think I should add to my weekly TV schedule?

Friday, September 19, 2008

Sometimes I forget how sweet they really are until I watch them sleep.....

Monday, September 15, 2008

First Day of School!

The day has come for my sweet little boy to start preschool. I wasn't going to put him in preschool this year, I was going to wait until next year. But Landon has been talking a lot about going to school lately and I can tell that he is tired of being stuck at home all the time. Still I wasn't going to do it because I didn't think we could afford it. I was talking to my friend at a ward party a few weeks ago and she told me about this preschool right by our house (within walking distance) that was super affordable. To make a longish story short after a kid dropped out I was able to get Landon into this preschool.
Today was Landon's first day and he was so excited to go. It was orientation day so I stayed with Landon and filled out paper work today. Landon will go to preschool Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8:15 to 10:30. His first official day is Wednesday. He had so much fun today and he was so sad when it was time to leave.
I can't believe Landon is old enough to start preschool. I know he is only 3 1/2 and maybe I feel this way because Landon is my oldest but preschool seems like such a big deal to me. I guess it just seems like this is the first step of Landon becoming more independent and not needing me as much. I love to watch my children grow and learn and start new things but it is also a little sad at the same time.
Landon at his Preschool. He had so much fun!


Saturday, September 13, 2008

Thursday, September 11, 2008

My baby is 3 months old

Ella turned three months old last Friday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I love this age. It is at this age with all my children that I can take a breath and realize that I am going to be OK and that I will survive. I also love this age because you start to get a little glimpse of their personalities and you begin to see the little person that they will become. Here is what I know about Ella:
1. She is a bit of a drama queen. Both Landon and Tori were really easy going babies. Ella, while not colicky, is a crier. Not only is she a crier but she s a persistent crier, she cries until she gets what she wants.
2. On the other hand Ella is such a smiley and interactive baby. It isn't hard to get her to smile and is very "talkative". when you talk to her she coos right back as if she has very interesting things to add to the conversation. It is very cute.
3. Ella is a eater. Now a lot of people might think that this is a given with all babies and hardly something to be excited over. Well when Landon was a baby it was like pulling teeth to get him to eat, so the fact that Tori and Ella love eating makes me very happy.
4. Ella is a good sleeper. I have been VERY lucky in that all my children have been very good sleepers from a very young age. Ella was sleeping through the night at about 6 weeks old. She has regressed a little since then and usually wakes up once during the night, but she usually just eats and goes right back to sleep.
5. Ella hasn't learned to roll over or done any of the big, fun physical stuff yet, but I am OK with that. I have learned that kids will learn new things when they are ready. Plus the longer she immobile the better (to a certain extent).


Friday, September 05, 2008

Family Pictures

It has been awhile since we had our family pictures taken. In fact this is the last family picture that we had done:This picture was taken in December of 2005 or January of 2006 (I can't remember). Landon was not even a year old yet. I decided that we were long overdue for a family photo. I got Jared and the kids up early this morning and headed over to Protrait Innovations. I think the pictures turned out pretty cute and I love that they got them back to me same day.Landon was so much more well behaved this time then he was the last time he had his pictures taken. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I bribed him with a treat if he was good.
Tori on the other had was a bit of a hand full. I guess that is what happends when you are 16 months old and you are too young to be bribed and too old to sit still.

These ones were supposed to have Ella in them too but she decided that she was done with pictures. I think they turned out pretty cute with just Landon and Tori.