Photoshop Friday: Lens Blur

In an effort to become more involved in my blog, I've decided to start something new: Photoshop Friday! What could be more fun that seeing some of my favorite Photoshop tricks? hehe.

Today I will show you one of my new favorite techniques - the lens blur filter. Of course, one way to achieve that awesome depth of field is through the camera. But if you have no clue what aperture is, or don't have time to fool with those pesky manual settings while tearing around after your crazy three year old with your camera, Photoshop has just what you need: Lens Blur Filter!

Lens Blur Filter Instructions:

1. Open the image you want to adjust.

2. In the Channels Palette add an alpha layer.

3. With the alpha channel selected, use the eraser with the foreground set to black to erase the areas of the picture you wish to blur. Hint: anything the same distance from the camera as your subject you may not wish to blur, if you want to achieve a more realistic effect.

4. With the RBG channel selected, go to Filter--> Blur--> Lens Blur, select your alpha channel in the Source pop-up menu, and then adjust the blur focal distance slider until you see get the effect you want in the preview window. Apply.

5. Delete alpha channel and viola!

Here are some samples.

Before:


After:


Before: (this one is straight from the camera)


After: (lens blur as well as some contrast and saturation adjustments)

Bluegrass, a Date and a Supreme

We went out on a REAL date last weekend and had a blast! We took a three hour drive up to Alexandria, VA to see a show at the Birchmere.

First, what an truly awesome place to see a show. I'm usually partial to outdoor venues - we have some particularly great ones around our Tidewater area of Virginia - but the Birchmere is now one of my favorites. It only seats five hundred, giving it a very intimate atmosphere. Plus, everyone is seated at restaurant style tables, and they have a full dinner and bar menu. We ordered a pitcher of Amber Ale from our hometown brewery, Starr Hill. I can't remember the last time I ordered a pitcher of beer.

So who did we see? Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder. Awesome. Just Awesome. You know when you see live music that's so good it brings tears to your eyes? Well this was it.

I saw Ricky Skaggs perform about five years ago, but my better half was deployed at the time and was insanely jealous he missed it. So this past weekend's show was particularly special.

It was the first time I'd seen Skaggs' fiddle player, Andy Leftwich, and WOW was he incredible. They played a version of "Minor Swing" from Leftwich's album...awesome! I added it to my iPod as soon as we got home from the show, hehe. You can hear a clip here.

So I've talked about our date and I've talked about the bluegrass...so that leaves "The Supreme." Curious? Any guesses? Well about halfway through the show, Ricky Skaggs announced that there was a special guest there that night....Justice Scalia and his wife! Sitting only twenty feet from us enjoying the show. Now Justice Scalia and I have little in common when it comes to Constitutional interpretation, but apparently we do have similar taste in great music. Ha, who knew?

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

I can't believe my girl is three. *sigh*

We made her a cake that my mother-in-law used to make my husband for his birthdays. But I get the impression that our version didn't live up to expectations.

Patiently waiting.



The "House Cake."





The loot.



I got a guitar for Christmas because my dear sweet husband knew I'd been wanting to learn a new instrument. And he plays the banjo, so it just seemed logical that A get a mandolin for her birthday!

She is in love! At first she called it her "baby guitar" then it was her "baby banjo" ....but now she proudly calls it MY mandolin.





Watching Daddy.

Firsts

Last year about this time we closed on our first home. We moved in a week before Christmas, and spent the holidays stepping over boxes and power tools. We ate Christmas dinner on the floor because we hadn't unpacked enough boxes to give us the floor space we needed just to set up our table and chairs. Our house had the aroma of fresh paint, not pine trees and peppermint. But, we didn't really care. We we're eating Christmas dinner on OUR floor.

Two days after Christmas my little girl turned two, and we were back on the floor eating A's birthday cake. Still sourrounded by boxes and power tools. I didn't even get to make her cake...there was no baking going on in that kitchen. The oven was barricaded by more boxes. I had to buy her cake from the grocery store. *sigh*

(note all the junk and unpacked boxes in the background?) Although it doesn't really look like A cared, hehe.


This is what our living room looked like over the holidays last year.


This past year has been a year of many firsts, including our first real Christmas in our first home of our own. Last weekend we went out and got a tree, and I am loving how warm and cozy it makes our house feel. I never want to take it down. Like those crazies that leave their Christmas lights up year round. Maybe I will turn into one of them.

I took this picture a year ago today during our walk-through.


....and today.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

I noticed this the other night. Hmmm, I wonder what happened here.



Maybe this little thief girl saw something...you think?

Bank Shot

Bank Shot
Ball-in-hand
Nice break
Rack 'em

...These are not expressions I ever thought I'd hear my two year old say. But over the Thanksgiving holiday I did. We spent the holiday at my father-in-law's house, and she learned how to play pool down in the basement with Papa. Well as well as any two year old could play, hehe...

She had a great time and it was fun watching her learn.





And isn't this an essential part of the game of pool? But hopefully my sweet girl won't learn that part of the game until she's 30. Well maybe 45.

One Potato, Two Potato, Sweet Potato

Only three more days. Three more days until OPERATION: DON'T BREAK THE SCALE DURING THE HOLIDAYS. I concluded that duct taping my mouth shut for the next six weeks won't work. But one of the things I will try is to come up with healthier alternatives to some of my holiday favorites.

One of the things I look forward to eating most around the holidays are mashed potatoes. Red potatoes, white potatoes, garlic smashed, potatoes with gravy....it really doesn't matter. I love them all.

I saw a big display of sweet potatoes at the store this week, and I thought "hey, maybe sweet potatoes really are healthier?" I've always heard this was true, but I decided I needed to do some research of my own.

Invigorated with the thought of finding a holiday food that wouldn't bring the enormous amount of guilt that mashed potatoes brings, I hit google.

So what did I learn? Yes, sweet potatoes are indeed healthier.

Here is a brief nutritional breakdown of sweet potatoes vs. white potatoes. Now you might notice that the grams are different between the sweet and white potato, but this is due to the fact that the density per serving size isn't quite the same between the two.

Sweet Potato (baked, skin on)

White Potato (baked, skin on)


Sweet Potato (vitamins and minerals in 200 grams)


White Potato (vitamins and minerals in 299 grams)

*source: www.nutritiondata.com

Now the basic nutritional differences (calories, fat, carbs, etc.) are comaparable. Although the sweet potato is considerably higher in fiber. But as far as the vitamin and mineral differences, there are some major differences.

So while not a completely guilt-free, traditional mashed potoato and gravy substitute....move over mashed potatoes. This year you've been replaced by something sweeter.