HCG Day 8

Progress on house

Our house is going up fast. This is the framing and a view of the park out front. They have framed in a bar in the basement - but we didn’t order or pay for it - we’ll see how that goes.

We have a date of June 24th to close - yay!

HCG Day 5

Day 4 HCG Diet

Here is a video update.

Day 1 video

Starting HCG today

I’ve gained 25lbs. in 3 months since moving to VA. My thighs are enormous - they are so huge that even the fat pants don’t fit right and I had to buy a size 20 just for them. That’s it, I’ve had enough. I’m going for a 40 day round of HCG. I’m doing the homeopathic liquid you stick under your tongue. What was I thinking? I lost 50lbs just a few years ago and gained it all back plus another 20. I know I can lose it again - the challenge is keeping it off this time. What is the secret? I need my mouth sewn shut!

I wish I loved to exercise - I love to sit in front of my computer.
I wish I loved salads - I love greasy cheeseburgers.
I wish I had “willpower” - I’m addicted to carbs and chocolate.

Day One - gorge day. It’s a crazy diet, you gorge on fatty foods for 2 days, then it’s down to 500 cals. a day for 40 days. I’m counting on about a 1lb. per day loss. My goal is to lose 30lbs in 40 days.

I will have Chuck take some before photos for me today. I need to buy some food for the diet and buy a tape measure to keep track. I’ll keep you all updated here. I’m considering doing a video blog for visual signs of results.

Taking the Photoshop ACE Exam

I decided that today was a good day to take an exam. I had enough sleep, ate a good breakfast and figured I was primed for being able to concentrate. DH said I should study, find some guides online, take sample tests, blah, blah, blah. I said - if I can’t pass this exam after using the program for 20 years then I’m an idiot

I called the testing center, no answer.

So, I jumped in the car and went over there. I paid my $150 and got all set up on a laptop for the test (I had to hand over my purse, first). It was hard. The questions were crazy. They were all multiple choice, all text - no screen shots or graphics at all.

It took me about 35 minutes to complete the 74 questions. I passed. It wasn’t easy. I should have at least read through the PDF from Adobe - Product Proficiency Exam Bulletin for Photoshop CS4. But, I didn’t.

I highly recommend a little studying. I know I’ll be studying for the Dreamweaver and Illustrator tests when I’m ready to take them!

Now, I can use this cool little logo everywhere!

Link to Photoshop Tutorial

Let’s try this again!

Photoshop Curves Targeted Adjustment

Here is the first of what will be many Adobe Photoshop Tutorials in movie form for you. This one shows you the new scrubby slider (Targeted Adjustment) tool in CS4. Intimidated by curves? This makes it a snap to adjust colors, brightness and contrast all with one adjustment.

It didn’t work… the movie is a Flash file… have to find somewhere else to store it - hang in there!

New Photos

Here are some photos as promised. We have a foundation for the house! It’s very exciting. The backyard is lower than I expected, about 6 ft. from the door, meaning we probably need a deck. I’m not happy about that. I wanted it to be more level so I could do a nice patio with stamped concrete or something.  The yard itself is actually small. The trees are only about 10-12 feet from the house - less grass to keep alive and mow. The front yard is going to be huge. It’s a 1/2 acre lot, so there is still plenty of grass on the sides and front.

There is an old fence in the back by the trees with barbed wire - they need to remove it. It’s long and goes all the way back to a clearing past our property. Chuck and I checked it out last week, in addition to muddy shoes, we both had several ticks on us. We are not happy about the prospect of someone contracting lymes disease. 

We had a party for Vivi on Sundy. She had a unicorn pinata full of candy. The weather sucked  and hasn’t gotten any better this week. Cold and rainy. I don’t mind rain, it’s the cold that needs to go! And, the mud. We never had mud in Colorado. Even when it rained it would dry out very quickly. 

Vivi’s favorite toys are Littlest Pet Shop animals. She got a bunch and a little day care play house for them.