Halloween Costume Ideas

Being that this is our daughter’s first Halloween that she gets to celebrate (we were left the hospital on Halloween last year) I thought it would be great if the whole family dressed up for Halloween photos.  I knew it would be a task getting Hubby in a costume because he has always refused to dress up for Halloween with me.  Apparently having a daughter to dress up with has completely changed that part of him, though, because this year he didn’t put up much of a fight when I started mentioning Halloween costumes.  Instead of refusing to do it he actually spent some time looking at adult halloween costumes on the internet with me!

Because money will be tight we’re definitely making all of our costumes.  I’ve started on Ellie’s ladybug costume, and Hubby is going to be a farmer.  That’s pretty easy to do since he already has everything except a hat.  He’s going to borrow a straw hat from my dad.  As for me, I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to be.  I need something that’s easy to make, but I’m clueless as to what that’s going to be yet.  Hubby keeps telling me I should make myself an adult ladybug costume, but I don’t particularly want to be a ladybug.  I’ve been Rainbow Brite many years in the past, and I may just have to repeat that one.  I can’t help it.  I love dressing up like Rainbow Brite lol.  I would have done it every year as a child if my mom would have let me!  Then again I don’t want weird looks from people who have no clue who I’m dressing as.  I mean my 18 year old cousin had no clue who Rainbow Brite was, and when I explained and showed her my doll she said “Oh, from like back in your day.”  Boy did that make me feel old!

If I had the cash to purchase a costume this year I’d probably get this Racer Girl costume.  It’s cute, but not too sexy to wear while trick or treating with a baby, and it’s right up my alley.  Maybe I’ll get that costume next year.  This year I could always throw on my leather jacket and chaps, and be a biker chick.  I just don’t want to tote my helmet around all night!

Edit Your Images Without Spending A Dime

Just because you don't have photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Paint Shop Pro doesn't mean you can't have fun with your photos. I use Paint Shop Pro for everything just because that's the program I've been using for years, and I'm used to using it. I've paid to take classes that taught me how to do a lot of the things you can do online these days for free.

Pixlr is just about one of my favorite online image editors these days for the novice. You can use Pixlr to edit your images in a variety of ways from simple cropping, resizing, and rotating to even adjusting colors and adding effects. It's great for the basic user who needs to edit a few photos, and you don't need an account to use it. Just upload your photo and edit it.

Picnik is another online image editor I really like if you're looking for more than basic editing. You have your basic features like all the other editors, but you also have auto adjust tools to help you out. You can create all kinds of fun and interesting photos with effects, text, touch ups, etc.

Here's just a simple photo I created in about 30 seconds using Picnik. As you can see I was able to adjust the colors in the photo, resize it, add a Polaroid frame, and add text.



There are many more online editors out there, and this just proves you don't have to pay expensive prices for great photo editing software anymore. Just take a look around the web, and you're sure to find a free version that will give you just what you need.

Here are a few more for you to check out.

1. Adobe Photoshop Express
2. Flauntr
3. AlilG
4. Photobucket (built in editors to edit photos, add effects, create scrapbooks)
   
5. DrPic.com
   
6. Pixer.us
7. FotoFlexer.com
8. OnlineImageEditor.info
   
9. Splashup
10. Webresizer.com (simple editing tools to make a photo web ready)
    

Playing Frogger On The Atari

A friend of mine has been here playing Atari for a couple hours now. Yes I still have an Atari. Actually I have the Atari 2600 with 2 joystick controllers, 2 sets of paddles, and a ton of games. It'd be interesting to see how much my whole retro setup would go for on Ebay. We've been taking turns playing Frogger, but we all go tired of that.

My friend mentioned a Frogger type game he played online, but the setting is a bar. You have to make it to the bar without hitting any other drunk people, and you have to make it back to the bar with all your pints on a tray. I decided to look it up, and I found the game, Brave The Bar. I'll tell you I absolutely suck at it. I kick major butt at Frogger, but I just can't seem to make it to the bar without bumping into someone! You can take a try at it, see if you can make it to the bar.

If you're more interested in something closer to the real Frogger, but you don't want to hunt down an Atari on Ebay, you can play Frogger for free below.

Situation Sunday #37

Situation Sunday? A few scenarios? What would I do? This meme sounds like it's right up my alley!

Situation # 1

You are out shopping, you have a small child with you. { Could be yours or a relative, you are watching.} You make it back to the car. Put the child in the back in the car seat. Load all the bags into the trunk. Get in the car and put the keys in the ignition......Suddenly a masked guy jumps into the passengers side,,and says drive lady in a angry voice with a gun pointed at your head.....What do you do?

I would definitely not want to put the child's life in danger, but driving off with a mad man like this could put us both in more danger than seeking help, so I would drive off, but I would pull out of the space in the direction of the most people, then I would start honking the horn wildly. Carjackers don't want people seeing them, and they're less likely to hurt you in a crowded area with tons of witnesses. I seriously doubt he would shoot me in front of a ton of people, but leaving with him could find me and the child dead on the side of the road in the middle of know where

Situation # 2

Time for your family Christmas get together. Everyone is there, from your siblings to their spouses, and children. Every one is told to bring a gift, one that can be given to a male or a female. And everyone is to bring a child's gift, equal to the number of children that will be at the party. The adult gifts are put in a grab bag, where you pull out one, and if it is the one you brought you have the option to keep or pick again. The children's gifts are done the same way. You happen to pick a gift, and it happens to be a "re gift", one that you have bought for your sister a few years ago. What do you do or say as you open the gift?

I don't think I would say anything. If she felt the need to re-gift it in our little game, then I would come to the realization that I didn't buy her something she could actually use. I would also know my sister is young and money is tight, so maybe she couldn't afford to buy a gift and chose something she thought someone else might enjoy.

Situation # 3

A big snow storm is brewing out side. Already a foot of snow has fallen and expecting another foot to come. Your house is out in the country with your nearest neighbor being 5 miles away. Your house is on a back road. The last storm brought only 8 inches, and it took the highway department 1 week before they cleared the roads for you to get out. This storm looks like it will be much longer before you are cleared out. The phone service has went out,,,you can see where the line snapped. There is a knock on your door, almost like a bang. You open your door to find Teri Hatcher and Johny Depp at your door. They will be staying with you till the storm ends. They were on their way to shoot a movie, got lost and ended up stuck in the snow. They have walked 2 miles in the blizzard to get to your place......{ Keep in mind...after this it will be on the news, and tons of reporters shall be coming} How will you handle the next 2 weeks?

Lock Teri Hatcher in my basement and molest Johnny Depp? Only in my dreams! Nah I'd try to stay cool about the whole situation and be as hospitable as possible. I'd hope they wouldn't really be interested in a lot of people knowing where they are or that they're stuck, so hopefully I wouldn't have to deal with publicity. Of course I'd have to get Johnny Depp to sign my entire collection of Depp movies, and I'd probably pull out Fear & Loathing again if he agreed to watch it with me. Then I'd tell them both famous or not, no one's getting free room and board! Get to shoveling! Haha, ok maybe not.

Amazing Cakes

As a kid I was always intriqued by the cakes my Grandma would make for my birthday. She always made me some sort of doll cake where there was an actual doll, and the icing constructed the dress. She's made cakes for years, and she's known for being inventive with the different types of wedding cakes she designs, but I bet she never thought of making something like this!


Yes, that's really a cake! I spotted it over at Mike's Amazing Cakes, and if you like checking out original cakes that were made with a ton of imagination you should pop on over there. I couldn't believe some of the things I saw! I'm hungry from looking at all of them, but everything looks so awesome that I couldn't imagine ruining it by eating it.

Set Your Books Free!

If you have a ton of books lieing around that you don't read anymore check out BookCrossing.com. It's a neat little site I found where people exchange books with a twist. If you've got a book you haven't read in awhile and probably won't pick up again, release it to the world! How do you release books? Collect up a few books, take them to a public place and leave them there. Then return to the website and list the location where you left the books. Another lucky member can swing by that location and pick up the books to read, and when they're done they can release them again!

I think it's such a cool concept, and it's better than letting your books lie around collecting dust. You don't have to give up your identity or location this way either, so it's an easy way to trade books online without giving out personal information. You can choose to release books to the community or to a specific member, and it's so easy to do because signing up for an account at BookCrossing.com is free! I only see one person right now participating in my area, but maybe if I spread the word and leave a few books around town I might get some people participating!

Creating Interactive Lists On Your Blog

As I wander around the internet I always notice how many lists of things I find. Someone might have published a daily to-do list on their blog. Someone else might have written a top 5 or top 10 list. Lists are everywhere, and I know I've even used them many times. Just see my Top 5 Reasons To Move From Free Hosting post for an example of how I use lists.

Someone showed me a site that is great for the list lover like me. The site is Listbums.com. What exactly is Listbums? Well, Listbums is defined as a

community driven online multimedia platform where people can share information that combines text, photos and videos in an easy to read list format.

I couldn't find a better way to explain it than how the creator of Listbums did. The site went live with a beta mode a few months ago, and it should be in final release by next year. Basically on Listbums you can create lists of things that include photos, videos, and information, then you can share them on your blog by embedding a simple code. If you don't want to create your own list, you can share one that's been created by someone else. Once the list has been embedded on your site, your readers can interact by adding content to your list or rating content already on the list. I think this is a great way to get readers to participate on your blog or website. Here's an example of what a list looks like when it's shared in a blog post.



As you can see I didn't create the list, but I can very easily share it with my readers, and you guys can interact with it adding anything you would like or rating the list. The color scheme is my own, but if you wanted to add the list to your blog you could change the colors to suit you. Check out Listbums if you get a chance. If you like it don't forget to sign up for a free account. What do you think of Listbums?

Win With Prizematch!

How would you like the chance to win cash, video games, and other great stuff? Prizematch is just the place to do it! All you have to do is sign up for a free account and play to win!

It's easy to play. Just choose a set of five numbers, and if they match up with the winning numbers you can win cash, video games, or points that can be redeemed for gift cards or other cool prizes. If you don't feel like picking the numbers yourself you can choose the quick pick option. Let the computer pick your numbers, and click "win" to see if you won anything!

You can also earn points through shopping deals. If you're a gamer you can view previews of upcoming games and participate in the gaming forums. It's free and easy to play, so what are you waiting for? Register and Win! You'll automatically earn 1000 points just for signing up for a free account. You never know what kind of prizes you might just walk away with. Don't forget to take advantage of the referral program where you can earn extra points by inviting your friends to join for free, too! You'll receive 500 points for each friend that signs up, but that's not all. You'll also receive 10% of all your friend's winnings!

I've already signed up, and I hope to see you there, too!

What Flower Am I?

I am an Echinacea What Flower Are You?