Megan, my daughter, painted an absolutely stunning watercolor and gave it to me.  I finally had time to go get it framed and matted and here is the final product.  The mat is not quite as red as it appears here, bad lighting.  It is a coral color and really makes the painting stand out!  I think she did an awesome job!  What say you?

...this evening and took some pictures. It was a nice after supper activity.  I got some decent pics of Jessa and of Jessa and Charles.  The one of Jessa has some camera shake.  Unfortunately, I forgot my tripod like a dummy.  Will have to go back and do a retake with close to the same light.  I hope I can recreate it.

...on the home front.  I have read a small amount of a book by Djuna Barnes entitled Nightwood and I can already tell it will be another book I hate.  It is so far, a very difficult read and I hate that.  I do not understand half of what it is saying.  I have to have the first four chapters read by Monday, so I will doing that as well as writing my paper that is due Tuesday.  I really do not think I will have problems with the paper as I already have my topic and a good idea of what I want to write, so that should be a big help.

I went to Worship Practice this am, and then came home and did laundry and relaxed.  Trixie and Buddy have been fighting horribly when Jessa and Charles are here.  No clue why, but it is non-stop and getting old.  Anyway, not much else to say as it has been a relatively quiet day and I am going to go shower and hit the bed. 

Have blessed and restful night!

Well, I have added a little and I have added the back ground.  Here it is.  I am too tired to type much lol.

...my PS Assignment, I think I am pleased with the result.  What say you?  Does it look better?

Here are some really quick photos of Jessa and Charles.  She is awfully pale tonight, not sure why but probably just still tired from the trip.

My eldest daughter, Jessica, made it safely from New York.  She has moved here to get a new start with her fiance.  She will be living a block from me in Michael's rent house and working for Michael to pay her rent.  With a lot of prayer and help, we will get them going.  God is so good and I know this will be a turning point for her.  She has made a lot of bad decisions, and been hurt a lot as well.  Now is her time to shine.  I am saying a lot of prayers and hope you will, as well!  Thank you!

 I am nervous, excited and anxious about Jessa being here, but my hope is she will thrive with lots of love and a small community of people that are willing to help.

In other news, we made a realistic looking tree in Photo Shop today.  The first one is my base tree, it was really not terribly hard to do.  I am really loving my PS Class a LOT.  My instructor is a great, he is amusing, intelligent and an older gentleman with a keen eye for graphics. 
My second tree is me expanding as instructed with the smaller branches.  Obviously, I am still working on it.  I also still have to add the shadows, etc.  Thanks for looking!

...for my Photoshop project.  Here is the newest version.  What do you think?  I am thinking I need to add some shadows to the background.  To make it more realistic, but I don't know.  There would not be shadows on the sky, only on the "ground."

Anyway, there ya go.  I may play more tonight.  I am really enjoying photoshop and my instructor is awesome!  THis afternoon I have to work on developing photo's.  Should be a blast.  LOL

Have a blessed day!

...or rather, what I would have learned last Wednesday had I not had to go to the VA.  *sigh*  It never fails.

Anyway, here is what *I* did today instead of last Wednesday.  He showed me and two others what he had done last week so I didn't feel quite so bad.  The object is to make a "Tree from Venus."  LOL  How did I do?  This uses the "Liquefy" command after making a cylinder and scaling it.

Today's actual lesson was to make the background which I did a lousy job of so I will work on that some tomorrow evening.

In other news, Dad went to the Ortho today and he needs total knee replacement on his right knee.  :-(  He and I both more or less thought that would be the outcome, because the knee is bone on bone but one can always hope.

Anyway, the Dr. said, "You have two options...you can get a cortisone shot in the knee and have knee replacement surgery, or you can NOT get a shot and get knee replacement surgery."  ROFLMAO.  Gotta love a man with a sense of humor!  Anyway, Dad has to be medically cleared to be put on the schedule, so I will start that process tomorrow.  Please keep him in prayer as he is really in a lot of pain.  I am thinking November or December will be the time they do it.  Most likely December since I will be out of school for several weeks.  Merry Christmas, huh?  The good news is that EVERYONE, and I do mean, EVERYONE to whom I have spoken about this, that has had the surgery says the only regret they have is not having done so sooner!

God bless, more tomorrow!

...I finally finished the last 2:43 minutes of Sanctuary.  All I have to say is WTH???  This is the most bizarre book I have ever had the misfortune to "read."  If you have not read it, don't.  It is horrifying and depressing and I am certain it must have literary merit but I certainly cannot see it on my own and will have to be told what that merit is by my instructor.

I am waiting for class to start and just have so many questions.  Ugh.  What a waste.  Can't wait to start Harriet Jacobs Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl parts of which I have already read.

Have a great, blessed day!