tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73202225547446081842009-11-13T12:29:07.989-06:00a space for Dan, Chrystal, Bentley & BellaChrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.comBlogger231125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-53493243600303984982009-11-11T19:57:00.004-06:002009-11-11T20:10:45.509-06:00

Warning: this is going to be a very unorganized and picture-heavy post. It's been a busy fall for us. We are finally enjoying some cooler weather (read: upper 70's) with sunshine!To celebrate, I baked my first-ever-100%-from-scratch chocolate cake. The recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman, who incidentally has a new cookbook hot off the presses. You can find the recipe right here. And while it

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-9329189651486050872009-10-27T18:44:00.003-05:002009-10-27T19:02:31.697-05:00

I'll admit it. I've been a lazy blogger as of late. But I have an excuse...sort of. It's been slow. Life just sort of trudges on.Anyway, here are a few things happening in our neck of the woods. So to speak.It's October, and we finally got the calendar hung up in the office. This calendar holds special memories for me. When we hung it in our first home, we thought we were so good and screwed

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-30191379839545975152009-10-17T10:26:00.004-05:002009-10-17T10:31:02.369-05:00

When Dan got home from Dallas last night, I thought I had married Paul Bunyan.Where is your blue ox?But later that night I found out I was wrong.... he is not Paul Bunyan.He is Abe Lincoln.

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-70423390799976181232009-10-14T19:50:00.004-05:002009-10-14T20:04:06.110-05:00

A few weeks ago, I was reading about bokeh on Pioneer Woman's blog. This is what she has to say about it."Bokeh, which is pronounced bow-kay or bow-keh, refers to the wonderful out-of-focus light and shapes and colors you find in the background of many photos taken with a digital camera. It is created by light and glass (in your lens) and distance and wind and focus."It takes a bit of practice,

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-51147454382549329092009-10-13T08:59:00.004-05:002009-10-13T09:05:37.940-05:00

...Even if you are not having so much fun. :)We've been plugging along with little interesting to say these days. With Dan driving back and forth to Dallas, it has been getting kind of mundane around here. We spend our weeks hoping for the weekend, and then when the weekend comes, it is always too short! We are hoping and praying that he is offered a permanent position here in Houston very soon.

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-60846481660772997492009-10-04T10:18:00.002-05:002009-10-04T10:19:50.241-05:00

at least that is what I keep telling myself.It will grow back, right?

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-37442135151866763422009-09-29T09:16:00.002-05:002009-09-29T09:21:42.974-05:00

Dan and I are participating in a fundraiser for Huntington's Disease on October 10th here in Houston. We will be walking for a cure! You can read more about Huntington's Disease here. Huntington's disease is a disorder passed down through families in which nerve cells in the brain waste away, or degenerate. There is no cure - yet.If you would like to support us in this cause, you can donate by

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-73664541510879954622009-09-23T19:29:00.002-05:002009-09-23T19:35:38.440-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks! We had our good friend Chris visiting from Salt Lake. Dan took the week off (well, Wednesday thru Tuesday) to hang out with him. I wasn't quite as lucky - aside from the weekend, I only took Monday. But even so, we managed to have a great time visiting with him. We packed a lot into Chris's first trip to Texas, and for the most part, the weather even

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-40810782634004909722009-09-14T19:08:00.004-05:002009-09-15T08:00:24.828-05:00

***UPDATE*** Shortly after I posted this, we had another opossum adventure. Bentley was at his usual spot by the window (surveying "his" territory), when all of a sudden he started barking like crazy and then bolted for the doggie door. Dan got up and followed him outside, and sure enough, Bentley had caught the possum! He had him by the neck and was shaking the poor thing violently. Dan called

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-43836939854752471872009-09-08T21:20:00.002-05:002009-09-08T21:24:14.632-05:00

On a day when speeches are the highlight of the news, I though this one was particularly good. He makes a good point: people these days do not know the meaning of 'hard work.' For the record, I (perhaps surprisingly) agreed with much of what the President told the school kids today. I only wish that the ideas of "personal responsibility" would somehow migrate over to his policies...

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-65181307000421700112009-09-02T18:42:00.002-05:002009-09-02T18:47:29.442-05:00

I haven't been posting much recently because my days have been filled with work, and then later unpacking boxes. My goal is to have them all in the house and unpacked (or at least where they will be stored long-term) before Sept 15th. Wish me luck.In the process of unpacking, I have found several things that make me smile. One of them is this neat and full pantry. This house actually has two

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-80593168158511907592009-08-26T18:39:00.006-05:002009-08-27T10:25:04.532-05:00

That's what Dan said after a long, long day of moving. We all agreed.We've been keeping busy at the new house. We got all the heavy stuff moved last weekend, and then Brad and Dan finished up some odds & ends on Monday before Dan had to head back to Dallas, and Brad back home to Idaho. We've run into a few small details that aren't hard to fix, just annoying. Like figuring out how to work the

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-58849330807143394552009-08-22T20:59:00.003-05:002009-08-22T21:15:43.916-05:00

We have been busy busy busy over at the new house the past week. Thanks to Dan's dad, we have been able to cross a lot off of our "to do" list.1. paint the entire inside of the house. This includes ceilings (white), and 5 different colors:Honeydew (Master Bedroom)Tradewind (Dining room)Grey Matters (Office)Dover White (Bathrooms)Softer Tan (all other rooms!)2. caulk all windows, doors, cracks

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-37204311496467933992009-08-12T18:09:00.005-05:002009-08-12T18:29:00.312-05:00

This was my photo for today.And it got me thinking about a few things.1.  I drove home today in a thunderstorm.  Pouring rain.  Lightning.  Thunder.  The whole show.2.  Boy, I miss Oregon rain.  When we lived in Oregon and Washington, it rained often.  In Texas, it rains a lot.  I'm talking quantity, folks.  Lots of rain in a short amount of time.  While I like rain in any form, I much prefer the

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-9833437337739950462009-08-11T18:17:00.003-05:002009-08-11T18:22:16.712-05:00

Our lesson today was on using PS Stitching brushes.  Kinda makes me want to get a sewing machine.  (I can hear Dan gasping already!)  I made these tags from scratch - can you believe it? I'm beginning to uncover the mysteries of Photoshop! :)

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-14223469365950880342009-08-11T12:09:00.004-05:002009-08-11T12:14:32.173-05:00

I saw this on Ali Edwards' blog, and it made me smile.And I love what she said about it: "It also totally reminds me to stop just going through the motions, or doing things just because that is the way they have always been done. What a tremendously wonderful celebration of life.It seriously makes me want to get up and dance.I want my life to be so joyously lived."Me too. :)

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-50165552792027092042009-08-07T18:06:00.001-05:002009-08-07T18:09:14.460-05:00

The PS Brush class continues to impress.  The last 2 days have been about creating frames using brushes.  Very fun.  Here is today's assignment.  

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-16662893509992599172009-08-06T18:44:00.003-05:002009-08-06T18:52:00.264-05:00

I have had a request to finish the Anniversary Week Trip posts.  So here we go!We got back to Houston on Thursday evening, and Friday we packed up the car again and headed to the Gulf of Mexico.  Dan's parents came along this time - and we had a great time!First stop was Surfside Beach.Aren't they so cute?Well, until Brad tried to pull Debra into the ocean!She is quick to forgive, evidently.  

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-30116104733478084922009-08-05T19:43:00.003-05:002009-08-05T19:44:51.489-05:00

Wowee!  I am learning so much in this class.  Look at these digital stickers I made from scratch!

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-40656621492764728252009-08-04T18:21:00.002-05:002009-08-04T18:22:31.417-05:00

The fun continues...here is today's assignment.

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-88085094906162007822009-08-03T20:05:00.003-05:002009-08-03T20:09:24.186-05:00

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this update!I started a new class at Jessica Sprague.com today.  It's called Brush*Abilities, and it is SO much fun!  I thought I knew everything there is to know about Photoshop brushes, but I was wrong.  It is only Day 1, and have already learned lots of cool tricks.  Here is my homework for today:

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-74307077330538214632009-08-01T10:19:00.003-05:002009-08-01T10:28:29.143-05:00

After the tour of the Left Hand Tunnel, we did a self-guided tour of the Big Room, which really is BIG!  The big room is the largest single underground chamber in the world.  It is about 2,000 feet long and an average of 600 feet wide, an average 200 feet high, and covers an area of 12 to 14 acres! I thought this would make a great texture shot!After our self guided tour, we took one last

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-84019359649650581512009-07-30T17:48:00.005-05:002009-07-30T18:24:00.262-05:00

A few days ago I read a blog post about someone who had their photos stolen from their blog.  I wish I could remember where I read it, so I could post a link.  The family's Christmas photo, which she had posted on her blog, had been stolen and used in some eastern European country for a billboard!  The moral of the story:  add a watermark to your photos.So from now on I am going to watermark all

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-14953211698636607852009-07-29T17:55:00.002-05:002009-07-29T18:02:31.729-05:00

Welcome to the next installment of Hollingsworth Vacation 2009. After the temple on Monday, we continued north to the Natural Bridge Caverns.  Our plan was to give ourselves a little taste of what was in store for us later in the week.  First of all, let me tell you that the Natural Bridge Caverns are 71 degrees with 99% humidity.  It was HOT and HUMID.  Couple that with climbing up and down and

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7320222554744608184.post-16429431019839836962009-07-28T18:41:00.014-05:002009-07-28T19:03:44.585-05:00

[disclaimer: I am learning how to make images larger here on blogger, and I may have gone a little overboard.]We have a tradition of visiting local temples when we are on vacation.  On Monday, we made our way to the San Antonio Temple.  It is gorgeous.I especially loved all the stained glass.Since it was Monday, the temple was closed, so we didn't get to go inside. We did meet some really

Chrystalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05860183802887679891noreply@blogger.com3