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Ok...so I've been doing some 'research' online and I've found that if you're looking for someone to take that extra $49.99 that's burning a hole in your pocket, there are plenty of people out there willing to take it. There are also many willing to help you get on an email spam list. They will gladly do it for a small fee, your email address and a pint of blood. (Read the fine print....it's in there.)

Seriously...why is it so hard to find a job? Yeah, the economy is down. Yeah, people that have jobs aren't getting promoted or raises. Ok, but I mean, there HAS to be people out there looking for help, right? I'm not talking filling out rebates or taking surveys. I'm talking about the lady down the street that's looking for someone to help her carry her groceries in from the store when she gets home. Ten minutes of your time is all she needs. Or maybe the mom and pop bookstore in the neighborhood needs someone for a couple hours to answer the phones because someone called in sick. No experience necessary. Just be polite on the phone.

There has to be some of these jobs...and others out there that don't require a lot of skill, but still need filled. And I'm not talking a temp agency either. I've been through that and you have to fill out every form on the planet. And that's just to hire a temp!

Or maybe you got behind in laundry and just wish someone was there to help fold or hang clothes. Just this once. Or maybe it's for the next 6 weeks because you broke your leg and can't get around as easily.

What if you want to start scrap booking, but have so many pictures you don't know where to start. It's too overwhelming and so it doesn't get done. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone to work with you on sorting your pictures and getting your area organized?

If you've ever needed any help...how did you get it? Did you end up doing it yourself? Did you find someone to assist? Or did you just say "Aw forget it!" If you live in the Camp Hill/Harrisburg area, let me know if you're looking for some help. I'll see how I can help. I'm looking for work that will let me work from at home or enable me tote my kids along. Or maybe you, too, are looking for work that will still give you a flexible schedule. Write me too. Let's develop a network for people to connect. There has to be something out there. We just need to know where to find it and these websites that "offer" the chance to work from at home just aren't it!

Ain't it true?!

Cleaning the house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. ~ Phyllis Diller

Clipping Masks in PSE6-A nightmare?

So I've been collecting all these digital scrapbook files and I'm finally sitting down to work on them. I have Photoshop Elements 6.0 which I like a little better than 5.0 but I miss the folders for the graphics. It's forced me to go through all my graphics and tag them. A lot of work, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the long run.

Anyway, I've been killing myself trying to figure out how to use the clipping mask. It's the method that merges your paper (or jpg) to the cut out or design in the template. It never worked. I don't care how many time I hit Ctrl-G, I just couldn't get it to clip and merge. I've searched everywhere. Why am I the only person with this issue? Well, guess what! I figured it out. In PSE6, you just need to right click your paper and Simplify Layer. Then if you have the paper just above the design in the layer list, you can hit Ctrl-G and it perfectly clips the paper to the design. Viola! Now, was that so hard for someone to say?

Anyone else out there been having the same problem? Try this and let me know if you feel as if you just figured out how to solve the world's economy problems.

PNC Bank is the worst bank ever!

Ok, I just have to vent and then I'll tell you about last night.

PNC has managed to find another way to make my business checking a pain. Besides the fact that they released payroll too late (better late than never, like last time, I suppose) and besides the fact that they keep changing the rules on me about when a deposit is available, they've managed to control my debit card now. It's suppose to have a higher limit due to the fact that it's a business account except before you even reach that limit it shuts you off and asks you to sit through the most boring and long phone call to "Authorize" the transactions that did or didn't go through. That's right...I have to authorize the transactions that DIDN'T go through as well as the ones that did. Oh I'm so PO'd!

Anyways...last night was a blast! Dawn and I went to a Murder Mystery dinner and had a great time. She and I were married. I was Becky and she was Bobby but we weren't really married. We were secret agents and our goal was to make sure the main character became Governor. We were supposed to crash a class reunion for the Class of 1957 so we wore clothes from the 50's. Dawn was dressed in rolled jeans and a white t-shirt and leather jacket. Tricia did my hair in a traditional beehive and I wore a very classic skirt, sleeveless cardigan and red gloves. Dinner consisted of a salad that was so good...I barely took the time to see what was in it. It tasted so sweet. They served a sausage apple soup that I wouldn't have dreamed of making myself but was also very tasty. Then we had green beans and red potatoes with crab cake. Mmmm...what a meal. My dessert was ice cream rolled in a crepe with an apple topping. Very light and perfect. Dawn had a pumpkin creme brule' and I don't recall any complaints from her either. I didn't leave a single bite left.

Some people were dressed in letter sweaters and others wore poodle skirts. Most of us were new to the whole thing and had to keep referring back to our note sheets. It was very comical. And since you didn't know everyone, you never knew if they were in character or just goofy. What a great time. I'd suggest getting to one sometime in your life.

Praising God for all the wonderful things he's given us

We really need to praise God for getting us through some rough times, don't we? Since the last post, Mike and I moved our family and office to a new home in Camp Hill. It's a lot smaller and we really wondered how we were going to fit a watermelon in a shoebox, but we did it. Well, almost. We still have a lot of stuff at our farm, but we've managed to make efficient use of the spacious home we moved into. It's a lot larger than it seems from the outside and it's working out perfectly for us. I have a great office, thanks to my husband! He put in a drop ceiling with enough lights to light up a stadium, per my request. He also installed a very nice Pergo floor that makes rolling all my carts and chairs a lot easier. The kids have a play/art area that they use occasionally but as winter approaches, I think will use a lot more. It's amazing what you can get rid of too when you are limited on space. I've been learning to really think about what I want to keep and what's really not necessary.

Zach and Rachael had a homecoming dance last weekend. Zach took his new girlfriend, LeeAnn, and went with a large group to Theo's for dinner. Ms. Practical, AKA Rachael, went with a group to Taco Bell. They seemed to both have a really good time, even though the music was terrible.

Mike spent the day at the Pumpkin Fest with the other three kids and the church and I got a lot of sorting done. It was very theraputic to get rid of boxes. It really is the simple things in life.

I had my follow up appointment today and it turns out that I DO have the Factor V Leiden gene, which means that I have a greater chance than someone without the gene to develop blood clots. This is genetic and means my kids also might have it. It makes things a little more complicated like surgeries and such, but most certainly not the end of the world. At leaset we know about it now for my health and safety and the kids too.

Hopefully I can start getting some pictures on here soon. Check back later!

Whew! What a week!

Ok, so I can't even get back to talking about our trip from the beach before something else blows up! Let's see...Grace (5) started full day kindergarten and loves riding the bus to school. Work has been slower than I'd like it to be (which means I'm busier than you-know-what) and now we're thinking of moving. For those that don't know us, this is a major feat. We have a 5-acre horse farmette with 4 horses to sell, which will be very emotional on the family. I run my business out of my home so that means packing up 5 kids AND a business. Nevermind that we're looking to downsize from a 3500 sf to roughly 2300 sf!! Yikes! The traveling will be so much easier on everyone so we have to do it. My husband works three jobs (or is it four now...I'm not sure) and he's always on the road between church (he's a pastor), the office (he helps manage our electrical contracting business), Harrisburg Area Community College (he's teaching classes) and Eastern University (where he's TAKING classes.) So, that leaves me with 5 cats, 4 horses, several chickens, a mad-as-can-be rooster, and 5 kids. Oh, and a huge property to maintain. As much as it pains me to leave, I think downsizing will be good for us. We're going to miss our farm, the pool, the privacy, the quietness...the freedom, basically. So where am I going to store all my scrap stuff, my cross stitch, my books, my kitchen full of appliances, the music equipment my husband has? It's going to be a very interesting move, to say the least!