Blog Makeover {Custom Blog Header}

I've had a lot of fun this weekend giving my blog a mini makeover.  I've done quite a few things to tidy up my blog... can you see the difference?  I decided to do a series of posts so you can see the details behind my updates.  I used a bunch of difference sources from all over the web, and I will definitely give credit where credit is due.

The first change I made was to my header.  I had been using headers from other websites, but decided I wanted to create my own.  Most the tutorials I saw for creating custom headers were created using Photoshop.  Since I don't have Photoshop, I decided to make my header using Paint.net - a free photo editing tool that I really like, and I think is a decent substitute for Photoshop if you aren't a major photo editor.

The first thing I did was come up with a design.  I decided I wanted the overall "look" of my blog to be simple and clean, so opted to just use my blog title with a couple pictures to represent my blog.

• Open Paint.net, and click File > Save As and save your Paint.net project.
• Click Image > Resize and set the height and width of your image.  I decided on 200 pixels for my height because I wanted something narrow.  I did a width of 900 pixels because that's what worked with my blog layout (this was a little trial and error).

• Click Layers > Add New Layer.  I did this three times since I wanted to add three pictures in addition to my blog title.

• Open the pictures that you want to add to your blog by clicking File > Open and selecting the pictures from your computer.  Each picture will display separately across the top of your Paint.net canvas.

• Resize each picture to fit on your header by clicking Image > Resize and selecting the desired height, making sure the "Maintain aspect ratio" box is checked.  I decided to make my pictures 150 pixels high.
• Copy the first picture onto Layer 4 by selecting the "Move Selected Pixels" tool from the Tools menu (looks like an arrow) and clicking on the picture.  Once the picture is selected, click CTRL+C to copy the picture, then click back on your header canvas, select Layer 4, and click CTRL+V to paste the picture.  Move the picture to the far right of the canvas and center.

• Continue to copy the other pictures to the header canvas, putting each picture on a different layer and positioning accordingly.
• Finally, add the blog title by selecting the Text tool, selecting the text color, font, and size, and then clicking on the Background Layer in the desired spot and typing the title.

• Once you have your project as you like it, save it as a .jpg.
• Insert the image as your blog header (I won't go into details about this because there are a lot of tutorials out there - like this one) and you're done!

Slipping and Sliding

Matt has been wanting to go ice skating for weeks now, so we finally made plans to go tonight.  We were all so excited.  We told Kylee we were going to do something fun, but kept it a surprise until we got there.  She squealed with delight as we walked up to the building and told her what we were going to be doing.  The anticipation built as we put our skates on... but when we actually stepped foot on the ice, I wondered what we were thinking!?  There were tons of people on the ice, and it was really hard to help guide a 3 and 4 year old around the ice when they couldn't keep their feet under them!  And of course after one loop around the ice, both girls had to go to the bathroom!  We did end up having an enjoyable time, though.  By the end of the evening (we only stayed about an hour) both girls were better with the concept and were a little more stable on the ice.  Not sure we'll be going again any time soon, especially not with two little girls (we watched our niece Olivia for the night), but it was definitely a fun family adventure.  And you can't help but love this little cutie:

Happy New Year!

"This year, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love and then speak it again." ~Howard W. Hunter

I saw this quote as a friend's facebook status the other day, and I thought it was fitting as part of a New Year's blog post.  2012 was a pretty wonderful year for me and my family.  Here's a recap:

• I became a wife and a mom.

• Rachel got baptized.

• Matt and I had a beautiful honeymoon in the Bahamas.

• We went on our first family camping trip in Garden Valley, Idaho.

• I spent a couple days with my college roomies in Sun Valley, Idaho.

• Mandi and TJ had a new baby - Blake!

• We decided to build a house.

• My mom turned 60 and we had a great party.

• BJ and Rachel got married.

• Beki graduated from BYU-Idaho.

• My first Christmas as a mom - my favorite Christmas yet!

I'd say 2012 is going to be a hard year to top... but I know some wonderful things are in store for us in 2013!  I'm looking forward to celebrating our first anniversary, wrapping up a large project at work, moving into our beautiful new house, and having more adventures in the Hudson household.  On that note, I have set some goals for the year.  Here are a couple of them that I wanted to make "public" so I can be held accountable :-)

• Run 300 miles during the year.  Jen is going to do this with me too.  I am trying to figure out a good way to keep a running tally on the side of my blog to track my progress.
• Read my scriptures every day including reading the entire Book of Mormon by the end of the year.  Jen and Matt are both doing this one with me.  It was kind of fun to read with Matt last night - I'm looking forward to that time together each day (even if it's only a few minutes!)  It's so much easier for me to complete my goals when I'm working on them with someone else.    Jen and I read the Book of Mormon in 2011 in 3 months, and then we read it again last year too.  We would check up on each other, which really helped.
• Drink at least 48 ounces of water each weekday.  I stink at keeping myself hydrated.  Some days I will go an entire day without drinking anything except my morning protein shake.  I know I'm supposed to drink 64 ounces of water... if I can do 48 ounces this year, then maybe I can work on 64 next year!  Baby steps.

So, welcome 2013.  I'm looking forward to what's in store!

We Have Walls!

Kylee and I took a field trip out to our house this afternoon, because it's been a couple weeks since she's been out there.  She was excited to see walls up (and so was I!).  It looks like they have finished putting up the drywall and have started taping it.

Looking out hew bedroom window

Standing in the shower in the master bathroom

A view of the theater room

Personal Organizer

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before, but I enjoy watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette (a little guilty pleasure of mine), and I'm looking forward to a new season that starts in January.  Note to self: set DVR to record the season when I'm done writing this post.  Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed when I found out that I had missed Ashley and JP's wedding.  Lucky for me, the wedding was online, so I spent some time yesterday afternoon watching the events surrounding the big day.  Made me think back to my special day... can't believe it's almost been a year!

Anyway, I digress.  Back to The Bachelor.  After watching Ashley and JP's wedding, I went to the ABC website to check out the girls on Sean's season of The Bachelor, ya know, how old they are, what they do for a living.  There were a couple models, stylists, a yoga instructor, etc, but what caught my eye was the Personal Organizer.  Have you ever heard of such a thing?  Can you imagine a job where you help people get organized?  How fun would that be!  Maybe it wouldn't be that glamorous, but I'm just picturing the end result being lots of beautiful spaces, kind of like I blogged about a couple days ago.  Hmmm, something to consider :-)