I picked up a laptop on Black Friday. (The first one we've ever had. I'd been wanting one for years.) I also finally tracked down the cords for my camera today... But I'm so reluctant to test out Picasa3 on this thing so my photos are still sitting in my camera.
From as far back as this summer.
Which isn't an overabundance of them since I've been slacking in that department about as much as I've been slacking at blogging!
As some of you may recall (because I've mentioned it all ten times I've blogged since this summer. Actually, 'ten' is pushing it. All three times, is more like it), all of my photos disappeared from Picasa3 on our desktop. And I have tried many things with absolutely no success at getting them to stay in Picasa3. I can get them to upload into Picasa but when I exit out and go back in, the folders are all empty again.
Picasa forums bring up a lot of similar incidences with other people... So I've been twiddling my thumbs here trying to figure out what to do. (Meaning, whether or not I should even bother to try it out on my laptop.) I don't know of any other photo editing places though - and I'm super comfortable with Picasa after using it for so many years.
I miss blogging. And to me, blogging is just plain dull without photos. I'm such a visual person myself, that my favorite blogs are those that post photos, especially pretty photos. I'll figure something out soon!
On a more 'exciting' note, I'm all set for Christmas! Our kids each get three gifts on Christmas morning, plus the treats in their stockings. I have all our gifts - they just need to be wrapped. Well, not 'all', I'm waiting for the kid's group gift to arrive - hopefully, any day.
The group gift has been from 'Santa' in the past - but lately we've been having it come from Mark and I so we can give them something special on Christmas. I have all of the stocking stuffers, including the candy I ordered from Natural Candy Store, sorted and in separate bags in preparation for the big day, as well.
I'm not a huge fan of 'Santa'. It's funny, I used to be when I first had kids but over the years, I've changed a lot in that respect because of all the commercialism surrounding Christmas which is such a sacred holiday. We try to keep the focus on the true meaning of the holiday. We don't intentionally discourage their belief in 'Santa' (we remember how fun it was to believe in him when we were kids!) but we don't intentionally encourage it either...
I may be ready with gifts, but I do, however, need to start on baking. I have all of my supplies but I've been waiting for a day I'm home all day. It should work out sometime this week! The most tedious, and my most favorite Christmas treat, I'm planning to make are Finnish Prune Tarts. I also plan to make peppermint bark (with milk chocolate and white chocolate) and pumpkin seed brittle (our peanut-free alternative to peanut brittle). I had a huge list of stuff I wanted to make but I've greatly reduced it as the time draws near because I know realistically I'll never get around to it all!
I'm 23 weeks along in this pregnancy and feeling great at this point! Loving the second trimester. Not too much longer and I'll hit the third. Hard to believe. I feel like it's flying by. It didn't hurt that I pretty much slept away the first trimester!
We're still so in awe that we're going to have another baby. Babies are truly my favorite thing in the whole wide world and I can't believe we get to snuggle one again. It's been so many years. For now, I'm just trying to take time to appreciate how 'easy' our life has become now that the kids are older. Something I've completely taken for granted all these years while I've wished for another baby. I get to sleep all night long right now, and I'm trying to enjoy it while it lasts because it'll be a long time before that happens again once this little girl arrives!

