What Jean Likes

Despair

Words seem empty when our world has gotten so twisted and evil that a child cannot go to school without the fear of death at the hand of a mad man.

There were posts I had written and planned that I just can't bring myself to post just yet. The needless death of 28 people, 20 of them children. Little children between the ages of 5 and 10 brutally shot and slain for what? I can't wrap my mind around this and how anyone could be so evil that he would shoot an innocent child.

As a mother of a 10 year old and an aunt to a 5 & 2 year old, my heart just breaks for the parents and families of these murdered children. When I heard the news of the tragedy that occurred on Friday, I had just dropped my son off at school. My heart dropped as I watched the children being evacuated and the families sobbing in fear and heartbreak. I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel to lose your baby so unexpectedly and in such a way. I must confess that I called the school to make sure they were taking precautions just because I wanted to make sure my boy was okay. When I got him home I hugged him tightly and explained to him what had happened and how much I love him.

I feel so helpless and wish there was something that could be done to make it better, to comfort those families suffering the loss of their loved ones. All we can do is pray for the families of all those who were murdered or injured. I read a very beautiful prayer on another blog that I will share now.

simplyheavenlyfood:

Our dear Heavenly Father we lift up all of the families who lost their precious little children and other family members in the shooting at the elementary school today. Our hearts are broken for the children and adults who were killed this morning in the Connecticut shooting. Our heart aches for those parents, teachers, children and families. They said on the news that this is the worst school shooting in American history. Lord we know You were present with each and every one of them as their lives were savagely taken too soon. Lord we pray for the kids who were there today who saw the shooting, had friends killed, heard the gun shots. God please hold their hearts. Please comfort them. Lord, I pray for the teachers and adults please show them Your love. That You’re in their midst, You are a Refuge and in Your presence there is no fear. Lord may You be glorified in this situation. Please bring people to You, restore, comfort, save, hold, uplift, and be ever present now. We ask that you comfort the members of the families that are left behind to mourn their loss. Let your words “I am with you” comfort each family member and keep them from falling into the depths of despair over this unimaginable loss. Having the comfort of knowing that someday very soon they will see their loved ones again. Lord we pray that the police are given Your wisdom as they handle this terrible tragedy so that justice will be served swiftly. In Jesus name we pray, Amen and Amen. God bless you all.

All my love and aloha goes out to those families and all of you who are saddened by this tragic and needless loss.

Aloha,

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, by WhatJeanLikes

aloha

Aloha Friday Blog Hop... Come celebrate the weekend with us!

Hosted by:

What Jean Likes & A Cat-Like Curiosity

Love, The Skinnys

One Haole Girl

A Little Bit of Brandy

Simply Heavenly Food

Hope & Sugar

PonderWonders

Grab our button!!

(If this button is too small or too big, click HERE to view all the different sized buttons you can use instead! )

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

The Aloha Friday Blog Hop is more than a "Friday" hop, it's a way to share aloha and friendship to our fellow bloggers all weekend long!! I consider this particular blog hop to be more of a weekend hop because Fridays are so hectic that a lot of people function on what we like to call "Hawaiian Time" here in Hawai'i which means they link up on Saturday or sometimes even Sunday which is just fine and dandy with me! That's why I keep it open from Friday through Monday because I sincerely believe, the more the merrier!!

If you're interested in co-hosting next month's Aloha Friday Blog Hop, please email Jean@whatjeanlikes.com for more info.

This week we wanted to add a little something extra special to our lovely hop. It's an oh-so-easy opportunity for you lovely participants of the Aloha Friday Blog hop to get some exposure to your blogs!! What do you have to do to enter? Just link up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop Below!! It's that easy!! No extra forms or hassle, just link up! Each week we will pick a linker to featured at random and invite you all to say ...

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ...

Judy from Judy HJ's Thoughts - A Twinless Twin.

Judy blogs all about her struggles with losing her twin as well as some creative and inspirational ideas for everyday life. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing: Yummy Peppered Steak. Delicious Jamaican Patties. Jamaica Skyscape. If you're not already a follower than you definitely should be! Now, let's link up and start spreading that Aloha shall we?

Just A Few Simple Requests:

Follow your Aloha Friday Hop hosts and team members.

(Please leave a comment with a link to your site and we will be sure to follow you back)

Link up your family friendly blogs

(Or other sites and projects you'd like to share)

Share this hop so that others might join in.

(If you'd like, you are welcome to post this hop on your site and/or add our button to your site!)

Visit at least three other blogs and let them know you've come to share aloha.

(How lucky are we to start our wonderful weekends together, let's have fun with this)

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, by WhatJeanLikes

family

Oh the Hustle and Bustle of it all...

Photo courtesy of Jennifer Awana via HNN

The holidays are an especially hectic time of year. It seems like more people are out on the road, in the malls and at the stores. I often wonder when and if anyone works anymore and if not, where they find the money to burn... I personally have little time to do the things I want because I'm busy either working at the "day job", attending work related meetings/outings or being a mom which is my #1 priority. It's an endless juggling act where I have about 10 balls up in the air at a time and I can't let any of them drop because if one did, the rest of the balls would drop too. Well I'm sure that if one dropped, I'd figure out a way to keep juggling the rest, but being the perfectionist I am, I try to keep it all in order although it doesn't always end up the way I'd hope.

Isn't that just the way life is sometimes? It seems like when you have everything mapped out the way you think you want it, life throws you a curve ball or puts a wrench in your plans that leads you down a road you never imagined being on. It's so easy to lose track of the plans and goals you set out for yourself amidst the hustle and bustle of life. Being a single working mom presents quite the challenge to me on a daily basis because I have to map out all of my "day job" tasks and how to efficiently complete them while also making sure that my son is at school on time, ready for the day and then picked up on time and off to his respective sports and activities.

Whether you're a "working" mom or a stay at home mom, doesn't it seem like the "to-do's" list grows longer and longer each day? Sometimes I feel like no matter how many of those items I complete, there are still many more waiting in the wings. My mom was a stay at home mom and boy oh boy, did she work her butt off taking care of my brother and I. We were not the easiest children to take care of although I like to pretend I was an angelic daughter not giving my dear mom a moment of worry or trouble. My mom worked her butt off to make sure we were well taken care of, that the house was clean and that we always kept busy with music or sports. Were it not for her diligence and hard work, I would not be the well-rounded individual I am today. Thanks mom!

I think stay at home moms work harder and longer than "working" moms because not only do they get no time off, but their "job" is so much more important. Raising children is the most rewarding and challenging job a person could ever have. It's the only job I've ever had that I truly loved doing. Being a mom (or a dad) so important because though there are no bonuses, vacation pay, progress reports or board meetings, the end result of parenthood is having a balanced and happy young adult that you let out into the world to do good for him/herself and others. Being a single mom can be so hard because I have to be both a "working" mom and a "stay at home" mom at the same time and sometimes I feel like I have no time to breathe.

I think that sometimes the things I worry about for my "day job" and the "important" to-do's are actually the lesser of the true priorities in life. As a parent you find it's the quiet moments and the little things that add up to make the bigger picture. Spending time with my son this weekend working on a diorama and a report for Indian in the Cupboard project he had for school was one of those quiet moments that will last a lifetime in my memory. I had tons of "day job" paperwork to do and tons of people to follow back from the Aloha Friday Blog Hop (which is still going on so link up if you haven't yet) but my Alaka'i asked me to help him with ideas for his diorama so I took the time I didn't have to spend helping him brainstorm. I dropped so many balls yesterday for the "day job" but none of it mattered because my son was more important. I had the privilege of helping my son discover ideas he never considered as his imagination soared cloud high. With a little direction and a few glides of the paintbrush to show him how, I helped my boy create something spectacular that he was so proud to take to school this morning. Seeing the look of pride knowing he did a good job all by himself was worth more to me than all the money in the world.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that Monday is being kind to you.

xoxo,

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, by WhatJeanLikes

health

Are You a Sugar Addict?

Do you crave sweets or carbs? You may not know it, but you could be a sugar addict. It's a dangerous addiction to have because there is sugar in nearly everything we consume. It's not just found in the candies and sugary sweets we eat either. Carbohydrates turn into sugar once they reach our bloodstream so if you're a carb lover and/or a sugar lover like me, you need to read this in-depth article on how to know if you're addicted to sugar and how to cut the cravings and detox so you can get healthy.

Overconsumption of processed sugar can contribute to a number of conditions, including tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, hormonal imbalances, overgrowth of candida yeast, chronic fatigue, more severe PMS symptoms, anxiety—and yep, even wrinkles. On the other hand, if you start to cut sugar out of your diet, you can shed excess weight, increase your energy, improve your concentration, improve your moods, and possibly steer clear of diabetes. Ready to kick-start your sugar detox? To help you out, I'll let you in on some reasons why we get addicted, and how to read food labels for hidden sugars. I'll also give you some tips on how to start your sugar detox so you'll have a much better chance at living a long, vibrant, and disease-free life.

Why we crave sugar. According to AskDrSears.com, "Sweets trigger an increase in the hormone serotonin—a mood-elevating hormone. The body and brain get used to this higher level of serotonin and even depend on it for a sense of well-being. So when our serotonin level dips, (we dip) into the (sweets) to 'correct' the situation." According to the Web site, sweets also "trigger the release of endorphins . . . the brain's natural narcotics, helping you to relax when stressed."

You've probably noticed that although sugar gives you an initial high (a rapid spike in your blood sugar), you crash several hours later, leaving you wanting more. It's because sugar takes away more energy than it gives. Eventually, you find yourself exhausted, anxious, and moody. I know I've definitely experienced this crash too many times.

Is the sweet taste worth the unpleasant effects? Think gaining weight is the only negative effect of consuming too much sugar? Nancy Appleton, PhD, author of Lick the Sugar Habit, describes some surprising ways sugar intake can negatively affect your health:

Suppresses the immune system's defenses against bacterial infections

Increases the risk of blood clots and strokes

Contributes to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating

Can lead to hypoglycemia, kidney damage, an elevation in harmful cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and tooth decay

Helps speed the aging process, including wrinkles and gray hair

The list goes on . . .
Read more here: http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/203#87688777

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, by WhatJeanLikes

beauty

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Serum Gives New Meaning to Age Smart

I'm 30, almost 31 actually and I was taught all my life by my mother that it's quite important to take good care of your skin and that prevention is better than correction. Living in a place like Hawai'i has it's advantages and it's disadvantages when it comes to taking care of your skin. The perpetual summer and high humidity are generally kinder to skin than drier climates. In Hawai'i we don't have to adjust for changing seasons, dry summers and blistering cold winters. For the most part, the climate only slightly changes which makes it a lot easier to effectively care for your skin. Sounds great right... well, the heat and hot sun can take it's toll on your skin, especially if you like the outdoors like I did growing up. I used to bake myself in the sun at the beach every day after I graduated high school. It didn't do that much damage, but it did enough.

In the last several years I started actually listening to my mother's sage advice (imagine that) and I started taking better care of my skin. It doesn't take a lot of money to do so. A good moisturizer, age appropriate eye cream and a good SPF are pretty much all you need to maintain good looking, healthy skin. I have acne prone combination skin and in recent years have found that using gentler products actually eliminates my acne far more effectively than the creams marketed specifically for acne. I prefer to use products that are gentle and made with natural ingredients without artificial colors or fragrances. With my sensitive, acne prone skin, I need something that works well without irritating my skin causing breakouts or further damage. The funny thing is that I swore by acne products in the past and thought that the only way to clear my skin up was to use as many of them as possible. Acne products serve their purpose but if you use too harsh a cream or don't replenish the moisture that they strip from your skin, it not only causes irritation but also leads to dryness that can start the aging process prematurely.

I also use a multivitamin serum made by one of my favorite brands, Dermalogica. It's a serum that I put on my skin before applying moisturizer that not only gives my skin a smoother feel and texture, but it helps to heal my skin and even out the color and texture without causing any irritation. Though this product is marketed for aging/mature skin, it works quite well for me (remember prevention is better than correction). It's in a slender 0.75 FL. oz / 22 ml silver tube (much like the Dermalogica Skinperfect Primer that I use) that retails for $65 (US). All you need is a small amount (less than a pea sized drop of the serum) to spread all over your face. Follow that with your regular moisturizer and eye cream and you're ready for the day.

Here is what Dermalogica says about the Multivitamin Power Serum:

An age-fighting serum containing micro encapsulated vitamins A, C and E to help increase skin recovery, decrease fine lines and age spots while defending against skin aging. Boost elasticity levels with a skin-strengthening protein peptide that overrides biochemical triggers that lead to skin aging. Formulated without artificial fragrances and colors.

It helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles
It helps stimulate collagen synthesis
It enhances cell turnover and cell renewal
It provides antioxidant protection
It helps control pigmentation
It can be worn during the day and/or at night
It is not suitable for use during pregnancy due to the high concentration of Vitamin A
This product replaces MultiVitamin Power Concentrate
It was developed to target mature or prematurely-aging skin, however the vitamins and nutrients will benefit all skin conditions.

Though this serum is not "all natural" like many of the other products I use on my skin, I gave it a chance because I love so many of the other products that Dermalogica has to offer. I got it a couple months ago and wanted to give it a real try so I put off reviewing until now. It was the only thing I added to my current regimen that has worked for me for quite some time. I changed nothing else. Over the two months, I noticed that my skin was instantly smoother and my pores appeared smaller. In the course of one week, the redness in certain areas of my face was reduced and the dry spots around my nose and mouth were more supple and the dry areas were gone. After about a month and a half, my skin tone was more even and the dark spots I had from previous sun damage and acne scarring were lighter and less noticeable.

So down to the point. It's $65 for 0.75FL oz (22 ml) of product. It's expensive for the amount of product you're buying. At first glance, one might be instantly turned off by the price and I totally understand that. I wish it were cheaper. If you try the product, however, you'll realize it's worth every penny. I've tried EVERY single other skin tone correcting cream and this is by far the best I've used, plus it has vitamins and helps to prevent and correct premature aging. Do you have to be a certain age to use it? No. Remember, prevention is better than correction. It will work as well on younger skin as it will on aging skin. I'd say anyone over the age of 25 would benefit from this product. I don't think people younger than that would really need it although it does help with skin evenness and texture so it's worth trying if you have problems in that department.

Positives:

Instantly improves the look and feel of skin.
Creates smoother skin texture and evens skin tone.
Lightens acne scarring.
Helps prevent premature aging, fine lines and wrinkles.
Helps makeup apply more evenly because your skin is smoother.

Negatives:

At $65 for 0.75 FL oz, it's kind of pricey.
Availability limited to specific salons which makes it more difficult to find than other products.

I think in this case, the positives far outweigh the negatives. If you can afford it, I suggest you try it or go to a store that carries it and sample it. I have tried products from so many other brands to even out my skin tone and remove acne scarring and though some have worked, none have come close to delivering me the results that this product has. What makes this product special is that it's not even specifically marketed as a product that evens skin tone. Dermalogica does say that it will help with age spots and premature aging but it does so much more. It will be something that remains in my beauty arsenal for years to come.

Availability: Dermalogica

Disclosure: This review contains a sample product sent for consideration by the brand or its PR firm. Our priority is to you, and we honor that commitment by being honest! We don't do paid reviews or guarantee reviews. We're going to give you the truth and nothing but! For more information, please read our disclosures & policies page. This specific product was sent by the brand for me to try and review on their website. I really like this product so I decided to do an additional review of it on my website as well.

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, by WhatJeanLikes

life

A Day That Will Live in Infamy...

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, by WhatJeanLikes

aloha

It's Aloha Friday ..All Weekend Long..Blog Hop Time!! #33

Hosted by:

What Jean Likes & A Cat-Like Curiosity

Love, The Skinnys

One Haole Girl

A Little Bit of Brandy

Simply Heavenly Food

Hope & Sugar

PonderWonders

Grab our button!!

(If this button is too small or too big, click HERE to view all the different sized buttons you can use instead! )

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

If you're interested in co-hosting next month's Aloha Friday Blog Hop, please email Jean@whatjeanlikes.com for more info.

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ...

Emma from Mommy Has a Headache.

Emma is an expat stranded in a foreign country! She blogs about re-modelling her house (and all it's attendant stresses and strains) plus Hello Kitty and all things funny. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing: The Wacky World of Hello Kitty - I had to include this one. Read it and you'll know exactly why :) Raising Global Nomads - very, very funny! If Guinea Pigs Could Tweet. If you're not already a follower than you definitely should be!

Now, let's link up and start spreading that Aloha shall we?

Just A Few Simple Requests:

Follow your Aloha Friday Hop hosts and team members.

(Please leave a comment with a link to your site and we will be sure to follow you back)

Link up your family friendly blogs

(Or other sites and projects you'd like to share)

Share this hop so that others might join in.

(If you'd like, you are welcome to post this hop on your site and/or add our button to your site!)

Visit at least three other blogs and let them know you've come to share aloha.

(How lucky are we to start our wonderful weekends together, let's have fun with this)

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, by WhatJeanLikes

alakai

Wordless Wednesday: Growing up too fast...

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, by WhatJeanLikes

style

In Ridiculous & Distasteful Celebrity News... Olsen Twins Selling $55,000 Handbags

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen teamed up with Damien Hirst on a collection of backpacks.
Photo: Getty Images/ via Just One Eye

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen could never be considered frugal or conservative. Most celebrites these days spend more money on a shopping spree than most people make in an entire year. It just goes to show how wasteful the rich and famous have become. In utterly ridiculous and distasteful celebrity news, the Olsen twins have announced that their ultra-exclusive brand The Row has outdone themselves in the ridiculously overpriced handbag game. They previously were pricing the plain crocodile skin backpack for a cool $40,000 but now in their quest to be even more ridiculous, have teamed up with designer Damien Hirst to create a super limited edition of the bag priced at $55,000!!! What the.....

Via MTV.com

The actresses-turned-CFDA winners have debuted a brand new capsule collection of super luxe backpacks in conjunction with Damien Hirst. The Row designers and the contemporary artist collaborated on nine different styles of the carryall, embellishing the label's signature black patent Nile crocodile leather backpack with Hirst's quirky-cool designs. It's an awesome concept, sure, but just like all the other swoon-worthy pieces from The Row, the bad news is, it's gonna cost you. A lot. If you thought the Olsens wouldn't dare to top the $39,000 price tag on their other (controversial) backpack, think again...because they totally went there. The limited-edition collection of bags is listed at online design store Just One Eye for "price upon request." We called, and it retails for a cool $55,000. Gulp.

Although a portion of the sales go to UNICEF, we're still wrapping our heads around the insane price tag, and here's the thing: as crazy costly as the bag is, there are people who will buy it— after all, the label's alligator backpack sold out last season. But just to put the money into perspective, with that $55,000, you could instead buy a couple of cars, approximately 110 new iPads, 3, 055 bottles of Deborah Lippmann nail polish.... So there you have it: the super expensive backpack just got even pricier, making even the most wallet-busting pieces from Alexander Wang, Mulberry, and more seem like pocket change.

Other than the ridiculous price, many of these limited edition (and in my humble opinion UGLY) bags are adorned with pill appliques... What is the point of that? It's in such poor taste to release anything that is condoning or promoting drug use. Pills have, in recent years, become many a person's drug of choice even killing one of the Olsen's close friends Heath Leger who died from an overdose of pills in 2008.

I really don't understand how or why anyone would want to purchase these bags. Even if they were gorgeous and didn't promote prescription drug abuse, they are SO expensive and ridiculously overpriced. I'm not saying it's wrong for anyone to want or have something nice but $55,000 for a purse? That is beyond expensive. That is more for 1 bag than so many people make in one year. They justify the price by saying a "portion" goes to UNICEF yet they omit how large that portion going to charity is. Whoever purchases these bags would benefit greatly from visiting a homeless shelter or visiting people left devastated by natural disasters or disease. That money could go to so many other wonderful and helpful causes instead of an ugly handbag that is adorned with prescription drugs.

I personally could never spend a large amount of money on a handbag or shoes, it's just not my style. I would rather spend my money on my son's tuition or on photography gear. I just don't understand frivoloty of spending thousands of dollars on handbags like these. What do you think? Worth it? Not worth it? I think it's so not worth it and such a bad message to send. Why adorn handbags with prescription drugs? What's the purpose in that?

Give me your feedback and take a look at these overpriced $55,000 bags after the jump.

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, by WhatJeanLikes

life

Sunday letters

Monday is but a few hours away and I'm sitting here dreading the upcoming work day. The "day job" takes so much time and energy out of me but I don't mind it. I just sometimes wish that I had a job that I loved or that I could spend more of my time with my son or doing the things I enjoy so much like photographing or blogging. I'm just thankful to have a good job to be honest, especially in this economy... Wouldn't it just be lovely if we could all do something we love for work? To do something that I have passion for, to be creative all day and get paid for it, boy oh boy how I would love that! I rarely get the chance to be creative in my day to day life.

Actually, tonight is a rare occasion for me where I have a chance to be creative and do a little decorating of sorts. I'm not a decorator by any stretch of the word, I lack the talent for decorating in the sense that the room never quite ends up looking as beautiful as I had imagined it in my head. Thankfully I'm not decorating the house tonight, the type of decorating I'm about to do is that of my Christmas tree.

This year I bought a Grand Fir tree instead of my usual Douglas Fir or Noble Fir. I decided for something new because I've grown rather bored with my "usual" type of tree. Walking into the living room is like heaven right now because the fragrant aroma of the Grand Fir is fragrant and fresh. The scent is one of the main reasons I decided to purchase a Grand instead of the Douglas or Noble. I really wanted the house to smell like Christmas, especially since Hawai'i has been so voggy and humid lately (not the typical winter-esque weather in Hawai'i). As I sit here and contemplate how I'm going to adorn my full, fragrant tree I notice that I have quite a bit of cleaning to do underneath it first. Setting up an 8 foot tree alone is not the easiest thing in the world to do. I had to saw off a few inches on the base of the tree because it was a tad too tall for my ceilings. I am thankful that I have a wonderful stand this year that adequately holds the weight of my lofty tree because about 2 years ago, I had a tree with a sub-standard stand that decided to tip over and fall on me. It was quite an unpleasant experience because not only did it create a huge mess, but my hand got cut by one of my favorite ornaments straight down to the bone, ouch!

I think the theme for the tree this year will be abundance. I am going to make this tree sparkle and light up my entire living room and fill the branches with ornaments. I am so thankful for all that I have and I just want to celebrate the season to make it the most memorable Christmas ever. The tree and all the adornments are wonderful as are the presents but the true reason I'm so joyful is because this is the time of year where I celebrate the birth of Jesus, my Savior who died for my sins. It's also the time of year I celebrate my own son's birth (on December 23rd) so there is much to be joyful about. Well, off to decorate my tree I go! But before I leave, here's Sunday's letters.

Dear December, welcome! You came much quicker than I had anticipated but I'm glad you're here.

Dear Alaka'i, you are growing up so quickly into an amazing young man. Oh how I miss the years when you were a little baby but how I love watching you grow. Don't grow up too quickly!

Dear "day job", please be kind to me. I feel like I always have more work to do and never enough time to get it all done. I hope to get everything done that my bosses have directed me to do in a timely manner so I still have enough time for the things I enjoy.

Dear Christmas tree, please don't fall on me this year. Please hold my ornaments and decor with strength and pride for I dearly enjoy decorating you!

Dear garden I have yet to water today, be patient, I will water you before the sun rises.

Dear future husband (whom I have yet to meet), hurry up and cross my path soon... I'm starting to worry I'll never meet you!!

Dear Christmas movies, thank you for coming on the television. I've grown bored with some of the filth on t.v. lately and I greatly enjoy the comfort of sharing the movies I grew up loving with my son.

and most importantly...

Dear God, have mercy on me even though I don't deserve it. Forgive me for all that I have done and will do wrong and guide me down the right path. Thank you God for all your blessings because I don't deserve them. Even on my worst day, I am doing better than I deserve.

I wish you all a happy December and the happiest of Mondays. Oh how I wish the weekend would linger...

Aloha,

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, by WhatJeanLikes

aloha

Aloha Friday Weekend Blog Hop #32 December is around the corner!

Hosted by:

What Jean Likes . A Cat-Like Curiosity

Love, The Skinnys

A Little Bit of Brandy

PonderWonders

Simply Heavenly Food

Grab our button!!

(If this button is too big, click HERE to view all the different sized buttons you can use instead!)

Regular Button 150 x 155

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

If you're interested in co-hosting next month's Aloha Friday Blog Hop, please email Jean@whatjeanlikes.com for more info.

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ...

Hannah from Thirsty World Designs.

Hannah is a postcard enthusiast who occasionally allows her cat to take over the blog (so cute and adorable!). She blogs about recipes and restaurants, art and travel stories. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:

A Post from Einstein (the cat, not the scientist!) All the Fun of the Fair

If you're not already a follower than you definitely should be! Now, let's link up and start spreading that Aloha shall we?

Just A Few Simple Requests:

Follow your Aloha Friday Hop hosts and team members.

(Please leave a comment with a link to your site and we will be sure to follow you back)

Link up your family friendly blogs

(Or other sites and projects you'd like to share)

Share this hop so that others might join in.

(If you'd like, you are welcome to post this hop on your site and/or add our button to your site!)

Visit at least three other blogs and let them know you've come to share aloha.

(How lucky are we to start our wonderful weekends together, let's have fun with this)

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, by WhatJeanLikes

alakai

Wordless Wednesday: Iron Man

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, by WhatJeanLikes

inspiration

Photo Inspiration: Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

[source: FStoppers.com]

Southern California photography team Brett and Tori love shooting silhouettes and over the years have picked up some simple tips that help them nail killer shots time and time again. Read on to discover 9 of their great tips you can use on your next shoot and see some of the beautiful silhouettes shot by Brett and Tori.

Silhouettes always catch my eye because they leave part of the image up for interpretation. Unable to see all the detail it makes you wonder about the faces, the expressions and all the details hidden in the shadows. They are intriguing and not to difficult to master. Studying Brett and Tori’s images below and applying the useful tips they offer you will be armed ready to create some jaw dropping silhouettes of your own on your next shoot.

FS 01 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 1. SEPARATION - First things first. Probably the MOST important thing to know when attempting a silhouette is separation. Your subject MUST stand out from the background for a silhouette to work. Contrast is huge, that’s why in most of our silhouettes, you’ll see our subjects placed in front of an open sky, usually with the sun somewhere behind them. This makes it much easier to pull off a true silhouette.

FS 02 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 2. POSE - Once you’ve found a good location that separates your subjects from the background, posing becomes the next thing we look to. Since silhouettes are just black shapes, it’s important to position your subjects in a way that you can see their features. This makes it obvious to viewers what they are looking at. We typically have our couples kiss, but in slow motion. That way we can capture that moment RIGHT before their lips meet, which still allows their profiles to be seen. Once the subjects lose the separation from each other, it becomes just one big black blob.

FS 03 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 3. COMPOSITION - In the shot above, there was a perfect area for our subjects to stand. Your eye tends to go straight to the couple because the two big trees lead right to them, and the rest of the scene is dominated by very detailed lines, so the contour of their bodies stand out even more. I also framed this photo using the rule of thirds, which is naturally more pleasing to the eye.

FS 04 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 4. TIMING – The best time of day for a silhouette is around sunset. This provides many more opportunities. If there’s awesome clouds in the sky like those in the photo above, even better! The setting sun turns those clouds that beautiful orange color and adds to the overall appeal of the image.

FS 05 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 5. DEPTH OF FIELD – I usually will set my aperture to f/8 or higher to add more detail to the photo, but in some cases, like the image above, I will decrease the depth of field so the objects in the foreground become less distracting.

FS 06 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 6. ANGLE – In the photo above, I made sure to get super low to the ground in order to change my angle so the couple was high above the hill line. If I would have shot this from a standing position, only their heads would have been higher than the black horizon line and it wouldn’t have worked out as nicely as it did.

FS 07 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 7. RIM LIGHT - In some situations, I’m not able to place the couple above the horizon line (which would make the bright sky the backdrop) or there are just too many obstacles. In this case, I really wanted all the trees in the shot, so I had Tori squat behind the subjects and hold a flash with an off-camera trigger attached to it. This creates an awesome rim light around the couple and separates them from the dark tree behind them.

FS 08 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 8. WIDE ANGLE LENS – Using a wide angle lens for silhouettes is my favorite! It gives a better perspective to our subject’s surroundings. If I wasn’t using a wide angle lens in the photo above, the viewer wouldn’t be able to get a feeling of how big the trees were compared to the couple, taking away some of the dramatic feel from the image. And once again, I saw an opening in the trees that I knew would be a perfect spot to place our subjects, so I had them walk slowly across the scene while I waited for the right moment. They stand out even more because their shape is so different than their surroundings, allowing the viewer’s attention to move straight to the couple.

FS 12 Nine Tips to Create a Killer Silhouette

Tip 9. BACKGROUND – Here’s a good example of using something other than the sky to separate the subjects from the background. From where we were standing, the sun was creating a beautiful light across the lake. In this case, it was bright enough to create enough contrast to make for a nice silhouette.

Want to see more? Go check out Brett and Tori’s blog post about silhouettes. You can also visit theirwebsite to see more of their work. Thanks Brett and Tori for the great tips. Looking forward to putting them in practice on my next shoot.

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