What's on Your iPhone Home Screen?

Here are the apps on my iPhone home screen. What's on yours?

Olympics - Great Athletes Stories

There are so many great stories about the Athletes lives. It's always part of my favorites part of the Olympics...to hear what it took to be able to compete this year in London. Here are some of my favorites.

1.   John Orozco - U.S., Gymnastics. Orozco grew up in a dangerous part of the Bronxs. His parents both had medical problems and at age 14 asked for a job at the gym to help his parents pay the mortgage. He decided he was going to compete at the very highest level of his sport to help his family have a better life.
2.   Im Dong-Hyun - South Korea, Men's Archery. The legally blind archer set the first 2012 Olympics world record on Friday in the 72 Arrow event.
3.  Lopez Lomong - U.S., Track and Field - Was the flag bearer in the 2008 Olympics for the U.S. He is one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and spent 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp.
4.  Oscar Pistorius - South Africa, Track and Field - The first double-amputee to run in the able bodies Olympics.
5.  Kayla Harrison - U.S., Judo, Best chance for U.S. to win a medal in judo. Infuriated by the Penn State child abuse scandal, Harrison "came out" about the sexual abuse she endured by a coach when she was a young judo athlete.
6.  Anthony Ervin - U.S., Swimming. Ervin won a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics, then walked away from the sport. He also auctioned off his gold medal on ebay to raise money for UNICEF's tsunami relief fund.

This Month's Top Ten Tips From My Favorite Magazines

It's been a long time since I've done a Top Ten Tips From My Favorite Magazines Post. I decided to do a Top Ten from the last 3 months to get me going again. Sooooo...here are my top ten favorites from May, June and July.

1.  I love this lighted motel sign. I found it in June's issue of Sunset Magazine. It's pricey for me at $600 (from the San Francisco H.D Buttercup store), but it sure would be fun to have.

2.  It seems that so many of my favorite tips come from the British design magazine Living Etc. This tile collage is from their June issue. I just love not only the variation in design, texture and size, but also the variation in depths.

3.  I read about the book The Power of Habit in the May/June issue of Weight Watchers. It's a fabulous book and explains why so many things are difficult to stop doing and other things are difficult to start doing!

4.  My first experience with Caipirinhas was on the beaches of Brazil. I decided they were one of the best drinks I ever tasted. This recipe is also from the May/June Weight Watchers magazine.

5.  Love these sandals from the July issue of Real Simple. I especially like #4 which is from Cynthia Vincent ($198).

6.  Also from July's Real Simple was this cool smoke alarm. It's from Neo Utility and has an 85 decibel alarm. $75

7.  I saw this lighted patio umbrella in July's issue of Elle Decor. It's from Hedge Row Studio. Isn't it fabulous? 

8.  I saw this in the July issue of Weight Watchers and had to laugh. I always am trying to keep one finger clean for my iPhone or iPad...Who knew there was a name for it?

9.  I think this divider between the rooms and the stairs is so clever and interesting. Found this in July's Living Etc. 

10. Last week I went to an outdoor party. It was hot and one woman had brought a hand fan with her. I wished I had thought of sticking one in my purse. Then I saw this article and thought it was such a good idea during this especially hot summer to put out a basket of fans for quests. (July Real Simple.) They also suggested having a cooler with rolled iced cold hand towels.

So what great tips have you seen in your favorite magazines this month?

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 16

Guest Judge - Cristina Applegate

According to Cat Deely no show for the next two weeks...a break for the Olympics

Favorite couple routine - Witney and Chehon

Best choreography - Stacey Tookey's routine for Witney and  and Chehon
Favorite female - Amber  - two weeks in a row. Love her dancing. Although Eliana is impressing me more and more every week.
Favorite male - Cole - His movements are so powerful and clean.
Best music - Dr.  Feelgood by Aretha

Best Lift - Amber and Brandon

Most Fun Routine  - Amelia and Will - They make me smile - so quirky
Most likely to go home next  - Matthew and Janelle

Yikes my two favorite female dancers in the bottom two. Janelle was really lucky as she was probably the weakest female dancer for last two weeks and wasn't in the bottom three. I like all 3 male dancers and am surprised that they are in the bottom.

Going home this week - Amber and Brandon- What were you thinking America? Amber and Brandon are fabulous. 

Alvin Alley dancers were stunning.

Dancing In Our Kitchens - Facebook Group

As I am sure those who have been reading my blog know, I like to dance around my kitchen. It improves my mood, makes tasks like unloading the dishwasher more fun, and helps me lose weight.

If you like dancing around your kitchen too, you might want to join a little Facebook group I started. We're talking about music we like to dance to, dancing with kids etc. Stop by and join in the conversation and fun...

The Letter - iPhoneography

Created this image all in my iPhone. I took a picture of an old postcard of the woman sitting with her wine. The background was really cluttered and I wanted it to look more painterly so I brought it into the iPhone app - Auto Painter 3. I also took a photo of an old letter in my vintage collections and blended the two images together.

I prefer to "stack" my apps so that the final images are truly my own and not just one effect. The apps I used for this were....

Auto Painter 3

Photo Borders

Image Blender

Phonto

Jazz

My E-Book is Featured on SITS today!!!!

I'm kind of late getting on the computer today and I just got a text message from Tricia and Krissy letting me know that my e-book A Year of Blogging and Journaling Ideas is being featured on SITS today. How cool is that? You can download the book on dropbox.

I also have started a little Facebook group where we can share what we have written on our blogs. You can join here.

Welcome everyone. I hope you enjoy the e-book and thanks so much to my SITStahs at SITS!

Inspiration Needed Today - From Anne Lamott

"Where on earth do we go from here?
 All I can think to do is what we've always done. We work towards peace and non-violence. We register voters. We create art and music in the face of madness. We light candles. The praying people pray: Lord have mercy. The meditating people meditate. We create Love and beauty as radical acts We take care of the poor, and teach people to read and write. And as Molly Ivins would urge us to do if she were still here, we bang our pans"
Anne Lamott

Isabella Rossellini - 60 and Fabulous!

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 20, Week 2

My favorite judge Adam Shankman was back this week.

Favorite couple routine - Will and  Amelia - Light at the end of the Tunnel

Best choreography - Sonia's Light at the end of the Tunnel
Favorite female - Amber doing the Tango
Favorite male - George doing the FoxTrot
Best music - My Girl by the Temptations

Most Fun Routine  - Brandon and Janaya's Broadway Routine

Most likely to go home next week - Cyrus and Janelle (I'm sad about both as I love watching them dance, but they just were not as strong as the others this week).

Going home this week - Alexa, Janaya, Nick and Daniel

Purple On Pinterest

Do you pinterest? It's a fun way to keep track of ideas and to share them. You "pin" things just like on a bulletin board over your desk. Here is my purple board.

I love the color combination in the bottom right hand corner. Not sure I would like it in a whole room, but love it in details and prints.

Tasting Table Chef's Recipes

I got a free code at Starbucks for this iBook. Some very nice summer recipes. I don't know if Starbucks is still giving away codes. But here is one for the first person who wants it.
HTHEYTKJP7J6

A Blogging Clichè

Yes world I am a blogging cliché.  I am sitting on my bed, in my pjs blogging and eating ice cream.

Ten Life Lessons I Learned From My Garage Sale

Had a garage sale yesterday and am quite exhausted today. I used to be able to have a garage sale on a Saturday and go dancing that Saturday night. Well those days are long gone. I posted about what I learned at Coffee on the Patio.

Mixing Prints - Yes or No?

I'm not usually really big on mixing prints. But I thinks this outfit on Heidi Klum works. What do you think? And speaking of Klum, are you going to be watching Project Runway? The next season starts on Thursday.

Jean Paul Gaultier - A Fabulous Show at the De Young in San Francisco

Went to see the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit for a second time and loved it just as much. The man is so creative! If you are near San Francisco and love fashion and/or art be sure to see it before it leaves on August 20th. It is a treat!

Fall Collection 2012 for Eileen Fisher

I just love Eileen Fisher's comfortable style.

So You Think You Can Dance - Top 20

Okay I am all ready for the first regular night of competition. I have my glass of red wine. I have the tivo set a few minutes in advance, so I can rewind to watch the dances I like best. I have my laptop sitting...well on my lap so I can write as I watch. 

Cat Deely is as cute as ever and...blonder and tanner.

New rules - will not be voting for couples but for individuals this year. Bottom 3 buys, bottom 3 girls voted by America will face judges to see who will be going home. Next week 2 guys and 2 girls will be voted off.

Favorite couple routine - Audrey and Matthew

Best choreography - Travis Wall's Titanic Routine
Favorite female - Audrey
Favorite male - Cole - I could not take my eyes off of him.
Best music - Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers
Best lifts - Matthew and Audrey

Biggest surprise - Cyrus doing Broadway - fabulous.

Most likely to go home - Alexa and  Nick

Honestly FOX - a gazillion ads after every couple's dance routine? Next week I am tivoing at least a half hour, before I start to watch. I've never seen so many ads! ( I rewound and counted from beginning of the show to the last routine- there were 91 ads!)

Michelle Obama Repeats Gorgeous Green Dress

I love the fact that the FLOTUS wears her clothes to more than one occasion. It's sensible and down to earth...just like she is.

New Hipstamatic Lens and Film

Have you downloaded the new free lens and film from Hipstamatic? I am loving it. It is the JaneS lens and the Ina's 82 film. I love how crisp it is. Look at the details on that starfish. The lens and film are free with the Hipstamatic 255 update.

Rumors of an iPad mini

Lots of rumors flying around the tech blogs about an iPad mini being released this fall. What do I think? It will fit into my purse easily! Can't wait to see what Apple has in store for us with the new iPhone and iPad. I think I am addicted...have been for a long long time.

How To Grill Anything - A Very Cool InfoGraphic

Just one of many fabulous info graphics from Visual News.

Fabulous Fireworks

This is from the 75th Golden Gate Bridge Anniversary celebration, but thought I could post it for the 4th.

Higgs Bozon - Simplified

Okay this is not my usual kind of post. But, the Higgs Bozon particle looks like it is a really really big deal. I'm not understanding much except that it is the particle that holds matter together instead of everything being like soup. Plus the scientist on this video is adorable!

My 4th of July Pinterest Board

I have my 4th of July Pinterest Board up and it has lots of ideas, including Margarita Watermelon Pops!

Dancing In My Kitchen

I have been dancing again. It sure helps my moods. I have been losing one pound a week on Weight Watchers. I want to see if dancing every day for 30 minutes will make it 1.5 or 2 pounds a week. Plus it's fun.



Time of Day Danced - Morning
Time Danced - 30 minutes
Mood Before - 5
Mood After - 7
Go To Song - Koop Island Blues

How To Make a Wordle - Summer Blog Challenge Day 29

I love making wordle images. They are easy to do, can be customized and are great graphics. To make a worldle go to their online site. You will see the window below.

You can type in the words you want or you can enter the URL of any blog, blog feed. For my wordle I copied the content in my about section and pasted it into the box. Worlde removes the ands, its, a, etc. However their are some words that I didn't want in my wordle. I have discovered I use the word "just" quite a bit...also the word "also". They add nothing interesting to the image so I delete those words in my box. I then tapped on Go and let wordle do it's magic.  

You can keep tapping the randomize button to get variations. The buttons at the top of the wordle image page will let you customize fonts, layout styles, color etc.

I save the image by taking a screen shot (on Macs command-shift-e. Give it a try. And be sure to come back and link to your wordle in the comments.