Creating the Invite to Our Star Wars Marathon.

As a follow-up to one of my wife's posts, I would like to share with you how I put together the invite for our family's Star Wars marathon, which is starting this week.

First I use this wonderful free Windows application called "Paint.Net." Go get it if you are looking for a paint application that is easy to use but very flexible.

Paint.Net  (Unfortunately the developer has chosen to earn some cash on this app by placing all kinds of adds on his page. Please be careful which link you click on.)

The next thing I will tell you is that Google is your friend, and since I was creating this for my own personal use, I was not worried about copyright issues. (Star Wars is owned by Disney after all, and they have the right to say what can and cannot be done with their property.)

So I opened up my browser and zipped over to Google and clicked on the images search link.

Next I searched on "Star Wars" And immediately found an image that would work very well for the background (it's 1920 x 1200px)- this image is on all sorts of sites, so I'm not sure who exactly to credit this to. If you know, please leave a comment.

Next I wanted to place the titles of each movie to it, so I searched on "Star Wars Movie Titles" and found this image -

After getting the image it was opened in Paint.net. Then I Created a new layer above the original background image. With that done I cut and pasted each title on their own new layer ( 8 layers total. There was some re-sizing involved too.)

I also added the title for "The Force Awakens" in the same way at the bottom of the page. Then I added the dates I would be showing each movie on to each layer by using the Text tool. (Select the font and size you like.). For the "Clone Wars" title I modified the actual title to make it fit with the other titles. If you like I can run through how, in another post.

When all the titles were just where I wanted them, I merged all the title layers down to one. This left me with just two layers (the Background and Movie Title layers)

In the image above, if I clicked on the merge button, "Layer 2" (the selected layer) would be merged on top of the "Background" layer, I would be left with just two layers, "Layer 3" and "Background."


I wanted to add a little pizzazz so I went back to Google and copied the classic Star Wars title (I found one that was 2000 x 1207px) In a new image I pasted this title and selected all the gold lettering. Do this by using the wand tool. Press the shift key and click on a gold area. since all the gold is close to the same color, all of the gold areas are selected. Type [crtl] + C to copy what you selected, and switch over to to main image.

Create a new layer then type [crtl] + V to paste "STAR WARS" onto the new layer.

Looks great! But it is a little overpowering in my opinion. Double click on the name of this layer in the "Layer" tool box, and slide the Opacity slider to a point you like and click [OK] (I did about half way.)

Now for the last little bit of flair

Go back to Google and find a large image of the "A Long Time Ago..." bit (I found one at 1440 x 800px). Copy it and create a new layer on your Paint.Net image. With this layer you may want to do some scaling. Click on the [Layers]..[Rotate / Zoom] menu item. I typed .55 in the Zoom selector box.

Next duplicate this layer so that you have two layers that look the same. (you won't see both, but they're there!) Select the top layer of the two, and click on [Effects] .. [Blurs] .. [Zoom Blur] in the box that appears set the amount to about 25. finally double click on the name of that layer in the Layer toolbox and for blending Mode: select "Additive"

All done!

I know I left stuff out. I'll go back over this a few times to make sure everything is addressed. If you have any questions about this, leave a reply and I'll either answer you directly or make addjustments in this explanation.

Enjoy!
Steve S.

In a galaxy far, far, away....

 

I know for a fact that you know where this is going. For all those who are with me, this is how much time left for our wait: Countdown ticker for EST in the US.

Just in case you still haven't guessed, I'm a Star Wars nerd. I can't help it. I remember watching the original three movies over and over again on VHS (you read that right) as a kid whenever my parents had a date night out. I know for a fact that I used to irritate my sister. Then as my children were growing up, they had their own DVDs of the movies (I couldn't risk them scratching up mine) that would be played consistently. And yes, we have the original AND the 'finished' ones. But I refuse to discuss which ones were 'better'. That should be a topic all it's own.

Anyway, Episode VII comes out December 18th. So it has become a family tradition to have a marathon right before a new movie comes out. You may call it an excuse to watch all of the movies again. We call it tradition.

That being said, due to CRAZY schedules, we can no longer watch all nine of them in one day. (For those not in the know, there are three cartoons about the Clone Wars. Yes, it's that serious.) So we scheduled them about once every other week, starting tomorrow in chronological order instead of order of release. The thought is week one, we will watch Episode 1. But week 2, we will watch episode 2, then re-watch episode 1 for those who missed week one. And yes, it's that serious!!!

Want to see the flyer?

Hubby put it together. He's really good at using things he finds from the internet and making it his. :) 

Will you be having a Star Wars marathon or party in anticipation of the movie coming out? 

Until next time!

Cherise, the Mompreneur

My Dessert Idea

So it was my turn to cook dinner for the family, and I wanted to practice my cooking skills.  So I made pizza from scratch!  Yes,  real pizza!  I was nervous! But it was a lot easier than I thought. Long story short, I had some dough left over and cannoli cream left and 'Viola'!".

The insides is the Cannoli Dip recipe posted earlier. Delicious!

motivation or the lack thereof

image from alchemy-resources(dot)com

Of course motivation is not permanent, but then, neither is bathing. But it is something you should do on a regular basis. - Zig Zigler

I'm going to be transparent here. I hope it doesn't offend. But I hope it enlightens.  I'm sitting here reflecting on my the first half of the month in my business. I'm so disappointed in the results. In reflection, I'm looking back on my activity to see where I can improve. In doing this, I noticed something. There wasn't as much activity as I thought there was.

Fortunately, I track the activity I do: income producing activities (IPAs) such as phone calls, meeting new people, sales opportunities, etc. and non-income producing activities such as conference calls, sales meetings, paperwork and the like. And I've found that there were a lot more non IPAs. No wonder I'm not motivated to do more. I am not with the people; therefore, I'm not having measurable accomplishments or wins to keep going.

Does this make sense? Has this ever happened to you?

This is what I've found. The more IPAs = the more wins = the more motivation to keep going when times get tough.

Now to address WHY there are more non IPAs; there are many but I will address just one. Do you afraid of or hate the word 'no'?  Or to put it another way, are you afraid of rejection?  The simplest answer is this:

Easier said than done? Maybe. But here is another thought. Because of not wanting to hear the word 'no', two little letters that only have as much weight as I give it, I busied myself  'working' my business by doing things that needed to be done but won't grow my business. Yes, paperwork needs to be done. But not by me and not during Prime People Time (PPT). (My definition of people time is the time of day that it is feasible to meet new people or call new and existing customers. For me, that time is 9 am to 9 pm.) Yes, inventory needs to be labeled, and shelved but I need to meet new people, follow up for new clients, conduct interviews to replace myself and other activities to grow my business. Those other things won't grow my business. They'll just keep me busy.

So the next thought is: What do I do now? Remember:

I need to focus on defeating my fear of rejection. I'm going to play a game with myself. I am going to get 100 no's before the end of the month. In the process, I know that, in the process, a 'yes' will get in the way. And if I aim for the no, why would I be afraid of it? Make sense? A good book (and very short read) along this line is called Go For No.

 I also will get back to doing my '6 Most Important Things' list. This is a list that, at the end of the night, before you go to sleep, you make a list of the up to 6 things that need to get done the next day. Then you reveiw it at the start of your day and do the hardest thing first. If you don't complete the list that day, the unfinished things go to the next day.

What reason do you lack motivation for getting done those necessary things? What is your plan to change it?

A Calendar to Live For!

My wife spoke with me about a month ago regarding the possibility of putting together a calendar she could actually use and be happy with for a complete year. She is very picky when it comes to her scheduling and planning. However, most calendars she has seen just don't cut it.

We sat down and hashed out some of the requirements that she needed:

 It had to include pages that would allow her to track her goals for the year:

It needed to have the months laid out in a usable format:

The weeks should provide areas for "To-Dos." A list of "6 Most Important Things" for each day, and a schedule that covered her entire day (from 5am through 10pm), including full week-end days

She wanted a space in the back for any notes she might want to take during the year:

And finally it needed to have a place to put quick notes for next year

So there you have it, a complete calendar for my busy Mompreneur!

if you think it will meet your needs as well, you can either roll your own calendar by printing out these pages, or Go and buy one already printed.

Hope you enjoy the coming year! Steven South

Dumping Can Be Good!!!!!

Dump Cake

Ingredients

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

½ cup butter

Directions

Lightly grease a 13” x 9” pan. Preheat oven to 350˚ (180˚ C).

Pour pie filling into bottom of the pan, and on top of that pour the pineapple. Pour dry cake mix on top of pineapple. Slice butter or margarine over cake mix. DO NOT MIX!

Bake for 45 minutes. This cake is best when served warm with ice cream.

Variations- I prefer to use a low sugar cherry pie filling because the cake above is SWEET!!!

- My brothers and I love experimenting with the cake mixes. German Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry are their favorites.
- Be creative: some people add ½ cup of walnuts or chocolate chips or 1 cup of flaked coconut. Maybe you can add all three! 

Enjoy and Happy eating!! 

Essie Mae xo

Once a foodie, always a foodie!

taken from Pinterest

I think you can tell that I like food. I'm a self-proclaimed foodie!!!!

I used to write a column called "Talkin' With My Mouth Full" writing reviews of local food places. Can you imagine that assignment? YUMMY!

Anyway, I've been sharing a lot of recipes (and will continue to do so). And if you're like me, you'll want to try them. But isn't it a pain in the butt to follow a recipe from your computer or tablet and risk spilling something on it? Or do you have a spot for your recipes so that you don't want to look for that website with that amazing recipe?

I know, I know. I have amazing recipes. wink, wink!

Digressing, I decided to do something special for all my friends. That's you!!!! All of the recipes will be converted to free printables. FREE!!!!! Consider this my thank you for enduring all of my musings.

Go to my website, www.distinctlyours.com and wow your family with good food!

Until next time!
Cherise, the Mompreneur

What can I substitute for...?

You see this recipe that you want to try. If you're like me, you pull out the first few ingredients in the directions and get crack-a-lackin'. Chopping, mixing, stirring,.... Then you open the refrigerator or cabinet for the next step, and WHOOPS!!!! You're out of (fill in the blank)!

Has this ever happened to you? You would think that since I've been cooking for over 30 years, I'd check first. But no, you'd be sadly mistaken if that common sense was assumed about me. I find myself constantly checking Google or Pinterest for ingredient substitutes. AND NOW, very sadly, that bad habit is rubbing off on my children.

So I decided to make a list that goes on the refrigerator next to the measurement magnet (for when the measuring cup or tablespoon is dirty) of ingredient substitutes. Maybe I will make this a magnet as well? *thinking, thinking

Baking Substitutes

allspice (1 tsp)	cinnamon (1/2 tsp) + ginger (1/4 tsp) + cloves (1/4 tsp)
baking powder (1 tsp)	baking soda (1/4 tsp) + cream of tartar (1/2 tsp) OR
	baking soda (1/4  tsp) + white vinegar (1 tsp)
broth- beef or chicken (1 cup)	1 bouillon cube + boiling water (1 cup)
broth- vegetable (1 cup)	soy sauce (1 TBSP) + enough water to make 1 cup
cream- half & half (1 cup)	milk (7/8 cup) + butter (1 Tbsp)
cream- heavy (1 cup)	evap milk (1 cup)
	milk (3/4 cup) + butter (1/3 cup)
cream- light (1 cup)	evap milk (1 cup) OR
	milk (3/4 cup) + butter (3 Tbsp)
cream- whipped (1 cup)	frozen whipped topping thawed (1 cup)
cream of tarter (1 tsp)	lemon juice or vinegar (2 tsp)
egg	applesauce (1/4 cup) + baking powder (1/2 tsp) OR
	baking soda (1 tsp) + white vinegar (1 Tbsp) OR
	banana (mashed ripe) + baking powder (1/4 tsp)
evap milk (1 cup)	light cream (1 cup)
herbs- fresh chopped (1 Tbsp)	dried herbs (1 tsp chopped or whole leaf)
lemon zest (1 Tbsp)	lemon extract (1/2 tsp) OR
	lemon juice (2 TBsp)
mayo (1 cup)	sour cream or plain yogurt (1 cup)
oil	applesauce (equal measure)
orange zest (1 Tbsp)	orange extract (1/2 tsp)
rum (1 Tbsp)	rum extract (1/2 tsp)
shortening	butter (equal measure)
sugar- brown, 1 cup	3/4 cup honey (reduce liquid by 1/4 cup) OR
	white sugar (1 cup) + molasses (1/4 cup) & decrease liquid by 1/4 cup
sugar- granulated, 1 cup	2/3 cup honey (reduce liquid by 1/4 cup)

Gluten Free Substitutes 

(I sometimes do catering and there are those with gluten allergies. Hence, this chart.)

bread crumbs	crushed flax
	gluten free oats
croutons	nuts (in a salad)
flour	almond meal OR
	brown rice flour OR
	corn meal OR
	so many more
pasta	spaghetti squash OR
	rice noodles OR
	zucchini or eggplant cut into strips
roux (flour & oil)	cornstarch & water OR
	Idaho potato
soy sauce	tamari

For the record, there are soooooooo many more substitutes to be had. But these are the common few that my family usually needs. Are there any ingredients that you find yourself constantly substituting?

In the near future, I will be providing an alcohol substitution list as well.

I hope this was helpful. For the printable version of these, click here!

Until next time,

Cherise, the Mompreneur