Fashion Friday

Yes I let her leave the house like this. She was so proud of her outfit choice!

To see other cute kid created outfits visit Salsa In China's blog.

PS - those shiny leg warmers are Fancy Nancy leg warmers from Target that go with those ballet slippers that are waaaaaay too big that go with another set of ballet slippers that she was originally in and they must have fallen off and she put these on. ;)

Disney 2009 - Chapter 5 - "Rest Day" and Disney Quest

I've sadly neglected our Disney tales! So, after our awful evening at Disney Studios, we luckily had a "rest" day planned. This means we sleep in, it does not mean we just sit around the hotel and actually rest, to the chagrin of many who think they would like to travel with us. ;) If you have forgotten our magical tale, click the Disney labels link and bring up all the posts about Disney for the beginning of this story and hopefully I'll get it finished before we go back (which will probably be in about 2 years).


Sleeping in plans didn’t go so well, but at least we were able to sleep later than the 6am! We were ready to head out around 10am to go eat lunch at Earl of Sandwich at DTD and do a little shopping. Princess Peanut saw the carousel and pointed with excitement. I thought that perhaps we’d have to do that, not even thinking that there is a HUGE carousel in the Magic Kingdom.

Shopping with 3 kids in the slightly overcrowded areas of Downtown Disney is not my idea of great fun, but we survived. We got a few ideas for things, bought a couple of things, forgot to look at even more things…

But finally, we were on our way to Disney Quest. The Clones adore Disney Quest. They talk about it to complete strangers when the subject of going to Disney World comes up. I could spend that time shopping if I could, but I love the Clones so I go for them (dh needs help keeping an eye on them). We’d done this arcade with a toddler previously, so I knew what to expect with Princess Peanut. Surprisingly right after getting to Disney Quest I sat down with Princess Peanut in a quiet food court area, in a darkened area and she fell asleep. Princess Peanut, who has NEVER fallen asleep in my arms except once in China, fell asleep. Yes, she was THAT tired. Then I fell asleep, for about 30-60 minutes. Dh woke us up and off we went to play some video games with us girls all refreshed. ;)








As always, Pirates game was our family favorite. We met up with Friends here, and as we thought 14 year old son loved it. Unfortunately the Dad had caught our “plague” and wasn’t feeling the best in the world. I felt bad that Clone2 had sneezed and coughed directly on him earlier in the trip.

We finished up at Disney Quest and headed back to the shopping and doing some of the big souvenir buying. A few tantrums later (same child as the one with the Nemo tantrum), and we were out of there with me drooling over the Mickey Mouse “silverware” sets! Oh and some lovely lunch type plates and glasses for the kids.

We met Friends at Whispering Canyon for dinner, and it was “okay” but still fun. After dinner was our BIG debate. What to do? More shopping? Mini-golf? Swimming? Or the surprise Dh sprung on me…we have an extra park day! WHAT?! He bought us an extra day as he thought we might like it and it was only $9 more total.

Awwwww….

But with paying for parking and all, we chose to go back to the hotel and swim. Well, okay, the kids and Dh went swimming. Princess Peanut got in the pool and actually had fun!

A zoo trip...

A recent family trip to the zoo.


A rare moment of sibling unity and love....



Did I mention rare? How about fleeting? At least no one is screaming here, just climbing and not listening to me like normal. Okay, so honestly, I let them climb on that rock and right after this photo I went over and stood behind Katie just in case...and YES the rock is on the pathway side of that rope.


Discovering the animals that we hardly ever see...except on our various zoo and aquarium trips that is.


Umm, this is a "statue" and she had to pet it like she did the animals in the petting zoo. I believe she ended up a wee bit confused.


and a wee bit taken aback. Well, the photo right after this one that I took she is laughing her little head off because she found this HI-LAR-I-OUS.


an even RARER photo of us two.


Our favorite animal of the day...that is Dh's and mine. Katie liked this weird bird thing, Samuel liked the monkeys, and JM...I think he liked...wait...we didn't see any lions, he can't claim the lions were his favorite of the day....I'll get back to you on that one!

Taking a Day of Rest

Last year I was incredibly busy, busy all day long, every day, and every weekend. So busy that I was tired...and worn out...and I looked back over the year in December and thought, "wow...I missed out on A LOT by being so busy."

I had let "things" overtake what was truly important in my life, and it was brought home to me through so many ways over a very very long time. I'm a wee bit stubborn and it takes time for me to "LEARN" a lesson it seems. At least time to get it through my thick head, think it through, then put an action as a reaction to it.

I remember last May, being on vacation when SCC's daughter Maria Sue was killed in an accident. I remember hearing the news a day after I yanked Samuel back from stepping off a sidewalk into the path of a charter bus in downtown Washington D.C. Yeah...it brought it home in a way NOTHING else could have. I had loved the song Cinderella prior to this, but after May I cried every time I heard it. My heart ached. My soul yearned. I felt sorrow for Maria's family, but this was a personal ache...and personal thing going on...a stirring. A quiet little voice told me to spend more time with my family...to keep the Sabbath holy.

Did I mention I'm stubborn? Well, in September or thereabouts I went to see someone I have nicknamed "The Magic Hair Lady" because she makes my curly hair beautifully straight. ;) Her neighbor at the salon was not there as she had been. I remember for some odd reason getting on to a subject about this neighbor hairstylist and the days/times she takes off. See, I had noticed on Friday late afternoons in the winter she was rushing out the door so as not to be late getting home before dark.

Y'all...she's Jewish. I knew that, but it didn't HIT me until that day talking with Magic Hair Lady. Y'all...I KNEW Jewish businesses closed at "Sundown" on Friday and reopened "Sundown" on Saturday (just look at BHPHOTO.com to see WHY I know this). I knew Jewish holidays would close businesses (again, thanks to bhphoto.com). I had taken college classes from a Jewish professor, and it was a 6 day a week intercession course...we didn't meet on Saturdays AT ALL and he had our final exam moved from a Saturday to a Monday. I KNEW THIS PEOPLE!!!!

It hit me. This neighbor stylist to "Magic Hair Lady" was keeping the Sabbath HOLY.

Okay, perhaps I should back up...remember the stubborn me hearing a quiet voice inside my head tell me to keep the Sabbath Holy? I had tried. But the 24 hours that are Sunday was too tough. I was staying up too late to start working AFTER Midnight so it was Monday. I was frantically trying to cram as much as I could into SATURDAY so I could take the Sunday off...and it was stressing ME out. I couldn't do it, and thus I was "failing" as this taking the Sabbath Holy.

Of course I had not mentioned it to my husband at all so I wasn't getting support in my endeavors from THAT direction either...but that's MY fault. ;)

I left that salon with beautifully straight hair, and a HUGE BIG IDEA. One I could not implement at all due to an overfull calendar. In November, the day after Thanksgiving when I had a photography session that I realized that I truly did need to "carve out" time for my family. I had to keep it sacred. I realized I needed accountability and support.

I told Dh about the now 6 month thought process and struggle. I told him my BIG IDEA, and we chose to make it a WRITTEN GOAL for 2009. See, we're big on written goals and not resolutions. We don't make many, and those we do we really strive to complete....we're not perfect with it, but we're better than if we didn't write them down. I told him that while I had been literal in the "Sabbath Holy" portion, what I now felt like was that I was to take a day of rest...a literal 24 hour period, not a day on the calendar. 24 hours...that starts at some predetermined time...and what better than with a visual clue of NIGHT FALLING?! Then I exclaimed how it was so great that even though sundown changes throughout the year (and thank you Daylight Savings Time for making it really late or really early), but even though it changes Sundown to Sundown remains just about a 24 hour period!!!

He gave me that look. He didn't get the big huge lightbulb revelation thing y'all.

It's now been a year since that voice started nagging me, and here is what we do:

From Sundown on Saturday evening until Sundown on Sunday evening, we do NO WORK on business related things or household chores that MUST be done. We don't work on school stuff (not sure if this would work if we weren't homeschooling). We set aside time to play games with the kids if we feel like it. We set aside time to watch a movie. We go outside and play. We ride bicycles. We go on trips. We do things around the house that we WANT to do but never seem to find time to do. However, there are times when something MUST be done, like a crunch time at work when Dh worked 80+ hours in 1 week....he HAD to.

I no longer have the stress of trying to get things done Saturday so I don't have to stay up late on Sunday (I still do but I can start the Sunday work related things I do to set up the week when the kids go to bed). We do more with the kids. It was freeing to us to have a day at home that NEITHER of us were required to do something, like laundry, or pay bills, or a thousand and one other things. I don't get jealous of the time Dh spends playing games, and he doesn't get jealous of the time I spend reading a book...it's our DAY OF REST and I have come to guard it closely in just 4 months!

We have more Cinderella moments now...like on Saturday evening recently (before SUNDOWN too) when I took Katie outside to swing and she giggled those great big belly laughs and told me to push faster! The neighbors were smiling at her JOY. She didn't want to stop swinging, then finally she moved on to the slide and I had to stand RIGHT THERE and she played with me so happily and excitedly...a perfect memory in my mind now.

Oh...and for those who are wondering. If Sunday had not fit in with how things would have to be for our family, then we could have chosen another day such as sundown Friday until sundown Saturday...or even a weekday if neither of us worked on a weekday. The day of the week is not important in this for me, it was a day that we could decide on was going to be the best day for us to spend as a FAMILY. Yes I still cook, but it does not seem like a chore. :)

Keep in mind this daily notion: There are no ordinary moments. - Dan Millman


How better to celebrate ordinary moments than to bake cupcakes for NO reason. Yes, I was feeling particularly domesticated this past weekend, probably brought on by the forced indoors due to piggie flu and rain combination (we are healthy but the rest of county has had a few cases and as a result the kids activities were cancelled...then it rained meaning we were forced to enjoy one another's company for 4 days straight).



The boys quickly ate their cupcakes and went on their merry way, with only the paper left behind. Katie? Oh she proceeded to thoroughly enjoy her cupcakes (mini ones of course), and ate only the frosting off the top. She knew what was best about them and decided to satisfy herself with only the best part, as that was all she needed.

Fashion Friday

So, it's not her own clothing choices, but as fashion and style encompasses the ENTIRE body...


Yes, she cut her own hair. Not once, but twice in the span of ONE week. In the middle of the top of her head, yes...the front portion. A great big HUGE chunk in fact, so great that it's readily noticeable and is commented on by EVERYONE.

Katie just grins, and tells them, "I cut hair. It hurt. Katie twa-ble. Katie pretty."

Someone is speaking to me.

My own experience has taught me this: If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won or lasting happiness achieved. - Maurice Chevalier

Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel like someone is speaking to me...most of the time through Dave.

I have read or heard variations on this same theme for the past 2 weeks, just about daily. Very interesting....very interesting indeed....

see what I mean...

Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objects must first be overcome. - Samuel Johnson

Live your life so that your children can tell their children that you not only stand for something wonderful – you acted on it. - Dan Zadra - Okay so this one doesn't quite fit as well as the others...

Wordless Wednesday

Why do bad things happen?

In all my pondering of destiny and fate, I have to think about the bad things. The times when children die. When a mother gets very sick. When a father is killed in an accident. So many bad things happen every day, so many times I ask WHY?!

Like the children who have died a few days after being adopted by their parents. Or when the adopted child dies within a few months of being home. What is the point of that I ask? WHY did that have to happen?

I've learned that I am someone who wants to KNOW that something good has come out of a bad situation, and sometimes I just can not see it.

Just like one of my IVF friends whose 5 years struggle to have a child ended in a full-term still born baby due to a knot in a cord. The baby passed away around 4 hours prior to the scheduled c-section, the decision on the parents and the doctor's part NOT to do a c-section on Thursday caused that child to die. In her case a new "cause" was created, a new "project" so to speak. The Baby James Project *I hope all my friends who are pregnant READ that link*

If you want to the full story, there is a link on there to James' story, and the photo essay of his birth (as a photographer the Mom had another photographer friend schedule to photo the birth)....so be prepared if you view the photo slideshow. It's powerful, and emotional, and very very tastefully done...and yet another reason WHY Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep is such a great organization.

In her case, I was able to SEE the good eventually. I know her, and she has mentioned that some people have emailed her and told her that finding out about kick counting SAVED their child. She has mentioned it's hard to hear, but each time she does it gets easier to deal with Baby James' death.

But what about when it seems senseless? Such as another friend's child born with Trisomy 18? Or my own nephew who was born at 23 weeks and did not survive? What was the point?

I think this is one of those unanswerable questions.

A good weekend

a bit full, but good.

2 baseball games, ice cream treat out with the kids, sprinkler playing weather, swinging on the playset with full belly giggles, bicycle riding, playing made up games with the neighborhood kids, playing games with the family around the breakfast table, watching a television show as a family, and a trip to the zoo.

It was declared a GOOD weekend by all.







zoo photos and such will be posted at a later date...I'm still worn out from the weekend!

I want to go back

WHY? Because I want to see this face again....


The look of pure JOY in the thrill of getting to ride a carousel in Fantasyland with the Castle nearby.

*taken by Dh with the point and shoot, complete with Katie fingerprint smudges on the lens...if you look VERY carefully you will spot ME in the background as well as JM.

Photo Friday - Disney Photos part 1

Taking a break from Photoshop this week to tackle special circumstances of Disney Photos. In particular that "bugaboo" of locations that EVERYONE always takes...a child on the carousel. These first ones are all STRAIGHT OUT OF CAMERA...so please, take it for what it's worth there. ;)

REMEMBER to right click photos to see them larger!!

Does THIS look familiar...and if you notice I was actually TRYING for a good photo here. Yes I goof too.

WHY did this happen? The camera's in camera metering system is what I relied on (and yes I shot manual). The in camera metering mode READ the scene and evaluated the scene and determined what the correct exposure needed to be to bring it to a "neutral grey 18 if all pixels were in black and white"

So, given the first image and knowing this above is Neutral Grey18, well you can SEE how the camera evaluated the scene and made it that. Problem is the FACES are what I wanted.

IN many modern point and shoot digital cameras there is a piece of software, called "Facial Recognition" that would "see" these faces and the in camera meter would evaluate the scene with the faces taken into consideration. I, however, using a dslr must use my own brain for facial recognition....and after a long day at Disney my brain wasn't working so well.

I can learn from mistakes (which I did after LOOKING at the image immediately to see if had caught both of them smiling....oops...). As you can see, I had varying levels of success IN CAMERA.



Further proof I was ON VACATION and just a Mom...not a photographer. JM has golden posts growing out of his head...so "perfect" it could be crown? whooops!





What can you do to help keep this from happening?

1-use a fill flash - force your flash on, and the camera will evaluate for the scene and "flash" as well to light up the subjects in the foreground. This will keep your nice pretty blue skies in the background as well.

2- Notice that when I shot back in toward the carousel, as opposed to the open sky, I had less of a problem. ;) Change your angle of shooting to a darker background.

3 - shoot in RAW format and then fix post capture in photoshop as I did HERE:



There is a trade off of course - NOISE when you have to bring up the exposure so very much. Less sharpness to the image when you have to bring it up so very much. But the ones with minor adjustments look pretty good. :)



that "crown" is even brighter now...thank goodness it's not a "great" face shot so it probably won't get printed for the wall. ;)




notice this was the VERY dark Samuel - there is a blue tint that I could not get out, and weird lighting in the hair. Sometimes, well things are just too far gone to try and save!



Here is what the save of the first photo looks like....


and because I can't help it....a basic edited photo of Katie in COLOR and then in B&W. Not sure which I like better!

Hummy? Hungry!

Katie was sitting in the room with me today, when she started "talking to herself" as she is sometimes wont to do. She started off saying "I hungry!"

Then she answered herself, "hummy?"

"NOT hummy, HUNGRY!"

and back and forth complete with giggles. It seems she was debating with herself whether or not hungry was the right word or if hummy was the right word. She settled on hungry of course. ;)

Go forth and SAVE an orphan!

I truly can NOT stand that phrase. Saving a person? I know it's personal choice, much like the use of GOTCHA, but for me..."Saving an orphan" is somewhat offensive. We didn't SAVE Katie. We didn't SAVE an orphan. We adopted a child. We promised to love her and cherish her, but we didn't save her. The phrase "Saving an Orphan" is more what I consider the thought of "I'm going to rescue this poor helpless little child who has no future except to grow up in this awful orphanage never knowing love and growing up to live in this country where the water is bad, the air quality stinks, they can't vacation to Disney, or wear nice clothes...and where they will never be able to know G*d. What a terrible life they would have had if it were not for me doing this wonderful work of adoption."

When I was growing up, we heard "Save the Whales!" and "SAVE the planet!" and "Save the Purple Spotted Beetle Bugs!" (Okay the last isn't real, but it seemed like everything we heard was save this thing or that thing.) I don't think of Katie in those terms. I don't think there was anything particularly terrible about her circumstances in China. I think, had she grown up in China, she would have led a happy life. I truly believe that. Even if she had only lived in the orphanage, who am I to say that her life there would have been worse than the life she has with us? Sure, knowing the love of a family is great. But in the end, will the love we give her be enough in her mind to overcome all that she has lost. I like to think it will, but only Katie will be able to answer that. Do material possessions matter? Do trips to fun places? Do all the opportunities we can give her? Or could it have been a matter of since she knew no other life? Only Katie can answer that question when she is older. I hope she feels like she has had a GOOD life, a HAPPY life despite being adopted, despite being removed from her birth culture, and despite all the wrong things we as her parents will possibly do in the future (like deny her that brand new car for her 16th birthday). So, really, it is only Katie who can possibly answer if our adoption of her was a good thing, or not. While I think it is, that is only from MY viewpoint. Not hers. When I think of all she lost I feel sad for her. I think about the things I take for granted, things that she will not...and I feel saddened by that because I can NOT fix it, or make it better. It is what it is, and I can only support Katie in any feelings she has about it, I can only support her in endeavors to learn things that should have been hers by birthright (and yes, that means we as a family WILL be taking Mandarin in the future).

So, did I SAVE her?

No. I changed the course of her life. I believe, after choices were made by her parents in China through their own free will (and well, governmental pressures as well), that she was then placed on a course for US to be able to adopt her and change HER life. Do I think it was for the better? I like to think we are able to give her a better life, but it is not necessarily true and again only Katie can answer that question for herself. Only Katie can answer whether or not her life was bettered by being adopted into an American family.

I think that there is a reason she was chosen to be OUR daughter, just like I believe that our sons were given to us to be our sons. I believe that our children have a "destiny" to fulfill, but I believe at this point in time there are several paths, several destinies ahead. Each has a purpose. Perhaps all are not wonderful, but I believe each path has a purpose. I try very hard NOT to put any pressure on my kids to be anything but HAPPY. If becoming a rocket scientist or an astronaut will make them happy, then great. But if they'll be happy becoming a gardener at the botanical gardens, then great too. However, they will all know that if being happy in their lives means still living with parents when they are 30, not working, and just playing video games or something...then...well...that is so not okay. ;)

I believe that G*d has a purpose for our lives, and He knows all the possible paths those lives will take. But I also believe that He has given us FREE WILL to choose those paths. It was through the CHOICES we made, CHOICES Katie's parents in China made, and CHOICES that were made on her behalf in China that led us to become family. I believe that had other choices been made, our daughter might not be the Katie we know and love today...but rather someone else equally special. I believe that we as her parents were chosen to be her parents because we are able to give/do/be something to her that she will need in the future (just the same as I believe for our boys).

I stumble across so many people who vehemently deny that they "Saved an Orphan" but in reading and talking to them, it is apparent to me that perhaps they actually think in those terms. They make comments about how much better their lives are here with them, how much of a brighter future they have now, how lucky the child is that the parents decided to ADOPT...and it all leaves me feeling kind of sick inside. They talk in front of their daughters (and sons!) about how wonderful of people they are because they went to China and adopted those poor unfortunate souls who live in orphanages. Their negativity toward China in front of their children astounds me. I truly think, that had Katie stayed in China that she probably would have had a wonderful life as well. There is a reason she became our daughter, and I am looking forward to living life with her and watching her become the person she will become.

Easter Photos - 1 week late...of course!

3 things I think of when I see these...

1 - wow that's some BRIGHT sunshine
2 - new sod has not grown together yet...and I so can not wait for the grass to 'green' up
3 - Look at all that dirt! (BTW Kia, that's the dirt the worms do NOT like...and I finally saw one this week when I moves some of that sod around to create a flower bed on top of that hard as a rock reddish-orange dirt)

That thing beside the road that says Moo...

If you have been reading my blog, or heard stories about my family, for any length of time you probably remember Katie's first viewing of Finding Nemo. That should have given you a clue that 1) Katie does lots of cute things in the van, and 2) she can be a wee bit stubborn (no clue WHERE she got that trait!). ;)

As we drive down the road, Katie notices things outside quite frequently. One is water.

"Wook Momma...Wah-der!!"

If I do not respond appropriately, then she repeats that phrase only louder until I respond, "Yes, Katie that's water." This happens everytime she sees water. Every. Time.

Living where we do, we have lots of cows near the roads. I am sure that we pass one cow field at least every trip out of the house. Katie is also in love with horses.

So, we're driving down the road when I hear...

"Wook Momma, horsh-es."

"No, Katie those are cows. Cows say MOOOO!"

"Mooooo."

"Yes Katie cows say MOOO."

I thought we were good. I really did. Until I heard this.


"Wook Momma, horsh-es. MOOOOOOOO"

"No, Katie. Those are COWS. Cows say MOOO. Horses say neigh."

"Horsh-es. MOOOOOO. Neh-ah"

"No Katie, Cows say Moo. Horses say niegh."

and it repeats until we pass by water at which point we exclaim over the fact that there is a pond, or a puddle of water, or heck even a billboard with a swimming pool on it.

Every single time we pass by cows, she calls them horses and they say Mooo. So, imagine my excitement when I finally passed by some horses! I said, "Look Katie, there are HORSES in that field." I even slowed down so she could see. Katie said, "Ooh COWS! Neeeeeigh!!!"

Long discussion about them being horses ensued until we drove past some water.

She's been doing this for at least 3 months now. She keeps insisting that Cows say Neigh and Horses say Moo. She has the right sound for the right animal...just the wrong names. She insists she is correct (it's like trying to convince her the sky is blue when she thinks it's green).

So, if you are with our family and Katie says "Wook! Horsh-es!!!! MOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Just please, go with it. Or else you'll be in a discussion with her until you happen to pass by water. ;)

oh...and in case you were wondering, 9 months later Nemo is still her favorite movie, we watch at least 2 times a week. Samuel is quoting entire sections now without the movie on, we can all say the lines WITH the movie as well. We no longer have to exclaim over the fish...thankfully. Oh, and it IS possible to wear a DVD out. Just saying....

Photography & Photoshop Friday

I'm showing you 100% straight out of the camera here....oh please don't run and hide.


Okay, this image was shot in Katie's bedroom with her in her crib (she had just woken up, and this is actually NOT a pout, but a "sniffing" of her nose which was slightly runny). Her bedroom window by the crib has sunlight streaming in it, but it's not hitting her directly. Notice the reflection in her eyes.

WHY is it pink? Well, the lights were off in her room and she has pink curtains hanging up that a lot of the sunlight was filtering through. I could have custom white balanced this and shot in jpg mode. It takes a few seconds to do, but as I shoot in raw I chose to not do that. If you open it up in a new window (right click on it), you will see that it's fairly in focus in the eyes but the crib behind her is out of focus (and really her ears are out of focus as well). It was shot slightly underexposed, but not too bad off (again in RAW format I can correct that).

So, I open in Adobe Camera RAW (Lightroom does similar, but I'm more familiar with ACR).


I adjust the color balance (the top two sliders on the right). I do this by playing with them until I get something that looks correct and "real life" to me. Then I adjust the exposure using the sliders below those top 2 - yes ALL those sliders fine tune the exposure for me. RIGHT CLICK and open in a new window/tab for closer viewing. :)

Isn't that MUCH better than "pink" pouty face girl?

closer photo of the ending sliders.


When I'm happy with those adjustments I open the image into Photoshop...

I look at the image at 100% - to see how much "noise" I am dealing with.


This one had more than I like, so I ran a filter I purchased - Noiseware.


Then I run a few actions I have bought or created or gathered. One is called "defog" and it's easy to create yourself. Open up the Unsharp Mask Filter, the settings are Amount 20%, Radius 60 pixels, Threshold 0. I use it on EVERY SINGLE PHOTO, thus I created an action that runs that setting. It basically removes the "fog" that is an artifact of every digital image, slightly sharpens the image. This image I also ran a 2nd action that gives layers for eye enhancement - on this one I sharpened and brightened her eyes bringing out the reflection of the window light.


Next I add a CURVES layer and a LEVELS layer - the Curves layer I play with the curve to get a slight S type curve (this one was backwards S. Levels layer I just play with it. Pay close attention so that you do not blow out the highlights and do not lose the details in the shadows. I give almost every single image both of these layers as well - with varying degrees of "opacity" applied.


I then go in and burn and dodge different areas to get the final effect I want...again it's a "playing" kind of thing. Both my burn and dodge tools are set to no more than 21% exposure on the midtones - thus I'm making TINY corrections. The key to great photoshop is tiny corrections that build on each other with very very "feathered" brushes.


My final editing step is to get to 200% magnification and fix all those little "blemishes" I see...such as nose issues, sleepy things in the face, or snot smears on the face.


Final product - with square crop because I felt it just called for it.