New Mexico ~ The Land of Enchantment

moniqueduke — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:53:05 +0000

I’ve been (privately) going through a bit of ups and downs these past few months. It’s been a struggle of frustration and apathy. I hit bottom a couple of times (emotionally). The first time I wrote out an inspiring journal entry about living a more creative life…one of the vital things to live this way is to create every day, even if it’s something as nicely plating your family’s dinner, hanging a framed photograph, or cleaning the house with your children. The second time I went down it was more than a basic frustration. I felt desperate for change in my life. This time I opened up to a group of gals I’ve known for years, only to discover many of them were experiencing similar funks. I shared my journal entry with them, we shared encouraging words and advice. This time I decided to make some changes… I needed the thing I created in my day to be something like this:

Fairy image brushes used courtesy of Obsidian Dawn

Great Southwest Council Boy Scout Camporee

moniqueduke — Tue, 08 May 2012 06:48:31 +0000

I have been working with the Great Southwest Council both as a hired photographer and a volunteer for a few years. Last month I participated in their Civil War themed Camporee. My dad organized the educational end of the event and asked me to speak about photography during the Civil War. I had a fun time with all the boys, took a picture of each one in a replica uniform, and even was able to bring my Weeblo, T-man along to enjoy the day as well.

my dad teaching the last group of boys

Three for Thursday ~ Three Kindle Apps That are Saving My Life

moniqueduke — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:15:10 +0000

I never thought I would be someone who owned a tablet device. I figured mobile web on my phone and a lap top were enough for me. But after experiencing the versatility and convenience of my husband’s Kindle Fire I REALLY wanted one. He uses his for entertainment and work, often doing research and preliminary work on blog posts for his site DisFanReview. Our teen, who received her Kindle as a Christmas present from her grandparents, seems to mainly use hers for social networking on Facebook and Tumblr. As a business owner and homemaker, I knew I would use mine for organizing life and entertaining the kids (and occasionally me.)

The Cozi Family Calender is a calender app that keeps us all in the know about each other’s schedules. My husband, daughter, and I are all synced on the same account using a handy color coded calender. I can see his work schedule, her church activities, and my errands. There is also a spot for making lists and keeping a journal. You do need to sync up via the Kindle’s wifi from time to time to have an accurate update of everyone’s calender.

Sleepy Time is your very own white noise machine. We’ve all used this countless times to help somebody get to sleep at night. The soft sounds of pattering rain and gently chirping crickets have often soothed a restless Duke child to sleep! There is a free “lite” version that includes almost 20 sounds, including rain storms, wind chimes, and campfires. Additional sounds are available through the paid version.

Kids Place puts my mind at ease. This wonderful app allows me to select all the apps the kiddos are allowed to access. It prevents them from accessing the internet or the app store (I was so worried they would be buying apps left and right!) Once “inside” Kids Place, you can not exit without the secret parent code. You can also set a timer to limit the amount of time your child plays on your kindle.

Narrowing it down to 3 apps was pretty challenging. I have many super great learning apps for the kids, games for making time go faster at the doc’s office, and helpful apps for religious study, artistic exploration, and making dinner. These 3 apps, however are my MUST HAVES. I am still looking for the perfect app to help organize my business, but everything I have seen so far is just not right. How hard can it be for someone to make an app that provides me with a master workflow chart that links each client’s name to their personal info I have on file? (I think Apple has something in their store, but still nothing available for the Kindle Fire.)