Amanda Marie Blog // WordPress // Amanda wanted to show two different things: photography & styling without making it confusing. She had a logo for photography but not for styling so I created a new styling logo that was similar. We built this design into the Genesis Framework. I love how this design turned out!

Une Gamine dans la Cuisine // Blogger // Valerie wanted a simple, clean & fresh design with green and soft purple that stands apart from all the other food blogs. While I was drooling over her delicious food photos, I decided to incorporate a cupcake with drippings. Now the design looks fresh & yummy!

Foxy Whiskers // WordPress // Lou wanted to switch to WordPress from Tumblr so we helped her with the process of setting WordPress up with her hosting plan. We installed WordPress and imported her Tumblr posts over to WordPress. Design-wise, Lou wanted a blog that was easy to navigate with categories and pages. She sent me a drawing that she did of a fox and I thought it was so cute! I told her we had to use that in the design and she loved the idea. So we brought the fox to life and created her a beautiful design!

Ms Twirly Skirts // WordPress // Molliee wanted a simple & clean design – white background with no borders and to incorporate the twirly photo in the header. We avoided using too much colors since she wanted it to remain all white & black. We added a hover effect to the social buttons and used colors from the twirly photo. It looks great with all the photos she adds in her posts!

Good news!!! We’re now accepting custom designs based on the Genesis Framework since we’ve mastered it by doing Amanda Marie’s blog! Contact me if you’re interested.

We love Cheerio! He’s so spoiled and we’re okay with that. He deserves a wonderful life even though he acts like he leads a hard life sometimes.

First of all, Cheerio hates going for walks. All he wants to do is run and ruuuunnn! We don’t blame him but seriously we can’t keep up with him. So Tyler came up with a solution to use his longboard. Hey, it works for him and Cheerio!

I even got it on camera the other day. See the video here on Vimeo!

So now Tyler doesn’t come inside the house panting anymore like Cheerio does.

We give Cheerio a bath once a month. He actually cooperates with us when we put him in the bath tub. But that doesn’t mean he loves it or hates it. He’ll hold onto us for dear life with his tail and ears down while one of us shampoo him. Every bath we give him, the experience actually gets better because we give him a treat afterwards so he knows it’s awesome to be shampooed!

Cheerio loves getting his nails trimmed! At first he didn’t but now he trusts us. Tyler holds him while I trim his nails. It’s so easy & quick! He also gets a treat after his pedicure. See why he’s the best dog ever? ;)

He loves ice cubes and always run to the fridge when he hears the ice machine. A dog can’t get fat on ice cubes and they’re free! I got this idea from my aunt & uncle because their golden retriever loved nothing but ice cubes.

We even share our water with Cheerio. Please tell me you do too? because my mom thought it was gross.

Every morning before I leave for work I open the blinds in the living room. When I leave, Cheerio jumps up on the couch and look out the window and I wave goodbye as I drive away. Is it odd that I wave my dog goodbye every morning? I’d love to just stay home with him and work from home so he can sleep under my chair.

And this is why Cheerio is the best dog ever. :)

So I finally got a new mapping session for my cochlear implant!

Lost already?

A mapping session is where they reprogram my cochlear implant. It’s best to get it reprogramed every once a while so when my brain gets used to the sounds & volume then I can go in for another session to increase and adjust the program.

So anyways, about a month ago I got a brochure in the mail from the company of my cochlear implant (Advanced Bionics) about a new program called ClearVoice where it eliminates a lot of background noise so speech is more clear and easier to process/understand. They did a video clip (click on video demos) showing how it sounds if you’re curious.

So I immediately called my cochlear implant doctor’s office to schedule for an appointment. I met with the audiologist that works for the doctor and we went into her office. She threw me off at first because her voice was so high I wasn’t sure if she was doing that because I was deaf and thought it was easier for me to understand her….which it definitely was not helping at all!

She asked me to take my hearing aid off for the session and had me take my cochlear implant off too. She had to connect my cochlear implant to the program on her laptop.

I explained to her how the volume control was ridiculous. The most comfortable I could have it on was at 7AM of the wheel. She said it should be on at noon. So she turned it on to ask me if this was a comfortable setting and I jerked and immediately grabbed the cochlear implant off. It was extremely loud! I was surprised she didn’t have it on low to be safe then slowly increase it. So after a while we finally got it to be at noon.

I also asked her if she had a new stronger magnet for my cochlear implant because the one I had wasn’t strong enough. It kept falling off especially when people hug me or if I was laying down. So now I’ve got a stronger magnet and just that makes me happy!

So we proceeded with reprogramming my cochlear implant. I have 3 programs on my cochlear implant and she explained that she was going to have the program #1 be with background noise, program #2 with some background noise and program #3 with VERY LITTLE background noise.

So today my co-workers and I went out for lunch and I was finally able to test it by having it on program #3. Seriously, it made a big difference. I could hardly hear the background noise. I heard some but it was so quiet that I could ignore it easily and focus on speech and understanding my co-workers. But in order to not hear background noise, I had to turn my hearing aid down or off. I could really hear everything they were saying but it doesn’t mean I understood everything. I still have to lip-read to understand them.

Even when I’m driving home and have music blaring in the car with it on program #3, I can’t really hear the traffic! Looove it!

ClearVoice is AMAZING and I’m so excited! It makes me want to wear my cochlear implant everyday now.

So we moved the coffee table out of the way and Tyler made me stand in front so I couldn’t really see him do the work out. Seriously!? He said it was a little bit embarrassing. I think I should be embarrassed…not him. There were some moves where I was too slow or doing it all wrong but I just kept moving. Of course, I can’t expect to be a pro on the 1st day. Tyler made it throughout the whole workout tonight. He can thank me now. :)

I’m NOT a morning person so I’ve decided to do the workouts immediately after I get home from work and before dinner. I’ll always find the time to do it. There’s actually 1,440 minutes in the day so no excuse!

Out of this experience, I’m excited to feel better mentally & physically and also to go to bed early in the evenings. I’m a night owl and have been going to bed between 12-1AM during the week. Ridiculous, I know!

I seem to lose motivation every time I start exercising so seriously…I want to change and I WILL make that happen.

Anyone doing TurboFire or a workout challenge to lose weight?

I’ve been getting asked a lot lately what photo apps I use with my iPhone. So I thought I’d share my favorite photo apps. These are only a few… I have way more downloaded on my iPhone but they’re ones that I wouldn’t recommend or don’t use anymore because I didn’t like them.

Usually my photos are done using 2-3 apps….not just one. Some filters are great and only look best done with another filter. So I’ll tell you which filters are my favorite within each app.

Luminance. The best thing I love about this app is that you can edit the layers of the filter you choose. The filters I use often are: Pop, X-Process, Instant, Lumi & Rouge.

BeFunkyFx. This app allows you to add frames too but I never use this part. I don’t like adding frames to my pictures since I use Instagram all the time. The effects I use from this app are: Color Process, Vintage 1, Vintage 2 & Vibrance. You can edit the amount of the “effect” you want to apply to your photo.

Camera+. Provides a lot of options with scenes, effects & borders. My favorite effect is “Night” because it brightens up the photos. {credit to MrsStephanieT for this suggestion}

Snapseed. This app is AMAZING! This is like Photoshop and it does really make the photos look way better. Worth the investment since this isn’t a free app.

Vintage Cam. Very simple with just some colorful filters. My favorite ones are: Theme Park, Rockstar & Morning.

ColorProcess. If I decide not to use Instagram for a photo, I always use ColorProcess. You can choose the processes you want to use: Red, Green, Blue, Basic & Extreme. I usually leave all on except for Extreme. Plus I love the border!

Phototreats. There are a lot of different filters to choose from. My favorite one is the Soft Breeze. I usually use this app with outdoor photos.

SuperPopCam. I love most of the filters that this app provides. Lemonade, Violet Fizz, Cherry Pie, Dreamy & Hollywood. Doesn’t that convince you already? I use this app A LOT if I’m looking for a bold & colorful filter.

// 1. Luminance (Rouge) & Instagram (Sierra)
// 2. Camera+ (Night) & Instagram (Sierra)
// 3. Snapseed & Instagram (Sierra)
// 4. Camera+ (Night), BeFunkyFx (Vibrance) & Instagram (Sierra)
// 5. Camera+ (Night), Osmo Leaker (light leak app) & Instagram (no filter)
// 6. Vintage Cam (Theme Park) & Instagram (Rise)

I love taking pictures on my iPhone so much that I’ve neglected my digital camera for the past few months…oops! Anyways, add me on Instagram (@luxechandelier). I’d love to follow you!

// I miss blogging so that’s why I’m back!

// I don’t curl my hair that often so when I do, I must take pictures. Moving on.

// Best sale at Bath & Body Works – 2 candles for $20! Summer Boardwalk & Beach Grass are now my new favorites.

// It’s going to be 100 degrees this weekend. Not great timing since we’re going to be working on the backyard putting pavers in.

// I love The Hunger Games! Yup, I caved in and am still reading it. :)

// Check out my cute little fan that I got for my cube at work! {from Target}

// I attempted the braided top knot {from Ashley aka The Shine Project}. I didn’t think it would work since I don’t have thick hair but hey it did with a small bun.

// It’s been a while since Tyler and I have had the house to ourselves. Our roommate is moving out tomorrow morning. He’s moving back home to be closer to his family. We’ll miss him but we’re excited to have the house to ourselves again. Tyler is anxious to get his hands on the room and turn it into a man cave. He’s unstoppable!

// I know I promised a post on what iPhone photo apps I use and I’m already working on it. Hopefully it’ll go up next week. <3

One Tree Hill is one of my absolute favorite shows ever. I remember when my sister and I started watching it years ago and it only seemed appropriate to watch the final episode together. I loved everything about the show and characters….just absolutely everything!

#GoodnightOneTreeHill

[/end sappy post]

I’m back with a most recent DIY project we just did! We had a broken wood baby gate sitting in our garage for a while. No, not because we have a baby but because we have a puppy that won’t stop getting into the cat litter box. But this gate we had was a really cheap $5 gate from Walmart that didn’t even last longer than 2 days.

Tyler was cleaning out the garage the other weekend and asked me what I wanted to do with the gate. Immediately a light bulb turned on and I thought of a project! I wanted to rip it apart and spray paint it and hang my earrings on it.

And so that is what we did!

Isn’t it so pretty? I love it! Want to know what happened to the other gate? Tyler spray painted it black and says he wants to use it. He’s not sure yet what he’ll use it for. I’m hoping it’ll stay in the garage or his man cave.

Thank you all for your comments on my last post about my frustrations of being deaf. You all are awesome! :)

This month has been unbelievably crazy at work and home. I usually have a few minutes to spare at work to catch up on blogs and check emails but this month has been so crazy that I haven’t been able to open Google Reader at all or even continue the #marchphotoaday challenge. :(

I need to find my balance again. Hopefully this little blogging “break” won’t last long. I promise I’ll be back soon!

Being deaf is frustrating sometimes. Of course I knew that…I always have. But it was easier growing up where schools provided interpreters and being around deaf people more. Even friends learned how to sign so they could communicate with me… although they still talked to me but they would finger-spell words or sign with me if they didn’t want other people to know what we were talking about. Also when we were kids, we usually played a lot that we didn’t do a lot of talking.

College was a blast. I went to Rochester Institute of Technology where they had a deaf program so interpreters were provided and I lived in a dorm full of deaf people. It was so much fun and we all had it easy there.

Now it’s not like that anymore. I have never had an interpreter at work before. I go days without seeing deaf people. I also even go days without using sign language sometimes. I’m at work all day and when I come home, I don’t usually sign with Tyler since he can hear and understand me just fine.

Being able to sign and listen to conversations in sign language is so easy. I can easily be distracted and still understand what someone is saying to me with sign language. While on the other hand, with hearing people- I have to really pay attention so I understand what they’re saying that sometimes I don’t have time to process it before I can talk.

Some people are very easy to understand because of how they talk. Some others are really difficult to lip-read and understand. It can be difficult when they keep moving their head while talking, look away, talk so fast or change their tone to talk quietly. Also when people laugh while another person is still talking…that can be really difficult since there’s too much going on that I’m not understanding anymore.

Basically…it’s like putting a puzzle together when it comes to understanding people. I’m not giving up and I’m aware that this is something I have to live with for the rest of my life. But I hate how I feel like a burden to people sometimes. I hate that they probably wouldn’t want to tell me something because it wouldn’t be worth repeating or whatever.

I have two amazing co-workers at work who I talk and eat lunch with everyday. They have been supportive of my deafness by repeating things I missed or just clarifying something that someone else said to me that they overheard a conversation between me and a broker. As much as I really appreciate it and am thankful that they do that for me, I wish they didn’t have to do that. It makes me feel “small” sometimes.

I guess it just would be easier if everyone knew sign language. :)

I just needed to get that all out and now I feel better. Now I don’t want anyone to be feeling sorry for me because that’s not what I want. I’m sure everyone has their own struggles with certain things and this is the story of my struggle.