thoughts on keeping the memories alive when there's no time to scrapbook

I'm clearly taking a break from my behavior management homework (again) to share some of my latest additions to my scrapbook collection. What's different is that these did not involve pretty paper or adhesive, yet I love them just the same.

For my birthday, my friend Barbara knocked my socks off and surprised me with my blog from 2014 printed into a hardback book. She secretly had it done through blog2print.com, just slurping my posts and pictures into easy-to-use (or so she says) templates. She picked a cute cover design and stole a picture off my facebook page. {Side note: I think it's kinda weird that she could do that without having my blog password, but she did, and the result is fabulous.} I have seriously been wanting to print my whole blog in yearly volumes for forever, but just haven't taken the time or spent the money to do it. One of these days. But this, my friends, is current, and none of my other scrapbooks are. The last I did any real scrapping was in my project life album, and I think that was in 2012. And, surprise, surprise, it isn't totally finished. It's very close to finished, but not quite. What I love about this is that it's really like a book I wrote. I've always wanted to be an author. Now I guess I am.

Getting that gift got me going. Shortly after my birthday I heard about chatbooks.com where you can print your instagram pictures into a book. When I set up my instagram account, I decided not to share every single picture on facebook. Some people do, but I kind of wanted to keep the two separate. I do share some pictures from instagram here on my blog, but for the most part, they just stay on instagram. Anyway, at chatbooks they print in chronological order, 60 pictures per book + the date and caption for $6. Shipping is free. You can't even print 60 pictures at Costco for under $10, so this is a steal.

What I liked about chatbooks is that you can choose your cover picture and if there are pictures you don't want to include in your book, you can easily select to not put them in. Once you sign up, it's kind of like a magazine subscription. Every time you have 60 new pictures ready, they'll email you and you have a few days to make changes if you want before it gets shipped to you. I got 3 of them and I love them. The books are 6x6 and the photos are 4x4ish.

So once I got those in the mail, then I got to thinking about a Shutterfly book I made back in 2012 when I did Week in the Life. It has been finished for 2 years, just sitting in my shopping cart waiting to be ordered. Well, a 50% off hardback photo book sale showed up on my facebook feed, so I went ahead and ordered it.

It's cool to look back and see what's changed and what has stayed the same. The master bathroom is no longer poop brown. The main bathroom is still yellow. The kitchen is blue now and I have yet to paint the cabinets white. We still don't have the curtains up in our bedroom. One of these days. . .

Wilson is a lot bigger now and he just licks shoes, he doesn't eat them. I no longer teach kindergarten. In fact, my job has changed a couple of times since then.

So, the lesson in all of this is, get your pictures off the computer and out of your phone, people, so you can have a tangible record of your life. I still have a lot to learn about that myself, but looking at these books makes me happy!

week in the life: sunday

Here's the last day of week in the life 2013.
Sunday went a little something like this:

He brought me Starbucks! I leave earlier for church because of worship team practice, and when he showed up for Sunday school he had a mocha for me :)

After the worship set. The view from our pew.

 Somehow we always end up parking next to each other.

Stocking up on a few things at Walmart. (Yeah Kleenex for finally putting the Boxtop on the top of the kleenex box!)

 Self portrait after church.

 We had a little bit of rain early this morning.

 Relaxing.

 Playing with the pupster. He loves belly scratches.

 Dishes.

 Mini meatloaves. It's what's for lunch.

 On the bench ready to get brushed.

 He's shedding so bad right now.

 Baking banana bread.

Printed and cut out some business cards to hand out while subbing. I love that cute cursive font :)

And that's all, folks.

week in the life: saturday

Saturday morning was a cleaning marathon with my football watching husband (who had a rare Saturday off) assisting with dusting during commercial breaks. 

We listened to the Ohio State game in the car. Go bucks!

We went to McMennenim's Edgefield for the half-way to St. Patrick's Day celebration. The Irish band Phil's cousin plays in had a gig from 1-3 so we went and got lunch and enjoyed the beautiful day.

 That's Royce in the middle. He plays guitar, bass, and mandolin.

Stopped at Ross on the way home and bought myself a new pair of shoes. I need something super comfortable. Hopefully these will help my aching feet.

week in the life: friday

let's review friday, shall we? 

my boy, waiting for me to finish getting ready.

my boy, waiting on me to come home from work. 

around the house - my dresser. the bed didn't get made today. that's our unity candle from our wedding, by the way.

my piano. . .a little bit dusty and needing something fallish.

date night with my guy at round table pizza. read his shirt. go bucks!

 silly artwork on the walls. knights of the round table.

 the usual: pepperoni, mushroom & bacon.

 my boy, a little bit miffed that he didn't get a walk today. sorry, buddy. i had to date your dad.

i didn't take as many pictures today. in fact, a couple of these weren't even taken on friday. (shhh. . . don't tell.) i'll let you guess which ones they are.

week in the life: thursday

So here was my Thursday. 

self-portrait.

cereal for breakfast. wilson's on his rug.

 bed's made.

stopped at chuck's produce on the way home for. . . well, produce. melon, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, and. . .

the deal of the day - corn $.10 an ear!!! that's the cheapest i've ever seen it. it was a BLT and corn on the cob for dinner night.

currently reading this memoir about a girl who didn't know she had a younger sister that had been institutionalized until she was 13 years old.

the living room. nice and clean because we're hardly ever in there. it needs some wall love, but i'm so afraid of messing up and nailing something wrong.

 

the dining room that is currently being taken over by my scrap stuff. ya, it's a mess. don't judge. lots of projects that are currently underway.

 the fridge: now complete with lists, magnets, bills, oatmeal, and biscuits.

 laundry. always doing laundry.

 dishes. always doing dishes. i hate washing plastic in the dishwasher.

 wilson's spot, as of late, while i'm washing dishes.

 my feet hurt so bad when i got home so i gave them a nice hot soak.

another glorious day of my life documented.