Family Yearbooks!

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In the blur of life and technology, photos we snap can get stuck on your phone without having a chance to be printed and tangibly shared in the home. My favorite thing to do with photos is create photo books.

I've been making "yearbooks" since 2011. It is a great way to organize and share memories! I keep the 8x8 books on our bookshelf for guests to flip through when they visit

1. Upload - I use the Shutterfly app and website to upload photos throughout the year. Most of the time they have a time-stamp, so it is easy to tell what month they were taken.

2. Organize -Throughout the year I try and take time to work on pages and organize photos chronologically. There are lovely sample books to inspire!

3. Edit - As the photo book comes together, I add detail stickers, backgrounds and text. Often times I add a few extra pages so that it won't be as cluttered.

4. Wait for the Deal -  Once the year is complete I finish up the photo book and I wait for an amazing sale at Shutterfly! I FOLLOW Shutterfly on Facebook and email so that I will not miss some amazing deals. I also check the Retail-Me-Not for more deals! The deal I look for is a free 20 page 8x8 photo book (just pay for shipping and any extra pages). Don't forget to add your promo code!

5. Check GiftCardGranny for special deals on Shutterfly gift cards. Pay attention to % off, shipping cost, and timing. Shutterfly gift cards do expire, so double check when you are purchasing ahead of time! Click HERE to see what they have now!

6. Enjoy and Share - Shutterfly makes it easy to share your book socially even before you get your book mailed to you. But, what a fun day it is when the orange box comes! 

 I hope you enjoy looking back on the memories from 2013!

 

Click here to view this photo book larger

Start your own Shutterfly Photo Book today!

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These Days of Life

These moments are going fast and I'm holding on for dear life, and sanity. This life stage is hard and worth it. Mommy of two little kids. Ages 3 years and 5 months. I hope and pray that I am growing daily in patience and refinement. 

It's not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but that's not really my goal in life. Being a mom makes me pray, "Dear GOD, Please HELP!" throughout the entire day, call my mom in tears, laugh my head off, take deeeep breaths in front of the mirror and give myself pep-talks to hold on to any ounce of self-control I can grasp. I sing the goofiest songs I can think of, and read colorful storybooks all for these sweet moments, these wonderful people. 

 The rooms flow back and forth from play and meal and laundry zones, back to tidy, back to play, back to clean again ... ish. A cycle of living-rooms. I'm aiming to be faithful in the little things. Not giving up on cleaning up, only to have messy happen again. Life isn't boxes to check off a list anymore. It's about endurance and keeping-at-it. Not giving up.

Through it all there is so much goodness. I still read life-giving books, eat delicious meals and my husband gives me kisses and flowers. I get overwhelmed so often, but still sometimes just sit and listen to the rain, peace all by myself. The moments are there.

We go out for family dates to coffee shops, parks, road trips, beaches and museums, and though they may not always go "as planned" there are memories made. This is what their childhood is made out of -- love, through it all.

These are my people, they are gifts to me. God gave me more than I can handle, and I've learned to start asking for help. I will not be tempted to sin without a way of escape, as promised in 1 Corinthians 10:13, but I can't do this life by myself. I need the Lord Jesus, I need family and I need friends. In their kindness, they reach out and hold my hand to squeeze. We can do this, together.

I work hard to teach, to train. I want to do this thing the best I can. Teach my son and my daughter to play and respect -- to be gentle, and strong. These are the glimpses of sweet and simple joy. 

 
But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law - Galatians 5:22-23

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