Cinnamon-Honey Buttercream...

When I was in graduate school, I lived in a house with 3 other people; we didn't know one another and we didn't choose each other either. We were assigned - it was our "dorm", I suppose. We had to learn all about each other, we had to figure out bathroom and cleaning schedules and we learned an awful lot about each other's favorite or must-have foods. We certainly got on each other's nerves but we have maintained our friendship to this day.

For my birthday that year, the other female house-mate, Beth got me a book - a book that showed how well she knew me: Flavored Butters, by Offerico Maoz. It's an incredible little book with beautiful pictures and incredible flavor mixes for nut-butters, herb-butters and fruit-butters. You can find recipes for pesto butter, roasted jalapeno butter and lemon butter as well as nut butter recipes for sesame, peanut, almond, pecan, pistachio, etc. butters. Everything that I've tried has been wonderful but one recipe, I keep going back to again and again and again...it's incredible.

Cinnamon-Honey Buttercream

It is it's own sentence and paragraph...it's that good. When I make it, the kids start scrambling around, looking for something to spread it on: toast, Italian bread, graham crackers, a spoon, whatever...
I made some Pioneer Bread and Strawberry Muffins to go with it. I'll post those recipes later but for now, since you can spread this heaven on anything you want, I'll just give you this one recipe to try.

1 Cup of Butter (2 Sticks), softened

Beat the softened butter, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes

Mix in the salt and brown sugar and beat
for  10-15 minutes, until the mixture is about
twice it's original volume

Add cinnamon, honey, vanilla and zest - beating each until fully incorporated

This filled four-one cup bowls, you could also let it set up for
the 30 minutes and then roll it to give for gifts
or to put a nicer display for sharing

Looks so delicious...

Served with Pioneer Bread - a fabulous combination...

Cinnamon-Honey Buttercream


Ingredients:
1 C unsalted butter, softened (2 Sticks)
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 C honey
2 cinnamon sticks, freshly ground (2-3 tsp)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Grated zest of 1 orange*

Directions:
Using a stand mixer, beat the butter for about 5 minutes, until it's pale and fluffy.
Add the brown sugar and salt and continue beating for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture is approximately twice its original volume.
Add honey, cinnamon, vanilla and orange zest a little bit at a time while continuing to beat, making sure each additional is well incorporated before adding the next. When all the ingredients are thoroughly blended, you should have a beige cream.

Transfer to a glass or ceramic bowl and refrigerate for at least 15-30 minutes, until the butter stiffens to about the consistency of thick mayonnaise.

*The recipe says the zest of the orange is optional but it's my opinion the orange flavor is part of what makes the flavor explosion happen.

Stick around and I'll post, tomorrow and the next day, recipes for wonderful things to spread your fabulous buttercream on...

Re-Use a Pocket Shoe Organizer

This brilliant idea is not from my brain. I saw it on a Facebook group that I'm a part of but since you can't share things on Facebook, I figured I'd share the love...I'm not sure if this will work or not, but the Facebook page is Homesteading / Survivalism, check them out - there's some neat things there. 

Just a thought, if you're wanting to do this, please don't go to the store and purchase a brand new shoe holder. This idea is great but it's not really the point to buy it new, the point is to re-use what you have around your home. If you're still thinking this is too good to pass by and you want to do it anyway - stop by your local Goodwill and see if you can find one there!

Happy planting...

A New Commitment: Running

I have always wanted to be a runner – this is one of those weird, inexpiable desires. I’ve tried to run a few times but this weird, heavy sensation comes over me when I run; I don’t understand it but walking feels light and almost springy and running feels heavy, like I’m wearing weighted boots and a bullet-proof vest. Regardless, I’ve always wanted to be a runner. The ones I knew in high school (and now), have toned, lean bodies; they have stamina and a drive, dedication and commitment to themselves. I really respect that. When I was in high school, one of my gym teachers told me it was ok that I didn’t enjoy running and that some people really can’t run. I took this permission and ran (pun intended) with it. I wasn’t a runner and that was ok. Well, somehow, my not running became me not walking, too.

I do love to walk…in the woods. Put me on a treadmill or a park and I’m bored out of my mind. I’ve just never enjoyed working out and if it felt that way, I was out! I’ve tried yoga (makes me nauseous), Pilates (love it), aerobics (I’m completely uncoordinated and just look like a spaz) and Tai Chi (balance and focus issues but enjoyed when I could really get into it) as well as walking (dog, path, etc.) and cycling (really enjoy but don’t have a bicycle). I have been riding horses for as long as I can remember but the past few years, my back issues have been making it more difficult to do at the same capacity.

Me in 2004, at my healthiest; I was doing Pilates regularly.

I barely recognize this girl now...sigh...

As the years have gone by, I’ve developed more and more issues; at one point, I only had a bad knee which I had surgery to correct. I have become a voodoo doll of issues since that time having more issues with the one knee, developing pain in the other, I have a bad back (to the point of not being able to get out of bed or off the ground sometimes). With my weight increasing, my flexibility (which was wonderful as a child gymnast and in pretty good shape due to regular Pilates) is fast disappearing. I can’t even get up on the horse without a leg up or climbing on a bench. I feel like an old woman and I’m beginning to think like one too.

Well, today, I've taken another step in recovering my health. Bill and I try really hard to eat healthy – especially with kids – but feeding six people with one income and keeping up with all the other things in our lives can prove to be difficult sometimes; we eat more pasta and carbs than I’d like because they’re less expensive than their protein and veggie counterparts. With the kids gone at camp, we both thought we’d be eating really well but with $5 left for the next 10 days (milk, eggs, fruit, etc.) eating meals higher in protein has proven a little tricky. So, because I was feeling so sluggish (not eating so great) I decided it was time to do something about it…again.

I don’t know why I decided to try running again but I am committed. I’ve begun a 4 week program to be able to run 1 mile, the whole way. To some, this may sound like not a big deal but for me, it’s huge. Remember the pressure?!? I don’t have great shoes or a fancy watch or even good clothes for running but I’m going to make do with what I’ve got.

What I’ve got:

·         Track – the nearby high school has a track that’s available to the community. It’s free to use but can be busy sometimes.

·         Gym Shoes – they hurt my feet when I walk in them, but curiously, they didn’t really hurt today when I was exercising in them

·         Yoga Pants and a Big T-Shirt – I do have a fitted exercise top but because I’m so busty, it doesn’t cover me well – no one needs to see that while I’m gasping for air or tripping down the track…

·         Water bottle -  I have plenty of these and once I’m ready to go off the track, I’ve got my camelbak

·         Warm-up and Cool-down stretches – I did some research yesterday (I can’t begin anything without researching it) and found some good instructions on learning to run with all the Q&A’s I wanted to read about. This morning, I looked up some YouTube video’s on dynamic stretches (for before I begin) and static stretches (for after I’m finished). I wanted to see the form, I felt good about what I did…

That’s pretty much what I’ve got but if I actually stick to this, I can always get more (or replace the batteries in my heart rate monitor, etc.) of whatever I’m needing.

Today I ran.

I talked to A last night and asked her if she wanted to run with me. She was super excited to join me and I wasn’t sure she would dig it but knew she’d try. One mile, like I said, isn’t much for some people but for me and my 5 year old, it felt daunting in the middle of the summer. We woke up, drank some water, ate something small and went to the bathroom a thousand times (I had warned A that we weren’t going to be able to stop and find a bathroom). I had a nervous stomach all morning, I felt like I was attempting something so big and important. I felt like I was doing something big and I was, for me. The rest of the world has no idea why it’s so epic and I guess that’s ok. People like to watch epic things and I didn’t want an audience.

Oh and A and I were dressed to match – she in black exercise pants and a green tinkerbell top and I in black yoga pants and an old horse group shirt (also green). A thinks this is the best thing EVER!!!

We got to the track; it took a long time to stretch beforehand – A was doing her best to do what I was doing but her form was really poor so I had to help her, the last thing I wanted was for her to injure herself stretching. It was now, at the track, that a thought finally popped into my head, is it inappropriate to bring a 5 year old running? Am I breaking some workout rules that I’m so far removed from that I don’t even know it exists? Well, there was only one person there so I guessed I was going to be ok. Of course, as we were stretching, three more people joined the track. It was out of my brain and I was focused on this commitment to myself.

Ok, we’re ready to go. We run a quarter of the track, walk the other three-quarters. A is jumping all the track markers and is kind of all over the place (although she did a good job of staying in her lane). After we did completed the first lap, she needed water; oddly, I was ok to keep going. We did the second lap the same way, only this time, I stopped for water, too. As we began running for the third lap, A asks me if we’re done after this lap, she says she bored (well, she lasted longer than I expected). I explain that we we’re only on our third lap and that if she wanted to stop she could but, because she’s a honey badger, she said she wanted to complete it with me.

Once we’re done, we drink a little water and then begin stretching for our cool down, again, I help A with form. We’re feeling good. Our faces are red, our shirts are damp and our legs feel a little wobbly (well, my legs are a little wobbly). We get back to the car and drive home (it’s only a mile from the house but I don’t think A can handle walking that and then running and then walking back). I'm actually feeling pretty good. If someone were to push me, I would be able to do more but I'm glad that I'm going to take this slow.

Oyi...who is that person?!?

We get home and drink some more water, get ready for our showers – I’m feeling so weak all of a sudden, A is bouncing off the walls, as usual. I sit and drink more water, it’s a short lived weakness but it’s a little freaky. Before we shower, I take our photo, it’s not pretty. As usual, I don’t really recognize the girl in the photo with my kid but the red face and matching outfit reassures me that it’s me. Sigh…

We both shower and feel awesome afterwards and share a smoothie. Tomorrow, we cross-train (Pilates or Zumba, maybe) and then we run again in two days. I like this system, I feel like it’s broken down in bite size pieces that I can chew up and taste without feeling completely overwhelmed.

This is my commitment, I am going to go through the next four weeks as scheduled out (or the best I can). This is my schedule and this is my commitment. Let’s do this…

Four-Week Beginner Training Program to Run One Mile

By Christine Luff, About.com Guide

This four-week training program is designed for total beginner run/walkers who want to build up to running a mile. This program is a run/walk to continuous running program. Each week, you'll make a slight increase to your running distance and a decrease in your walking distance. By the end of four weeks, you'll be able to run one mile without stopping. 

Notes about the training schedule: 

For measuring purposes, it's best to do these workouts on a track, which is usually 400 meters, or about 1/4 of a mile. Each workout will have the track equivalent, so you know how far you should be running and walking. 

You should start each run with a 5-10 minute warm-up walk. Finish up with a 5-10 minute cool-down walk. 

You don't have to do your runs on specific days; however, you should try not to run two days in a row. It's better to take a rest day⁹ or do cross-training¹⁰ on the days in between runs. Cross-training can be walking, biking, swimming, or any other activity (other than running) that you enjoy. 

If you find that the program progresses too quickly for you, you can repeat a week before moving on to the next week. 

Week 1:

Day 1: Run 1/16 mile, walk 3/16 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 1/4 of a lap, walk 3/4 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 2: Rest or cross-train 

Day 3: Run 1/16 mile, walk 3/16 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 1/4 of a lap, walk 3/4 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 4: Rest 

Day 5: Run 1/16 mile, walk 3/16 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 1/4 of a lap, walk 3/4 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 6: Rest or cross-train 

Day 7: Rest 

Week 2:

Day 1: Run 1/8 mile, walk 1/8 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 1/2 a lap, walk 1/2 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 2: Rest or cross-train 

Day 3: Run 1/8 mile, walk 1/8 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 1/2 a lap, walk 1/2 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 4: Rest 

Day 5: Run 1/8 mile, walk 1/8 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 1/2 a lap, walk 1/2 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 6: Rest or cross-train 

Day 7: Rest 

Week 3:

Day 1: Run 3/16 mile, walk 1/16 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 3/4 a lap, walk 1/4 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 2: Rest or cross-train 

Day 3: Run 3/16 mile, walk 1/16 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 3/4 a lap, walk 1/4 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 4: Rest 

Day 5: Run 3/16 mile, walk 1/16 mile – repeat 4 times (Track equivalent: Run 3/4 a lap, walk 1/4 of a lap – repeat 4 times) 

Day 6: Rest or cross-train 

Day 7: Rest 

Week 4:

Day 1: Run 1 mile (Track equivalent: 4 laps = 1 mile) 

Day 2: Rest or cross-train 

Day 3: Run 1 mile (Track equivalent: 4 laps = 1 mile) 

Day 4: Rest 

Day 5: Run 1 mile (Track equivalent: 4 laps = 1 mile) 

Day 6: Rest or cross-train 

Day 7: Rest

 Let's see if I can keep up with this commitment to myself...

Vinegar...for dessert

I am not a huge fan of chocolate. In fact, there are only two things chocolate that I can think of that I would actually ever choose above something fruity or sugary: Lindor Truffles and The Plush Horse's Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream.

That being said, I like big flavors and I really like when they punch me in the mouth (citrus, vinegar, garlic, dill, etc.). I'm going to prop that incredible place, The Olive Cart in South Haven, Michigan again... Look, if you can find another place that has the same quality of products as they have (no flavorings or extracts, infusions with the real things) that is priced similarly and ships products, I'll try them. Until then...I will continue to tell you what you're missing out on. I just love them.

They have all kinds of flavors and one day when I was there, he suggested pouring the Chocolate Sensation Balsamic (which I currently don't see listed on the website but know they have in the store) over some fresh strawberries. As I said before, I'm not a fan of chocolate but I tried it - it was incredible!!! I think this is his go-to suggestion for people because it's such a recognizable flavor combination. I'm only talking about the vinegar now but trust me, it's all good...

I got excited and inspired and bought several different kinds of balsamic; I picked out a Peach White Balsamic (which I've poured over grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream as well as over fruit salads), and Espresso Bean Balsamic (again, desserts but also on meats; it has such an earth and deep flavor - I really got this one for Bill who loves coffee). They were both WOW-explosions of flavor. Next I tried the Harbor Tangerine (incredible as a salad dressing or in marinades - I've gone back and stocked up with the larger size on this one now). The last one we tried is what brings us to this post: Strawberry Fields Balsamic. I could go on about the different levels of flavor in each of these but unless you try it, it won't matter, it's too unique.

This is what we're making today:

That's right, the ice cream alone is heavenly but all together...it's a vacation in a bowl!

Just in case you didn't believe me...

Just in case you need to see the ice cream flavor bigger...

Oh my gosh, I want to lick this picture.

It looks like chocolate syrup, right? It's not...it is SO MUCH BETTER than that...

Aaaaannnndd...DIG IN!!!

Do I really need to give you instructions on how to make this?


I didn't think so...

Marshmallow Candy...

Disclaimer: THIS IS NOT HEALTHY!!! I was reading something about a dessert / snack called Hocus-Pocus where you wrap your marshmallow in a croissant and bake it and there's more to it but I've made them and I think they're disgusting. I've been making this (or a version of it) since I was a kid. Hocus-Pocus has NOTHING on this...

I was a latch-key kid. I had a lot of freedom to snack for a long time. I have never been someone to just eat a bag of chips with salsa - I want to make nachos! Instead of eating some fruit, let's make a fruit salad!! I've always been one of those people who have enjoyed creating (I have a Master's in Art, people!) and I really enjoy making something...weird. I'll stand in front of the fridge, not waiting for my taste buds to decide but so my brain can figure out if we have any of the ingredients that my brain is wanting to concoct with.

This, Marshmallow Candy, is a favorite in our house - the kids can hear the bag opening and come running, hoping to get some scraps thrown their way! It's incredible...

Marshmallows...my friends (if you're going to eat them, at least buy ones
that aren't disgusting) - we use Kraft, Jet-Puffed because they're fabulous!

Melt about a Tablespoon of butter. In another container, put some
cinnamon-sugar. Cover the marshmallows in butter and then toss in
the cinnamon sugar. Lick your fingers...

Place them on a plate, I filled my snack / salad plate with 13. 

Microwave them on high for about 1 minute (if you have one of those crazy-
hot microwaves, do it for less time). You want to see them puffing up a little, but
not off the plate.

This is what they should look like when they're done (a little more puffy, the
first picture I took was blurry - I forgot I was shooting into a microwave).

Beautiful and they would be completely delicious right away BUT...this is
what makes them both irresistible and candy...

Place the darlings (on a hot pad) in your freezer, on a flat surface.
Now...wait 20 minutes (minimum) to 2 hours.

They really don't look all that different after
they've sat for that time but you can see a
slight textural difference. The gooey-ness
has crystallized!!!

Eat with a fork. These babies will crack and splinter (if you left them
in the freezer for long enough) and are the ooey-gooey best thing
you can make with three ingredients!!! 

You're going to be hooked now...trust me. You should make this to share with someone but I won't judge you if you hide and eat it all alone. It's OK with me.

Couscous Pilaf...

Back to the food...

As I mentioned, our freezer is not quite back to itself yet so I'm limited to what I can make without having to dig to the bottom (remember - meat on the bottom). Well, somehow, when I was packing our food into my parent's freezer, I had left a bag of thick cut pork chops on top of their stuff and when my Mom saw it (and realized that she doesn't package food for an army) and put it back into our stuff. I went to look, in the dark, and when I looked in the light I was pleased with my happy accident. Now...what to eat with it?!?

I am an awful rice cooker. Seriously, I CAN NOT cook rice - it's a joke for our family but something I've struggled with my whole cooking life. I can bake rice (white and brown) but it was hot out and I didn't want to turn on the oven. Hmmm... I looked around the kitchen, I was thawing peas and it hit me - Pilaf!!!!! I love pilaf, especially when you mix peas into it. I didn't have any fabulous mushrooms or bacon or ham or anything else that would make my jump with joy, but I figured the peas and parmesan would have to tide me over...I went to the pantry and saw a jar of couscous staring at me. Why not?!?

Add 2T of olive oil to your pan.

I always begin my pilaf cooking with a little oil and butter (about 2T of each). If you add the oil first, the butter will not burn as easily. This time, I grabbed for this delicious Sundried Tomato and Parmesan Garlic Olive Oil from The Olive Cart (his stuff is AMAZING - go to the website, they ship - I'll wait...)


I make big portions because I cook for a crowd so you'll need to half this if you're cooking for 2-4 people (I feed 6 but cook for 8-10 most of the time; teenagers and lunches for Bill).

Add 2T of butter.

Add 2T of olive oil to your pan. After the oil is hot, add 2T of butter. I realize that this may seem like a lot but I love the way the flavor infuses the grain, or in this case, pasta and with this amount, it really has the opportunity to add flavor. Once you've got it all melted, add 2 cups of large couscous.

add 2 cups of large couscous.

Take a few moments to stir the oils and couscous together. For the next few minutes, allow the pasta to cook, the oil to absorb and only stir it every 45 seconds or so. You'll start to see a browning of the granules and it adds a depth of flavor to the dish (I do this with my rices as well).

After a few minutes, it should about like the next image...

Lightly toasted couscous

My general rule about pilaf is 2 parts grain to 7 parts liquid - for my family, that means cups 2 cups grain : 7 cups liquid. You can do a mixture of liquids or all one, like a lot of recipes call for. I like to do about 4 cups of milk, to add to the creaminess and then the last 3 cups are typically broth. It's your choice as to what you add or don't add; just as the contents are up to you. You add what you like and you should have fun and not feel too tied down to doing it someone else's way...

Add your warm liquid in batches - I start with 4 cups

Warm you liquid. You don't have to do this BUT it will speed up your time standing there stirring. I use 4 cups of warmed milk and you stir until it is almost all combined. This takes quite some time and you need to be mixing on the regular. I like to mix, shred a little parmesan, mix, shred, etc. I'm not walking away from the stove area for more than 30 - 45 seconds, especially once it begins to really absorb all that liquid. As I look up from my stirring and shredding and draining of peas, etc. I see my beautiful, sweaty, daughter in her typically position at the counter...

When your mixture is about 2/3's or 3/4's of the way absorbed, add the final 3 cups of warm liquid. In my case, broth. Continue to stir and do whatever you need to do (in my case now, I was prepping the pork for the grill and getting my oils and other equipment ready). Remember, don't walk away from it - it will change or boil over and you may not be able to fix it. Trust me...


This is about what it should be looking like as you're beginning to stand over it more and more. Keep stirring until you have a wonderful gluten-tacky flavorful dish. A little past this point (I kind of forgot to keep taking pictures at this point - that's how focused I was), you add in your parmesan cheese, about 1-1.5 C parmesan cheese. Allow it to melt into the creamyness. Oh! I almost forgot, at this point, you've hardly got any heat on you pan or you can burn the bottom of it. This is about all you want - so it's easy enough to warm and incorporate all that you're adding in but not so much to still be cooking it all!

Today, I added in a bag of thawed, frozen peas (2C?) and some garlic powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper (all to taste).

As I said earlier, normally I would add in some mushrooms and some kind of meat but since we were having pork chops with this meal, I figured we'd all just cut it up and mix it together!

See that ooey-gooey-ness?!? That's right...dinner time!

Couscous Pilaf


Ingredients:
2Tbl Olive Oil (flavored or not)
2Tbl Butter
2 Cups Large Couscous
4 Cups Milk, warmed
3 Cups Broth, warmed
2 Cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2tsp Paprika
1Tbl Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper (to taste)
2 Cups Peas

Directions:

Heat Olive Oil over medium-high heat in large pan.
Add butter, melt.
Mix in Couscous, coating with oil and butter mixture.
Add in Milk and stir, almost constantly, until 2/3 of the way incorporated.
Add in Broth and mix until almost completely incorporated.
Over low heat, mix in Parmesan Cheese until completely melted.
Add in Red Pepper Flakes, Paprika and Garlic Powder.
Add in S&P to taste.
Fold in Peas (don't mash them) until evenly incorporated.

Family Yearbooks...

I love photos - when I was a child, I wanted to be a National Geographic Photographer. It was my dream to travel to exotic places and shoot warm gatherings and celebrations and be a part of something that brought this enormous world into the hands of anyone who reached for that yellow bound magazine. In 1995, National Geographic published an article about the rough life that their photographers lead - always traveling, no family or broken homes, etc. I remember thinking that I wanted to have a family more than I wanted to take fabulous photos. I've kept that issue as a reminder. 


Then, I did photojournalism for 4 years (through college, bi-weekly and daily newspapers) and loved it! I realized that I couldn't make a career out of it the day I was sent out the door to take a photo of a professor who had suffered a heart attack while teaching. I stood there, frozen, watching as this respected man was at his most vulnerable and I couldn't shoot anything. I felt small and it felt disrespectful. 


It was then, I realized I was the wrong girl for that job. I still get choked up when I think about that day; my dream of being a photographer professionally died right there on the sidewalk of my college. It was only the second time I had been asked to shoot something so painful and lonely for someone and both time, I became so overcome with emotion that it was difficult to do my job (the first one was after the trial of a man that had killed his ex-girlfriend - they went to my school - and we were getting statements from her parents. They looked so exposed.).


Since I got my first camera (a 110mm) when I was 10 (I think), I've always been the one snapping pictures or seeing the world with a camera's eye (if I didn't have one on me, thinking that would be a great shot, ohh...that, too!). My mom would ask me to hold her camera and when she got the film developed, she'd hand me a bunch of images saying, I assume these are yours?!? Whoops...


I love to capture memories and I love to look back at it all - I journal and am allowed to remember that girl I once was and pictures allow me to see the more physical side of that. I base my cell phone purchases on which phone has the best camera because carrying around my camera isn't always an option. It's a part of my life and I love what has come from it.


I found a wonderful company that makes books for you, of whatever you want to fill them with (recipes, stories, photos, blog pages, etc.) called My Publisher. I LOVE THEM!!! I've tried a few different companies and never got past the design process with them. I'm done exploring, I've found my counterpart for my memories. 


For the past three years, I've been making family yearbooks for the kids and they adore them! My mom used to put images into books for my sister and I - I remember pouring over them whenever I could. Then, my sister had kids. Her first born has, I think, two books for his first year of life; the next has part of one book and I don't even think that she began a book for her youngest. It's difficult to find the time to look over all the photos from the year and then place them on a page that you've made pretty. I know some people really enjoy scrapbooking and more power to you...it is NOT for me!


My kids get the same book (and I make one for Bill and I, too) - I make them for Christmas and they are the gift they all wait for. My books begin with November each year and end with October (typically Halloween). They are kind of expensive at full price. Since I get a book for each of them and one for Bill and I, that's 5 books, so I just wait for a wonderful deal (buy 1 get 1 free, 40% off, 50% off) and that makes it more do-able. 


Some things I like about My Publisher:

• You download the software onto your computer so you don't have to be on-line to work with it. 
• You can arrange and re-arrange before placing them onto the pages. 
• When you place an image, it disappears from the list of choices (if you want the image in more than one place, you need to upload it twice). 
• They also keep your books on digital file so you can always re-order or share you books with others and allow them to order.
• You have a ton of choices for the cover (we always go with the linen cover in a different color each year), linen, hard back, dust jacket, etc.
• You can mix and match your book to suite your personal needs - as a year book I like to have text, images, etc. Someday, I'll make the cookbook that my kids are begging for.
• You can also make personal stationary or cards and canvas printed pictures

An additional note (I forgot to add this in before I posted it so I'm making the update now): a lot of times, a year of photos can feel completely overwhelming so I've devised a system that really works for us! I have a general Photos Folder; inside, I have a folder labeled 2012; inside that, are folders for each month. This is a lot of folders and I know it's not recommended to do this but it works for me. Inside each monthly folder I have one folder labeled that month and book (i.e. July - Book) other folders in that month are for birthday's, trips, holiday's, etc. - typically, if an event has more than 10 images that I like, I'll make a folder for that, too. Oh, I also create a folder called random in each month (for all those odds and ends). I do all this at the beginning of the new year. It takes a minute but once it's complete, I can dump my photos in the monthly folder and then worry about labeling and foldering them later!

At the end of each month, I go through each set of folders and choose the images I like for the book. I highlight them and then copy them into the book folder. Once I'm ready to begin the book making for that year (which I begin in the Spring - because I enjoy it - but don't really work on consistently until late fall - because I never make the time before then), I have the images ready to download and play with. It's an extra step but let's face it, if you were to just organize your images into monthly folders, you'd be better off than just dumping them into a random folder so it's all good! This ends the additional note...

It really works well for me and I like that it is so versatile so to fit anyone's needs (common needs, I'd say). I was hoping to link one of my books to the blog so you can see it but I can't seem to figure out how to make that happen so I'll just take a few photos from our books and load them here so you can see some of the fun layout options and themes, etc. that I've chosen to use.

Some of our books - the top has a dust jacket and the bottom two are linen covers with a photo of us, from that year.

Two different collage styles - these are from the same outing (facing pages)
but I was able to give a little more attention to the three images on the right
page - making them stand out as a favorite from that day.

Another collage page - this time, I used a background image with a filter over
it as to not take away from the others - sometimes the cropped images make it
difficult to choose what pictures go there but I like the feel of the pages this way.

This one, from Thanksgiving, I dig because I put a photo of the table - set
with all the goodies - as the background (how else are you going to use a
shot like that) and just highlighted the pictures of the family enjoying themselves.

This one, I like because it shows Christmas morning, with the kids having
opened their yearbooks.

These two pages are from the blizzard we had - fun images of the clean-up (snow removal) with the kids enjoying themselves. I've put in some information at the bottom about how much snow fell, the dates and information on the other heavy snowfalls / blizzards on past record. I think it will help the kids remember how big of a deal this was for our area for a few days. 

This time, the background image was just as important as the others and it
wasn't super distracting, to me, so I allowed it to make a statement.

One day out - the one image was so great that I wanted to highlight it but
the other images weren't strong enough to carry a page alone.

From my first book. Simple black, white and gray backgrounds with information
which will remind me of that time and who the people are (and what they meant
to me). This is my shortest book.

I like to flank the book with images of our home and a quote about family
(beginning) and, in this book, any changes that affected the landscape.

A fun way to recap the holiday process (carving and day-of festivities).

A fun use of photos that aren't so great but that would be lost or sloppy looking on another page, all mixed up. 

Lots of text on this page - This is from Father's Day and the kids made little
cards that each listed reasons they loved Bill. Bill has them in a jar but just
in case, I've got them all listed on the page, too!

A day out hiking and while there are lots of images with people, it's the natural shots that we loved the most. Pages can have just images or text and images.

A page for my memories - I get to ride these woods on a regular basis but it's
not always as beautiful as it was on this particular day. A good reminder of a great day!

I don't know about you, but I like pictures of mundane every-day things. I don't enjoy looking at photos of holidays and vacations and nothing else - that's not what makes up our lives. I use these books as a way to remember both the big things (holidays, etc.) and the little things (that silly magic show the kids put on or how great our garden looked or that walk around town that led us to the park where the kids all went down the slide at the same time). This what is magical for me and these images and books help me hold my memories.


Yes, I talk about My Publisher a lot throughout this post but the bottom line for me is for you to take some action and start putting these memories on paper for you and your loved ones!