My Memories Software Giveaway

 

You may recall I gave away a copy of this cool digital scrapbook software a few months ago on a website called www.MyMemories.com. It is extremely easy to use. It comes with lots of album templates. You can just choose your pictures and the software will add them to the albums they already have created. Or you can do what I did in the Wedding Album I created and loaded below and start with one of their templates changed the colors, and added a few embelishments. What in the past would have usually taken me several hours to complete took me just over an hour and most of that time was spent choosing what pictures to use.

You can also purchase additional scrapbook kits to use with the software if they don't have what you are looking for, but I found plenty of options for what I needed.

They have generously offered to let me give away a free copy of their software to 1 of my readers. Just visit www.mymemories.com and browse around. Then come back to my comments and tell me your favorite digital paper pack or layout.  I will assign each comment a number and will randomly draw a number.  The person who made that comment will receive a code to download the software totally free.

If you aren't lucky enough to win the contest you can use my code to receive $10 off of your purchase of the My Memories Suite V3. The code is: STMMMS70839

UPDATE: The winner of the free My Memories software is Paula Anderson.

Thanksgiving = Family

I feel like there is something I need to say today, but I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts together well enough to express it.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. My mind runs like a movie reel back over all the Thanksgivings I have had. The recent ones don't even really play out, it's the ones of years gone by that I have the most vivid memories of. I remember the year Grandma was in the hospital and I spent the night before Thanksgiving sleeping in her room and got to bring her home on Thanksgiving in time to have our usual dinner at her house. I remember when she use to do all the work and prepare a huge meal. My family would go over to her house on Wednesday night and carry the tables in from the garage and set the tables. I remember how happy I was the year we finally convinced her we could use plastic plates and still have a nice meal. Therefore shortening the time us kids would have to stand around in the sweltering kitchen cleaning up from dinner, taking turns washing the dishes and rearranging the fridge 5 times to try and fit more food inside it. I remember when Grandma got too frail to do it anymore, but still wanted to so badly. How we divided up the meal and still had the same dinner at her place each year until she was gone. Getting up early and going over and helping her with the rolls because she was determined she could still do them. It meant so much to her to fix a nice dinner for her family to enjoy.

By the time dinner was ready her house would be so hot. The front kitchen window would be steamed over with water droplets running down it. Sometimes even the big front room windows would have condensation on them. She never thought it was too warm. When Grandma wasn't looking we would turn the thermostat way down, open the doors, and crack the windows in a desperate attempt to get some cool air circulating. There were years we fit 40 people in that small space and everyone had a place to sit. After living there I don't know how we ever accomplished that.

After dinner the men would take over the TV Room and "watch football" which meant have a nap. The ladies would gather in the front room and go through the newspaper and chat for hours. Ideas would be thrown out of things we could go and do, yet we rarely ever got up the gumption to actually go and do anything. Thanksgiving means family to me. Time spent together with family we didn't often see. It was the one holiday of the year when we would see my uncle and other family that we rarely ever spent time with.

Marlee and Marijka don't have these memories, they don't remember the things I do about Thanksgiving and that makes me a little sad.

We were to spend the holiday with Kyle's family in Mesa, Arizona this year. I was looking forward to the opportunity to get to know them better, see their home, and spend some time with my nieces and nephews. At the last minute the trip was cancelled and we are disappointed. But we still have family and thanksgiving dinner here to enjoy so we'll be okay.

This post didn't even end up going the direction my thought were, so apparently I had something different to say than what is on my mind. I hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving and get to spend it with friends and family you love.

I Still Believe!

I recently read Lisa Wingate’s new book, “Larkspur Cove.” I love her writing and eagerly await my turn on the library hold list to read her latest novel. I always take away something from what she has written.

In this last book she talks about how, “Building a life is a little like planning a road trip. You travel mile by mile, each depending on the last. It’s hard to end up where you planned to be if there are flaws in the map, and the more you look, the more you realize there have been gaps all along, and at this point you are hopelessly off the course you wanted/planned to be on.”

It’s logical at this point to ask now what? To throw your hands up into the air and yell, “Could this day get any worse! Could this week, this year, this…anything possibly get any worse?”

In my case the answer is YES! Yes it can and is probably going to, sooner rather than later so you may as well just expect it.

So the lesson I am taking from this book is that I have got to take my chances as they are. God gives what he gives, and only he knows why. If I am smart, and I believe I am relatively intelligent I will open the gift while it is on the table. Enjoy it. Be thankful for it. Live every minute of it while it’s happening. Even if it’s not the gift I want or expect. Stop looking ahead. Stop looking back. Stop. Look around.

I didn’t just end up here. I’ve been brought here. Even my, what feels like weary, tattered faith knows we are never given a challenge without also being given the means to conquer it. I still believe that.

I still believe!

It’s too easy to focus on all the things that have and are going wrong in my life, that sometimes I don’t see how truly blessed I am in my life. I feel I often miss the tender mercies.

Even when I’ve been in the deepest despair, when I thought I was lost in the darkness, I’ve never been alone. God is here, even when I can’t see Him, can’t hear His call, or feel his presence I know He is always by my side.

That is what gives me the strength to get up every morning and start a new day. I won’t lie, some days it is much easier than others. And some days I don’t make it up when I should, but I’m still trying and for me that is what counts. How well will I do with the lesson taught in this book only time will tell.

Christmas is Coming!

Let Me Take The Stress

out of Your

Holiday Shopping This Year

Purchase a package shown below of place an order of $20 or more and I will have your gift delivered to a location of your choice, beautifully wrapped, at no additional cost to you. Just go online and pick your warmer, scents, chocolate flavors, etc. and get with me to place your order. Orders must be placed through me in order to receive free shipping, wrapping, and delivery.

Kami's Scentsy Site

Kami's Velta Site

Contact Kami



Happy Halloween 2012

This year we celebrated Halloween the Saturday before with my family up in Cache Valley. My parents serve chili and cinnamon rolls every Halloween. Since Kyle and I would be in Salt Lake on Halloween we made them Saturday night.

Emily was out of town with her friends so her girls spent the night with us at Mom and Dad's Friday night. Saturday was the Newton Library witches storytime thing so we got the girls in their costumes and went out there.  At the last minute I decided to dress up with them and the kids all loved it. We met up with Kyle in Newton where he was helping put things away from deer camp. We brought Garrett and Abby home with us so Nat could clean up from the activity and then she came later. I sure love those 5 kids. They were so funny. Ella was cracking me up wearing my Dad's hat around.

It was a lot of fun and the kids had a blast. There are better pictures somewhere, but I don't have them right now.