Inspired by

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1. The launch of Jessica Sprague's new Scrapbook Alchemy series. Online video classes teaching hybrid scrapbooking skills & projects. Jessica is a fantastic instructor who offers clear instructions and inspiring ways to look at and document our lives. Highly recommended.

2. Shutter Sisters new project: Picture Hope

3. Andrea's recent post titled What Is Real.

4. Melissa's use of my Today You Photobook layered templates to document her son's first year.

5. 20 Tips For Finding Your Routine With Kids at SimpleMom.net. I see she also just posted an entire menu plan for the month of April. Definitely been enjoying this site lately.

Dottedline 

Memory

[ July 2008 : Oregon Coast : Remember Word Art ]

Last night, after everyone had gone to bed and I was still up working on my column, I was struck once again as I was going through photos from 2008 at the wonder of life. I saw images of myself and our family over the course of the year as we all grew and changed and got ready to welcome person number four.

Photos really are one of my personal treasures. I feel so very lucky to be able to take photos, even the imperfect ones (which I happen to enjoy even more at times), and to document the way in which we live our lives.

So many memories captured as the shutter simply clicks away. Moments frozen in time.

It's time to get printing once again.

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35 thoughts

  1. Angie says…
    03/31/2009

    I feel the same way. I live far away from my family and some of the best presents I get are pictures of their daily life. Even though I'm not near, it is great to be able to see the changes that are happening...Or on the flip side, I feel relieved to see things have stayed the same and will be waiting for me when I get home.

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. Nicky from Canada says…
    03/31/2009

    I am in true agreement with you - photos and quilts are my most treasured pieces of life and family.
    I just can't get enough of the them and they always bring me such joy.
    Have a great day.

    Reply 0 Replies
  3. tara pakosta says…
    03/31/2009

    photos are my treasure too and lately i find myself more drawn to the simple, blurry, dark imperfect shot. many times i wanted my film camera back. i am going to hunt one down and go back to film for a bit. i miss it...i also miss getting those prints back asap and not having to pick and choose to order. i haven't ordered ANY since october 2008! that's so unlike me!!!
    where do you order from?! any sales going on?
    tara

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  4. Jenny says…
    03/31/2009

    I know what you mean about photos. Lately I have just been leaving my camera on auto so I can snap the photo and get back to being involved in the memory. Who cares if it's perfect...if it captures the moment and is able to help you remember then it's done its job.

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  5. Shelly Kettell says…
    03/31/2009

    Thanks for sharing. I NEED to print my photos! This digital world has my pictures lost on a computer...who do you recommend to print photos? I live in a small town now and there really are no options here.
    Thanks! And I loved that photo of you and Simon!

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. Rachel of rachelcoxdesigns says…
    03/31/2009

    Ali -
    As always, thank you for sharing. I was wondering, considering you take as many photos as you do, do you also feel the need to capture home movies of Simon and Anna as they grow - or do you think the photos capture it all? I'm more of a photog - I take hundreds and hundreds... but I find myself still wishing I'd had a camera this entire time to get video of my son singing or my daughter walking.
    Thoughts?
    Rachel Cox
    www.rachelcox.blogspot.com

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. Stephanie T says…
    03/31/2009

    I cannot agree with you more about Jessica Sprague. Her classes are fantastic! Highly recommended!

    Reply 0 Replies
  8. Melissa says…
    03/31/2009

    Ali,
    Thanks for linking to my photo book! I've received so many wonderful comments from people who have seen it in person.
    This post reminds me that I need to take more pictures; there are so fewer photos now that I've gone back to work. Must remember to get back to taking the everyday shots.

    Reply 0 Replies
  9. Lee Anne says…
    03/31/2009

    Thanks for the info from simplemom.net. I've never seen that site before and it looks like something I'll love.

    Reply 0 Replies
  10. Katie says…
    03/31/2009

    love that memory word art. And yes, it's time for me to get printing again, too.

    Reply 0 Replies
  11. Kristin Rutten says…
    03/31/2009

    Thanks for sharing Andrea's post ... it really hit home, almost as if she was in my head. Which brings me to another question - you always seem to find so many wonderful and insightful places to point us to. How do YOU do this without spending hours and hours online?? If I let myself (and my kids cooperated), I could literally sit at the computer all day long and not run out of stuff that interests me. How do you find balance?

    Reply 0 Replies
  12. Ali Edwards says…
    03/31/2009

    I order from scrapbookpictures.com. Love the quality and they are based in Oregon which I like too. I completely agree about getting the prints back asap - it takes me so much more time now to select, upload, etc because I take SO many more and don't want to print them all (we really don't need 20 of the same/similar shot of Simon eating breakfast).

    Reply 0 Replies
  13. Ali Edwards says…
    03/31/2009

    Try http://www.scrapbookpictures.com or http://www.shutterfly.com. Scrapbookpictures.com is who I order from the most.

    Reply 0 Replies
  14. Ali Edwards says…
    03/31/2009

    I have often thought of this too Rachel (was thinking it as I was watching Anna smile on her changing table yesterday). We don't take many home movies - we have just a few and none of them are when Simon was an infant/baby. I have one of those little Flip cameras and have just never gotten in the habit of using it - maybe I will pull it out today.
    Overall, the photos are just fine with me :).

    Reply 0 Replies
  15. Kristin Rutten says…
    03/31/2009

    I'm so glad I'm not the only one ... I have literally 2500-3000 photos (2+ years worth) I want to print that are stuck on my computer and I was starting to feel like I would NEVER get them printed because of the time and $$$ involved. So I decided in January that I would commit to printing at the end of each month - the current month and also working on the backlog. So far, so good ... and it feels so much better to have those prints in my hands and in albums!

    Reply 0 Replies
  16. Ali Edwards says…
    03/31/2009

    Balance is something I am constantly working towards. I do spend a chunk of time online but it as a part of my job/part of my daily work (blog posting, writing, emails, etc). Over the last six years I have developed a great network of people & sites who inspire me and lead me to all kinds of cool places (that helps cut down the time quite a bit).

    Reply 0 Replies
  17. Melissa Rydjeski says…
    03/31/2009

    Thanks for turning us on to Simple Mom. Most of my kids are older, but I know I'll use a lot of her ideas--especially the menu planning. Thanks!

    Reply 0 Replies
  18. Nicky says…
    03/31/2009

    Your post is really resonating with me today. I love the layout and the quote. So meaningful as I approach the anniversary of my dad's death from Alzheimer's. I can't imagine living without memories. Photos inspire me..to create, to experience, to remember, and even to lose weight! We just bought a Flip video camera and are enjoying it. I don't see the value of the video's right now but I'm sure that in years to come, I will appreciate them more.

    Reply 0 Replies
  19. Michelle says…
    03/31/2009

    I hear ya, Ali. Thanks for the inspiration today. =) My husband told me just last night as I browsed pictures from 2002, "You are addicted to photos." And I happily said, "Why, yes, yes I am." Photos are snippets of life, and I am indeed addicted to life. ;-)
    I LOVE your use of your word art lightened like that. My first thought on the light background would have been darker for it to stand out, but it looks sweeter and more subtle that way. Beautiful. I love to see you using your products like this---don't stop, it's inspiring and wonderful!

    Reply 0 Replies
  20. alexandra says…
    03/31/2009

    Thanks for reminding us of the simple beauty of photos - one of my ambitions is to get more photos printed and framed for our home.
    I also love the Simple Mom blog - seems like I'm always marking the blog posts with 'keep new' on bloglines - lots of great topics and info over there.
    And... so in love with your banner - absolutely fabulous!
    A.

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  21. Amy O says…
    03/31/2009

    Thanks for the great link to Simple Moms Web site. I'm loving this!

    Reply 0 Replies
  22. Jenna says…
    03/31/2009

    I love that menu planner for the month! So great! I love they separated the days into a type of food, something to look forward to everyday! What great structure for Simon too!

    Reply 0 Replies
  23. Linda Beeson says…
    03/31/2009

    Wow, the words on the photo like that are just wonderful!

    Reply 0 Replies
  24. julie says…
    03/31/2009

    Hi Ali
    that's a great picture of you, Simon and Lily at the beach. Just wondering how Lily is adjusting to having Anna.
    luckily, I'm pretty consistent and up to date at printing my pictures. now I just need to go through the recent 4x6's and get some enlarged and up on the wall.
    julie
    ps - love the new blog look/layout

    Reply 0 Replies
  25. Miriam Molloy says…
    03/31/2009

    Thank you for the link to the menu planning. Lots of great recipes there. We don't have kids yet, but because we work shift work getting meals on the table is a challenge! You always give great links.

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