Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Reunion book

We got the reunion books last night. I was so excited and I opened the first one up to take a look and was so disappointed! They pictures were so dark. I almost couldn't see some of the pictures. The text also had a shadow behind the words and just looked awful. The grey we chose as the background was really dark and you almost couldn't see the black writing.

We wrote to Blurb thinking that they wouldn't do anything for us but that we needed to complain. We explained that the book looked way different than the preview and that we were very disappointed. They responded in just a matter of seconds and apologized for the quality and offered to reprint four of them (two of them were ok) and to ship them to us for free. They also offered to email us a shipping sticker so that we could ship the four books back.

We are very sad that we have to wait longer but we are very happy at how quickly they responded and that they are willing to reprint them for us. The two that turned out ok look really great and I'm really excited for you all to get them once the new ones come.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Here comes Santa Claus!


Christmas is a week away now. What are you doing this year? Are you ready? Have you given your list to the big fat man?? Here are Braden and Tyson visiting with Santa. Mikayla and Jacob refused to.
I have been having way too much fun shopping this year. I love buying and giving gifts!! The kids have been doing chores to earn money so they can buy gifts out of "Mommy's Store". I have some little things that they can buy to give to each other. I am not sure who has more fun with this, me or them.
I have done much baking and taking of treats to friends and neighbors. Another thing I love to do. We have finished all the peanut butter cups and will need to make more. Do you all make these? What treats do you make? We also made English toffee, chocolate creme cookies, turtles in a pretzel tree, hug and kiss pretzels, gingerbread men, almond roca, peppermint bark and merry berry bars. I am planning to do some little popcorn balls next week.
As for decorating, we have a little fake tree, little as in under 6 feet. I put it up on some cinder blocks to make it bigger. We got it for $5 and decided to not spend any more on a better tree. Maybe next year. The kids had a great time putting on the ornaments. Mike didn't even rearrange them when they went to bed. I was shocked. We also put up icicles and lights around the windows. We set up our nativities. We are planning to do a live nativity for family night this week. Are you also doing this??
I have some wrapping to do, which I enjoy doing. I have LOTS of cleaning to do, which I don't enjoy doing (and I just might not do it!!)
What traditions are you doing with your family? We have decided to do the live nativity, like I mentioned, and we are going to try and do a puzzle together each year (a big one, not a 25 piecer), we like to drive around and look at lights, and this year we gave some gifts to a family in the ward that is not doing well financially. I really liked that, it felt good!
I just really like Christmas. I wish we could all be together one year, but don't see that happening any time soon. Maybe some day we could all come together the week after Christmas and share some fun traditions together.
Anyway, I will stop rambling on, but I'd really like to hear what you all are up to in your Christmas preparations/plans, it makes you seem closer. Love you all!!

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Hi Everybody,

I just watched the 1st Presidency's Christmas Devotional, and as at every year was touched by the wonderful talks they give and the spririt they bring to the season. I tried to think of traditions that we had in my home as a child during Christmas, and, whether because we didn't really have many (any?) or because my memory is not good, I can't think of any except decorating the Christmas tree. Every year we would get a real tree, and we would decorate it with Mom. I don't remember if Dad participated or not, and I don't remember doing much myself, except I would help Mom hang the icecicles. Icecicles were made of aluminum foil in those days, and they had to be hung just so on our tree. Mom made them hang beautifuly - long and streaming up and down nearly every branch, reflecting the many colored lights and christmas bulbs that were also on the tree. I'm sure that after we all went to bed, Mom would go back and rehang many of the icecicles we kids had hung to make them look better. It was as if the trees had long silver hair that had been brushed and brushed until it glowed warm and serene. Our trees were always beautiful, and I was impressed with the care that Mom put into them, I think because it was her gift to the family and to the Savior, both of which she loved so much. Sometimes I really miss my Mom and Dad.

I'm sorry we didn't build any real family traditions for you kids to remember as you were growing up. Your Mom wanted to, but I was always to busy or thought they were silly. I did go along with reading the story in Luke every year, and we still do that. Thank you Carol, for being persistent in helping me to read to the kids and you, and now to you and me, every year.

I hope you kids will make the time and establish wonderful traditions of service, love, compassion, and worship with your beautiful families that you repeat each Christmas season, so they will learn and always remember, and when they have families of thier own, be able to teach their children about their family traditions, developed around the greatest gift ever given, that of the birth, life, and sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I love you all so very much, and am so happy with you, your families, and the lives you live, the examples you set. Your Mom and I could not have been more blessed than to have you children and your children in our lives. May you all have the joy that comes with loving each other, holding your families close, making sacrifices for each other, and preparing together for exaltation and eternal life, for that is what it is all about, after all.

Love,

Dad

Monday, December 01, 2008

explanation

Ok, here is an explanation.

1. I need help with labeling. I am not sure I remember the order everything went in. If something is out of order, let me know. Do you want me to label everything, most things, somethings? Mike had the suggestion that under each family picture we label each person and then we don't have to label everything. If someone forgets who someone is, you can just flip to the front and see. Also, if you notice, some pages have a big space of white. That is for labeling. I tried to leave one page at the beginning of each new activity for labeling (take a look at the beginning of the beach pictures with the one with Layla in the sand). Some other pages have places for labeling and that is because I couldn't get it to format better than that. I can either label those pages or leave them with the white space.

2. I thought it might be nice if anyone who wanted to would write something--like a favorite memory or something. For instance, I have no idea what happened at Hersey park. So, it would be nice to have some input on what happened or what you want to go along with the pictures (did I put the right pictures in there?).Jessie suggested we add recipes from the reunion. I think that is a fun idea. If we want to include recipes I need to know what recipes you want added (Jessie's dip, Laura's meatballs, etc.) and I also need to have the recipe. If you want to write a memory or something I need to have those in about a week or so. You can post it on the blog or email me.

3. Does anyone feel they are over/underrepresented? I tried to make the pictures equal but might not have. Is there a favorite picture you want included that I didn't put in? Do you want a different family picture?

4. As it stand right without adding or subtracting any pages it is between $25-$38 depending on if you want softcover, hardcover, or image-wrap. I can put as many or as few pictures in it as you would like. The price per page goes down the more pages you put in. If we get over 80 pages it is between $30-$45 (it is that price from 81-120 pages). Here is the link to the prices http://www.blurb.com/create/book/pricing#standard-portrait

Ok, that's all I can think of. Is there something else I forgot? Oh yeah. There is one more thing. The slide cut some of the pictures off a little. That won't happen in the book.