A Helping Hand

From Katie the Scarpbook Lady via Ali Edwards Azine

A MONTHLY ROUNDUP
Questions to answer

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
What special days did I celebrate and how?
What gifts did I give and/or receive?
What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
What special or unusual purchases did I make?
What were this month's disappointments?
What were my accomplishments this month?
Anything else noteworthy to record?

Then do some (or all) of the following tasks to keep you organized and ready to scrap (and enjoy!) your memories. I don't do every task each month, but this is a good checklist for me to reference to be sure I am keeping things in order.

Pictures & layouts:
Back up all digital pictures and layouts to a cd
Print out any digital layouts created during the month and put them in albums.
Uploaded all digital pictures to 2 different sites. ( I use Sony Image Station & Costco photo center)
Send email links to online photo albums to your family or friends who might enjoy them or send a picture cd, or picture attachments. Share your memories!
Get your pictures printed out and put into simple photo sleeve albums.
If you use film, be sure you get all your pictures developed and file your negatives in a safe place. If possible, I would suggest you get a picture cd along with your developing.
Put finished paper scrapbook layouts in sheet protectors and albums to enjoy.

For bloggers - print out my blog entries to keep in a binder. My blog(s) really are like a journal and I was thinking that it would be nice to have hard copy to keep. I know some people back up their blog files which is probably a good idea. I copy and paste each entry into a word document, label the document with the month and year and then print it all at once.

Scrapbooking Supplies:
For digital scrappers:download, unzip, and file all kits & fonts purchased. Save a preview image of each kit and keep it in a separate file for easy browsing. Back up all new purchases to cd or dvd in case of computer crash or to maximize your hard drive space.

For paper scrappers:
put away any new purchases.
Do you still have stuff in sacks sitting around? I know some of you do! Put it away in an organized system.

For all scrappers:
Look through what you have purchased recently and decide what you want to use. At the first of the month set some goals for scrapping (hint – use this same list of ideas as a goal sheet for the next month)
Sort through old supplies that no longer appeal to you. Donate them to a friend who can use them or a charity. My older supplies go to my daughter who happily uses them to create many fun projects. I have also donated some to charity.
Look through what supplies you did use during the month and think about what it is about them that appealed to you. This will help you make smarter purchases in the future.
Clean up your area! Whether that is getting your computer in tip top shape, or clearing off the piles on a table where you can sit and work.
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I liked this idea and thought I should start touse this blog for collecting my memories.

Today is Mother's Day and it has been wonderful. I have laid in bed catching up on Uni reading and have been waited on. After lunch, (Takeaway burgers and chips, a guilty pleasure) I took Rachel to see a stage production of High School Musical. We loved it. After asking if I could sing, rachel promptly told me no. During the performance, she sang every note. My heart swelled up. I have now organised to meet my associate teacher for my prac teaching stint starting next Monday and am feeling nervously excited. Everything seems to be falling into place. I'll Speak next week.