Baby Steps Forward and 2016 Week in the Life

***Warning, this post is picture heavy.

I've made some progress. Tiny little baby steps. But for me, a huge victory.

I figured out how to get photos from my iPhone onto our Mac. Yay me... [I'm sure any and all Mac users out there are thinking.... Whaaaaat? It's sooooooo easy!] We have a convoluted history, and many different apple products, all under different user names. To a non-technical person [ME] it's terribly confusing. Mason keeps telling us, to MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT APPLE for heaven's sake... FIX IT! I'm convinced that if we do go in, they'll confiscate all of our devices.  If we're lucky, maybe give us back an old fashioned flip phone, and tell us to give our heads a shake.

I'm sure I could have easily transferred photos by simply plugging my iPhone into my Mac.  But I have a secret. Shhhhh... Come close, I'll tell you what it is. Closer... I haven't updated my phone for months. MONTHS. It sends me a friendly reminder almost every day. Which I politely decline, by hitting the button that says Remind Me Later... And the poor phone does remind me. Daily. But I just keep ignoring it.

Now I've got myself into the position, where all the photos on my PC are no longer accessible, and I've got over 2500 photos on my phone. Yes, you read right, 2500 pictures, ON MY PHONE.

Perhaps, you can now understand my hesitation... I don't want to lose anything.  So of course, I'm apprehensive to plug my phone into the computer. What if, I plugged in my phone into the Mac and it forces me to update, and I lose all my photos. That would suck. Royally.

I finally had a few hours this afternoon, and started googling things. Then I got brave, and tried a few things. Then I actually used this Mac [that we've had since January] for something other than checking out pinterest... So, I've now got a bunch of photos downloaded, and at least feel like I'm one baby step closer to getting back on track.

I'm obviously going to need to download a new version of PSE, but I'm one its-bitsy step closer. I'm at least headed in the right direction.

I'm sharing the mini album I created for this years Week in the Life, back in May.

I think I mentioned, in a previous post, that this was the first time in many years that I had little desire to play along with a week in the life. My DSLR had been [and still is] acting up on me. I hated the idea of taking a bunch of photos and then losing them, or not being able to access them. So, for the first time ever, I played along with a week in the life, using nothing but my iPhone.

I have seen a few scrapbook gals using a simple 4x4 format. Specifically, I'd seen this one from Stephanie Bryan. It super simple. It's super easy. It was right up my alley.

I knew I would regret not documenting our week. I also knew I didn't want to go to a ton of work.

This is the end result. There is still the repetitive nature I love. Each day has two 4x4 sized photos, one at the beginning of the day, the other signifying the end of the day. Sandwiched between those are multiple 2x2 sized photos, in a 4x4 page protector. I have journaled a few sentences for each day, pertaining to the 2x2 photos. I did this during one of my 'sleepless nights'. That however, is a post for another time, sadly it happens on more occasions than I appreciate. I put the photo portion of this little album together between the hours of 1 and and 5 am, and sent it off to Costco to be printed. I'm glad I did that, or they too would be sitting on our PC.

I'm super happy with how it turned out. [On another sleepless night, I updated the kids school albums for grades 5 and 8. Sadly I didn't send them to Costco... Grrr...] #somadatmyself

Here is this years Week in the Life, short and sweet, and filled with a smattering of memories.

Years from now, I might look back and wish I'd included more 'tidbits'. That I'd been more informative. Journaled more. More this. More that. However, I did it. I played along. I took photos. I documented our week, in the simplest manner. I don't regret this format at all. In fact, maybe I've even taken away something from it...

Let's face it, a picture takes you right back...

PL2016 - Week 24

Well, we're still no closer to having the computer situation figured out, and to say that I'm beginning to freak out a little bit, is an understatement. This is the very last project life page I had put together, sent to Costco to be printed and saved on the computer.

Now as the days go by, I get further and further behind... Eeks.

I hate feeling further and further behind.

Here is Week 24, which goes back to the beginning of June. Back to when we had the entire summer looming before us.

Ride your bike to school day happened, Mad was thrilled to ride her bike to school. It also happened the same day as safety buddies, so we needed to be at school by 8:20. Miss Libby gets a wash in the puppy wash station. It's so darn convenient to bath her in a huge sink. She hates it, but I love it.
Weird cloud formations seemed to surround us for most of the summer. My first day of work... [Note to self, don't ever start a job again, at the beginning of June, when you have the whole summer looming in front of you...] It's a downer. Celebrating Ama's birthday with a high tea date. Mason at his last scout camp of the season. He loved using the potato gun.

Sahlin Studio Product Used:

Everyday Routine - Elements
Everyday Routine Journal Cards

Random Rambles and PL2016 Week 23

I'm not computer savvy. 

My computer is still dead. 

I may have quietly drank myself to the point of numbness, every single day, for the first week after said 'computer' went caput... [Is that even a word?]

Please don't judge... I did what I knew at the time... When I know better, I'll do better...

Then we were off camping for a week. No need for a computer in the woods. 

We came home smelling like campfire, and my sweetie quickly got into the role of Best Man, which lasted for what seemed, the entire long weekend.  Barry definitely had other fish to fry. Fixing a computer that he uses maybe 3 times a year, wasn't on his radar. The wedding was over and his duties, finally, came to an end.  

Kids then headed back to school, Grades 6 and 9 respectively. Once we had the first days of school under our belts, and the first ringette practice taken care of,  I casually mentioned, "Perhaps we could take steps to have someone look at our dead computer..." 

"Oh yeah...." was his response. 

I'm no longer drinking heavily. That stopped abruptly on September 6th. [Along with snacking...] One has to start off the school year with a level head you know. 

I've come to terms with the fact that I have lost stuff between January and August of 2016. Maybe I'll get it back. Maybe I won't. Thankfully, because Barry got me a new iPhone 6 for Christmas, I have all the pictures I've taken since our trip to Mexico back in April. So there are good things too. 

All of this wouldn't matter so much, but I love my photos. They are what I would grab from a burning building. Well, photos and my kids. Wait, photos, kids, photos, little dog, jewelry, passports, pictures on walls... You get my drift. 

Any way, I had uploaded a few weeks to the Lily Pad prior to computer failure. I then thought, maybe I can get those photos from that website onto my blog... And by George, I did it...

So without further adieu, here's week 23: 

This was the week of outdoor school. They were gone 2 full nights, and slept in Teepee's. Too say that Madelyn was excited would be an understatement. A quick group shot of the walking ladies. 10 out of 14 is a pretty good turnout. Madelyn painting a mug for her Dad for Father's Day. The little garden bed at the front of the house was beautiful with lilies/iris' this spring. Yet ANOTHER trip to the Vet with Miss Libby. A photo of us pulling our new tent trailer home. A family bike ride through fish creek park, on a day that couldn't have been nicer. 

So there you have it!!

All digital product used was from Sahlin Studio.

Reflections - Journal Cards and Elements as well as 3x4 Photo templates.