The Family Photo Project (Unending!)

About 5 years ago, I was the beneficiary of lots of boxes of family pictures. When I added my own photos, the result was - literally - thousands of photos spanning 6 generations. And thus began my obsession: I would make a true "family story" and keep it under 150 pictures. Looking back, I would take back that decision - in a flash.

Step #1 - Sitting at the kitchen with boxes
Visualize a rainy Spring afternoon  in my kitchen, by the window, rain outside, with mountains of mixed up photos (some strangers!) around me. My husband, J. is in Tax and lives at the office from February through April. Our daughter, M, is away at school. So it's my pup, Harry, and me. As usual.



Step #2 - Fast forward two years
The pictures have been separated into Trash and Keepers. When I look at the hundreds of photos remaining, I decide to hide them in a dark closet again. It's overwhelming.

Step #3 - End of year three
My husband, J, found the boxes and offered to help. We spent a whole day sorting them by person. I bought a few cute storage boxes at TJ Maxx and put them on my home office book shelves. It beats the dark closet but they are daily reminders of my dithering and procrastination. Sigh.

Step #4 - Envelopes!
So now I have about 400 pics as "finalists" in labeled envelopes. Wow! I fool myself into thinking that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But the idea of finding a logical sequence is overwhelming. Once again, the boxes go back on the bookshelf (now in the envelopes).

Step #5 - Help from Groupon!
One day, I see an offer from BritePix.com. They'll make a great CD (digital) "book" from the pictures I send them. I sign up and pay for their service - so the project is finally "real." Only one problem: my arm won't reach out for the boxes of envelopes. Did I mention that I have come to hate this project?

Step #6 - End of May, 2012
I've sequenced and numbered all the pics I've chosen (about 150) and made divider pages to identify the separation of Generations. Can it be true that I'm ready?


I pack the pics very carefully and seal the container. Hubby takes it to UPS and it's gone. Gone. I'm panic-stricken as I see my little babies go out the door (some are 100 years old and can't be replaced).

Step #7 - Mid-June, 2012
The CD (with 12 copies for various family) and original pictures are back from BritePix. They've been very sweet and checked on lots of little things. But I'm afraid to open the box. No kidding. What it if's in the sequence? What if I've made mistakes? So I let it sit.

Step #7 - July 7, 2012
Happy Birthday to me! I finally open the box and slip the disc in the computer. It's a slide show. It's magnificent. Thank you so much BritePix. I show the CD to J and M - they love it. I send it to the relatives.

Step #8 - Now.
My aunt and uncle don't know how to open the CD and they live far away (Chicago and Florida).I am holding a knife to my throat, thinking about slitting it. Getting nearly 150 pics on a DVD made into an album is super-difficult and expensive. . It's not easy. In fact, I'm stuck again!!  

This is my Unending project. And my nightmare. Ideas anyone? I can't stand another year of it. I wish I could pay someone to figure it all out.

So the moral of the story is: run away from photo projects. All of them. What good can come of them?  

For now,
Ellen

Who would want to read my posts?

There are literally millions of blogs. And there are so many good ones - especially written by Moms. So what are unique things that I could offer readers? Other moms are "supermoms" who can juggle anything and everything. Many have mega-patience - especially homeschoolers!( I can't even imagine that level of dedication and smarts.) I pale in comparison.

My claim to fame (so to speak) is that I started a marketing/promotion business from a card table at home...then grew it into a business having major name-brand clients on all four coasts. I increased my billings from $30,000/year to $9 million/year (and had the overhead to show it with offices in 3 cities). Note: "billings" are a long way from "profit" - gross or otherwise. Still, it was formidable.

And then I sold it for a lot less than I could have if I'd waited. But I was seriously depressed (the super-sick kind) and finally, miserable. "Success" does not help most things. But I never worked for success - just income. Luckily, I had my wonderful husband and daughter for moral and mental support and survived with the help of a great psychiatrist.

Today I feel great. I kept a very few clients for myself and love them (and their work). I get to do all the things I wanted to do when I started the business - with no employees (vs. 25). But that's another subject.

As many as my talents may be or have been, I still have no unique things to say. The millions of bloggers ahead of me have said it all.

So that's why I call this my own little "cyberspace." It's not even a pinprick in the tapestry of blogs out there. But it's mine, right? Gotta love it! In the end, it doesn't matter whether people read my posts or not since I want no ads, rewards or admiration.

And that's as good as it gets.

Soaking in the true joy of Summer!

Are you a "Summer" or "Winter" person?


This is kind of a frivolous topic for a blog, I know. But I can't help but wallow in the joy that summer gives me. Even though I'm fully aware that (misguided) others prefer cold weather.


I grew up where it was very cold (Indiana) with most of my family nearby in Chicago. In both places, it got cold. Very cold. And stayed cold. A long time. Until the lilacs, dogwoods, peonies and greens of Spring finally came along to give me hope. For summer. No more boots, heavy coats, heavy pants, scarves, caps and sweaters. It was like losing 10 pounds overnight!


Of course, I always hoped that Autumn or "Fall" would never come. It always did. Leaves, pumpkins and cider are great in Indiana. But the dread (winter!) was too heavy to enjoy them.


So where did I go away to school? Michigan. Ann Arbor to be specific. Can you even believe it?My father was a big Big 10 person and that was that. So try to find a warm-weather school in the Big 10. How about Minnesota?


 I met my husband, John, at Michigan (which I did and do adore - Go Blue!). I call him my Knight in Shining Armor since he took me away to Dallas. Here, it's about 8 months of Summer.


And right now, as I look out through the green trees and landscape of my back yard, I feel nothing but gratitude. It's time to go out and water, trim and weed. It's a tiny price to pay for Paradise, right?


Happy weekend, everyone!


Ellen


p.s., Watch for my Crabtree & Evelyn Gardening Treats giveaway on Monday. It'll be right here!

Social Media Stress - Anyone?
I'm trying to remember a time before social media usurped all of our "extra" time and energy...and then some.\
Too many "big" things to learn!
The choices! What's most important to learn: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin, mobile apps - or Tumblr, Instagram, bit.ly, blogging and on and on. Are we caught up on all the latest items trending on YouTube? Is today the day to work on getting more Followers and Likes?


Holy cow! Do we really have enough "brain power" to learn all this stuff? Plus keep up home, family and jobs? I'm beginning to wonder.


As soon as we learn one thing...we're behind on a dozen more!
True. Just when you think you have the basics conquered, there's something new and great that's all the buzz. It can be an app (or a dozen!) or a gadget, it matters now. We add it to the mental list of "Gottas."


The time for all of this has to come from...?

Remember when kids looked up homework in libraries and encyclopedias? Or we found out new news in - yes! - a newspaper. Or we looked at pretty pictures and styles in magazines and enjoyed them?


Today, we and our kids just cruise around in cyberspace. A quick look-up of Topic A takes us into the black linkhole of Topics B, C, D and maybe all the way to Z. Maybe we didn't quite find the original topic, but we sure did "learn a lot." Right? Or not. And we must find the pretty pictures (fast!) because we have to get more Followers on Pinterest (really? more Followers?)


So we drag out the frozen dinners...or another round of mac 'n cheese. Instead of reading stories or walking, we catch up on twitter and facebook...and start another round of pinning. And so the time goes until we drag ourselves to bed at a later-than-wanted hour.


Turn up the speed on the virtual treadmill!
I never feel like I'm on top of anything these days. I'm weak on Pinterest...and hopeless on Instagram. I'm getting better on iPhone apps, but compared to what? There are a million apps (or something like that). I have a new Kindle Fire from Valentine's Day (TY dear hubby:-)...but no time to learn how to use it.


And I'm feeling guilty because I feel completely unproductive as in "Jack of all trades but master of none!"


What's the answer?
I don't know. Do you? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

Why I'm glad I opted out of @Klout

The Story: "The Emperor Wore No Clothes"
Does anyone remember this childhood story by Hans Christian Andersen? ( Story ) After spending a ton of money for real gold fabric and months of labor, the Emperor was sure he had the finest outfit ever made. He strutted down the street wearing it, and everyone said how fine he looked. But his subjects secretly snickered because he was wearing nothing at all! Over the months, they had all pretended that he was getting real fabric and thread and labor. 

What does @Klout "wear"?
I read (at least a year ago) that if you don't have a @Klout score of over 60, you'll be treated badly at the big hotels and restaurants in New York and Las Vegas. So I decided to get my score to 62 before my next trips to those cities. 


With great anticipation, I waited for the desk people at The Carlyle to mention - or ask for - my 62 score. They didn't. Further, when I asked if they wanted it, they looked at me like I had two heads! The next try at The Wynn (what a completely fabulous hotel, by the way) produced the same (non-) results!


Deciding that the @Klout was new, I gave it another year. But the effort to stay at 62 became increasingly difficult since I only have about 30 minutes/day for social media. Sadly, I have to work at my day job, too. I began to feel like a hamster on the proverbial treadmill!


Then it got even worse this past Fall. @Klout "demoted" me because they started using a new, "better"  "algorhythm." I fell to a 47!! Back to the drawing board: I began to "work" like crazy to get up to...a 52? Holy cow! So I became an addict...tweeting more and more and then checking my daily "score" to see if it had gone higher. It reminds me of when I used to go on diets: I'd get on the scale morning, noon and night hoping that the needle had moved in the right direction. It rarely did!


So gradually I had to stop and ask myself the question: "If I can get a better @Klout rating, what will I get?" Will it help me make more money? More friends? Or help me become happier or smarter?


No, no and no. @Klout may be important for the movie stars. But I'm no movie star. And in the great scheme of things, I am just a 37 in life (or lower because Hillary Clinton is a 37 and she's actually world-class fabulous!).


So I opted out last week and threw away the treadmill. I don't do anything social media-wise any differently...just less of it. And I love the freedom, the lack of (perceived) @klout criticism and implied "Do better!" admonishment. 


I'd love to know how others feel about this subject! Please share!


Ellen

Avoiding the Holiday "blues."

I've finally figured out why I don't particularly like or enjoy the Holidays. It's because of that sinking feeling I get when they're over - that "what do I do next?" panic.

First, there's all the buildup and self-inflicted belief that I should be having fun and enjoy the Christmas season. And then, in the blink of an eye, it's over. And I'm left with bills, extra weight, fatigue and a long winter to get through. All to be repeated next year.

While this sounds pessimistic and dreary, I think it's true for lots of women. Especially when they've had a history of serious depression. Winter is tough. The Holidays make winter a bit tougher.

I've learned to cope to a degree - and maybe you have, too. (Ideas shared really help!). Mostly, I try not to get too caught up in it all. I truly work to keep the calories down - though candy and cookies are my downfall. I work out most days - though lightweight that I am, it's never "heavy." I avoid all movies that hint of tears or unhappy endings (same with books). And I try to smile as much as possible, even if it's just to myself.

But I'm still trying to refine my techniques. So if you have something new, please oh please let me know. Or just let me know that you know what I mean.