Busy Times

Wow life gets busy during December. Especially when you have final projects, papers, and tests in the mix. I finally got the tree up Saturday at like 11:00pm. I was shooting for a week earlier. I actually don't even have all the ornaments on.

I am attempting to do December Daily. I haven't completed any pages, but once I do I will post them here.

I may have an additional post up this week, but for now I am just sharing the craziness and this photo. One of my favorite Christmas photos.

Thanks for joining me today.
Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

Holiday Prep

So the holidays are fast approaching. Have you bought any gifts yet? Are you almost done with your shopping? Or have you even started? Are you making any of your gifts? How many parties do you have to go to? Are you hosting any parties?

There is a lot of stuff to worry about over the Holidays. So many things need to be prepared and organized. Are you ready? I know I'm not. On top of all the regular Holiday stuff I am not done with this semester of school till 16th. I don't know how I am going to do it all. So I was really excited to see Heddy's post yesterday on The Daily Digi all about "Surviving December." You can find her post HERE.

I started preparing clear back in the Spring. We made our neighbor gifts with fruit that was in season. Now all I have to do is put a tag on them. I am so glad that is one less thing I have to do this month.

Thanks for joining me today.
Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

100 Things I Am Thankful For: Day 5

Day 5, finishing up today. I have had so much fun this week! But the fun's not over yet. We still have 20 "Things" to list. That's right today's theme is Things. I tried to save the easiest list for the last day. You will have let me know if I succeeded on that front. So here is my list of "Things" I am thankful for, in no particular order:

1. My Shoes
2. My blankets
3. My computer (with its current hardware and software setup)
4. The Beehive
5. The kitchen table
6. My cell phone
7. My hair brush.
8. My Nikon DSLR camera
9. My point and shoot camera
10. My sewing machine
11. My iPod
12. The TV
13. My keys
14. My backpack
15. FOOD
16. My toothbrush
17. My favorite pencil
18. The campstove (useful for all the canning we do)
19. My pillows
20. My piano (that I can't really play)

Well that finishes it! 100 Things I Am Thankful For. Its not so tough to list it 20 at a time. Right? 

I have really enjoyed this series. I hope you enjoyed it too. Please let me know if you make your list. I would love to know. I would also love to know what  you do with your list! I am still not sure what I am going to do with my list. Maybe you can help me decide.

Thanks for joining me today.

Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

100 Things I Am Thankful For: Day 4

Day 4's theme is People. I think you will find this list easier than the prior three days. The theme is people! Family, friends, and others. So many people to be thankful for in the world. Here is my list of 20 people, or groups of people, again in no particular order:

1. My Husband, Jonathan
2. Crickette (my dog, I make the rules here)
3. My Mom, Cindy Hardman
4. My Dad, Max Hardman
5. My sister, Amy Hyde
6. My Brother-in-Law, Tyson Hydes
7. My Nephews, Dylan Hyde
8. and McKay Hyde
9. My Sisters-in-Law, my Husband's Sisters
10. My Brothers-in-Law, Sister-in-Law's Husbands
11. My Nieces and Nephews: James, Bella, Lily, Nicole, and baby boys 1 & 2
12. Paige Williams
13. Kyle Williams
14. Aubrey Gardner
15. Rob Gardner
16. My Savior, Jesus Christ
17. Joesph Smith
18. Gordon B. Hinckley
19. Thomas S. Monson
20. All my church leaders of the past: Young Women leaders, Sunday School teachers, and Seminary teachers come to mind.

So my list covers more than 20 people. Quite a bit more actually. But hey like I said above, I make the rules for this list. You make the rules for yours too, so make sure you include who you want to include. Don't forget to come back and leave a link to your list, or just let me know that you wrote one if you don't feel comfortable sharing.

Thanks for joining me today!

Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

100 Things I Am Thankful For: Day 3

Day 3: I am really excited about today’s theme. The theme is: Opportunities. One specific opportunity has been on my mind this week. That is the opportunity is to attend school and get an education.  Just this last week I turned in my graduation application, its official I will be in the University of Utah class of 2012. I am also thankful that I will be done with school in the spring. I am so done with it! So here is my list of opportunities I am thankful for in no particular order:

1. To attend school and get education
2. To have good friends
3. To be part of a family
4. To attend church
5. To be so close to the mountains (only 10 mins)
6. To go to block of the month (quilt class)
7. To spend time with family
8. To spend time with friends
9. To have met my Husband
10. To enjoy snow
11. To live close to our families
12. To live in a time when technology is so cool :)
13. To live in a free county
14. To be my Husband’s wife
15. To have been married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple
16. To be able to live so close to a Temple
17. To celebrate holidays with family
18. To go to the movies (every once in awhile)
19. To have a job
20. To grow a garden

I have been able to do so many things in my life for which I am thankful.  What are you thankful for? I am so excited to see your lists.

60 down 40 to go!

Thanks for joining me today.

Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

100 Things I Am Thankful For: Day 2

So Day 2! Today's theme is Abilities and Talents. Just think about all of the things we accomplish everyday. There are the basic abilities that we all share. There are the talents that we individually develop, and the talents that we are born with. So here is my list of 20 things I am grateful I can do, again in no particular order.

1. Ability to drive
2. Talent to use computer
3. Ability to problem solve
4. Talent for sewing
5. Talent in Photoshop
6. Talent with a camera
7. Ability to cook
8. Ability to think
9. Ability to be happy
10. Ability to relax
11. Talent for organizing
12. Ability to remember things
13. Ability to walk
14. My dexterity
15. Talent for baking
16. Ability to enjoy music
17. Ability to do and try what I want
18. Ability to speak my mind
19. Ability to read
20. Talent for listening

I would not be the person I am if not for these things. The things that I have learned to do and by the people who taught me to do them. I am so grateful for all of these things.

So that's 40 things so far. Have you decided what you are going to do with your list when it's done? I haven't quite decided yet maybe a page or two in my scrapbook album. Maybe just in my journal. My list may even get its own mini scrapbook album. So what are you going to do with your list?

Don't forget to come back and add a link to your list in the comments. I love seeing them!

Thanks for joining me today.

Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

100 Things I Am Thankful For: Day 1

So lets do a little bit more background on why I decided to do this: When I was a junior in high school my seminary teacher had us do something very similar. We ended up writing the entire list on a cheap paper plate. We were encouraged to keep it under our plates during our Thanksgiving dinner. It definitely made me remember the true purpose of the day.

Anyway! On to day 1!

Today's theme is going to make you stretch, but you can do it. The theme is "PLACES." We go to a lot of different places in our lives. Whether daily, every few years, or once in a lifetime. We visit places all the time. In no particular order, here are 20 places I am thankful for:

1. My home
2. The upper grove in Brigham Young Historic Park
3. The house I grew up in
4. The apartment I lived in the first year I was married
5. The mountains
6. My parents hot tub :)
7. Salt Lake Temple
8. Temple Square
9. The church building I grew up going to
10. The church building I attend now
11. Jordan River Temple
12. Mountain Shadows Elementary School
13. West Hills Elementary School
14. Copper Hills High School
15. Grandma and Grandpa Fellows' House
16. Grandma and Grandpa Hardman's House
17. LDS Business College
18. That place on the main street plaza where I could see the temple while reading my scriptures
19. The backyard of the house I grew up in
20. The street that I grew up on

All of these places hold a special place in my heart. Each has its own unique significance. Some are obvious and some are not. For instance the reason I am thankful for the house I grew up in is rather obvious, but the grove in the park is not obvious. That place in the park is one of my favorite places to take photos. It's also a great place to just sit and listen and breathe. It's one of the most peaceful place I have ever been to.

I know this one might be a little hard, but it will get easier through out the week. I honestly think this is the hardest theme. So start thinking. Feel free to post a link or your list in the comments. Please do actually. I'm very excited to see what you come up with.

Thanks for joining me today.
Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

100 Things I Am Thankful For (Coming Soon)

One week from today is Thanksgiving here in the USA. We eat Turkey, then sleep off the Tryptophan for about three hours. Then we wake up at freakishly early hours to shop on Friday with all the other psychos out there for insanely good shopping deals. But that's not the point.

The early settlers wanted to show they were thankful for the food that they worked hard to cultivate all summer and that would help them through the winter. European immigrants brought harvest festival traditions with them to North American. Native American Indians also had celebrations at the end of the harvest season. These shindigs were put on to celebrate a bountiful harvest. One year they got together and partied together and Thanksgiving was born!

On Saturday I will be starting a "100 Things I Am Thankful For" series. Over the course of five days, Saturday through Wednesday, I'll be posting prompts to help you list 100 things that you are thankful for. Each day I will post a list of 20 things to help you with your list. Each day will have a theme. The real trick is to stop at just 20 each day. So, you could list more than 100 things in the five days.

So don't forget to come back on Saturday to join me for "100 Things I Am Thankful For!"

Photoshop Technique: Spot Color

Spot color is an awesome technique. As a photographer, I've used it many times. It's a very popular technique for weddings, particularly with flowers. It also works well with eyes!

But as a scrapbooker I have used it too. My favorite was on this layout:

In the photo on the left you can see my Dad and Nephew on the couch. It's a floral print couch that has lots of colors. I found that it took away from the subjects of the photo. I applied the spot color technique so that the people would still be in color but the busy background is subdued. Spot color can be used to accomplish so many different things.

I have a video tutorial to show you how to apply spot color to your photos. (See below.) Once you have tried this technique please come back and share your creation here. I'd love to see what you do with this technique!

Thanks for joining me today.
Tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.


FYI: Make sure to check back on Saturday to join me for my "100 Things I Am Thankful For" series. It will be five days long, ending the day before Thanksgiving. More details will be posted soon.

Been Scrappin

Just finished this page! What do you think?

Journaling: I love rice krispie treats. This was the first time I made them after I got married. I was super excited. They were really good. Not as good as the store-bought ones that kellogg’s makes though. They do something different. Don’t the little things make life better?

Credits: Everyday of the Year by Sugarplum Paperie, Date-Go-Round by Stolen Moments, and Coming Soon font.

Photoshop Techniques

So I am a photographer and digital scrapbooker. I love messing around in Photoshop. I learn new things all the time by just trying new tools. This blog was started to help people save their stories and our photographs are part of those stories. As a regular series, I will be posting Photoshop Techniques, or tips. However I need your help.

I really wanted to post about a Photoshop technique this week, but I can't decide what technique to demonstrate. Is there something you have seen on a photo somewhere and said "How do they do that?" If so, I want to know. Is there some technique that you have been aching to try, but have no idea how? I want to help. Please let me know what you want to see. Every suggestion or request will be considered. No request is too frivolous. So please let me know!

You will find a survey on the right side of this blog. If the technique you want to see isn't in the survey just leave it in a comment.

Low Light Photography: camera setting suggestions

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. I like dressing up and seeing how others dress up too. It is important to me to document my Halloween happenings. However, Halloween means less daylight. As our days get shorter you will find yourself in low light situations that can be problematic for your camera. I’ve learned a lot about low light shooting via trial by error and necessity. So here are just a few suggestions on how to avoid the dark and/or blurry photos that are so common to low light photography.

1. Night Mode: If you have a night setting on your camera, USE IT. Most cameras - point and shoot and DSLR - are armed with a night photography setting. This setting can be used in low light settings in doors and out. It is your best weapon against photos that are too dark. Be aware that this setting can lengthen the amount of time your shutter will stay open. Steady your camera by tucking your elbows into your body or use someone's shoulder (or head) if you don’t have a tripod.
2. Flashed Out: When your flash goes off do you get the look that I like to call “flashed out”? Some on-board camera flashes are too powerful and wash out the color in your photo. Even use of an external flash can cause a “flashed out” effect. A diffuser is the best way to avoid this issue. I use a Gary Fong Lightsphere with my external flash and it works very well. Sometimes I don’t have my external flash and my on board is notorious for flashing things out. A simple inexpensive solution for this problem is a tissue or a piece of plain printer paper. Simply hold the paper about an inch away from the flash while taking your photo.

Save Your Story: Flaws

Today’s prompt comes from a quote by the author Augesten Burroghs book: Magical Thinking: True Stories. I read this quote for the first time about six months ago and it has been on my mind ever since. It really made me think and I thought it would be a good way to start the Save Your Story series. I believe that this is a very true statement. I know I make a lot of mistakes, no body is perfect. I just hope that by recognizing my flaws I might be able to be better about those things. I decided to write to my husband with this prompt and tell him I am trying to better in the areas that I find lacking. I put the Journaling into a layout with a photo of me.

Credits: Papers and Elements - Every Day of the Year by Sugarplum Paperie; Fonts- Century Gothic, A Little Pot, and Downcome (T1)
Journaling reads: I know I am not perfect. In fact I know I am far from it. I could be better about the house work, ie laundry, dishes, and cleaning? I want to want to do them, it is just hard sometimes.  Playing around on the computer is just so much more fun. I know over-react to a lot of things like losing my keys, hairbrush, and phone, but I am trying to be better. I have gotten a lot better about actually saying words when something is wrong and I need you to stop, I used to just blubber, mumble, and make noise. I am really sorry for the glasses of water all over the house, especially our room. I don’t have any excuse for that one and the dishes around the house too. I know I bug you to do things a lot; I just need help when I am stressed. This is when I tend to freak out and over-react, when I am stressed. I will try my best not to be stressed, but I can’t control my external stressors. Please understand. I am trying. But No Body’s Perfect.


What are your flaws? What are your strengths? Is there something you are working on being better at?
If you feel comfortable please share. If not please lets us know you participated. Only share what you are comfortable with sharing. After all tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

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About this series:
Save Your Story is a journaling prompt series that I hope to have on this blog at least once a month. The prompts will be have lots of different sources. Sometimes it will come from quotes, some from the images, some will be seasonal, and others will be for the everyday. This series is meant help you document your life right now and to remember your past. Most importantly, I want you to document your emotions. Consider how the prompt makes you feel. Use your senses to convey your feelings in this prompt. Describe what you heard, smelled, tasted, or touched. Show what saw and add the journaling to a blog post or scrapbook layout. If you post your prompt response somewhere, please link it up in the comments. Or feel free to write it right in the comments.

OhLife: user how to

OhLife is an amazing journal service. I want to preface this post by letting you know that OhLife is completely free. It is really easy to use. You just tell it how often you want to write. Then on the days you told it to OhLife will send you an email and you simply respond.

So here’s how you get started. Simply go to the OhLife home page. Just Click Here.

Next enter your email address and “Get Started.” Create a password as prompted then you are ready to go. OhLife will send you a confirmation email. You can immediately start making entries by responding to that email.

Once you are logged in you can go to the settings, you can find the link in the top right corner of the page. In the settings you can change your time zone and choose to have a past entry included or not. I personally love having a past entry included. It takes me back and sometimes reminds me of something that I never finished writing about. (Like a 6 month car trouble saga.) In the settings you can also go to and change your email frequency settings. You can find the link to them in the right sidebar. You can choose daily or under the weekly setting you can choose specific days of the week. You will also notice the “never” option. That simply means you can choose to stop receiving emails. Your existing entries won’t be deleted and you can still make entries by logging in to the OhLife website.

OhLife allows you to attach up to one photo to each of your entries via an email attachment. When you view your entries on the OhLife website your photo will be at the top of your entry.

Once you have made a few entries you can view them after logging into the OhLife website. Your most recent entry will be shown after you log in. If you click the “past” link in the upper right hand corner you can view your past entries by month. You can also find “export” and “write” functions on the right side. The “write” button will allow you to make a journal entry. The export button will allow you to download and save a text version of your journal so far. Unfortunately, this download is only a basic text file and will not include any photos. Hopefully this changes soo and photos will be included, but there is no news on that front so far.

I am a huge fan of OhLife. It is a really easy way to start documenting your life. I encourage you to get started on documenting your life, it really isn’t that hard. After all, tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.

The Reasons

I created this blog to help people document the stories of their lives. You may not know it now, but you are probably already doing something to save the stories of you and your families.Some of it will be original content and some will be directing you to classes, forums, challenges, and inspiration on other websites. If you have a request just let me know. If you like something you see I would love to know.

I really believe in the importance of documenting our stories. I would love to have you join me on the extraordinary adventure. After all, tomorrow today will be the past, so start saving your story today.