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This Christmas my husband's family is making a nifty little photo book for their Grandparents.  Each family was responsible to make a page per family member.  My Mother-in-law asked me to make the pages for our family and here's what I did!

Not gunna lie, I'm proud as punch of these suckers.  I did it all with free downloads (okay, I lied, a couple things aren't free).  These are the sites I used:

Photoshop program:  GIMP

Backgrounds: My Pattern Board on weheartit.com

Clipart: Paper Buffet

Tape Strips No. 1

Tape Strips No. 2

Shipping Tags

The things that were not free were the apps I used to create the polaroid pictures and edit the large pictures.

Analog

Instant

MY Magnificent Life

Not too long ago I wrote a post whining about how my life isn't magnificent because I wasn't born 100 years earlier.  Thankfully, the people who commented on said post were able to set me straight and help me realize that although I may not have to wash my clothes by hand or milk a cow every morning and evening, I can still have a magnificent life.  The terms of my magnificent life are just a bit different from the lives I find so magnificent.

I've decided that one way my life can be more magnificent is by gaining more control over the technology in my life.  Specifically my phone.  So, (and feel free to laugh at me… because Jon sure did) I bought this:

BEHOLD!  The Hype Rotary Style Retro Handset (okay.. I'm ticked.. I paid 3x more for this gadget when I bought it, and now they're selling it for $9!!)  Essentially it's just a glorified phone dock, but the handset plugs into the headphone jack and you can talk on a phone like in the olden days.  This is now where my phone resides when I am at home.  I've whined and complained about getting a landline so I wouldn't be so distracted by my smart phone (in italics because the amount of time I spend on it is STUPID), but cell phones are just so convenient, especially when your husband thinks the apocalypse would commence if you were to leave the house without one.

So this is one way I'm trying to make my life more magnificent.  I feel quite confident that this is a step in the right direction for improving myself personally, but also for making myself a better mother to Sheriff.  When I think back to my childhood, there was no object my mom constantly toted around and stared at.  I never had to compete for my mom's attention, and I certainly didn't long to yank an electronic device out of her hands so I could stare at it instead.

Do you think I'm a loony?  Well, there are articles that back up this way of thinking.  Check them out!

Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12

Why Steve Jobs Didn't Let His Kids Use iPads (And Why You Shouldn't Either)

Meet This Mormon

Jon and I went to the movie "Meet the Mormons" on Monday night.  I was a little skeptical that the church had gone to these great lengths to make a film, but I loved it.  If you have the chance, GO.  My favourite profile was "the Candy Bomber."

I love being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I'll admit that my testimony and experience as a Mormon has met very little adversity.  I was born a member and have remained one my entire life.  I have never encountered a phase of rebellion or been overwhelmed with feelings of question or doubt.  Perhaps this may seem like the perfect recipe for an eventual falling away from the church, but when I consider the feelings of joy the church brings to my life and a handful of faith confirming experiences I've encountered, I think it's safe to say that I'm staying put.

Recently it seems like a great deal of people are leaving the church I hold so dear to me.  It pains me to hear of acquaintances, friends of friends, and even family members leaving the church or questioning it.  In fact, I take it quite personally.  Did I offend them?  Was I not friendly enough?  Is there more I could have done?  Even in cases where I really don't personally know the people leaving, I still feel like there was something I could have done.  It literally hurts.

I'm not naive enough to think that everything about the church is perfect.  I recognize whole heartedly that this is a perfect gospel in the hands of imperfect people, myself being one of them.  It is to be expected that there will be mistakes made, feelings hurt, and questions left unanswered.  If the church was perfect here on earth, there would be no need for faith.  And isn't faith the entire point of religion?  Perhaps I'm nothing more than a sheep following the masses in this common herd, but I'm a happy sheep and I am so loved by the Shepherd.