LDS General Women's Conference Quotes 2015

Some of my favorite quotes from todays Women's Conference:

 "Happiness doesn't always happen instantly"

 "Because you are His child, He knows who you can become"

 "The people who do this are the happiest people"

"I'm grateful for friends that think I'm better than I am.  That see your good qualities and ignore your weak ones"

Pinterest App

Pinterest came into my life only a couple years ago.  I remember when my cousin first introduced me.  I looked at the computer screen and was overwhelmed with what I was looking at.  But once I figured it out, I decided that it is a GENIUS idea.  A way to categorize and organize ideas and interests.  I would compare it to your FAVORITES on your computer.  You know, if you use a certain website a lot, or if you've found something you don't want to forget, then you would add the webpage to your FAVORITES so it's easy to access later.  Using Pinterest helps you stay MUCH more organized!   Sorry if most of you are feeling like saying DUH to all of this babbling, but I have several friends and family who don't use it and I think they are crazy (you know who you are).  A lot of people are worried about having one more thing to spend time on electronically.  Some people complain that they spend hours on it.  Well, let me just say that of all things to spend time on, I think this is the most useful.  And it's just like anything else on the internet...YOU CHOOSE how much time you spend on it.
 

Here is what your "boards" might look like:

It is up to you which boards you create to hold all of your "pins" (ideas)
Some of your boards might be "organization", "crafting", "recipes", etc

 

And then on your home page, it will show you the latest "pins" from the people you follow

 

All you do is glance through, and if you see something that peaks your interest, you can REPIN it onto one of your boards so that you can refer to it later.  You don't have to go to the actual website and read all about it or anything.  You've simply placed it in a file to look at it later.

Yes, you have followers and you can follow as well, but it's ultimate purpose is not keeping in touch with others or revealing personal information.  It's simply a way to be organized.  So really, it doesn't matter who follows you. 

Ok, so this might all be old news to some of you, and I know a lot of people who might use Pinterest at home on their computer, but you MUST put the Pinterest App on your phone or other mobile device and I'll tell you why:

  

1. Accessibility - If I am at the store and need to look up a quick recipe for ingredients or the items needed for a craft idea, all I have to do is get into my pinterest app, find the board I need and click on the pin to get my information.

2.  Passes The Time - If I am stuck waiting in line at a store, or at a bus stop, or let's admit it...we all have chosen to read on the toilet, right? Well, pinterest can serve the same purpose.  haha  Seriously though, it's nice to have it on hand for those few minutes here and there with nothing to do.  It's fun to use it looking for new ideas to add to my collection. 

3. Liberty - Many people will confess that they could sit on their computer and be on Pinterest for hours.  Well, the App leaves you free to look at pinterest wherever you may be, which leads to less time sitting in front of the computer. (refer to #2)

 

If you haven't tried it yet, I hope you can have some fun with it! Stay tuned for my post about how to ORGANIZE your Pinterest. ;)

25 Fun & Random Questions for a Kids Interview

With this month's theme being "Preserve Your Memories", one of the ways you can do that is by doing an interview!  My last post was on doing an interview as husband and wife, which you can find HERE.  But this post will focus on doing an interview with your children! Some people like to do this once a year and then it's fun to see how they've changed from year to year, but even if you just get one interview out of their entire childhood, it will be so great to have!

You can print out the questions and fill out their answers and then slide the page into a baby book

OR

It would be even more fun to capture the interview on video.  Trust me, you will cherish this for years and years to come. 

When you are doing a video, it is fun if you can get their personality to come out. You don't want to be stuck with a lot of one word answers.  Try hard to get them talking. Hopefully some of these questions can help with that:

1.  What is your name?
2.  How old are you and what grade are you in?
3.  What is your favorite_____ and why? = Color, Movie, Game, Book, Food, Drink, Sport, Restaurant, Activity, TV Show, School subject, things to do in your free time, Song or Music
4.  Who are your friends? And what do you like to do with them?
5.  What is your favorite thing to do with your family?
6.  What do you love about your mom, dad, brother, sister?
7.  What do you absolutely hate to do?
8.  Which food grosses you out the most?
9.   If you could go anywhere, where would you go?
10.  What do you want to be when you grow up and why?
11.  What are you afraid of?
12.  If you could be any animal, which one would you be and why?
13.  What are you really good at?
14.  What is something you want to get better at?
15.  If you were granted one wish, what would you wish for?
16.  What could you eat 10 of right now?
17.  What is your favorite store to shop at?
18.  Do you have a favorite joke?
19.  What chores do you have to do and what do you think about them?
20.  If you could meet anyone famous, who would it be?
21.  What is something your mom always says to you?
22.  How strong is your dad?
23.  Do you think you'll ever get married and have kids someday? How many kids?
24.  What is the nicest thing you have done for someone? Or that someone has done for you?
25.  Have you lost any teeth? How did they come out?

Interview Questions for a Couple

As our month's theme "Preserve Your Memories" comes to a close, I wanted to talk a little bit about videos this week. And I'll start with the idea of videotaping an interview. 

About 5 years ago, I saw a video online of a young couple being interviewed about how they met, etc and thought it was the best thing ever.  As I had started doing wedding videos, I started to offer a "Love Story" as an extra service.  Here is an example of one of my first ones.  Click on the HD before you watch them!:

Love Story - Jon and Jaclyn from Aub Howell on Vimeo.

And I decided this is an amazing idea, that EVERYONE should have one of these.  No matter how old you are!  My aunt and uncle wanted one for their 25th anniversary.  So here is a little part of it:

Lauri & Scott - Interveiws from Aub Howell on Vimeo.

And then just a year ago, my sister in law asked if I'd do one for their 10th anniversary. 

Kam & Rosi - A Love Story teaser from Aub Howell on Vimeo.

When you do one after being married a while, there is a lot more to talk about and so those videos ended up being about 30 minutes...so those videos above are just a sample of each one.  And granted, you don't need to do anything this fancy, but how fun will it be to look back on this later in life, or for your kids to have.  I think it would have been so fun to have something like this from my parents! 

All you need is a video camera, a tripod and some video editing software.  It can be so simple. And like I said, you do not need to do anything fancy with it...you will just love having the interview.  But you can always hire someone like me to do it for you. ;)  I know you will love having it on video so much more, BUT another option is to just write it all down. ;) That's better than nothing. 

 

Here are some sample questions you might use for your interview:

 

**TIP** It can be REALLY fun to do your interviews separately, without the other spouse listening in.  It's fun to see their viewpoint on everything without being influenced by the other person.

For an engaged or newly married couple:
1.  How did you meet?
2.  What was your first impression of him/her?
3.  Tell about your first date and/or a memorable date.
4.  First kiss?  First time saying 'I love you'?
5.  How did he/she propose?
6.  What do you love about him/her?
7.  Describe him/her as if you were telling someone who didn't know them.
8.  What do you look forward to in the rest of your life together? Hopes, dreams, etc

For a married couple:
1.  All of the above questions
2.  You've been married for ___ years.  How would you summarize those years together?
3.  Describe your spouse in 5 words and why each word
4.  What do you remember about the day you got married? (Schedule, feelings, etc)
4.  What are some of your happiest memories?
5.  Have there been any significant experiences or trials that you'd like to tell about?
6.  When did you decide you were ready for kids to join the family?
7.  Your children...how many, your experience as each of them came into your life, etc....can be very general or very specific. It's up to you.
8.  What would you like to say to him/her?

This can also be a GREAT gift idea...for an anniversary or even Valentines Day.  Good luck to you!!!

DO something with your photos

 Ok, you've taken your photos.  Where are they?  Maybe on your computer, on your phone, or even in boxes.  What was the point in taking them if they are being hidden away?  Here are some ideas to help get your photos out of a box!

 

 

 SCRAPBOOKING

  Whether you still love crafting your own scrapbook or if you've learned to do it digitally, scrapbooking can be one of the most enjoyable ways to look at your photographs....IF you have the time for it.  I LOVE my scrapbooks, but the truth is, I've been years behind on them ever since I started!  If you love scrapbooking and don't want to let it go, I would at least recommend learning to digital scrapbook.  It gives you almost the same result, minus the paper collecting, cutting and pasting.  If don't have the energy to learn this new skill, try out the next best option below.

 

ONLINE PHOTO BOOKS 

Create your own photo book online!  There are so many sites out there that make it easy to create a fun book that has all the cuteness of a scrapbook, but is a lot less time consuming. I've tried several and think they are all pretty good.  If you see groupons or other deals for these photo albums, grab them! I have used Shutterfly, Snapfish and Picaboo.  But I wouldn't recommend them if you are doing many pages more than 20.  It gets pricey.  If you are doing more than 20, I would highly recommend going through Costco!  A BIG advantage to doing an online photo book is that it is WAY less bulkier than a scrapbook!

ALBUMS 

 

If you just want to get your photos in an album without all the hassle and fluff, then these are for you!!  And there really are some cute ones out there!  They can be found anywhere from Target, Walmart, Kohls, or even online through places like Amazon.  All you need to do is place your photos in the sleeves.  Some even have a space to write a quick description if you want.  So simple, but still so fun to flip through and see all your photos!

 

FRAME SOME OF THEM 

There are so many collage frames and if you have some extra wall space, whether in an office, guest room or basement, it can be fun to display them in a collage frame on the wall. I think I got this one for $5 from Michael's.  So easy.  I am excited to fill up some of my basement wall space with these. 

 

My grandma actually inspired this option.  She has so many photos, she started sorting through them and deciding which ones to put on the walls of her office.  It's always so fun to go over and look at them! Great job, Grandma!!

 

These are only the most basic options for what to do with your photos.  There are so many clever and crafty things out there that the list could go on.  Maybe for another post. :)  I hope I have inspired some of you to get your photos out of a box, or off your computer, and DO something with them!! I would love to hear what you've done! Comment or email! 

My Plan

Last year I had SO many things I wanted to get done in my life and around the house and the year is gone and many of them did NOT get done!!! So I vow to not let another year go by without accomplishing all that I can so that I can feel organized. Look at all the benefits of being organized! I will (hopefully) be posting something that I hope to get done ONCE a week and then at the end of that week I will check in and let you know if I got it done or not! I am going to make my journey public because I know I will accomplish more when others are holding me accountable. haha Does anyone want to join me? Start your own blog OR send me your progress and I might post about it. I'm hoping that this not only helps myself, but just MAYBE it might help someone else. Also, I am always open to ideas on how to organize the things on my list, so I hope you will follow my blog and help me get organized! Happy New Year!