Did I ever mention that I make Blog Books?

I have been in the business of helping people preserve their memories, save their pictures, and share their stories for almost 15 years! I do parties, sell albums and scrapbooking supplies, host workshops and retreats where my friends can have fun while preserving their memories, teach digital scrapbooking, and I help others start their own businesses. Plus, I do lots of projects for other people. 

When I first discovered blogging, I was in love. I think it is so great that so many moms are taking the time to share their photos and stories. This is just what my mission has been for so long! I love bloggers!!!

So what is better than a blog?

A Beautiful Blog Book!

I have had the joy of converting several blogs into colorful, unique, 12"x12" hardcover books that can be enjoyed and treasured forever. It is so fun to help my bloggy friends take their blogging to a new level by creating a Beautiful Blog Book that permanently documents all of their precious words and photos.

I lovingly copy each and every post, one by one, pasting it into this "newspaper" format so that you have a chronological record of your blog. OR, I can use selected posts... you may not want to have all your "giveaways" or diy's in your book, so I can include just the posts that you most want to save and cherish.

And then there are the photos! I actually do some photo editing, as needed, such as removing red eye and brightening up dark pictures. I do my best to include every picture, placing them where it makes sense, so that they flow with the story, just like you do on your blog.

Creating a Beautiful Blog Book is a labor of love for me. I am so honored when I am entrusted with this important task. I spend up to six weeks crafting each page, and placing each picture. You are able to choose from a wide array of beautiful digital artwork that complements your blog and style. But in the end, it is your stories and photos that are the star. Imagine holding your book in your lap, looking through the story of your life... who else might want a copy?

Isn't my sweet friend Jenny's family just the cutest? I loved making this book for her!

Caring Bridge Site for Marcus & Sue Cooper

From Sue Cooper: 

This past Thursday, Marcus was in a serious motorcycle accident. I have only been posting on Facebook but have now had the time to set up a Caring Bridge website. You can access it at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/thecooperjourney/journal.

This will be the only email that I send out about the incident. This way those that want to stay updated or communicate with us can via this website. Please know that there is a "tribute" link. If you give any money it goes to keeping the website going, it is not asking for contributions to us or the his accident. The website is non-profit and it just helps folks stay connected through things like this situation. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that, it is a little unclear if you have never used Caring Bridge before.

We love you all and just want to keep you updated as to what is happening and how we are doing. This is a whole new phase and a new way of life for us and no matter what happens, I pray we praise God through every step.

Another update from Sue

Gathered to pray before a potluck at our house, October 2010

I wanted to share another quick update about Marcus Cooper. I have tried to share just Sue's words, but there are a couple of things of note that I thought I should mention.

Even though Marcus has been on the ventilator and unable to speak, he has indeed been communicating. He is using sign language! He has known it for some time, but Sue is in the process of learning. This past year, the Coopers started a Sunday school class for the deaf community in our church, along with our dear friend Lyndi, who is an interpreter. What a perfect plan of the Lord to prepare them for this time.

Another amazing development is that at the Saturday morning men's Bible study yesterday, one of Marcus' coworkers told the group, my husband included, that everyone at work wants to donate their sick leave to Marcus! Their company has in place a process for that to happen. He told the men that it isn't weeks or months of sick leave, it is years. Years. Praise God.

Sue posted the following, around noon on Saturday, January 7th. 

Marcus continues to be stable and rested well through the night. Today is becoming rough as his body is coming out of shock and they are taking him off continuous sedation. He wakes up and is very anxious but yet can't move or talk because of restraints and the ventilator and I take comfort that I can be by his side to hold his hand, speak to him and help relax him. 

This will continue to be a rough day for him and it was very hard to see a tears roll out of his eyes as they adjust and wean from sedation, but each as hard as it is, they are all excellent signs that he is aggravated by the tube that would aggravate anyone normally. All is the same as yesterday and basically will be until Monday. 

Monday will be a very rough day. He will have the spinal surgery and they will finish cleaning up from the amputation. They will place a torso hard casting on him, begin taking the ventilator tube out, having him at a 30 degrees angle and work on getting him to cough and help his lungs. So he will have to do a lot and be aware of it all. Prayers for wisdom for the docs and staff and strength for him and I.
Love, Sue Herron Cooper

The LORD is near to all who call on him, 

to all who call on him in truth. 

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; 

he also hears their cry and saves them.

~Psalm 145:18-19

An update on Marcus

Marcus & Sue as I arrived at my surprise birthday party in November

I have to say that these smiling images made me cry when I looked through them this morning. But I have to share them because they so clearly portray the wonderful, loving, fun, funny, and sweet personalities of our friends Marcus and Sue Cooper. They have a wonderful, special marriage and a bond we could all envy. I have honestly never heard them say one cross word to one another, or have heard of any disagreement between them. They truly weather the many storms of life with few complaints. Saying that we love this family is an understatement!

It is times like these that I wish I was more of a poet than a reporter. I am having trouble expressing my heart in words, but my every breath is a prayer for this family. Yet, I am praising the Lord for his divine protection over Marcus, that Marcus is still with us. This family has been through many valleys, and this is absolutely the deepest. I am believing God for the high mountaintop to which He is leading them.

Sue is one of my dearest friends here in Charlotte. I have only been able to talk to her briefly since the accident Thursday morning. I am now in touch with her mother, who, as of suppertime last night has their children. Marcus' family has now arrived, so the family circle has tightened around Sue to support her, the children, and Marcus through this crisis. We friends are waiting in the wings, ready to do anything we can as soon as we are asked. We feel helpless and want to DO something, anything. But we all have to realize that the needs will be many and the timeline will be long. Our turn to help will come. So we continue to DO the only thing, and most important thing, we can: we pray.

Actually, here are Sue's words from this morning:

Thank you the offer, right now family is here to help but in the weeks and months of the beginning of this journey, I know I will need help.

I have been told that Sue will start a Caring Bridge site for Marcus' recovery. I will share that link when it comes and stop posting her updates here. But for now, here is what Sue posted on Facebook, Friday morning (24 hours ago):

Marcus has stayed stable thru the night. They had an MRI at 1:30am, pain but they have good meds. He is still considered critically ill and will be for a while. He has a fracture at his t8 and t9 vertebrea, surgery will be in 3 or 4 days. It is a good possibility that he will not get feeling from that part Down, but in my opinion only if that is God's will. It was not the hip socket but a break at the top of his right femur. That surgery may be today or tomorrow. We are not sure about any injuries in the neck they hope to test him today to find out more. He'll stay in a neck brace until they know more.

Posted by Sue, Friday night (last night):

Marcus is stable & resting remarkably well. For his injuries & status, he is at the top of his class & doing excellent. He has intermittent feeling from his mid-torso (the spinal injury area) down to about the top 1/3 of his thigh. One time he feels it, the next not, the next yes. So, still unsure if it is still trauma & just temporary or if he will loose feeling completely. Monday he will have back surgery to have a temporary fix to the spinal injury. 

He will continue on the ventilator thru the weekend and Mon surgery just to allow his body complete rest without having to work. They began a feeding tube today. God promises a peace beyond understanding when our faith is in Him, I have truly felt it since the moment I received the call yesterday. The realities & future began hitting me between the eyes today, but God in His grace continued to bring someone with right scripture to me and not allow me to worry about the future.

I have decided to stay at home tonight and pray for sleep. I haven't slept in 2 days. I have read all of my posts & texts, I have not heard all of my voice mails, sorry. Thank you for prayers, thank you for your love and thank you for not letting me be alone. Good night and I will post another update after speaking with the doctors in the morning.

My precious sister in Christ is an amazing woman. Her faith is carrying her, along with the prayers of so very many. I so wish I could give her this hug right now, but dear Sue, please know that I am holding you close in my heart.

You will keep in perfect peace 

   those whose minds are steadfast, 

   because they trust in you.

~Isaiah 26:3

Prayers for our Precious Friends

My dear friend Sue posted the following on Facebook at 11 last night:

All, today Marcus was in a serious motorcycle accident. The aorta coming out the top of his heart was severely torn, 80% of victims w/ this die at the scene. His right leg was lost from the knee down, his left leg is dislocated but the artery down that leg unharmed. He has mid spinal injury but we are unsure of how severe, he'll have a MRI in the night. I pray that you can already see God's mighty hand at work. I have been told by others, not the hospital, that he has the best surgeons and docs around. He was conscious the entire time from the accident to the ER to me getting to see him just before heart surgery. Very coherent, very aware. They repaired the aorta and he is stable and resting. His right hip socket pushed to the back and it will need surgery. He has more surgeries to come but we are unsure what or when at this time. We (I) have been incredibly blessed by all the prayers, support and love shown. I will try to read texts and email as I can, please forgive me if I don't reply. I'm exhausted and now need to sit still, breathe and process. Love to you all.

Please join many who love this precious family in lifting them up in prayer. Their two daughters, 9 and 4, are staying with us. They miss their parents and just want to see Daddy & Mommy. They don't know yet the extent of Daddy's injuries. Marcus and Sue are dear, dear friends of ours. Gil spent the day at the hospital yesterday, where many were gathered to support Sue and to pray for their family. 

I have no words, except that God is sovereign and He is faithful. We lift up praises to Him that His hand is upon Marcus and his family no matter what. Please pray for the Cooper family.

Christmas Recycled

We are putting away our Christmas decorations. For me, it gets to the point where it all just feels like so. much. clutter. I try to hold out until New Year's Day... but can't! I love the feeling of empty space when it is all cleared out and we have our house back. I thought I would share a couple of ways we "go green" as the Christmas season ends.


1. Ornament Storage
Nearly every time I go to Costco, I pick up a dozen apples. They are a staple in our fridge for school lunches and afternoon snacks. The containers in which the apples come are made of 70% recycled drink bottles, are recyclable, but are too way cool to throw away. They work perfectly to store many of our ornaments!

2. Ribbon Re-Do
I LOVE to wrap presents with real, woven-cloth ribbon! I love the luxury of big bows tied onto the packages. No wimpy, stringy, curling ribbon or stick-on bows for me!!! "It's so expensive," you say. Well, not really if you buy the big, 50-yard rolls of ribbon at Costco for just $6, and/or stock up at the after-Christmas clearance sales at the craft stores.

Plus, here is my big secret... I recycle much of our ribbon! Yes, I have trained my kids when opening presents on Christmas morning: "The paper goes in the trash bag. Pile the ribbon up by Mommy." Then, it is my job later to carefully smooth out and roll up that pile of ribbon. And, to make sure I find it when I need it, I put it away in our boxes of Christmas decorations. By taking care to store it, it is ready for wrapping next year. If you get a gift from me, you may wonder if the ribbon is recycled, but you probably won't be able to tell for sure!

How do you recycle {& I'm not talking about re-gifting!} at Christmas?

My Baby Boy is 15!

This cute baby boy who has given me so much joy...

Is turning into a man right before my eyes!

Today we celebrate Zac as he turns 15! We so proud of the fine young man he is... great citizen, hard worker, awesome student, wonderful son! We love you Zachary!!! Happy Birthday!!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours! What a joy to celebrate the birth of our precious Savior! Blessings!

Spinach Garlic Stuffing Recipe

My sister makes this awesome stuffing. I have never liked the dressing or stuffing that usually accompanies Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. But my sister's stuffing, that is a whole 'nother story! I love it! I actually will make traditional cornbread dressing because my husband likes that. AND I will make my sister's stuffing, as well. I have been doing this for probably ten years.  It is GOOD!

Dana's Spinach Garlic Stuffing

20 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and drained (I have successfully subbed fresh baby spinach)
1 cup butter
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 whole onion, diced
2 heads fresh garlic, peeled (lots and lots of garlic cloves you will keep whole, or cut in half!)
6 cups fresh bread crumbs (I get sourdough bread and cut into 1" cubes)
15 oz. ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 Tb dried parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp poultry seasoning
pepper

Stir fry the veggies in the butter. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. This can be stuffed in the turkey and also under the skin to add good flavor to the bird. Or, place in a greased casserole dish and bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I like to bake it in a dish and uncover it at the end so it gets crispy on top.

{Note to my friends who had this with me this Thanksgiving.... I actually messed up and doubled the amount of poultry seasoning when I served it to you! This recipe calls for less poultry seasoning than what you tasted.}

Just keep smiling!

Last week was one of those weeks! The downstairs heat went out last Saturday and wasn't fixed until Friday... I was settling into my new job... I was co-coordinator for a middle school ministry Christmas party for 150 Tuesday evening... I was responsible for getting 24 freshly-printed and properly-identified t-shirts to Jacob's class party on Thursday {after learning on Monday that they had been printed on the wrong color shirt, but that all worked out fine!}... I was scheduled to volunteer with the 7th grade "Victorian Celebration" at Abbie's school on Thursday... I have been assisting numerous customers with Christmas orders and deliveries and design projects... I was working on our Christmas card and letter... I had kids to watch and errands to run and packages to get ready to mail... all while certain rooms of my house look like something exploded. 

Making dinner wasn't exactly at the top of my To Do list! I was so glad when I had the inspiration on Thursday to make Tamale Pie. But then, in my distraction, I burnt the cornmeal I was cooking on top of the stove that was supposed to be the crust, and not just a little. I had a good 3/8" of black, burnt crust on the bottom of my little stainless steel pot. I was a little flustered, and set it down on my butcher block. {The butcher block my mother had commissioned someone to make for her over 25 years ago. The butcher block that has also belonged to my sister, and for the last 8 years has been mine. That butcher block.} 

When I picked up the pan and saw the mark, it did look like a happy face to me! I just had to laugh. I posted a funny status on facebook: "My reputation is ruined! I just burnt dinner. On to plan B..." Plan B ended up being burritos, using the filling that would have gone in the tamale pie. Everyone agreed that dinner was tasty, fortunately.

The burnt mark on the butcher block might be able to be sanded away. Or it might stay. Gil says it adds character. Right now it is a reminder to keep smiling! Enjoy the moments. We are so blessed and have so much for which to give thanks!

Just keep smiling..... even when your husband surprises you with the news that you will be dog sitting for the next week!