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July 2009
After a month of caring for my ill father, I realize that as stressful as the whole episode has been, there have been many gifts, too. I want to shout from the highest roof top all that I am thankful for in these trying times, the top 10 things I learned (the jewels of wisdom I received) from caring for my elderly father. These will definitely find their way into my next album project:
10. We all need to have at least one person other than ourselves as a health advocate - two sets of ears (and hearts) are so much better than one to decipher medical information.
9. Caring for someone doesn't mean always being in their space. Sending them loving, positive, energy really can be helpful.
8. Parents often give 18 or more years committed to a child's life. From that perspective, caring for a parent for a month or two really is nothing.
7. Parents really can make very good friends. Their unconditional love is priceless.
6. Spending time with someone is worth more than any expensive gift could ever be worth.
5. The example you set for your children on how you treat your own parents will no doubt be returned years later.
4. Direct and honest communication saves time, money, and even lives.
3. Caring for another builds character, encourages open communication, and teaches you patience, compassion, and empathy.
2. Creating a life that provides you flexibility to care for others and still maintain your income is the best choice you can make for yourself and family.
1. All that really matters is how you make someone feel when you're with them, not what you say or do.
June 2009
I can't believe all the album projects I've completed in the past month. I finished 20 pages in my ongoing digital family album, 28 pages in my traditional memorabilia album, a 24-page album for a women's retreat I attended in Minneapolis, a fun digital album for a Girl Scout Troop's Mission Trip to Africa, and a wedding album for a client. Wow! I love what I do!
February 23, 2009
This past weekend was a culmination of years of hard work, patience, and a consistent love for helping others. I was blessed with receiving the ultimate “Spirit of Success” Award from Creative Memories at our 2009 Regional Convention in San Jose. It was truly the highlight of my 13-year career at an event filled with joy, fun, and magic!
The Spirit of Success Award recognizes Consultants who consistently demonstrate integrity and a caring and positive business attitude – the hallmarks of a Creative Memories business. Spirit of Success recipients are individuals who balance bottom-line profit with people and principles; they are entrepreneurs with a heart and humanitarians with a business sense.
“Consultants everywhere are doing well – by doing good,” said Asha Morgan Moran, president of Creative Memories Global. “That’s what this award celebrates – a true entrepreneur with heart. Spirit of Success recipients model business-building skills, leadership and humanitarianism. This is one of the most esteemed awards Creative Memories presents because candidates are nominated by their peers.”
Each regional Spirit of Success recipient will be considered for the National Spirit of Success Award to be announced at Creative Memories 2009 Showcase National Convention Aug. 1-4 in Minneapolis, Minn.
It was an added treat to have so many from my own team there for such a special event. Together we not only celebrated the surprise recognition for myself, but we also celebrated our team member Jennifer Morita who walked stage in recognition of her promotion to Creative Memories Unit Leader December 1, 2008. Seeing women succeed and grow is a favorite part of this business for me. Seeing Jennifer recognized in front of 300 of her peers was really special.
I always leave these events with a real sense of pride that I represent a company that consistently supports its field representatives and maintains a moral standard second to none. I love my Creative Memories business for what it has given myself, my family, and my friends, and even after 13 years, it continues to bring me lots of joy, fun, and magic!
January 18, 2009
Although it was over two weeks ago, it seems like yesterday that my family and my brother's family celebrated New Year's Eve at my sister Christine and her husband Gil's home in Petaluma, California. It's less than 24 hours together, but we manage to get in lots of great eating, lots of card games, and lots of laughter and precious time together. I love this picture of us taken shortly before midnight. What I love even more is that the next morning as we were eating breakfast and preparing to end our 5th annual New Year's Eve tradition, I uploaded my 48 photos to Creative Memories Memory Manager, deleted the ones I didn't want, edited some, and transferred enough over to my ongoing family Storybook. As I was on my second cup of coffee and still visiting with family in my pj's, I proceeded to design 4 great 12x12 pages that represented our special time together. I completed four pages of my family album and provided my sister, the hostess, with four digital pages that she will add to her family digital album.
I went home knowing that precious memory was preserved and I was ready for a new year filled with many more special memories to come!
If this sounds too good to be true, sign up for one of my upcoming workshops or a one-on-one consultation to learn about how Creative Memories software can help you stay on top of your photo organization and album making.
Dec. 26, 2008
Christmas morning my husband Rory and 14-year-old daughter Margaret and I opened up presents and munched on coffee cake. The coffee cake was my Mom’s recipe and I’ve baked it every year for our Christmas morning breakfast. I love traditions and I love gifts that help us remember the special people in our lives and the special memories we shared with them.
Creative Memories has allowed me to create traditions of my own and to create hundreds of meaningful gifts over the years. Four of the gifts under the tree this year were big hits and came from Creative Memories. I made my daughter a ceramic mug through the CM Photo Center with a picture of her when she was three in pigtails and included a recipe for making a “cake-in-a-mug.” She loved the idea that she could have chocolate cake anytime she wanted without Mom and Dad complaining that we didn’t want her to bake and be tempted to eat her creations. This cake is easily made in the mug in the microwave and there’s only one serving! Perfect.
The other three gifts went to Rory. First was the 12x12 Storybook Album of our Glacier National Park vacation we took in August and he spent a year planning. Oh my, to see those incredible pictures of mountains, streams, and lakes in full-page spreads was amazing. He loved the book. I also made him a mouse pad using one of the pictures I took on the trip of Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier Park with “water like glass.” He now has a daily reminder of the beautiful trip he created for the three of us. And finally, I updated, as I do every year, our Christmas album with pictures from last year’s Christmas and a letter to Rory about all that we did this year. Now I can type the letter in Storybook Plus and make 8 ½ x 11 pages with spectacular pictures as the backgrounds and then attach them to 12x12 pages in my traditional Premiere CM Album. Rory loves reading “a year in review.” And I love knowing that I have chronicled almost 20 years of our relationship in what is now a 3-album set.
I know many of you have given meaningful gifts that your loved ones have cherished and I’d love to hear from you about them. Send me an email about one of the best Creative Memories gifts you’ve ever given and I’ll share it here in my blog. And if you have not been lucky enough to receive one of these precious gifts, I would be honored to help you create one for yourself in the New Year. Call or email me today to make an appointment to get started preserving your stories, your life, your way.
December 10, 2008
What a joy to celebrate a woman's journey towards growth and financial independence! That's what we did Monday night at our monthly Team Meeting.
Jennifer Morita promoted to Creative Memories Unit Leader. Jennifer has been a Creative Memories Consultant for 7 years and has been leading the way towards success for almost as long. She provides superb customer service, manages her team with heart, and shines her light on us all with her unconditional support and encouragement. Here she is beaming with pride with her team members who helped make it happen. Congrats to all. I'm proud to have you all on our Craole's CREW.
November 16, 2008
Creative Memories wants to remind us that, "A Memory Fits Better Than a Sweater." I couldn't agree more.
I’ve been having so much fun using my special memories and the CM Photo Center for Christmas gifts this holiday season. First I wrote down the names of people I wanted to give a gift to. Then I chose a special memory I shared with each person this year. For my sister Christine, it was a yoga and hiking retreat in Montana. The two of us spent a week together in the mountains enjoying nature and challenging ourselves through hiking and yoga. I chose a great tote for her to use to and from yoga class ($29.99). I added a picture of the two of us in Warrior Two pose with a beautiful waterfall behind us. For another group of friends, I chose a shot we took on a special weekend in Ojai. I made a 5x7 Photo Panel ($24.99) for each of them. For my family Christmas card, I am using a picture of Margaret, Rory and me in Glacier National Park ($20.00 for 20). For a coffee mug for myself ($17.99) I chose our team picture taken at our annual Creative Memories Carole’s CREW Family BBQ this year.
Next I opened up my Storybook Plus software, imported the pictures I had chosen, and started creating a “page” in a size that fit the particular gift I was making. I felt so creative as I tried out different papers for backgrounds, adding “stickers” and embellishments and taking them away if I decided I didn’t like them. Sometimes I just chose the templates provided by the CM Photo Center like when I made the Wall Print Poster ($24.99) celebrating that same Team BBQ. Other times I added in special sayings and my own text like when I made the mouse pad for Rory ($10.99).
This year my gifts will be personalized and meaningful and each person who receives one will feel special. They will know I took the time to create something that celebrates a special memory we shared together.
It was all fast, fun, and easy – and I did it all in my pajamas without any trouble finding a parking space! You can do it too, in your home in front of your computer - or join us, Friday, November 21, in my home for my first annual Personalized Gifts Workshop. You can see samples of these gifts, use my Storybook Plus software to personalize your gift and have me to guide you through the process. Make a 20 minute appointment today to make your personalized gifts and show your friends and family that "A Memory Fits Better Than a Sweater."
November 2, 2008
I believe that we can celebrate what’s right in our lives through our album making. So as I create my newest project using the Expandable Picfolio Album with slip-in style pages and side-loading memorabilia pages, I have to remind myself that is what I am doing. You see, this project is of my life from age 2 months to 20, my “before Rory” years. And some of these pictures represent a time in my life where I was young and let’s just say “uninformed.” But as much as I’d like to forget some of the people in these pictures and the times they represent, I realize that most of them show me as I was growing up, learning who I was, and living life to its fullest. I haven’t stopped growing up. I haven’t stopped learning who I am. I haven’t stopped living life to its fullest. But I sure have a lot more things that are “right” in my life and that sure is worth celebrating.
Please call me today for a free personal consultation to discover how we can celebrate what's right in your life!
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