Tag: Cultivate what Matters

Memories Worth Preserving

What a different time we are living! I was suppose to be in Orlando, Florida right now, wrapping up an amazing conference and transitioning into some family fun at Disney – making memories.

This would have been our first time going to Walt Disney World as a family. We visited Disneyland in California when I was very young but we always talked about going to Walt Disney World in Florida and never did, even during the short time my parents lived in Florida.

About the time as we were growing up that we were seriously considering it, we had connected with a family from Belarus and our hearts were changed forever. We hosted some sweet sisters in our home for many summers and took our first international trip to a country that was not as glamorous as many aspire to travel to but was very special to us. I wouldn’t change that time and experiences for anything but fast forward to last year when I learned that my annual conference with Forever would be in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Resort, I knew I was going to go and quickly my family decided to join along with me in making plans. To say we were sad and disappointed that our trip had to be postponed would be an understatement. We knew a trip to Disney would not be a relaxing vacation especially in the heat of July but oh the fun we have together and the memories we were looking forward to making. We are hopeful that in another year we will all be picking up those plans and experiencing new things again and a trip to Disney World is high on our list of things to do in 2021.

As many of you have done, in these days, weeks and months lately we are shifting and adjusting to virtual experiences for the things that should have been in person. It isn’t the same as hugging that friend, sitting together over a meal or gathering in a large group to cheer and celebrate exciting things but for the last 3 days I have been touched by how much I have still enjoyed and learned through a virtual experience for the conference part of what would have been my trip to Florida.

I am reminded about how passionate I continue to be that our Memories are Worth Preserving. #MemoriesWorthPreserving is a phrase that has been repeated often this weekend and speaks to what the heart of Forever is all about. We are committed to helping you save, organize and share your precious memories whether they be a big family vacation like ours to Belarus many years ago or a moment in the yard on an average day 4+ months into a pandemic like this flower blooming. As we continue to shift and adjust to the new way of doing things, remember your memories are worth preserving today as well as the ones from past trips and experiences.

Do you have a photo taken recently that captures a moment you want to remember about this season? Maybe it is one tucked down deep on that camera roll on your phone from an experience before all of this craziness consumed us. Pull it out and let’s make sure that memory is preserved in a way that brings you joy or shares the story you want to capture.

5 years ago

Grace & Making Progress

I thought of all of the lists and ideas I could share with you about those photo projects that we can do while practicing social distancing right now but the reality to me is that the shift in routine is not like any of us can anticipate. I don’t have an abundance of “extra time” but it is more of a shift in the time and places I spend it – some things are harder as we navigate them remotely, some are just different. I imagine each of you may be like me as we let a bit of the dust settle while we figure this out. I want to take a minute and remind you it is OK to not have the perfect picture to this time, it is a time to extend yourself some grace as well as those people around you, those you do business with and even those who are making decisions about schools, businesses and offices. We are all trying to figure this out together and it is likely going to be a bit bumpy.

My best advice as we figure this out together, keep the things you can as normal as possible while taking advantage of these changes to make a little progress somewhere you wouldn’t normally be able to. Don’t set too high of an expectation of what you will accomplish but strive to make the best of this time. For me, the last few days of working from home have allowed me to spend time with my Write the Word journal a bit more, keep the laundry going a bit better without forgetting it in the washer or dryer, take a short walk each day, cook more meals at home, talk to a few friends by phone and help a few customers & team members who are working on photo projects. I am making progress on my full time work projects too and making lists of other things I need to do when we are able to meet together in person again. Things are moving forward, a bit slower than expected but it is OK there is still progress and I am thankful each day for my health and the ability to keep these things moving forward.

From my photo business side, I like many of you am having to weigh whether or not to keep events on the calendar and how best to support my customers and team members. I want you to know that for now I am not making any determinations about my Photo Fun Day Events in April or beyond but will evaluate those starting next week and we will adjust if needed. I know we will all be anxious to be together again soon and when it is appropriate to do that I want to be ready and able to provide a place for us to reconnect in person. In the mean time, I want to share that I am opening up some times where we can do a video/screen sharing type event to ask questions and share information on both Creative Memories and Forever projects. I am anticipating offering two types of events virtually: 1) Office Hours will be a time when I am available online (video conferencing if possible) to connect with you on any photo questions or topics you might like to chat about. This will be a pop on and off type event and will likely be 1 hour at a time 2) Mini Workshop or Class type events which are more topic based and will be more of a demo and then Q/A time at the end.

As I determine times and topics, I would love to hear from you what you are most interested in and when it would be most helpful to join. This is with the thought of the next 2 weeks where many schedules are cleared and many are home more than usual. I realize that your availability may shift but I want to offer this at a time that is best for this season we are in.

Both Forever and Creative Memories stay committed to being open as long as they are able to without interruptions and providing us with the products and services we need for our photos now and well after this season is behind us. You can visit my website like for each of these companies with latest specials and status or reach out to me directly anytime.

Creative Memories: https://www.creativememories.com/user/ElizabethGoodson

Forever: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out through phone, text, e-mail or comments on any of my posts.

5 years ago

Family History

Part of why I spend time with my family’s photos is that I love learning about our family history and capturing those stories in a place where others can enjoy too. Whether it is stories about my life or those that have come along before me each story is precious to me.

I was recently visiting one of my grandmothers and she reminded me of a story I had heard over the years. It is a story that reminds me of the joy I bring to my family and the fun adventures we have had through the years.

When I was a just a baby there was a day in the middle of the week when my Granddaddy was in town for a business meeting. When he got out of his meeting for the day, he surprised my mom at the house for a short visit and from all versions of this story, he was really there to see me. While there, he cooked up a plan to take me home with him for a visit. Mom called Dad at work to bounce the idea off of him but in the end everyone was game for a big trip for the grand-baby to go home with Granddaddy and surprise my Grandma. Mom tells how I was ready for a nap so she helped pack me in the car and off I went with Granddaddy with the hopes I might sleep a bit as we traveled.

The next part of the story is the part my Grandma tells where she had no idea what he had cooked up but she was busy at home when he arrived. She tells of the grin on his face that was ear to ear as he showed who he brought home to see her. The tells of what all I did and who I saw over the next few days are fun to hear but the best part is this is a story, I have no way of remembering myself but the intentional effort of my family to retell this story to me over the years has made it where it is one of my favorite “memories” too.

I have a few photos from around this time of me with my Granddaddy and whether they were taken on this visit or another one in the same time frame, the remind me of the great love he had for me.

What story to you hold that a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or friend’s child might like to know one day. Whether it is through a traditional scrapbook or through a Forever account capture that story while it is still fresh and pass that memory of love and joy on to the next generation.

We will do 2 posts today to catch up from the end of the week and for those who have place orders or claimed other gifts, I will be in touch with you shortly with further details.

Here is a recap of the gifts for Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years plus the new one for today:

On the first day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I went back to where it all started with a Creative Memories product that I LOVE – one person can get the CM bookcloth album of your choosing for 50% off. Available until claimed!

On the second day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am reopening the 2020 Photo Fun Club until the end of the month for the 2 remaining spots in the 2020 Photo Fun Club ~~PLUS for the first person who replies I am offering 1/2 off one of our upcoming 2020 Photo Fun Day – FULL day registrations.~~ Message me if you wish to sign up and I will share the details or answer any further questions.

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 4th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering Buy One Get One 50% off on those supplies you never want to run out of – Refill Pages with Protectors, Tape Runners, and Tape Runner Refills. There is no limit on how many people can take advantage of this offer however all orders must be placed no later than Feb 29th and pick up at my home in Apex or at my next Photo Fun Day or Retreat. Please use the form in the original post here!

On the 5th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to help you get those family recipes or photos of your community gathered around the table scanned and digitized so you can share them too. For the first 5 people who complete the form on the original post, I will offer you up to 16 of your favorite photos or recipes scanned with my next media conversion box for FREE.

On the 6th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to keep the sharing theme going and share FREE shipping on any CM order over $50 placed before the end of the month. All orders must be placed directly through me in the form on the original post (and not on my CM website) and picked up at my home in Apex or at one of my upcoming Photo Fun Days or Retreats in March or April.

On the 7th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I will create your panel for you with Forever Design and Print and have it shipped straight to you for 50% off the retail price. Take a peak at the Forever Design and Print options so you know what you might want me to create for you. To take advantage of this, please use the form on the original post

On the 8th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Share a blog post & comment on the original posts with your favorite snow day activity and earn an entry into my $10 Starbucks drawing. Drawing will include all entries as of Feb 29th at 5pm and must include a share AND a comment below.

On the 9th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Join with fellow customers and when your online orders equal $200 or more in one day, I will a drawing for a $25 Gift Certificate. Available with each CM and Forever orders.

On the 10th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering the first 3 people who upload (up to 16) your favorite photos, I will have them printed for you with Forever for FREE and available at our next Photo Fun Day or retreat. Check the original post for details.

On the 11th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I always enjoy helping my customers and friends with their projects. Do you have questions and want to meet for a FREE 30 minutes coffee chat with me? Today is your day – the first person to message me will get a Coffee Chat in the next month to get any of your questions answered.

On the 12th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, One idea that I learned from a friend sharing with me was how to use Forever’s Artisan software to create luggage tags with our ornaments. For the first person to reply to this message, I will create a customized luggage tag just for you.

On the 13th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, As a member of my team, I am always here to support you in your own goals for your business but for those that join my team in February, I will partner with you for a joint event in March to kickoff your business. Message me for more details.

For the 14th & 15th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to help you tell your story through printed and digitized photos so I am offering the first 2 people who want to take advantage of this offer. Order a media conversion box from Forever (don’t forget the coupon code for 20% off through 3/9) and I will send you a Gift Certificate to use on your next order or to apply to any additional items you may include in your box over the allotted credit. The Gift Certificate increases based on the size of the box:

Personal Box – $10 Forever GC
Value Box – $50 Forever GC
Family Box – $100 Forever GC

Don’t forget that the Value Box is the perfect size to send a CM Scrapbook (or the pages) to be scanned and shared.

5 years ago

Sunday Encouragment

I have been enjoying the Cultivate What Matters – Write the Word Journals for over two years. It is a simple journal that includes a passage of scripture to write out in your own handwriting and a place to journal your thoughts whether it be on the scripture or whatever may be on your heart that day. I don’t use it every day but typically a few times a week is my current rhythm and I am often encouraged by the specific scripture that I turn to on a day that I need to hear it most. Each journal is focused around a theme. I have done the one on Cultivating Joy previously and am now working my way through the Cultivate Hope Journal.

As I opened my journal this morning the scripture that I turned to was most encouraging to me today – in the particular season I am in so I wanted to share with you as well. The passage as the image above says is Philippians 4:6-7. I have always treasured this passage as someone who in moments of anticipation can over-analyze a situation and become a bit anxious about the unknowns that may come. Today as I am right in the midst of changing jobs and swinging back and forth from being very excited about this amazing opportunity to return to a group of people I so enjoyed working with for many years to a bit anxiousness about my new role and the changes associated with this move, I needed to hear this reminder and and encouragement.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

So whether you are experiencing changes in life that have you a bit anxious or you have excitement and anticipation that has you uncertain, I encourage you to remember these words and be reminded like I was about the peace that God give us when we place our needs before him.

I hope you are enjoying these posts. We will continue until the end of the month with daily posts but after the 16 Gifts for 16 Years focus, I will return to a post a week (with a few bonuses from time to time) going forward.

Here is a recap of the gifts for Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years plus the new one for today:

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 10th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Forever offers amazing printing of our photos as well as our completed projects. Whether you are a traditional scrapbookerer or you do more digital projects, we all have a time when we need a few of our favorites printed. We are keeping the magic number of 16 and I am offering the first 3 people who upload (up to 16) your favorite photos, I will have them printed for you with Forever for FREE and available at our next Photo Fun Day or retreat. You will need to upload them directly to this album (16 Gifts for 16 years) so I can place the order. Click the text highlighted in Blue and then you will see the upload button. You will need to log in to your Forever account. I am using Forever’s Collaborative Album feature for this collection point. You do not need a permanent storage account to upload, just a free account. If you are new to Forever and have not created an account before, please use this link first to create a FREE account first (Create a FREE Account here) and if you are not familiar with collaborative albums, I will be happy to share more.

5 years ago

Snow Days

Between a new job and unexpected snow in the last couple of days, yesterday’s post didn’t get posted as expected so today’s post is a little delayed but will include a bonus with Day 8 & Day 9 gifts listed below.

Are you a fan of Snow Days or do you dream of flip flops and sun? I love a good snow day although this week’s fun was not at the best time for me, I still enjoyed pausing a bit to enjoy watching the snow fall and marveling in the beauty.

What are you favorite things to do when it is snowing? I love a chance to stay inside with something warm in my favorite mug and watch the snow fall through my window. Driving in the snow or the stress that comes from determining if it is safe to venture out to work or other activities are not my favorite parts but each time it snows, I enjoy the quiet and slowdown that comes naturally with a snow day.

We are at the halfway point of my 16 Gifts for 16 years so be sure you check back through past posts to take advantage and then jump on these 2 Gifts added today (well I guess you might consider this 3).

For the first gift – Let’s celebrate sharing: I would love for you to help me share this series with others you know that may not be connected already. Share this post where you see it either through e-mail, FB, Instagram or straight from my blog AND post a comment below with your favorite Snow Day activity. I will do a drawing of all of those who have shared this post AND commented with their favorite snow day activity for a $10 Starbucks Gift Card. Drawing will include all post as of Feb 29th at 5pm.

For the second gift – Let’s celebrate online orders: I am doing a lot of specials that require your order to be placed through me directly to take advantage but today I want to celebrate those who place your orders directly on my websites. It is a win-win when you place your order directly on the website. You get your goodies shipped directly to you and I am able to stretch toward my next sales goal. I am getting close to a bonus with both CM and Forever so for each day (starting with Saturday, Feb 22) until the end of month that we have $200 or more in online orders, I will do a Gift Certificate drawing for that part of my business.

For example, if you place a customer order through my CM website – https://www.creativememories.com/user/ElizabethGoodson of any amount you and your order plus others for that day total $200 or more, I will do a drawing for $25 Gift Certificate off a future order OR if you place a customer order through my Forever website: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson and your order plus others for that day total $200 or more, I will do a drawing for $25 Gift Certificate off a future Forever order.

If you alone make a purchase through either site that totals more that $200, I will automatically give you a $25 GC in addition to doing the daily drawing.

Whether you place and order or share a post, each of these are valuable ways to support me and my business.

Additional gifts for Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 7th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Another thing that can bring joy and make you smile is to take a favorite photo or quote and create a simple canvas or wall panel. Would you like to make the walls in your office or home bring a smile to your face? For the first person to reply here with your e-mail, I will create your panel for you with Forever Design and Print and have it shipped straight to you for 50% off the retail price. Take a peak at the Forever Design and Print options so you know what you might want me to create for you.

On the 8th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, Share a blog post & comment below with your favorite snow day activity and earn an entry into my $10 Starbucks drawing. Drawing will include all entries as of Feb 29th at 5pm and must include a share AND a comment below.

5 years ago

Fresh Start

For those that have followed my blog and journey over the last couple of years, you may remember a post in 2018 titled Turning the Page… where I was changing jobs. I have found myself in a similar place closing that chapter and starting fresh again this month. As you read this message, I will be embracing a new “day job” this week and with that comes the perfect time to freshen up my work supplies.

Do you have a favorite pen, notepad, snack or tool you keep at work to bring a little happiness and joy to your work day? Here are a few of my must haves for office supplies or tools that I have tucked in my bag for the new job this week.

I love having my Painted Pearl 2020 Watercolor Miniature Calendar on my desk. Since I knew I was likely changing jobs earlier this year, I waited to open my 2020 Mini Calendar until I started the new job so I am extra excited to pull out my new one and add it to my desk for the last part of February and rest of 2020.
My go-to work pen right now is the Pentel EnerGel Medium Point Pen, typically in Blue but I love fun colors too. Be careful if you ask to borrow one, I might be a bit possessive or ask for it back before you leave.
My TI-82 Calculator – yes I still have the calculator I got for high school math class. It has been with me for decades now but is still going strong and will be heading to the office with me this time too.
For those times when I need to focus and work without interruptions, I will have my Bose Headphones tucked in my bag and a few of my favorite playlist queued up on Spotify.
And last but not least, there will be a bag of Dove Promises – Dark Chocolates to put in my candy dish. This has become a favorite of friends and visitors through the years. The conversations that come from sharing a piece of chocolate with a coworker on a crazy day or sharing the message of encouragement that Dove puts on each of their wrappers are a perk of having this simple candy dish on my desk.

Do you have a item on your desk or in your office that brings you joy or puts a smile on your face when you see it? I would love to know what your favorite office items are too.

Now for the Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

5 years ago

Sharing is Caring

There is nothing like a sweet 5 year old to put things into perspective with his words – “Sharing is Caring”!

It was a Sunday after church and I had arrived at McAllister’s for lunch a few minutes before our family and dear friend with her sweet 5 year old son were going to join me. To help make sure we had a table when the restaurant got busier, I had gone on through the line, ordered my lunch and found a table large enough for our group. About the time the rest arrived, my food was already being delivered to the table. I had soup and they had put a few tortilla chips on the side of the plate. As our family likes to say – they put just enough to garnish the plate, rather than the serving you might like to accompany your meal.

As I sat there waiting for our group to make their way through the line to join me, my friend’s son came to wait with me at the table rather than stand in the line with his mom. He had no more climbed up in the chair when he snagged one of my precious few chips. I teased him and said he better not eat all of my lunch or I would have to share his. With those precious eyes looking up at me, he said without missing a beat, “Sharing is Caring” and helped himself to another chip. As I looked back at him, I knew that this moment needed reinforcement of this message that he clearly had been learning recently and was still navigating just how it applied. So I shared my few chips with him and chatted a bit more about sharing while we waited for the group to make their way through the line and join us.

Whether it is a lesson like this with a child or sharing in other ways, I know that there is truth in this message. When we share what we have in our possession, what we have learned previously or even of ourselves and our time we are showing that we care for those around us and want them to experience the best we have to offer.

My business over these 16 years has been about sharing something I love and have found to be useful with those around me. I am blessed by those of you who help me extend this by sharing with your friends and family too.

I am thankful for each and every referral you send to my business. Did you know….

You can share with a friend my Creative Memories link: https://www.creativememories.com/user/ElizabethGoodson so that they can place an order for Creative Memories right from my website.
You can use your own Forever Refer a Friend link and share Forever with a friend and earn a coupon to use on your next purchase (It is $10 this month). Your friend also gets a welcome coupon to use on their own first purchase.
If you are not already connected to me with Forever, you can use my link: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson to connect yourself and get your own welcome coupon.
You can share our upcoming events and invite a friend to join us by pointing your friends and family to this site. Don’t forget that I offer a FREE after 3pm Option for our first time attendees – Use the link on the Events Page to sign up for our next Photo Fun Day!

Thank you for being the Heart of my Business for so many years! I look forward to sharing more with each of you!

Now for the Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 6th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to keep the sharing theme going and share FREE shipping on any CM order over $50 placed before the end of the month. All orders must be placed directly through me in the form below (and not on my CM website) and picked up at my home in Apex or at one of my upcoming Photo Fun Days or Retreats in March or April.

5 years ago

Food & Community

At a recent gathering of friend over dinner, I couldn’t help but realize how much Food and Community are tied together for me. There is something special about sharing a meal together. Whether they are family gathered for a holiday, longtime friends who haven’t connected recently or new acquaintances, the time around the table or standing in someone’s kitchen builds a unique sense of community. I believe we all value community in some way but I know that spending time with “my people” around a table of food feeds more than my belly but fuels my heart too.

One of the projects I started years ago when I first began digital scrapbooking (Forever Artisan) was to take some of my favorite recipes and create Recipe Cards with them. Many of these are “Go To” family recipes we use so often I can almost quote them by heart while others may have only been tried once or twice. Each time I made the card, I printed it as a 4×6 photo with a few extra copies to share and tucked it into a photo album that I keep in my kitchen. This album has pockets for 4×6 photos like the Multi-Pocket Pages that Creative Memories offers (you can find them on my CM Website under Shop > Pages & Protectors).

Having a few extra copies of my most favorite have come in handy more times that I can count. Whether it is a when a friend is over for dinner and asks for the recipe of that dessert I just served or I am taking the dish to a pot luck or to someone’s house who is having a baby or surgery, I can pull it out and hand it off. Another tip I will share is that now that I have these in a 4×6 photo format, I also have them in my Forever Storage account where I can access them while I am out at the grocery store picking up ingredients or out of town and want to make it on vacation. I also have found myself not pulling out my photo album Recipe Book as much these days and instead pulling it up on my phone and cooking with that version of the recipe out. The best part of having this access to my recipes is that when I don’t think to grab a copy of the recipe, I can pull it up on my phone and share in a text or e-mail right while I am talking about it.

I have my Favorite Recipes Album available in the public side of my Forever account that you can check out by going to my Profile Page to get a few ideas for how to make your own recipe cards.

Do you have a recipe card that is written by someone you love dearly? Would yo love to capture those precious handwritten cards in the same way? Did you know that you can have those recipes scanned and uploaded to your Forever Storage account as well and do the same thing that I have described above? Forever’s Media Conversion Services take a white glove approach to our precious photos and documents when they scan and digitize them.

What recipe would you want to create a card so you can share it more easily? Join us at our next Photo Fun Day to learn more about how to create these in Artisan yourself.

Now for the Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the third day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I am offering to the first 2 people who respond, 10GB of Forever Storage for 1/2 off.

On the 5th day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I want to help you get those family recipes or photos of your community gathered around the table scanned and digitized so you can share them too. For the first 5 people who complete the form below, I will offer you up to 16 of your favorite photos or recipes scanned with my next media conversion box for FREE. I will coordinate with you on the details after you submit your request.

5 years ago

Little by Little

Whether it is a photo project, taking on a new habit or tackling a big project, I have come to really appreciate with the phrase “Little by Little“. There are many things I want to get done and areas I want to make a difference but I have learned some time ago that sweeping in and doing the big one time thing is not nearly as effective as the Little by Little steps I do daily, weekly or even monthly. A couple of years ago, I shifted my focus on my photos to being more intentional with Little by Little progress, even focusing on the power or 15 Minutes at a time. With this approach I have spent the last year really acting this out. In January of 2019, I create a Photo Album called 2019 Favorites. Each month, I would take some time to pull my favorites from the previous month to add to my Favorites Album. When I had finished this task, I would go back and work on my 2018 Photo Album Pages. Little by Little I make progress on both my current photos and my older project. I just recently finished up my 2018 Album Pages and a few other photo projects from 2018. I am starting 2020 in the same way. Will you join me?

I recommend doing this with a Forever Permanent Storage Account where you can create a Album of your most favorite photos from each year and know they are protected for generations to come. If you would prefer to have a program on your computer to help you with organizing, Forever Historian would be my recommendation. Whatever your tool, the steps below will help you get started with purpose this year with your photo projects. The best thing to do is keep the steps simple and repeat each month.

Create a folder or Album for your Favorites – I am calling mine 2020 Favorite Photos
At the beginning of each month, mark your calendar to go into your phone, cameras or other places you keep photos and pick your favorites. Some months this will go quickly while some it may take a little longer.
If you have time to do this more than once a month, you can work backwards an extra month or two at a time. Just remember the first of the month, be sure to stay focused and do the most recent past month.

I promise a year from now you will be glad you took the time and made progress today.

I challenge you to take time today and create a 2020 Favorites Album and add your favorites from January 2020. What other tasks, projects or habits do you want to tackle in 2020. Can the Little by Little approach help you with those too.

Now for the Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years:

On the first day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, I went back to where it all started with a Creative Memories product that I LOVE – the CM bookcloth album of your choosing for 50% off.

One the second day of Elizabeth’s 16 Gifts for 16 years, let’s celebrate the many events we have held over these 16 years. We have had classes, Crops, Workshops, Retreats and so much more. for a limited time, I am reopening the 2020 Photo Fun Club until the end of the month for the 2 remaining spots in the 2020 Photo Fun Club. You can read more about it here: 2020 Photo Fun Club and since I know some of you can’t join us each month but would like to attend, I will also offer to the first person who replies 1/2 off one of our upcoming 2020 Photo Fun Day – FULL day registrations. To claim either of these, please comment below or E-mail Me directly.

5 years ago

Is time flying for you?

I don’t know about you but my social media feed has been filled with college move-in photos and fun milestones happening with lots of friends as they are helping get new college freshman moved into to school this weekend. The next things coming up will be all of those first day of school photos and I am sure if there are this many moving into college there are probably a few High School Seniors this year too. No, I don’t have kids graduating or moving into college but as a friend shared this photo I couldn’t help but think that I have a tool and simple process that might be helpful to some of you if you find yourself in a similar stage to my friend – especially with high school seniors although this can be helpful to others too.

I know it was true when I was in high school and have found that it is still true today, that senior year can be crazy but it is also a time when you are pulling out old photos. There seem to be lots of times when you need that photo of your sweet senior as a baby, elementary school aged student just starting school, playing the sport they loved, or other special moments. Do you know where those photos are today? Does that causes you panic just thinking about it? First, take a breath and know that I can help and will be happy to help you come up with a unique plan just for you but if you need a little guidance to get you started, here are some simple steps, I would suggest today.

Set up a FREE Forever Account (if you don’t already have one) by using this link: https://www.forever.com/ambassador/elizabethgoodson
Set up a couple of Albums for your soon to be graduate:
- Senior Year Album – to capture all of the current year’s photos of the special gatherings, events and celebrations.
- Toddler to Teen Album – to capture your favorite photos from each stage of life.
- Special Project Album – If you have a special gift in mind, you may want to create an album for that project.
Spend a little bit of time each week so you aren’t overwhelmed come spring. If you haven’t been following my blog this summer you may enjoy checking out: The Power in 15 Minutes Blog post.
Need more help, consider joining us for a monthly workshop or let’s set up a coffee chat.
Enjoy this season!

Some of the benefits of using a Forever Account for this project are:

When you create a FREE account using the link above, you will get a $10 Welcome coupon you can use on your first order.
Your photos will be maintained in their full resolution – when you need to share with others for yearbook entries or video celebrations, they will be the high quality versions that can be used however they are needed.
If you wanted to create a photo book, canvas, graduation announcement or other photo gift you will already have the photos handy.

Forever is a great tool for saving, organizing and sharing our favorite photos, videos and audio files and memories. Whether you have a high school senior or other photo goals, I am happy to chat with you about your specific needs and create a plan that will work for you. We didn’t gather all of these photos overnight so it is best to work on them a little at a time and have a system that we can keep up – little by little.