The Blog Has Moved!

We have been longing to simplify our online presence and create something new and fresh.  So we finally created a new website that will serve as our one-stop resource (a "hub" if you will) for all things big and small at The Memory Boutique including our new blog!  It's all in one place so you'll be able to stop by once and stay for a visit!

The new URL is:  http://thememoryboutique.net/newsite/blog-2

Please bookmark the new address as we will no longer be posting to this blog and will delete it in the next few weeks.  

See you at our new site!

Digital Scrapbooking = LOVE!

Happy Digital Scrapbook Day!  Boy oh boy, how does one who is in LOVE with digital scrapbooking explain all the reasons "why" without typing for hours?

First of all, I thought logically about the switch from traditional to digital.  Once my family moved to digital cameras, it didn't make sense to have digital files, go to the local store, print photos and then traditionally scrap them by cutting them into pieces (sometimes making mistakes so the double prints I had to pay for really came in handy), glueing to paper and adding embellishments.  Think about all the expense that involves from driving to the store, spending all that time at a photo kiosk, often times having to go back hours later to pick up those prints, purchasing scrapbook supplies:  paper, embellishments (how many millions are there out there?), adhesives, etc.  THEN finding a designated area to scrap because by the time you pull out all the items needed for scrapping, it takes up an entire room!  And you're stuck to that spot if you want to get anything accomplished. It all took so much time and so much money...

Then comes along digital!  WOW!  It's fast, easy, ultra creative, "green" and it saves SO MUCH time and money by not having to buy all the scrapbooking supplies and driving around to pick up prints (or waiting days for them to arrive in the mail)!  The best part of all is that you are only limited to where you're computer is or absolutely NO limitation because a laptop can go anywhere!  Scrap outside while the kids are playing, scrap in bed, scrap at your friend's house, scrap on the couch, scrap at a restaurant (don't believe me?  Panera is a great place to go!).  No limitations, Baby, and it's liberating!  =)

Can it get any better than that?  Oh, I can go on and on!  Create one scrapbook and print it over and over in different sizes, add movies to it, add music to it, create a slideshow and burn to a dvd to send to your entire family...it's the ultimate in scrapbook experience!  Give it a try and see for yourself.  I think you're gonna love it!  Be sure to stop by our new website at www.thememoryboutique.net to see how easy it is to print your pages at our shop, too!

Here's a few pages from an album I created when two of the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful teenagers from Germany came and stayed with us for two weeks...my German daughter Anne and my German son Philipp.  I created an album with 50+ pages (took just an afternoon to create a lasting memory keepsake!), added music, burned it to a dvd and sent it to them.  Anne happened to be in the U.S. at the time so I sent hers to her in California and she called crying she was so happy!  Philipp's was sent to Germany and he and has family were able to watch it and enjoy it there...Enjoy a glimpse of their spring break with us!

Anne & Philipp (with me and my kids) in our quaint little town of Rockford, MI.  
Have NO idea who the "fisher" woman is but she sure did catch a big one!

Visiting the fish ladder on the Grand River in Grand Rapids, MI 

They don't have school playgrounds like this in Germany!

Visiting the famous pier in Grand Haven, MI the day after Philipp broke his wrist!
We also ate lots of pizza (yet another item not prevalent in Germany!)

My daughter, Maddie, really loved these kids as they gave her a lot of attention and let
her do just about anything she wanted - hence, the hair-do!  What a good sport Philipp was!

Anne in some funny glasses at a party store...they had fun!

Had to take the kids to see an American elementary school...they said the schools aren't anything like this in Germany (they said the buildings are much nicer here even though this school is an oldie!).  They don't have school busses like we do either so they were happy to see them...they have to actually PAY for bus services which is expensive so the kids ride their bikes to school every day.

The kids jumped A LOT and everywhere we went!  This was the night before they went back home to Germany so we celebrated that evening with a fire and made s'mores (another newbie for our German kids!)!

My kids with Anne and Philipp.  This was just moments before they had to board their plane and the tears started flowing for all of us!  What a sad day having to say goodbye.  =(  Good news?  Their WHOLE family will be coming to visit next summer!  Yea!

Smirk

According to wikipedia, a smirk refers to a smile evoking insolence, scorn, offensive smugness or self-satisfaction. Interesting. Have you "smirked" today? This is my "smirk" image that I'm entering into the I Heart Faces weekly photo challenge. Mary

WOO WOO! Jump on the Mama Buzz Blog Tour!

I just spent the last hour reading the blogs from the Mama Buzz Blog Tour (you can read them here, too) and adding a comment for The Memory Boutique. Hint, hint - be sure to check them out and see what I've been writing there - you won't be sorry! =) Anyhoo...WOW! These gals share their honest opinions and I loved reading their thoughts about My Memories Suite software. Yes, yes, yes, they're saying what we knew already (that MMS R-O-C-K-S!) but it sure is great to hear how much fun they're having creating one-of-a-kind memories using the software and seeing the fabulous pages they're creating!

It's always fun to see other people's pages to kick start some of your own ideas for pages. I tell you, I want to scrap so darn bad right now but my house is a disaster that needs a little TLC first. As soon as I'm finished cleaning, I'm hitting the laptop and will scrap until the bus comes at 3:30. What are YOUR plans for today? Share with us! =)

Mama Buzz Blog Tour

We are excited to be on the Mama Buzz Blog Tour!

Have you heard about Mama Buzz? It is a team of over 150 blogging moms, who test out anything that’s kid, mom, or family related (books, puzzles, green toys, DVDs, even shoes and clothes). After testing the product Mama Buzz sets up a blog tour so that you can easily read each reviewers review. How cool is that?

The Mama Buzz team has just reviewed My Memories Suite, the digital scrapbooking software that we carry and love to use! Check out the Mama Buzz reviews here.

You can't create pages without PRINTING them! So, we are offering a special printing discount for the Mama Buzz Blog Tour readers. Receive 25% off your print order of $10 or more using code MMBZZ at The Memory Boutique now through September 30, 2010. Place your printing order here. For free samples of our paper types email us at info@thememoryboutique.net.

The Memory Boutique also holds My Memories Suite Workshops in Rockford, Michigan. Sign up for a workshop here.

Who are you highlighting in your digital scrapbook pages? Your children, your spouse, your pet...? We want to know!

Are You There?

Hello friends. I haven't been on in a while. Have you? I'm not sure if anyone's out there reading these posts, but I'll get back on schedule and post, post, post!

I made a new recipe the other day using fresh corn from the garden. I made "corn & sausage chowder". Oh yum! I tried to make it low-fat but mistakenly purchased the full-fat version of half & half (which in itself is better than getting the full-fat version of heavy whipping cream the recipe called for but still, slap it right on my thighs and buttocks with all the fat grams that were in there!). It was sinfully good as all naughty things are. If you'd like the recipe, just pop me a note and I'll pull out the good ol' recipe book I blogged about a few weeks ago (the fresh veggies and fruit one...'member?). Until then, peace. =)

Aaaaggggghhhhh! FRUIT FLIES!

There's nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables right from the garden. It's like Heaven on a plate! But every rose has it's thorn (thank you Bret Michaels): Fruit flies. Yup, I have them all over my house and they're driving me nuts! The worst part is that they are not only a nuisance, they can be a health hazard (((shudder))). The rotten little buggers can contaminate food which can make you and your family very ill! Here's some info I found to share with directions to make an economical, homemade trap:

They love bits of rotting food remnants and seem to thrive in even the smallest amount. When fruit flies move in, they just don't want to leave and will lay eggs in and on anything they can find - fruits & vegetables left on the counter, sink drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles & cans, garbage bags, and even mops and rags.

A Few Fun Facts About Fruit Flies:

- Can lay up to 500 eggs at a time

- Their entire lifecycle is complete in about a week

- While considered mainly a pest, they have the potential to contaminate food with dangerous bacteria

We all know that removing the food, getting rid of the garbage & cleaning up plays a big role, but we also know what it's like to move a piece of fruit and have a swarm of fruit flies fill the air only to escape your attempts at killing them. Where are they gonna go? Obviously the ones flying around can't be easily captured or killed, so they'll linger about until they find some other place to lay eggs and the whole cycle starts again.

The best way to capture and remove the ones that escape is to create a simple trap using a jar, plastic wrap and a piece of food. Here's how it works:

1. Get a small jar you don't plan on using again ( like a baby food jar or something similar ) and wash it out well. Make sure it is not a jar with a funky smell such as a used pickle jar or anything that use to have strong spices. You want a clean, odorless jar.

2. Take a chunk of banana and place inside the jar. This is why you want a clean, odorless jar - so that the banana smell won't be overpowered by other not-so-tempting smells. Banana seems to work the best, but you can experiment.

3. Fit a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the jar, making sure that it fits tight and well sealed around the edges. Then take a pen or pencil and poke 4 to 5 holes in the plastic, just big enough for a fruit fly to fit into. Once a fruit fly crawls in, it can't get out. You would think they would just fly back out through the holes, but they won't!

4. Place the jar in an area where you have seen the most fruit flies. Depending on the amount of fruit flies you have, you can expect to start seeing the jar fill up within just a few hours. After 24 hours, you will discover just how bad your fruit fly problem is!

This simple, inexpensive & safe method works perfectly and if you don't want the jar on public display, you can always slip it behind the garbage can, in the cupboard or even under the sink (Just don't forget about it!). You will want to empty the jar every 3-4 days before any eggs have a chance to hatch. While adult fruit flies can't easily escape through the holes, their maggots can very easily, and besides that - they are disgusting to see crawling around in the jar. You don't want to see these things crawling on your counter!

Cleaning out the jar shouldn't be a problem. Kill the bugs with bug spray, wash out the jar and start the whole process over again if there are still some fruit flies left to capture.

For bad fruit fly problems, you will want to use this method for a good two weeks to make sure you've captured the majority of fruit flies. You might even want to use a few jars in different places. Before long, your kitchen will be back to normal.

I haven't tried the banana trap but we do use a little jar filled with apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap. I've had these babies out for 2 days and I have at least 100 dead bugs. They fly in and drown. I understand that the fruit flies really love beer (too bad I won't let them have a "happy" death - that would be too nice of me) and love red wine even better. Sorry little pests. If I have red wine in my house, it won't be for YOU to drink!

Don't stop eating fresh fruits and veggies like my husband has suggested (go figure). Just accept the challenge and fight to win! Now I must go clean my counters AGAIN.