Blog to Book

Ever since I started my blog I've wished that there was an easy way to print my blog and use it as part of my journal. Just over a year ago I discovered BlogBooker at http://blogbooker.com. On this site you can upload your export blog file and in 3-4 minutes you have a PDF version of your blog, without the color background or side bar stuff, ready to save or print. Just like that, so easy. And it even pulls the pictures and puts them into the PDF file. Since I keep my journal on my MacBook Pro and print the pages occasionally, this works perfect to combine my journal pages with the pages from my blog. And this service is FREE. They do accept donations. And if you want a print book of your blog, they make that available too, as a paid service. To the folks at http://blogbooker.com, I say thank you.

Family Cookbook

As our family grows and we are experimenting more with new recipes it has become quite a disorganized situation trying to organize the recipes that we get from Pintrest, other websites, friends, relatives, packaging, magazines, and more. Some are on paper, recipe cards, torn pages, and package labels. Others bookmarked or pinned online.
I spent some time thinking about a good solution to this new opportunity in or home. The idea came to me to make a digital cookbook as a Mother's Day gift for Carey. With that idea I then needed a simple way to create such a book. After a couple not so appealing attempts with different programs, I decided to go with PowerPoint. With PowerPoint I have the ability to save in different file types, thus being able to share versions in iBooks, self publish in Amazon's Kindle bookstore, and be able to easily add and rearrange pages.
My gift idea was spoiled when I asked Carey for her help in the project. Although as we were working together and talked we thought of how great it would be to give our kids a copy of our family cookbook when they get married. So our current plan is to key in recipes that we enjoy and make often. When our kids move on in lives of their own we can give them a cookbook (printed and/or digital) with recipes that they grew up with and enjoyed. I am currently at 34 recipes entered, and between the ones that we have printed or saved, and the ones we come across in the years to come, I have many more to enter.

Idaho DMV

Hanging out at the DMV waiting to get our Idaho Concealed Weapons Permit. The ladies at the counter just love our kids, playing their iPods.