Catching Up

I've been absent from my blog for over a week, and I finally have some time to catch up.  A few weeks ago I received a postcard from Shutterfly containing a coupon for unlimited free photobook pages plus 50% off of everything else.  This was an offer too good to pass up, so I immediately began the time consuming task of going through tangible photographs from pre-digital days [which required scanning], and digital photographs stored on my computer.  

I have an ongoing list of photo books I want to make [which presently totals 12], but since I've been having lunch with my high school girlfriends once a month, I decided this album should be about them: photographs from high school reunions, lunches, weddings, and tea outings with my best friend, Sandy.  Below is a screen shot of the cover I designed.  It's a bit distorted, but the actual cover won't be.

As usual there were too many photos for one book, so book II will be necessary.  This album is the maximum amount of pages [111 pages], so I was grateful for the unlimited pages promotion.  The $256.68 book was reduced to $80.01 with the promo codes.

My girlfriend, Sandy, came over last Tuesday [Aug. 10th] and spent the day working on the project with me.  Her hubby put all her digital photos from our tea outings on a zip drive, and she brought her seven scrapbook albums so I could scan any of her photos that I didn't have, and copy any photos on the zip drive.  

It was a fun walk down memory lane viewing all the photos.  We concluded we've been blessed to do many wonderful tea events together, and saddened that so many of the tearooms are now closed.

This is the 12th Shutterfly album I've made - a huge monetary investment for enjoyment and posterity. As is usually the case with technology, Shutterfly changed their photo album formatting since I made my last album, so it was a bit of trial and error before I got the hang of it, but I'm so happy it's done.  I sent it winging its way through cyberspace last Friday and it's scheduled to arrive Aug. 28th.

Sandy and I enjoyed spending the day together which included a lunch break.  I didn't think to take pictures.  It was a simple lunch of bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches with potato salad, and individual mini-angel food Bundt cakes covered with macerated strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream.  We had Harney & Sons Blueberry Green Tea with our meal.  I enjoyed this tea at our recent outing to Sweet Shalom tearoom [which held their last tea on August 8th as their beautiful Victorian house has sold], and I ordered the tea when I got home.  If you're into flavored green teas, this one's a definite winner.

I'm juggling multiple projects simultaneously right now, and they will be individual upcoming posts.  I worked both days last weekend which makes me grateful I normally have Sundays off.

It's been a tradition at our house for several years for the three youngest grandkids to spend a few days at our house in August, and while they're here their Papa takes them back to school shopping.  School will start back on August 30th, so we had to scurry around to fit it in this year.

We drove to Chelsea yesterday to pick up Izzy.  She had to work until 3:30, so we surprised her by going to lunch at Chelsea Burger where she works.  She's growing up so quickly, and will be a High School Junior this year, so these visits won't last much longer.

Chelsea is an old, quaint town as you can see by the building where Chelsea Burger is located. It used to be a tavern, and transitioned to a burger restaurant about a year ago.  The original sign from Seitz's Tavern still hangs inside, as well as the original counter.

Here's our sweet girl behind the order desk.  I ordered the Chelsea Burger Original.  Yum!

Grandson Landon sitting at the counter, which isn't used right now due to COVID.

The interior still has the original brick walls with one of them displays their logo.

When Izzy got off work we made our drive back to Warren.  We watched Karate Kid I and II last night before bed.  It had been so long since I saw them [the first one came out in 1984], it was like watching a new movie again.  Karate Kid III is on the agenda for tonight.

We went out to breakfast at Country Oven this morning [another tradition during their stay] and Papa and Izzy are shopping as I type this post.  She'll go back home tomorrow in time to clock-in at work at 3:30 p.m., and Jerry will bring granddaughter, Ellie, back for her turn. Landon will come the first part of next week.

How have you been spending your summer?