The story behind the story...

So just the other day, our son Josiah and I went to the local craft store to take advantage of a frame sale they were having. I made a poster of Josiah and my husband in their Navy uniforms to be hung in his room. We had the poster in hand so he could help me pick out the frame he wanted. We ended up needing to get a total of 3 poster sized frames for various projects we have. We checked out the items, and Josiah was being a big helper by carrying 1 frame to the car while I got the other 2. We arrived at the car, and I was trying to get the back hatch of the car open. One of the frames slipped, and landed on my 2nd toe - of course on the first day of the year that I pull out the open shoes! It cut my toe and hurt really bad, but I thought I'd be OK. However, in the time that I was reacting to the frame hitting my foot, the 2nd frame I had slipped and fell on the side of my foot. I was trying so hard to just get the frames in the back of the car and Josiah in the car as well - I was thankful I only had Josiah with me so that I didn't have to deal with a 2 year old! I managed to limp my way into the car and after giving in to the idea of not driving myself home, I called my husband. He returned to where we were at, and we ventured to the ER for the afternoon. Yes indeed, I broke my toe with a poster frame! Oh what luck! It's a bit of a hassle not being able to walk every where I want and it takes a lot longer right now, but the posters that will be hung in Josiah's room (once I'm brave enough to carry the frames again), will have even more meaning and even more of a story behind them than they already do. Despite the pain, we can look back and laugh at the experience. Besides, since I'm in pain, the kids have been SUPER helpful & I'm loving it!

My boy understands the importance of Heritage!!

I am amazed at the insight a 6 year old can have! Just the other day, Josiah and I were talking about the items he has hanging on his wall. He has several posters from his favorite movies, an 11x8 1/2 page of him I made for Christmas this year, and his dad's bootcamp graduation picture (that has become a staple on the wall since we lived in San Diego and Derek was gone a lot - Josiah would blow his papa kisses every time before he went to bed).

We were talking about the fun we had in Atlanta, and Josiah said "Momma, I want posters of our trip and other fun things we do as a family on our wall instead". He was done with the movie posters!! Yes, he enjoyed watching the movies & we've watched them as a family. However, that doesn't help identify him! I'm so proud of him! I recently made him a poster of him and Derek in their Navy uniforms, and just finished one of our Atlanta trip to be hung on the wall. I'm excited to see the transformation of his room as we change out these posters!

Craziness with 3 little ones!

So life can get pretty crazy with 3 little ones! I have always tried to keep my focus on the kids and not get too wrapped up in a spotless house; however the house still needs to be cleaned! We had been struggling with a system that worked well for our all our kids. Chore charts worked well for 1 but not the others, sticker rewards worked for 1 but not the others....I needed something more personalized! So, I created a chore deck of cards. There are 3 different styles of cards - 1 for each child. Josiah's are super hero related & the girls are different colors and princess related. I have the usual daily chores on the cards (make beds, feed the dog, pick up toys, etc). I also have a few cards that have "special assignments" on them so I can adjust and adapt the system. In the morning, they are given their chore cards and are to complete them throughout the day. Once they get the chores done, they get a "star card" that has their name and the day of the week on it - after a week, they are able to cash in their star card for a reward card. And the reward cards vary from a new toy to a bear hug to deciding what's for dinner to staying up late, etc. The kids LOVE them! They are so excited to see what their chores for the day are & they are always excited for their reward. The first week, Lydia (the 2 year old) go the new toy card & we were concerned the other 2 would be frustrated. However, Eliana got a special treat (I was able to take her alone to get some Italian Ice), and Josiah got a Mario Kart tournament that he was so excited about!

The start of a new year!

Don't let last year's memories be forgotten!
Document those stories now before they slip your memory

The hustle and bustle of the Christmas season have come to an end. New
memories were made, relationships were strengthened (and maybe a few were
strained), New Year's resolutions have been made, and it's time to embark
on 2009.But, what is it about 2008 that you want to remember? Or, are you
looking forward to a special occasion in 2009? Get started on those
Heritage Makers projects today!During the month of January, you can get 12
months of premier for less than $9/month (paid by 1 time year subscription
price)!! Over the year, that's a savings of as much as $132! Call me
today at (910)467-1490 to get your premier!

Also, only until the 27th of January, the following specials are
available:

7164 Two 5x5's $49.95

7165 Two 8x8's $79.95

7166 Two Decks of Cards $29.95

7167 Two 11.5x8.5's $111.95

7168 Two 7.5x10 $95.95

7169 Two 7x5's $63.95

7174 Two 16x20 Poster $159.95

7175 Two 12x12's $119.95


Studio Tip
What to do when you can't quite find the perfect background

Are you struggling to find the perfect background for your project?When
you have an open project, on the lower left side, you can search for a
theme or color.

Also, in your toolbox, you can try different transparency levels to get
the desired color. Or try adding a drop shadow of a different color and
see how the colors mix.

Another option is to put one of your photos in the background. You can
either change it to black and white, or you can increase the transparency
to make it a bit more subtle, or you can put a slightly transparent
background over your photo.


Book your 2009 workshop today!
Get ready to earn free credits at your Heritage Makers workshop. Just
invite a few friends over, open your home, and relax! Book at the
beginning of the month & we can focus on Valentine's Day projects! Call me
at (910)467-1490 or email me at amy@story2remember.com to book your
workshop!

Don't let the economy get you down
Start your own Heritage Makers business

Take your future into your own hands and start your own business with
Heritage Makers!Join the New Consultant Club!
http://support.heritagemakers.com/comm/incentive/2009/01/NewConsClubFlyer.pdf
Get started at www.story2remember.com

Sincerely,

Amy L. Arnold

Heritage Makers Personal Publishing Consultant

www.story2remember.com

amy@story2remember.com

(910)467-1490

Oprah's ALL-TIME favorite items!!

What an amazing time it is for Heritage Makers!! The December issue of the O Magazine made it to subscribers on Monday, and check out page 93! Heritage Makers is listed as one of Oprah's all time favorite items!

So, is a Heritage Makers book one of your favorite items as it is for Oprah?

Are you going to make Heritage Makers a favorite item for your loved ones this holiday season? Get started today at www.story2remember.com! What better gift is there than one from the heart? Why not write a book to your spouse about why you love him/her? Or write a book telling your child why they mean the world to you! It's a gift that can be read, loved, and cherished over and over again! It's a book that won't just sit on the book shelf waiting to go to the next garage sale! It will be held near and dear to your loved ones, read over and over again, and a true gift from the heart!

This year it has gotten easier to create those personalized storybooks! The template gallery (filled with over 550 FREE templates) continues to grow each day! You can select the template you want to use, drag your pictures into it, write your text, and have a beautiful storybook in less time than you'd spend waiting in long check-out lines in the stores! So, not only will you be giving a gift from the heart, but you'll be able to enjoy more of the holiday season at home with your loved ones!

Strengthen your family one stroy at a time!

A Story I want to remember!

It was last Monday afternoon and my husband had the afternoon off. Because I was watching some of our friends' kids, he agreed to pick up our children so that at least Eliana and Lydia could get a good nap. Well, it turns out that he thought he needed to wear them out more than they already were, so he was bold and took all 3 to the beach (remember, that's a 5, 3, and 19mos old!). I called home to let him know what time I'd be getting home, and he had Josiah talk to me on the phone. Josiah was so excited that he found 2 huge shark teeth - they are seriously the size of the kid's palms! Derek was a bit frustrated as he'd been looking for a long time and only found little teeth - Josiah had been playing much of the time and quickly found the huge ones! As you can tell in the picture, he's very proud of what he found! That boy loves his sharks and other sea animals! I can't wait to get that picture in a book for him so he can remember what happened that day on the beach! I'm thankful that my husband was brave and took all 3 to the beach on his own....Josiah wouldn't have found the shark teeth had Derek not taken them! It's a story that I'm so glad Josiah will be able to remember! And yes, the younger two did get a nap even though they spent some time at the beach!

My Story

Yes, it's 2008, and I'm FINALLY getting a blog! About time..huh? Well, the last 8 years of my life have been quite the whirlwind. On July 7th, 2001, I married my high school sweetheart, Derek, and I began my adventure as a military wife. Derek's an active duty sailor, but when we were first married, he was stationed with the Marines in 29Palms, CA. It was interesting being sent to the middle of the desert when the Navy needs water! It was definitely an adventure, and we came to love the people in the desert - I can't say the same for the climate, but the people made it all worth the time out there!!

Our one and only son was born in 29 Palms making us proud parents on December 12th, 2002. Just a few months after Josiah was born, we headed down the interstate a bit where Derek was then stationed with the Navy on the USS Nimitz. That began our first deployment as the ship was already out to sea when he reported. We lived in San Diego for 3 years. During that time, we went through 2 deployments and countless sea trials, and we also celebrated the birth of our first daughter, Eliana, on October 24th, 2004. We loved the community of San Diego, but ship life had its ups and downs.

So, once his 3 years on the ship were over, we took a road trip with the 2 kids from southern CA all the way to Eastern North Carolina (I was also pregnant at that time & we were driving a TINY Kia Spectra!!). We took the scenic route and took just over a month to reach our final destination. We were able to see a lot of family on that trip as well as some friends we hadn't seen in quite a while. He is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina again with the Marines. It's the one place in the world I said I didn't want to go, but such is life. We're thankful that Derek has been home & was actually able to experience the entire first year of our 2nd daughter's life - Lydia joined us on September 9th, 2006.

This has been the longest we've lived in 1 house! We've been here almost 2 years (in San Diego we lived in 2 different houses because of our growing family). It's been an adjustment to actually "live" in a house rather than just unpack in time to repack it. While being here Derek's been able to focus on his schooling (only 2 more classes to go until he's done!!). I've also been able to start a business with Heritage Makers!

I LOVE MY JOB!! It is great to share the joy of storybooking with friends and family. It's also an amazing business opportunity. I'm excited where the company is going & can't wait to see what the future of Heritage Makers holds for our family - sounds like it'd be a good book for me to write ;-) You can check out my website at www.story2remember.com and get started on your story.

New products will be available May 12th......I'll fill you in on that soon ;D