Connecting with Little Eyes Across the Miles--Shutterfly

I am finally writing my LONG overdue post about the joys of using Shutterfly, my very favorite photo sharing website. On Shutterfly you can store your priceless photos, make Share Pages on any subject you wish, make books and more, all for free! For every project you make, Shutterfly provides a link for you to send to anyone you wish. You can even upload your address book and they will send an invitation for you. What could be easier?

All of these wonderful features I've mentioned so far are all available only online. But Shutterfly will also print your pictures for you, help you make wonderful, one-of-a kind books, cards and gifts with your pictures for prices that compare favorably with every other photo sharing business I've checked, whether online or in a regular discount or drug store. And I almost forgot to mention the amazing sales they have. Most of the time when I purchase something I am able to get a thirty to fifty percent discount and almost always shipping is free for orders over $30.

So far this year I've made a book for our family reunion/vacation on the shores of Lake Michigan, a book for my son's family (plus one for me) with photos of three years at the Minnesota Renassiance Festival and a book for my grandson and I at The Great Train Festival, in Rock Island, IL.

Even though I enjoy buying their products I think my favorite Shutterfly feature is the Share Site where you can post photos of whatever subject you want. For the past few years I've made a sort of family yearbook on my Share Sites. I've also used it as a Christmas letter to friends and family, sending the link online for no charge. When I send a card or letter through the mail, I can include the link and anyone who would like to see more of what we were up to can visit the share site. Love it!
(And if you'd like to see what I'm talking about, here's the link: http://2011rickgail.shutterfly.com/)

In the interest of full disclosure I'd like to tell you that there was a special $10 off my next order on Shutterfly if I would embed the code of my latest project, Valentine cards. I'm planning to include them in our annual family letter, since I missed Christmas. But let me also point out that everyone I know also received a code good for $20 off any order as a thank you gift from the Shutterfly company. I wish all the merchants I do business with would be so generous.

So take a look at Shutterfly today and just imagine all the ways you could start connecting through photos with your precious grandchildren.

To see the lovely cards I'm sending out as my "Valentine" this year, click the link below
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Ebt2jNuzZsmRB&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET

Out of the Mouths of Babes…

“Didn’t Jesus help Papa, Grammy? Jesus will help us!”

Ok, your “grands” know the moment. You’re right in the middle of telling a real life cautionary tale to one of the little ones. Suddenly boom! Out pops a question that stops you in your tracks.

Last Saturday in the backyard with my lovely granddaughter Vallarie, we were having fun around one of her first experience with a “campfire”. She seems to be continuing a family tradition of being absolutely fascinated with everything about bright blazes. She kept asking me if she could put twigs, sticks or leaves in the fire. After a firm “NO” to each request, she would find a smaller twig, thinking that was the problem and ask again.
After about half a dozen such requests, we had a little talk about how fire was dangerous especially for children. To illustrate I began to tell her about the time “Papa” (her grandfather) got in trouble because he was playing with fire.

As a youngster living in dry southern California, he and some friends were setting small fires in a large field and trying to see how big a fire they could make and still stomp it out. Within minutes they had the answer –bigger than you think! The flaming field was soon filled with fire trucks, firefighters, and a furious field owner, not to mention angry parents and a very frightened and embarrassed little boy “Papa”. (Can you imaging the headline “Local Pastor’s Son Burns Down Vista”?)

“But didn’t Jesus help Papa, Grammy? Jesus will help us!” Vallarie interrupted emphatically. I had a little mental pause, but I can recognize a teachable moment when I see it and this one wasn’t for four year old Vallarie, but for 58 year-old Grammy.

“Well, yes, Vallarie, Jesus DID help Papa. He kept Papa safe from getting burned and Papa learned an important lesson. But, Papa still got in trouble for playing with fire.
Yes, Val, Jesus certainly DOES help us, all the time.” I said, silently thanking Jesus for helping me to answer her question.

Vallarie seemed pretty satisfied with that answer and so we got a stick and marshmallow and continued watching the wonder of fire. But for me the highlight of last Saturday was not the sharing the sweet experience of roasting a marshmallow for the first time, or the magic of watching the beauty of “sparkles” (as Vallarie called them) floating up on the wind. No the real treasure of the day was hearing the precious proclamation of a 4 year-old, the next generation learning and believing , that

“Jesus will help us!”

Thank You Jesus!

P. S. That is NOT a real fire in the picture!