This weekend I have been thinking a lot about my family. When we lost my Granny, 12 years after my Grandpa died, we all wanted her funeral to be a celebration of her life, albeit with unstoppable tears but with laughter and sentimental anecdotes as well. You know the old saying one makes room for another. I was actually just pregnant when she died although I didn't know it. My cousin Simon read a letter she had written him whilst at University featuring her shopping list and the bargains she had found in a DIY store. We set up a projector screen and a beautiful collection of photographs streamed silently whilst we all watched them. Except there wasn't silence there was laughter and giggles from everyone as we looked through the photographs of her life.

Granny's Collage

I have a number of her old memory boxes bursting with cards and letters, scrapbooks and albums. I made up two huge collages and left them for the guests to ponder.

Granny's Collage

Granny's Collage

My favourite bits was their original engagement announcement from 1949, their wedding invitation (I'm saving that for later in the week as it is so delicate it deserves a post of it's own) and a letter from her mother congratulating her on the birth of my Auntie "Thank God it is all over & the baby isn't called John... What a clever girl you were to get it over so quick & not keep us all in suspense. We are so thrilled... I bet Geoffrey is as pleased as a dog with two tails & Mamma doesn't know whether she is on her head or her heels with pride & joy."

Granny's Letter

Granny's Letter

I hope you can make it all out!

Granny's Collage

Granny's Collage

I feel so lucky to have this treasure chest of memories and I hope my own grandchildren one day will adore pouring over our old love letters from university days and thousands of photographs! I wonder what that future generation will think of snail mail! With email, Facebook, Twitter and blogs as the modern way to record and document your life, I treasure my things like the shoe box of old champagne corks we have written the date and occasion on.

This week a very brave family said goodbye to a beloved mother and wife. It inspired me to write this post. You can read a touching account of the celebration of her life here. Please take a moment to read it.

Do you keep memory boxes, are you a sentimental hoarder like me?!

Inspired by a blog I adore reading here are my 4 Simple Goals for 2013.

ONE - Read my camera manual. The simplest of all right?! I know the only way I will become a better photographer is to fully understand my camera! It's too easy to think I can learn just by practising alone. You can of course, but nothing beats understanding how your camera can help you along the way!

simple goals

TWO - Document memories for Ollie. When Sammy was born I lovingly and religiously filled in not one, not two but three baby journals and a Mother and Toddler Journal my husband bought me when I went back to work! Ridiculous as it sounds I adored them all and they all looked at his little milestones in a different way. Poor Ollie, the second son, has the same three journals stacked in the top of his wardrobe with almost nothing written inside! My Mum kept three padded baby record books when we were born and a little less was filled in each time! But I love looking through them. We do so much, I just need to write it down!

simple goals

THREE - Print more! I love instant camera photos because you get to display them straight away! My husband scans them in his Doxie so we have them forever but I need to take advantage of all the 50 prints for so much emails I get from the likes of Photobox. I have a confession I still l have over 1000 photos I printed from when Ollie was a baby that are in a tin rather than an album!

simple goals

FOUR - Less screen time. Have you thought about your eye to screen time? I use my iPhone as my alarm clock (although the boys are always awake before any alarm) and then it is so tempting to have a quick check on Twitter or Facebook. Over Christmas I had a little break from blogging which gave me some precious time away from the laptop. I feel refreshed and bursting with ideas. Sometimes a break is what you need to re focus. Plus you have to be brave to take a break. People won't stop reading just because you need a time out for a few days!

simple goals

Last January we went for a drink in our local pub and wrote this list. Some won't roll onto this years list like adding to our kitchen but others like updating the big frames up the stairs, I am determined to tick off in January! We also have lots of breaks with our friends and family but I would love a little holiday just the four of us before Sammy starts school in September! Yikes!

simple goals

And when it comes to a reward to reaching my goals - well they are rewards in themselves. I'll have beautiful journals to pass down to Ollie, albums of photos to pour over on wet Sundays and more quality time with my darlings which I will be better able to capture on the camera!

Have you set any goals for next year? If you have good luck!

ps. I was too embarrassed by one of my goals to blog it so boldly but I have never baked a cake. Not even a fairy cake. Shocking!  I will bake and ice a beauty in 2013!