Printing your memories with Chatbooks | prints & monthly photo books

February 28, 2019March 1, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ 1 Comment

Last week Kristy and I taught our first round of Your Life, Your Memories, a new workshop in our photography series. The goal of our new class is to teach our students a system that enables you to continually sort, save and print your photos. The digital age has many benefits, but it also means that a lot of us have an overwhelming amount of digital photos and memories that we aren’t sure what to do with.

During our class, I talked about my favorite place to print photo books and square prints that are affordable and easy to display…Chatbooks! I first learned about Chatbooks a few years ago and I have been printing with them ever since. I am a little behind on printing my monthly books and teaching our class was a great reminder of what a simple process it can be as long as you keep it a habit.

I shared on Instagram that I was going to catch up on my books during our “staycation” and Chatbooks was kind enough to offer a discount code that I could share with my fellow photographers, friends, and blog readers. It $10 off your first Chatbooks order with the code: BOOKWORM that you can enter at checkout. My friend just ordered a set of 24 cardstock prints and they were around $9 with shipping after this discount!

I have been working away on sorting my images and I am excited to soon have some more Chatbooks prints and photo books on the way.

I order each photo book individually because I like to make them each month but there are also ongoing book series that you can set up that makes it automatic either from your social media accounts or from your favorite photos on your phone. How cool is that?!

The 5″x5″ prints are printed on cardstock and are the perfect matte finish. I love displaying them around our house and on my desk at work.

It is always so exciting to find that little turquoise envelope in my mailbox and it is so fun to actually have updated photos in our house to share and display. Our kids always enjoy looking through the books and we keep them right on a shelf in our kitchen so they are easy to access.

If you haven’t ordered from Chatbooks before, I highly recommend it! And I would love to hear what you get if you do! <3

Coffee Talk Tuesday on Wednesday | Currently…

February 27, 2019February 27, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ 2 Comments

I always have the best of intentions on school vacation weeks, but the reality is, not a lot gets done…While I love sharing on this blog, it isn’t my first priority my work time is very limited…but I love sharing what I am currently loving, so here is Coffee Talk ~~Tuesday~~ Wednesday!

Currently listening to:

I listen to a lot of podcasts during my commute and work time, which I haven’t been doing alone this week like I normally do. This means I haven’t been listening to many true crime podcasts because you know, they probably aren’t the best things for kids… 😉

But I have been catching up on one of my favorite parenting podcasts, The Best of Both Worlds and the boys have really been enjoying it too. Normally we listen to But Why but we are all caught up. We usually have a 20-25 minute drive if we are going into town which means the ride is long enough that there is some whining and asking “when are we going to be there?!” which means podcasts are the perfect distraction. We can usually listen to a whole episode roundtrip because many episodes are around 50-55 minutes.

We listened to the episode about Life and Household management systems yesterday and the boys were intrigued. They especially liked hearing about their bedtime routines, especially when they heard some of their kids go to bed at 9! I assured them they are a lot older…which may not be the case but it worked. We have an 8pm bedtime around here and I want to really appreciate that while it lasts!

I did start Over My Dead Body when I was folding laundry last weekend and I have enjoyed it so far.

Currently watching:

This commercial, it makes the photographer in me laugh out loud every time!

We are also very into our backyard bird feeders. I never realized how entertaining they could be but it’s been pretty great. We have them outside the back of our house which we can see from our kitchen and dining room which makes them very easy to keep an eye on. We have had all kinds of visitors, even some wild turkeys which were quite exciting!

This guide has been great for identifying our avian visitors and the boys have been keeping a chart to track which ones come by. Winter is such a great time to watch birds because they are so easy to identify with so little color around this time of year. We also have started to see some robins which mean spring isn’t that far away!

Currently shopping for:

I don’t love shopping for swimsuits(does anyone?) but we are going to Florida in April and I figured I better find something. I checked out the Target BOGO swim sale online and I struck out with one but I did find a suit that I really love! I am a one-piece kind of person and this suit is super cute. I am definitely more pear shaped and this fits well and has good coverage without feeling like too much of “mom suit”… For reference, I am a size 8-10 and I ordered a size large. It seems really well made and I like that the bra cups are sewn into the suit (I really dislike when they are the ones that come out and get all scrunched up).

That is all I have time for now but I will be back next week for more things I am currently loving. <3

Coffee Talk Tuesday | Currently…

February 19, 2019February 19, 2019 ~ Genevieve ~ Leave a comment

Hello! I hope your week is off to a good start. This is the last week of school before the kids have February vacation so I am getting in as much work time as possible. We don’t travel during the winter due to Lucas having a family business that is directly related to cold weather…So we will be having a staycation and are hoping to get together with some friends and play outside as much as possible.

The boys are much more independent now and much easier in many ways than just a couple of years ago, but we are also experiencing lots of sibling drama and competition so being home all day can be rough! There is always something getting easier and something getting harder when it comes to parenting. 😉

Currently listening to…

After commenting last week that Lucas hadn’t listened to many podcasts besides Serial, he seriously made up for it in the last week! He finished Bear Brook and up to date with The Cold Podcast (a new episode comes out tomorrow!) I am so excited to be able to talk about it now in “real time”. We aren’t watching any shows together right now so it is fun to have something else to discuss.

I have listened to quite a few true crime podcasts during the last month and these two still get my vote for the best ones out there right now. I am also still listening to The Teachers Pet which I find fascinating and heartbreaking, especially with how poorly the case was handled and how differently this would have been treated if that had happened now.

I have heard amazing things about Crime Junkie and I am planning to start that one next!

Currently cooking…

We have been making a lot of soups lately, especially on lazy Sunday afternoons. We made Creamy Tuscan Garlic Tortellini Soup this past weekend and it was amazing! I love soups that are rich and filling and this was perfect. The cannellini beans and (rotisserie)chicken made it rich and filling and it was the perfect one-pot meal.

Currently wearing…

I like to work on my book reviews and blog first thing in the morning before the kids are awake. I love throwing on a sweatshirt and coming downstairs to drink my coffee in peace and quiet, there really is not a better way to start the day! We have early risers so usually, I have until 5:45 for this so I try and make the most of it.

My favorite open front hoodie is from Old Navy and is so cozy and perfect for lounging around the house or throwing on over a tank top and yoga pants in the spring or fall. It is the perfect length (butt covering) and just so comfortable to wear. I am a size 8-10 and I have a medium in this.

Currently loving…

My Scout Junque Trunk. I have this in the back of my car and it the perfect way to keep things from sliding around (including groceries). It is so sturdy and easy to wipe down and can also be folded up for easy storage. I love all things Scout and this comes in handy all the time!

Have a great rest of your Tuesday! <3