Friends! You’ve accompanied me on my two-year journey of photo organization with such patience and good cheer. Your encouragement along the way, especially in the trenches of iPhone photo organization, kept me going. With thanks, I’ve finally put together the steps I took over the last few years to get my photo house in order – and today I’m sharing the first installment!
Sometimes I’ve felt a little awkward talking about this project so much – after all, it’s not like I’m solving nuclear physics over here. But the overwhelm created by having an amazing camera ever-present with no physical storage constraints, a houseful of cute kiddos, and the desire for simplicity is real.
Before I began this project, I also had no back-up solution (meaning I lived with a constant low-grade fear of losing all of my precious photos) and no good way to enjoy our favorite images. What I did have was the nagging feeling that for every photo gem captured on my camera roll, there was a surrounding sea of 18 almost-identical-but-not-quite-as-sparkling versions.
And so, slowly but surely, I waded into the mess step-by-step. Starting with this post, I’m so happy to lay out those steps for you. They’re not rocket science, but I hope they’ll make the path a little clearer and easier for you if you’re hoping to follow along behind.
Two shout-outs before we begin:
— I purchased Nancy’s photo organization digital guide a few years ago, and it was just the kick in the pants I needed to get this project underway! I diverged from her process at different points and made it my own, but I’d definitely recommend her course if you’re looking for an even more comprehensive guide than I’ll be sharing here. Note: I purchased the $29 option, which is no longer available, but you can see current options here!
— This was a long and tedious project, and without the process of breaking it down and the accountability of mini goals to check off month after month, I’m not sure I ever would have gotten to where I am now. Couldn’t have done it without you, PowerSheets! :) All of the steps below are perfect to add to your Tending List!
Let’s start with physical photo organization!
Step 1 | Gather all printed photos. First, I gathered every loose printed photo in our home and brought them together in one spot. I gathered the printed photos that were still at my parents’ home and brought them to NC. I also had several old photo albums, and except in one instance, I disassembled them and added the loose photos to the growing pile.
Step 2 | Sort printed photos into loose categories. My categories were childhood, middle school, high school, college, newlyweds, and family life. In process, this looked like big piles of photos arranged in a circle around me on the floor of our loft, ha! Nothing fancy. Though much of our history is already combined, I did not separate out my childhood photos from John’s – they’re all in one pile!
Step 3 | Cull printed photos. With the photos in loose categories, it was easier to sort through each one. I touched every photo and discarded duplicates, photos with bad lighting, and photos with events or people I no longer really cared about (harsh but true, ha!). I know this can be hard for some, and I have a few more tips for sorting through childhood itemshere. My best tip is to take the long view – will you really care about that photo in 20 years? – and to challenge yourself to keep the photos that truly bring joy and tell your story, not the ones you “think you should keep.”
Step 4 | Sort printed photos into a box or boxes. I only have a few hundred printed photos, and they all fit in one photo box at this point. They’re divided into categories by little homemade dividers – again, nothing fancy :) If you have lots of printed photos, multiple boxes might be helpful!
Step 5 | Refresh photos around home. Flipping through all of our printed photos helped me rediscover a few gems. I purchased a few new frames and added photos to our bedrooms, mantel, refrigerator, and living room gallery wall, among other spots. In some cases, these were heavy-hitters – wedding and newborn photos – but in others, they were teeny little moments, like June on the boat with her aunt or John and June laughing at our favorite pizza place.
That’s it! We’ll talk about printed photo albums in part three of this series, but in the meantime, you might find this post that touches on printed Instagram photos interesting.
I’d love to hear: do you have printed photos in your home? Are they organized? If so, how? Back with more soon! :)
As you’ll soon see, July was not the most illustrious month for my goals — BUT. But but but but but. While I did not complete many of the goals I set out to do, I did make MAJOR progress on a 2020 goal that was dead in the water up until a week ago. Drumroll, please…
YES! I MADE THOSE! While we were in Connecticut, I completed five whole ornaments from my Advent calendar kit (2020 goal no. 6!). You may remember that I opened the box early in the year, looked at the instructions, and quickly closed it back up, wildly intimidated. With some very kind encouragement from reader Carly (who is working on the same kit!) and a few tutorials from my wonderful mother-in-law, I was quickly sewing up a storm at nap times and in the evenings while on vacation. I’m still kind of in shock, but here we are! Just goes to show that goal progress doesn’t have to happen like you think it will to be really wonderful :)
On my calendar this month: — Both kids head back to preschool. I have lots of thoughts about this, obviously, but I’m excited to make it a great transition for everyone. — Otherwise, it should be a quiet month after lots of travel! Looking forward to digging into a few projects, catching up with friends, and getting back into some good rhythms.
What I’m loving right now: — I hesitated to recommend this podcast episode, because at the end of the two hours, the conversation does not tie up neatly in a bow. But if you are newer to these voices and curious about nuanced solutions to the current racial crisis, I think it’s worth a listen. Plus, these are just some really smart, interesting black intellectuals and academics to have on your radar. — We completed these DIY keychain kits on Team Cultivate in honor of our new office keys, and they were so fun! They’d make a great gift, and I love supporting another small business. — I’m not usually your girl for makeup tips, but this under eye brightener is MAGIC! Turns out it’s the key missing ingredient in my very minimal summer/COVID makeup routine. I use it in place of under eye concealer and it is perfect – brightens, doesn’t crease, doesn’t make you choose from an array of 20+ colors (I always choose wrong). Highly, highly recommend!
As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!
What I read in July: — Eligible | I picked this up while we were in Maine and it was an ideal vacation read! Funny, well-paced, and with very short chapters that made it perfect for picking up and putting back down :) The story is based on Pride & Prejudice, but because it’s been years since I read P&P, it had to stand on its own for me, and it did. — Bet on Talent | Almost done with this work-related pick from my 2020 reading list. It’s interesting (always love hearing more about CFA), but I’m not sure I’ve read anything really Earth-shattering in it yet!
Revisiting my July goals: Because I completed SO few of my July goals and many will be moving to my August list, here’s the quick update: I sold my chairs (yay!), had a walking date with my new neighbor friend (yay!), chose a song for June in June (yay!), and have part one of my photo organization guide ready to go up later this week! (YAY!)
August goals: — Begin reading Mark with John — Book our camping trip for this fall — Sort through my SCC secretary responsibilities and make an easy-to-follow yearly checklist — Watch Just Mercy with John now that I’ve finished the book — Buy a new handbag — Edit June in June, Volume 5 — Complete four more Advent ornaments — Post all three parts of my photo organization guide — Clean out downstairs craft supplies once kids go back to preschool — Do something fun with at least one friend couple — Mock up a design board for our upstairs bathroom — Ride our stationary bike Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (trying something new to get me back in a good rhythm!)
Taken all together this list looks a little intimidating, especially given the month I just had (ha), but I’m hopeful that the lack of travel and the return to routines will give me a fighting chance!
While I’m so (SO) grateful we were able to travel at all this summer, our annual trip to Maine did look different in big and small ways. I’ll talk more about some of them in my next post covering our time at the Island, but one change was that we weren’t able to get into our cottage until the Monday after the Fourth of July. Since John and I both had Friday the 3rd off, we opted to drive to New England on Friday and spend the long weekend in the Berkshires. We figured it would break up the drive and give us a chance to experience a new part of the Northeast! It ended up doing all of that and more, and I thought I’d share a few photos, if you’d like to see!
I do mean that – I imagine there are lots of you missing special places or nursing hurt over canceled plans this summer, so I’d understand if you’d rather skip today’s post!
We packed the kids in the car at 6am and arrived in Lee, Massachusetts about 12 hours later. We stopped for a picnic lunch at our usual spot – the Concord Point Lighthouse Park in Havre de Grace, Maryland. I HIGHLY recommend it if you find yourself traversing the Eastern seaboard by car! Three MVPs of our trip:
1. This Octonauts coloring book. WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD. June is deep into an Octo phase and this was literally the only entertainment she required for the car ride (and most of the following week, ha). 2. This small, lightweight lap desk. Perfect for Octonauts coloring. 3. A reacher grabber. Call me crazy or call me genius – but if you have a child who insists on throwing his stuffies in hard-to-reach places and then immediately screaming for you to get them, this will allow you to retrieve them without risking life and limb by unbuckling at top highway speeds. I put a little video of the grabber in action on my Stories today :)
In Massachusetts, we opted to stay at the Lakehouse Inn. (Our first preference would have been an Airbnb, but we could not find one that fit our criteria.) We were both a bit nervous about staying in a public space, but we felt comfortable for a few reasons:
— They had just opened the week before – we may have been the first ones in our room! — The inn is small, and seemed to be at about half capacity. We saw about 6 other parties over the weekend and never saw anyone else besides staff inside. — The staff was vigilant about wiping down surfaces, distancing, creating one-way flows through the common spaces, and more. They also had made accommodations like not offering breakfast or cheese at wine and cheese hour. There was no housekeeping during our stay. — Among other precautions, our family wore masks in all common areas, regularly sanitized, and kept our windows open.
Everyone has a different level of risk they’re comfortable with right now, which I completely respect. We were grateful to be able to stay within our risk tolerance for this trip!
The inn itself was lovely – perched on a little cliff above a small, warm, clear lake. Adirondack chairs dotted the lawn and there was a fire pit and small beach area with a dock and kayaks and paddle boards to use for free (those were wiped down after every use, too!). We also were able to stay in two adjoining rooms, which gave us room to spread out and relax after the kiddos went to bed.
Though the Inn is technically in Lee, it is about 100 yards from the Lenox border, and almost all of our trips “into town” were to Lenox. Lenox’s adorable, historic downtown is about 5 minutes away (it’s where Tanglewood is located!). I wish I could have spent time exploring the cute shops, although I’m sure John was grateful COVID prevented it :)
On Saturday, we brought muffins, croissants, and a breakfast burrito back to the Inn from Haven Bakery & Cafe and ate them overlooking the lake – a pattern we’d repeat many times in our short stay! Then, we hopped into a pair of kayaks and paddled around for a bit before drying off and driving a few minutes to The Mount, Edith Wharton’s homestead.
My beloved sunhat – I go almost nowhere without it! Love my swimsuit, too (order a size up!).
Though the house was closed, the grounds were absolutely gorgeous, with formal gardens, fountains, tree-lined avenues, and wooded paths. We bought lunch from the little cafe on site and picnicked in the garden and pretended we were on our private estate :) It wasn’t hard – there were only a handful of other guests. Admittance to the grounds is free.
When you’re trying to get one child to take your photo and the other child steps in – ha!
We headed back to the Inn in the afternoon for Shep (and John, as it turns out) to take a nap, while June took her BGQH outside. I think this made her feel very special and grown-up, and it was a sweet time for just the two of us. She colored while I read my book, and then we took a dip in the lake. It was the perfect temperature – so delightful!!
We grabbed a yummy Italian dinner from Frankie’s and brought it back to our Adirondack-chair home base, eating it as the sun began to set. (Lest you think this sounds a little too perfect, both kids were covered in bolognese by the end of the meal!)
The next morning, we grabbed breakfast to go from the No. 6 Depot in West Stockbridge on our way to Bash Bish Falls.
The hike to the waterfall was about 45 minutes gently uphill, and though we were able to avoid people on the trip in, the waterfall itself was mobbed. So, instead of making that our destination, we turned around and splashed in one of the many exquisite pools alongside the path. Hardly a sacrifice! We picked up lunch at the No. 6 Depot on our way back to the Inn because we’d enjoyed it so much that morning!
After another indoor/outdoor quiet hour, we took the paddle boards all the way across the lake and then swam some more by the Inn’s beach. Is there anything better than an early evening swim, a shower, and dinner outside?!
On Sunday night we brought our Alta takeout to the Lenox town green so that we could get ice cream afterwards. John did indulge me with a walk around some of the historic neighborhoods once we had our cones, which was lovely.
After a last cliff-top breakfast, we were off to Maine the next morning with very grateful hearts and sweet memories! I don’t know if our schedule will always allow it, but I really hope we get to return to Lenox to break up the drive on future trips to Maine! Still gotta peek in those boutiques :)
After several months of two parents working from home with childcare gaps, we’ve learned to get creative. While there’s no shortage of inspiration for kiddo activities on the internet, I’ve found most of them require parent participation – which is great, but not when what you’re after is a way to finish up a task before clocking out for the day WHILE keeping littles happy.
Trust me – there are few things I hate more than working while my kids are around, but the pandemic has made it unavoidable at times. If you find yourself in the same situation, I thought I’d offer up a few activities our crew has found especially enjoyable and entertaining this spring and summer. Hint: just add water :)
A few disclaimers: — My children are (almost) 2 and 4, but even if yours are the same ages, these activities may or may not be developmentally-appropriate. Always use your best judgment! — I classify these activities as hands-off, but that doesn’t mean they don’t require supervision. Even small amounts of water require supervision! What I mean is that these activities capture my children’s attention without my direct participation – and usually for a long time, to boot. Typically, I’ll take my laptop to our backyard or front porch to work while the kids splash a few feet from me. So grateful to have these spaces!
Without further ado…
Under the sea sensory bin | Sensory bins are the bread and butter of Montessori preschools, so although we were very familiar with them, we’d never attempted one at home. Turns out they’re very easy: dump some small animal figurines (or the Arctic version), an aquarium plant or two, some rocks, some shells, and anything else that strikes your fancy in a big plastic tub, then add water. A few drops of blue food coloring takes things to the next level :) We have two of these for side-by-side play or this big one if they’re playing together.
Splash pad | With little jets around the edge, this water-inflated pool is the most low-key version of a water park right in your backyard. I toss a few animal figurines and plastic cups in with the kids and they are happy as clams.
Pouring station | Big plastic tub + multiple sizes and shapes of cups, pitchers, squeezers, etc. + water (and maybe a little food coloring!). They can pour, measure, make potions, pour it on each other’s heads, whatever. As always, animal figurines are welcome.
LEGO bath | Dump the LEGOS and the kids in the bath! Yes, the LEGOS need to be dried out, but that can become part of the play: after the kids hop out, have them scoop out each LEGO piece with a net or colander and lay them on a towel to dry.
A big bucket of ice in the backyard | I literally just take the container that catches ice cubes in our freezer and set it down in the backyard. The kids love handling the ice cubes, trying to melt them, toting them to various plants to “water” them, sliding them down the path, etc.
Free the sea creatures | This activity doesn’t last terribly long on its own but it’s a fun add-on to another water activity. Freeze a few animals in an ice cube tray then pop them out and introduce them to the water environment. If you’re feeling fancy, you can give the kids droppers and cups of hot, warm, and cold water to experiment with.
Also fun to add to any water activity: mini tongs, little strainers, droppers – all good for practicing fine motor skills! I’ve also cut up a sponge to make teeny sponges, making them appropriate scale for June to wash her horses with :)
Cooking trays | A bonus non-water activity! I’ll fill up a muffin tin for both kids with various dry kitchen items: different shapes of pasta, oats, rice, cereal… this is a great way to use up the random ends of bags of dry beans, etc.! I’ll also set out a few bowls, spoons, whisks, strainers, etc. and let them go to town making “potions” or “bakery treats” or “cat food,” depending on the day. Shep is just there to make as big a mess as possible, obviously. Despite his best efforts, everything sweeps up pretty easily, in my experience, since it’s all dry! Best not to mix water with this one unless you’re ready for more intense clean-up :)
Got your own hands-off kiddo activity to share? Hit me! (And of course, head to Busy Toddler, the inspiration for many of these activities, for many more ideas!)
