My Son, the Handsome Sailor, Finally Finished with the 2012 Photo Album and A Way to Bring Joy to a Young Boy

Doesn't my boy look handsome sailing the boat? I love the new haircut.

Here's our 2012 photo album. This one was hard for me. The kids are really not kids anymore and our lives have gone in new directions when compared to what we were doing in 2012. Now, I need to figure out how to catch up to the current year. I think this year will not have as many pages.

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I sifting gears from what I have been doing for 21 years is hard. Some of my friends are happy to have their time back; some have even cheered. Some feel lost and have to figure out who they are now. I am happy to say that I find that I am still interested in the things that I used to do before the kids were born. I miss the way that I used to spend time with them, supporting them, celebrating them. Now I am learning to do it in a new way. I am so proud of who they are and who they are becoming. Another mother is having a hard struggle with her young son who has cancer. The boy's name is Danny and he turns 5 on July 25th. What brings him joy is to receive cards with his name on them. The folks at Shutterfly have generously posted the following in an effort to brighten his day: We heard this incredible story about a 5-year-old boy battling cancer who wants cards for his birthday on July 25. Please help our brand, Treat, make his wish come true by making a *free card just for Danny. Use code CARD4DANNY and mail cards to Danny Nickerson, PO Box 212, Foxboro, MA 02035. Create your card for Danny now: http://bit.ly/1ln1qg3. Read Danny’s story here: http://abcn.ws/1nuQJxI.

*Due to technical limitation, customers will be charged for tax and the price of the stamp.

A Gift for Mark & Martine - The North Carolina Sailing Adventure (Mark's version)

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I had a great time putting together this album for Mark and Martine. I used a lot of Anna Aspnes' scrapbooking stuff from Oscraps. I am thankful that many of them come as layered files that I can manipulate in Photoshop. I used: ArtsyCards Chance ArtPlay Palette Wander ArtzyKards Carzy Life Abstract Fotoblendz No8 Original Fotoblendz No10

2011 Family Photos - My Newest Shutterfly Album

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2010 Welshon Family Highlights

I love Shutterfly. I think they are so easy to use and they produce quality stuff. I love them even more when they send me amazing coupons. I recently received a code for a free 8" x 8" book. I had a good start on the 2010 photos, but honestly, they were lingering in my computer. This simple $30 code spurred me into action. I would have liked to make the pages more decorative, but in the end I simply like to include as many photos as possible.

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I had hoped to get the entire year done, but alas, I could not. So, this is part 1: January - August (52 pages). I will endeavor to do the remaining 20+ pages for the rest of 2010 soon. I really want to get caught up. The cover is a bit cheesy, but it was nearly midnight and that was when the code expired, and the image makes me smile every time I see it, so I decided that it was the one to use. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Green Mtn Composite Fall 2011 Racing Season

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Shutterfly PARTAY

Wen I applied to host a Shutterfly Give and Get Joy party, I did not expect to be choosen. I was excited to receive the email and so I started planning right away. I was even more excited when my package of fun stuff arrived earlier than expected.

Ellie is wonderful with setting a lovely table and festive atmosphre so I asked for her help. I do a decent job, but I love watching her in action.

She has such a lovely eye and a sense of color, elegance, grace.

She has some mad skills with the camera, too. Oh, how I love my girl.

I wanted my guests to feel honored and special. We wanted to usher the upcoming season in with a gentle happiness and sense of creativity, a sense of can-do attitude. (Ellie will think it is dorky that I said that, but it is still true.)

I had considered paper plates and plastic silverware, but changed my mine. I'm so glad I did.

I invited a bunch of my girlfriends who take photos. I thought they might enjoy the freebies; gifts from Shutterfly. Each person received codes for a free photobook, 10 premium

Cranberry Spritzer
from: Cooking Light, December 2010

2 3/4 cups white cranberry juice drink (such as Ocean Spray) (I used 100% Cranberry Juice)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
12 mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 cups club soda, chilled
(1 1/2 cups white rum - I did not include this)
Pomegranate Seeds
Crushed ice

Preparation

1. Combine cranberry juice, sugar, rosemary, and 12 mint leaves in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Strain juice mixture through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Stir in lime juice; cover and refrigerate.
2. Combine juice mixture, club soda, (and rum) in a large pitcher; stir well to combine. (optional - place pomegranate seeds in each glass along with a small quarter of a slice of lime) Serve mixture over crushed ice. Serve immediately.

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light
DECEMBER 2010

Welshon Family Photo Highlights 2009

Here's a book I've been working on for a few months. It was a lot of fun to do last year's photos and see how much my family has grown up. Shutterfly sent an amazing coupon that I could not pass up. It was 50% off the cost of a book. It was worth staying up late a few nights to meet that deadline. This baby is 87 pages long.

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