this family photos project is gonna kill me

[redfox]

My fabulous, wonderful Mom has been working on the huge amount of family photos for several years now. She's 83, and quite computer savvy. She hired a local guy with a scanner and a small business to scan all the photos, and then give her the discs. She found an online book publishing program, and a local person who is a beta tester for it, and put together a sample book to test fonts & how photos show up.

When that came back, she decided to put together a bigger book with her design choices, and she works on it in between taking care of my Dad & the rest of life... she is amazing.

[iris lily]

redfox, your mother's eventual product will be lovely! It would be great is most of us had this coming our way.

Now that I tink about it, I remember sitting down with my mom one day about 12 years ago to attack the photos. She would not throw any of them away. I would not work on a project whereby I had to touch things again and agan, never to toss anything. So, we stubborn people were at a stalemate.

As I think about it now, I --perhaps--could have pursuaded her to put really old, fragile, and interesting photos in an entirely separate pile from the 280 photos of her cats,most of them fuzzy, and the 327 photos of catus in the dessert. The first pile I want for preservation, and the others--enh, let her keep them. Exceptp that she want ed ME to organize and probably take them.

[rosarugosa]

IrisLily: I've instituted a family rule that if Mom offers you something, you take it. You don't have to keep it, but you are helping the cause if you get it out of her house!

[iris lily]

That is excellent strategy, rosa.

[iris lily]

Done done done! This project is DONE!!!!!!!!!!! This afternoon I mailed off 3 boxes to children of my cousins. Those kids will now have the burden of maintaining (or not--it's their choice!) family photos and artifacts. The entire project--scanning, reprinting select photos, buying supplies, mailing, cost around $300. I am SO finished with this d*amned thing!

I will confess that, against all reasonable advice, I washed The Family Artifact which was covered with cat hair after being in my house for 20 years. The Family Artifact is great grandfather's civil war blanket. That was a mistake. Much of the linen backing is now flaking off though the wool woven part is fine.Do not yell at me, please!!!!

My aunt came through at the last minute today, providing, via email, some imprtant family history. I included that info and sent it off in the mail.

I am finished!

I am drinking celebratory glass(es) of wine and I am certain that our alcoholic great grandfather, the one who is missing from all family photos because his wife kicked him to the curb, would join me if he could! ha ha.

I am actively planning for my own family photos to be sent to the dumpster when I die. I don't have children and no one needs to be burdoned with these photos.

[danna]

Congradulations Iris Lily that is an amazing feat I wish I was anywhere near the end. But, I have decided that they are all going in boxes one for each person or group of persons. That is a much better idea then the albums let them all decide what they want to do with them...

[iris lily]

Congradulations Iris Lily that is an amazing feat I wish I was anywhere near the end. But, I have decided that they are all going in boxes one for each person or group of persons. That is a much better idea then the albums let them all decide what they want to do with them...

danna, I hereby bequeath this thread to you. Now it's about YOU and YOUR family photo project. Go with it! Keep plugging away.