Hi Calypsogirl, Have you looked at Picasa? It's a free program for your computer and a website that allows up to 1 GB of storage. The program allows you to organize them in folders on your computer. You can add captions and comments, crop, straighten, adjust contrast, and lots of other special effects. When you have them exactly like you want them on your computer, they have an easy upload button which connects to your online account. I'll give you a link so you can check them out. Good luck - Kathy Here is a link that might be useful: Picasa

Well, I think that everyone is again back in hibernation, the weather is very cold here and appears we're in yet several more weeks (or longer) of much below normal temperatures. I don't know about you, but I find it challenging to sort through the seed packages and get things started when it feels and looks like February. But, otherwise, my seedlings are doing great, maybe a bit on the slowish side due to it also being a bit cool in my house, though nice sturdy plants they are and a few rose seedlings are just about ready to pop! Ubro, that's a great pic! This will the first year that I'll again attempt sunflowers, sclerotinia stem rot had really taken hold and forced me to give up on them, though it's time to give another try! I have two types of globe thistle, I think Echinops Bannaticus 'Blue Glow', which is sturdy and somewhat coarse, though a disease resistant plant and Echinops Ritro Ruthenicus with finely cut silver foliage and silver stems, this one is especially very attractive, though susceptible to blight that often makes the entire thing melt away. Though, I had planted the two types side by side and I have gotten a few apparent hybrid seedlings that retain that really nice silver foliage with the added bonus of blight resistant. PNR said ... "I’ve recently recognized I like unique hybrids the most, these are often my favourite plants, from geranium ‘Rozanne’, peony ‘Bartzella’, and petunia ‘Vista Bubblegum’, and ‘Sungold’ tomatoes. I always chuckle a bit when I see my friends just stick with the very old varieties. The same old ancient marigolds and 'Straight Eight' cucumbers with their thick tough skins and less than ideal disease resistance, each to their own :). I guess, that's why I enjoy hybridization work and creating something new and unique that is prairie hardy and disease resistant. Marcia, I grew 'The Fairy' many years ago, it was crown hardy even during winters with very little snowfall. I do though recall those nasty skin catching thorns! Another crown hardy one is 'Bonica'. I once several of these along the east side of the house and laid the canes to the ground for winter and did they ever put on a huge display on those older canes! I now would like to track down 'Royal Bonica'.

I am so glad, Sue, I know everyone will enjoy it! Funny you mention the cost. When I first embarked on this, I was thinking it will be a big impact present where the gift is our time not the cost. Yikes, even with the 50% off, each book was $200 OMG. I didn't really expect that, but after all the work putting it together, I wasn't going to go back and trim. I may regret making them so large, 11x14, but I know i usually like photos to be bigger. I also fell for that very pricey for that "lay flat" upgrade that allow you to do those "centerfold" shots. Heck, i actually fell for every type of upgrade they offered, including a storage box. And then I have the engraved USBs and those boxes. But oh they will be so pretty. I actually went with this one because I liked the idea of putting a photo with it. They also have them in navy, grey, and Tiffany blue. I was upset that I had to switch my product to Shutterfly, but I have to give them a big shout out. They have added so many features to their books, and so many options for designing them. Plus, they still had my photos on there from 2005, though I had not done business w them in years. In some cases, they were photos i did not find anywhere else in my files. Whew. One of the best parts of making the book was doing the captions, and adding in things like scans of their footprints, their baby announcements, etc. I also commissioned DH to write a letter to each of them talking about the day they were born and their first few years. He did a wonderful job, brought tears to my eyes and made me laugh, too. We finished yesterday. Finally. Annie - love that tree! we do have a few photo ornaments, but a whole tree! Fab Running - Even from book 1 to book 3 i got better at it and fancier. There are soooooo many options and embellishments and features. And if you have the right dates on your photos, the autofill feature is a great start. Enjoy!

Arcy, you stopped me in my tracks with your question! End game for me is to have a set of images that will remind me of my family, past experiences and people who are/were important in our lives. And to have them in some kind of order that will make it easy for me to share those images in various formats with other people who also will find them meaningful. Also based on several comments, maybe this isn't something I should be prioritizing as important to do right now. Just within the past few days, our timeline for retirement and moving has potentially moved up so it all may well be happening within the next 3-6 months. If I retire by then as others have mentioned, then sorting and cataloging photos is a great project for me! Right now what I MUST accomplish immediately is to get our house decluttered, cleared and in good repair to show potential buyers. Boxes of photos can be hauled down to the vacation house and put in a closet there till I get to them. One last thought-terriks, you quoted a friend "She decided that she would keep the original photos, and let her kids dispose of them if they want when she's gone." One of my highest priorities for this move is not to do that for anything in this house :). Having had to dig out not one but two houses overflowing with the possessions of people who left everything for someone else to deal with, I have resolved to look at this as the gift it is, being able to consciously pare down 30 years' worth of living and only keep what truly does have meaning, spark joy (gak) or have utility for us in our next stage of life. So those photos are going down, one way or another!