Now THIS is COOL!!!

Ooooooo . . . friends . . . . . I have something exciting to show you!! Something that has me approaching my blog with a pep in my step and a smile on my face. A few weeks ago . . . I printed my blog.

Yes, I did.

Ok, let me first start by telling you a couple of things.

1) I was not paid in any way for this post, nor did I receive any compensation (monetary or otherwise) from the company I am about to tell you about.

2) I am a paper girl. Now, let me elaborate on that one just a bit . . .

I love the computer. Really. We are friends. We go way back. I enjoy it. It brings me happiness (most of the time), it inspires me, it has introduced me to hundreds of really cool and amazing people. But, I am really all about the PAPER, my friends.

I need to feel paper. Touch it. I need to turn pages of a book (kindle fan, I am not). I like to read in the comforts of my favorite chair, leaning back with a comfy pillow and the feet up, covered by a soft blanket. That is 'as good as it gets' for me. If I see that any of my dear blog friends have written lengthy posts, I often find myself printing the post out . . . on PAPER, and snuggling up in my favorite reading position – sans computer – to absorb the wise words of all of you. It’s just what I do.

However, when it comes to my writing . . . I'm all computer and key board. The fingers often have a hard time keeping up with the brain (which explains my many typos), but it's me . . . (Embrace the Imperfection, I've been reminded.)

So here we have it . . . I love the computer. And I love paper.

Recently, I’ve had some concern over losing my stories – the words I’ve shared on this very site. I’ve wondered what would happen to “From Chaos Comes Happiness” if Blogger just . . . went away? Where would I be? Where would the stories of these days go? Would Katie and Ella be able to recall them 30 years from now, when they are raising their own families and wondering, “What did Mom feel?” or “Did Mom ever feel stressed?” Wanting to preserve these moments I’ve shared right here has been on my mind.

So, last month I printed a portion of my blog . . . through a lovely little online company called “Blog2Print”. You’ve probably seen their advertisemenst on blog design or background sites. I didn’t know what to expect, but because I wanted to make this investment in keeping the stories I'm telling, it became something I had to try out.

After playing around with their site a little, I did it . . . for all of my 2009 posts (PLUS photos and comments from all of you) . . . in one happy little book. "Volume I", with a table of contents and dedication page and all. When it arrived in the mail a short week after I placed the order . . . I WAS BEYOND THRILLED.

Take a look at a few photos of the finished product . . .

My friends, the quality is really top notch. The photos look fantastic and seeing my stories in PRINT just about makes my heart jump for joy. But not only having them in print . . . . it’s so much more than that. It’s knowing that this book will forever be a part of our family, of our history. My children, and their children, and hopefully many more generations to come, will have this detailed look into our lives right now. And that is just so so cool . . .  I just had to share it with you.

Again, I am not affiliated with “Blog2Print” and I received NO compensation whatsoever for this post. I just really like to share things with you that make me happy – and this was a big one. I will be printing 2010 in two separate volumes (gees, I sure had a lot to write in 2010!). The cost for my 2009 book (which included 6 months of blog posts with comments and photos in color, 200 pages) was around $75 dollars (including shipping). And while I was a little hesitant to spend that money in this, I feel it’s worth every cent having these day to day stories right here, in print.

It’s a good thing, for sure!!!! I'll share Volume II and III with you as soon as I print them (in a month or so!)