I blogged yesterday about some of the trials and tribulations of Christmas. Today, I am writing about an excellent idea for those of us with FTD that became my best gift ever.
I mentioned a couple blog entries ago about a special gift I had made for my daughter that I was giving to her for Christmas. I made a cookbook of all our favorite and family recipes. I used a free software app that did all the layout and such. I only had to type in the ingredients, the directions and any personal stories about the recipe that I thought should be preserved. The software created the cookbook, separated the recipes by category, alphabetized them and created an index. I was able to choose the design, name the book and just personalize it.
It was easy, but still took a while for me to do. I worked on it for about nine months. Obviously I didn't work on it straight through, just a few recipes at a time so that I didn't get overwhelmed. It wasn't difficult at all, but I have trouble focusing on something for any significant length of time. I finally finished it a couple weeks before Christmas, then purchased a nice binder and page protectors. The binder had a clear pocket on the front for the front cover sheet. It turned out beautifully.
I also copied a couple pages out of my go-to cookbooks, such as a roasting guide. This is in the original cookbook I received when I got married 44 years ago and I still turn to every time I want to roast anything. The software also added helpful pages such as emergency substitutions, equivalent measurements, etc.
I presented this gift to my daughter on Christmas Eve during a time when it was just the two of us. It was such a personal gift that I just wanted it to be a personal moment. It was more than I could have every hoped for and worth every bit of time spent. She loved it every bit as much as I did!
I wanted to write about this in a separate entry because I think it is an idea that others might want to do. It could be someone like me, with FTD, or the opposite. A family member could work with the person with FTD to preserve these recipes and memories for themselves and other family members. I have heard from quite a few people who were regretful that their loved one's recipes were gone forever.
The software also allows you to include pictures of either the recipe or someone or something that pertains to the recipe. I did not do this because I was intimidated by the process of downloading or uploading the pictures. The idea of preparing all the recipes to take a picture of each was out of the question as well.
My sister saw the book as I was putting it together and now she has a copy as well. I just think it is a wonderful idea for anyone to do. I know how many old family recipes that have disappeared from my grandmothers, so I didn't want it to happen for my daughter.
I will give the web address for the site in a minute. I did end up having to pay a small price for the software. I believe it was when I hit 70 recipes, I was blocked from adding more. I was trying to figure out a way around it (creating more than one book, then putting them both in the same binder) but when I realized how little the cost was, I went ahead and paid. They also are in the business of printing cookbooks, so they offer to print them for you at a price. Obviously, you would end up with a professional looking book. I was, however, more than happy with the print it yourself for free option, especially since I don't have a large family and only planned on one copy. http://www.familycookbookproject.com/
This ended up being one of the, if not the, best gift ever and I wasn't even the one getting the gift. I take that back. My daughter's love and appreciation of her cookbook was the best gift I could ever receive.
Another idea I have heard of for preserving memories is to actually write down all those wonderful family stories and memories. There are books you can purchase for this purpose. After it was suggested to me, I checked them out, but the project was too overwhelming for me to attempt. I think, though, it would be a great project for the one with FTD to do with a partner who could help remember and to write it all down, either in a book or on the computer.
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