Journaling

I love to look back and read old journals. It's great to see how I made it through tough times and to see the growth I've made in my life. It's great to reflect on my thoughts at the time and to stop and ask myself what in the world was I thinking? It's also great to relive happy moments and see if I still appreciate what made me so happy back then. I barely ever journal anymore. I get on a kick where I am going to make myself do it every day or at least a couple days a week and it kinda goes out the window. It's kinda like a diet. If it's not fun, I lose interest.

I struggle to journal in my scrapbooks too. I know this is something I really should do since I'm hoping my scrapbooks will be around a long time after I'm gone. There's something about a person's handwriting that is better than looking at their picture. It's our own words conveying our thoughts on whatever and I think it captures so much that would otherwise be lost over the years.

I have some of my mom's recipes written in her own handwriting. I treasure those and plan to get more to put into a recipe scrapbook I want to make of our favorite family recipes. Years from now when my mom is gone I know I will pull out one of those cards and she will help me through that recipe. I will probably cry and wish she were there cooking with me but at least I will have her handwritten recipes.

I feel complete again

There is no greater feeling than having your family together again. My son has been living in California for 9 months and today he came back home. The four of us went out for pizza and had a great time. I missed that so much.

Hoarding or Gathering?

A lot of people have seen those shows about hoarders who are living in complete disarray because they are attached to their "stuff" whether it be collectibles or old pets that they just can't bear to part with. OK that's an extreme example but you get the point. I feel like I have become a hoarder when it comes to my scrapbook supplies. Over the past 10+ years I have collected many items that I have found on clearance or I have just bought beautiful supplies that I planned to use for a special occasion. Then of course there is all those left over supplies from projects I have done, whether it be pages or books I've made for other people. I am left with weird stickers or embellishments that really don't go with anything else I happen to be working on. I can honestly say I am not a hoarder in any area of my life other than the scrapbooking area. I actually feel neurotic when I see too much clutter around the house. Usually a good donation to Goodwill cures it. Still, the scrapbook stuff piles up. It's gotten to the point where I feel unorganized and like I have too much actual scrap. I am definitely a thrifty person but how much scrap do you need. I think if it hinders you from enjoying your craft then it's time to downsize. Sometimes I spend way too much time searching through piles upon piles of paper just to do one layout. Along the way I come across other paper I have held onto for whatever occasion and then I start thinking about that project. It's like Scrapbooker Attention Deficit Disorder and it's really SADD! (Hmm, I think I finally found the name for my disorder.) Yeah I think I will definitely put some effort in for reorganizing and downsizing this weekend so in the long run I have more time for my craft. The cold weather is coming and there's nothing better than having some hot cocoa, listening to some music and preserving memories.

Garrett's Popcorn

Do you ever get that craving for something that keeps bugging you for months and the longer you wait the louder that little voice is in your head to get some? Well I have been craving Garrett's Popcorn for months and one of my co-workers brought some in specially for me yesterday. I have been wanting to drive to Chicago just to get some but I just didn't justify the trip just for popcorn. Well she cured me and I ate almost an entire bag by myself! It was worth it though. I think I'm good for awhile now but I am secretly plotting my trip downtown to get some more. I think the hubby and I should go see the Christmas displays anyway and hey while we are there...

Get Closer Tour with Keith Urban

Here is one of the layouts I did over the weekend : ) Not sure why the sides of the image aren't showing complete but the important stuff is in the middle anyway!

Fast

That describes my weekend completely! It went by too fast and I was ticketed for driving too fast. Furthermore, my darling daughter did too. Didn't I mention recently that she picks up on some of my not so good traits?

I guess I will be driving like Gertrude here for awhile. At least until the memory of paying for the speeding ticket fades away.

Emma

This is Emma. She is at our scrapbook retreat. She was here last time too. I thought when I first saw her that maybe her owner came to the scrapbook weekend and was working on some sewing instead of scrapbooking. I later learned that Emma was a guest here too. She stands proudly next to her creator while she scrapbooks. It's raised a few eyebrows and has caused some whispered questioning of her creators sanity. But who am I to judge, I named my Cricut. Ok so it's a little out of the ordinary but I love the originality. I went over to Emma's creator, whose name I don't know, and asked if I could take a picture of her dress form friend. She eagerly said I could and that Emma LOVES to have her picture taken. I quickly bit my tongue so the "Really??" that I was thinking didn't come out. But hey I can definitely appreciate all kinds of humor so kudos to Emma and her creator.