Friday, April 29, 2011

Everlasting



Last summer my daughter got engaged.
Her first love is now becoming
Her true, life long and everlasting.

I wish for her a love
That lasts, like her mom and
Dad’s love. Like his mom and
Dad’s love. May their love out
Last the mundane and the murkiness
That invades every last person’s life.

I hope that when she wants
To have the last word or
Is tempted to put him last
On her “to do” list that
She’ll remember the day she vowed
To make it last, and reconsider.

I hope that when he wants
To list every last one of
Her faults or is tempted to
Think ‘that’s the last straw!’ that
He’ll remember the day he vowed
To make it last, and reconsider.

I wish for her a day,
A perfect, love filled wedding day.
Making the love last isn’t easy.
At times it takes every last
Ounce of strength you can muster.
But to that day, that one
Day, I attach the hope of
Perfection. Her wedding dream come true,
Down to the very last detail.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Walk of Shame


Elementary school was the worst….but graduation day wasn’t great either. I could wine for a long time about how I never fit in or how my elementary school gym teacher used to tease me and tell me to go home and eat some Wheaties ~ yeah, he was a real charmer. But I’ll skip the tales of recess loneliness, the social rejection woes and just head straight to the day of my high school graduation.


I don’t remember much (of that day, or much of my whole child hood, really). And I’m sure there was some kind of celebration. I can picture the valedictorian as he gave his speech. And I remember that my grandmother was there for the ceremony with my parents. My only other memory of the day is feeling absolutely mortified each time they called my name because I had won some award or scholarship. I remember no feeling of pride or sense of accomplishment. Not one ounce of satisfaction or pleasure. Just mortification. Too many times. Too much attention.

Each time my name was called 
I had to stand up.
I’m sure I blushed.
I guess I faked a smile.
I KNOW
I just
wanted
it to be over.

I feel (almost) apologetic as I write this. Poor me ~ nice suburban life, great public school education and, apparently, a good number of accomplishments. Don't know why the recognition that day affected me as it did. I just know I didn't want people looking at me, didn't want the eyes of those kids on me.


Now the question comes, to post or not to post?
Cause even now I find this all a bit embarrassing.


Monday, April 25, 2011

Making Sweet, Simple Cards

We had a few friends over on Saturday night ~ so I fussed just a little with the table, and treated myself to some daffodils.


Before everyone arrived, I took some photos of the daffodils ~ knowing that if I got a picture that I liked, I could make some cards. Today I had 10 3.5" x 5" prints made of my favorite shot. As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of using my scraps. My current project has left me with a pile of paper and sticker scraps that I haven't used yet.


So, I sat down with my daffodil prints and my scraps and got to work! First, I cut a piece of card stock to measure 5.5" x 8".


Then I folded it in half so that I'd have a card that evenly bordered the 3.5" x 5" prints that I had made.


Then I chose another piece of paper from my scrap pile and, using double stick adhesive, secured my photo along a clean edged corner. Once in place, I trimmed the mat so that the photo would have a thin frame in a complimentary color.


Once my photo had a mat, I attached it to the card ~ so cheerful, don't you think?


This pretty, home made card cost about thirty cents! Once I have this basic formula, there are lots of ways to add to it ~ to play with it. Word stickers and letter stickers can be added.






Or, just grab different color scraps, and create more blank, photo cards.


If you have ribbon, twine, buttons or other doodads, feel free to add them. You can trim the photo so it's off center, tear the paper mat for a different effect and add some twine ~ endless possibilities!


Cards this size fit into standard "invitation" envelopes (4 3/8" x 5 3/4"), and as I said, envelope included, cost less than a postage stamp! I enjoy giving sets of cards as gifts, sending my own notes and hand made birthday wishes....and using my scraps of paper!


What photos do you have that would make pretty cards?

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Wishing...

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart. Wishing you happiness."      

Helen Keller

This morning I am missing family ~ Thinking how nice it would be if we were all around the corner from each other and could gather for a noisy, yummy easter lunch.




So, I'll look at some treasured photos and hold on to the love I feel in my heart. I'll enjoy the people that I get to see today ~ And I'll wish you all well!


Friday, April 22, 2011

Counting our Blessings



Stored away in books are the
Countless, simple blessings of our lives.
Rainy days, summer haze, school plays;
Autumn leaves, rolled up sleeves in
Photos we've taken of our lives.
Big deals, training wheels, family meals;
Our holidays and each childhood phase
On storied pages of our lives.
Killer braces, favorite places, silly faces;
Imperfect hair and prom night flair
Number among the countless, daily and
God sent blessings of our lives.



Thursday, April 21, 2011

favorite place


seen far away sights
lived in the city of lights
seen the liberty bell
walked the freedom trail
seen mexican seas
sat near juniper trees

know one thing for sure
it's the who, not the where

cause distant shore
or behind the front door
my favorite spot's
with my family of four




Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Kids! Paper! Scissors!


It's spring break week here in Boston, so we were joined by some great kids today during our weekly Tuesday workshop. I love watching kids work with the same paper and tools that I am so used to using. It never fails that they come up with something creative and new ~ something that had never crossed my mind! The brother (of the brother/sister pair) that scrapped with us today was insistent that his (older) sister not "copy" him! I had to chuckle...because when I make a page or come up with a design that someone wants to copy, I feel complimented ~ wonder at what age that changes? They spent the morning making cards for their parents and grandparents, and creating a scrapbook page or two. This particular (older) sister has been scrapping with me since she was 7...and is a very talented little scrapbooker.

The grown ups got to chat...I got some input on struggles I'm having with my mom, we got caught up on college visits and shared travel horror stories. While we traded stories, we finished up an eagle scout scrapbook, worked on some elementary school photos and did a couple of birthday layouts. There was coffee, and lunch...our normal Tuesday scrapping "therapy"! It has been a joy to discover and share a hobby with women who have become friends ~ I love having them into my home and am glad we carve out this time for ourselves every week!

Happy pics of my daughter meeting a friend's baby for the first time
 
The first part of a birthday layout ~ titles and accents still to be added

Monday, April 18, 2011

Day's End


Every day has one.
Some days close and I feel a deep sense of satisfaction.
Today - not so much.
It was a full day.
Got to work early, did all I could and learned a few things.
Did some planning, reading and cleaning.
Food shopping.
Shared a quiet evening with my husband.
Even as I write, a sense of quiet satisfaction grows;
Though the day to day toils don't seem to be
"producing"
what I might hope for, long for.
There is a satisfaction in the doing.
And in being close to those I love.
Frustrations. Finances. Shortcomings.
At day's end today, I'm fighting the negatives.
And hoping for a good night's sleep.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Nothing like it!


"There is nothing like returning to a place that  remains unchanged to find the ways in which you  yourself have altered."  Nelson Mandela

There is an expanse of the sky that floats above a vally that holds my Oregon "home". I am lucky enough to get to be there for a week or so almost every year. My husband's parents live in a lovely home built on a rim rock with this view off of their deck. Since we began visitng this place I've lived in two different countries, four different towns and six different houses. I've changed professions, seen two kids learn to drive, and watched them graduate from highschool and head off to find their own lives. This year, my daughter will be getting married! So, as life has sped along and often felt tumultuous, this expanse of sky is always there to remind me that the essetial pieces of my life remain unchanged.

The first time I read Mandela's quote I thought of this place that has become so very important and special to me. It is a haven. A place to sit, walk, talk, meditate....regroup. It quiets the noise and sharpens my awareness that those things I hold most dear (my faith and my family) remain strong. And it awakens in me a sense that I am growing ~ not stuck (as the day to day might sometimes suggest)...growing closer to God and to those I love. And growing to know, accept and love myself more and more....

There really is nothing like returning to this place!

Friday, April 15, 2011

April First



April the first brought more snow.
Not a joke. Not a gag,
Just a cold, wet, white morning...

April the first brought more snow.
Not a warm drizzle or rain,
Just the all familiar winter chill.

So, April first brought more snow.
Not a lot. No big deal.
Just believe that warmth is coming!

April first brought more than snow!
While gazing outside, hoping for spring...
I spotted a robin! My first!



{this was my first Six Word Fridays!}

Thursday, April 14, 2011

A Grown Up Moment

Today is Writer's Workshop at Mama Kats ~ I chose #1 The Moment I Realized I was a Grown Up
Visit and read other writers! http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/2011/04/the-hershey-bar/


I've always been a grown up. Had the hardest time with other kids (when I was one...not now. Or since I had two of my own). Perfect shoes. Perfect manners. Teacher's pet. "You're the kid our parents always wished we were" wrote someone in my highschool year book...just what I was hoping for. Not.


On the surface we were a country club family. We wore the right clothes, attended the right church, had those two kids, two cars and that dog. And, truth be told, we were really well cared for. All sorts of lessons, opportunities and a good education were provided. And there were summer nights, and baseball in the back yard, and a tree house...and I had barbie dolls and magical Christmas mornings. But somehow I lived it all as a little grown up. Never misbehaving, crossing the line, talking back or not doing what was expected of me. Well, almost never. Had to keep everyone happy....

Having kids and watching (letting) them be kids was magical for me. I enjoyed it so much...all the messiness and the unpredictability. The imagining, the playing, the fighting, the giggles. The unconditional acceptance. I was just mom. They didn't know who I was "supposed" to be ~ we just played barbies and built leggos and loved Arial and Pooh. I hope they enjoyed their childhood as much as I did! And we've grown through their adolesence and young adulthood together...arguements could be made, I'm sure, that I was a bit too much that "friend" and, perhaps, not as much of a "parent" as they might have needed at times. Just wanted (so much) for them to be happy....






















I'll never forget the day ~ my kids were teenagers, and I'd been married (oh, I don't know) about 17 years or so. And my husband was in a bad mood. I was standing in our bedroom, the sun was shining through the windows and I was in a good mood (role reversal, as I'm the crabbier of the two of us!). It hit me. Hard. I had done nothing. I hadn't caused his mood (not that he would have ever blamed me for it!) and couldn't fix his mood. It wasn't my fault. I walked down the stairs, outside and looked up at the blue sky...just stood there and breathed in the moment. Maybe everyone else's happiness wasn't my responsibility.


Hmmm....maybe I hadn't always been much of a grown up at all.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Don't take the "Scrap" out of Scrapbooking!

One of the things I love the most about scrapbooking is: There are no rules. Once you've made sure that all the materials you are using are "photo safe" ~ anything goes! The point is to preserve the photos and to let them tell the story! And while I love new stuff - the latest papers and embellishments - I also enjoy challenging myself to use all the paper and scraps that I already have to make borders and cards and even entire albums. A couple of years ago I took all the "extra" photos of my kids that hadn't really fit in any other scrapbook and all my "leftover" paper and stickers and made two ABC books.



It was great to take an otherwise random collection of photos and organize them by following the alphabet ~ this way I could use photos from different ages and stages on the same page, and tell the stories of their personalities, their likes and dislikes, and different events and places. Best of all, I didn't buy one new piece of paper or one new sticker or marker to make this album....literally made a book out of scraps!

D is for Disney ~ one of our favorite places!
E is for Easter!
G is for Goofy!
It's also meaningful to add in other scraps ~ ticket stubs, maps, a lock of hair, postcards...any little "scrap" that helps to complete the story.

Ticket stubs!

A page from my favorite page a day calendar!

Note cards from my birthday flowers!
Sometimes I think there's such an emphasis put on the layouts and the extras that we add to the photos on the page, that we forget it's the photos (and our words) that are at the heart of the story. So, I say...keep it photo safe, and keep it simple. But, those are my "rules"...that's my style. And, as I said, with SCRAPbooking ... anything goes!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Doc

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."                                                                                                                   Deuteronomy 6:6-7



My grandfather was the first man of faith I ever knew. This is one of my all time favorite photos ~ Doc sharing a moment with my baby brother. He was such a gentle man. I remember (of all things) climbing on his lap while he clipped my fingernails. He also taught me how to wrap presents ~ something I love to do! One Christmas when he was at our house for the holidays I had my first real conversation with anyone about God. I was sitting at the bottom of the basement stairs and he was watching my brother play with hot wheels. The conversation began because of a Christmas tree ornament...


We only had one "religious" ornament. And, while my parents took us to church, I'd never felt from them the same sense of  "knowing something" that I felt from my Grandfather that day. In his gentle way, he answered my questions and asked a few of his own. Planting seeds of faith in my heart ~ that he would not live to see grow, but that...indeed...took root and grew. The quote from Deuteronomy reminds me of him....just a conversation while playing hot wheels. Principles held, shared, passed on. I cherish that little ornament that prompted that conversation, and one of my few truly treasured possessions, is his wedding ring.

A reminder of where I came from and what was passed on to me.

I long to leave my kids a connection to their history. To give them a sense of their story.

So we walk, talk and wrestle together with our own faith and how best to live and love those around us.

And I scrapbook.  So, in case I've forgotten to say anything it'll be in a book somewhere. And photos like the one of their uncle and great grandfather won't end up lost in a box in the attic!


Saturday, April 9, 2011

A Good Day!


Today was a good day.
Saturday morning coffee with my husband.
Love Saturday Mornings!
Sunshine, fresh air ~ the house even warmed up!
Good Friends.
Got to spend most of the day with some friends, doing what I love.
Doesn't get much better then that!
A lovely young lady has turned into a true scrapper ~
She designed some amazing pages today.
And made book marks!
Her mom, a friend since college days, finished some beautiful pages
that honored her family
and preserved the memory of a young life lost too soon.
Another friend (who's been missed) brought her music back!
(sadly our cheering didn't help the red sox...)
She dove into her childhood and saved some photos from a very
UNSAFE album ~ love those who rescue fading photos.
And a fourth (who brings joy!)
hummed happily as she worked on a special project that
honors her OWN (almost) fifty years.
It always warms my heart, and humbles me a bit,
that folks bring their special memories to my simple basement.
Together we make albums.
And memories of our own.


Thursday, April 7, 2011

(no) Fear of (their) Flight



My mom hangs on.
Her claws dig in.
Dad let go (long ago)
and let me grow...

Now it seems
my time has come.
I will fight (it's their right!)
my fear of flight.

I won't repeat
my mom's mistakes...
I'll let them go (love them so)
And watch them grow!