Happy Birthday, Mom!

The absolute best part about moving and now having a 30 minute commute, instead of my former 10-12 minute commute, is that I have my daily momma time again. For the 7 years that I drove across town to west Dallas, I would spend that hour driving on the phone with my mom. And when I left that job and started my wonderful job that is 3 miles from our house in Murphy, I sorely missed those long chatty drives I took with my mom. Now, serendipitously, I get back just enough chat time to hear all the good stuff. And since my older sister retired, I am banking on keeping all of the days for me instead of splitting them with her, as we did last school year. ;-) We will see Monday when that east Texas school bell rings how my retired librarian sister manages her phone time with mom. I'm thinking early bird gets the worm. Ha.

One never knows the stories you will hear when one talks to my mom. On the last three phone conversations I have had with her {Thursday morning, Thursday evening, and Friday morning} I have heard the same story about her big decision on whether or not to get a perm now, or wait until October. It's cute, because the story stays identical almost in each iteration, and I chuckle inwardly at her quandary over the long lasting durability of her perm, and timing it just right for our next Girls Weekend, which is in December. In Florida. {Yes!! But, that is another story for another day.} See, mom is trying to time her perm so that it will be "just right" for our next Girls Weekend together. I always tease everyone that my own hair issues have deep roots. They stem from my mom being a beautician before she was a mom, and all of us girls having hair situations regularly while growing up. But I cannot fault her for deliberating over timing. Durned if I don't still do it myself, even with my short carefree and easy cut.

Today's phone conversation started with me wishing my mom HAPPY BIRTHDAY. She rejected my wish, stating matter of factly, "Well, today is the day I was born, but it's not my birthday." See, about 10 years ago, mother needed a copy of her birth certificate for some legal matter, and in the procurement of that, my dear sweet mom, youngest baby girl of nine children, discovered that she was in fact born on August twenty-FIRST. For over 50 years, she had celebrated her birthday on August twenty-SECOND. And she decided on that day of discovery that she was keeping her celebration day on the 22nd, and just let that 21st day remain on the ignored list. I have teased her most years since then on the 21st. But this morning's response was by far one of the best ones I've ever received. I told her, "Well, mom, just how many people can say that?!" We both had a good laugh. 

{And mom, I am writing this ON the 21st and setting it to post just after midnight today, which will be on the 22nd, so that you will get the email ON the 22nd. So, I am saying Happy Birthday on your birthday, and you will get it on your birthday. And I know you will think about all of that for a little bit.} ;-)

And mom, even though I gave you your gift earlier, I meant to send you a card, but I, in my full fledged 50-year-old mind could not remember to do it, still being in the swirl of getting Andrew off....But maybe this will make up for it. This is a poem I found by Debbie Burrous and it makes me think of you, and it makes my eyes leak a little, too.

A Poem For Mom

You are the sunlight in my day,
You are the moon I see far away.
You are the tree I lean upon,
You are the one that makes troubles be gone.
You are the one who taught me life,
How not to fight, and what is right.
You are the words inside my song,
You are my love, my life, my mom.
You are the one who cares for me,
You are the eyes that help me see.
You are the one who knows me best,
When it's time to have fun and time to rest.
You are the one who has helped me to dream,
You hear my heart and you hear my screams.
Afraid of life but looking for love,
I'm blessed for God sent you from above.
You are my friend, my heart, and my soul
You are the greatest friend I know.
You are the words inside my song,
You are my love, my life, my Mom.

I love you more every day, and I am so excited to celebrate your 78th year, in my 50th year to be in existence on your birthday. I can't wait to hear about your day and I'll even be happy to hear the perm story again. But even beyond that, I am looking forward to our big trip together in December, while remembering fondly our weekend together in April. 

I am blessed by you, and the gift of my sisters. It is wonderful to be in the presence of beautiful souls, and it is phenomenal to know that you are all my family, my friends. I love every day spent with you, and like weekends, there are never enough of them to satisfy me. I love you! Happy Birthday, Mom!

Beautiful Souls ~ Girls Weekend ~ April 26, 2015

Sketch Credit: Scrapbook Generation

Paper: Echo Park

Title Fonts: Lavenderia

Souvenirs of My Past

It's probably a little silly - that degree to which I love NSD. {I also think it's funny that it rhymes with LSD, which is very bad for you, whereas NSD is very good for you.} Of all the thoughts and memories and ideals I have imbedded in me from nine years as a Creative Memories consultant, setting to the side some lifelong friends that are the very best treasure, I would say that NSD was probably the best takeaway I gleaned from CM, and probably one of their greatest ideas.

National Scrapbook Day was initiated by Rhonda Anderson and Cheryl Lightle, Creative Memories co-founders, in May 1995 and it included an official proclamation by the governor of Minnesota. Of course, that made it officially national. ;-) I was a fairly new consultant at the time, and most importantly I was six months pregnant with my youngest son. Hauling CM inventory around to sell at home classes was one thing. Doing it pregnant was totally another. I guess that is why the first ever NSD is indelibly etched in my brain. And today, just like 21 years ago, women are gathering to celebrate NSD.

Oh, scrapbooking and I have sure come a long way in two decades of women gathering everywhere to scrap together on the first Saturday in May. Today marks that anniversary, and this 21st NSD finds me just as in love as ever with my beloved hobby. Just think - I have been scrapbooking for 21 years, and I have the wall of albums and scrap stash to prove it!  ;-) That's almost half of my life! I think what I love the most about my hobby, as I analyze it, is that I have passed the tipping point and can now say that I have been scrapping outside of CM for more years than I scrapped inside it. For over a decade now I have been just a regular scrapper, having tendered my CM resignation in May 2004 after 9 1/2 years of sharing how to create, preserve and remember. September 2015 will be the 21st anniversary of my starting to scrapbook. 

I can say that after all this time, even with the boys gone, and the shutter on the camera clicking less and less often, I absolutely love my hobby more than ever. I have a broad base of friends that share this hobby with me and I have an incredibly supportive husband, who never minds me piddling in my room, and I have my little bi-monthly allowance that hasn't been eradicated by tuition bills, and I have access to a plethora of incredible supplies, at both a store that is 66 miles from me, where I can go when I absolutely need to touch and feel a room full of paper and have three hours to spare, and an online store whose incredible service and free shipping options make "getting my fix" sometimes far too easy. 

I have celebrated NSD with both of "my stores". The Crafty Scrapper puts on an incredible weekend retreat each year on NSD weekend and Scrapbook Generation does an all out online event {and also an event in their store} that allows me to play along from the nook in my home that I have christened Scrap Central. There's just something fun and celebratory and slightly decadent about having a DAY that is earmarked National Scrapbook Day. If you want to roll it into a weekend retreat, or a week long online store sale, I'm down with that. What these two stores have in common, though, is that I found both of them through Two Peas in a Bucket.

Two Peas led me to Creating Keepsakes events, which led me to the Great American Scrapbook Convention, which led me to the booth that The Crafty Scrapper had there. I remember looking up TCS on a Saturday in April when Steve and I were taking a road trip, and we happened to drop into their store on their birthday bash. I can still remember the joy and camaraderie that day being palpable in the store, and I knew I wanted to be a part of that. Years of traversing the miles to the store for crops, classes, retreats, and card stock runs have been such a treasure for my heart. I even guest designed for them briefly and that was an added honor. TCS restored my faith in the sisterhood of scrapping, and taught me how to connect and create and craft and collect. I am so thankful for their store and all the lovely talent there. The owner, Carolyn, is just an energetic jewel and I never get enough time with her. She's an incredible lady. I still love TCS and just can't find enough time it seems to make that trek. I was able to go help them celebrate their 10th anniversary a few weekends ago, and I know I will be back there in a couple of weeks as I head south to retreat with my scrapping peeps.

Two Peas also led me to Scrapbook Generation. I don't think any of my online friends really can recall exactly WHO posted the first thread on the General Scrapping message board about the sketch books from Scrapbook Generation. But, I know that I bought my first two in January 2010, and started following their blog right around that same time. Shortly thereafter, I subbed to their Super Saver Sketch Club, and received my first ever SS kit for the March layouts on my porch in April 2010. Oh, those were life changing days! I can tell you that I was made for sketch books. I have that need for creativity...and order. The clean lines of the sketch books brought me back internally to my journalism/yearbook training and gave me a form that supported my going off the CM grid, and how to really have fun with a blank 12x12 canvas. So, this is my fifth NSD with SG. I keep hoping one year I can actually SPEND NSD at SG, but it will have to fall right on the calendar with work scheduling, because the first of the month is always full and busy at work. Now, I have been blessed to meet the SG team and crop with them several times. They are just like Lay's Potato Chips thought - you can't stop at just one! I love these ladies, marvel at their creativity, and depend on their inspiration. I am so incredibly blessed to be part of their CREATE team. 

It's funny that in 21 years of NSD that I have morphed from a gal hosting events for others, to a gal going to events with others, to a gal staying home alone, dependent on the internet for a little interaction and a ton of inspiration. I guess my scrapbooking journey is really trekking along the same path as society. The internet has changed us all - for good or bad - with it's opportunities to "connect" with others. I cannot deny though that the online crops and at home events are the easiest to pack for. ;-) 

I created this layout below in 2013 more than likely, if I do some detective work on the supplies used. It is an SG sketch of course, and I know I used my Silhouette to cut that title and the little cameras. The photos are from NSD 2011, the next to last NSD that I would spend online at Two Peas. {Who could predict their demise?} I am thankful that I snapped some photos that day - and that I had Steve take a picture of me sitting at my computer. As it turns out, I am looking at an ad for the Scrap 'n Easel on my computer, which seems fitting, since I do a fair amount of online scrap shopping. ;-) That year, NSD 2011, was the kick off of my scrapping our 2010 vacation for which I used Basic Grey Wander. I just love my paper. I just love my hobby. I guess you could say I am still crazy about scrapping after all these years. 

Happy National Scrapbooking Day to you -  whether this is your first NSD or, like me, your 21st. Take some time to document your scrappy life. You just never know what is around the corner, and it's always a good thing to create, preserve, and remember. I love the quote at the top that SG posted on Tuesday of this week. It's true. And I like to think of each one of my layouts as a souvenir of my past - a very special memory that I was blessed to live through and cobble together a story to tell of it. Happy Scrapping!

National Scrapbook Day ~ An Homage to Online Crops ~ May 2011

Sketch Credit: Scrapbook Generation I think - confirming from friend - I did a lift for a challenge

Paper: October Afternoon

Title Font: Lavenderia

Editors Note: I changed the layout for this story because I realized this morning after I published this post that I had already blogged that layout. So, then!, I decided I needed to do another layout about NSD since I have only ever done that other one. So, I CAN do a layout in an afternoon - this proves it. And how fun to scrap about NSD ON NSD??!! Thanks Rona/Jaffa for the inspiration for the layout and thanks SnY Tink for the challenge to scrap lift a friend.