Sunday, July 26, 2009

scrapbooking my memories

i love scrapbooking. i have been doing it for about 10 years now, and have developed my own style. it suits me. it is ok that you can look at my pages and say, yup, cindy did that page. there is no right or wrong way to scrapbook, apart from using archival supplies. the point is that i am preserving memories.

this weekend a friend came over and we scrapbooked together, in between talking and eating. what a blessed few hours that was for me.

i also finally put most of my finished loose pages into actual scrapbooks. that was such a relief. i have been putting that off for a long time because i usually don't to my actual scrapbooking at home. it was so gratifying to put the pages in order, in books with protectors. i also made a list of pages i need to do to have that feeling of completion i want to have. i need to do a lot! that is ok though. it is not what needs to be done that matters. what matters is that my life and my family is important to me, and one way i show that is by documenting our memories. i think it is more important to me right now than it is to my family that i do this, but my hope is that someday they will get it. that they will understand my motivation. that they will appreciate the time and effort it took to put these books together. that maybe someday the will look at their books and remember the fun but also read between the lines the words LOVE, MOM.

i preserved my memories today.

Friday, July 24, 2009

the worst summer job (except for strawberry picking)

i did the ice cream truck job for a summer during college. worst job i ever had -- i got yelled at for waking children from their naps, people always wanted something for free (heck, i didn't even get anything for free -- anything i ate came out of my profits), i got hot and sweaty every day, and i am sure i suffered hearing loss from the music. i made no money for school -- everything i made i gave to my mom, as money was very tight. so why do i remember those days with a smile?

25 years ago, i made a memory.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

lunch with grandma

this morning, my youngest mentioned that he had not had lunch with his grandma (my mom) for a long time. it just so happened that we were planning on having lunch with her today. he got to help by pushing her manual wheelchair, he unlocked the door to her apartment and he also got to drive her electric wheelchair. all of these things made him feel important and useful. whenever he does something to help his grandma, she praises him. in his life, that is huge. afterwards, he always says to me, "mom, remember when i helped grandma . . ." . things that are important to us, we cherish. when we cherish something we remember it. what memory from your childhood do you cherish?

we made a memory today!

Monday, July 20, 2009



it is interesting to me when i find out some activity that i consider boring or routine turns out to be a highlight in the life of one of my children. baking cookies, taking a drive in the rain, letting them try an activity for the first time; all of these have been mentioned by a child as something they will always remember. my goal is that i will pay more attention to these routine experiences, that i will take the time to document them, and that by doing so i will elevate the mundane to the memorable.

have you made a memory today?