Love To Create Memories: Corners of my World

Decorate Life: Scrapbook--and I do! Scrapbooking as been some part of my life for a very long time. My very first scrapbook came from my mother who pasted every card and who wrote every gift given to me my first year of life. It was assembled in one of those yellow page 15" x 15" tie bound books that are very fragile today. Remember those? I'm not so sure it doesn't have a few more years of posting in it, but I have 3 sisters and we all came 1 1/2 to 2 years after each other so you can see mom probably lost track of time while we was growing up.

When our daughter was diagnosed with a life altering disease 14 years ago, this new age of scrapbooking caught my eye. That desire to use those fancy papers, stickers and scissors drew my artsy side out and became my therapy of dealing with the tough years that were to follow for her care. We had also just started life in Nebraska so it was fun taking pictures and recording what was ahead for our family as Steven was starting college at Kearney and Cheryl was starting her second year of college in Omaha.

As a child growing up I was blessed to have many grandparents and great-grandparents (and my parents of course) to raise me. About half of them were associated with farming and the other half the "public" satisfying work field. We come from a line of great cooks and seamstresses. Remembering this heritage is also what draws me to scrapbooking. You don't get a chance to go back and live those special times over, so do it right the first time and record them in your heart.

Lyle laughs at me (in a good way) because he finds me constantly journaling something about a memory or an event I don't want to forget. Hence the mess you will find in my "fun room" most of the time.. those little notes needing attention.

My desire to stay busy and give what I can comes from my parents. Growing up in small town America, by dad was busy 12-14 hours a day helping my grandparents run their car dealership and bodyshop; and my mom worked taking care of her daughters and part-time caring for elderly neighbors and friends and working at the local café. At the time you are growing up you thought how unfair it was you had those daily home chores to do for mom and dad as well as help grandma clean her big two story house; but now you are grown up you appreciate the fact you know how to do it; and you appreciate how hard it was to acquire something you wanted out of life.

Now I am blessed by my own children and grandchildren, and a wonderful supporting husband, who let's me indulge in my hobbies, as we continue to build on that heritage.