Life is a Marathon

  Marathon Scrapbook

Thankfully life is a marathon and not a sprint!  :)

Elliot turned 20 on Monday.  TWENTY!  I still can't believe it!  We headed to the city on Sunday to spend some time with him...and ended up in the middle of a bunch of rusty legs.  I don't know what this exhibit is officically titled, but it was pretty cool.

 

Elliot with one of his typical non-expressive poses.

Elliot & Dad

Elliot & Me

Not sure why we all look terrified of the camera! 

If you're looking for the legs, they're along Michigan Avenue in Chicago.  Oh, and if you go to see the legs you've got to have breakfast at Yolk!  Be prepared though to look at the menu for a long time.  I couldn't decide and wanted to order one of everything.  I finally settled on the orange french toast with strawberries.  Yummmmmmmmmmmm.  I can't wait to go back again.  Of course the biggest draw in Chicago is still seeing my son! :)

 

The Shack...a review of sorts

So, I finished reading The Shack by Wm. Paul Young a couple of weeks ago.  The book had been recommended to me by several people within just a couple of days so I thought it must be a sign that I should read it.  Obviously it was meant to have some special meaning for me.  Right?  Wrong. 

Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I was reading it or maybe my expectations were too high...or maybe...who knows.  I just don't seem to get what all the fuss is about. 

The first four chapters flew by.  Even though the events were disturbing, to say the least, it still held my interest and seemed to flow pretty well.  But once the fantasy section began I knew it had lost me.  It wasn't that I didn't "get it" and it's not to say that I didn't glean a few insights, but I just couldn't get past the cheesy dialog and excessive imagery.  All I wanted at that point was for the story to end.  But still, I held on.  With each page I held out hope that I would have some "aah-ha" moment...some great insight into why bad things happen and how to turn it all around...some grand desire for a re-examination of my own faith.  And yet, that moment never came.

I don't know.  Maybe my mind is too literal.  Or, maybe my love of non-fiction books has let my imagination atrophy. Whatever the case, I was relieved to finally reach the end. 

                  

Yesterday I started reading Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks.  It's one of my all time favorite movies (despite the ending!).  One of the things I love so much about the movie is the contrast between Chicago and the Outter Banks.  SO...imagine my surprise when I find out she lives in Boston in the book!  Urgh!  Oh well, I'm trying to have an open mind.  Usually the book is so much better than the movie...so I'll hang in there. 

What has gotten into me?  This is the 2nd work of fiction that I've read in the last couple of months.  It's so unlike me.  I'm a non-fiction girl at heart.  Who knows, maybe I just need an escape.

So, have you read The Shack?  What did you think?

Another Disney Autograph Scrapbook

This is just a sneak peek.  You can see other images on Flickr or check it out on Etsy.  Got the Disney tickets?  Now you just need the scrapbook and you're ready to go!  So much fun!  :)

Welcome Words and Photos Readers...and everybody else too!

If you just popped over from my Words and Photos blog you may have already noticed that this blog is a little different....yet still the same in a lot of ways.  As I close the other blog down, this one will probably include a few more family updates than it has in the past, but otherwise it will remain about the same.

For now, here are a few of my latest creations...

Soccer Scrapbook...available on Etsy!

Cheerleader Scrapbook

Perfect for the Cheerleader in your life!  Or, it makes a great team gift.  Special order enough for the whole squad...personalization is always an option!  Add your name, school colors, school name and/or team name!

Football Hero!

Wouldn't this make the perfect boyfriend gift?

I Love Volleyball Scrapbook!

Great gift for your teammates...or the volleyball star in your life.

Bowling Scrapbook!

Record your bowling season...capture the moment!  Keep proof of your scores!

Yeah, I seem to be stuck in a sports theme....but wouldn't they make great Christmas gifts?!  Of course there are always other options in my Etsy store.

I'm working on some great sales and promotions so stay tuned...more info coming soon....

Enjoy your weekend!

judy

Halloween Paper Bag Scrapbook

Just couldn't resist posting a pic of this. Like I said earlier, I'm not a big fan of Halloween...but this is just too cute NOT to share! You can see more pictures of it here.


Yesterday I stopped by one of my favorite stores....Archiver's. Since my hubby was in the car waiting for me, it was a quick trip (I'm sure HE didn't think it was quick...but I tried!). Anyway, I just had to grab some Halloween goodies. I also picked up some supplies for soccer, cheerleading, football, bowling (already listed in my Etsy store!), marathons, swimming...and some other stuff that will no doubt be showing up in my Etsy store soon. Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Mini scrapbooks make GREAT gifts! :)


I spent the day doing some behind the scenes scrapbook business things today. One of those things was updating my blog. You may notice that I've added a couple of new features in the right hand column. The first is a Scrapbook Showcase...it's linked to Flickr. You can either watch a slide-show of my scrapbooks from my blog or click on it, enter Flicker, and browse through my photos from there.



Also, you will see links to a couple of my favorite places. One is Donna Downey's website.

She has the most amazing designs and overflows with talent. Someday I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to attend one of her workshops. Until that's possible, I will just admire from afar! ;)

Another favorite is the Creative Every Day website. A great source when you need some inspiration and motivation to create.

I also spent some time today organzing my scrapbook supplies. If you scrapbook, maybe you've discovered this too...there is NO END to organizing supplies! I have a whole room pretty much dedicated to scrapbooking. While I LOVE the space, it doesn't necessarily look like the beautiful and organized rooms you see in scrapbook magazines. There are certain organizing systems that I would love to have...but the reality is that I'd rather spend the cash on supplies instead of storage bins. So, lately I've been using more of what I have on hand. My ribbons and flowers are in antique glass jars (the wonderful ones with huge openings), my stamp pads are in pottery bowls, and my tools are in small tin buckets. I collect old unusual containers and dishes...and I love the idea of having them sit around my scrapbooking room instead of hidden in kitchen cabinets (like there's any room left in those!).

Oh, and another thing I've become quite fond of lately for storage is old Scrabble game boxes. Their long and skinny shape is perfect for holding those cardstock sticker sheets that are too long to put in binders. Each box has a theme and I throw the stickers, misc embellishments and any paper scraps that go with the theme into the box so they're ready to go.

What are your favorite scrapbooking storage containers?

It's beginning to feel a lot like....FALL

It's predictible...

• back-to-school
• football games
• cool weather
• shorter days
• Homecoming dances

and before you know it....Halloween!

Over the years I have had a love-hate relationship with Halloween. I pretty much hated it until I had my kids. Then I spent several years loving it because it was fun to make elaborate costumes...bumble bees, Raggedy Anne & Andy, princesses, Disney characters, Ninja turtles. etc. Then as the kids got older and wanted the blood and gore crap, I lost my facination with the holiday once again.

I guess now I'm kind of lukewarm towards Halloween....but I LOVE all the memories of my kids dressed up in their awesome costumes. Someday I'll even get those photos put into scrapbooks! :) I wish I would have had fun little options like this paper bag scrapbook to put them in all those years ago.