lom {connection layout}

during the weekend that i unplugged, and after i created the wallet photo pages, i finally did the actual *connections* layout from my category drawers. these photos were all found behind the grandparents tab. i originally pulled four, but ended up only using three. my goal was to capture my mom with her grandchildren when they were pretty young. there is no journaling, only a handwritten note under each photo to indicate who the kids are and the general time the photo was taken.

if you're curious, the far left is my oldest nephew, bo who just turned 18! the middle photo is coleman. the far right photo is teddy on the left (now almost 14) and maggie on the right (now 12).

these are the same papers i used to create several welcome gifts for neighbors. i really love them for some reason and have enjoyed using them (maybe because they are feminine...a type of  product i don't get to use very often). they are actually hand-me-down supplies from my mom's unwanted stash. interesting coincidence that i ended up using them to do a layout featuring her! thanks mom.

lom {wallet photo pages}

two weekends ago, when i decided to *unplug* on saturday, one of the things that i enjoyed was how it forced me to do something more productive with coleman's naptime. i spent time in my scrap studio working on my LOM system and projects. i wanted to complete one of the early assignments from class, which is to create a "connections" layout from your category drawers.

as i was looking for the connection, i came across all these extra wallets behind spencer's tab. i have a 5x7 album where i scrap all of his portraits (usually in a wallet or 3"x5" size). but since i was hanging on to these wallets, i figured i might as well do something with them. i came up with this super easy idea. i stole a few baseball card pages from spencer's room and slipped the wallets into them in a logical fashion.. no frills. no embellishments. no complications.

this first page contains portraits unrelated to school. i'm pretty sure there are some missing and if i find them, i can easily add them. i used my boring, but beloved, labelmaker to add dates/ages. this will be added to our all about us library album.

this is the backside of the above page. it contains photos that were all from the same photo shoot. we had so many that they warranted their own page.

this page contains his school portraits. i had some tabs with number words on them, so i used those to label the grades. there is room on the back to keep adding future grades. this page was slipped in the back of his school album. on the back side, i tucked in the tabs with future grade numbers so that i don't have to hunt them down when i add future portraits.

these are his actual baseball cards from his baseball seasons. i'm pretty sure we've ordered these each season that he's played, so there might be some missing. i am in the process of moving all of spencer's baseball related scrapbook pages into their own album, so i will probably add this to that album.

i love how quick and easy this is. now when we get new photos, i can just slip them into the appropriate page. i will definitely start this for coleman as well.

Back to Blogging {Day Five}

this week, i'm participating in the Back 2 Blogging Challenge being organized by the SITS Blog and Community. each day, there is a post prompt and today's challenge (the last one) is to write about what blogging means to you.

i think about blogging a lot. but i don't think i've spent much time thinking about what it means to me or why i bother or what makes it worth my time. so, i definitely feel this is a good, reflective exercise.

four and a half years ago, i started this blog (as you may have read on monday). i basically wanted a place to share photos, scrapbooking layouts, and ramble when i felt like it. my enthuasism for blogging and my commitment to posting has varied greatly, particularly throughout the first couple of years. however, this year, my blog has creeped its way up my priority list and is a much more significant part of my life. though i would never put blogging before my family, it is important to me and is one of the things that gets scratched from my to-do list before many other things (maybe because it's more fun than laundry???).

so, why do i blog?

• i like to write. and sometimes i like to ramble. i'm horrible at keeping consistent journals, despite how much i like to write. for whatever reason, i can blog consistently (possibly because there is an audience).
• i like to share photos and life updates with people i know "in real life". my family and friends can easily see what i've been up to by checking in here every now and then.
• i enjoy showing my creative projects with folks that actually enjoy them. whether it's paper or digital, scrapbook layouts or home decor projects...i can show all of these things to the males in my home and they do a decent job at pretending to care. it's nice to know that here, i have a slightly more enthusiastic audience.
• i enjoy "meeting" new people through my blog and participating in the community of bloggers.
• i get excited to share nifty things - whether it is something cool i found to buy online, or a super fun project to make, or an inspiring article. i have found awesome things at other blogs, and i want to be able to share things with others as well.
• i love, love, love projects, assignments, classes, tutorials, etc. for whatever reason these things are much more prevelant in my world now that i am blogger (and read other blogs).

things that are not reasons why i blog:

• to make money: yes, it'd be awesome to do that one day, but i don't have the time, nor resources to commit to that, at this point.
• to become famous: obviously. just thought it'd be fun to say :)
• for validation: i'm not looking for your pity or your praise. all i want is genuine, friendly interaction.

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Links related to the #Back2Blogging Challenge:

my post from day one
my post from day two
my post from day three

SITS Challenge

SITS BlogFrog Community

Sponsors:

Standards of Excellence

Westar

Florida Builder Appliances

happy birthday {spencer}

yesterday, spencer turned 12 years old. hard to believe he's almost a teenager! here's a look at the amazing kid that is my red-headed stepchild (sorry...i just can't resist. it's SO easy!).

6th grader

and loving middle school

athlete
baseball player, in particular

best big brother ever

huge gamecock fan

sports fanatic

video game player

(favorites include call of duty and just about any sports game)

superb student

competitive nature

adores his daddy


is very, very silly

comedian


loves eminem, michael jackson and journey
he's eclectic like that!



he likes the panthers, red sox, and celtics


outstanding pool player

we are a lucky family to have this kiddo in our crew!

Back to Blogging {Day Three}

this week, i'm participating in the Back 2 Blogging Challenge being organized by the SITS Blog and Community. each day, there is a post prompt and today's is to re-upload a post with a title you are particularly proud of and explain why.

this was an interesting challenge for me because i haven't really given much thought to blog post titles...maybe i should be thinking about them more. looking at old posts, it is quite obvious that i don't get very creative! i do enjoy consistency and like that i've settled on something for a while. and i confess that when i look at older blog posts without this format, i get a little annoyed with myself! anyway, this is one that caught my attention.

Believe... originally posted on 12.12.2006

Saturday evening we turned off all the lights, except for the Christmas bulbs, of course. We made some popcorn and lit an evergreen scented candle. We cuddled under warm blankets and lit a fire. Spencer read The Polar Express aloud to Matt and I, and then the three of us watched the movie together (a first time viewing for myself and Matt). It was one of those memories that Christmas is all about.

It would've been so easy for me to "excuse" myself from the living room to finish up the laundry or wrap the piles of gifts that need it...but I'm so glad I didn't. In addition to the quality family time, the movie was really wonderful - a great film to put you in the spirit and remind you how important it is to believe.

i think the reason i was so drawn to this title, despite it not being very creative, is because it's my favorite christmas word. *believe* conjures up everything about christmas for me - grown-up, childhood, religious, magical...all the good stuff.

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Links related to the #Back2Blogging Challenge:

my post from day one
my post from day two

SITS Challenge

SITS BlogFrog Community

Sponsors:

Standards of Excellence

Westar

Florida Builder Appliances

Back to Blogging {Day Two}

this week, i'm participating in the Back 2 Blogging Challenge being organized by the SITS Blog and Community. each day, there is a post prompt and today's is to re-upload a post you wish more people had read and explain why it's important to you.

i began scanning blog posts from my first year of blogging. very few folks read it back then (for a long while, i didn't even tell my family i had a blog). when i got to this post, i knew this was the one i wanted to re-post.
Library Ramblings originally posted four years ago on 9.13.2006


I love libraries. There is something magical about being surrounded by all of those words and thoughts and information. I hate being rushed in a library. I like to take my time. I go in prepared with a list of “books to read” (an Excel spreadsheet I keep updated and print before a library visit). First I spend a while on the “card catalog” computer, looking for books on my list. I make note of ones that are available and where to find them. I made additional note of ones I’d like to put on hold. I take my time, heading to each section where I might find one of my treasures. This is usually the sections for paperback, fiction, large print fiction and North Carolina fiction. On occasion I will browse the books on CD to see what’s available that might strike my fancy. After carefully making my selections, I head to the checkout counter where the friendly employees will check out my books and place several options on hold for me.


The library I frequent most is the one in the town where I work. I prefer this location for a variety of reasons. It is convenient to my office, being only a few minutes away. My lunch hour is the perfect amount of time to go through the above-mentioned steps. It goes without saying that such a quiet and peaceful place is a perfect retreat in the middle of a hectic workday. This library also allows one additional week of checkout time than my local library, which isn’t even convenient to my house.


In this particular library which I frequent, there is an older portion that was the existing library prior to the recent expansion. The “North Carolina Fiction” books are kept here and I often find Nicholas Sparks and Patricia Cornwell novels gracing the shelves. This is my favorite section to visit. It’s incredibly isolated and quiet. The carpet of the new building changes to hardwood floors at the entry, always startling me with the sharp click of my high heels. The lighting is dim and the scent of antique book pages overcomes you as you enter. I rarely linger in a library long enough to actually read while I’m there, but if I were to, this would most definitely be my location of choice.

six years later, i still love libraries (and assume i always will). i also love book stores. however, i think one reason this post jumped out at me was because i no longer visit the library on a regular basis. i have somehow stockpiled a stack of books here at home that i can't possibly keep up with...making the trips to the library unnecessary. but, after re-reading this post, i am feeling inspired to go spend some time there - necessary or not.

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Links related to the #Back2Blogging Challenge:

my post from day one

SITS Challenge

SITS BlogFrog Community

Sponsors:

Standards of Excellence

Westar

Florida Builder Appliances

Back to Blogging {Day One}

This week, I'm going to participate in the Back 2 Blogging Challenge being organized by the SITS Blog and Community. Each day, there is a post prompt and today's is to re-upload your first blog post and re-write it, showing the "before and after".

my first blog post was written on 02.09.2006 and was creatively entitled "welcome":

Welcome to the Chronicles of a Southern Scrapper – that’s me. After dabbling in the concept of this “all the rage” thing called Blogs, I have decided to create myself a permanent home. I can’t promise you gossipy storylines of a soap opera, or political rantings worthy of water cooler talk. All I can offer is a little piece of me. I won’t be divulging any deep dark secrets or unleashing skeletons from my closet. To be frank, the idea of putting my existence out there for the world to see is a bit creepy. Here in my little piece of the vast universe we call the “world wide web”, you will only find tidbits of me that I feel like sharing. This online home will serve as an outlet for my ramblings – of which I have plenty, a gallery of sorts for my scrapbooking creations, and a studio to which I can post the latest and greatest of my photographic obsession. To no degree do I assume this is a place people will be dying to visit each and every day. But I do hope it will serve as a reference point to which I can point folks to see or read something that I would like to share with those willing to indulge.


I guess I should start off with a quick introduction of the key players in these future chronicles. Here we are: The female one -- that's me. The short, red-headed one -- that's my 7 year old stepson Spencer. The one that refuses to smile in pictures -- that's my husband of almost 4 years, Matt. The two stringy fellows in the back -- they're just props! This photo was taken at our church's Fall Festival in October of 2005. Not pictured: Rio, the four-legged overly-spoiled under-appreciative member of our family.

For today's rambling...


It actually snowed in sunny South Carolina today - can you believe it? After several months of abnormally warm winter weather (even for good 'ole South Kackilack), I was quite surprised to see white flakes falling from the sky this morning. It's way too warm to stick and I don't know if we'll be blessed with a snow able to create a day of fun - snow cream, snowball fights and watching Rio figure out how to go to the bathroom - but I hope we get at least one before winter's end...which is quickly approaching.

looking back, i realize that the original purpose of this blog is still quite similar to its current existence. looking back through old posts, a lot has changed, but the ultimate foundation has remained the same.

for the purpose of this challenge, i decided to write an entry as if i was starting this blog today...

hello, from south carolina and welcome to my new home on the world wide web: chronicles of a southern scrapper. today, i'm taking a step into the scary, vast internet to carve a little spot to call my own. here at the chronicles, i plan to share and express my various passions. this online home will serve as a memoir of my life and outlet for my own divulging. hopefully, it may bring some enjoyment to others that might stop by for a visit.

first, let's have a little introduction of my crew. the tallest one is my hubby of 8+ years, matt. then there's me, holly, the lone female of the pack. the handsome redhead "tweener" is my stepson, spencer, who will be twelve next week and just started middle school. then there's the little tot, coleman, a mere 18 months old. not pictured are our two canine family members - rio & cooper. rio is a mutt we adopted many moons ago and is about 8 years old. cooper is a jack russell that showed up one day and forgot to leave. we think he's probably 3-4 years old now.

in case you decide to come back on occasion, here are some things you might expect to hap upon while perusing the pages of my world:

• scrapbooking - i began *officially* paper scrapping over 13 years and began dabbling in the digital world a few years ago. i love sharing my creations online, as they often get stuffed into albums and put on a shelf here at home.
• paper crafting - as an extension of scrapbooking, i often enjoy making creations for my home, cards or gifts for others, party goodies, etc.
• photos...lots and lots of photos - pictures of my family, friends and randomness...some dabbling in photo editing as well. i recently learned the term "mamarazzi" which definitely describes me.
• writing - where there are photos, there are stories to be told. i've never been great at keeping a journal, though i love to write. here you will find my musings.
• organization - i'm a pretty serious type-a personality and i get unhealthy amounts of joy from organizing.
• parenting - i'm no expert, but i'll ramble about the trials, tribulations and ultimate joy that comes from parenting, step-parenting and working full-time while doing it all.
• savings - i don't consider myself a hard-core frugal type, but i do clip the heck out of some coupons and will share my successes and failures with anyone willing to listen.
• projects - classes, tutorials, and projects...there is something so tempting about each new set of assignments & goals. i simply can not resist. follow me step-by-step on each of my random journeys!

in summary...i love writing, learning & creating. i love my family and i love God. i love people and communicating, so i hope you'll drop a note while you're here.

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Links related to the #Back2Blogging Challenge:

SITS Challenge
SITS BlogFrog Community

Sponsors:
Standards of Excellence
Westar
Florida Builder Appliances

this week {9.6 to 9.12}

~ the four of us went shopping for spencer's dress clothes ~

~ we bought a new king-sized mattress ~

~ we ate at olive garden ~

~ coleman continued to have a bad rash ~

~ our new mattress was delivered ~

~ we moved our queen bed into spencer's room and got rid of his full ~

~ i wore purple ~

~ coleman and i went on a walk and delivered yard sale flyers ~

~ we had willis's bbq ~

~ i watched the ugly truth ~

~ matt got a new work uniform (and he hates it ) ~

~ i updated my iphone calendar through the end of the year ~

~ we set up the date for the annual HOA meeting and our next board meeting ~

~ we hunted (unsuccessfully) for football tickets ~

~ i finished reading the book of psalms ~

~ we hung outside with neighbors ~

~ i printed a free memory log book for september and october, cut and bound it ~

~ i updated my LOM category drawers to coorespond with categories i have set up in PSE ~

~ i returned a shirt from an online order (too small for spencer) ~

~ we all attended xander's baptism and luncheon ~

~ i unzipped and filed a bunch of digital scrapbooking supplies ~

~ i created a digital layout ~

~ we had a few friends over to watch the georgia game ~

~ gamecocks stomped all over the bulldogs ~

~ coleman swam with colton ~

~ spencer attended his first cotillion class ~

~ we got a to-go order from the white horse ~

~ matt and i began looking into possibly refinancing our house ~

{savings tracker}

spent = $301; saved = $164 (35%)

ytd savings = $3,362 (41%)

4wk avg = $124; ytd avg = $135

domination {gamecocks}

it's a good day to be a gamecock. enough said.

i remember {9.11}

every year i struggle with the *perfect* way to remember this day, honor this day. honestly, there is no right answer. i think the important thing is that we never forget.

the last couple of days, i kept thinking about the layout that i did about this day, 9 years ago. this morning, i pulled it out of my 2001 album and took a picture to share here with you. but you know what? i am so glad i did because i just got so much more from it than a mere blog post. as i stood here at the computer with the layout beside me, spencer comes over, takes it to his chair and reads it. all of it. when he was done, he looked at coleman and said "one day, when you're older, you'll understand" and then he brought the layout back to me, saying only "that's pretty impressive." and then he went upstairs, where he is right now. i wonder...is he sad? is he thinking about that day that he doesn't remember because he was too young? is he trying to make sense of it all?

at this moment, i am so incredibly glad that i took the time 9 years ago to document this event when it was still fresh and raw.

the layout is mostly journaling, with some photos cut from magazines. a good portion of the journaling is comprised of excerpts from president george w. bush's speeches during the days following 9-11. then i included a timeline of the tragedy and finally "my story".

journaling directly from layout

on the morning of september 11, 2001 i was at work in charlotte, nc at mergent, inc. a coworker, heather told me to go to cnn.com because a plane had crashed into the world trade center. i really didn't comprehend anything yet. once i heard about the 2nd plane, i knew it had to be on purpose. as the news unravelled it was all just so overwhelming. i immediately called matt, who was taking spencer to school, so i spoke to his mom. my sister sherry called and wanted me to go home. she was worried about me being in charlotte. i later found out mom felt the same way but didn't call because she didn't want to scare me. we were all glued to the radio at work. you couldn't access any news websites because they were so busy. they sent us home at 11:15. the next several weeks i watched the news constantly and listened to talk radio. i continue to pray for our country as president bush leads us into a war against terrorism. my patriotism is stronger than ever. i am proud to be an american and i am proud of those leading our country. i have accepted giving up small conveniences for our freedom. the images of that day will forever be in my mind & heart. written 10.2.2001

MY THOUGHTS FROM TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY:
i don't even know what to say or think. On my way home there is a big car dealership with a huge flag and it was at half mast...that is when i broke down. don't know why. just did. i am lucky & blessed that i do not have any close friends or relatives in the areas that have been attacked, but i can't even imagine what it's like for all those people...

it was so weird yesterday going on with my life...fixing dinner for spencer and matt. i feel guilty getting up and coming to work. so many people will never have dinner with their families again. so many people's lives will never be the same...yet we go on. i know we have to be strong or the terrorists win. it just seems so unfair...watching the tv is like watching some of those middle eastern countries that are constantly at war...it seemed impossible to be our country. i think that is why it is hitting me so much harder today. yesterday, they were horrible images on tv, but they were so horrific, it didn't seem real. now, the names of the dead are being announced, the numbers of missing and deceased are starting to develop...this makes it real.

even though i'm glad i wrote this, looking back is still doesn't even begin to capture the emotions of that tragic day and the weeks that followed. it is impossible for me to think about it without my eyes getting watery.

it's hard to believe we still have troops fighting because of this one day. i'm still very proud to be an american. i still pray for those sacrificing for our freedom. today, and every day, i will remember.