Looking Back

     Good Monday morning! I just got the kids off to school. It was a perfect morning. Birds chirping as I woke up, two boys bouncing out of their bed with smiles on their faces and kind words for each other. I sat and sipped coffee as we all ate a leisurely breakfast and then strolled out the door on time, no wait... ahead of time with happiness oozing out of our souls.  Yeah, right! I only wish that was the scenario. Why is that after years of doing this school thing, we still seem to have more mornings than not with chaos, grumpiness, can't find this, can't find that, you didn't sign this, school drop off ridiculousness with people who just don't follow rules (grrr...) etc. Goodness, that coffee I didn't get to sit and sip??? Poor me a gallon of it now!

     We had a beautiful weekend in Estes Park. It was the weekend of the big Scottish/Irish festival so there was a lot of fun happening in the town that we were able to see. We also took a gorgeous drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. I would say it was a great birthday weekend.

     I promised favorites so you could get to know me. Today's favorite is the reason I scrap book. It is looking back. I love to look back and remember. I love to flip through my albums and see moments that make up my family and our lives. I love seeing my boys or my husband flip through an album and get a smile on their face or see it trigger a conversation about whatever it is they are remembering. Memories are important to me. I want to preserve our history and give my children a way to pass their lives on to their children. This last year has firmed this need to preserve in my mind. My mother has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and this last year I have seen a sharp decline in her memory and in her ability to recall events, people and pieces of her life. It is something I am not ready for. I never thought my mom, the strong woman I have always known, would begin to lose these things. I didn't prepare. There is so much I am thinking of and wishing I had talked more to her about. We always think we have more time, but the truth is we don't always know that. This is why I scrapbook. To get the memories in place.

     The layouts I am going to share with you today represent a look back at my first scrapbook layout as well as a look at how I might scrap that time today.  I started scrapping just after my first son was born. My style has taken many twists and turns over the years and you can clearly see that through my layouts. It has taken a change in perspective for me to be able to look back at those first albums and appreciate the joy and the love I put into those pages instead of critiquing the original style of scrapbooking I did. Yes, you are about to see lots of stickers, pictures cut into shapes, my first strap hinge albums... look with a gentle eye and please don't laugh! Okay, at least put your coffee down so you don't spit all over your screen while you laugh!

Here is a look at how I would scrap a baby photo today. Unfortunately, I don't have these same pictures to scrap because this was pre-digital era and I don't even know where my film strips are to take in for processing. (if they even do that anymore!) I scrapped a photo of my son at 6 months. I used Jillibean Soups Dutch Mustard collection. I have had these papers in my stash for a very long time waiting for the right layout. I think they worked perfectly for this.

     So there you  have it. A glimpse into why I scrapbook and a look at my changing style. I had fun going back and digging out a baby picture so that I can scrap some of those moments in my newer style. I'm sure in another 14 years I may have to do it again because of our ever changing craft.

Have a super Monday and I'll see you back here soon!
Lisa