LOAD1012 - Day 24 - Bloom and Grow Forever

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 24 was "Where were you when...." All of the examples given were of major events: 9/11 or Y2K. But, I took a more personal spin. Where was I when my dad passed away. Not a FUN page, but a very raw and honest story. It's part of what makes me, me.

Journaling Reads:

It was January 17, 2011. Because it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I had the day off work as a company holiday. I had thought about going to visit my parents that morning, but my dad had advanced to such a poor state in his brain cancer disease and him being under hospice care made it emotionally difficult for me to be there. I had visited Sunday evening for dinner, and I justified staying home on Monday because there was laundry to do and personal paperwork to catch up on. Plus, maybe I would go visit in the afternoon. And then, shortly after 12:00, the phone rang. It was my mom. She told me that the hospice nurse had just left and that she had said Dad probably only had two hours to two days left to live. Obviously, I needed to come over as soon as I could. I knew that once I got there, I wouldn’t be leaving until after he passed away, so I packed an overnight bag. I took one of the fastest showers of my life. I sent an email to work letting them know I’d be out of the office, but I didn’t know for how long. I sent the nanny home and loaded baby Ashton into the car. I began calling the kids’ schools to pick each of them up early. I had to go to three different schools to retrieve Jordyn, Liam, and Owen before I could begin the longest twenty-five minute drive from Oxford to Waterford. On my way, I called Kevin, who was three hours away in Indiana on a business trip. He told me he would meet me at my parents’ house by dinner time. I got to my parents’ house around 3:00 pm. My brother-in-law and I can’t even remember who else were standing outside in the front yard…in January…in Michigan. And I instantly knew that I was too late. I was too late to say one last goodbye. One last I love you. I jumped out of the car and told him to get the baby and I ran inside, straight to my dad’s bedside. And he was gone. All of the stress of the last 5 months, and the most intense past three hours, brought me to my knees. I had missed it by about fifteen minutes. Why wasn’t I there? The laundry could have waited. The paperwork would have still been there. But, the hours we had left with my dad were limited. I should have spent my day off with him. My mom, who rarely left my dad’s side during his illness, herself had missed his final breath. She had gone into the kitchen. She told me it was OK that I wasn’t there at the very end because I had been there so many other times, and my presence or absence was not a measure of my love for him. My sister was at his side when he passed away. As he took his final breaths, in the last few minutes of his life, she sang to him, as she often did, Come to Jesus.

“And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace,
and laugh on glory’s side
...and Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!”

These beautiful flowers were on my dad’s bedside table. My mom had been growing them for the last couple of months, and they bloomed for the first time. I imagined my dad’s spirit inhabiting these blooms as I recalled how he used to sing Edelweiss to us as a lullaby when we were little. Bloom and Grow.

Bloom and Grow Forever

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Stampin' Up papers, some punched shapes, some twine, and a little bling. Done.
2. The journaling took me the longest to do.  Everything else came together pretty quickly.
3. My music of choice, of course, was Alan Jackson's Precious Memories.  Love those hymns.
4. Enough sad pages about my dad.  My next page about my dad will be happy and upbeat.
5. I want to meet the Long Island Medium so she can channel my dad.  I want her to tell me that my dad knows about all of these scrapbook pages that I'm making and he's thankful that I'm honoring him this way.  I want her to tell me that his soul is still here with me.  Well, that part, I already know.

LOAD1012 - Day 14 - HERO

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 14 was based on the era of silent films.  So, I stuck with a black and white theme in this layout of my dad.  If your Aunt Flo is visiting right now, grab a tissue.

Journaling Reads:

Dad, you came to see Liam play in his first tackle football game with the Oxford Junior Wildcats on August 22, 2010, just five days before you were hospitalized for and eventually diagnosed with brain cancer. You saw Liam play football again on October 10, 2010 and November 6, 2010, when his undefeated team won the league Super Bowl. Being at those games definitely put a smile on your face, something we didn’t see much of as the disease chipped away at your ability to show spontaneous emotion. And, even though we’re not sure how much of the experience you understood or remembered, we will never forget that you were there. I am forever grateful to Shawn for bringing you out to the games so that we could spend that time with you. You were a bit of a football HERO in your day at Royal Oak Kimball High School, and I know, with all of my heart, that your football soul watches over every game Liam plays. You would be so very proud of the solid player and good sport that he has become. He’s shaping up to be a fine young man, just like his Papa was.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Ooh, la la, WASHI tape (black with white polka dots). 
2. The background paper was just a plain black piece of cardstock that I altered with a white ink pad.  I don't totally love the result.  It kind of turned out looking like cobwebs, but, it is what it is.
3. Guess what? The black and white scraps?  You guessed it.  All came from my scrap stash.
4. The grey border down the left is like fabric that I think I picked up one year at Michigan's Mega Meet.
5. I added the pic of Liam and my dad towards the end of the layout creation process, because it was looking a little blank on that side of the page.  I'm glad I added it.  Because this page is really about my dad watching Liam play football, and this was from one of the few games he was able to attend.

LOAD1012 - Day 6 - Mr. Fix-It

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD1012 - S.H.O. Time) challenge for Day 6 was: To take a sticker sheet with some letters already used, and create different words from the remaining letters.  Then to use those words as inspiration for a page.  (More on this idea can be found here.)

I loved this prompt IMMEDIATELY!! Unfortunately, my Saturday was jam packed, and I didn't get around to scrapping until Sunday, but better late than never.  Here are the sticker sheets that I worked with -

Before:

After:

After-After:

The Lay Out:

 

Journaling Reads:

My dad could fix anything...Whether you asked him to or not. When we were assembling Ashton's nursery, we used this old dresser as his changing table.  It was actually the first dresser my parents had as a young married couple, and it was almost an antique back then!  So, this dresser has seen better days.  My dad noticed that one of the drawers wasn't sliding in and out properly.  So, he dropped to the ground and started tinkering with it until he fixed it.  These days when I need something fixed, I have to remind myself that he's no longer here to fix it for me.  Thing #1,572 that I miss about him.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. Truth be told, if I would have chosen to scrap instead of Zumba in the morning, I could have created a page on Saturday instead of doing it on Sunday.  But, Zumba is a priority this month, too.  Something's gotta give sometimes.
2. Whenever I hear hymns, I think of my dad.  So, I listened to Alan Jackson's Precious Memories gospel CD. 
3. When I first made the words out of the stickers, I made the word Mr. ...and then a bunch of other words...and then the word fix-it.  I immediately knew I needed to put those two words together for a title.  And I knew EXACTLY what pic I wanted to use.  Fortunately, because of my library of memories photo organizations system, I was able to find this picture in less than 60 seconds.  Gotta love that!!
4. The crochet flower is covering up my mom's foot in the photo.
5. I dragged my white ink pad across Kraft card stock to get the back ground paper look.  I like it.
6. I'm really digging these little Smash list tags.  
7. The blingy circles are covering up a rub on debacle.
8. I did not cry whilst scrapping this page.  Which has not been the case with the last 20 layouts I've done about my dad.  I think the space between when he passed and now is definitely making it easier to record my memories of him.  It doesn't me I miss him any less, it just means his absence is no longer raw pain.

LOAD512 - Day 16 - CHANGE

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD512) challenge for Day 16: Use Someone Else's Journaling.



This prompt was relatively easy. My daughter had just written a small paper for her high school English class about my dad, who passed away in January, 2011. She submitted the paper along with this photo, one of her favorites of the two of them together.

Journaling Reads:

Jordyn Hillary
6th hour
Mrs. Okasinski
5/13/12

A Change in My Life

Bennie Ray Shellnut, was the most important man in my life. Papa, my mom’s dad, was a huge part of my life ever since I was brought into this world. He taught me how to tie my shoes, ride a bike, play baseball, and love golf. He taught me the most important lesson in life: to put others before myself and to always give love to people around me, even if it is not returned. Not only was he my grandpa, he was also my father for the first five years of my life.

Every morning I would wake up to the cheerful songs that he would love to sing. His energy and presence just brought joy into every room he entered. There was never a time I did not want to be with my papa. I was always excited to see what kind of adventure each day would bring us. Unlike most dads or grandfathers, believe it or not, he would do my hair in the morning. He would brush my hair then put it into whatever hair style, from ponytails, to pig tails and even just letting my hair go wild.

Papa took me to preschool and picked me up almost every day. When I entered elementary school, he would help me with projects and math home work. He would even take me to my soccer and softball practices. Middle school came along, so I decided to join the school’s choir. My papa loved coming to my concerts. He loved to watch me sing because music was very important to him. When he was in junior high school, he was also in choir and loved singing the songs he learned there. School has always been a little bit of a challenge for me, but Papa would always say that I should not think of myself as stupid, but that I am capable of learning and succeeding. He would say that even if I fail, I should try and try again no matter how many tries it may take me.

Golf was Papa’s hobby. He played it any time he could because he was retired. When I got into high school, I decided to join the girl’s golf team, so I called Papa to tell him. He was happy to hear that I decided to take up golf. A few weekends later he took me golfing with him for the first time. I was thrilled, but little did I know it would also be my last time golfing with him.

A couple of weeks later, Papa came to my first golf match against Lake Orion. He walked the nine holes along the cart path. I was so happy to have him there. Sadly, it was the last time he would be walking on a golf course. Later that evening, he went into the hospital and found out he had a tumor inside of his brain. After that, my whole world changed. Papa passed away nearly five months later. Even today, it is still hard to believe that he is not with us. I miss Papa so much, but while he was with me, I believe he made me a better person.

Papa’s life and death made a major impact on my life. I want to live like he would want me to live. He believed in helping others even if they are strangers, believing in myself even if I feel like I can’t do something. But, most importantly, to love my friends and family and to do what makes me happy. I will cherish the memories of him for the rest of my life. Some memories make me laugh, others make me cry, but the most important memories are the ones that helped shape me into the person I am today. I want my papa to look down and smile and be proud of who I am. He will miss my graduation, my wedding, and holding my first born child, but I know he will be with me at those moments in my heart and soul. He is the greatest man I have ever known and still is to this very day.

Some observations about the process and products:

1. My biggest challenge on this page (aside from holding back the tears...unsuccessfully) was fitting her entire paper onto a one 12x12 scrapbook page.
2. Paper strips are from my scrap stash.
3. I busted out my Stampin' Up alpha stamps for the title.  I need to use those more often.

LOAD512 - Day 8 - Promise

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD512) challenge for Day 8: Scrap someone else's story

I followed the prompt again! I followed the prompt again! (skipping, whistling, happy dance)

This is a page about my parents' wedding day, I emailed my mom to send me details about her wedding day (giving her prompts like: your dress, dad's tux, the minister, the church, the weather, etc.) and I pretty much copied and pasted verbatim everything she emailed back to me.

The journaling card behind the photo collage is double sided and reads:

The Couple – Bonnie June Belcher and Bennie Ray Shellnut were the bride and groom. I was 19 and a half. Bennie was 20 and would be 21 the following month.

The Date – Saturday, January 2, 1965

The Weather – Chilly and snowy

The Place - First Free Will Baptist Church of Hazel Park, Michigan where Bennie and I had attended for several years. He since birth; and I since I was 11.

The Dress and Accessories – I wore a white princess style dress with a lace, boat neck and long sleeves. (I borrowed the dress from Darlene Carpenter, a good friend who was two or three years older and had married just two years before.) I had a gold cross necklace, which I think Bennie gave to me previously, and my engagement ring. I also had a white knit shawl that I wore to and from the car. I carried a dozen red roses, which the florist advised against (he said brides should carry white flowers), in a triangle shape and tied with a white ribbon. I had faux pearl-laden tiara and a blue garter and white satin sparkly, 2-inch heels (the last time I ever wore such high heels. My bunions kept me from wearing heels.

The Tux – Bennie’s tuxedo was a white coat, white shirt, white bow tie, white cummerbund, and black pants with a red rose boutonniere. The tux rental place advised against white for a winter wedding. The groomsmen and my dad wore the same tux but had black bow ties and cummerbunds. Each wore a red boutonnière.

The Minister – We were married by our pastor William (Bill) Hill.

The Wedding Party – Dad’s best man was Jerry Barich; his other groomsman was Finis Barr, our youth pastor; and his brother Freddie, who was 13 or 14, was a junior groomsman. My maid of honor was Mary Carte; my other bride’s maid was Brenda Shellnut, Elmer’s daughter and Bennie’s niece; and my junior bride’s maid was my niece and sister Betty’s daughter, Denise Justice, who was 12 or 13. My sister Mary’s son, David Drake, about 6 or 7, was the ring bearer; and, our youth pastor’s daughter Vicki Barr, who was about 6, was the flower girl. My pastor’s wife, Julia Hill, made her dress to look like mine. The bride’s maids wore mint green sheath, short-sleeved, below-the knee dresses with a removable bell shaped skirt, which I designed and bought two patterns for Wilma Barr, our youth pastor’s wife, to make. They wore long mint green gloves and carried one red rose tied with a red ribbon. They had satin shoes like mine, but they were dyed mint green. I chose the colors for a winter-themed wedding and designed the dresses because they were modern and stylish and did not look like regular bride’s maid, evening gown dresses. Plus, I hope that they could be worn again by the bride’s maids; but, I don’t know if they were.

Did anyone give you advice? We attended pre-marriage counseling with our pastor, so he gave us advice about faith, love, sex, becoming parents, and sacrificing for one another.

What were your thoughts/feelings? I was happy to be marrying the man I loved, and who I knew loved me. And, I looked forward to our honeymoon in Niagara Falls and a life together.

What went through your mind walking down the aisle? I don’t remember exactly. But I had a special semi-circle stair case built, which was covered in white cloth, so we could walk up the stairs and stand facing each other during the ceremony. The attendants stood on each level of the steps. I had the kneeling alter covered in a white cushion. I was looking at the beauty of the altar and at Bennie waiting for me there. I was excited and happy. (I didn’t allow the photographer to take pictures of us walking toward to altar, And required him to take pictures from the balcony with a zoom lens because I did not like having photographers take pictures during wedding ceremonies.)

The Ceremony – We (probably I) revised the traditional vows and added our own verbiage, much of which we memorized. I was probably thinking about the words and hoping I wouldn’t forget any of them. As it turns out, I forgot a phrase during a long section. But, Bennie, the perfectionist, did not forget any of the vows. I still have the book with our rewritten vows in them. A good friend, Hansel MacDonald recorded the ceremony on tape (no camcorders in 1965) and gave it to us. I thought I gave it to Shawn and Scott in the early 1993, when we moved; but they don’t recall getting it.

The Transportation – The car was a brand new 1965 Maroon Impala with black interior. Bennie bought it in November or early December with his mother as cosigner. We traded it in in 68 for a new gold Oldsmobile...one of our bad moves. I really liked that car...but I always let Bennie make the decisions about cars.

The Honeymoon – We drove through Canada to Niagara Falls the next day, where it was a beautiful winter wonderland. We didn’t have boots, so our feet got wet and cold when we walked by the falls because the mist was always blowing, much like rain. We both ended up with colds. We were there three days and nights.
 

Some observations about the process and products:

1. The flower in the upper right corner of the photo collage isn't there because of any design reasons, but rather to cover up a no parking sign in the photo that I didn't like.
2. My mom scanned and emailed me these photos.  I knew I wanted the one of them waving, and then she picked out and sent over the other two.  Totally love.
3. I'm beyond thrilled I have all of these details of my parents wedding recorded.

LOAD212 - Day 15 - It Is Well With My Soul

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day challenge for Day 15 was - Songs of Days Gone By.
Here is my first version (actually, it's the second version, the first version didn't have a photo taken for it).

And while I know that done is better than perfect, I just wasn't satisfied with the first two versions. So, here is the final version, which I like much better.

Journaling Reads:
January 17, 2012 marked the one year anniversary of Dad’s death. My dear friend, Amy, sent this lovely Thomas Kinkade book to Mom because she knows how much this song meant to Dad and how much it means to us as a family. Dad loved this hymn and sang it often. Even when he couldn’t remember much else, he could remember the lyrics and sang along with Shawn as she held his hand. We sang this at his funeral. We sang this at his graveside. When I want to feel close to Dad, I think of this song. I sing it in the shower and cry. I sing it to the boys as I’m tucking them into bed. On February 12, 2012 we gathered at Mom’s house to celebrate Dad’s birthday; our second without him. Mom loved this book so much, that she purchased one for me, one for Shawn, and one for Jeremy. Inside the front cover she wrote, “Heather, Remember why Dad could sing confidently: ‘It is well with my soul.’ ” She also included photos of each of us with Dad inside the book and she wrote a letter that listed reasons why Dad could say:

It Is Well With My Soul

He loved God purely. He loved me completely. He loved each of you unconditionally. He said, “I love you” every day and treated me better than he treated himself. He played with each of you, hugged you, and happily went to your events. He built a house and furniture for each of us: concrete expressions of his love. He asked forgiveness when he wronged one of us. He forgave others even if they did not ask forgiveness. He forgot past wrongs. He helped those who asked for help. He helped others without being asked. He didn’t expect anything, but liked hearing, “thank you.” He loved his mom dearly. He loved his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, cousins, and in-laws totally. He was the glue that held the family together. He was our sweet husband, dad, and Poppa. Let’s remember why he could say, “It is well with my soul.”

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. The patterned paper background in the first layout was just too busy for me. I also didn't like the way my photo/journaling block was off center.


2. I listened to my Pandora station called, what else, It Is Well With My Soul. Hymns and more hymns.


3. I love love love the note my mom put together about my dad and why he loved this song and could confidently claim, "It is well with my soul." I think that's primarily why, even with all of the sadness I've had about losing him, I've largely been at peace, never angry nor upset. Sad, yes, but at peace knowing that it was well with his soul.

LOAD212 - Day 14 - Poppalove

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day challenge for Day 14 was: Love Lasts

This page is about how much my dad loved his kids and grandkids. The photo collage contains a pic of my dad with each of my four kids when they were three months or younger. The handwritten journaling card shown on the right contains a photo of my dad holding me when I was a couple months old and tucks behind the photo collage.

Journaling reads:
Poppa loved his kids and grandkids with all his heart. He loved to hear babies laugh and would try to elicit your giggles by bouncing you on his knee or making duck noises. He was completely enamored with each one of you. He covered each of you with kisses and zerberts. He was as comfortable with a baby cradled in his arm as he was wielding a hammer. Although, once the crying started, he happily gave you back to gramma.

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. Papers and embellishments from a Chatter Box kit. LOVE kits that have everything coordinating already!


2. Another Picasa3 Photo Collage. LOVE Picasa!


3. Watching the first few episodes of Smash on hulu whilst trying to create a layout slows the process down significantly.


4. My enthusiasm is starting to wane. But, we're almost half way through with this LOAD challenge, and tomorrow is a new day. Hoping the excitement returns.


5. The picture of my dad holding Ashton was taken 5 days before my dad went into the ER.


6. I want my boys to become this kind of dad/poppa and I want Jordyn to marry this kind of man.
   

LOAD212 - Day 12 - Thanks, Dad, for the ROSACEA

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day challenge for Day 12 was: History Repeats itself.



This page talks about the different things that I "got" from my dad. So, it's a loose interpretation of the prompt.

Journaling Reads:
Fortunately, in addition to this ruddy facial condition, you have also given me a competitive spirit, a perfectionist mindset, a dedication to family, an appreciation for corny jokes, a love of musicals, and the belief that good will always triumph over evil. Oh, and the tendency to be just a tad bit impatient with an occasional temper flare. I will strive to embody your honesty, your work ethic, and your selfless acts of kindness. You have given me so much. Photo 12/24/07, Journaling 2/12/12

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. I did this page in about an hour, getting faster. It helped that I knew what photo I wanted to use, and found and printed it quickly. And I knew what story I wanted to tell.


2. Yes, I know it's not the best photo, it's a self portrait and I cut the bottom half of my chin off when I took it. But for some reason, I just love it.


3. All of the embellies in the upper left were kind of thrown together up there because I felt like the page was "missing" something.


4. Putting things off center like this really challenges my perfectionist nature. But, when I started LOAD, on of my mantras was "Done is better than Perfect." And, to me, getting these pages done about my dad is absolutely perfect.

LOAD212 - Day 10 - I've Got You!

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day challenge for Day 10 was: Scrap a Favorite Memory.

This is actually a page I've been wanting to scrap for a while now. Glad to get it done. These pics are from the mid 70's of me and both of my siblings with our dad.

Journaling Reads:
Dad loved to have us balance in his hands, and sometimes on his feet.

I thought he was the strongest man ever.

I can still hear his voice and see his snickering grin as he told me to:

"Stand up straight!" "Don't be scared!"

"I've GOT you!"

"I'm NOT gonna let you fall."

And he never did.

This is one of my favorite childhood memories.

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. The longest part of putting together this page was locating WHERE these photos were. UGH.



2. Created the photo collage and wrote the text on the photos in Picasa3.



3. Once I printed the collage, the page came together in about a half hour.



4. I absolutely love these pictures. Seems rather fitting that I scrapped them on my dad's birthday.

LOAD212 - Day 9 - I Always Thought

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day challenge for Day 9 was: Home Sweet Home

Which, as you can see, I didn't follow.

I decided to go back to the prompt from Day 7, which I didn't do on Day 7 because I was catching up on my Christmas card album on Day 7. So, here I am on Day 9, catching up on a Day 7 prompt....I always thought...



Journaling Reads:
I Always Thought
You’d teach her to drive, just like you taught her to ride a bike.
You’d beam with pride in the audience at her graduation ceremonies.
You’d dance with her at her wedding.
You’d cradle her first born in your arms.

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. Patterned Paper DWCV Premium Stack - Old World Stack



2. I used Picasa3 to make the collage.



3. I'm pretty sure I have enough layouts about my dad to make a dedicated album. And if I don't yet, I'm sure I soon will.

LOAD212 - Day 8 - I Miss my Dad

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day challenge for Day 8 was: I miss....
Having lost my dad in January 2011, this was a no-brainer for me. There are so many things I miss about him, these are just a few...

Journaling Reads:
your smile
your jokes
your twinkling eyes
sitting on your lap
holding your hand
playing cards with you
your double chin when you laugh
the way you purse your lips when you're mad
listening to you sing the Lord's Prayer, Amazing Grace, and other hymns
watching It's a Wonderful Life together every Christmas
your duck noises when trying to make a baby laugh
your advice, even though often unsolicited..about sports, stocks, parenting
being able to call you for anything...a recipe, a stain removal tip, to fix something
the sound of your voice

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. Stampin' Up paper, I cut the design of the paper on the right side so that I could slide the photo underneath it.


2. Used Picasa to journal directly onto the photo


3. Listened to my Alan Jackson Precious Memories CD with Southern Baptist hymns, reminds me of my dad singing at a revival.

Miss him.

ScRaP SiStaZ Challenge 21 - I heart you

WOW! I can't believe it's been almost TWO YEARS since our last ScRap SisTaZ challenge was posted!! And it's been 18 MONTHS since I scrapped and posted a page. WOW!

(Hey, I started and ended that paragraph with the same word!)

I am THRILLED that Tina posted Challenge 21 to get us going again!! Thanks, Tina.
Let me just say that when I saw the inspiration page I thought, GREAT! Now this looks like one of those 30 minute pages Lain Ehmann talks about. One photo. Couple strips of journaling. A splash of buttons. Nothing really elaborate. So, heck, why don't I do TWO lay outs at ONCE?!?

Five hours later (or more), and here they are.

I heart Jordyn:

Journaling Reads: Jordyn – You call Facebook your “happy place”. It truly is a reflection of the joyful, positive young woman that you are. You are wise beyond your 15 years. The proof is in the status updates…misspellings & all: Be yourself! (9/18/11) * Smile... Pass it on! (9/16/11) * Lifes to good and short to live your life unhappy... :) :) :) (9/12/11) * The grass is always greener on the otherside.... But you still have to mow both sides. :) (8/21/11) * Gunna be a good life :) (7/11/11) * I love the people who make me smile when they dont even try :) :) :) (6/28/11) * … If you have time to worry about the bad things, then you have just enough time to look at the good side of things :) (6/16/11) * You only live once... So live your life tothe fullest :) Dont waste it :) (5/24/11) * Rainbow! (8/21/11) *

I heart my Dad:

Journaling Reads: It’s hard to believe I’ll never hear your voice again. On the days when missing you hits me harder than others, I listen to hymns and I instantly feel your presence. Hearing those southern gospels makes me feel as if I’m nine years old again, at a church revival with you standing next to me in the pew, my arm intertwined with yours, and my head resting against your shoulder. I close my eyes and I can almost hear your smooth alto voice rising up in earnest praise and worship. The tears flow. It Is Well, In the Garden, The Old Rugged Cross, How Great Thou Art, Are You Washed in the Blood, to name a few. These songs comfort me and help me to realize that your voice will always be with me.

Some observations about the process and the products used:

1. 
   
   I actually like the 8 1/2 x 11 format.


2. 
   
   I found this size/shape photo difficult to work with. A very large square. What do you do, print an 8x10 and trim down? Print a 5x7? But if you print a 5x7 then if you trim anything, you're trimming off part of the person (if it's a head shot). Do you go to Picasa and print from there? I don't know, it was hard for me.


3. 
   
   Forgive the picture of each layout, they are the EXACT same papers, but somehow the pics look different. Colors are better represented in Jordyn's layout.


4. 
   
   My ATG tape gun runner was NOT working well for me. Either I forgot how to use it, or Big Red was mad at me for staying away for so long.


5. 
   
   Scrapping in my newly reorganized office was FABULOUS! I love that I know where everything is and that it is all labeled so nicely. (pictures eventually)


6. 
   
   It's not the easiest to scrap through tears. But, it was cathartic and I'm glad I did it.

Inspiration Layout:

Father's Day Album for my Dad

Also, back in June, I made this Father's Day mini album for my dad. It was a SU! Stamp Camp project from last fall. I have since made other versions of this super simple album for other occasions, but this one is the original. All I had to do was add the pictures, journaling, and embellies.

Front of Album:

First Page (I thought this quote was PERFECT for this picture and for my parents' relationship):

Shawn's Picture and Note to my Dad: Jeremy's Picture and Note to my Dad: My Picture and Note to my Dad (the photo I took here is SUPER blurry, so if you can't tell, that's my dad - with a mustache! - in his firefighter uniform, in front of a firetruck, with me, age 3, wearing his fire helmet.): Last Page:

Bonnie love

I would have posted this layout last night, but I've been having issues with my external hard drive (where ALL of my pictures and videos are stored, and are NOT backed up any where else....I should probably look into backing them up, eh?) But I finally got it to work and was able to get this uploaded.

Anyway, last Thursday we were heading home from Jordyn's Spring choir concert when my dad asked her if she knew that when he was in 8th grade, he had a solo in his Spring concert. He then proceeded to sing us the song. "I'll go home with Bonny Jean". He still knew every word! No doubt because he had sung it to my mom, BonnIE JUNE, several times over the years.

At that moment, I thought - "I have GOT to get this on video!"

So, on Mother's Day, I asked my dad to sing the song to my mom as I recorded it. He acted a bit shy and hesitant, but I think he was flattered that I asked him to do it...even if it meant we had to mute the Tigers game on the tv.

Then I created a scrapbook page about it:

Bonnie love:

Behind the photo of my mom and dad is a CD on which the .mpg file of him singing this can be found. So, future generations will be able to watch my dad sing this song to my mom. That is, IF this media is still available and there are still machines around that will play it! Imagine if you stumbled upon a beta tape from your parents - how would you play it today? But, I guess my grandkids' grandkids will have to figure that out themselves. I've preserved the memory the best way I know how.

Some observations on the process and the products used:

1. Label shaped paper purchased at the Mega Meet (woo hoo! I'm using the things I bought!!) is from My Mind's Eye.


2. Heidi Swapp ghost sticker "love" (also purchased at Mega Meet)


3. I used white rub on letters for the word "Bonnie" (left over from the Lisa Bearnson All About Me kit - the kit that keeps going and going and going and going!)


4. Heidi Swapp date stamp (I've always wanted one of these, and LOOK! I've already used it twice now. Quite a bargain for $2.99 - also from the Mega Meet)


5. I really like the Kraft colored cardstock. Must get some more of this.


6. I am enormously blessed to have two parents that are still so much in love.

And you can watch him sing it here if you so choose. It's saccharine sweet.

ps - If at any time during this video you hear some off-key humming, that's my mom, who God love her, can not carry a tune to save her life!! Love you mom!!