Nature vs Nuture

What is this little critter? Can you guess?

We found five of them in our front yard, just lying there in a little bundle on top of the grass. I guessed that they were baby bunnies, and after a quick look up on the internet, it was confirmed to be true. Kind of ugly little things don't you think?
But we had to hold and play with them. Kids begging to keep them. Connor saying they would make great hawk food.

The favorite of the group was named Lenny (I don't know how you pick a favorite, they all look and act the same to me). Connor even held Lenny for about 30 minutes, showing he too had a soft spot for the "hawk food".
Learned a few things that day. Mother bunnies are not very nurturing or smart. They only come to the nest at night so they do not attract attention. And the babies only eat once a day. Move a bunny nest even 2 feet and the mother will not find it and abandon the babes. Some of these little ones had some scratching on them. A good indication that something had moved them from their original location.

So what do you do with a handful of orphaned bunnies? After getting some good advice, Delaney and I took them on a trip to the Humane Society where the bunnies would be given expert care, and a chance to make it in the big wide world on their own.

Danny and Annie

I just recently got back from Scrapfest. I went to the event in Minneapolis with Stephanie and some great gals from The Scrapbook Store. It was bunches of fun. We ate, shopped, taught, chatted, and that was what I planned to blog about upon my return.

But....

I had been gone for 4 days and 3 nights. And had come to realized that is actually long enough for me to start missing my family. I missed Ricky from the start and my roomies were kind enough to give me plenty of opportunities to talk about how fond I am of the guy. It is really true that absence can make the heart grow fonder. And with that being said my Scrapfest trip became less about shopping and eating, and more about me falling deeper in love with the guy back home.

So late Sunday night Ricky and I spent some time on the couch kicking back and watching TV. I of coarse fell asleep and he woke me up to watch this video that showed up on PBS after the TiVo turned off.

Kind of ironic seeing this clip after being away from him and realizing how much I like being with him.

So sit back, grab a tissue and enjoy Danny and Annie's love story....

Scrappy about New York

On the last post there were little sneeks of a mini album I made for Kevin about our trip to NYC.

I have been putting this mini together over the past year and gave it to him for his birthday. I thought I would share it with you today.

For those of you who do not know Kevin won a Scholastic writing contest where he earned a trip to New York. He was one of 10 winners that were selected out of 8000 entries. He had to write about his favorite book which he chose as the Dr Suess book "Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are". I included his paper on the first page.

The first thing we did was go to the Ground Zero Museum

And after that we went to Bill's Bar and Burgers. The BEST milkshakes ever!!! for $7.95 they should be yummy.

I made a pocket on some of the pages to slip in the goodies we collected from various destinations.

Had to take some photos of the boy in the city.

And I loved this Basic Grey line for the album. It had so many great images to tell the story of our trip together.
I added a Maya Road craft envelope and inside is a love note from me to Kevin about how much fun I had going with him, and thanking him for the opportunity.

Then some photos from Times Square. There were so many things there that were so big...

And so bright. I love the photo of the two of us on the street. I was trying to take it of ourselves when a man came along and offered to take it of us. Let me tell you I was a little apprehensive to pass of my camera off to some strange man on the streets of New York, but you have to take some risks in the name of Scrapbooking.

Then there was our wrong turn that lead us to an hour visit at this little New York City hat shop.

We had bunches of fun there with the "hat girl"

And of coarse there was the big Taylor Swift event.

And the autograph from the celeb that says "I heart Kevin" That is so funny.

Had to add a page about the cabs, the walking, the subway. It was a major part of our time together. Especially since we could not find a way back to our hotel and we were running in the rain to be back in time to catch our ride.

And then Kevin's favorites about the trip.

On the back cover I included the itinerary from Scholastic.

I think Kevin really liked his book. He took it to school to show his teacher. I'm so glad to have the memories.

Remember

About a year ago I was fortunate enough to travel with Kevin to New York City. In our quick two day trip we did some touring that focused on 9-11.

We went to see ground zero from the back of St Pauls Chapel. The large construction area around ground zero was fenced off with high barricades so a passerby could not see inside. At the time we were there, the new sky scraper was at its beginnings of being built. But even though we could not see the details of the sight, as we stood in the cemetary behind St Pauls we could experience the huge emtiness of a city that once stood and was now being rebuilt.

This little chapel that borders ground zero was a place where 10 years ago fire fighters took naps, where volunteers brought food, where people cried, where new friends were made, all in the aftermath of a great tragedy. It was also a place where pictures were laid of those who were lost on September 11th so they could be prayed for and remembered. The alter still stands decorated with those pictures. It was a very hard thing to see. And we stayed in the chapel and prayed for those people and their loved ones we met thru those photos that day.

One of the first things Kevin and I did after we arrived in New York was to go to the Ground Zero Museum Workshop. Located in the Meat Packing district, it is quite a distance from where the World Trade Center stood. The museum was built in a photographer's studio. A New York photographer named Gary Suson who was invited to be the sole person to capture the images of the firefighters during the nine months of clean up and recovery at ground zero. After his experience he was inspired by the Anne Frank Museum to share his photos with the world. You can find more about his story here. All the profits from the museum go to help the NYFD families that suffered losses because of 9-11. In the museum there are no photos of the planes crashing into the buildings or of images of the towers crumbling to the ground. The museum is described to be a place of healing and remembrance for those who served, suffered, and lost their lives.

This one room museum that only allows approximately 25 visitors at a time, is filled with photos and artifacts that were collected by Mr Suson during the recovery effort. Visitors are allowed an intimate experience getting up close to the displays, and are allowed to photograph anything in the museum that they would like, except one item. That is a tangled piece of metal from one of the airplanes that caused the destruction. Thru recorded messages the photographer himself tells the stories that he experienced as he looked thru his lens. There are so many I wish I could share. Most were moving, some were funny, all captured our attention. I was wondering if Kevin would enjoy the museum. That question was answered when he continued to listen to the stories and look at the photos during our 2 hour visit...we were the last of our group to leave. I learned so much and gained such respect for those men and women who put their life on the line, and continued to fight to clean up ground zero afterwards, it was truly a fight.

It amazed me what things survived while lives were lost.

And I cried as I listened to the stories of the brothers and fathers that searched day after day for the remains of their family.

What I learned most from this museum was that September 11th did not end any where near that day. As most of America started moving on with their lives weeks and months after the event, thinking of the death and destruction less frequently, there were, and still are, others that it slaps in the face every day, every hour, and every minute.

May we never forget.

September 11th

In 1999 I started a gratefulness journal where I would write done five things I was thankful for at the end of each day. It was an off again on again prayer journal of sorts.

Ten years ago on September 11th this is what I wrote...

"Today I am grateful, along with many other people around the world, that my family and loved ones are safe and alive in our presence.

I thank God for...

-seeing my children's' cute little faces, whether they are happy or sad, and hearing their giggles and cries.

-getting a hug from my husband when he came home from work.

-prayer

-the good people in the world"

As I read that list I thought to myself that it does not state anything too inspiring or profound. But after watching the coverage this week and the stories of the victims and the survivors I see why those were the words I chose.

Deserving

I left my job this morning and drove home on a sunny beautiful September day.

As I exited the freeway I immediately noticed a man holding a sign on the side of the ramp. The sign was written in clean neat penmanship and read "Traveling, Broke, Anything will help, Thanks"

When I lived in Arizona there were men begging on almost every major freeway on and off ramp. I had even had people approach me in parking lots to ask for a buck. After a while of living with that I found it easy to ignore. To just drive by without looking.

But today was a different story. As I sat stopped on the off ramp I felt like I had an eternity to study the young man holding the cardboard sign. He was in his 20's, clean cut, dressed in clothes that my 16 year old would wear. He was ordinary.

But because he was holding that sign I thought about him. Did he think we were all judging him as he walked along our cars asking for gifts? Did he wish he were as fortunate as us? Did he care? Was he a criminal? a cheat? down on his luck? deserving?

Deserving? Who is deserving? Is he deserving just for being put in the position where he feels the need to ask? And what does he deserve?

I looked around my car to see what I would have to give. Not sure that I would even give it. There was nothing of value except some change in my ashtray. That did not seem enough.

As I pulled past him he looked at me, I looked at him, smiled, and held my hand up to wave him the best. He acted surprised and dropped one side of his sign to raise his hand to wave back.

I thought about him all the way home, feeling sad, trying to answer my own questions, not finding the answers, but knowing that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Hoping the young man finds what God intends for him, and that my smile and wave made him feel like he is deserving of that.

Perfect Blessings

If you go to the Bella Blvd blog today you will find layout about me at the age of 43. On the blog I have a short write up about the creative process, but there is a small amount of journaling on the layout that I didn't mention on the Bella blog, and would like to post about here.

The title of the layout is "ME, content at 43" and the journaling reads "I've learned life doesn't have to be perfect to be a blessing". And boy, I have learned, and have come to grips with that! My kids don't always have to impress to make me a good mom, my house does not always have to be clean to be a wonderful place to spend time, and I don't always have to take a shower before I go out in public, a baseball hat can cover up a bad hair day easily (another thing I have learned).

But I really lived this phrase this weekend while camping in Door County. There is nothing like spending time in the woods with weather, out houses, and tents to let you know life is not perfect.

A little background...My family takes a yearly camping trip on Labor day with a group of wonderful people. But no mater how wonderful....for the past 6 years or so, Kevin and I have elected to stay home. A while ago I created this layout about that situation.

But this year we did not take our yearly vacation to White Lake so Kevin and I decided that we should spend some time with the family and journeyed up to the north woods.

Okay, it really was not that bad...but perfection it was not.

From the NON-air mattress that had a leak, to the cold, windy weather, to the flat tier on the trailer on the way home, the trip was less than perfect, but still filled with a unlimited list of blessings.

One thing that is always perfect is my hubby. He did everything to make sure our trip was a good one. But I always know he is a blessing!

Besides him, there were good friends, fun adventures, much needed down time, and a look at God's beauty that you can fully appreciate when you are living right in it.

But since we have been home the girls keep asking if I am coming back next year....I can't answer that...I guess it depends on whether or not when I'm 44 if I still will be thinking that life doesn't have to be perfect to be a blessing, or at least if I need my bed at home and running water for that perfection to happen.

Special Delivery

I am not usually too anxious to bring in the mail. Truth is that the piles of papers and envelopes, on a daily basis, don't make it thru the front door until Ricky carries them in after work. But this week has been different. I have been checking the mail box to see if this special edition of Creating Keepsakes has arrived at my door. I was disappointed everyday until yesterday, when a brown box finally arrived. When I opened it up, Yippee!!! there was the magazine and a mini album of mine.

The mini was not only inside the box, but inside the publication as well! I am so excited!!

How this came about was that months ago I was asked to create a "budget friendly" mini album using a Bella Blvd line of my choice and instructed to use only stickers as embellishments. Easy-peasy with those great Bella Stickers and cut out shapes!

I decided just because I was only using stickers for embelishments the album did not have to be simple. I misted, painted, distressed, doodled, and layered piece after piece to load it up with all sorts of goodies.

I used the family dynamics line, and created a little book for Connor, giving him a bit of advice from mom...

If you ask him, I am sure he would say I have too much advice to give, but for this mini I had to keep it to 4 pages, so I could only include a few major points. I would have liked to include words of wisdom like pick up your socks instead of leaving them lay all over the house, but I decided to save that, and other similar tidbits for another time.

Instead, I offered the advice to be content and to embrace the affection and love of others. To create my journaling I used all those great little pieces the Bella stickers have to offer, plus some hand writing to fill in the gaps.

I also suggested he surround himself with good people and good friends. And to learn from those people how to be a better person.

I am honored to be included in this CK special issue with some other great projects and designers. If you would like to see more or purchase a copy of your own you can find it at Creating Keepsakes.

Thanks for looking!