Photo Scavenger Hunt

This is Carla's page. I love how she's decided to get her grandchildren involved. That sounds like a great idea to me. Her journaling:

Well we are off on a new

scrapbook adventure; photo

scavenger hunts.  I decided to

get the grandkids to help.

Miss Olivia provided the flag

and her flag dress on the 4^th of July. 

She had a dried dandelion in her baby

doll’s hair, and we had just finished

painting her new club house that doubles

as a roadside stand.  Miss Charlotte posed

for the sprinkler picture for her Grammie.

We didn’t have a close line so we decided

 to make our own.   Thanks kids, I can

hardly wait for the new assignment so we

can put our heads together and see what

 we conger up next.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

This is Susan's layout. I envy all the old photos she has! I wish I had more!

*Tireweed is a plant that grows like dandelions in Alaska. It blooms from bottom to top and legen has it that when the top blooms, summer is almost over.

*Pete's family was very patriotic. They flew the American flag all summer long.

*We had our own roadside stand for the 10 years we lived in Columbus, Indiana. One year Sarah wanted to grow a watermelon. We waited all summer long for that ONE melon and then it gave her a stomach ache.

*And I think, running through the sprinkler and filling the pool that we bought at Target is a summer memory that is timeless for children.
*Myself and my brother, Michael c: 1954 Louisville, Kentucky.
*Michael and Sarah c: 1984 Columbus, Indiana

Keep 'em comin'!!

Photo Scavenger Hunt

The things to hunt for in July were:
sprinkler
dandelion
clothesline
road side stand or farmer's market
American flag

A few layouts have come in. Email yours to me and I'll be happy to post them.

 Jan's layout. She has some incredible old pictures in her collection.

 Another of Jan's layouts that incorporates the rest of the items.

Karolyn's layout. Here's her journaling:

 Summer Fun

I’m a Summer Girl! Because I tend to be cold all the time, summer is my favorite season.

FLAG:  We fly our flag often but especially for the holidays. At the farm, we fly one all the time. This summer (2013), I helped Shane, Grace & Ellie make flag t-shirts while babysitting in June.

DANDELION:  I love to make a wish when blowing a dandelion! I captured this one while on our 40^th anniversary cruise in Greece. It looks just like American dandelions but this one is pretty special.

ROADSIDE STAND:  I can’t get enough fresh produce in summer. I was going to snap a produce stand but instead asked Bruce to seek one out while in Albuquerque. No surprise that he found a roadside taco stand instead! He & the fellow pictured couldn’t communicate but another person stepped in to interpret. The story quickly got out of control with Bruce getting the photo & a free dinner!!

CLOTHESLINE:  I am reminded of my childhood in Laf. when I helped Mother hang clothes on the backyard line. They smelled so good as we folded the dry clothes! When we went to Italy in 2007, I was surprised to see they just run their lines outside the windows for all to see. At least mine was in the backyard!!

SPRINKLER:  I don’t recall getting to play in the sprinkler much but here I have Stephen, Lauren & Erin on the Slip ‘N Slide at ages 4, 6, & 9. The grandkids also love to Slip ‘N Slide @ the farm.

I always hate when summer ends. The fresh produce, sunshine, & tan become a distant memory as Fall & Winter approach.

Here's my layout. I've decided on a format that I'm going to use throughout the year. I'm going to compare and contrast each item with a childhood memory. Here's my first set:

When I first found out about a photo scavenger hunt, it sounded intriguing. Knowing I probably wouldn’t take the time to do it myself, I decided to make it a challenge for my friends. I modified the concept and reduced the number of photos to just five per month. These five simple things remind me of essential summer from my childhood.

1.   American flag: Memories of the 4^th of July barbeques with the Self family are the best. We had shot off firecrackers---carrying the punk between our teeth. We roamed and played all day. Once it got dark, we settled on top of our cars to watch the fireworks display. Back then, a bunch of kids could lay on the roof without fear of collapse! 

When I saw Morgan and Victoria’s flag fruit fantasy pizza on our vacation, I knew that would be my choice for this photo.

2.   Dandelions were a dime a dozen when we were growing up. We wound the yellow flowers in to jewelry, but it was the whispy seeds that really got our attention. We would make a wish and then “blow.” If you managed to blow ALL of the seeds, then chances were good that your wish would come true.

With today’s weed killers, it’s getting harder and harder to find a dandelion. I found this one on the path to the beach in Isle of Palms, South Carolina. Honestly, I’m not even sure it’s a dandelion---but rather another wildflower. Still it reminds me of the ones from my youth.

3.    You could always count on sprinklers as being a good source of summer entertainment. Anything to cool us off. Playing in the water was synonymous with hot, humid, muggy St. Louis.

Now-a-days, we don’t run through the sprinkler anymore. It’s as if we’ve grown up and the sprinkler has become the sophisticated device to keep our gardens watered. Still, I watch the flowers grab the mist and hang on. Whether I’m in the sprinkler or not, it’s a refreshing feeling.

4.   Mollerus’ roadside stand was “the” place to get your fresh fruits and vegetables. My sisters both worked there. But even if someone wasn’t there to collect your money, it was an honor system---take what you want and leave payment.

I’m not sure that would work today. There’s nothing I like better in the summer than fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s the perfect time to concentrate on eating healthy. It’s so much easier with an abundance of produce available. Jeanne was with me when I got this shot. The nectarines and plums were delicious.

5.   Every yard in the neighborhood had a clothesline with fresh laundry blowing in the breeze. Even if the clothes were a little stiff, it was worth in just for that smell!

Unfortunately, it looks like clotheslines just might be a thing of the past. I searched and searched and couldn’t find a single one.

The list for August is:

1. A fountain

2. A Historical landmark

3. An unusual flower

4. A swing or hammock

5. A fire truck or fire station

Good luck and if you have a layout, be sure to send it to me! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

AYM/1

The St. Louis girls arrived on Thursday night. I planned AYM for Friday morning so that they could participate while they were in town. Prior to this, they have to send their layouts and really can't be part of the meeting. I was happy for them to see how it usually goes at our meetings---everyone sharing their layouts, stories and the techniques they used. I was also happy for the Nashville girls to get a chance to meet them in person.

The layouts did not disappoint. This month, the topic was: "The Never List: 10 Things you will Never Do or Never Do Again." As usual they all took it and ran. Great ideas.

 This is Janet's layout and journaling:

I DID SAY I NEVER WILL…

1.       Own another pure bred dog. They all just seem to be high maintenance and have attitudes that are hard to deal with. Give me a Humane Society Mutt any day.

2.       Wear a pair of “Short” shorts, age has a negative effect for that style of clothing (as do 2 piece bikinis, see #10).

3.       Fry chicken, a long time ago I did try to do it and it was an awful experience. First I found out how hard it was to cut up a chicken, which is just gross! When I cooked it the outside was burnt and the inside was raw, after 2 more attempts I decided the best fried chicken is the kind you buy and that is what my family still eats.

4.       Oysters are something I will never eat. I can barely stand to look at them much less have it slide into my mouth.

5.       Go Scuba Diving. Ron & I took classes once and Ron did get certified. The weekend of the test I had a head cold and could not dive, but it turn out that was also Ron’s last dive, it was just too cold of a sport for him.

6.       I have never been good at Spelling and it seems that I’m never going to master it.  Spell Check makes my life so much easier

7.       “Name that Tune” is a game that I just don’t play. It seems impossible for me to hear a song and be able to know the title or the artist. I always walk away when that game comes up.

8.       Walk to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, again. Since I did it once I know what it’s like and seen the sites on the trip, so there is no need for a repeat.

9.       Sky Diving is not on my bucket list. I have no desire to jump out of a plane, free fall and then swing in the air for hundreds of feet – as Jackie did.

10.   The days of going primitive camping are in my past, as are my twenties and the idea of going on a float trip and having to drag a canoe in low water is just another thing that can stay in the past. I just NEVER want to do either again.

 Karolyn's page.

 Pam's page.

 Erin's page.

 My page and journaling:

There are so many things I could put on my never list. But when I really thought about it, these were just 10 thoughts that have been important to me with a couple unsolved mysteries thrown in for fun. This list is really all about me. There’s the part of me that is confident, inquisitive, sentimental, honest, vain, organized and loving. My “Never List” is just another interpretation of that which is ME!!!

I’ll never have any more babies.

I have never doubted my decorating abilities.

I’ll never forget how it felt moving from

St. Louis on January 1^st, 1977.

I have never cheated at games.

I will never know what happened to the

only dog I ever loved.

I have never been without a book.

I will never be as thin as I would like.

I will never know how this turtle got in our pond.

I will never be as organized as I’d like.

I never dreamed that Sandy would

never get back to Nashville.

Carla's page.

Jeanne's page and journaling:

Karolyn brought this layout to share with the girls. This was from our mystery trip in March.

While the St. Louis girls were here, we had a few lessons. Here are the layouts we did:

 They asked for some ideas using tools and techniques. I taught them a simple sunburst design that's all the rage right now incorporated in a title page. Also, we embellished punched scallops and added mother-of-pearl heart buttons.

In this layout, we focused on layering embellishments. We also added stitching to the page.

Girls, if you email your journaling to me, I would be happy to post it with your layouts!

I can't wait to see what "8 Things you Learned from your Mother" next month!!

I have received quite a few layouts for the "photo scavenger hunt." I'll post them on Friday along with the items for August. See you then!