On the "Cropping" Block

Here are a few of the layouts I did on my scrapbook retreat two weeks ago. Not as many as I usually get done, but between all the talking, visiting around the room, drinking and my class, I didn't have as much time!

 Finishing up my ABC album---the last layout is almost finished (remember, I did two ABC albums in 2012)

 On this page about Mitchell, I had a little survey that he answered when he was about 10 or 11. It was about all his favorite things.

The journaling here was simple. "I love to call you "E." I'm not sure your parents like it, but it's just a little something between the two of us!"

 This layout about Jordan opens up on the right side to reveal her mess of a room and a little story about a bird she saw when she was little.

I just now realized that I posted Victoria's age as twelve on the far right photo. She's actually 11. I just think of 6th graders as being 12. 

I have another AYM groups going that has just started the ABC album this year. So, of course, I'm doing another one! The think I like about these types of albums is that it is a random assortment of things. It's a mystery with each turn of the page! Try it!

"My Private Secretary" is one of my favorites. When we were visiting Kalamazoo in 2011, in November, Elizabeth wanted to put in her "food" requests for Christmas. I told her that she better write it down, or I would never remember. I had to spell each thing for her---it was ALL sweets!

This is my current layout for AYM/2013 "By the Numbers." The challenge this month (for February) was to use the number 2. If you saw my "yoyo" tutorial on the AYM blog, then you can see how I used them here. 

Eads Girls Scrapbook Weekend

Here we are in Columbus, IN amidst all the tornadoes yesterday. Turns out, we only had a light rain and mostly sun.  Here's how it went down:

I picked Steph up on Thursday at noon. Mindy was "afraid" to ask off work because  she had just taken off for Mardi Gras two weeks before. She got her dad to drive her---in fairness to her, it was our idea. I'm paranoid about auto accidents---as I've said before---it's truly the only thing I worry about.

Anyway, Butch set up meetings in Indianapolis and Louisville for Friday to make the trip worthwhile. He was late getting to Mindy because he had to take Morgan to a doctor's appointment that afternoon. That delay cost them dearly. They were stuck for 2 hours on I-65 due to an accident. Then when he got to Columbus, his GPS directed him to the wrong place. What should have taken 4.25 hours took about 6. He pretty much went to bed while we girls stayed up talking until nearly 2 a.m.

He left early on Friday and got hailed on twice---Indianapolis and Nashville. He has plenty of damage to his car to prove it!

We're having a lot of fun and laughs, great food, lots of scrapbooking (except for me who left an important pile of "stuff" at home that has delayed me. Bummer. We got in the hot tub last night and over-flowed it by NOT following the "hot tub rules" which had a limit of 4---there were 6 of us who got in.
Unfortunately for me, it set off my hives. I took another dose of prednisone before bed, so I'm A-ok today.

I'm adding a few layouts that I did at our last scrapbook retreat. Whatever I get done here I'll show later. Actually, I'm hoping today is more productive. When I realized I'd left important stuff behind, I sort of lost my zest for the day.

I was so happy that I recorded the course of events leading up to mom's death. As I re-read the journaling prior to making this layout, it made me cry, but also, it reminded me of several things I had already forgotten. That is exactly why I think telling the story is so important. "I love you mom."I made pockets on both pages to accommodate everything.

"Identical Twins" is about my sisters, Janice and Jennifer. I incorporated a college report that Jennifer had done about identical twins. It was so interesting that I had to include. Who knows, maybe 50 years down the road, some future ancestor my have identical twins and find this fascinating from 2012.

I had more layouts to share, but the internet here is incredibly slow and after an hour, on these two pictures downloaded. I don't have time for this now.

Later....