The Reason I Scrapbook And 1,000th Post!

I have been trying to think of what to do for my 1,000th post. I thought about making some great elaborate project, but let's face it folks...we know I am too lazy for that! I thought about doing some kinda of giveaway, but I like all my chit and want to keep it. So instead I have decided to share the reason I scrapbook.

I have been quite busy the last few days with making some layout kits. I have a swarm coming up the middle of February and I wanted to get my kits done so I could be prepared and not just sit and get nothing done, which I have done a few times.

I remember my very first swarm...it was disaster! Linda, aka LGuild, and I decided we would attend a Swarm in Norman. We weren't sure what to bring or what we wanted to make. I think we both packed up about half our supplies and paper. We wanted to make sure we had everything we needed to work with and get a lot accomplished. All we accomplished was feeling overwhelmed, wandering around the scrapbook store, visiting with everyone and being tired from lugging all that chit in the store and then back to the van! Now we both try to be much more prepared. I make layout kits to work on and Linda gets together card kits for her to work on. It really does make it so much easier and the supplies we take can easily fit in our scrap totes with some room to spare!

As I was putting the layout kits in the holders I got from Michaels I noticed that 3 of them concentrated on my daughters father...or my ex for all intents and purposes. I got to thinking about a few years ago my daughter asked me "Mom why do you keep scrapping pictures of daddy?". I told her "because one day you will appreciate having these pictures". Of course my daughter being who she is rolled her eyes and mumbled some rather not quite so nice things. They have never had a close relationship for various reasons, but mostly because he was never around. I got pictures of him when he and I started seeing each other again a few years ago and then he lived with us for a year and I kept hoping for them to build a relationship. Things didn't work out between the two of us and it came the time for me to tell him it was time for him to go, and he did *okie smiles a little thinking that he didn't have much of a choice*. My daughter and her dad were able to build a better relationship but of course not perfect. I am not sure my daughter will ever completely forgive him for not being there when she was growing up but at least she no longer questions if he does love her. Anyway, about a year after he moved out she was looking at the layouts of her dad was talking about when he lived with us and some of the happy memories she had of that time. She turned to me and smiled and said "Momma, I'm glad you have these pictures of  daddy that you scrapped".

I know a lot of people think scrapbooking is for old, boring fat ladies that have no life. I even heard people on the radio making fun of the stereo-typical scrapbookers that most people think of. I will admit to being fat, but I am not old, nor am I boring by any means *okie cracks up laughing and thinking what people would think if they really knew just how NOT boring okie is*. But what these people who make fun of scrapbookers don't understand is that I do it, WE DO IT, because we want our families to cherish the memories of our lives and help them keep those memories close and dear. So while my daughter might have some bad memories of her father she will always be able to look at those scrapbook pages and remember happy times with him and it can bring a smile to her face and even a laugh from her heart about some experience they shared together. To be honest I don't know if this would be possible if she didn't have those scrapbook layouts to look at and jog her memory of the happy times. And that my dear readers is THE REASON I scrapbook!!