I’d rather write 1000 words

So much for my good intentions: I didn’t get very far on my scrapbook endeavors last summer. I updated our portrait album. I put one year’s worth of pictures into Twirly Girl’s scrapbook (prints that had been laying on my table for a couple years already). I ordered two years’ worth of prints for our family album but only got half of them into an album. I still need to order more of the “new” 12×12 pages from Creative Memories. I added three years of memories to Bouncy Boy’s scrapbook, and then I ordered three years’ worth of prints for Baby Boy’s album. I made a title page and. . .there it sat, from October until last week.

I didn’t have any other pressing projects so I decided I may as well forge ahead before I get any further behind. Baby Boy’s scrapbook is now current through his last birthday. This week I should receive the three years’ worth of prints that I ordered for Boy Genius. Ideally I update the kids’ albums after each birthday, so I do them in calendar order rather than age order and October comes after September. My goal is to get back to that ideal by the end of this summer–ie, before it’s Baby Boy’s birthday again. My problem is that I’d rather be sewing, knitting, reading, or maybe even cleaning the house than working on scrapbooks. . .

News from the sewing room

Twirly Girl and I both drafted our circle skirt patterns Friday afternoon–hooray! However, I’m about 90% decided against using the denim I bought. This is partly because I prefer to avoid the denim jumper homeschool mom stereotype. . .and partly because I was looking at my denim while ironing my new 1944 housedress. Which of course means I’m now contemplating a denim housedress–although perhaps that would still feed the stereotype–though on the other hand, since we live in Wyoming and I refuse to wear blue jeans, there are in fact occasions where a denim skirt helps me blend in a bit. I digress! Unless the perfect skirt fabric falls into my lap before it’s time to cut out the circle skirts, I will very likely sew this one from an old bedsheet and call it a muslin.

And speaking of muslins, I made one for the bodice of my LBD. Main changes: added a little shaping to the center back seam, raised the neckline, and adjusted the armscye so it will accommodate a sleeve. I was on the verge of cutting out fabric when a quick peek in Sandra Betzina’s Fabric Savvy informed me that I really should line my silk taffeta with organza. Ack. Not something I keep on hand, and certainly not something available in this county (or this state). I hemmed and hawed and googled and ended up ordering silk organza from Dharma Trading. It arrived today, so now I can return to working on my dress.

Except in the meanwhile I spread photos all over my cutting table. Again. Currently putting 2009 in the family album; I also have 2010 photos ready to go but I did not order enough pages. For the record, Creative Memories did not ask me what I thought about changing oh-so-slightly the size of a 12×12 page. I have a nice stash of the “old” pages which works well for most of my albums, but I had to order a new family album which of course requires “new” pages. Hmmph.

Happiness is. . .

Finding little bits of thread in all sorts of odd places–which means I’ve been sewing. I’m nearly done making a slip using these 1931 directions. Drafting the pattern was easy as pie; construction has involved some head-scratching. If you’ve ever used a vintage pattern, I’m sure you’re nodding your head in agreement. I have quite a few other projects in mind, but this 1944 dress will probably be next. This spring I found a can’t-resist price on oxford shirting, and I am quickly running out of summer days on which to wear a green and ivory striped dress.

On the downside, this means I have not been working on my summer scrapbook project. I’ve scrapped myself into a corner, if you will. As I was finishing putting 2008 pictures in the family album it suddenly dawned on me that it was near capacity. So I’m patiently awaiting the arrival of the new album I ordered. I then turned to Bouncy Boy’s album–he had the last birthday, and I usually try to update kid albums soon after their birthday. Oops. So I’m also patiently awaiting the arrival of three years’ worth of prints.

Summer project

I can’t put it off any longer. . .this summer’s project needs to be working on scrapbooks. Catching up, if at all possible. You see, when I was young and foolish (and had fewer children) I started not only a family album but an album for each kid. I know. And I’m stuck with the project, because the kids like to look at them–and I already bought the most expensive part (albums & pages).

Progress made this weekend:

• Sorted all the odd photos that hadn’t been filed yet. Most of these came into my possession when Mimi moved into her apartment; some are duplicates of pictures I already have of my own kids, and others are pictures from when I was younger (or before me).
• Updated the portrait album. Which really needs to be divided into two albums before it explodes from too many pages; hello, eBay! This was an easy one as it’s mostly a single 8×10 per page–well, I have to something with those pictures after they spend a year on my wall.

Some of the things I still need to do:

• Order prints. Sounds easy, no? It’s not. It’s enough to make me curse the digital age, because it involves choosing which pictures to order for each of seven albums and then remembering what goes where when the order arrives. Usually I cheat and place separate orders for each album, but I still have to sort them in front of the computer.
• Add 2-3 (or more) years of pictures to seven different albums. The family album is done through the end of 2007; the kids’ albums are mostly done through their birthdays in 2008.
• If there’s any summer left, I still haven’t done our wedding album. I still have all the supplies. I hope I still like them.

Wish me luck! Better yet, send me chocolate!

The only reason I scrapbook

(And I shudder to think of how far behind I’ve gotten since moving here!!!)

Portraits

This weekend I spent some time updating our family portrait album (which is so full it should be two albums). This is the album I would grab if some emergency allowed me to save just one album: it begins with our wedding and includes a print from every family and individual portrait taken in the past 14 years. I started the album to have a place to put last year’s 8×10 and it is arranged it in sections: family, Drama Boy, Boy Genius, Twirly Girl, and so forth. Each child’s section begins with their hospital picture and birth stats. The first two page spread has 3 month and 6 month pictures on the left with an 8×10 at age one on the right; the remaining two page spreads have a couple proofs on the left and an 8×10 on the right. . .no matter what our finances, we’ve always gotten the kids’ pictures taken each year around their birthday.

Anyhow, after I finished adding pictures from the last year or so, of course I had to sit down and look at all the pictures! It was rather fun to think things to myself, such as “Oh, there is Drama Boy when he was Silly Boy’s age.” I was amazed at how many of the actual sittings I remembered: “Oh, that was the time that Boy Genius would only smile right after he threw the baseball at Larry” or “That was the time that Twirly Girl kept saying NO and then smiling” or “It took both Vicki and Crystal to get Silly Boy to smile and look at the camera.”

I noticed that even when Boy Genius was a baby, he looked like a part of the family but doesn’t have that pea in a pod look. Meanwhile, it’s a good thing that I label pictures or I might someday wonder if I am looking at Bouncy Boy, Silly Boy, or Baby Boy! I noticed that I hardly sewed anything for the older boys’ pictures except an occasional vest, but Twirly Girl’s dresses were almost all sewn by me. And except for their first years, I sewed most of the three younger boys’ special outfits. It’s also very obvious when I discovered Ottobre! Other than the year I was trying to master using Child’s Play for my business sewing, Twirly Girl and the little boys all look like they walked off the pages of Ottobre.

I’d rather be sewing

I’m sure I’ve mentioned that I find scrapbooking has become a tedious task for me; nonetheless, as long as the kids keep enjoying their books I keep updating them. Today I told myself I could not sew until Baby Boy’s baby book was done. Well, I may break that order since I have already reached the end of my rope pictures already printed. In fact, that is why I am up here at the computer instead of downstairs watching tv with the family (does it say anything that I enjoy tv even less than scrapbooking??? the Friday tradition is actually movie watching, but Larry hasn’t yet figured out how to hook the dvd up to our new-to-us tv discarded by a local hotel).

Ahem. Where was I? Oh yes, upstairs at the computer. I have now ordered prints for the rest of Baby Boy’s first year and researched world events and other cultural tidbits from September 2007. So I can work on journaling while I wait for those prints to arrive, and that’s alright. I enjoy journaling much more than cropping pictures and trying to make as many fit on a page as I can while still leaving room to, you know, journal.

For what it’s worth, the timeline section of http://www.infoplease.com/ was the most helpful site I found for my research in spite of all the advertising.

My very own soundtrack

(edited 7/10 because I didn’t realize I was supposed to provide commentary!)

I saw this at AmusedMomma‘s blog before our vacation, but didn’t have time to play until now. I’m a little nervous about what will come up; my iPod is the family entertainment in the van, so has music for everyone.

IF YOUR LIFE WAS A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?Here’s how it works:

 

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool…
7. Include commentary

Opening Credits: Younger Than Springtime, from the South Pacific soundtrack (ummmm. . .well I guess I am younger than most of my friends, but that’s not something I tend to flaunt)

Waking Up: Carefully Taught, also from South Pacific (so much for shuffle? this one doesn’t really fit me here or anywhere)

First Day at School: In the Hall of the Mountain King, from Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite but. . .it’s the Beethoven’s Wig version, with lyrics “It’s the Same Every Verse.” I guess the repetitiveness is a fairly accurate fit for my public school education.

Falling in Love: Today Thy Mercy Calls Us (well, it didn’t specify *human* love)

Fight Song: 1, 2, 3, Click! (a happy little 50-second ditty from a Kindermusik CD. . .makes no sense here)

Breaking Up: Unburn All Our Bridges, Josh Turner (this one could work)

Prom: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker (prom = dance = ballet? or is it just that I’m that out of touch with pop culture?)

Life’s OK: The More We Get Together. . .in Spanish. . .from “Teach Me Spanish”. . .I don’t even speak Spanish!

Mental Breakdown: “Winter” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, played by Itzhak Perlman (classical music is always good background)

Driving: Water shows the hidden heart, Enya (uh-oh, “pretty music” could lull the driver to sleep!)

Flashback: Savez vous plantez les choux? (another Kindermusik gem and the only thing I’m flashing back to is trying to participate at KM with twirly girl while toting her baby brother in the sling)

Getting Back Together: The Forgiveness Song, Veggie Tales (togetherness involves a healthy measure of forgiveness!)

Wedding: Weeping Willow, Joplin (? I’m really not familiar with this one, it was on a compilation cd)

Birth of Child: more Vivaldi by Perlman, this time a Violin Concerto (I’m actually known for bringing hymn cd’s to L&D with me)

Final Battle: Vivaldi & Perlman again, now it’s “Summer” (hmmm. . .just how much Vivaldi is going to come up, anyhow?)

Death Scene: Girl on My Mind, Buddy Holly. . .LOL!!! I don’t think so!

Funeral Song: No Rush, Josh Turner (not really funeral material)

End Credits: another selection from Vivaldi’s “Winter” (well of course! more Vivaldi!)

I’m tempted to try this again using the auto-generated “top 25 played” playlist, because the kid music is (mostly ) for the kids, and the Enya is there to soothe Larry’s headaches. I usually listen to the hymns & country, occasionally to the classical and soundtracks. Anyhow, if you play along, leave me a comment so I can come check yours out.

Do you hear what I hear?

What?! You don’t hear anything? Actually, that’s the point: it’s quiet here today. Larry took all five older children to Walmart, which is at least an hour drive. . .each way!! What am I doing with my ‘free’ time? Well, first I nursed the baby and put him down for his nap. Then I fixed myself some lunch; it’s a strange feeling to eat alone and I don’t think I’d want to make a habit of it. After that, I went downstairs and did about a dozen scrapbook pages. I still need to go back and journal those pages, but otherwise I’ve finished 2007 in our family album. Yay!

I took a break to get the cowboy soup simmering for tonight’s supper, and now baby is awake and nursing again. When he’s done we’ll go for a walk, or maybe I’ll see if he’ll play in his exersaucer while I work on the scrapbook again. Or, there’s that mountain of clean laundry that didn’t get folded yesterday. . .naaah, it’s a sunny 60° out there. We’ll take a walk.