How a Thunderstorm Changed My Outlook

We rushed home. It was Friday and I just wanted to relax. I unloaded the car and ushered the kids into their father's care. After flipping on the TV, I stared into the pantry to find what we would eat.


The weather man was talking. The regular programming was interrupted by a storm warning.


On and on the forecast continued. Town after town warned with the time the storm would bear down. Finally, our town was named. 30 minutes would elapse before it was our turn.
80 mile per hour winds. Baseball size hail. I started to get bit worried. I brought a few things into the house. My husband pulled all the cars into the garage.


I started to get even more worried. The kids were finishing their supper. I was ready to rush them downstairs to take cover.


We stood on the back deck and watched the rain and clouds roll across the fields. The rain started and we ran inside. Hail! We looked out the window and in about 60 seconds the wind died down and the hail stopped.


We turned to each other and exclaimed, "That was it?"Yep, we lucked out. The storm died out just as it reached us.


What is the lesson here? Sometimes, while we're waiting for a thing to occur we make it bigger and scarier in our head than it turns out to be.


I'm not discounting being prepared and taking action. But, imagine how much less stressed we would be if we didn't try to live the emotion of a situation in advance?


I'm going to try and keep that in mind more often.

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Scrapbooking Tips - Scrapbook to Relax

Scrapbook to relax? Sure!

“These kids are driving me crazy and no one is helping!” This or something similar has crossed many a mom’s lips. When things get to be too much, often the ones in mom’s direct path take the brunt of the frustration. The way a mom deals with stress can affect her kids.

Stress can be both good and bad. When we respond favorably in stressful situations, we learn to cope with the event and go on. A positive attitude keeps us looking for the bright side of the situation. No matter how long it lasts, it won’t last forever.

Distress is when stressful situations turn bad. Instead of directing our frustration in the direction of the problem or seeking someone to listen, we make our kids the target. Moms don’t set out to do this, but high stress has a way of making us act in a manner that is not the way we normally act. This doesn’t mean that moms don’t love their children.

Kids are visual people. They learn by watching us. If our attitude is negative they will pick up on it. Kids sense changes in the climate of their home. This includes a change in a mother’s temperament. When mom gets angry, kids know it. If children are used to seeing their mom smiling and laughing, hearing her get angry or shouting can frighten them. They may run and hide.

Whenever mom is like that, kids will turn away. They may learn to shut down themselves if they think that something they say or do will cause mom to get this way. When stress causes a mom to lash out at her kids, they may believe that they are the cause of the anger.

Stress can lead to impatience. Moms can become impatient with their kids. If mom is going to be late for work, she may rush a child to finish their breakfast. Slow eating can lead to mom getting upset or the bowl being left on the table with food still in it. Kids learn to be impatient with others. Moms may notice this when they see their child playing with its siblings. The child will rush others or snatch toys away even if it makes the other children cry.

Moms who are stressed can stress out their children. But if they manage stress in positive ways, they will teach valuable lessons to their children. No matter what situation arises, the way that a mom acts towards her children is important. Children will always scream, holler and cry even when things are going well. Separating the stressful event from the behavior of the children gives them security that mom’s love and care doesn’t change at these times.

Stress affects kids. So, what are going to do about it? We're going to scrapbook to relax.

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Learning to Scrapbook

Learning to scrapbook will take some commitment and it is really like a piece of art. When you learn the techniques to scrapbook you will be able to enjoy, however, you will have to get to know a few basic tools, supplies, and learn some skills before you get started.

Pictures First

Everyone has boxes filled with pictures, but you may notice that some are discolored or warped because of the poor storage. The world around us in our homes is full of acid and moisture, which breaks down the chemical balance, used to produce photographs and causes them to change appearance. With scrap booking, you will want to use acid free supplies so that you can preserve the pictures for many years and decades to come.

Basic Scrapbooking Tools

• You'll need a cutting tool. You will need to get sharp scissors and specialty scissors that will cut scalloped edges, but you may also want something that will cut a straight line and circles.
• You will also need some form of adhesive. Beginners may find that the easiest products to buy are photo mounts, which are tiny pre-cut pieces of tape, and glue dots, which are pressure-sensitive strong spots of glue to hold larger embellishments.
• Create fancier pages with rubber stamps, paper crimpers, and punches. Start with a few smaller items and increase your inventory as you learn more and more scrapbooking skills.
• Other supplies that add interest to your pages include paper dolls, stickers, die cuts, and three-dimensional elements.

Scrapbook Album

You will also need a few basic supplies before you begin, the most important of which is the album itself. Make sure whatever you purchase is large enough to hold all the pictures you want to include; two to five pictures will fit on a standard 8 ½ x 11 page with cropping, with the most balanced layouts having three pictures. You can also choose from larger or smaller albums.

Remember that the size of album you purchase will affect your long term costs. 12x12 pages means no extra scraps from the papers for making embellishment. Larger albums cost more, but you may get more pictures to fit into the album.

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Digital Scrapbooking

Digital Scrapbooking, also known as Digi Scrapping, may be a better alternative compared to traditional paper scrapbooking.

When it comes to scrapbooking you will find that it takes time, space, and plenty of dedicated time

Those who are interested in the craft will need to find the time to complete their album, but also will need to find the space. All the paper, stickers, tools, and other supplies you will need may require an area for scrapbooking. A newer trend is to have a whole room dedicated to the craft. There are a lot of supplies that you will acquire and you need room to put the pages together.

By the time that you get everything together you need just for one scrapbook session, you will notice that you have wasted ten to twenty minutes. You don’t want to spend time looking for stamps or that perfect tool to make the layouts beautiful. There are other ways to solve all your problems with scrapbooking. The perfect solution to the hassle of paper scrapbooking is digital scrapbooking.

Digital Scrapbooking is Easy to Learn

You shouldn't be intimidated by not having computer skills. Digital scrapbooking is easy to learn and can make designing pages and creating albums go more smoothly. This leaves much more time for the other things in your life. When you follow a few steps you will be able to begin your digital voyage in this then the time it would take you to pull the paper and book out.

First, you need to find a way to put your pictures online. You can easily get your pictures online with the use of digital camera. You will may want to scan some hard copy pictures onto your computer. Even if you do not know how to transfer pictures from your digital camera to your computer, you can put your pictures onto a CD at any photography center. At one of these centers, you can also scan your printed pictures and put them onto a CD as well.

For those who are looking to go beyond the basic digital scrapbooking steps, you may want to go online to register to share pictures. You can also use photo-editing programs to change the look of your picture, but this is not necessary for beginners. In any case, once your pictures are on your computer, you can use them to create scrapbook pages.

Tips for considering digital scrapbooking

** There are many programs available to help you to design, edit, and print pages. You can buy a program at the store, from a scrapbook consultant, or you can purchase a downloadable program on the Internet.

** You can sign up for services to share your album online.

** Compare prices and services on the programs before making a purchase—not all programs are made the same way, and you’ll want to find one that’s appropriate for your skill level.

** Once you have chosen and purchased a scrapbooking software, you will want to look through the tutorial steps. Learn to use all the functions of the program from the start, and you’ll save yourself a lot of time when you’re trying to create pages.

** Every program works in a different way. You will want to create the pages and print them out or you may just want to create the pages and post them on a website for your family from a far to see. You can print your layouts at home or have them printed at a photo processing service.

** Digital scrapbooking makes it easy to show those who don’t come around often or those who don’t travel that far to see the pictures of the family.

** You will also feel good knowing that you have an online security. If anything ever happens to the hard copies, you have them preserved online for you to print.

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Organizing Your Scrapbooking Area

Scrapbook supply organization is the worst part of scrapbooking if handled poorly.

When it comes to thousands of different types of scrapbooking papers and other accessories you will find that it can be overwhelming at the local scrapbook store. Since you do have so many options, you will find that it can be difficult for a person to scrapbook but you can get organized and keep things looking good and clean and that will help you to be able to scrapbook more efficiently.

Organization Tip #1

It will take up the most space and time when it comes to getting your papers organized. A good option for this is a paper saver, as made by most of the larger scrap booking companies. These folders are made of plastic most of the time and they can be tagged and hold hundreds of papers. This will help you to categorize your papers. If you find that you do not have enough room in a paper saver, you might also find it useful to invest in a filing cabinet or one of the sets of drawers made especially for scrapbooking. You can purchase these in any of the local craft stores or you can go online as well.

Organization Tip #2

Decide how you want to categorize your supplies. You will find that color is most often used, but you can also organize in themes like a certain day or holiday. You may also want to think about matching patterns like stripes. You can also use this system to organize flat embellishments, such as die cuts or stickers.

Organization Tip #3

You also need a place to store your tools and embellishments that are not easily filed. You will find that one good way is to use baskets and a shelving system to help your to store and organize your tools and embellishments. Store cutting tools in one basket, glues in another, markers and paint in a third, and so on is a good way of approaching the art of organization. By buying baskets in bulk, you will save more money then if you use photo boxes, and the display will be uniform and attractive. Make sure that you label your baskets or shelving so that you can find everything quickly.

Organization Tip #4

If you need to save space, however, a basket and shelving system may not work for you. You will want to make a kit of some of your most often sued tools and supplies so that you can keep them close and you won’t have to dig or look around. That way when you only have time to do a quick page or two, you can use your kit to complete it and then quickly clean up. However, you can use all of your time in one day and book a whole scrapbook together and also you can pull out the supplies and storage so that you can complete the album.

Keeping the space that you use to scrapbook is clean and organized will allow you to enjoy your time scrapbooking. When you learn how to label the storage containers and learn how to organize your papers, you will be able to quickly be able to pull out the tools that you need. Once you have gotten over the mess, you will be able to get comfortable with scrapbooking.

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Cream of the Crop Chops

If you are heading out for an all day scrapbook crop, the last thing you want to worry about is fixing dinner when you get home. Or maybe you won't be coming home for dinner because you'll be eating out with the girls. Give this recipe to your hubby and put him to work.

Cream-of-the-Crop Chops

Ingredients:
1 (10 ¾ oz.) can cream of celery soup
3 Tbsp. sour cream
4 baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
4 (1 inch thick) pork chops
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13 inch ovenproof baking dish. Combine soup and sour cream in medium bowl. Arrange half the potatoes in prepared dish. Season with salt and pepper. Pour half of soup mixture over potatoes. Top with remaining potatoes. Pour remaining soup mixture over. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, season chops with salt and pepper. In a large heavy skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chops and cook until lightly brown, about 5 minutes per side. Place chops atop the potatoes. Cover and bake until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

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Causes of Stress

Stress does not just crop up overnight. The causes of stress may not be apparent at first, but they may have been there for some time. If this applies to you, don’t ignore the signs of stress in your life anymore. Recognizing them is the first step to discovering the source.

Feeling cranky and tired is not always the fault of your menstrual cycle. These feelings can be the result of too much stress in your life. Not being able to fall asleep is a sign of stress as well. When it takes an hour or so to fall asleep, it’s time to look for a root cause.

Stress can cause troubles throughout the systems of the body. The digestive system can experience ulcers, bowel trouble, and lack of appetite. You can have an overactive bladder. Migraine headaches and colds result from negative stress. Stress literally makes you sick if it is not dealt with.

Find what is causing your stress

Start with your job. Are there pressures at work? Getting passed over for a promotion can make you resentful which can cause stress. Every time you walk into the office your stomach will be in knots when you think about it. Something as normal as asking for a raise can cause stress. You’ll worry about the outcome — whether you will get the raise or get fired for asking.

Work pressures don’t always stay at work. We tend to carry out unhappiness or frustrations home to our families. We keep an attitude all evening long because of something that started in the workplace.

Family situations can also be the root source of our stress. Kids can take us through a lot of stages, especially when they are toddlers, entering puberty, or becoming teenagers. Worrying about them when they are away from us takes plenty of energy.

Marital problems can lead to stress. When our spouses won’t help lighten the load at home, we feel taken for granted and resentful. Lack of communication on the part of both parties leaves hurt feelings unexpressed. Both partners feel cheated, and coming home creates stress.

There are triggers that can cause stress. Some of these triggers come from experiences in life. Having a spouse that drinks excessively can trigger memories of a father in childhood who did the same. Worrying about the similarities in the situations can cause stress. Illness in children can remind you of a bad childhood experience and cause fretting over the kids.

Take time for yourself

Are you taking care of yourself? Do you allow yourself time to participate in a hobby? I believe that mom's put themselves last and often we don't even realize it. It's especially easy to do when you have a baby to take care of. Months and weeks can go by in the same routine. That's why I advocate scrapbooking as a hobby. Your baby is incentive enough to have tons of photos to work with. Scrapbooking is a natural extension of your nurturing feelings.

Once you understand what is causing the stress, it is time to fix it. Before involving members of the family, try to deal with what is stressing you out. Talk to a friend to discover why the trigger gets you so wound up. If you are having difficulties discovering the triggers of your stress you may want to consider journaling. Grab an empty notebook and start writing. Don't think about if you are journaling right or wrong. Don't worry about creating some finished product. You can always go back through the journal later.

Next you can enlist the aid of your family. They may not realize that what they are doing or not doing is affecting you. A little communication can change the situation. This can work on the job as well. Talk to you boss and let them know your feelings in a non-threatening manner.

Stress is a part of life. To overcome it, it is important to know what is causing it. Take a look at all areas of your life to find a solution.

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Making Memorable Baby Scrapbooks

Making a baby scrapbook can be very helpful in preserving your memories. You can fill the pages with virtually anything that you would like to. One thing is for sure, though, the more memorable that you make it, the longer it will provide you with happiness. There are plenty of things you can do to make a scrapbook more meaningful to you and to your family. By personalizing it in just the right way, you can create a book that you will love showing off to your friends and family.

Make sure your memories come through

Insure that the scrapbook is made to provide you with a clear picture of your memories. If you have many photos of the day that you are depicting, this is easy. If not, there are other things that you can do to create this look. What you will want to do is to create pages that will bring back those memories to you.

Add memorabilia to your scrapbook layouts

If your child is celebrating his first birthday, you can use things that are from his party to help make the scrapbook meaningful. This can be anything from the napkins that were used to the candle that was on his cake.

• Keep a few of the paper plates that you used, with his favorite theme. Make a mini album and place his picture inside it.
• Keep the streamers.
• Scan the mylar balloons.
• Use the invitations and the thank you notes. Make sure you take a close up picture of the cake. Cut it out and use it like a die-cut.

Enjoy the results

When you create a memorable scrapbook, you will be able to look back on the pages and think to yourself that this was a great day or that you remember that your son grabbed right into the cake. It is fun to make your scrapbook in this way too. Just be creative and think of things that are easy for you to do to hold those memories dear to your heart for a long time. It does not really take any more time to do either. Just find the things that really mean something to you about this day or this event and get them into your baby scrapbooks.

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From My Scrapbook Room - The Big Mess

Hello from my scrapbook room.

I was so excited that I was going to have part of a nice room to scrapbook in. Our home has a nice office area. We moved in 4 years ago. All my boxes of scrapbook supplies, the boxes of cardmaking supplies, my scrapbook albums and all my projects in progress were stacked into that room.

Some things have been unpacked. Many boxes remain full! I've had two babies and I've done a little paper scrapbooking during this time. It hasn't been to the extent I'd like.

I've done almost zero cardmaking. I can't remember the last time I made a card. Who has time? That makes me sad.

I used to live close to a couple consultants who had wonderful workshops. I'd rather pay for a nice workshop and go home with completed projects than buy a bunch of rubberstamping supplies. What good does it do piled up? Now, I live by no one that scrapbooks or rubberstamps on a regular basis. I used to be a Stampin Up junkie. I find it not as fun to stamp alone. Maybe it's just me?

So anyway, the scrap room is big mess. I'm tired of it. The kids are finally getting old enough that I can craft again. We're finally starting a big clean up to get rid of some of the mess. I think I'm going to clean out a bunch of stuff and start over with new supplies.

I promise to post some pictures.

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Baby Scrapbook Ideas

Here are some scrapbook titles that are sure to help you come up with baby scrapbook ideas.

See How You Grow
What Little Boys Are Made Of
My Wish For You
What Do You Dream?
Angel Baby
Many Special People
I Am Wonderfully Made
Those Who Love Me
What You Bring To Our Lives
I Promise You

Here are some scrapbook titles that start with the letter A.

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Scrapbook Titles

Nothing completes a scrapbook layout better than catchy scrapbook titles.
Here are some ideas that start with the letter A. Let me know how you use them in your baby scrapbook.

A spoon full of sugar
All the news
Another completely different day
All the children laughed and played
A bit understated
All together now
A big difference
As fabulous as you are
A good life
Alphabet Soup
ABC, 123
A+
All that matters
Adorable
Angel Baby
A time to laugh
As time goes by

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Types of Scrapbook Layouts

Some scrapbookers like to create an album by doing one page at a time. They will only on a page or two at a time. Then there are people will work on scrap booking two pages at a time. There are a lot of advantages and disadvantages to doing a one page or two page layouts.


One-page layouts work well for busy scrapbookers. When you do one page at a time, you will have more time to complete the scrapbook and then have plenty of time to clean up. One-page layouts also have a sense of intimacy because the pictures are placed closely together on the page, along with the journaling and embellishments. You will have an album that is full and complete bursting with color and pictures. Because the layout is smaller, this is also often an easier option for beginning layout designers or for crafters who do not have a large workspace to spread out two pages at a time.


Two-page layouts, on the other hand, create an album that is more spacious. If you have a lot of pictures then it will be almost impossible to put all the pictures on one page. You can split them up over multiple layouts; however, by creating a two-page layout, you give the pictures a sense of togetherness. You will want to spread out the pictures over three or four pages and carry a theme to each page so that there is a consistent design.


Two-page layouts also work well when you have a few pictures that cannot be cropped and will therefore not fit onto one page. When you do a larger layout you will be able to place everything you want in the pictures and have plenty of room for writing or doodling.


When I started scrapbooking, I started by doing two page layouts. I've found that as time has went by, I've slowly converted to one page layouts. This is mainly because I'm busier and I think I'm pickier about which photos to use. I find I don't want to think about endless two page spreads since I'm working on my pages and pages for my children. Has your scrapbook layout changed over time?


How To Scrapbook

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