Catching Up - Scrapbooking

I have been a scrapbooker since 2001, due in no small part to the persistence of my girlfriend Gina.  She pestered and badgered me for years, until I gave in, and did so in a big way.  Several years ago I decided to make the leap into digital scrapbooking, and it works well for me.  I like it because I don't have to get a lot of stuff out, and I can pause and come back to it whenever I need to.  In addition, it's cheaper, and I can get many more pages done in the same amount of time.

At least once every year I get together with Gina and whoever else I can persuade, and go to a crop - think quilting bee for scrapbookers.  This year I was lucky and did two in a relatively short period - one with my sister Amy in Round Rock, Texas, and a large one in Arlington put on by Creative Memories, where Amy and Gina joined me.

See all those folks behind us?  There's over 500 people there with us, all working on their books.  While I could do digital at these events and just pack a laptop, I have begun a long-awaited project.  See, I started scrapbooking in 2001 - a year AFTER Maggie was born.  My situation is the opposite from everyone else in the world - my second child is fully documented, but my first child doesn't have a book.  Maggie would look up at me and say in the most pitiful voice, "Why does Gracie's book have pretty stickers and papers, and mine only has pictures?"  The guilt was enormous.  In addition, so is the pile of stuff I have in my crafting closet, because I bought the albums for her book a long, long time ago when I was a CM consultant.  I even had them engraved, so I'm pretty much locked in here.  So, at these events I have started Maggie's book.  It's been fun, but hard, as I didn't write much down in my new-mom sleep deprivation.  I'm sure I'll muddle through though, with the help of my AWESOME new CM Consultant.  Here we are:
 

While Gina, Amy, and I were scrapbooking, Jerry and the girls were back at home.  Maggie is taking FACS, or what we called "Home Ec" this semester.  She can earn extra credit if she cooks us something she learned to make in class for us at home.  Jerry and Gracie were the lucky first recipients of an extra-credit attempt while I was gone -- Cinnamon Toast!   

I was kind of hoping they'd learn how to make Beef Wellington before the semester ended, but no such luck.  We did have scrambled eggs, pancakes, and homemade pizza before the class ended, and it was all very good.  We have a budding chef on our hands!