ta_merkins layouts

Day 1 Blind Scrap:

 

day 2: Why I scrap


journaling: 363 words
I started scrapbooking more than13 years ago. When I started scrapbooking, I was pregnant with Dominick and I wanted to make sure that his baby moments were captured. Here’s the thing, I have lots of stories of Dominick’s baby-hood and of Ghabriel’s baby-hood. What I didn’t record: dates of first steps and what first words were or when first teeth came in.

However, what I do have is I have stories of how I felt at being a new mom and about Dominick’s favorite toys and what it was like before Ghabe was born when we’d spend Saturdays just the two of us. I have stories of how I felt at getting the positive when I got pregnant with Ghabe and I have stories about how I felt at Ghabe's diagnosis. I have stories of being in the hospital and of being at home. I have pages about just random things that I may have forgotten about had I not scrapbooked them like when Dominick used to say "Ghabriel's goo". I have lots of fun pages of the kids and our family. I have pages for vacations and trips to the lake and our family camping trips. I have pages capturing the boys’ first times catching fish and first days of school. I have all of these stories told with pretty stuff and pictures.

But, why do I scrapbook? It’s to remember those times and it's to play with pretty papers and embellishments and to do something creative. It's to have me time and to be part of this community. But it’s also because I listen. I listen to Ali Edwards and rukristin. I listen when I’m told that this is my story and I’m the only one who can tell that story. I listen and I believe it to be true that I deserve to tell my stories. I am the main character in my story with everyone being supporting characters. I love telling the stories of my family from my point of view. I love telling how I feel about my kids and my husband and anything else I want to talk about. This is for me. This is my story.

 

Day 3 Photoless LO about me

 

Day 5: Fill a Fourth

 

day 8: 1 color

 

day 10: title with no letters

 

day 7: simple template

 

day 6: torn title
This is a hybrid page, so the tears are not a template

 

day 12: art journal

 

DAy 9- bokeh effect

 

day 11: story

journaling: 776 words

2021. It was heralded as the new beginning….2020 (that dumpster fire of a year) was over and 2021 is going to be better. But here we are, 11 days in and I don’t think it’s better. I mean, nothing in my personal life has changed that much. I still get to work from home (best part about the pandemic), I still don’t want to go to stores so much (but when did I really ever- although….I would LOVE to go to St Cloud and go to Michael’s and Crafts Direct and Five Below and the Dollar Tree...but I won’t), the boys are still schooling at home- all of Litchfield is. So, our house...hasn’t changed so much. Plus, I mean I took the time and energy to go get some Happy Panda for the first time since we moved back in Sept 2019. So, that’s good!


The boys want to go back to school soooo bad, and to be honest, academically they probably need to. I’m not as worried for them anymore...schools have a low transmission rate and I feel like even Ghabe would be in good hands. We are almost a year into this and doctors must know more than they did before, but what if they did catch it? Isn’t the point of staying home so they don’t catch it….or as importantly transfer it to someone else? We’d have to not see my parents for a while...on the other hand, both of them go to work and see people and customers. So I’m not sure what to do about this.


But, overall, in general, this year….it’s pretty much the same thus far. COVID-19 is still killing thousands of people every single day. I mean, at this point, we have daily death tolls higher than 9/11/2001 and we still mourn for those citizens- as we should. The vaccines are being done and people are getting them, but roll out isn’t as streamlined as they’d like and production is sluggish. I figure by spring or summer, vaccinations will be widespread….but that still leaves us a few months.


Beyond the pandemic, there is a whole other issue in America….well, there are lots of them. But pro-trump supporters storming the US Capital with firearms and stuff because the president told them it was ok? I mean, what the actual FUCK is going on? And people think it’s ok and still back this idiot. I get it if you are republican because you want less government or you are pro choice or whatever, but seriously...this guy is unhinged and you are ok voting for him? At what point does character...the safety of the country come before policy? Like, why is that your guy….there are lots of republicans who at least have some character. I didn’t like either Bush, but I can easily say that they are not white supremacists...and would NEVER provoke people like that. They are adults and acted like it. I guess that is the minimum bar for me for the presidency. Sure, he can be impeached...but you know what? 5 people are still dead...and 5 isn’t anything compared to the COVID related deaths of that day. But seriously. Why were these people not arrested immediately. They were let go….some were politely escorted out of the building. WHA?!?!? They broke in... arrest them! Also, why do people think they can do this with no consequences? You are going to be found out….the internet is amazing. You very well could lose your job….probably actually since people will let your employer know. If you do idiotic stuff….if you act stupid, be prepared for the consequences and stop whining about it. And just because you left the DC area, doesn’t mean you won’t be arrested. Duh. The whole thing sickens me.


Also, I know that people who are republicans aren’t all bad people. But, I can’t justify spending time with people who think that the character of a person doesn’t matter. People already drain me of energy (that’s the introvert in me)...and I want to at least respect the people draining my energy LOL!


So, 2021 isn’t starting out as the refreshing new beginning it was to be. I have no doubt that as spring comes and we can get outside and summer comes and we can be in the sunshine, things will look better. More vaccines will have taken place and things will be calmer as the new Biden administration takes over. But until then, we’ll keep getting through and take it one day at a time.

 

day 13 in a mirror

 

day 15 clean and simple

 

day 14: filled page

 

day 4: flowers

 

day 16: use doodles

 

day 17: acrostic

 

day 19 stamped bkgrd

 

day 18 combine temps

 

day 20 photo challenge