Dad's Album—6 More Pages

Geesh I need to be better about blogging my pages as I create them. Then again I was kind of on a crafty binge over the weekend and I think I did most of these in the past few days.

This round of pages has been kind of difficult for me. Typically I love basking in the memories of dad, but this time has been hard.  Not sure if it's because a very dear friend of mine recently lost her father or if I'm just missing his wise counsel and his incessant teasing.  I loved that.

The first page in this crafting binge I created was about the Valentines that I created for the boys. Lets face it. I kind of felt like rockstar mom actually pulling off these beauties and it was only because of having time to kill while at the hospital that I made it happen.

 

Layout based on Let's Get Sketchy July Week 2 Sketch.  See this post for sketch!)

Next was another layout that was hard to do. It was one of those photos that I kept grabbing to scrap and kept putting back—because it was such a powerful and special moment. One I genuinely wish I could be a part of again. I miss dad's wisdom. 

 

(Layout based on Aquamarine #1 Mid Week Mojo sketch at ScrapbookSteals.com).

After dad's surgery he was on I believe the 4th floor of the hospital for the maximum amount of days he could be before his insurance co-pay would re-set. Thankfully he was able to have a great room with a view and plenty of space for visitors. Often dad would become discouraged and wish to be home, and his strength just wasn't returning as quickly as he had hoped, however, he did do his best to find enjoyment in simple things, such as what was on the menu for the day and entertainment coming from Sean reading his journal entries from his youth to us.  (Good times for sure!)

 

(Layout based on Aquamarine #2 Mid Week Mojo Sketch at ScrapbookSteals.com).

Once dad was moved into the orthopedic recovery ward on the bottom floor, I decided I'd be brave and share journal entries from my youth. WOW. I. WAS. ONE. HORMONAL. BOY. CRAZY. INDIVIDUAL.  That particular day Sean and his daughter Alyssa were there, mom, Maddi and Sarah and Mary. I was genuinely blushing due to the fact that I changed my crush every 3 days and liked some guys considerably older than me.  My girls thought it was a riot. Alyssa didn't pick up her cell phone once, she was so engrossed, and me? Well I was bright red from blushing.  Dad was quietly rolling his eyes in bed wondering what on earth he did wrong when raising me, I'm sure. :D

 

(Layout based on Sketch N Scrap Sketch #37 (LOVE!))

Moving along in the time line (I don't scrap in order if you can't tell!), I did this layout of the last photo I have of dad with most of our kids. I truly wish Maddi would have been in the photo, but alas, sometimes you can't force a stubborn teenager to do what you want them to.  ;)  

Our boys were SO excited to share their Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes that I had made from them the Friday before. Don't judge that 3 days went by before I washed Aarons blue hair out. :D

(Layout based on Let's Get Sketchy July Week 3 Sketch).

Lastly I created another dear to my heart layout of another powerful moment. I will never forget this day—less than 48 hours before dads passing when he was talking on Skype with Rich. It may even have been their last conversation. The tears were truly pouring when dad was talking with him, filling him in on the details of his doctors visit and the anticipation that his life would not extend through the week. 

Dad in his infinite wisdom told Rich that he was not afraid and in fact was very much looking forward to meeting his Savior and his parents and his dear grandma. When he was talking with Rich he said how there will be times throughout life when the memories will hit and the heart will hurt (and boy was he right about that), but that we should remember the happy times we had and just have peace in knowing that we will be together again.

Even though it was a moment filled with tears, it was also a moment filled with giggles thinking about the happy times. The last decent conversation we all had together, prior to the confusion setting in.

 

 

(Layout based on the Paper Bakery Kit Club Sketch #8 challenge).

Thanks for stopping by! If I don't see you before stop by on Friday as I'll be participating in this months Blog Hop with Kiwi Lane. 

Scrapbook Steals Birthday Blog Hop!

For those of you hopping along in the Scrapbook Steals Blog hop you should have just landed here from the blog of the ever so talented and wonderful Erica Bass. 

Wow! #1 I can't believe that my beloved ScrapbookSteals.com is FOUR YEARS OLD! #2, I can't believe that I get to help celebrate this milestone with participating in my very first blog hop ever! I'm so truly honored that I get to wrap up the fun in the lineup!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jana, Rett, Melodee, Brittany and the rest of the crew!

For those of you that don't know, 4 years ago, when ScrapbookSteals was still in it's itty bitty infancy my dear friend Melodee dragged me out of my "scrapbooking retirement" and asked if I would work very party time with her doing customer service.

While I genuinely enjoyed connecting with the customers via customer service, my true passion was in bringing inspiration to the fans.

With a little head strong attitude by myself, Melodee and I began to morph the ScrapbookSteals.com community into what it is today.

I'll never forget my first Mid Week Mojo and the gajillions I did over the following 4 years in my employment there. (Okay, maybe it was only 100's but still....) ;)

So when Melodee challenged me to create a layout about something from 2009, without a doubt, it had to be the beginning of my journey with such a wonderful company, which resulted in a crop of friends that are truly lifelong.

Fittingly almost all of the product on this page is even from steals over the years. ScrapbookSteals.com is really *that* good. 

I will always and forever be so grateful for my time spent with such an amazing company, but alas all good things sometimes come to an end and my end came about by being recruited to another amazing company which has been featured on ScrapbookSteals.com several times—Kiwi Lane Designs. 

While I genuinely miss my crown as the Mojo Mama, I know I'm where I need to be for my family at this time and have been blessed with an amazing opportunity to work as the Kiwi Lane Marketing Director. 

If you haven't had a chance to use any Kiwi Lane Designer Templates, I'm giving away my very favorite set of border templates, the Cascade Trails set to one lucky person that becomes a follower of my pathetic little blog AND leaves me a comment. Yeah. I'm pimping myself out for some warm fuzzies.  :D

LOOK! YOU CAN WIN THIS! ^^^^^^^^^

You have until Sunday night, July 14th at 11:59 PM MST to leave your comment for your chance to win. 

If you aren't already planning on it you wont want to miss out tonight on the ScrapbookSteals online crop where you can participate in fun challenges (including creating a layout that is 2009 oriented), and having the chance to win lots of amazing prizes! Word on the street is another favorite, We R Memory Keepers will be there. Hmmmmm... Just might need to stop by!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCRAPBOOKSTEALS! You know I love ya!  Mmmmwaahhh!!

More Memories of Dad

This week has been pretty favorable with working on the memory book about dad. Lots of late nights though, which then result in afternoon naps which then result in more late night scrapping because I can't sleep.

Hmmmm....

Does this really make sense?

So I finally took the plunge and had the guts to scrap  my very favorite photo of dad and myself. The photo that I'd keep going to scrap and would put away because it just made me cry.

This moment was filled with such powerful emotion that I will never ever EVER forget it.

I even broke down and used some of my favorite papers from Rob and Bob Studio that I've been hoarding for just the right project for, oh gosh, maybe 7 or 8 years.  Yeah. I'm a hoarder. (Psssh...those boys blog about as much as I did before resurrecting the blog). ;)

 Words really cannot adequately capture the feelings of this photo, but after several tries, I think I'm okay with the outcome.

(Layout design based on July 1 sketch at Let's Get Sketchy). 

I also did a layout about dads "smells". The morning following dads passing I was using the upstairs bathroom—where dad had all of his bottles of "smell good" in the medicine cabinet. I just stood there and stared and smelled and let the scent of dad flow over me. I'm so thankful for our sense of smell as it truly triggers memories, as nothing else can adequately do.

I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy with how the title lays out and I've moved it a dozen times. Maybe I'll keep tinkering with it or maybe it's just time to call it good.  Oh and yeah. I need to reorder the prints. The Sidewalk Sprinklers got a little out of control. ;)

(Layout design based on Sketch #36 at Sketch & Scrap! One of my favorite sketchy sites!)

Well, that's it for now. I think it's time to head to my work space and get playing with a little more paper! 

The Family Man

I'm trying to keep my fire lit to get this memory book done about dad, so I keep searching for sketch challenges around the inter webs to help me get the pages done. It's sooo nice to not have to think too hard about the design, but simply create.  The sketch that I based this layout off of is the 7/2 Sketch found at Lily Bee Designs. One of my faves.

So when dad had escaped the ICU for a second time after his surgery, he landed himself in the best room on the 4th floor. It was a room where he could actually easily have multiple visitors at the same time as well as a lovely view to the south of the hospital.  Given that he was in the hospital for over 20 days—post surgery—it was nice that he could actually have a view, rather than a brick wall to stare at, which is what his neighbor across the hall was blessed with.

I'm sure that most post-op-patients aren't in the hospital for quite as long as dad was, and maybe that's partially why he was dubbed with the nickname "The Family Man".  There wasn't a single day that went by where dad wasn't surrounded at very least by his lovely bride, if not friends, neighbors and family.

It was always a treat to so see just how much dad was loved by all that he came in contact with.

The Mo-Hair Sweater

I have to admit that I've always been in awe of yarn crafters, not only now but even when I was little. I used to love watching my mom clack away with her knitting needles, making scarves or crocheting afghans.

At some point before I was even considered for conception, my mom mad my dad a "mo-hair" sweater.  I can only imagine how hip he was at the time, sporting around the furry beast.

I grew to love that sweater when I was little, often pulling it out of mom's closet and petting it. I remember even writing a story about the sweater titled "How the Mo Got It's Fur".  Unfortunately I don't remember how the Mo got fur, but that's beside the point.

In the recent years, my brother Sean adopted the Mo-Hair. And while I genuinely appreciate the talents that went into creating such a thing, I have come to terms that the thing is just ugly.  Looks like an extension of the hair on Sean's face. Icky!

Sean would often wear it to the hospital during the weeks of Dad's hospital stay and I was always stunned at how many people would want to pet his arm and were genuinely in awe of the beast.

Of course he would always be proud to say that it was my momma that actually knitted the sweater.

 

(Layout based off of Sketch Challenge #7 at Paper Bakery Kits). 

The ScrapbookSteals Peridots

Oh goodness. I'll be honest. Summer is kicking my butt. Between the summer reading school that Aaron finally finished, getting Sarah to the point of getting her drivers license and lessons, and NAET, and trying to keep bored kids entertained and striving to keep at least an ounce of peace in the home—well—I've kind of been slacking here on the blog.

In fact I've even been slacking on scrapping.

But the good news I guess is that I was determined to finish out the Peridot series of Mid Week Mojos at ScrapbookSteals.com, and here they are!

Peridot 7—The Cookie Nazi

 
Okay, so while this may not be the worlds most entirely politically correct layout title, I think those that know me know I'm about as far from being racial as one can really get.  I think the term that our lovely Maddi adopted as being the Cookie Nazi spurred from the old Seinfeld episode of the Soup Nazi.

It's a scary experience being in the kitchen with the master. In fact, truth is you should just steer well clear of her when she is in her happy place, because if you interrupt the process, or so much as touch the glorious cookie dough, the demons will arise.

All in all it's well worth the wait, because this girl is truly the best cookie maker—ever. What lucky kiddos she will have!

Peridot 8—Fleeting Moments

I seriously thank my Father in Heaven above for these fleeting moments which are few and far between, when my boys actually get along. I have NO clue how to make them love each other more, so when I see a moment like this, where they are happy I try to catch a photo to refer to when they are punching each other in the guts, or screaming their heads off because one of them looked at the other in the wrong way. Yeah. They're currently upstairs having it out. I think I'll hide down here for just a little longer. ;)

Peridot 9—River, Rail, Relay Run

I admit it. I hate a 2 page sketch. But alas, I wasn't about to let the fear of the 2 pager slow me down. I was going to do some photos of dad, but realized that this handful of photos that I had printed from a relay run that I did with my favorite running peeps would work great for the sketch. Of course I couldn't follow it too directly since that kind of challenges me, but I did incorporate the jist of it, and am okay with how it turned out.

Peridot 10—Ghost Tour

When I saw that Melodee had given us another 2 pager, I immediately messaged her and told her that she was single handedly trying to kill my scrappy desires. ;)

I'll admit, I'm not really in love with this layout about a ghost tour that we took on our Easter Staycation, which took us around to a dozen or so sites in the Salt Lake area, which are notorious for being haunted. But hey—I finished a Mid Week Mojo series, which I've never done before, and that I do love!

*Click on each Peridot name to see the sketches on the ScrapbookSteals.com blog.