Mom & Me

For Mother's Day, I helped my dad round up photos of my mom with her children for a digital slideshow. Finding the photos wasn't easy. My mom's photos are very carefully organized, but like most moms, she's not in many of the pictures. My dad and I had to search through 10+ albums and twice that many photo boxes before we found enough pictures to make a video. In the end, we rounded up 85 fabulous photos spanning 26 years. Here are some of my favorites of me with my mom. Happy Mother's Day, Mom! (Don't worry, I'll put all the photos back where they came from.)

And the Winners Are . . .

Amber said...
Simple showed me how to create nice looking and very easy layouts without having to use lots of stuff.
April 30, 2009 10:30 AM

Lisa said...
It's given me the reassurance that it's ok to scrap out of order and to not fill a page with embellishments. My simple pages did in fact qualify as scrapbook pages.
April 30, 2009 6:28 PM

Congratulations! To claim your prizes, send your full names and U.S. mailing addresses to rachel_l_gainer@yahoo.com, and I'll put your prizes in the mail.

A big thanks to everyone else who shared their Simple stories with me. I loved reading all of your "ah-ha" moments and your kind words. It's been a fabulous journey together. Keep scrapping Simple!

Today marks the end of Celebrate Simple Week, but we're ending on a high note. Be sure to visit Wendy's, Cathy's, and Angie's blogs today to comment and be entered for a chance to win one of two Epson Artisan 700 Photo All-in-One Printers or one of three Making Memories desktop carousels. These three bloggers will be pooling their comments and choosing five random winners from the total group, so you can increase your chances of winning by commenting on all three blogs. Good luck!

Plus stop in and say hi to the woman who started it all: Stacy Julian.

A Simple Celebration!

I joined the Simple Scrapbooks team in July 2006, just two days before my 23rd birthday. (Awesome present, don’t you think?) When I told my dad about the job, he said, “That’s great! How’s the pay?” “I don’t know,” I said, “They haven’t told me.” “Well,” he said, laughing, “you know you’ve found your dream job when you accept an offer without knowing how much you’ll be paid.” He was right: working at Simple was my dream job.

The People
Since many Simple teammates lived out of sate, getting together for team meetings usually involved a confusing conference call or blurry video chat (of course, we made do). But during my second week at Simple, I had the rare privilege of meeting the entire team face-to-face at the annual planning meeting. We’re talking about a week-long schedule of reviewing, revamping, and refining the mission of the magazine and brainstorming a plan to get the job done. I got to see Stacy Julian in action, explaining her liberating scrapbooking philosophy and sharing her hopes for the future, and I watched the entire team rally around her, sharing her enthusiasm and her vision. That was when I caught the vision of what it means to be a Simple scrapbooker, and I’ve never looked back.

The Philosophy
Before joining the Simple team, I believed (as so many do) that I needed to scrapbook events chronologically and stay caught up. But this approach wasn’t working for me. I wasn’t overwhelmed by photos (not yet and, thanks to Simple, not ever), but I also wasn’t inspired by what I had to work with. I had too many photos of events I didn’t want to scrapbook and a few random snapshots that didn’t match events. I had plenty of memories in my head, but I didn’t have photos to match. I was discouraged, and I wasn’t scrapbooking.

Simple taught me that scrapbooking should work for me, not the other way around. Soon I discovered that I could pair any photo with any story and that I could scrapbook whatever was important to me. The longer I worked at Simple, the more I understood. I started paying more attention to my everyday life, journaling in the moment (or soon after), and carrying my camera everywhere I went.

Now that I have a little girl and plenty of inspiring stories to tell, I have less time to actually create pages. But I’m still a Simple scrapbooker. I notice when my daughter enters new phases. I snap photos on ordinary days. I write down funny things she does. I look for patterns in my photos. I ask people to take pictures of us together. Sometimes I run for the camera. Sometimes I enjoy the moment. I collect inspiration. I buy fun new products. I reorganize my scrap space. And when I find the time, I make layouts I love. I don’t agonize over photos I haven’t printed or pages I haven’t made. I am a Simple scrapbooker, through and through.

These are two of my favorite pages that were published in Simple Scrapbooks magazine. The first is an "event" page; the second is an "everyday" page. I love having that kind of freedom!

The Giveaway
Post a comment telling me how the Simple philosophy has influenced your scrapbooking, and I’ll pick two random winners to receive one of the prize packages pictured below. Be sure to include your name with your comment. Comments will close at 10:00 p.m. MDT. (Winners must be residents of the U.S.)

Be sure to visit my friends Celeste Smith, Margaret Scarbrough, and Beth Proudfoot to see what they have to say about Simple and to enter their contests.

Farewell, Simple Scrapbooks

The time has come to bid a fond farewell to Simple Scrapbooks magazine—but not its liberating scrapbooking philosophy or the people who still advocate it. Simple staffers and contributors have joined together to send the magazine out with a bang. All week long, we’ll be sharing Simple memories, posting inspiring layouts, and giving away cool prizes. Check back here each day for links to featured bloggers. And help me celebrate the joy of scrapbooking by telling me what you love most about our hobby.

Happy Birthday, Shelby!

It’s official: my little girl is one year old.

I’m usually a huge fan of birthdays, but I dreaded this one for weeks. It only reminded me that my baby was growing up too fast and that it wouldn't be long before she was heading off to college. And I couldn't bear the thought of saying goodbye. I know that sounds melodramatic (especially since I've still got the terrible twos and the teen years ahead of me), but I can't be the only mother who has ever felt that way.

Since I couldn’t avoid the inevitable, I planned a big birthday bash to distract myself. I invited twenty-five guests (mostly family) to join us for a BBQ, gifts, and cake. Dinner and dessert were a hit with Shelby, but gifts were a disaster (she wouldn't open a single one). Here are a few pictures of the festivities:

I borrowed the color palette (yellow, pink, turquoise, and green) and butterfly theme for Shelby's party from my favorite piece of BasicGrey paper. Then I used my QuicKutz Revolution, a butterfly die, and Doodlebug papers to create simple butterfly decorations, which I taped around the room. Pretty and easy!

No high chair today! Shelby loved sitting at the table with all of the big people. Of course, she wasn't thrilled to be the only one at the table with a sippy cup. She wanted a regular cup and tried to steal any cup within reach.

It took me 4 hours to frost this cake, but I think it turned out pretty darn cute. The frosting even matched the decorations. (Will used the leftover frosting to decorate a second butterfly cake, just in case. It took him 4 minutes and looked great. Further proof that Shelby needs both of us.)

Shelby didn't want anything to do with her presents, so no cute pictures of that. But she was a big fan of her cake, polishing off two big pieces and ending by mashing crumbs into her hair. (And believe me, it's not easy to get frosting out of those curls!)

All in all, I'd say the party was a big success. Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun!

Time Flies

One year ago today, I was walking through Pier 1 Imports, looking for props for Mini Albums in an Evening, a Simple Scrapbooks special issue. I was examining a narrow, turquoise shelf when my cell phone rang. My heart began to race. For weeks, I had been impatiently waiting for a call from my adoption agency, telling me that my husband, Will, and I had been matched to a birth mom. When I glanced at my phone and saw that it was Will, I relaxed but with a twinge of disappointment. That morning, Will had left for a business trip to Mississippi, and I assumed he was calling to check in. I was wrong.

Moments before, Will had received the call I had been anticipating. We had been matched with a birth mom who had delivered a healthy baby girl the night before. My heart was racing again. I began pacing the aisles, sitting down on random chairs, then jumping up and pacing some more. After all the waiting, I was a mom—just like that. I felt a cyclone of emotions welling up inside of me until, finally, I broke down and cried in the middle of Pier 1, surrounded by trendy décor and unfamiliar people.

Since Will was out of town, we agreed to keep the news secret (at least from our families) until he returned and we picked our little girl up from the hospital two days later. That was a painfully difficult task, and I probably would have had a nervous breakdown if not for my dear friends Janette and Angie, who helped me get ready to walk out of one life and into another in less than 48 hours. Bless them for putting up with my manic mood swings!

I spent the next two days at the hospital, holding my beautiful baby girl and getting to know her amazing birth mom—a woman I loved instantly and miss daily. People sometimes ask me when I felt like Shelby's mom. The answer is simple: before I met her. The moment I saw Shelby's birth mom, I knew she had carried my little girl, and I felt bonded to both of them. It was the most peaceful moment of my life. And then I met my little girl, and I felt as though I had never been without her. I loved everything about her: her adorably long feet, her soft black hair, her funny little grimaces. I couldn't get enough of her.

Shelby's first birthday has come and gone, and my beautiful baby is now a little lady. I love her and can't imagine life without her. She makes me laugh every day, and she makes me wish time would just slow down. At least most days. :)