Christmas journal #22

Even though I just mentioned that I am known to procrastinate, sometimes I am amazed at how good I am at getting things done. Such as Christmas tasks...besides my failure with sending out cards, I pretty much complete all other tasks fairly early. Such as tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. My gift shopping has been done for some time now.

Another example would be my wedding. The night before my wedding we pretty much sat around with nothing to do. Everything was done before schedule. All we had left to do was decorate the hall, but we couldn't do that until the morning of the wedding. Also making the tissue flowers to decorate the car, which was totally a waste of time considering the fact that it started raining right before the ceremony so they never got put on.

Anyways, here is my SIMPLE, SIMPLE, SIMPLE list of things to accomplish before the holiday.

Photo quality

Something to add about the heritage pages that I am creating. The quality of my grandmother's photos are so impressive. These pages go back to the 30's or 40's. I find this particularly impressive knowing where these pages came from. My grandmother had all of these and many more in a shoebox file system. I was so happy when she allowed me to take them and scan them to my computer, where I have since loaded the on to discs.

Grandmother's book

Coming along a bit better here. My mom kept asking me if I would be able to finish it before Christmas. I have no doubt in my mind that I will have it finished. Even if it means staying up all night Christmas Eve to get it completed. Sometimes I tend to procrastinate too much, but when I have a deadline I always finish whatever I am doing on time. Of course this has caused to me pull some all nighters, but that is usually with term papers.

Anyways here's two more to add to the book.

Grandmother's book

Grandmother's book

My grandfather as a soldier

Christmas journal #20

Christmas journal #20, getting there, still have a few to catch up with further back.

Script reads:

I won't be home until after
the first of the year, but I don't
imagine that my mailbox is
overflowing with Christmas greetings.
To be honest, I highly doubt that
many people even have my
current address. I promise
to improve on this next year!

Actually I do hand deliver some Christmas cards personally, so I am not completely out of the holiday tradition. I gave just a few cards out this year to:

My parents
My grandmother
My boyfriend
My sister
My ex-husband (for kids, but
I did sign my name also)
My ex-in-laws

I truly do want to improve on sending cards though, because there are other important people in my life that do deserve at least a card from me around the holidays if not any other time of the year.

Oh, and did you notice the mess up on my page. I wrote "but I don't imagine that MAY mailbox" oops it is suppose to be MY. I'll try to fix it later.

Grandmother's book

My grandfather with my father & uncle

Grandmother's book

Grandmother's book

As much as I am enjoying the Christmas journal, my priority has to be finishing my grandmother's book before Christmas day. So here I go with some of her pages. As I said before I do not know the history behind these pictures so I am not sure what the story behind the pictures are. This is a picture of my grandmother when she was I believe around 18 years old.

Christmas journal # 19

This is my Christmas journal page #19. This one was kind of fun, I used a bit of humor with it. My note to Santa is folded up inside the envelope.

Script reads:

Christmas with the Big Guy
Warm Winter Wishes
Come true in Florida

Letter reads:

Santa,

Hopefully you have received my temporary change of address for the holidays. I know Florida is a change of pace from the usual frosty temperatures in the North, but if you could drop me off a few new scrapbook supplies for the holidays that would be awesome. I know it is hard to tear yourself away from the warm weather and the beach, but slip your boots back on and your jolly red suit and stop by to see me. I'll be sure to keep the fireplace out just for you.

Lots of Love,

Rhonda

P.S. How's skim milk & chocolate chip cookies sound?

Christmas journal #17

Here is my page #17. I have created this since I have been here in Florida. I just managed to get my mom's scanner fixed. She needed a new USB plug and the software downloaded. She didn't have her disc, so I had to search for it on the internet. Luckily things worked out so that I can continue to post some of my pages on here during my visit.

I couldn't really think of any presents that I gave that as soon as I saw it I knew it was for someone, so I decided to write about the most special present that I have ever given to anyone, that could only be appreciated by that person.

This gift was given to my mother, and she truly appreciates it. It was loaded with pictures of her mother and father, and of course us. She made a page herself along with me, and she couldn't think of anything either, so she decided to write about the best present that she ever received, which was my scrapbook to her.

Florida, here we are!!

Well here I am finally in Florida. I guess I arrived sometime last night about six. I created a page for my journal last night, but until I get my mom's scanner set up I won't be able to post them to my blog. I'll try to work on it today. I also had my mom create her own page with me. It is nice to watch her make them. She isn't comfortable with her own creativity, so she usually only does it when I am here. It gives us something to do together.

We have plans to go visit my grandmother later on in the day after my mother comes home from work. I haven't seen her yet, but I did talk to her on the phone shortly after arriving yesterday.

Not much to talk about yet, but I think I am going to work on some pages while my mom is gone. Maybe do some catching up.

My Christmas Present

Isn't she beautiful? Todd gave me this for Christmas yesterday. I love it! It is hand carved out of wood, with a wonderful selection of bright lively colors. I've never seen this collection before, but it is created by Jim Shore, and this is from his Heartwood Creek collection.

Now all I have to do is find a special place for her in my home. Todd said he picked this specific one because he thinks that I am a great mother, and she is called "Mother, You're An Angel."

Back to school AGAIN

After two terms of taking a break from classes, I am getting off of my butt and taking a few more next term. I registered for my classes this week. They will be starting in mid January. About that time I will be just about ready for something to keep me busy, since I will still be off of work then still.

I have decided to take two classes this time, English Comp II and Speech. I took Speech once but decided to drop out because I could not understand what my professor was saying. Hopefully this time I have a better one. Now English Comp II is a different story, this class I should enjoy.

Most people think that speech would be an easy class for me to take. I don't mind the writing, but getting up in front of everyone makes me extremely nervous. I'm not sure how I appear to others, but in my mind there is nothing but complete chaos going on when I am in front of an audience.

Anyways, looking forward to January.

So here are my Christmas carolers

I'm not exactly sure where these guys
came from, but I thought they
were kind of cute!

2005 Christmas cards

Actually I should have used the picture of this Santa with the white background instead, but this was a spur of the moment thing to have done while I was at the photo counter getting pictures copied. This just happened to be one of the few that I had on the disc with me.

There is another one that would have been good. It was one of all my Santas lined up on my entertainment center, but dummy me had all the Santas facing the wrong way instead of me. Maybe next year I'll get it right.

Christmas journal #9

Still doing some catch up on my journal. Finally completed another one that I had been skipping around. This is my page #9 of my journal. This page was dedicated to traditions. We were suppose to express either ones that we had, or new ones that we wanted to start, etc. Because my life changes so much from Christmas to Christmas never knowing where we might be, or if I will even have my children or be alone I find it difficult to have traditions. I have some in mind, they just never seem to happen the way is visualize them happening.

Of another challenge with this page was to have hidden journaling. My hidden script reads:

"It is hard for me to have family
traditions to share with my children,
because it seems that each year
changes. We never know where
we will be or who we will be with.
Traditions are very important to me
and I do try to do my best to
establish some new ones with my
children in the years to come.
Life is so much more complicated
than it was when I was a child
celebrating Christmas."

Reflections of Time

Another page completed for my grandmother's book. This book is going to be for her to reflect back on the memories of her life years ago. You would not believe how many black & white photos of hers that I have copied. Like this cute picture of my father when he was a baby.

I just love old photos. Not sure what it is about them that I like so much. Maybe their style of clothes, the looks on their faces, the seriousness captured in the pictures. Whatever it is I love it. Kind of makes you wonder what our kids will think of photos of us as they get older. Will they say "I just love looking at old photos!" Or will it be "Gosh, look at this, you look like such a geek." Just looking back at photos from when I was a child myself, or a teenager I imagine that they will pick the second statement instead.

It took me a long time to realize the importance of taking pictures. Probably why you won't find a whole lot of me when I was younger, but you will find an abundance of me now. So I can reflect back when I am older and see how much I have changed over the years. Of course this might not be such a good idea, this might cause someone to go into a state of depression....ME!

I always thought Christmas was magic...

This is part of the Christmas card that I bought for my parents this year. I liked the little Santa Claus in the Christmas globe. The scanning took away some of the magic of the card (the glitter doesn't show so well). I just really liked the card and wanted to share it.

While I am there I will probably find a way to help her put the card into a page for her scrapbook.

Christmas journal #10

Okay, this is what I completed (well almost completed entirely) last night while waiting to meet my ex-husband so that he could get the kids for the holidays. I completely everything last night except for the script, which reads:

My giftwrapping techinques
are usually quite simple.
Neatly creased paper-minus a
bow, which usually gets
smashed, or a bag and
tissue paper

Of course not just any old bag. It has to be something wonderful that expresses the holiday spirit. Such as this Santa that I have taken from one of my giftbags that were purchased last year.

Doesn't he look like a Jolly Old St. Nick?