I have been wanting to post some scrapbook layouts, but I think I need to spend  a lot of time on the text in the post…oh well!  No one really cares what I have to say, right?  It's all in the pictures, huh!?! Actually, I usually have a lot to say, but it's a time issue.  I'm not the best with time management, but I love to scrapbook and sometimes it's easier to say it with pictures.  It's one of my favorite creative outlets and I can't seem to give it up.  I know that some of my friends would much rather read, but for me…it's all about color and color makes me happy – either observing it, mixing it or combining colors to form pleasing palates. These colors were perfect for the colors in the photo, which was of my little friend Henry, at my daughter and son-in-law's (Christie and Matt) wedding open house.  The photo was taken by Alison Beachem! I really love subtle patterns that can mix and mingle with each other to make a bright, cheerful page. Everything about this layout compliments the cupcakes in the photo.   Believe it or not, the cupcakes came first! This picture really takes me back!  Mike is graduating in a couple of  weeks, Tom is turning 16 at the end of the week, Heather is in college and everyone  else is BIG and playing football.  I love

Years ago I saw one of those painted wood plaques that read: An Immaculate House is a Sign of a Dull Woman.  Never before has a woman ever so totally embraced a new mantra.  I was determined to make it my life goal…to never be a dull woman.  If you have been to my home, you know that it is just tidy enough…most of the time.  I have relinquished control of cleaning up after every one else.  I have other things to do.  The result is sometimes embarrassing. Periodically, I get the urge to clean.  Sometimes out of necessity, other times because I feel like it.  Today was one of those days.  I needed to take a grocery inventory.  I opened up my "big" cupboard to empty partially opened cases of staples onto the shelves.  But I couldn't just do it…things had definitely gotten out of hand.  Nothing was really in order and I needed to rotate things…do a little purging.  There were little baggies of leftover graham crackers from camp-outs, empty boxes (I don't know how to teach the "men" to get rid of the exterior packaging when they take out the last packet of something!), small things that had gotten pushed to the back that needed to be brought forward…you know, messy cupboards.  So today, I tackled the big food cupboard…not to be confused with the outside storage.  There is