scrapbooking

SYW: On Doing Without, Keeping, and Not Buying on Credit

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Di at pensivity 101 is still subbing for Melanie for Share Your World.

1.  Which of the following could you do without? TV, Computer, Mobile Phone.
TV, I guess. I would miss PBS! My son has no TV and he streams everything. Maybe he could teach me!

2.  Do you have a lot of old photographs in a box, or did you put them in albums?
I do have some photos in a box, but at least they are all sorted and labeled. I have also put a lot of my photos in albums. I was into the scrapbooking craze for awhile – it’s amazing how much time I took (and money I spent!) to add little embellishments and create fancy backgrounds. It’s a lot easier now, because I do it on Shutterfly, since all my photos are now digital (and I can scan the ones that aren’t, which are mainly ones other people have given me). I don’t like to just keep all my photos on my computer, or on flashdrives or whatever. Then if I look at them later, I won’t remember what’s in the photos. I like to remember my trips and I enjoy making and looking at my albums (especially in the depths of winter) and showing them to others. There are many trips I haven’t made into albums, but at least I try to have a journal so I know what the photos are about.

If my kids or grandkids want to throw away my albums after I’m dead, so be it! I will die believing they will cherish them as keepsakes, as well as all my writing!

Found on Google Images

3.  What was the first thing you bought for yourself when you started work?

OMG, that was so long ago, I have no idea! Probably clothes.

4.  What is the biggest thing you have bought that did not require finance?

My husband’s car – we didn’t need to finance because at the time we happened to have the money from selling a property, and we also got something of a rebate from his trade-in. It was great not to have monthly car payments, at least until I bought a new car a year later…

GRATITUDE.

SYW: On Annoying Commercials, Nasty Food, and the Creative Process

/ amoralegria / 2 Comments

“Monday Melanie” has given us a new set of questions for her Share Your World challenge!

QUESTIONS

What’s the worst commercial you’ve recently seen (or heard)? Why was it so bad?
This is a hard one because so many are terrible! Most annoying are the Liberty Mutual ads. I would not recommend this company to anyone due to their ubiquitous, stupid ads! Everyone I talk to hates their commercials as much as I do. Also ads for intimate products, like tampons or sanitary pads.

Since you crossed off “recently”, the ads for Folgers Coffee were awful. In one ad, a person says, “Is your coffee grounds for divorce?’ I mean, how tacky!! Another really old Folgers commercial bragged about the “crystals” in its coffee. Who wants crystals in coffee?? Just give me pure, finely ground coffee, please! No additives!

What takes a lot of time but is totally worth it?
My hubby says, “love.” Awwww!

So I will say something else: the creative process of seeing a project through to the end. I spend long hours and weeks completing photo albums but I love doing it. I can say that a lot of my blog posts fall into this category as well. They’re time consuming, but fun to do. I’m in an art workshop – same thing. The camaraderie of other people who love art is part of it, but also dedicating 90 minutes a week to painting or drawing something is calming and fun, even if it takes weeks to finish it or to come back to. I’m in a writing group – same thing again. I have written a lot of things, and some of them are quite good, others not so much, but it’s worth the time because it is the creative process that is totally worthwhile, especially when producing a finished product I can be proud of!

Have you ever smiled at a stranger and then wished you hadn’t? Why or why not?
Yes, but only because the stranger stared straight ahead and made no attempt to smile back. So rude. Fortunately, where I live now, everyone – whether we know them or not – smiles and says hello!

It’s good to be able to see smiles again after over a year of wearing masks!

What do you think is the nastiest tasting food?  (This one might be a recycled question.  It’s familiar to me anyhow)
Olives. They’re so bitter.

GRATITUDE SECTION (as always, optional)

Are you at peace with yourself?   Your world?   Please share, whether you said “yay” or “nay”! 
Yes, pretty much. Most of the horrors of my life – the failures, dissatisfying experiences, vindictive people – are behind me. In the senior community where I live, we are all retired and we do pretty much what we want and like to do. Most people are friendly and pleasant to be with.

There are many problems in this world, and a few in my life, but I am overall happy and without regrets.

Gratitude Quotes

CFFC: Turtle Time

/ amoralegria / 3 Comments

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge this week continues with the alphabet: T – Needs to have two T’s anywhere in the word.

Last year, a long-time elderly member of my church passed away.  A memorial service was held at the retirement home where she had been living for several years.  On the back table was her extensive collection of turtles – she had all types of turtles that she had bought or was given throughout her adult life. Each guest was invited to pick one or two turtles to take home. I added them to the two turtles I already had, purchased in Mexico.

The 1st picture is the four turtles. The 2nd is a video of me playing the turtle flute!

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The following are pictures from my Costa Rica scrapbook, which I made after a month-long trip there in 2004 with my son, Jayme. An optional excursion was a weekend trip to Tortuguero National Park on Costa Rica’s east coast. It is named after the turtles who migrate back to its beaches to lay their eggs. At the time of year we were there – July – there were no turtles, just a turtle-shaped swimming pool!20180105_122217

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I tried to minimize the glare while taking photos of these pages, since the pages don’t fit on my scanner! As you can see, I used to spend a lot of time on scrapbooking (my Costa Rica trip takes up two albums!). I don’t do it anymore because my pictures are all digital. However, I do miss it – it was creative and fun to work on with other scrappers.