My first real blog

Okay, I've been thinking about doing this for awhile. It's a form of peer pressure, all the other scrappers are doing it, right?

I'll start with a little background about me, LOL, what else? I grew up in a small town about 2 hours south of Chicago. My Dad was a construction worker, and my Mom stayed home until they divorced. Then she worked her butt off to raise us. I have 2 older half-sisters, one cool little brother, and another younger half-brother. My Dad died a few years ago, lets just say he was on a bad road and had been for awhile. My Mom is remarried to a great guy whom I refer to as 'Papa'. I love him for his patience and acceptance of my family.

I am married to a great guy. He's charismatic, has a great smile that still makes me feel "melty", he is a wonderful provider, hard worker, Mr. Fix-It, musician, techno geek...you name it...he's got it covered! And, we have 2 beautiful daughters. They are the center of our universe.

About a year ago, we moved from NW Indiana to England. It was a great opportunity to further my hubby's job and for us to travel and just experience a different culture. Fortunately, they speak English since neither of us are fluent in any other language! But there are things that are different here, some good, some just different. I'm glad it's different! It was a little daunting at first, but I have made friends and gotten used to the differences. My daughters love their school and have lots of friends. We all miss our friends back home, but we'll be back soon enough.

Scrapping: I started scrapping in 2000. My SIL had shown me her newest interest, scrapbooking, and it seemed like something I could do. I've always loved taking pictures and had done a crude form of scrapbooking in high school. So, I went to a home party with a woman I worked with and that was all it took. I was recently married and newly pregnant with my first child, so it was perfect timing. My first album was my wedding album, I look back and think "how novice", but I also see things that were just "me" in my creativity. There are WAY too many stickers and deco scissors in my first albums, but I would never change them. It shows the graduation I made, the learning, the growing. Now, I can proudly say that I have been published by a UK Scrapbook Magazine (Scrapbook Inspirations) three times. Hopefully, that won't be the end of it! I don't always have the free time to scrap, but it is an important outlet for me. Thankfully, my husband understands this...to a degree. My 6yo has started her first scrapbook, I'm soooo excited!