Happy 4th of July, Long Time Since Posting

It's been almost a full month since my last blog. I started a new job for a major grocery chain in their management program and am in the training phase. It is a 17 week training program and I am three weeks into it now, well; a month actually. I have worked in my first of three training stores for three weeks now and really like the job, or maybe it's the people...or both :) After being unemployed for nearly 7 months I am very tickled to be working again. What has been challenging is trying to adjust to the grueling schedule and still have time for other things that I love, like scrapbooking... but I've managed to squeeze a little bit of that in.

For instance: I am getting a new Airedale puppy in a week and a half and went to pick her out at the end of last month. I am scrapping some pages of the visit and choice. These first two pages are of that visit. They were created with Sophisticated by Lori Staton of Deco Pages. She is a wonderfully talented designer and has beautiful kits. This first page is about how the puppy chose us. Journaling reads: In a conversation with the breeder over the phone she had asked me if i had chosen based on the pictures and i told her that i couldn’t choose from the photos...the puppy gets to choose too! and so it was. All the puppies were brought out to play with us and they were all so cute! but one stood out against the crowd. one stayed close to us as the others wandered off to play. one chose us. when the others wandered off to sleep, she stayed and played until she was too tired to play anymore and then she fell asleep...but not with the others, she stayed with us. she chose us and we chose her! This next page is about trying to choose the perfect name for her. With Murphee it was much easier I think. Mostly because I bought her from Petland and had her before I tried to chose a name for her. With this puppy, I am getting her from a breeder and I don't actually have her yet. But, I have chosen Zoee for her name and am still trying to decide what her AKC name will be. The journaling on this page reads: Choosing the name for orange girl is a tough decision. Zoee comes from the book Frannie and Zoey by JD Salenger and was chosen by Bobbie. We are still trying to decide the rest of her AKC name. I am getting so anxious to bring her home.
There will be much more of her to come believe me. I can't wait to get her here!

I also have recently scrapped a page of a story that my grandmother told me last week when I was visiting with her. We always have a yearly "friends" reunion the week after our family reunion. Mom always wanted us girls to attend and we rarely ever did but I have for the last two since mom has been gone. It never really seemed right to go as the "friends" were her friends...people that she grew up with. Listening to Grandma's story about what it was like when she was raising kids was interesting. It is definitely different nowadays. Or at least from what it was like when I was raising kids. With mom being gone and Grandma now 90 years old, I thought that I should be documenting the stories that Grandma tells me. So this page is about the "friends" when she was raising kids. Journaling reads: "In the 40’s and 50’s communities were tight knit and everyone knew everyone else. Kids grew up playing with the neighborhood kids and mom’s watched each other’s kids when they were in the area. Everyone was like family." These are the neighborhood kids that proudly sport the title of family and although I don’t know most of them, Gr’ma is like their second mom. Kit used was Country Potpourri by Paris Designs and can be found here.
With today being the 4th of July and time for the parade and fireworks, I decided to scrap about my DGS and his first parade and fireworks. He was so fun watching him watch the parade. He really didn't know what to think. It will be fun seeing his reaction this year. Pages were made with Deb Ammerman's 4th of July kit and you can find it here.
Thank you for taking time to read my blog! Since you have been so patient and read to here, I have a "surprise freebie" for you. It's a QP that I made with a kit that I designed specifically for the holiday. I hope that you enjoy it. Have a wonderful, safe and happy 4th!