SCRAPPING MY HEART OUT!

For nearly a year, I hardly got any scrapbooking done. I think I was kind of burned out after B.'s graduation. Now, I realize that Em's graduation isn't far away. Soon my days will get really crazy and there won't be a moment to do anything. So, in the last month I have scrapped nearly 90 pages! That's pretty good for me. Of course, I have piles and piles of photos to be scrapped but still, you gotta start somewhere! Here's the latest. A picture of MK running - it represents my most recent philosophy - use all of the good stuff. I am always saving all of my really cool supplies for just the right page. Well, guess what? Then it never gets used and I end up with pages that could be just a little cooler if I'd used my stuff. I also have a rule that I can't shop for supplies unless I am using them. Well, I've been using tons of my stuff and that's kind of fun because it means that I can keep on shopping, especially when I find bargains!

LAPTOP OF LUXURY

MK is our saver girl and this week she decided that she wanted to buy her own computer. At first, it sounded kind of outrageous. After all, we have a home computer that the girls use all the time. We bought B. his computer when he went to college and planned to do the same for the girls. MK said that with both girls in AP English classes that computer time was going to be really challenging and she wanted to be able have a computer that she could do her work on. She also reminded us that she still had Christmas money from the last two years and that she could pay for it all on her own. She and her dad went shopping yesterday. They agreed that if she still wanted to buy it today, they would go. Tonight at Best Buy, she got the last of the computers in the store that she had picked out! Yeah! I was sure that once she made up her mind, she wouldn't be patient. Well, yippee, MK! Enjoy your new laptop and be proud that you could buy it all on your own!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

August 12th is much too early for the first day of school. Still, no one asked what I thougtht. I think both Em & MK were kind of excited. It's always fun to get back and see your friends. Em is looking forward to her senior year and being drum major. MK is looking forward to cross-country. She has tough classes this year but I think she loves a challenge. Both girls have worked really hard this summer and going back to school means fewer working hours and I'm sure that it is okay with both of them. It's a little sad to think that this is the last picture that I take of them both going to high school. Next year, Em will be headed to college. Still, I don't plan to spend this entire year feeling sad. I'm just going to enjoy. So, have a great year at school, girls! You are the best!

HE'S GONE

Yesterday we took B. back to school. It's his junior year, so it shouldn't be so hard to have him go. In fact, I only cried yesterday and only half the way home this time, so I'm doing better. Still, for 3-1/2 months, we got to enjoy that mega-watt smile. We tolerated his tickling, poking and teasing. We loved his back rubs! We enjoyed just having him around for the everyday stuff. It was time for him to go back, I know. He's 20 years old and his summer job was just that - a summer job to make some $$$. He needs to keep going forward with his life. He has a tough year ahead of him and I worry about that, too. Still, my money is on him. He comes from pretty strong and determined people and I think he's got the right stuff, too. But for now, we have to adjust to the fact that he's gone........

OPERATION CLEAN SWEEP

Em and I have continued our cleaning frenzy. What do you see here? Nothing!! Yes, nothing!! It's nice to see a clean patch of carpet for a change. Every summer is a little different. This one may be one of the craziest ever. That's hard to believe after years and years of 3 kids playing ball all summer. Still, now everyone is working. The girls have practice every morning. In the time that the kids are home, they want to relax or be with friends. No one feels like they should have to spend their precious free time picking up the house. Trust me, I understand, but it still feels like I am the one and only person focused on keeping the house picked up. This week, I put my foot down and demanded that at the very least, everyone pick up all of their stuff that had been cluttering up the house for days and weeks. Seeing this clean patch of carpet gives me hope for a clean house by the weekend!

LIKE SLEEPING ON A CLOUD

It has recently come to our attention that MK's bed is lousy. It is old. It creaks. The springs seem to be just under the sheets. Since this is the bed that Grandma uses and she will be coming this weekend, I feel that something really has to be done. A little investigation told me that a new mattress set is about $500! Sorry, but that isn't in the budget right now. Em and I did some shopping and we decided that a pillow top mattress might not solve the whole problem but at least it would be a start. We put the new mattress pad on the bed. It ought to be a fun surprise for MK when she gets home from camp!

PIG HEAVEN

MK is a pig lover. She's been collecting pigs for years. Everyone knows that she loves pigs, so every birthday and Christmas, friends and family look for fun new additions to her collection. Some are cute as can be. Some are kind of ugly. She has pigs that talk and pigs that squeal. Some are soft and cuddly. She has quite a few Piggy banks, too. She never seems to tire of them. MK cleaned her room before leaving for camp, so the "pig pile" is looking pretty neat and tidy!