I live free because of them

Today is Memorial Day. To some, it's simply a day off from work. To others it's a day for splashing around at the beach and cook-outs. But to all, it's a time for us to remember those brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our freedom. I can't imagine what it's like to live in a country without the freedoms that we have. Think about it ~ we can live where we want, travel where we want, worship where and how we want; the list goes on and on.

But the brave members of our armed services aren't the only people making sacrifices. There are husbands, wives, parents, and children on the homefront who miss their loved ones every day. Those families truly understand the meaning of "Memorial Day".

Soldiers and their familes are in my thoughts today; I hope these families can be reunited soon. I yearn for peace times again.

The Torch has been passed

First there was Abby, a mixed breed dog with blonde/red fur. I fell in love with her, then I met her owner! I've always been a cat lover; I still am. However, Abby was able to bridge the gap between dog lover and cat lover and slowly convert me to a quasi-dog lover! She even got along with my 3 cats! When we said our final goodbyes to her, Abby was around 11 years old. I have never felt such an emptiness for an animal before. I guess when she left us, Abby took a piece of my heart with her. Even the cats seemed to mourn her passing. We knew that even if we got another dog, Abby's personality would never be repeated.

I figured that it would be a year or more before we would think about bringing home another dog. My husband surprised me 3 months later by anouncing that it was time to find a puppy. He had our local paper in his hand, opened to the classified ads. He sat down with the phone and started making a few calls. Later that day, he told me we had an appointment to look at some puppies.

When we arrived, the lady brought one of the pups out for us to look at. He showed no interest in us and quickly wandered off to explore the field next door. While my husband talked to the lady, I went over to the pen to look at the other puppies. I think all puppies are born with the ability to woo you with their eyes. I noticed one pup sitting alone, just inside the gate. She looked so sad, almost defeated. I asked to look at that one. When the lady put her in my arms I felt her tail wag as she licked my face. "This is our puppy" I thought to myself. I calmly walked over to my husband who was, by that time, looking at the other puppies. I put this little bundle in his arms and whispered, "Here's your puppy". I went and sat in the car; I wanted my husband to make the final decision. He came out about 10 minutes later, puppy included.

I think I chose about a dozen names before we agreed on one. I looked at baby naming websites, and even Indian and Latin language sites for translations to names like Companion, and Friend. I came up with lots of names, but nothing that suited our little bundle. I decided that we needed to give her a name that would mean something to both my husband and me.

It finally came to me while I was watching TV. I saw a film clip from one of my favorite "chick" movies. I almost cried ~ I had found the name and it was perfect! We named her "Shelby", which is the name of Julia Robert's character in Steel Magnolias. The name is also one of the body styles of the Ford Mustang. Now, when we tell people her name, the girls say "Steel Magnolias" and the guys say "Mustang"!

During the first few months, we tried to find similarities in Shelby's personality and Abby's. But Shelby has managed to develop her own personality ~ one that will never be repeated.

The torch has been passed.

Things we take for granted

My husband and I left the city life for country living about 2 years ago. It was easy to trade the sounds of cars roaring past the house with loud blaring music, horns beeping and sirens for the sounds of crickets, bullfrogs and roosters.



But there are a number of things that I have had to adjust to:

• I used to love having my car washed and waxed to a gleaming shine. We now live on a dirt and gravel road ~ no more car washes!


• Our newspaper and mail boxes are almost a mile away on the paved road. So if I'm not going anywhere - I'm still driving to the mail box - and even further out to the main post office if I have packages to pick up.


• The closest grocery store is a 20 minute drive, one way. I have learned that running out of anything means about 1 hour out of my day.

There is one thing that I truly can say I miss about the city ~ ice cream! In the summer we enjoy ice cream; everything from plain vanilla with chocolate sauce and nuts, to popcicles, and even the occasional nutty buddy. When we lived in the city, we took ice cream for granted. Now if we want ice cream, we have 3 choices: go to an ice cream parlor, take our chances on ice cream surviving a 20 minute ride home, or buy an ice cream maker and make our own.

So what did we do? We got an ice cream maker! It's not one of those old hand crank devices from the dark ages; it churns on its own. Once I read through the recipe booklet, I went to the store, bought my ingredients and I was well on my way to ice cream heaven!

Okay, I'll admit it. Buying ice cream from the freezer case is much more convient. Although I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I made the ice cream that we now enjoy, I'll never take ice cream for granted again.

Mr. Mojo and his Fickle Ways

There is a strange phenomenon that attacks me from time to time. It's a condition that I call "Nomojoitis". This is a condition that appears at the exact moment that I find a full afternoon that I can devote to scrapping. Once I sit down, I draw a blank - no creativity, no inspiration, nothing, nada, zip, zilch.

It's not that I don't have anything to scrap; I've got oodles of photos, memoraphilia, paper and embellishments. Maybe I'm just overwhelmed with the sheer volume of what I have to work with.

I know other scrappers suffer from this same condition ~ and just like how to stop hiccups, there are lots of "cures" for a loss of mojo. Some people search online galleries, others browse through magazines and books, and yet other folks "play" with their stash until inspiration hits.

Sometimes inspiration shows up at the most inopportune moments ~ while I'm grocery shopping, driving in the car, cooking dinner, or visiting with friends or family. Of course, once I get back to my scrap table, I will have forgotten what I thought I was going to work on. "Mr. Mojo" has given me the slip once more!

But on occasion, the planets align, there is perfect harmony in my home and the scrapping Gods smile on me. These are the times that I love this hobby and continue to scrap down my piles of photos despite "Mr. Mojo" and his fickle ways.

The Test of time

I recently took a trip to my local second hand shop. While perusing the shelves chock full of brass candlesticks, tarnished silver tea services and other discarded bric-a-brac, I saw it. It was a pretty picture frame, lovingly embellished with ribbon, jewels and flowers. I looked at it like someone would look at a puppy at the pound. Someone once loved it, but now it's here, hoping that someone will take it home and love it again.

Okay ~ stop with the sad violin music!

Now I understand that once a gift is given, it becomes the sole property of the recipient to do with as they see fit. I also understand that from time to time we all have to discard some of our little "treasures", or our houses would burst at the seams.

On my way home, I thought about the many handmade gifts that I have given. How many things that I spent time creating for others have had the same fate? Will the gifts I make stand up to the test of time?

One thing that I have never found at a yard sale, second hand shop, or trash pile is a completed scrapbook. As a matter of fact, I find that most people who have been given scrapbooks usually display them on a coffee table, or have them close by to show off or enjoy looking through from time to time.

Now that doesn't mean that the only gift I will ever give will be a scrapbook. But I will think twice about the gifts that I make.

Welcome to my world!

It seems that everyone has a blog these days. Some are very extravagant, while others serve as a "diary" of sorts. While I have been known to act impulsively (you should see me when I shop!), when it came to creating a blog, I spent a considerable amount of time thinking about it. After looking at numerous blogs, I seemed to be more overwhelmed than ever! But then I thought, "if this many people can create a blog, I can too!"

So, finally, after much thought, I have created my blog (Ta Taa....).

As an avid scrapbooker, most of my "Random Ramblings" will involve this hobby (aka passion, aka obsession!).

So grab a virtual easy chair and a cup of virtual refreshing beverage, sit a spell and visit!