Am I Adopted?.

Last week, one of my children came to me all serious and said they needed to talk to me. I could tell he was serious, so we went into a room where we could be alone. His question surprised me. "Mom, am I adopted?" He had been fighting with his siblings and felt that nobody like him so he wondered if he wasn't really a "true" member of the family. I went on to assure him that he was not adopted. I told him how he looked just like his dad when he was a child and shared other traits he had that were similar to other family members.

While thinking about that, I thought it would family traits could make an interesting scrapbooking layout. Anyone who has sorted through the family's shoebox full of old photos has probably wondered about their ancestors and what they were like. This, of course, is why we are scrapbookers--to pass down our legacy to our children and grandchildren so they don't have to wonder what our lives were like--we will tell them and help them to know where they came from and how they became who they are.

The following are a few items your layout could focus on:

Physical Traits - Where did Johnny get his red hair? Or whose nose does Suzy have? Is Ricky tall like Grandpa?

Temperment - Each of us have our own temperment. In the case of one of my children it is "Temper"ment. It would be fun to create a page showing each of your family member's individual temperments and where they came from.

Talents - Did you ever wonder where mom got her "green thumb"? Did you children get their love of arts and crafts from you and their mechanical ability from their father? File away these facts for future generations.

Take some time today to think about how your inherited family traits have appeared in yourself, your children, or others in your family. Document them and preserve this important part of your history.

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Tagged

I had a friend ask me why I haven't been posting much on my blog. My life is crazy and I never feel like I have enough time to do everything. So, I'm going to repent and start blogging more. You'll likely find some random ranting about my busy life, but hopefully it will keep my friends (you know who you are) happy!


Okay, I got tagged by my critique buddies Keith and Heather several weeks ago. Apparently you're supposed to go to the 6th folder and post the 6th picture. Here's mine:



This is my oldest daughter. She's a ballroom dancer and this was her dressed for their concert. They are doing a Bollywood latin medley. It includes Cha-Cha, Paso Doble, Samba, and probably some others I can't remember. She's been ballroom dancing since 3rd grade and is amazing.



Here's a quote for my friend who encouraged me to blog more:
"No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever." - Francois Mocuriac

Finding Time to Scrapbook

Sometimes scrapbooking can be completely overwhelming and seems like a neverending job. In this blog I'm going to explore some ways you can find more time scrapbook. As busy mom's it's hard to find time to get everything done, but hopefully some of these suggestions will help you find ways to use little bits of extra time you do have.

There are three elements we can work on:
1. Establish scrapbooking as a priority.
2. Find storage and working space.
3. Use time-management skills.

Establish scrapbooking as a priority.

Any project that is going to get done needs to be given priority status. Think of your time spent scrapbooking as an investment not only in the memories of the past, but in the future as well. The scrapbooks you are creating and the memories you preserve will benefit future generations.

Scrapbooking can be a great stress reliever. Mom's need to take time for themselves to renew their spirit and refocus their lives. Scrapbooking is one way I do this. It gives me time to be alone with my thoughts. Being creative seems to clear my mind and helps me figure things out in other aspects of my life.

Find storage and working space.

It is very important to have an accessible space in your home -- however small -- for storing your scrapbook supplies. You should also create a space to work on scrapbooks when you're ready.

When I first started scrapbooking I found it overwhelming to get all my supplies out, only to sit down and then be interrupted by kids, and have to put it all away again. It seemed so overwhelming that I often chose to just not get it out. I eventually ended up putting a card table in the corner of a room and piled all my supplies on top and underneath and left a few essential tools out so they would already be easily accessible.

If your supplies are spread out in various closets, even the thought of sitting down to scrap may be overwhelming. If they're all together, and each supply has it's own space, you can immediately settle into creating layouts.

Use time-management skills.

Now to tackle the issue of time. It can be hard to find ways to scrapbook, especially with little children around. The best solution I've found for this is to let them feel involved. I put all of my scrap paper, extra stickers, markers, crayons, etc. in a box for the kids to use. If they have their own supplies to play with they give me more time to work on my projects.

Just remember than even 5-10 minutes is long enough to make some progress on your albums. By using small time segments instead of waiting for a block of an hour or two, you will make progress, avoid frustration and keep the creative juices flowing.

If you do have large blocks of time during the week when your little helpers are otherwise occupied, you can do things that take more time and concentration, like sorting photos or organizing paper and cardstock.

Time and priorities are difficult challenges for all of us. But by using our creativity to organize ourselves, we have the opportunity to do what we love and take care of our duties as well. But like most things in life, preparation and organization make the experience more rewarding, productive and enjoyable. Keep in mind, you should not feel discouraged about unfinished projects because creative people always have them.

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Family History Questions

Scrapbooking is not just a craft. It's about preserving family history. In the end, written memories may be even more valuable than photos. I found a list of questions you can use to interview family members to create a history to share with future generations. You can go through the entire list in one sitting or break it up into many sessions. You may want to consider audio or video taping the session for an additional record of the conversation that will include the emotions of the story teller.

Here's the list to get you started. Don't hesitate to add your own questions:

What is your full name and why were you named it?
Were you named after somebody else?
Did you have a nickname as you were growing up?
If you did, what was it and why did they call you that?
Have you had other nicknames as an adult?
What do family members call you now?
Where were you born and when?
Do you remember hearing your grandparents describe their lives? What did they say?
Do you remember your great-grandparents? What do you know about them?
Who was the oldest person you can remember in your family as a child? What do you remember about them?
Do you remember your family discussing world events and politics?
Was there a chore you really hated doing as a child?
What would you consider to be the most important inventions that have been made during your lifetime?
How is the world now different from what it was like when you were a child?
What kinds of books did you like to read?
Do you remember having a favorite nursery rhyme or bedtime story? What was it?
Do you ever remember not having enough food to eat because times were hard for your family?
What were your favorite toys and what were they like?
What were your favorite childhood games?
What were your schools like?
How did you get to school?
What was your favorite subject in school and why?
What subject in school was always the easiest for you?
What was your least favorite subject in school and why?
Who was your favorite teacher and why were they special?
How do your fellow classmates from school remember you best?
What school activities and sports did you participate in?
Did you and your friends have a special hang-out where you liked to spend time?Where was it and what did you do there?
Were you ever given any special awards for your studies or school activities?
How many years of education have you completed?
Do you have a college degree? If so, what was your field of study?
Did you get good grades?
Did you like school?
What did you like the most and the least about it?
What did you usually wear to school? Describe it.
Were there any fads during your youth that you remember vividly?
How old were you when you started dating?
Do you remember your first date? Describe the circumstances.
Name a good friend that you have known for the longest period of time? How many years have you been friends?
Has there ever been anyone in your life that you would consider to me your kindred spirit or soul mate? If so, who were they and why did you feel a special bond to them?
How did you meet the person that you would later marry? Describe them?
Do you remember where you went on the first date with your spouse?
How long did you know them before you got married?
Describe your wedding proposal.
When and where did you get married?
Describe your wedding ceremony. Who was there?
Did you have a honeymoon? If so, where did you go?
How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
How long have you been married (or were you married)?
What wise advice would you give to a grandchild on their wedding day?
How did you find out that you were going to be a parent for the first time?
How many children did you have all together?
What were their names, birth dates and birthplaces?
Do you remember anything that your children did when they were small that really amazed you?
What is one of the most unusual things that one of your children did regularly when they were small?
What was the funniest thing you can remember that one of your children said or did?
If you had it to do all over again, would you change the way you raised your family? How?
What did you find most difficult about raising children?
What did you find most rewarding about being a parent?
Did you spoil any of your children? How?
Were you a strict or lenient parent?
Did you find that you had to treat each of your children differently? If so, why?
How did you first hear that you were a grandparent and how did you feel about it?
What advice do you have for your children and grandchildren?
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
What was your first job?
What kinds of jobs have you had?
How did you decide on your career?
Did you make enough money to live comfortably?
How long did you have to work each day at your job?
How old were you when you retired?
What were the hardest choices that you ever had to make? Do you feel like you made the right choices?
Who was the person that had the most positive influence on your life? Who were they and what did they do?
Is there a person that really changed the course of your life by something that they did?Who were they and what did they do?
Do you remember someone saying something to you that had a big impact on how you lived your life?What was it?
How would you describe yourself politically?
Are you Conservative or Liberal and why?
What wars have been fought during your lifetime? How did you feel about them?
If you served in the military, when and where did you serve and what were your duties?
If you served in the military, were you ever injured in the line of duty?What were the circumstances and what were your injuries?
What United States President have you admired the most and why?
As you see it, what are the biggest problems that face our nation and how do you think they could be solved?
How tall are you?
What color was your hair as a young child and then as an adult?
What color are your eyes?
Where have you lived as an adult? List the places and the years that you lived there.
Why are you living where you are today?
Do you wish you lived somewhere else (If so, where would it be)?
Describe your general health.
What major illnesses or health problems do you remember having?
Do you have any health problems that are considered hereditary in nature? If so, what are they?
What do you do regularly for exercise?
Do you have any bad habits now or in the past? What were they?
Have you ever been the victim of a crime? What happened?
Have you ever been in a serious accident?
Has anyone ever saved your life? Describe.
Have you ever saved anyone else's life? Describe.
Have you ever been hospitalized? If so, what for?
Have you ever had surgery? If so, what for?
If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?
Have you ever had an experience that you would consider to be super-natural or psychic? Did you ever know something was going to happen before it actually did? What was it?
What do you usually dream about?
What church, if any, do you attend regularly?
Describe your religious beliefs.
Do you believe in an after life?
What was the most stressful experience that you ever lived through? What helped you get through it?
What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you personally?
What kinds of musical instrument(s) have you learned to play?
Would you consider yourself creative?
What things have you made that others have enjoyed?
How would you describe your sense of humor?
What is the funniest practical joke you ever played on anyone?
What activities have you especially enjoyed as an adult?
What are your hobbies?
What did you like to do when you were not working?
What is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to you?
What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
Have you ever met any famous people? Describe what happened.
What organizations and groups have you belonged to?
Have you ever won any special awards or prizes as an adult? What were they for?
Describe a time and place when you remember feeling truly at peace and happy to be alive. Where were you and what were you doing?
What is the most beautiful place you have ever visited and what was it like?
What is the longest trip that you have ever gone on? Where did you go?
What has been your favorite vacation? Where did you go and why was it special?
What was the favorite place you ever visited and what was it like?
What pets have you had?
Do you have a favorite story about a pet? What is it?
Is there anything you have always wanted to do, but haven't?

This list of oral history questions was compiled from a variety of sources by Joanne Todd Rabun in 1993.They included a 6th grade class project of her daughter and a college-level Women's Studies class project of her nephew. She used them to produce a booklet entitled "The Life and Times of Winnie Lacklore" to commemorate Winnie's 90th birthday celebration.

YourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop by and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

It's the thought that counts

I can't believe it's February already and Valentine's Day is upon us. It's always been one of my favorite holidays. There's something about setting aside a day for romance that makes me weak in the knees and feel all gushy inside.

Set aside some time now think about how you will express your love this Valentine's Day. I always make cards for the people I love. There's nothing better than a handmade card with ae's personal message written inside. It makes those around you know you love them and shows you've taken the time to express it in a meaningful way.

Another fun idea for your Valentine is to make an "I Love You" book. Create scrapbooking pages with some of the following themes:

- How and where you met.
- Your first date.
- What attracted you to him/her.
- Special moments spent together.
- Special places you like to visit.
- Inside jokes
- Love letters you've received/given

This loving and unique book will be long remembered and cherished. Don't forget to include journaling. Often the words you say mean even more than pictures.

Happy Valentine's Day. May you and your loved one create a day of treasured memories.

yourLDSneighborhood has added exciting new things to its website. Please drop me and take a look, browse around, check out our vendors, our radio station, our authors, our musicians and more. Check out the Neighborhood.

And while you're there, subscribe to the yourLDSneighborhood Newsletter. In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, resources and interviews from around the world-all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.