A Page Turned….
Here’s a sample of a re-occurring conversation of mine that I find humorous:
Fellow Mom: I just LOVE your blog…I read it everyday – How in the WORLD do you have TIME to do it?
Me: Thanks, a lot of times I blog during nap breaks or after they go to bed at night. It’s sometimes a work in progress – when I get interrupted I just try to pick up the post where I left off..I know it’s the only way I’m going to remember a lot of this year, so I try to find time to write down important moments that I want to share….
Fellow Mom: True, well, do you scrapbook or anything like that?
Me: (Trying to hold back a huge toothy grin) Ummm, no…. I haven’t really found TIME for that…The blog is my scrapbook, baby book, catch-all.
Fellow Mom: (With a look of disappointment) Oh.
Although I love scrapbooks and really admire the energy, time, and creativity that go into each page, for now I’m not a member of the “Scrapbook Junkies”. I think there’s only a few of us left on this planet. Perhaps 18 years from now I’ll find myself “cropping, matting, and mounting” some of the 2,587 pictures that we’ve snapped this year, but for now I think I’ll stick to blogging……
I felt like I needed to explain my perspective before I showed you this…
Brad’s Aunt Deb (pictured) surprised us at Christmas with a scrapbook she created for us and I’ve been wanting to show you some of my favorite pages. (Keep in mind I took pictures of pictures, so it’s not the best quality. It’s much better in person!) Check it out….
Isn’t her talent amazing? What an incredible gift! So personal and such a keepsake! Thanks, Aunt Deb – we are sooooooo grateful!
You are not alone. I am in the same boat. I have three very pretty beautiful baby books for the girls, but I haven’t done anything with them. LOL!
Kimberly and the GA Guinn Trips
http://www.guinnfamilyhome.com
jen! adorable layouts! i do lots of major scrapbooking.. i have some on my facebook, ill have to email you some samples. CUTE pics!-sioby
What a wonderful book! A great gift. I have done one on Shutterfly and it was easy, quick and great too. I used to have time to scrapbook, no more. My kids aren’t even multiples!
livoniamom.blogspot.com
Hi! I’m new to your blog and found you as one of the commenters on cfhusband’s site. I had to comment and tell you what a small world it is! I was scrolling through your baby blog, and I caught the words “Brownsburg Bible Church” and “Brown Elementary.” Then, I realized that I prayed for you shortly after you had your babies. I live not too far from you, and I attended a Bible study last year (Jan-Mar) where a woman named Roberta attended. She told us about you and how she had planned to help. I was pregnant with my own little girl (just one!) who was born in April. We prayed for you, and I think Roberta even collected diapers and coupons that some of the ladies brought it! Speaking of diapers, I read your diaper post and wanted to let you know that Target has Pampers Baby Dry diapers 144 ct boxes on clearance for 22.10 this week. I had 2 coupons and bought 2 boxes, getting almost 300 diapers for around $40. It comes out to around 14 cents a diaper. Normally, I buy my diapers at Sam’s Club, and I pay around 17 cents a diaper.
I’m happy to read that all is well as the boys are approaching their first birthday. They are so cute!
I don’t keep a blog on blogger, but I do have a xanga. Unfortunately, you have to have a xanga account to view my site since I have it protected. I’m looking forward to reading your day-to-day posts!
I forgot to mention that I about fell out of my chair when I read on your baby blog about your anniversary and saw the picture from your honeymoon in Key Largo…I believe it was 12/28. My anniversary is 12/27, and we honeymooned in south Florida and drove down to Key Largo one day! Too funny! I think you guys are one year ahead of us in marriage.
I don’t do scrapbooking either…I’m not a very good “craft” person. She did an amazing job!! I love all that kind of stuff…I’m just not any good at it. 🙂
I’m not a scrapbooker either, however, I blog and then turn my blog into a keepsake book with this site:
http://www.blurb.com/home/3
The software will upload your blog and instantly make a book for you. I’ve done it and was impressed with the quality. Might not be a bad alternative! Love your blog and darling boys!
Sariah
Maybe we should make an “I Don’t Scrapbook” banner. We could give out blog awards … the whole bit! 🙂
Hey Aunt Deb…want to do my scrap book too? 🙂
jz
what an awesome gift? I ‘used’ to scrapbook…wish I had time to continue it but the blog helps fill that. I’m looking into digital scrapbooking…less mess and I seem to be on here a lot anyways…
I’m definitely not a scrapbooker either. My blog is my son’s baby book. However, I have every intention of doing one of the digital scrapbooks. You just drag and drop your pictures into your selected formats, hit order, and they print it into a beautiful bound book! Yes, I have intentions…
As others have said, you are not alone in not doing scrapbooks. All my sister-in-laws (I’ve got 4) do scrapbooks, but my little darling will just have to live without one. I don’t have the creativity to do one.
Love your blog. I’ve been reading for quite some time – so long that I don’t recall how I found you.
Our son’s baby book stops at the day he came home from the hospital. I just haven’t had time to finish it or even start our daughter’s. My blog has become my scrapbook too. I love crafts but have stuck with making cards because it’s short and I can squeeze a few in in a time crunch and still feel like I accomplished something! :o) Someone mentioned that they used Shutterfly to do a scrapbook. I’ve checked into the ones on Walmart’s site and they look pretty cool. You just upload the photos, add captions and they print it in a bound book for you. Ta-da!
I don’t scrapbook…I shoebox. 🙂
I figure I at least HAVE all of the pictures, right? Someday I’ll assemble all of them nicely and get them organized — probably on the same magical day in the future when I get completely caught up on laundry, organize my linen closet, match all of my plastic lids to my plastic bowls, and clean that spot on my carpeting that is conveniently covered for the time being by the corner of my couch. 🙂
Beautiful layouts, but more importantly beautiful children:) I have been reading your blog for a little while and thoroughly enjoy it. I would love some specifications on your NICU blankets, what you like them made out of, measurements, etc. I went into pre-term labor with my son at 29wks, and they were able to hold me off until 35wks, and he was 4lb5oz. I was just admitted to the hospital this week, at 27wks with contractions, and again hopefully they can hold me off. But anyways I would love to make some blankets for you. Is there anything else that you need? You can email me at mssweetpea2000@yahoo.com
Haha! Scrapbooking…no time here either. We have thousands of pictures too and the closest I got to a scrapbook was the video slideshow I made my parents and in-laws for Christmas. For now I just blog and hope our back-up hard drive doesn’t crash before I get the chance to “do something” with all the pictures!
What a beautiful present by the way!
Hi! This is Brad and JEN’s aunt Deb. Thanks for the kind words and you’re all correct. They are BEAUTIFUL boys and we are so blessed they’re part of our family. I started scrapping when my mother passed away in 2000 when I didn’t know what to do with all her old photos. Now I can’t stop and the quads were just a wonderful opportunity. I know Jen doesn’t have time. Thought this was one small way I could help her/them out.
i love the scrapbooking question as well! you almost have to turn your face so you wont laugh right in their face! those pages are just AMAZING!!! she captured the beauty of each big moment and each child! incredibly magnificent. can’t wait to see it when i come visit you! 😉 do you know, after your email, i actually looked up flights to indiana??? joe just shook his head at me. SOMETIME in the next couple of years! promise!! 😉
aunt deb! great job, woman! you should do that on the side and create a little profit from moms who i KNOW would pay good money for that!!! you are incredibly talented and what a SWEET, PERFECT gift for brad, jen and the boys. God bless.
Oh, I want an “Aunt Deb”! Really, how do they think of that? And who has a big enough table to spread out all of the materials? What about the little do-hickeys (do-dads?) that are used to accent the page. Where do you “think” of stuff like that?
What an awesome gift! Talented!
Loved the books. I can’t really remember now if I found your blog through Suzanne – or if I had found it before – but I am always fascinated to look on on your world. Suz’s too.
I don’t scrapbook either and I just have twins and a singleton! LOL! Suzanne inspired me to start a blog which I find much easier to deal with. Shout out to Suz for that!
That being said – I just started unpacking 6-7 boxes of pictures I packed 3 years ago when we moved to this house! OMGosh – it was hard to believe my twins were so small (at 6 1/2 pounds apiece) or so chunky as infants. I may have to do a post with some pictures from then.
Your Aunt is very creative. I loved the page titles! Especially “Cereal Killers” !!!
That’s a really neat gift from your Aunt. I don’t do scrap booking either. Actually, all our pictures are digital and on the computer. It’s easier for me to keep everything on the computer where it won’t get lost. But, I do love the book that was given to you. What a treasure.
I sooooo wish I had the time for scrapbooking, too. But….
….yeah, right.
The fact that you are able to keep up with a BLOG absolutely amazes me! Let alone a scrapbook.
As for myself? Oh, I have good intentions with the scrapbooking thing. I have a shelf in my closet full of paper, a couple of books, stickers, cutsie little add-ons….I got them for my birthday. Two years ago. When I only had one baby. Now I have three.
They are still sitting there.
Someday…..
Keep up the excellent work on the blog–you will always have the memories kept here! (And we can all enjoy your sweet miracles too!)
Devin in Illinois
The scrapbook is awesome. I scrap, but I’ve only done about 8 pages of my 15 month old’s life! My blog has become her scrapbook, too (well, our family one, not the one that links with my name).
You have beautiful, or should I say, handsome little men!
Jen-Hen,
I am also a non-scrapbooker. Perhaps if I had children (one, not four). 🙂 They are fun to look at, but I’m with you. Put ’em on line and everyone enjoys them right away! 🙂
Wow! It looks great. I can’t scrapbook to save my life! My boys are almost 2 and I’ve got maybe one page done…and it looks awful!
I am a scrapbooker but so far behind. The important thing is that you preserve the memories somehow and this blog does that. Since your blog is on blogger, you can very easily make a book of your blog. I am in the process of doing this for a 4 month trip to Europe on business. Go to blurb.com and download their software. Our book will end up being about 150 pages of text and pictures and cost about $45. It does take some time since every blog is put into the same template regardless of the amount of photos and text but it is easy to change to make of the other templates. Good luck.
Thank you for sharing the scrapbook pages. I love scrapbooking but am behind with our married life! Can’t imagine what it is like with kids!!! Keep blogging — this way we all get to see your lives unfold daily!!!
Allyson (Kiesel) Long
Beautiful scrapbook, but I’m totally with you! I’d rather blog than scrap and apparently there are companies that turn blogs into books now. That would be a really cool thing for you to do some day and have a hard copy of all your blogs!