Passion and Frustration

By:Elizabeth Stevens

Somewhere between passion and frustration there is a scrapbooker

I started scrapbooking innocently enough. Some paper, one pen, scissors with a fancy-schmancy edge. I used these tools of my new found religion with abandon most every night, forsaking cleaning, laundry, and the occasional family member. Sure, I loved all of the gadgets, the patterns of paper, and the extra money flying out of my pockets. But it was the *solitude* with which I could hone my skills that I began to really appreciate.

There was nobody else in my house that wanted to do what I was doing, let alone old enough to hold pointy things. It allowed me something that was solely, uniquely *mine.* I think that putting our memories on paper is an important, worthwhile hobby; it documents our lives, our likes and dislikes in a way that a video camera never could.

I mean, could you put a lock of baby hair or a stump of umbilical cord on a VHS tape? I don't think so. This hobby also affords me the opportunity to look at ordinary, daily events a tick differently. When my kids are being monsters, I step back and instead of yelling, I grab a camera and a journal. So, I suppose that scrapbooking has made me a better parent, too! And when my DH is being a poop, I can just run to my little corner and hop on the internet to virtual shop for supplies. This is two-fold therapy, because it calms me down AND empties the rest of the afore-mentioned poop-head's paycheck! Double score!

And, most importantly, (thanks to D'Marie) what hobby would I sit on my computer until 3 o'clock Pacific Time for? Not many...geez, I don't even want to talk to my hubby till the wee hours of the morning! ;)

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: My Son and his Granny, by Cynthia B.