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By:Amy M.

Why do I love scrapbooking? Yes, I heard about scrapbooking a long time ago. And yes, I KNEW very well that if I got involved, it would be bad news. So I stayed away. For two years, I was living my life happily (or so I thought!). Then it happened. My sister, who will never admit to being one bit creative, but has since convinced us all otherwise, decided to use some Christmas money to try this scrapbooking-thing. She wanted my help. I said I would try. I watched her make one page, and I headed out to the store! That was 2 years ago. And now, 8 family albums, 5 children albums (for my 3 kids), one family reunion album, and my first 5 x 7 gift album later, I am totally, completely, utterly addicted! I love my kids (as we all do). And I have always taken pictures. LOTS of them. I have also always been creative. But to find a hobby that would utilize my inate ability to color, cut, and paste and use pictures of the three most precious gifts God has given me...I had found my niche.

I love to look at my pictures and try and put into words how I feel about the event, the child, the husband, the family. I really think that holidays, birthdays, etc. are very important, and yes, I definitely scrapbook these annual events, but it's the everyday that gets me. It's my 8-year-old sleeping in my bed because she crawled in after Dad left for work at 3 am, just like she has since she was two. It's my 6-year-old playing Nintendo, and loving every minute of it. It's my 3-year-old watching Teletubbies, and his mom taking 15 pictures to try and catch all the excited expressions! It's putting them all in their PJ's on a day we got 8 inches of snow, and taking a roll of film of them in front of the Christmas tree. It's close-up pictures that capture the beauty and innocence that don't always show through! I look at it as an ongoing project that not only tells the stories of our lives, but as a way for me to express my undying love, admiration, and affection for every part of my life!

Scrapbooking affects my life in so many ways, and not just sending us straight to the poor house! I look at life differently. I look at the kids differently. I notice the details. I capture moments. I record feelings. I write the journal of our lives. I make a difference.

I believe scrapbooking has brought out a part of me that I knew was inside, but nobody else did. It is important to me because it helps me remember, too. Life moves so fast with 3 little kids. We are always running, moving, driving...I am always snapping away. But it isn't until the film is developed, and I am in my scrapbooking room, surrounded by mounds of paper and stickers, tools galore, and my computer just a click away, that I get to remember! And that is what it is all about.

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: Why Do I Scrapbook?, by Luann , Las Vegas, NV