Day ???

I had to give some real thought as to what day today is. I mean, I know it's Friday, but I had lost track of what day of 37 today was. I had to count from day 10. That's not good. Not good at all. I am trying to get back in a groove. This blip in my 37 Days just reinforces my theory that creativity is cyclical. One cannot be expected to be able to create all the time. A page a day, as simple as it sounds, is turning out to be a very big undertaking. I am not giving up, I've not lost hope that I can do this. But I am realizing that at the end of 37 Days, I may not, probably will not, most likely won't have 37 layouts done. Life just gets in the way sometimes. We have to put aside those things we really want to do, things we've made a priority in our lives so we can focus energies elsewhere, be it getting ready for and enjoying a holiday, vacuuming out the garage after a long winter, or shooting hoops in the driveway with the kids. The key to happiness is finding a balance between both. It also helps when you can combine what you want to do with what you have to do: like fiddling with a layout while dinner bakes in the oven, or sitting on the rug cutting out embellishments while the kids drive cars over your scraps!

Oh, by the way, it's Day 18. And I've done 14 layouts.

37 Days: Stop! Wait for Me!!

The Easter bunny has knocked me off my scrapbooking wagon. It is technically day 14, but I'm still stuck at Day 11. Between grocery shopping, house-cleaning, Easter-prepping, meal-cooking, church-going, and holiday-hosting there was just no way I was going to squeeze in time for my committment to scrapbooking. I'm an efficient multi-tasker, but I'm not Wonder Woman, for goodness sake! This 37 Day thing is not meant to be a major stress-inducer. I'm okay with missing a couple days for very good reason. And I'm okay with picking up where I left off and moving forward with the challenge. Hey, there's still 23 more days (and hopefully 23 more layouts to do).

Day Five: Feeling a change

It's funny how I started this 37 Day challenge with some hesitation and doubt. I wasn't all pumped and geared up, I didn't glorify how wonderful the whole thing would be, I wasn't 100% motivated, and certainly not 100% sure I could even do it. But now 5 days into it, I'm feeling really good. When I had Logan, I would scrapbook every waking moment he was asleep. By his first birthday I was totally caught up on his first year. Crazy, I know. Somewhere between child one and child three, my page production decreased dramatically (gee, I wonder why!) Anyway, my point is, this 37 day challenge has put me back in touch with the "getting it done" part of scrapbooking. These past few days I haven't just been thinking about the pages I want to create, I've been creating them. I'm thinking that all these years of stewing in my own creative juices is culminating in these 37 days (and beyond) of delicious production. That's my philosophical rant for Day 5. Here's my page.

Day One

Today is day one. I completed my layout. I'll be posting each one at Life Made Creations. I'm going to be perfectly honest: I stink at commitment. I stink at this whole following-a-regime thing. When I read Patti's 37 Day challenge, I got so wrapped up in the idea of doing something worthwhile every day. But there was this little voice that said, "Don't do it. You suck at these things. You won't be able to do it. You'll fail."

Well, today is Day One, and I did it. And I'm one day closer to succeeding, to silencing that little voice of little faith. One down, 36 more to go. I'm not sure this is the attitude one should have on the first day of an endeavor like this, but it's my honest attitude. And my blog has always been good at keeping me honest. See you on Day Two!

37 Days

Tonight I found the blog of Patti Digh, author of 37 days, a book that poses the question, "What would you do today if you only had 37 days to live?" Right now she is challenging her blog readers to do something meaningful for the next 37 days straight. Err, make that the next 33 days, because, unfortunately, I'm 4 days late for this party. But I love this whole concept. So what would you do? Besides soak up as much time with my children, husband, family and friends (and say to hell with all the housework--they'll have to clean up the house after I'm dead), I would want to scrapbook as much as humanly possible. I do have this secret fear that I will not be able to tell my children's stories (or my own, for that matter) before I die. That hundreds of stories will be left untold, thousands of pictures will sit in envelopes or on a hard drive without stories and anecdotes matched up with them. It's one of the main reasons that I scrapbook: because someday someone will pick up these albums, look through the photos, read the stories and say, "So that's who so-and-so was."

I'm rarely on time for anything since having children, so I'm okay with being 4 days late. Tomorrow will be my Day One. And here's my contract: (copied from Patti's blog; I hope that's legal)

"I, ___Michelle Neddo___, being of kinda sound mind and body, have willingly decided to try to do one thing consistently every single day for the next 37 days. C’mon, self, it’s just 37 days.

The one thing I will try to do every day is this: create a scrapbook page (or some semblance of one) to add to my family's legacy.

I’m not going to pick two things or nine things because that will dilute my focus –- just one thing. One. One simple action. An action, not a goal. An action, not a value. An action, not a wish. Something I can DO.

I’m doing this challenge at this time because: with every day that passes I am one day farther from these memories and one day closer to not being able to record them accurately.

I’ve chosen this particular daily action because I believe if I do it consistently for 37 days with no (NONE, ZERO, ZIP) exceptions, I will: grow as an artist, feel more accomplished as my family's historian, be more aware and mindful of our lives, and feel generally better for having engaged my creative energies.

If I should fail, I won’t blame anyone but myself (not even my partner, that idiot with 29 items in the express lane at the Piggly Wiggly, the IRS (so needy!), the people who make frosted Pop Tarts and Lofthouse Cookies, or Fate).

I also realize that this contract is solely with myself and carries no rewards, penalties or punishments other than those associated with the reflection of the strength of my character.

New things will happen for me.

I’m ready.

TODAY IS DAY ONE. "