Hello My Old Friend

I've come to talk to you again.

When last year was winding down my older grandsons told me they had somehow come across this blog. They encouraged me to start writing again because they really liked reading the posts and they wanted more. It was a passing conversation and I really didn't give it much thought at the time. 

Today, I came to the blog for the first time in a very long time to grab my My Memory Suites coupon code for a friend. That's the software program that I use to make digital scrapbooks and other photo projects. Looking back at some of my posts got me thinking that I should honor their request. I mean...if they are interested in reading what I have to say, who am I to deny them! 

So, we shall see how often I come back to jot down my thoughts but this is my first attempt at giving two boys who mean the world to me, something that they asked for. That's what this Mimi loves to do! 

Getting Excited

 It's amazing how just getting ready for a visit to the most magical place on earth brings out the kid in all of us. The excitement is building day by day and before long we will be piling in the van and heading south! We've all been doing our share of planning but now the trip is becoming a common thread in so many of our family conversations. A sure sign that it's almost time to go!

So many things will be different from the trip we made two years ago. We will be driving instead of flying (hope that's a good idea) and I am more than excited that my son is coming with us! It's been so long since he's vacationed with us and I can't really express how happy I am that he will be along for the fun!

My six year old grandson is older and wiser now that he's a seasoned Disney kind of kid. He has a plan for what he wants to accomplish this time around. He's excited to return to Tower of Terror  (yes, he loved Tower of Terror when he was four!) and a few other attractions but Space Mountain is at the top of his list. It's the one ride he wanted to try last time but was too short.

My youngest grandson LOVES Mickey more than ever and is packing his Mouse Ear Hat Collection. I understand his plan is to have a different set of ears for each day! He is no longer a toddler and the measuring marks we have been making on the playroom wall for the past two years tell us he is tall enough to ride all the rides his brother loved so much during our last visit. I just can't wait to see what he loves most!

My daughter made an adorable count down Mickey chain for her boys and they are keeping me posted on how many chains they need to remove before we leave and just the other day a little mouse told me there's a box on the way to the two most adorable boys I know. It's just a little something to help them get ready for their trip. I can't wait until they call me and tell me their Mickey presents have arrived!

"Adults are just kids grown up, anyway." ~ Walt Disney

Long Time No See!

It's been a long time since I've posted on this blog. The good news is that I've been filling all of my time doing things that I love. I find that all the time that I spend on the computer at work and working on digital scrapbook projects doesn't leave much time for blogging. I'm back tonight to post a book that I threw together pretty quickly from the cruse my husband and I just returned from last week. I had a great offer for a free book on Shutterfly and it had to be ordered by yesterday. That didn't leave much time for a major creative project so I just made this in Shutterfly. It's the first book that I've made in Shutterfly and not used My Memories Suite or Smilebox in a very long time. It's not as customized as I have become accustomed to but all in all, it turned out pretty well.

Our cruise was so wonderful. We loved the ship and the itinerary. It was the first cruise my husband and I had been on by ourselves since our honeymoon - 20 years ago! We loved it and I hope you enjoy seeing a bit of our adventure through the lens of my camera.

Enjoy!

Suite Success! (Spoiler Alert - Don't read if you want to wait for the book version)

Patrick's birthday book is ordered and just in the nick of time! It's scheduled to arrive the day before his party!

I love working on the photo books that I make each year for my grandsons more than I could ever express. I love picking out the colors and designing the layouts but the best part about working on them is going back through the photos that have been taken over the year. It is so wonderful to think back on all of the special moments that make up a year and eventually a lifetime. Back when I started this project for Dylan's first birthday I limited the book to the twenty pages that were included with the book and they were nice. Over the years the books have expanded from being simply a photo book to a something that captures not just holidays and special days, but the ordinary days as well. Once I started using My Memory Suite digital software and discovered I could create pages to be whatever I wanted them to be I have found that I just can't help myself. I want to make pages for everything! So, my twenty page books are more like fifty pages!

Here's the cover of the book. If you came here to see the entire book I am sorry to say that I removed the link. After I posted it I realized that not only could people view the book, they could add it to their Shutterfly account and have access to all of my photos and order a book of their own. That's just a little more access than I am comfortable with.

The Mary Before Me

It's been nine years ago since I was lucky enough to spend time with my Mom, Mary Lang Hemmons Wright. It was the Saturday before Mother's Day just like today. It's hard to believe it's been that long.

Now that I am older and have experienced my children becoming adults and have grandchildren there are so many things that I see differntly now then I did back then. So many things have changed and there are so many things that she has missed. Even though I was obviously an adult nine years ago, I feel much more grown up now and in a lot of ways I am a different person. Not different in any fundamental way, just a little more wise, a little stronger, more tolerant and more forgiving. Her unexpected death left me without the chance to say goodbye and reminded me that life is so short and that no day should be taken for granted.

I am sad that she didn't live long enough to be in love with her great grandchildren. They are the sunshine in my days and I wish she could have shared some of the family traditions that she helped establish and be part of the things that she loved that are now being passed along to a new generation.

Today, Mother's Day and every day, I miss you Mom.
Love, the Mary after you
Mary Elizabeth Wright Spengler

So Much To Scrap...So Little Time

Today is International Scrapbooking Day and there are all kinds of fun challenges going on over the MyMemories Facebook page and the blog! There are so many fun games to play and chances to win and I want to do it all. I just made this for the weekly challenge. I just love this picture that my daughter tood of my grandson today on Thomas the Train at the B&O Train Museum.

#Winning!

Okay Ladies! It's time to pick a winner of the MyMemories digital software! It seems I have a long way to go before my blog goes viral and that's good for you because your odds of winning are really great!! Here's your number for the random drawing:

1 - Pam
2 - Allie
3 - MaiThreeBoyz
4 - Alison

I'm going to have my husband help me with the drawing so I will be right back with the results. Good Luck!!

Here we go................And the winner is:
  
 Allie! Congratulations!! I'll get the info you need for your free software to you you very soon!

Everyone else - thanks again for commenting on my blog. You can use the code on the right side bar to save $10 on the software and get $10 to spend in the MyMemories store. That's not as good as free but it's something. The software is really great and definitely worth the investment!