Halloween Treat

Either we didn't buy as much candy as usual or we were well organized with it in little bags, but we did not have to stay out in front of the door for very long.

  

Probably the highlight of the Halloween evening was a young, trim mother who came up the walk with a little girl about 4. We dropped a bag in her little pumpkin and she and her mother went back down to their SUV. 

Someone else came and went.

Then, we realized that the first mother was coming back with the four year old following her while she held on to a special needs boy of about 10. As she guided him from hehind, he haltingly made it up the path and under his mother's guidance, held out a sack. We put a couple of bags in his and one in his sister's.

We felt honored that this boy's mother thought us special enough to bring her son to us for trick or treat! It was a very special moment for us. 

Every year, we have sat outside our front door, below the porch and this year was the gentlest year ever. 

God Bless that Mother and God Bless every little child who needs that extra help and love to go out for his first Halloween!

Scrapbooking - More Than a Hobby!

One day last September, I saw that my local scrapbooking store – Scrapbooks and Memories – was having a special fundraising all-day Saturday “crop” to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. Sue, the owner, is a breast cancer survivor.

Hubby’s first wife, Jayne, had this disease and had been able to survive 21 years. My friend in Ontario had just had a mastectomy. This is an important cause to me. I was just barely learning how to crop but I thought I would go over to support the cause.

I didn’t know anything about a group of ladies cropping, or what food a person would take. So, I took some pink M and M’s and a few photos, scissors and glue to the shop.

There was a nice large room full of big tables and happy women, all working on their layouts.

Of course, since that day, I have acquired some more “tools of the trade” and I just love purchasing special papers and embellishments that can make a page so special! Additionally, I have met several new friends.

My friend, Bonnie, had made me a scrapbook as a gift when I became an American citizen (four years ago) and I loved browsing through that book.

Working on projects at home resulted in a massive mess and I learned to go to the “crop room” at Sue’s to really set up well. I always take at least one bottle of diet green tea and get kidded that when the tea is gone, I am out of there. (Also, there are energy bars tucked in my kit.)

Naturally, Ava was a super subject to crop and I even made books for her grandparents and parents. Of course, I scrapped books of Buddy, Hubby & me, our vow renewal, and church activities.

Two years ago, with the help of her two daughters, my sister-in-law, Louise, moved from her home of 44 years to a retirement community in the Cleveland (Ohio) area. There was another topic!

I have just finished graduation books for a friend and a niece. I made a memory book for our snowbird friend of his winter in Texas. My book of our friendship is almost ready for Judy in Ontario.

In January, Louise’s great-grandson, Josh, arrived and his parents update me monthly with photos. I love it when people send me a large assortment of photos so I can pick the ones I want to use. I crop them and send them on up to Louise who shows him off to her friends.

Ongoing – in between projects – I take old photos from when I was a youngster in Toronto and assemble them into a special memory book. My tricycle had a Union Jack on it! That might be a hint to my age!

Scrapbooking has been fun and calming for me. I really enjoy it and look forward to the get-togethers every week. High tech is coming to Scrapbooking but I hope to still be able to use simple ways which are so calming and relaxing for me.