Sometimes I Quote Movies

One of my very favorite movies (and yes, I have many) is "When Harry Met Sally."  In many ways, and yet not at all, it reminds me of my relationship with my husband.  I know it sounds odd.  How can a movie remind you, but yet not remind you?  Because the situation was different.

I met my husband in a diner . . . we spent a lot of time at the diner.  I just recently dug up pictures of me working at the diner, and I made a scrapbook layout using The Company Kit.  While I had not gotten around to telling my story (the journal block is missing from the photo below), I will definitely plan to tell the story of meeting my future husband at this diner . . . and never having to serve coffee again!  

My "diner days" at A.C. Petersen Farms in Simsbury, Connecticut.

When I think of Harry and Sally, they were friends before anything else.  And I think they annoyed each other more than anything else.  I met my husband when I was sixteen.  He was that annoying customer that would not leave the restaurant in a timely manner.  I also ran into him at Great Pond State Forest one day, much like Harry and Sally ran into each other at the airport.  Like Harry and Sally, we had many an annoying conversation. 

What was the same . . . many scenes in restaurants.  There was the famous "I'll Have What She's Having" line which is classic.  Did I ever fake "such a thing" in a diner?  Absolutely not.  So it's a little the same, but different.  And if you are confused about what I'm talking about here, WATCH THIS MOVIE. 

Sally Albright's famous ordering of food . . . "I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side, and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real; if it's out of the can then nothing."  . . . reminds me of my restaurant days, although I was the one taking those orders.  My husband would say that it reminds him of me.  I am a bit picky.  Like Sally, I just want it how I want it.  

Did Rick and Debbie drive from Chicago to New York after college?  Well, no.  But we've driven many places to see hockey games and we've had many an annoying conversation in a vehicle (much like Harry and Sally).  Did my husband ever attempt to spit seeds out the window of the car, and later realize that the window was up as the seeds hit the glass?  Well, no.  But I could totally see him doing it!  CLASSIC!


Harry Burns . . . "I had that dream again where I'm making love, and the Olympic judges are watching. I'd nailed the compulsories, so this is it, the finals. I got a 9.8 from the Canadians, a perfect 10 from the Americans, and my mother, disguised as an East German judge, gave me a 5.6. Must have been the dismount."  Hmmm . . . I've never had that dream, but I can certainly relate to poor Harry, seeking mom's approval.

One of my favorite, favorite exchanges . . . 


Sally Albright: Well, if you must know, it was because he was very jealous, and I had these days of the week underpants.
Harry Burns: Ehhhh. I'm sorry. I need the judges ruling on this. "Days of the weeks underpants"?
Sally Albright: Yes. They had the days of the week on them, and I thought they were sort of funny. And then one day Sheldon says to me, "You never wear Sunday." It was all suspicious. Where was Sunday? Where had I left Sunday? And I told him, and he didn't believe me.
Harry Burns: What?
Sally Albright: They don't make Sunday.
Harry Burns: Why not?
Sally Albright: Because of God.

I love Harry's "game show buzzer Ehhhhh!"  But I was wicked jealous of Sally's days of the week underpants because I had friends growing up who had them.  Talk about an organized way of figuring out which pair to wear on which day.  You would not have to decide between the tighty whitey pair, or the other tighty whitey pair.  Although in all likelihood . . . I'd definitely mess it up.  I'd be wearing Wednesday on Monday, Tuesday on Friday.  The universe would shift!  

And a line I used before I was forty . . . "And, I'm gonna be forty."  To which Harry interjected and said something to the effect of "In eight years?"

"But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end."

I'm fifty now.  I remember when that line seemed appropriate.  Now it makes me feel wicked old. 

What's the point of my rambling?

There is no point.  Just like there is no point to . . . "Repeat after me . . . Waiter . . . there is too much pepper on my paprikash . . . but I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie . . . pecaaaaan piiiiiie!"

Yep . . . no point at all.  

Check out the 5 & Dime

I remember the term "5 & Dime" store, although when I was growing up in the 60's, there wasn't much that you could get for a nickel or a dime, except penny candy (that wasn't a penny). 

What a thrill this month to be able to design pages with the New England Scrapbook Company Kit, full of October Afternoon 5 & Dime paper and embellishments, along with coordinating ribbons and Bazzill Cardstock.  This paper is great for present day photos, but it was screaming for me to use my old photos, and that's exactly what I did.  I followed my instincts on this one. 

I seriously have been holding back on the old photos for three reasons . . . 

1. We had limited photos back then.  You didn't take a lot of photos, because you had to pay for film and development.  You didn't know in advance if your shots came out.  There were no two-inch screens that gave you an idea that all was well.  When you would have them developed and you would anxiously open the envelope, it was like a crap shoot!  You either one the prize . . . or you were seriously disappointed (usually a little bit of both).  
2. I had a lot of those awkward polaroid's with the white edges or the nearly one-inch bottom borders.  Some of them are super thick.  They seem to be different sizes.  You can't really cut them down because they could crack (and some have cracked and are peeling).  
3. I had the 110 and 126 photos.  If you have those photos, you know exactly where I'm going with this.  They were the biggest photography disaster ever (in my opinion).  Sure they were beautiful at one time, but now they are faded and orange.  There is little to no color at all under the orange haze. 

So I had a little heart to heart with myself.  Those photos are not going to change; they are what they are.  So I might as well bite the bullet and do something with them.  

My favorite layout of all is this fabulous one of my sister, Tammy, who passed away two years ago.  I am biased.  I believe she was the most beautiful little sister . . . she had beautiful sparkling eyes!  She was a special needs child who never walked or talked.  I would have given the world to have a sister who could run and jump and play.  But growing up with her was full of lessons learned . . . about patience, acceptance, tolerance of others' ignorance, and gratitude for the hand that life deals you.  

 

In the coming days I will share some of my other layouts using this beautiful and awesome kit!  It really is the perfect compliment to my "mish-mosh" of photos.   

You know what . . .it is all part of our history.  Life isn't perfect, nor are our memories and photos.  A little lesson learned from the 110 and 126 film era . . . 

Sometimes life is a little faded, like our memories.

Thankfully, life is not all orange-y.  

Check-out this fabulous kit!  

June Company Kit . . . Scrapping Summer Memories

I created a little something for the June Company Kit from my LSS, New England Scrapbook Co.  They put out a new "Company Kit" each month . . . coordinating patterned papers, cardstock, ribbon, and embellishments . . . and their designers make all sorts of layouts, cards, and 3-D artsy things to inspire.  They also have an add-on kit to stretch out your creativity.  June will be our sixth one, which is pretty exciting . . . especially since the May Company Kit is SOLD OUT! 

June's kit will be full of summer paper and embellishments.  I created two layouts . . . here is just one of them . . . 

And then I created a couple of cards, and here is just one of them . . . 

And with even more product remaining, I made a little 4 1/2 x 6 1/2" book . . . but I forgot to take a photo of the little bugger!  

Matchy, matchy product that comes in a box . . . what can be better?  Check out the photo gallery at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/newenglandscrapbook

We Interrupt This Program . . .

Life interrupted!

It has been a while since I've written anything in my blog.  The first two months of 2011 were the most difficult months of my entire life.  So rather than write blah, blah, blah negativity, I decided to take a break.  Through this difficult time, the one thing that I clung to was creativity.  It has saved me.

Most of those New Year's Resolutions are a blur.  It's as though a bolt of lightening came down, and the loud crack has just been ringing in my head.  But through the loud crack, I've been creative.  I've done some stuff.

Before the crack . . . the first weekend of the New Year, I spent some time working on some "Ranger" techniques at New England Scrapbook.  The second weekend of the year, I took a class from the great Cheryl Mezzetti.  I fell in love with Cheryl's art-si-ness (clearly not a real word), with Zip Dry glue, and with Twinkling H2O's from Creative Imaginations.  I played with them during the class that Cheryl taught.  And then I bought some.  And then the very next day I used some on samples for an upcoming class.

The crack came the next day!  I very sadly, and far too soon, lost my brother to colon cancer.  He was only 50 years old.  When I say that typing these words is just as heartbreaking this moment as it was the moment he slipped away with his hand in my hand, I really and truly do mean it.  Not a single day goes by that there are no tears.  There was almost a day, but when I realized it . . . well, enough said!  So there is not a one. 

What has saved me through this difficult time?  An awesomely wonderful sister-in-law and her awesomely wonderful family (who is, by marriage, my family).  I always said that my brother married her so I could have her as my sister.  She is the best sister ever!  I've also been saved by a husband who has been supportive of me just running off to "play" with people and not asking any questions.  And I've been saved by those people who have played with me . . . you all know who you are . . . my NESC family . . . my quilt/scrapbook friends who convinced me to make (start) a Sudoku quilt one night . . . and my Farmington Valley Stamp group . . . bless all of you!

After the crack, I said to myself, "Be creative!"  No matter how much I wanted to sit around a feel miserable, I just knew I had to be creative if I was going to survive.  I had to opt out of the two quilt classes I had signed up for . . . because I just couldn't think.  I needed to be creative, but not think about it.  So I gifted my class to a friend, and I felt no guilt for it was now a gift.  I had signed on to teach some classes and make some Designer Series Kits for NESC, and I pushed through everything hoping my work would not suffer.

And then there was the nine to five job.  The insurance job . . . new changes . . . new boss . . . people I had worked with for years who were no longer part of the new organization.  Saying goodbye to some of these people had me in tears.  More loss.  

But then there was Brave Girl Soul Restoration, a six-week on-line class that I signed up in December.  It started the day after my brother lost his battle.  I didn't think I could do the class, and I will admit that the six weeks are up and I'm only still working on the fourth week.  I am committed to getting it done.  And if I don't - I will sign up again.  It has been hard, given the circumstances that I've been dealing with.  But it has been absolutely wonderful and I encourage all you ladies out there to check out the Brave Girl Club.  I am learning so much about myself, it's crazy.  Did it come at a difficult time?  Absolutely.  But I am committed to finishing.  I will be blogging more about it in the future.  

In January the New England Scrapbook Company's "Company Kit" for February was given to me to make samples.  The "Company Kit" is a monthly kit of paper, ribbons, stickers, embellishments . . . the works . . . truly awesome stuff.  My first task was to create a two-page layout.  I was going to make a layout about how much I loved my dog.  As I created the layout, there was a ticket . . . there was a blackbird . . . there was all this "love" stuff.  I could only think of The Beatles, and from this dog layout, a layout about my brother's influence in my life was born.  It was my tribute to him.

So I've done some stuff while my ears were still ringing from the loud crack.   And I will continue to push through.

It's funny . . . my brother lived only 15 minutes away, two towns over.  We raised our kids together.  We could go weeks without talking.  When we did, he was a man of few words.  We never needed words.  He would call the house and say, "Hey, Deb.  What's up."  I would say, "Not much, what's up with you."  He'd reply with a one or two word answer.  He'd then say, "Want to talk to Laurie?"  He was the gatekeeper to my sister-in-law (not that she needed one).  The little sister in me now says . . . "Neener, neener neener . . . she's all mine now!"

What I'd give to have the gatekeeper back!

O.K. . . . so time to get creative!  Happy crafting!