For the first time in months I was able to get away on a mini vacation this past weekend … actually, I just hung out with my step mom (M2) for a couple of days! My dad was away on business so we were like a couple of school girls having a slumber party.

People laugh when I tell them this, but we had made this ‘appointment’ a month in advance; between the kids, my husband and work, it’s hard to squeeze ME time in! Not that I’ll do this every day, but that’s my ’stay sane’ tip for today: Schedule time for yourself, and then take it!

We talked, ate and watched movies. Of course, there was much laughter. Finally we sat down to scrapbook around 2 on Saturday. When we were cleaning up later so I could leave for home, I was shocked to find that I’d completed 12 pages and totally redid another! I used Creative Memories power palettes for all of them; guess that’s why I sped right through; all I have to do now is go back and journal. I love that I can get pages done so quickly with those sets!

It was so hard to leave when the time came; I’d been there over 24 hours and it only felt like 4. Though I had the car loaded it took me over an hour to leave. LOL.
I really enjoy our time together; I wish we lived even closer.

Well, have to go check on M2 and see if she ever finished the pages about her Mom’s visit to Miami - she promised!!

My step mom recently lost her little Dachshund Zoe, a.k.a. ‘Button’, and not too long afterwards put together a scrapbook using Creative Memories PicFolio Quick Pet Kit.

It turned out really nice and not only kept her busy immediately after her girl’s passing, but she now has something solid left to take comfort from…

If you’re inclined, click on the picture of the first page below to go to the gallery and see the entire book; it really is precious.

We all miss little Button; she was only 9 years old when she developed heart disease.

This is a picture of my two oldest munchkins with Button in 2002:

She didn’t look too sure of K, though T was the one who had just measured her… WITH a tape measure!