The Reluctant Scrapbooker no more

Number 10 on my list of things about me states that I am a reluctant scrapbooker because I have too much money invested in it to quit. Well, no more. No, I haven't discovered the joy of scrapbooking. I've just decided to scrap scrapbooking from my life and not think about the rest.

I do not like it. I have never liked it. I only got sucked into this madness because Carly and Ryan came to us with no baby books to speak of and I wanted them to have something special. So I started a scrapbook for them. From there it was like an abyss that I just poured money into but got no happiness from.

Oh at first I tried. I really did. I even hosted scrapbook parties. My pages were all color coordinated. They have the most adorable stickers and frames on them. They are cut with the cutest edges. They had headings and banners. They were embellished with everything available at the time. Creative Memories and Hobby Lobby loved me. My pages took way too much thought and time.

As time went on I noticed a distinct downward spiral in the cuteness of the pages. I gave the scissors to the kids to play with. I let them have a lot of the stickers. I got more edgy every time I had to spend money on more tape to hold those dumb stickers in place. I started verbalizing what I had known even before I started. I do not like to scrapbook. My friends were aghast. I learned to deal with their scorn.

I love to go hang out with my friends with they scrapbook. I can sit and talk for hours. I still want to do that part - I just don't want to do my part. See this cabinet -- the one under all the dust? It is jammed packed with scrapbooking crap. What a waste of space. I am tired of looking at it - knowing that all it holds inside is more time consuming, money wasting junk that I don't enjoy. So I placed an ad on eBay today for the Creative Memories paper punches that read I hate scrapbooking even more than I thought I would, so I am never going to do it again. With that in mind, I'm selling the punches my dear sister in law convinced me I couldn't live without. She was wrong. They sold within an hour. The rest I am giving to my sister in law in exchange for something I do enjoy - help. She is going to help me clean the house (a lot) in exchange for these treasures. She thinks she is getting the better end of the deal. I think not. In the future, should we want to look back with fondness on special occasions and vacations, we have to look no further than the living room book cases where my pictures are now safe and sound - categorized a year at a time.

Ahh, hello simple life.
Goodbye Hobby Lobby.