Open for Submissions

This has been one of those weeks where everywhere I go there is something really sad.

One of my son's school buddies had his baby sister die over the school holidays and I was just so devastated for his mum. She's a wonderful lady. I don't know her very well, just to stop and say hi to at school so I couldn't do anything for her. You know how usually you'd send a card or flowers or drop around some dinners for them? Well I don't know where they live so I wrote them a card and slipped it to her at school.

Then I went to a Tupperware party and spoke to a mum whose son died recently at 23 yrs old. My heart went out toher too! At that same party I spoke to one of my mum's oldest friends which just made me miss my mum so much! Mother's Day is coming up and it's a really hard time of year if you miss your mum.

Then to top off the life lessons there were a few more to come.

I had an interesting day recently. A gathering of friends for a birthday. You know how some people just don't know how to make small talk? The kind of people who have no give and take in their conversations. They won't even allow you to agree with them they just talk right over the top of you. I'm sure you've all got one of them in your group. This woman knows everything about everything! Even if you have more experience at a topic and she's brand new to it she still knows more than you. It would normally be a very frustrating day but I have learnt something. I have finally mastered the skill of stoping myself. Usually if I had something to say and had started talking and you cut over the top of me I would just keep talking and finish my point. But I was really pleased with myself as i just stopped talking. Let them have the conversation all to themself. After all it's obviously what they want. Why those sorts of people don't just talk to themselves in a mirror I don't know. But I have finally made a small breakthrough in my self improvement. I'm reading "A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life's Purpose" by Eckhart Tolle. And I just didn't think I'd be able to push my ego aside for even a moment, but by stopping myself from needing to finish that sentence I think I did an amazing thing for me. Not talking!

My mum used to say that I could talk under 3feet of wet cement.... Talking is something I'm really good at.

But this week has been a growing experience in more ways than one. I had an unsubscribe from my list this week. Their reason for unsubscribing? "I'm a more advanced scrapbooker".... I'm not kidding that's what they said. I was a little hurt by this comment. As at no time have I ever claimed to be a fabulous artist. I am just a mum who loves to scrapbook the events and people of her life. I do this blog to share all of that and to give those people whe are interested my hints and tips on how to save at this hobby. And because I don't consider myself the best scrapbooker on the planet I ask you guys for input and submissions. But I'm over it now. As I've never seen a comment from this person or an email they obviously haven't been giving much to the rest of us on this blog. So I realised I'm better off without this person. Wow growth can be painful can't it?

Because of what I learnt from that unsubscribe I've decided to try and get you guys more involved.

I love getting comments from you guys.... It helps me remember that it's not just me typing away here to an empty room but that there are lots of wonderful warm giving fellow scrapaholics reading me and contributing their knowledge back.

I'd like to ask you guys if you have a layout you just LOVE and would like it featured... Maybe you've wanted to be published but can't get published? Maybe you'd just love to share it. Please send me a photo and an outline of the products or how you achieved it? Whatever you'd like to say about it. With your firstname and where you're from to: cheapscrapbookingideas@yahoo.com In the subject line put : BLOG SUBMISSION and I'll happily feature one of you a week.