Creative Friday...
Scrapbooking AND Poetry!!!!

The kids were out of school today, so we just got back from some time at the park. (Lots of fun...Delaney said as we were leaving, "Whoever thought of parks was really smart. It's free and anyone can come and enoy them." Yes, so true!) The girls had a blast and I was taking some cutie-patootie pictures of them when I realized that I didn't have a memory card in the camera. Oh well...the memories will just last in my mind, I guess. (Just picture McKenna going head-first down the tunnel slide, Delaney swinging very high, and Sydney running from place to place to place...)

As we head into the weekend, I thought I'd share a couple of scrapbook creations that I've done over the last several days.

This first one is using that Tinkering Ink page pad that I told you all sweet Lain sent to me. The page is a bit of a challenge, because it's pretty "busy" with lots of large images on it. But I LOVE it (here, I cut out some of the flowers and the bird to layer over the other paper and photo). This page was for the One Little Word challenge this week. When I first heard the challenge word--"best"--I immediately thought of how Sydney is always saying to me, "You're the bestest Mommy ever." It melts my heart every time, and i thought it was perfect for this page and this photo.

And then I FINALLY got around to doing a page that I've wanted to do for quite a while. It goes in my scrapbook from last year!! It's a page about the picture of Delaney that made it into the newspaper when Delaney's team was in the ASA Nationals last year. The journaling tells of how the title over the photo, "Delaney Explains it All," was perfect because Delaney is always explaining, talking, describing...she always has to get the last word in! Having her in the paper will always be a great memory for her and us (along with our 5th place finish in the tournament!).

Then, I was kinda in a purple and black mood I guess, so I did this simply fun page with this picture of Gary and I. The journaling says: "While we were at Chuck E. Cheese for Sydney's birthday party, Gary and I had to pose for a picture in the sketch booth. Of course, we were the only adults doing it."

I so wanted to get to work on two mini albums that are on my mind (one is a mini book of McKenna's Winter Guard pictures, and another is a baby album of Sydney's pictures. I never did one and the birth of my new niece this last week made me want to do one.)

And now, let me share with you the other part of my creativity these days. Here are my last poems for the Poem-a-Day Challenge I'm doing.

Wednesday's challenge was to: Write a poem with a twist at the end. This was termed a "Hitchcock" poem, because what you expect may not be what happens at the end. This one was HARD for me to do and I'm not real happy with how it turned out. But that's what this challenge is all about...just getting the words down on the page everyday!

"Running"

I’m running,
running in circles,
running in place,
wanting to escape

Escape
from the smell of the perfume (it’s got to be rose) you wear for him,
from the sound of the lilting song you sing when the door is closed,
from the reflection in the mirror...candlelight, wine glass, and you.

It’s becoming more than I can take,
trapped here in your world,
everything a reminder of you and him.

Thank goodness, you’re finally freeing me,
letting me go…

as you turn the faucet,
pull the plug,
and let me escape ... running, finally ...down the drain.

Yesterday's challenge was to: Write a poem in third person (no "me," "my," "I," "we," etc.). It was a bit of a challenge, because I guess I write from my perspective most of the time. I didn't know what I was going to do, until I went to lunch with Sydney and came up with this one.

"She"

She sits in Captain D's,
at noon on an ordinary Thursday,
little things bringing her such joy.

She pushes the ice dispenser,
all by herself.
She sings along to the Alecia Keys musak.
She draws pictures on her napkin
("this is pizza," "this is a princess");
folds it into an envelope,
and says "it's an invitation to a party."
She asks to pour salt on her fries,
and giggles when too much comes out.

One diner eats alone, staring at his shrimp.
three diners laugh animatedly, friends sharing lunch.
a couple sit side-by-side,
together, yet solitary.

The 4-year-old causes them all to
look up from their food
when she slurps her strawberry soda
and says loudly, "Ahh. Life is Good!"

Her mother leans into the little girl's face,
kisses her nose,
and whispers an endearment into her ear,
then pulls a notebook from her own purse.

It's what the lone diner,
the three friends,
and couple
know they would do

if they were the mother of that little girl
who sits in Captain D's
at noon on an ordinary Thursday.

And then today's challenge was to: Write a poem using the line, "There is no connection." I thought about cell phones, and airplane flights, and relationships, but then came back to how sometimes we wonder where God is during our day-to-day life...but then discover that there's love and grace.

"Connection Questions"

I look inside,
I look up,
I wonder,
I ask.

is there a connection
between my screw-ups and your indifference?
between my lack of faith and your absence?
between your love and this pain?

The answer comes.
You don't see the plan in the screw-ups.
You aren't looking for me.
You don't see what's coming.

so, the answer?
"There is no connection.
Only love.
Only grace."

Thanks for letting me share those here in the blog. I know I'm not much of a poet, but it is so refreshing to be getting these words down everyday!

And now, the weekend...

~ I'm taking McKenna and some friends shopping, to the movies, for cupcakes, etc. for her 16th "friends" birthday party (we were originally going to do a big 16th bash with dancing, food, and stuff, but she decided this past week that she wanted it smaller and simpler).

~ Delaney has a softball tournament, so we will be doing that ALL day. Wish us luck in it!

~ Sunday is a Free Day at the Zoo, so I really want to do that (but it may be trumped by working on McKenna's Mustang).

Whatever you may be doing this weekend...

I hope it's great!!!!

See ya on Monday!!