Cherished Memories

Cherished memories...that's why I scrapbook! Having the pictures and written memories documented on a page that can be remembered and cherished forever.

My dad died from a long illness a year and a half ago. My mother was his full time caregiver in the home for four years. His one request was to be at home and not in a nursing home and my mother was able to do that for him. I guess I'm telling you this because I want you to know what a selfless, caring woman my mother is. Since she lives in Illinois and all of her 4 children live in southern states, she now comes to stay with us during the harshest winter months. A three week stay at each southern home means she misses the worst of the cold weather for three months at her home.

I picked my mom up at my brother's house in Louisiana two days before New Year's. During the first week of her visit we were discussing states that we had visited. I was fortunate as a child that my parents took a vacation every two years to show us much of the United States. As a result I have been in more than half of the United States. My mom mentioned that she only had two states that she had not been to: Hawaii and Florida. Well, I've never been to Hawaii due to the cost, but I've been to Florida many times. Since we live in Mississippi, it is only a 5 hour drive to the panhandle of Florida. I turned to my mom and said "well, I can't do much about Hawaii, but we can take you to Florida this weekend!" Little did I know that the weekend we went would be an ice storm in Mississippi and below freezing weather in Florida. But we went anyway and had a wonderful time. I'll never forget the time we shared together making these special memories!

A few days after we got home, my mom was reading a book that took place in North Dakota. She looked at me and said: "I don't think I've ever been to North Dakota!" I love my mom!!

Project Life Kit used: Adventure
To purchase Project Life: http://www.shopbeckyhiggins.com?rfsn=426299.a10d40

Hello 2017

Hello 2017! As I start a new year scrapbooking with Project Life, I decided to create a layout about me. (A rare occurrence for me). I love this Stamping Up Kit All Year Long! When I saw the card "Focus on the Good" I knew I had to use it. This is what I've been trying to do for the past several months, especially with social media. There is so much negativity being posted and I never want to be a part of that. I try to focus on the good and keep all of my posts positive. So here's to another year of Project Life layouts and staying positive!

Purchase Supplies: http://www.shopbeckyhiggins.com?rfsn=426299.a10d40

Supply list for this layout:

Template-Big Shot 2 Square

Font- San Francisco, Tahoma
Kit-SU All Year Long
Stickers- Adventure

Christmas is a wrap!

I'm so excited that I've finished my Christmas layouts and it's only the first week of January! All of these layouts were started in the app and then the embellishments were added using the Over app. I savemy  digital scrapbooking supplies in Dropbox for easy access.

Are you finished scrapbooking Christmas layouts? The Project Life System helps you get it done fast and festive!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

I love that I can have many Christmas season layouts finished before Christmas Day. We had so much fun with the bearded men in the family this year, so I had to document the Santa lookalikes. 

I decided to try some new candy varieties this year. Since toffee is my absolute favorite candy I wanted to give it a try.  It was so easy to make and absolutely delicious!

We are so fortunate to live near the picturesque town of Canton. The Christmas light display is always so special and the perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit.

Showcasing our Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas!

November Blessings

November was a busy month but thanks to the Project Life App I was still able to get some layouts completed. Usually during the Fall season I am seeking out colorful foliage. This year I was inexplicably drawn to the textures of the season. The more time I spent in nature, the more mesmerized I became with the beauty of the season that I had previously overlooked. I posted the photographs to Instagram as the Autumn Texture Series. The following layout highlights some of my favorite photos.

While I was searching for the best texture photos, I came across a nature trail on the Natchez Trace Parkway that I had driven by but never before stopped to explore. As I meandered along the trail admiring the beauty of Fall, I was pleasantly surprised by the Autumn sunshine and shadow,

Thanksgiving was spent in Illinois at my Mom's house. We enjoyed lots of food and time with family. 

While I was in Illinois I was able to check on the progress of the Habitat for Humanity house being built. This was a dream of my fathers and I wish he had lived long enough to see it!

So finally I was able to do a monthly recap for November. It was great sharing the month of blessings.

Tishomingo State Park

Hiking makes me happy! There just is no better way to experience the beauty of nature! We planned a hike at Tishomingo State Park to see the Autumn colors. This is our favorite place to hike in Mississippi since it is in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. 

We hiked this park last year the day after Thanksgiving. It was beautiful then, but we knew it would be even more spectacular in the Fall. Watching the fall foliage forecast, we knew the dry, hot weather was delaying the colors. We finally just had to go since this was the last weekend we could be together before Thanksgiving. Luckily there was plenty of Autumn splendor for us to enjoy! 

October 2016

Oh how I love Autumn and the month of October! The month started off a little rough when Kaitlyn's car broke down on her way back to the Delta. So thankful for the kindness of a stranger that stopped and helped her as she was stranded in a remote area! Because the car was not repairable I had to go get her so we could car shop locally. We found a great used car and enjoyed the cotton harvest we saw on the drive through the Mississippi Delta. 

Our nephew Ryan and his wife Blair are moving to California so we met them in Memphis, TN for a visit. We had a great visit with them and then headed downtown for the River Arts Festival. You just can't go wrong with sunshine, music and art! A trip to Muddy's Bake Shop was the perfect ending to a great day. 

September recap

We started the month meeting our new great nephew and ended the month eating our way through Addison's birthday! Great celebrations all month long! I even snuck in a few Fall photos (even though the temperature doesn't even remotely feel like Fall)!

August recap

August is a busy month with back to school! We have a school administrator, school teacher and a college student in the family. Then throw in the Olympics being aired during the same timeframe and life gets a little crazy! 

June recap

We met in the Mississippi Delta to spend a day together for Father's Day at Sky Lake Boardwalk. 

Then we walked through Wister Gardens. 

June was a lovely month. 

Adventure Along the Natchez Trace Parkway

I've always wanted to take the Trace all the way up to Nashville, TN and explore its history along the way. We finally were able to make that trip! I'm half way through finished with the layouts and I thought I'd share. 

May Recap

May was a beautiful and busy month!

March recap

March monthly recap. 

Easter Weekend

We enjoyed a beautiful long weekend with our adult children and a couple extra friends. Friday we made a fire and decided to cook our dinner over the open flame. 

Saturday we went exploring at Cypress Swamp on the Natchez Trace Parkway. We had been there before but wanted to take our visitors who were visiting from out of state. You could see the signs of the recent flooding but also signs of spring. 

Overall, a beautiful Easter weekend!

Spring Break 2016 Take Two

A little break time with Addison in New Orleans. 

Spring Break 2016

Kaitlyn and Addison had different spring breaks this year. So instead of a big family trip we took short day trips. Day 1: Meridian, MS

Day 2: Natchez, MS