Ethnic Scrapbooking

Halloween Discussion

I know it's more than a week late, but I thought I'd share with you my parenting moment last week.

With all the "spirit" talk that happens around Halloween, last week Jonathan said he was going to the grave with his soul.  I took that as an opportunity to talk with me kids about death of the physical body and eternal life.  We did more than talk about it, we acted it out.

 

I had Jonathan lie down as if he was in a coffin.  I explained about how the physical body will eventually die.  Then his spirit (Leah under the white sheet), stood above him and based on Jonathan's decision that he made while he was alive, his spirit could go one of two places.

Jerin sitting on a chair, with a make-shift halo represented heaven. Joseph cowering over his soul represented hell (note the red clothes).

It only took a couple of minutes to act this out, but it's something they will surely remember.  That's this year's way of connecting to a cultural event!

P.S.  Jonathan, without hesitation wanted his soul to go to heaven...a lesson on water baptism is next.
 

Welcome Babies

The two new mommas to be that I had the honor of photographing back in August in this post have had their babies.  It's been a tense two weeks praying for both of them and trying to get updates.  One birth went pretty much exactly as planned, the other had some disappointing challenges but both babies are here and healthy.

Thinking of these two new mommies, I've been thinking about the 6 births that I have given...have I scrapbooked them...well, yes at least five of them but only from a storytelling perspective for the child's benefit.  To births were extremely difficult, one I did write out in long hand for therapeutic purposes, but I'm not sure where it is.  I guess this is something I should put on my to do list...someone in my future may care about my birthing/motherhood thoughts.

Here are my thoughts on a layout I prepared for an article I wrote a few years ago.  It's still one of my favorites and one of the very few 100% digital pages I've done.

 

Baby Angel

The next few posts will be about babies...not my babies but other precious angels.

First, a big Congratualtions to my best friend from gradeschool.  We reconnected this summer through Facebook.  When we got together she told me the story of how she delivered her daughter full-term and didn't even know she was pregnant.  Having been pregnant 9 times myself, I just couldn't imagine not knowing.  Her fiance, James had me cracking up with his side comments.

Tonight they are featured on TLC's Didn't Know I was Pregnant show (8pm & 11 pm EST).  The show featured her story exactly as she told it to me this summer.  Here's her daughter Angel (with my son Joseph)...and she is just that.

 

 

 

Good Hair!

I can't wait to see Chris Rock's movie, Good Hair!

You would think that having three girls would make me somewhat of an expert on black hair...all I am is frustrated.  I was raised to think my natural hair was NOT good hair and spent years cutting, cropping, coloring and damaging it.  All four women in our house have completely different hair  textures and none of us can use the same hair products (right Tenisha?).  We have cabinets full of half used hair products. 

Every culture has some hang up or rich tradition about hair, I address this topic a few times in my book, Ethnic Scrapbooking.  Here's one of the layouts featuring a bi-racial child in Canada coming to love her braidable hair.

Hairstyles are always a topic in the Sanford household and wouldn't you know it, that this past weekend, was a "hair" weekend...everyone got new "dos".

I expect the movie to be entertaining to me, but I did recommend that my daughter's caucasian dermatologist see it for educational purposes.

Right now I am wearing my hair natural, as I was having terrible balding at the temples and shedding in past months, which I have now come to learn was related to the products.  I'm in a good place with my hair and the products I use.  Check out Diva by Cindy, her products rock...at least for me.

 Check out my favorite page in my book, "Leah in Hebrew"

Yesterday-Today

I don't usually take scrapbooking classes, I'm usually teaching them, but this Fall is different.  With my new consulting business, I'm not too motivated to scrapbook much.  So, I've decided to take an on-line class by Ali Edwards called Yesterday/Today over at Big Picture Scrapbooking. 

Class started this week and as I wated the nearly hour long video presentation I realized the class was more of an "All About Me" scrapbooking exercise...somewhere along the line I must have read the class description and thought it was about heritage photos...any hoo I'll make it work for that very purpose.  I'm interested in getting the stories told of my Grandmother and her siblings while we are blessed to have her here with us.  I've mastered the scrapbooking about myself conumdrum, I have at least five annual albums about myself...one for each child.

A number of years ago, I was on a roll in telling the stories of my ancestors and here's a layout that I prepared back then...back in my Creative Memories Days.  The trendier scrapbookers might not like this style, but hey...I have over 70 completed albums done in a similar fashion and the stories have been told and preserved and isn't that the bottom line?

 

This first layout is their marriage certificate and photos from a wedding anniversary celebration.  The second layout is the story about how my ancestors of yesterday, may have just been emerging from the great depression, but their elegant style was similar to that of today's modern day Martha Stewart.  So I was mixing stories about Yesterday & Today 10 years ago.

My plan for my new heritage scrapbook pages that I create during this class will be more like personality profiles and feature one enlarged 8x10 photo.  Similar to these, CLICK HERE

New Reader in the House!

My five year old is happily reading on his own....YIPPPPEEEE, a big milestone here at the Sanford home and he can TIE HIS SHOES!!! These are two big requirements in our household when you reach the age of FIVE.

The first week he read on his own, we all had to take turns listening to him read.  Over the past 23 years of raising kids, there have been a number of reading methods, but the one that seems to work for me is the good old fashion, Dick & Jane...see Spot run series of books.  This three volume set has gotten plenty of use in this house...Tavi, it's your turn next.

 

Marbles

My Dad has had an antique collection of marbles for years...finally a grandson interested in marbles.  Jonathan is actually preparing for a marble tournament next month.

I think I'll use this photograph on a scrapbook page and ask my Dad to journal about the childhood games he played, growing up in the "patch" (coal mining housing).  Jonathan looks so much like my Dad did as a child...this is a good substitute photo.

note to self:  use an antique jar with a lid to store this new collection

 

Birthday Boy turns 9!

October is a celebratory month around here.  With four kids in the house I try not to do big parties, I like to stick to family dinners and maybe an activity.  This year I let Jonathan have a very small Pirate Themed party with just a few boys from the neighborhood.  I was trying to keep it strictly homemade, but I was out of town last week and didn't get to prepare. Sunday morning, just two hours before the party we shopped and decorated...not too bad $197.00 for everything including food, gifts and cake.  Jonathan's thoughts afterwards...priceless.

 

Not a bad day at all.  We took individual photos of the boys and included them in the Thank You notes.

 

14 already!

I remember the morning she was born like yesterday.  The hospital where she was born is torn down, but the doctor who delivered her, Dr. Sharon Malone must have sprinkled some of her husband's "love for the law" dust (Eric Holder) over her when she was delivering her, because this girl is destined to be a high level government official...possibly the President of the United States of America.

She turned 14 and celebrated by seeing a double feature of her favorite movie, Toy Story and Toy Story 2...go figure.

She is also raising her own funds to attend a week long learning adventure with her Biology class in Florida, during Spring Break 2010...YOU GO GIRL!

 

Grandmother turns 90 years young

My Grandmother, one of the most incredible women I've ever known turned 90 years old this past September.  She has been through many of historical moments, ones that stand out for me is her growing up through the depression era, and two more recessions, her husband's death, virtiligo, a fire bomb through her front window, a bear in her driveway, the loss of four siblings, the election of Black President and a recent house fire 11 months ago.  Many of these events have crushed the spirit and will to go on of a lot of people.  But this past visit with her last week, I saw a change in her.  Her hair was no longer dyed, no make-up on and clothes that fit, revealing a small frail frame and a genuine smile.  She always avoids my camera, but this time she gave me a glimpse of her authentic self.  She may be ninety, but she wears it well.

LOVE YOU GRANDMOTHER!!!!

 

My sister and Grandmother, October 1, 2009