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Monday, September 13, 2010

WHERE DID THIS CRAZINESS BEGIN?

In the Fall of each year, I pull out my mother’s scrapbook, so I can display her 1925 Halloween party page.  Every Fall, as I take the page from the pile, I begin to think that I have got to do something to preserve these pages.  It’s a miracle the pages even exist.  This scrapbook was in the attic of our home when I was a child.

halloween
In order to explain this story, I have to tell you that I read the book, “Little Women” when I was probably too young to understand most of it.  I had found the worn book in the attic, and I thought the title implied that the book was about little girls.  I don’t know if I understood much of what I read, or even if I really read every line on every page.  All I know, is that “Jo” was who I wanted to be when I grew up (I still want to be Jo when I grow up).  You may remember that Jo would go to the attic to write.
movies 

photos mos

I’m betting that her attic was never as hot in the summer or as cold in the winter as our attic was in Arkansas!  I romanticized the vision I had of Jo writing her heart away in the attic.  I went to the attic, wearing as little as possible in the summer and in my heavy coat in winter.  I kept a little spiral notebook in the attic, and for years, I wrote in that little journal.  Oh, I thought I was writing a brilliant novel!  Wonder what ever happened to that notebook. (Keep in mind, there were no computers then – this may have been the beginnings of my addiction to blogging.)
 teacher cutout
I also dug in the multitudes of boxes that were piled in the attic, and one of my favorite finds was my mother’s scrapbook.  (I still love to dig in boxes at estate sales and flea markets to look for a hidden treasure-is this where it all started?) I looked at these scrapbook pages so many times, the book fell apart.  I emptied a small box, so I could keep the separate pages of the book all together in the box. (I wonder if writing in a spiral notebook and looking at old black and white photos in a dark attic are the reasons I now wear glasses.)
photos w cutout The pages were filled with party invitations and decorations (maybe this is where my enjoyment of tablescaping began-even though there was no such word waaaay back then). 
st pat
how dry
We didn’t take as many photographs when I was young as we do “nowadays”!  So even the photographs became a source of inspiration for me, as I made up stories about the strangers in the photos.
pix w gas sta My love for old junk treasures may have begun with this scrapbook.
teacher cutout
I wish I could say that my crafting talents began with this scrapbook, but sadly, I didn’t pick up that gene from the scrapbook. more movies
Maybe my hesitation to throw away anything began with this scrapbook. photos w cutout
busy bee tea An invite to a tea party – I do love to join in on all of the tea parties in Blogville.  Did that love begin in the attic loooooong ago?067 Looking through the pages of the scrapbook, I determined that my mother had a lot of friends and a lot of fun while she was in college.  Maybe that is the reason that I attended college.  (It may also be the reason I did more partying than studying when I went to college!)
talley Well, THAT was therapeutic!  This post started out as a trip down memory lane, but it turned into a trip into the shallow deep recesses of my mind for some self-analyzing!  Now that I know that all of my problems began in that attic, with this scrapbook, I have something to blame for all of those problems, and I didn’t even have to pay for the therapy! 
I’m linking this post to Story Tellers Wednesday at A Southern Belle With Northern Roots.  Thank you Shannon for hosting.
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Don’t forget --  Cloche Party at A Stroll Thru Life on September 17th!  Be there, or be square!  (Uh Oh! That trip down memory lane brought back some old lingo!) 
My dear friend, Cindy, uses a term that I love, because it is so descriptive of what I have done in this post.  I have been “heart plopping”.  I’ll say it again, if you’ve never visited my blog before, I don’t often heart plop on here, so please come back again some time.  A huge thank you to each of you who stick around to read my heart plopping and anything else I might post on my little blog.  laurie

31 comments:

GardenOfDaisies said...

What a wonderful piece of history you have there! And so many memories for you. I loved the cute little busy bee tea party invite. And 20's fashions worn by the ladies in the photos! I loved putting together scrapbook pages when I was young too. Just like this papers glued to a blank page... not the fancy art work that they do today. Let me know what you find out about preserving the pages.
I'm having a little giveaway, so I hope you can stop by my blog sometime this week.

Robin@DecoratingTennisGirl said...

Laurie,
This is an amazing piece of history. What a treasure!!! I love the photos and the fashion of the day. How wonderful!

Gail said...

Laurie, I loved this blog. The pictures of your mom and the knowledge that she kept so many pieces of her life is so special. She was such an elegant lady. I remember trips to Memphis and I remember watching her thumbs tapping on the steering wheel!! I was fascinated! I have enjoyed your post about the mom of two special young ladies I was privileged to grow up with. Gail

Tommie Jo said...

Scrapbooking sure has changed over the years hasn't it? I pulled out mine from when I was 16 & had a chuckle at how different it is from the "works of art" that we produce today! Enjoyed your "therapy session"lol!

KBeau said...

Wow, Laurie. Your mother's scrapbook is beautiful. I have a scrapbook that my aunt made of letters and stuff my dad sent home from WWII. It has fallen apart, but I managed to scan a lot of the stuff and make a digital scrapbook out of it. What a treature you have!

Linda @ A La Carte said...

This scrapbook is amazing. I love the photos and the very cool cards and mementos. I do think things like that might have been the beginning of our creative blogging. I was a 'keeper' all my life and here I still am at 60 keeping my old stuff and the old stuff of many others!!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

Wow, your mother was the orginal scrapbooker!!! How wonderful that you have them. Love your header.

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Oh I just love it Laurie!
What an amazing scrapbook to have!
Your Mom sure had an interesting and fun life! And I can see where you got your love for so many different and unique things.
It's a treasure to keep and share with your grandkids as well.
And your an excellent writer and I love to read your posts!
Hugs,
Cindy

fiberdoodles said...

Oh I love it Laurie! I just adore family treasures and want to save everyone of them (please don't call Hoarders on me). Thank you for sharing such sweet memories of your mother ;0)

Ps: I am so loving your mantel!!

Tardevil said...

That only proves it's in your genes & you can't help it! And...aren't you glad that you can't, really? Love the mantel. It's way cool that you still have that scrapbook & all the stuff in it! How fun.

xinex said...

This scrapbook is such a treasure, Laurie. It must be so enjoyable and feel so rewarding looking through those pages....Christine

Miss Laura Lu/RMS4291960 said...

Hi Laurie! I don't see a problem! I see character! What a cool scrapbook! And what fun that you shared it with us! Okay, I will admit it to you....I wanted to be Amy! Hey, she got the guy and got to go to Europe!! You take care my dear friend! God Bless! Lauralu :)

Debbie said...

I love your heart plopping, and I LOVE that term in general. What a good one. I sat here looking at the treasures from your mother's life in amazement. I love how creative she was (is?)in both her party plans and her scrapbooking.

There is TRULY "Nothing new under the sun" is there? We think we are doing some new fangled idea only to discover its ancestor squirreled away in the attic.

And I wanted to be Jo too!

Dawn Marie said...

What a gift you have there! How precious to be able to walk the road of a loved one's life. Thanks for sharing that.

Anonymous said...

This is precious, Laurie! I love the picture of all the gals standing in a line with their knees bent. Doesn't look very comfortable. :)
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

Olive said...

You are a darling heart plopper. This is an awesome piece of your mom's history. hugs♥olive

Trish said...

Lucky you to have such a fabulous find! I enjoyed the photos and your story!

Sue McPeak said...

I think all your 'Wonderings & Wanderings' in the attic have followed and served you well. An extraordinary and special scrapbook of historical and family significance. A real treasure with priceless momentos of a time gone by. Just think...Gloria Swanson in Fine Manners. Love all the hand written details and dates. Thanks for sharing....Sue

Sue McPeak said...
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shannon i olson said...

I love this post!!! Such beautiful memories and so well preserved...I was reading on the one page they ran out of gas by a cemetery! wooooo.
What a treasure you have. Every picture is precious. Thank you so much for adding my dad to your prayer list, very appreciated.

Cortney said...

Wow! I love that old scrapbook. I think what I love the most about old treasures is when they handwrittin gon them- they don't teach kids how to write like they use to anymore...everyone types everything it seems. I love all the handwriting and pictures with your story, very nice!

Anonymous said...

Oh, Laurie, I can't wait for you to come to my Heart of the Home Party! I've seen a little bit of your kitchen and just loved it!
Have a wonderful evening and be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)

bj said...

I enjoyed this post so much. You have some real treasures here. I love that you had an attic large enuf to go up and write and dream. Our little tiny attic was useless..
and held no treasures. But, my mom had a few old photo albums with things she treasured stuck into them...and they are so fun to look at.
xo bj

Kathleen said...

That is amazing. What a piece of history! I would love to have that of my mom's ! A real treasure!

Ann in the UP said...

What fun! Your mom was the original art journaler!

Loved your post!

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

What a precious heirloom! I love it! My mother had boxes and boxes of things she kept like this too....I think she may have been a hoarder, but I am so glad she was....

Just Priceless...

Lou Cinda :)

Jean said...

You have an amazing treasure in your Mothers scrapbook! I love old pictures! My first time for Storytelling. Great story! Jean

vignette design said...

Ahh, the memories...Loved this post and looking at your trip down memory lane.

Salmagundi said...

I'm slow in responding to this heart plopping post, but I loved it. What a wonderful treasure to have that scrapbook. Your mother was as full of life as you are!! What a heritage. Sally

Sarah said...

Laurie, I enjoyed seeing these pages from your mother's scrapbook. All the sweet graphics form years ago, that beautiful handwriting, and all the little details written down that you mother wanted to savor. This is a real treasure! ~ Sarah

JKW said...

I love these old photos. I happen to have some scrapbooks from my grandmother and her sister-in-law (who happened to dress up in heels on a picnic!). I love all the old things, reminds me of my grandmother. Thanks for visiting my blog. Blessings, Janet