I miss scrapbooking. I still make albums for other people and can do a whole book in less than a week since I don't have the emotional attachment totheir pictures but it's not the same as doing my own pages. And Lord knows I love it but I just can't be one of those 8-11 pm girls that revels in her quiet time after the kids are down for the night. When my kids go to bed I'm not far behind. I guess I'm more of what you'd call an ADD scrapper. Yes, ADD as in A.D.D. About two or three times a year, I'll go into my office and spend the day and crank out as many layouts as I can....ususally about 3 or 4. Oh, to be one of those people that uses their circle cutter on all their pictures and puts them on white paper and then peels off stickers to spell out their title...drawing some lines on the paper to journal right on the page. I am not THAT person. That person is caught up. I am NOT that person. That person can go to a weekend crop and do 28 layouts. I AM NOT THAT PERSON...oh, but how I wish I were. Or, do I??? Anyway, on my ADD scrapping days, Hubby watches the kids and I only come out if I hear glass breaking or a siren. Why only 2 or 3 times a year? My office looks out into the back yard and it has to be nice enough to play outside on these days (it's always nice in Atlanta) and also because I keep having babies and always seem to have a 2 year old. And as much as I would like to say my office is baby proof...it ain't!! Not even close. Right now, it's not even mommy proof. In fact, fire hazzard is more like it. In the past year or so, I've become less of a "Scrapbooker" and more of a Scrapbook Supply Collector. I have a problem that there is no 12 step program for. Hello, My name is Christi and I'm a paperholic. Anyone with 2000 pieces of patterned paper either needs therapy or a retail space. Now, our basement is awesome. Not that big, but that's the beauty of it. I have my space, hubby has his office where he works from home and there is a playroom for the kids. There is a wart on this swan though and that is that since it is small, there are no walls (interior, silly) and the space is divided up and defined with furniture. My space is in an alcove so I just need a back wall which is made up of a large ikea cabinet which I use for storage, next to the back of the armoire that faces the playroom and a bookshelf on the end that offers more storage for me. I'm quite happy with what we've done but I still yearn for the traditional craft room...Pottery Barn style. It's a want, not a need and as life goes on, wants seem less important. For me anyway. I'll get there one day but for now, I'll enjoy my ADD days when I can and enjoy my time with my almost 2 year old because he will be our last. But, now that the time has changed and we're spending more time inside in the evenings, I hope to get things back in order. In my little pea brain, it'll go something like this: I'll come home from church this weekend, pre-plan the meals for the week and put hubby in charge of dinner and bath time. Since it's Thanksgiving, there is no school, Wednesday night activities at church or basketball parctice, I'll have every night free to baracade myself in my office and knock it out!! A little soft music on the radio and stream in an interesting talk radio show on my laptop and hear grown up people say words. Ahhhhh. The baby can go down at 7 as usual and the other boys can stay up. I'm suddenly aware of the fact that I'm going to have what I need most of all this next week.....TIME!! It's what I ask for for Christmas every year!! (Yet oddly never seem to get) I realized the other day as I waved at my neighbor, I pass her house 58 times a week. Not 5 to 8...FIFTY EIGHT!!! That's just carpool (two kids are in two different schools at two different times), church and basketball and doesn't even count grocery shopping, doctors appointments and other errands. So, in a couple of weeks, maybe things will be different. I'll either be organized and have things in order or I'll just start keeping my stuff in my car. It's where I am most of the time anyway!!