James the Elf

Meet James the Elf, the elderly elf that showed up at Grandma and Baba's house last year!

Just to back track a little, Dominic the Elf came to visit Mason and Miriam's house in 2014.  I think Auntie Maria put a little bug in Dominic's ear that he needed to go visit them!  He returned to the North Pole on Christmas Day, but he comes back every December 1st.  Mason seemed to really like the whole idea of Dominic (although the first year he was very sad to see him go back to the North Pole).

Last year when Paul was digging around in some of our old Christmas decorations in the cellar, he found this elf that reminded me of Dominic.  I decided to play along and put him out for the kids to see.  Miriam was fine with James, but Mason didn't think he was a real Elf on the Shelf.  He said that he didn't look anything like his elf and that he was ugly.  I told him he was an old Elf, like Grandma and Baba and that was why he was at our house!  He wasn't buying any of it.  He asked me if he could touch him (a no-no with the real Elf on the Shelf, if you touched them they couldn't fly back to the North Pole to tell Santa how you have been each day).  I said that this elf you could touch.

This year James showed up at Grandma and Baba's again.  Again, Miriam loved seeing him, but not Mason.  He still says he is not real and that he is ugly but I detect that secretly he likes him, lol!

It has been fun playing along with Mason.  I'm so glad that he still believes in all of the Christmas magic (even if he doesn't believe James is a real Elf on the Shelf).

Happy 8th birthday Mason!

Holy cow!  How can this be 8 years ago?  I remember it like it was yesterday.  I can honestly say that there is nothing like the birth of a grandchild.  To see a child born from your child, and to see your child reacting to their child is priceless.

Happy birthday Mason!  You are very much loved by all of your family!

Project Life App Scrapbook pages - Mason's first cookie decorating at Stacia's, 11 months of Miriam

Stacia sent me a picture last week of Mason's first attempt at decorating cookies at her house this past November.  I had the other pictures so I decided to make a scrapbook page.

Miriam turned 1 this week.  This page is 11 months of Miriam!

Mason's Paint Craze, and Dyeing Easter Eggs

I'm lucky that my kids and kids-in-law take pictures and send them to me.  I have been trying to document the things that Mason does in kindergarten, and Paint Craze was one of them.

This past Sunday we went to Janelle's mom's house in Woburn for a corned beef dinner.  After dinner we dyed eggs, an Easter tradition with us.  The older lady pictured here is Lillian.  Lillian is a very close friend of Janelle's family.  She really got into dyeing eggs.  These are the type of things that I feel are important to be documented in my grandchildrens' scrapbooks.

A few more Project Life pages, Title Pages for Marley and Mason's 2014 scrapbook, Mason starts Karate, Marley's ELA Essay

These first two pages were made with the regular Digital Project Life.  They are the title pages for Marley and Mason's scrapbooks.

These next two pages were made with the Project Life app.

A couple of Project Life App scrapbook pages - Taking Dot to Fred's Shoes, Mason's Splatter Duck

Mason's New Haircut

Mason got his hair cut last night and because I was watching Miriam, I was one of the first to see it when Janelle stopped in to pick her up.

I love it!  Of course trying to get a good picture was another story!

(Have I mentioned how much I like the Project Life App?)

A scrapbook page from 2012 - Build A Bear for Marley's and Mason's birthdays

These two pages are basically the same, except for the journaling on the second page.  These are to go into Marley's and Mason's scrapbooks.

This is Marley's -

and this is Mason's

Digital Project Life 2014, Week 41, and Project Life App Scrapbook pages, Mason's first time at the library, Mason playing baseball, Mason playing tennis, Mason beginning kindergarten, Gordon College Columbus day with Marley, You & Me (Mason and Miriam)

So.... I got behind on my Project Life in September, and then we went on vacation for two weeks - the last week of September and first week in October.

I'm trying to catch up, starting with the week we got back from vacation.  I'll have to work on back pages when I can.  Scrapbooking is never really up to date anyway, and that's okay.

This is week 41.

On September 17th, a few days before we left on vacation, the Project Life App was launched.

I started doing Becky Higgins' Project Life system of scrapbooking in 2012.  At that time I did it manually, with physical product.  In March of 2013 I switched to digital and LOVED it!  They are the pages that I post here on this blog.

The Project Life App gives you the ability to do these pages on your iPhone and/or iPad.

I had so much fun with this on vacation.  Every day I made one page for that day.  When I eventually get all my vacation pictures organized I will post those vacation Project Life pages.

For now, here are the pages that I have done with this App.  I love doing this!

That's it for now.

Mason's Family Picture

So....Janelle told me on Friday that Mason needed a picture of his house and his family for school. Paul went over there this afternoon to take the pictures, and when I downloaded them I had to laugh.

Janelle called me later and said, "Well, that was a nightmare."  For whatever reason, Mason did not want his picture taken and did not want to smile, even though it was for his school.

These are a first two pictures that Paul got.

Then, after some threatening from Mark about no video games that night, this is the next one, which is the one I used, LOL!

And just like that.....he's off

Mason started kindergarten this morning.  How is that possible?


Wasn't it just his Dad's first day?

(Mark is in the plaid pants)

That saying, "The days are long, but the years are short" keeps coming back to haunt me!

A Few Scrapbook Pages - Mason's 1st time at the Pumpkin Patch, Keeping this Moment Alive, and Mason's First Haircut

This page is from 2010.

These pages are from 2012

Digital Project Life 2014, Week 10. Scrapbook pages Pennies for a Purpose and Hello Winter

It seems good to be only working on one year now.


I also did a couple of scrapbook pages from 2012.

Mason Jofuf Rackey - A Digital Scrapbook Page

I have gone almost totally digital for scrapbooking - except for the crops at my friend Janice's house.

This page is from 2012. 

I'll probably never catch up, especially with another grandchild on the way.  I'm okay with that.  I love doing it.

Digital Project Life 2014, Week 4; and 2013 Week 11. Scrapbook page - You've Got Style

I didn't take a whole lot of pictures this week, so I decided that the second half of Week 4 would be a digital page. I will also put this into Mason's scrapbook. He is a character and has so many unique little quirks.

I am also trying to "catch up" with some weeks in 2013 and finished Week 11, March 10-16.

Throwback Thursday - Soccer 1980 and 2013

In my last post I posted pictures of Mason playing soccer for the first time.  This is Mark playing soccer his first year.  It was 1980.  He was 6 and in first grade.

Now they have an even younger league, 4 and 5 year olds.  This is Mason in 2013.  He is 4 and in preschool. 

It's fun to compare.



Waiting for Marley's Bus

Professional pictures of Mason batting

I wish I could take credit for taking these pictures, but I can't. On Wednesday night Mark and Mason were at Forest Park. They go there sometimes and either watch the baseball games or play on the field if there are no games.

On this particular night a game of teenage boys had just ended and Mark was pitching to Mason. A little crowd had gathered around watching, amazed that such a little kid could hit the ball so well. Mark knows just how to pitch to him so that he hits it. With me, on the other hand, he doesn't hit so well because I can't pitch to him, especially overhand.

So...a professional photographer who had just finished photographing the game walked by and started taking pictures of Mason. After he had finished, he gave Mark his card with his personal e-mail on the back, and told Mark to e-mail him and he would send him the pictures.

These are the pictures that he sent. I can't believe how wonderful they are. I wish I could take pictures like that. Mason said "He had a BIG camera." How lucky for us that this photographer just happened to walk by at that time, and how nice of him to send them to Mark!