Scrapbook Saturday: Goals and Projects

Nothing profound here today; just a big ol' list of projects and tasks I need to work on.

1) I want to create a mini-album explaining the moves I have made. At first I was going to try and put it in one 12x12 layout, but as I considered how much I needed to share, I realized a mini-album makes more sense. I am in love with the colors and patterns of Shimelle's Starshine collection. I like the happy vibe and how the globe motif is incorporated into the collection.
       a) collect the pictures
       b) decide on the format
       c) purchase the product
       d) outline the stories I want to tell
       e) make the album

2) Finish scrapbooking 2015.
       a) review photos
       b) find the gaps in the stories
       c) print the pages I already made
       d) make a spreadsheet
       e) sort, edit, and print photos

3) Organize, edit, and sort photos on my phone. Upload to computer. I realized that the format I have right now, isn't working for me. I also just discovered that the way I used to upload phone photos to my computer doesn't work anymore with the Windows 10. I still need to figure that out.

4) Start scrapbooking 2016.
        a) review photos
        b) find the gaps in the stories
        c) print the pages
        d) make a spreadsheet
        e) sort, edit, and print photos

5) Create 2007 Israel album.My biggest problem is that I can't figure out the format. I have been wavering between 8x8 Project Life pages made with the app or using the printed photos I already have. If I use the photos I have, I am pretty sure I will just do Project Life pages, but I don't have a core kit that really feels right to me. I could also just do a few Shutterfly albums. I think my indecision about the format, more than anything, is why I haven't been able to finish this album. It is really bugging me.

6) Sort and organize family photos--especially the old ones.


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Wondering Wednesday: Looking to the Future

For the last 16.5 years, I have devoted myself exclusively to raising my children, hard but exhilarating work. My youngest child is two and we feel that our family is complete. I still have many years ahead of in-the-trenches parenting but now I am starting to think about options and opportunities for work.

Entering the work force in one's 40s is not an easy thing as recent articles have demonstrated. While I want to work, I do not need to work full-time (as long as my husband is gainfully employed, knock on wood) nor do I want the demands and pressures of a serious career that requires long hours at an office. First and foremost, I am a mother, and I consider that to be my most important responsibility. However, my children are getting older and soon will be on missions and that means more outgoing money.  I don't want to work just for money, but for an opportunity to develop and use my strengths and talents. I feel like I have things to offer, not only to my family, but others as well. I also want to use my time meaningfully when my children are grown and have moved out.

But what to do? I want to do something that is flexible where my children are still the priority. I thought about doing something with school--such as becoming a reading teacher. But honestly that doesn't excite me terribly. I like the hours and that my schedule would match my children's. But I have concerns that since my family will likely move a time or two, my ability to advance at a school will be limited. Teaching would also require that I get a Master's Degree, along with the appropriate certification.

I have also considered getting a master's in technical writing and editing, but the truth is, I'm not very good at either. I have seen how talented editors work and I can see where I don't measure up. I like the idea of teaching science students how to write, especially in foreign countries. I have done work in that area so it could be a possibility. I wouldn't be able to start the training for a couple of years because I don't want to leave my daughter in daycare.

Another possibility to consider is becoming a professional genealogist. I am under no illusion that it will be a high paying job, but it is immensely attractive to me. It combines my interests and strengths: research, writing, and history. It would allow me to maintain my primary focus as a mother and choose the work and hours that best suit my schedule. I would seek for certification because that seems to be a better path for getting work and also gives me credibility to charge good rates. I could start right away on my training and do a good portion from home. I could also do this work if we lived in a foreign country, something that is always a possibility for my family.

I could also offer services to make scrapbooks and photo books of old photographs so they could be copied and distributed among families. I have done of that work for my family and would love to share that with others who aren't as skilled as I am.

One of the certification companies request that you have a regional expertise. With my background in Swedish and my experience with the country, focusing on Sweden might be a logical place to focus my studies. I have been studying Swedish again and Brent and I have been talking about returning to Sweden for a year or two so our children could experience living there. That would be an ideal for me to study at Lund University, where my husband got his PhD.

The more I consider this possibility, the more excited I become. So many interesting thoughts....


Have you considered what you will do when your children are grown? Are you looking for work opportunities or do you have other plans at home? 


© 2007-2016 TIFFANY WACASER ALL RIGHTS RESERVED