What's the Point?

Whenever taking on a project, especially a big one, there has to be an end in mind. You know, what's the finished project supposed to look like. In other words, what's the point?

Since 1999, teaching people how to tell their stories in scrapbooks and family albums, highlighting their photos to best advantage, and how to be certain these memories stand the test of time, I noticed many who gave up before they even got started in earnest because of the overwhelming size of the job. Other obstacles, of course, were lack of money to buy all that elaborate stuff in the stores, not enough time, "my handwriting is awful," and "I'm not creative."

My forthcoming book, Memories in Order, addresses all of these barriers, but perhaps the most significant chapter is "The Point," early on, because if you can't answer this question, you won't be sure of what you're doing, and the project won't take on the significance it should. Die-hard scrapbookers and album makers know the point, or what the project looks like at the end. Maybe not exactly what the physical book will look like because they change methods and pick up new strategies as they go, but as far as what they want to achieve by doing the work, they are certain.

It's like writing. If I don't know what I want people to learn, or I'm not sure of what my real message is underneath all the words, I will give up. I've given up on projects a lot and can see them sitting on my shelves or stored away in drawers because I wasn't sure of "the point."

For me, when it comes to my albums, first off, it doesn't seem like work at all because I enjoy doing it so much. I know the memories are being kept alive in my books for the children and grandchildren for a lifetime and beyond. I have a true passion for this, passing down heritage. And I'm intent on passing down my lessons learned throughout my life, the good and the bad.

It's not like that for everyone who makes albums or scrapbooks. Some people just want to create an album for their graduating senior as a gift of all their school memories. They have a point. Some people want to create travel albums for the family, maybe holiday albums, or albums of all of their child's birthdays. And some people want to write a memoir, maybe incorporating some old photos. Like me, a lot of people just want their family pictures stored safely somewhere where they can be pulled out and celebrated over and over again.

So what is your point?

I plan for Memories in Order to be the first of my Scrapbook Simply series. Not to confuse the name with Simple Scrapbooks, which is a great magazine I love to read and copy layouts from. By Scrapbook Simply I don't want to infer creating simple scrapbooks, but rather simply sitting down to create that book of memories you've been putting off because of all of the reasons listed above, or some other reason you have. I point out in the book there is nothing stopping you from getting started. Just Scrapbook Simply already.

My website is undergoing a new face, and will be up and running in a few days, and you'll be able to see more about the book, which is in the first edit stage at present. It's an exciting task for me that I've been working on for a long time.

In the meantime, I have an essay in an anthology titled Gifts II that will be out this winter I believe. The book is about Down syndrome individuals, and I've written a piece about my son Jeff, "Road Pavers." I'm so proud of this work because it tells my son's story of courage, hard work, complete tolerance and love of every person--and every animal--he encounters. My SimplySpecial website will be up again in a few days after some changes as well. The subtitle: "Aren't we all special?"

Of Reading & Books

Yesterday my book group met at our little local library. We'd read the #5 rated book on Amazon this past month: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Along with discussing the book itself and its impact on us, or lack of impact for some, we shared stories of our childhood with books. What was the first book you remember reading and how did it affect you? Mine was Heidi. It changed me by teaching me about a faraway land so different than the inner city where I lived. Heidi's story was absolutely exotic to me. I wondered, "Where do you get goat cheese to eat?" My mother did not know.

Then came the Little House books, and I lost myself in the prairie life and the woods, Pa playing fiddle at night, sleeping in a loft. Wow, families lived like that? My world continued to grow. I was learning different cultures and geography. More significant, my love of learning was blooming.

We talked yesterday about why we all were such avid readers when today this is not the norm for most children. The answer is apparent, of course: More alluring media. TV, DVDs, video games, SmartPhones and all that glitter. I hate sounding like an old lady, and I won't tell about walking to school in 4 feet of snow, but are reading and good books dying?

When you consider the publishing crisis, giving way to ebooks, electronic readers, book downloads to your cell phone, what will become of the beloved hardbacks you can hold in your hands and display proudly on your bookshelves? One thought is that less paper books will be published. Already this has happened. The ones that do go to print must therefore be worthy. And they'll cost more.

I see a time coming when we go back a little ways, where "real," good books are not in supply as they are now, where one buys selectively that beautiful volume for his/her shelf, and libraries thrive because they supply the rest of what we need and desire. Sort of like when I was a kid. Would that be so bad?

By the way, the Guernsy Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a good book. I'm not sure I want to make a Potato Peel Pie, though if times get too bad, that might be an option.

How Do You Wake Up?

When you open your eyes in the morning, do you feel excited to start the day? Is the job or the project calling you, revving up your ambition and your eagerness to get started?

I remember times when I felt that way upon waking. But then the toll of the passing years sucks all that out of us it seems. We hit the snooze several times and wish we were on vacation somewhere exciting or exotic. The day's chores and to-do list, the phone calls, the errands all bring us down to the real world of just living another day exactly like the one before. And we know the one tomorrow will be just the same.



Is there anyway to change this drain on our lives, or are those good old days really over?



I found a secret that works for me just recently, and it's made a huge difference in my overall attitude about life.

We need a project. Something ongoing that we never really finish. People sometimes call it a hobby. But project is a better word.

• Let's say you've got a vision for creating a wonderland of garden paths for all seasons of the year on your property. Can you sketch the plan out on paper and use seed catalogs to find the plants you will be using and add them to your drawing? Then plan where you will start digging, what path you will work on first. We all know garden addicts who do this. It keeps them going beyond the dullness of same-old, same-old every day and gives them pleasure beyond measure.


• Painting. You might never have really dabbled in art before but you admire others who do. Might you try your hand at it? Start small. See if you like it, if you think you're at least a little good at it. Then you might decide to keep at it and become better until you can't wait to climb out of bed every morning to finish one of your projects.


• Photography. This is an exciting project, and one that can be dear to the heart as well if you love taking photos of your family and using them as wall art or creataing scrapbooks. I do both, and there many mornings I can't wait to get to my craft table in the front room and work.
• Charitable Causes. One of the best feelings is to help someone who needs it, and there are so many ways to give. Find a cause to work for, something that helps change the world, and you won't want to sleep your life away.
• Faith. This is the one that does it for me when nothing else can. All of creation itself astonishes me. Every season of the year holds wonders to behold, and it is too much for me to grasp sometimes I want to write about it, sing, just observe. And thank God for all of it.

International Day of Sharing Life Stories

Who has a LifeStory to share?

Do you journal? Do you scrapbook and tell the stories of the pictures in your albums? Do you and your family sit around the dinner table and talk and laugh about past stories? Are you passing down any stories for your children, grandchildren, and others who may want to read them somewhere down the line?

You all know by now that this is my goal, my pet project, to record our family's stories. Several weeks ago I found myself remembering a story about my father and started writing in my notebook, not caring about punctuation, spelling, or all that other stuff that gets in the way. After all, your journal or notebook is only for your eyes. Nobody else has to see it. Sometimes I take these sories from my notebook and fix them up and submit them for contests or publications. But you don't have to do this.

Some of the stories from my notebooks go into my photo albums. I love how my album pages look using my computer to write --classic and beautiful. The longer I scrapbook, the more minimalist I become. I'm displaying the photos in ways now that bring out the stories behind them. I might have only one photo and an entire printed page of writing. All those available fonts!! How can you not get excited?

Recently my granddaughter Erica was visiting, and I'd just been working on some of her photos from last summer (yeah, I'm a little behind, but what scrapbooker isn't?). She was so happy to see herself on the pages and just stared wide-eyed with those huge big blues at how beautiful she looked in living color with stories about her.

Go to the International Day of Sharing Life Stories for site maps of some events in the world this weekend to celebrate this event. Unfortunately, there are none locally for me, and I'm not up to traveling at the moment. If I was, I'd probably go to Ohio State University since that's close to my hometown of Cincinnati.

I'm celebrating the day here in my scraproom, organizing my stuff and thinking of doing some digital to clear out the backlog. I can do a digi album in a couple of days if I put my mind to it. Maybe I will; maybe I won't. I might use some of my beautiful paper, ribbon, titles, etc. for paper pages. We'll see.

I've put some favorite book links to the left in celebration of LifeStory Writing Day.

Here are just a few of the U.S.A. events from the website above.

Columbus, Ohio: Digital story screening and Faculty panel at the Wexner Center Theater; Storytelling performance at Browning Amphitheater - Ohio State University – Columbus, OH

Fire Island: On May 17, 2008 students, parents, teachers, administrators and local public officials will gather at the Ocean Beach Historical Society on Fire Island to honor senior members of their community, many of whom took part in an initiative known as the “Student Elder Project.” Through their participation, these seniors acknowledged the importance of preserving their local history. This evening will showcase all of the student’s iMovies, produced to document the lives of project participants. This opening will also serve as a platform for each student to present a DVD copy to their respective elder.


Bloomington, IN: The Museum of the Person. Citizens in Bloomington will celebrate life story in multiple ways and places! Life story photo exhibits (Picturing my World, Memory of the Square, and Third Street Park); a student-led Cold War Memories story booth; story circles of all kinds in several venues; international telephone calls from Bloomington to home; and also a mapmaking project to tell the story of their public housing community. The events will take place at various venues of Bloomington, IN, on May 12, May 16 and May 17.

Latest blog tour book. This was a fun read, and a good one too. I remember when life was so crazy back when the kids were all growing up and I was trying to work and run a home and keep up with it all as gracefully as I could. Now, my "senior moments" are still on that level some days. "I'm supposed to be retired. Why am I so busy?" or "I've got 50 years of stuff in this house, and you want me to find what?" I recommend this book to Christian women. If you're not a Christian woman and you're curious what all this "Proverbs 31 Woman" stuff is about, and maybe your ship is sinking a little and you need a plan, it might just be for you too.

Multi-Award Winning Author

Kathi Macias
How Can I Run a Tight Ship
When I'm Surrounded by Loose Cannons?


About the Author:

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer of 26 books, former newspaper columnist and string reporter. She has taught creative and business writing, has been a guest on many radio and television programs, and is a popular speaker at churches, women's clubs and retreats, and writers' conferences. She recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend free time riding their Harley.

For more information: http://www.kathimacias.comhttp//tightships.wordpress.com

Flickering Pixels-How Technology Shapes Your Faith

Blog tour going on this week.

The book is Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps.

How Technology Shapes Your Faith

You can stop by and see what others are discussing about Flickering Pixels at Blogtourspot or visit Shane Hipps' Website.

The author explains Flickering Pixels as "the tiny dots of light that make up the screens of life--from TVs to cell phones. " He takes us beneath the surface of things to see how the technologies we use end up using us.

Shane Hipps is the Lead Pastor of Trinity Mennonite Church in Arizona. Before attending seminary, however, he had a career in advertising as a strategic planner and gained the expertise and understanding of what is at the root of our culture's media. In other words, how they get us to buy all the stuff we don't really need.

He wrote a previous book in 2006, The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture: How Media Shapes Faith, the Gospel , and the Church.

Flickering Pixel's first paragraph captured my attention.

"I instinctively grabbed for the dashboard. The car was careening toward a sudden U-curve in the track. I glanced at the driver, expecting him to hit the brakes and avert catastrophe. Instead he yawned. The car rocketed into the corner as my heart lept to my throat. Breathing is overrated....This was part of my 'research' for the new account I was working on--Porsche cars."

The author admits what his job description was: "to hijack your imagination, brand your brain with our logo, and then feed you opinions you thought were your own."

He shows us how what we are exposed to every day and how it affects our thinking. Okay, so the rest of the book isn't as dramatic as that first episode, but what Hipps covers is exciting in a different way. The reader becomes aware of how the media controls our minds, to a degree at least. For some, a pretty big part of their brains.

One sentence I thought was telling. "We become what we behold." I admit that the book opened my eyes to some issues involving communication I'd never thought about. That's part of what the book is about. We don't think much about what's communicated to us. Interesting book.

Breaking Ground on the White House Lawn

DINING & WINE March 20, 2009
Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House By MARIAN BURROS

Michelle Obama is planning the first vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden in World War II.

This is awesome news, in view of my latest reading venture, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The state of the economy is opening up alternatives right and left to help put food on our tables as well as for those more needy than ourselves. I'm thinking of the students Michelle O. is teaching to grow food. This has become somewhat of a lost art over the prosperous years our country has celebrated.

I'm always reminded of the Restoration book series I read and reviewed last year by Terri Blackstock, where some sort of a global crisis occurred which robbed earth of all of its power--electricity and resultant water, car engine power, the whole works. Imagine it.

My favorite part was when the residents of the subdivision the book focused on tore up their expensive landscapes to plant vegetable gardens. Remember, there was nothing to buy even if you had money. No stores open. Money was absolutely useless. I was amazed at the inguinity of that little local group of residents who solved every problem on their own for their survival and then reached out to neighboring communities to teach them the same skills.

All goes to show the tough spirits God implanted in us. What are you doing during this crisis?