A good day

Today was a good day.  Despite a sad occasion, a friend's mother's funeral services, it was a good day.  My husband accompanied me to the services and was the most patient of men during the long Catholic Mass, the drive in a line of cars to the cemetery, and then to a reception where we knew almost no one.  My friend seemed comforted by the number of family members and friends who attended and that her dad was buoyed by their attention.  I was glad to be there for my friend and her father and will continue to spend time with both of them from time to time.

I returned home to a postal delivery that included rubber stamps from 3 different vendors, a couple with which I'd placed orders about a month ago.  I spent time organizing my supplies to ready them for a day at my local scrapbooking store on Tuesday.  I'm really looking forward to using my new stamps and getting  some cards done for OWH.

I've gotten quite a few of the pieces cut for the 16 birthday cards and artist trading cards I'll need for an event that's later this month.  The event is one of two each year that have been taking place for over 10 years now.  It began after a rubber stamp store, at which I'd started a club that met monthly to share cards and ideas, closed and we wanted to still be able to get together.  We tried meeting at each other's homes for a while and then started a club at another store and tried that.  It just wasn't the same and one of our members who is a dean at one of the universities decided to make arrangements to use one of its satellite campuses, rent a large classroom and some of the dorm rooms used for visiting professors during the week.  Thus our new venue and format came to be.  In the spring we spend a night, using the dorm rooms 2 to a room.  On the first day, we meet for lunch and then spend a few hours in the large classroom.  Some of  us volunteer in advance to teach techniques or we demonstrate new designs we've created so the others can make their versions of what we've made.  We also pass around 10 minute projects we've each designed, along with the supplies to make them, so that each participant can make one of her own.  On the second day, we have additional volunteered classes and 10 minute projects.  The day and a half we get together in the spring is just a whirlwind of activity.  In September, we use a large classroom for just a day and our schedule of activities is a bit lighter, fewer classes, more visiting among ourselves.

I'm also planning to start some cards for a set for a friend as well as a mini scrapbook for her.  I need to make a prototype of another mini scrapbook that I'd like to teach at next spring's event and want to have it ready to show to the event planner for consideration.  How I ever had time to work is beyond me.  Actually I worked outside the home instead of having time to pursue the things I really wanted to do.  It's wonderful being able to do what I do now.  I'm grateful I can.