Liz
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With Nic being in school now for a whole week, Ella is my cute little shadow. She follows me everywhere I go – whether I’m heading out to get the mail, down in the basement working out, upstairs folding laundry or even if I’m trying to take a bath – she wants to be right there by my side. I’m not complaining though. I actually love it. (Besides the part when she whines about being bored.) We are both extroverts who love being around people and can’t stand to be alone, so when we have each other, at least we’re in good company. A few weeks ago, Matt took Nic camping for the weekend…so Ella and I decided to have a party of our own! We had “sleep-overs” in my bed every single night, we went and got our toe-nails painted, we went to the mall for some new fall clothes and (per Ella’s request), we went shoe shopping! She’s the funniest. She has had a fetish with shoes ever since I can remember, so this was like heaven for her! I let her try on as many shoes as her little heart desired - and safely made it out of the store with only two pairs for her and two pairs for me. Pretty good, considering how long we were there! Now that she’s almost 5 years old, she likes to do fun things with me when the guys are away. We really had a great time. I think it’s so great to be able to get away one on one with your kids every now and then. Being free from other siblings (and spouse) allows you to really focus – 100% - on the child that you’re with at the time. It’s a wonderful opportunity to talk openly with them about things that are on their minds or things you need to discuss with them. I’d like to start a yearly tradition where I spend one entire day with each of my kids on an individual basis…doing whatever it is that they want to do. (Within reasonable limits of course.) The time we have with our kids goes by so fast…I am constantly needing to remind myself of a quote that was sent to me by a girl who reads my blog often. It says: “The days are long, but the years come quick.” That statement is so true! I want to be able to look back on these years I have with my sweet kids and know that I took the time to slow down just a bit to enjoy the present moment I have with them.
Enjoy your day!
Liz
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These are the girls I went to Junior High and High School with. For the past 11 years, we have gotten together once a month for a girls night out – and we are still going strong. It’s so funny to think about what we will be like and what our conversations will be about in 50 more years when we are still getting together each month – as little old ladies, cruising around in Cadillac’s. Ha! Anyway, I had them all over for dinner a while ago and just wanted to say how blessed I feel to have such awesome, amazing friends!
Liz
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Wow. I can’t believe how long it’s been since I have blogged last! I’ve just been soaking up every moment of the simplicity of life lately, that I haven’t been in the mood to sit at the computer I guess.
Things around our home have changed dramatically this past month! Since Matt has been running the business AND going to school for the past two years, we are accustomed to having him leave early in the morning and getting home late at night. During the week, many times the kids didn’t even see him because they would be asleep when he left for the day and asleep when he got home. Well, that has all changed! For the past month, Matt has been home almost every single day…enjoying a bit of freedom…enjoying a well deserved break…and having the time to re-group before life gets busy again. I am telling you – this has been my most favorite month of the year! Every day feels like a Saturday - and having the pressure and stress of the business gone from our lives is better than I had even imagined! We have not taken one moment for granted of this peaceful time in our life and feel grateful every single day that things are working out the way we had hoped and prayed they would.Life is Good!
Liz
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Warning: This is a LONG post!
I am a girl who believes that dreams come true. Of course, I also believe that our dreams don’t just fall into our laps – sweat free – but instead, I believe that we have to have faith in our dreams, work for them and have patience when they sometimes take longer to materialize than we would like them to. There are so many things that have taken place in my life that once, was only a dream of mine. Some of those things actually did come pretty easily and others came with a fight. A big fight. The cool thing is, when everything is said and done – and the dream that was once just a picture in my mind – is actually facing me head on…it has ALWAYS been worth the price I had to pay.
Today marks the final completion of one huge dream of mine – that I have been blessed to live for the past 11 years – and also officially begins the journey to make a new dream come true. For those who read my blog often, you know that back in May, we sold the online portion of our company {scrapbooks.com} to the owners of scrapbook.com in Mesa, Arizona. Then, in June we sold the retail store division (here in Spanish Fork) along with the wholesale division, to someone who must also believe in dreams. His name is Karl Larsen.
I haven’t said much about who purchased this portion of the company until now, because there were a few things that needed to finalize before making an official announcement regarding it. One of the main reasons I am excited for this new owner, is that after being heavily involved in the craft industry for over 20 years, he is doing something he has dreamed of doing – and that is, going out on his own, having his own business, making it grow and thrive and be something he can call his very own.
I guess the reason I love it so much when people chase their dreams, is because it takes guts! It takes risks! It takes bravery and boldness! It takes people who are not going to just sit back and let life happen to them…instead, it takes people who act…who do…who listen to what their heart truly wants! I love it! I love it when people dream and especially when they make those dreams come true.
The reason why today marks the completion of one huge dream of mine, is because it is the last and final day Matt and I are deeply involved with Keeping Memories Alive. Since selling the local portion of the business in June, Matt has stayed on full time helping transition things over to the new owner. Although my involvement with the business has been pretty much zilch since the first of June, I have still heard the daily recap from Matt and know all the ins and outs of what is going on at the business. In a sense, KMA has still felt like a big part of our lives because Matt was still putting in 40 plus hours a week there. Well, not anymore.
Tomorrow, we will wake up in the morning and be completely FREE to chase new dreams - full speed ahead! Back when Matt realized he wanted to pursue a career in a completely different field than what he was in, I have to admit…I wondered if he was going nuts! Doing that, would require so many crazy, big, changes! However, after letting it all sink in and mulling it over for – well, a really long time – it was a dream I wanted to pursue right there with him! I knew I was ready for much less stress in my life - and the business was really good at giving me lots of stress. Both of us had also realized (after so many years), that we didn’t want to work together forever! Don’t get me wrong…we never argued about the business…but both of us could NEVER leave the business out of our minds. We talked business constantly. First thing in the morning when we woke up, all day long, at the dinner table and as we lay in bed trying to fall asleep at night. We could never just leave work at work – and we were ready for that to end. Matt had also learned so much about himself – his strengths, his weaknesses, his likes, his dislikes – during the years he ran the business and one of the big things he learned is that he didn’t want to be a business owner for the rest of his life! There are so many strings attached to owning a business…that most people don’t fully understand, until they actually experience it!
The greatest thing about dreams however, is that you are not limited to just one….or even just a few! This path we have traveled, was one we had dreamed of doing since we were cute little high school sweethearts – and we did it! We accomplished the dream we wanted to accomplish and now – we are ready to move onto new dreams and adventures! I can’t wait to see what lies ahead and I am so relieved to have the huge responsibility of the business free from our shoulders, so Matt can focus 100% on his pursuit!
I am so proud of Matt for having what it takes to make enormous changes in his life…and so proud of those people who followed THEIR dreams by purchasing the various divisions of Keeping Memories Alive. Chasing dreams means taking risks in life and I hope that everybody out there will do what it takes to reach their full potential and enjoy true happiness in life by following those urges to do something different…to listen to your heart and be who you really want to be. Life is too short NOT to chase your dreams.
ONLY A PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE
by Author Unknown
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams,
before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the
greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people who risk nothing, do nothing,
have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
but they cannot learn, feel, change,
grow, love, live.
Chained by their fears they are slaves;
they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is truly free.
What are your goals and dreams?
Whatever they are, I hope you dream big and go after them with courage!
Hope you have a fabulous day!
Liz
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I love the month of July and I am wishing that it wasn’t almost over! It seems like the summers in Utah fly by so fast, but the winters drag on oh – so slow! Anyway, last week was Pioneer Day in the state of Utah and our city always has a big celebration for it! You know, sidewalk sales, carnivals, pony rides, rodeos, fireworks, performances in the park, parades…the whole shebang! It seems like the entire town takes part in the festivities and our family is no exception.
It’s also fun because my kids get to see their Grandpa all decked out in his Police Uniform. They think it’s the coolest thing ever that Grandpa Rosenbaum is the CHIEF police in town…so when they see him in action – they are pretty impressed!
Anyway, this whole week has been full of family traditions - that both Matt's family and my family all participated in from the time we were little kids! It's been so fun - now that we have our own kids - to make family traditions of our own, that they too will always remember!
Just like the popular quote says, "It's the little moments that make life big!"
Liz
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I love this family picture of us that was taken last week when we hiked up to Stuart Falls near our home. To me, this is what life is all about – making wonderful memories with those we love. That day was such a “picture perfect” day in my opinion…and I don’t mean just because of the scenery and beautiful surroundings we were in. What I’m talking about is the content feelings of love we share together as a family. The feeling of just being with each other, doing something simple together…with my most favorite people. Mmmmm…life just doesn’t get any better than this.
For some reason, the feelings I have towards my husband and kids lately have been really sensitive. I’m not sure why either. It may be because my mind is more free from stress and worry since selling the business and I’ve been paying more attention to the kagillions of blessings I have in my life…it may be that I’m recognizing more and more how fragile life is and that we should never take our loved ones for granted…or it could just be that I’m just one of those sentimental, sappy, emotional girls by nature and that I just happen to be having one of those happy, weepy, corny type moments. Whatever it is though - I’ve been looking at my family with different eyes lately and almost feel overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude – as they are my most favorite, most precious blessing.
My husband will be the first to tell you that I think WAY too much and that I worry WAY too much! But as a mother with two small children, I don’t see how I couldn’t be like that! That’s my job! That’s what us mom’s do best! Having two little kids, who are innocent and tender hearted…who I have to protect from the outside world has been quite an interesting ride. I’m constantly worrying about whether I’ve taught my kids well enough and if I’ve armed them with the knowledge and confidence they need to enter second grade and preschool. I worry that maybe I don’t hug them enough, or that I protect them too much. I worry that they will be embarrassed of me when they are teenagers or that they’ll move clear across the country when they are adults. I worry about whether they are getting enough vegetables or if they are watching too many cartoons. I worry about the type of example I am being to them or if I’m completely ruining them and one day they’ll need therapy all because I yelled one too many times! I could go on and on about the things that worry me as a mommy, but what it all boils down to is that the reason I worry so much is because I love them so much!
A couple of weeks ago, Nic was cleaning his room and brought his blankie (his “one-of-a-kind, super special, sleep-with-it-every-night, had-it-since-he-was-a-newborn” blankie) to me and asked what he should do with it. I was a little surprised that he was even asking, so I said, “Just fold it up and put it on your bed like you always do.” And guess what he said?! He said, “Well, I don’t really want it anymore. Should I just throw it away?” I couldn’t believe it! This was a milestone that I didn’t see coming and I wasn’t enjoying it one bit! My sweet little baby boy didn’t want his blankie anymore! He’s only seven! He can’t think he’s too big for his blankie yet!
What broke my heart even more is that just a few days later, he asked me - point blank - if Santa was real. OH MY GOSH! I’m not ready for this yet! I’m not ready for him to grow up so fast! I stumbled all around my words for about 15 minutes (not knowing what to say) and fortunately, I was saved by someone ringing my doorbell. Days later, he asked again and I was speechless. I feel like it’s wrong for me to lie and say, “Of course Santa is real sweetie…” but I also don’t want to burst any remaining bubble of his, by saying he’s just imaginary. I tried to think back to when I realized who Santa was, but have no recollection of how old I was or how I found out. (It was probably so traumatic to me, that I blocked it out of my memory!)
So, I’m needing help from any of you mom’s out there who read my blog and have experience with this! How do I say it? How do I break it to him gently?
I’ll end with a quick layout I just did for the design team at scrapboks.com It's all about my family and the feelings I have toward them. I honestly couldn't be blessed with a greater possession.
As far as the KMA website goes, the new owners have done a complete face lift to the gallery and forum and it is quite amazing! So fun to look around and see all of the new features! Because of this, my blog address is now www.lizrosenbaum.com officially , rather than what it was before and now, everyone can have a blog through the scrapbooks.com website. Mine is HERE and we’ll see how I do at having two blogs. This one was originally started because of KMA, but is quickly becoming less and less work related (obviously, since I’m not really working now…ha ha) and more personal and all about home life. I’ll have to figure out how I’m going to re-work these two blogs and if I can keep up with them.
Anyway, remember to hug your kids and spouse today and tell them how much you love them. Life is definitely much more enjoyable with them part of our lives!
Liz
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There are just some certain things that have to happen each and every summer in order to make it SUMMER! Know what I mean? Everybody has their idea of what summer should be like and mine has to include the following things:
1. Eating lots of snowcones
2. Going on many family outings to the beautiful outdoors
3. Spending some relaxing time in my backyard
4. Reading good books on my front porch
5. Long evening walks
6. Hanging out at the pool
7. Backyard bar-b-ques
So far, all of those things have been a part of my summer this year…so I am one very happy camper.
If you asked my kids what they would include on their “summer must-do” list, they would say that going TOAD hunting at Utah lake is very important. Last summer, Matt took Nic out to the lake one evening, to hunt for toad and to my surprise, they came home with over 40 of them! Then after a day or two, they let all of those slimy little creatures go loose in my backyard!
They had the time of their lives...so it became a priority on their list of things to do each summer. So, last night Matt loaded up the kids (and lots of toad catching containers) and came home with six really slimy, really big toads.
Although I wouldn’t consider myself a toad lover, I don’t really mind having them around…because they are so fun for the kids. Nic and Ella can literally be entertained for hours and hours with those funny little things.
Hope you are enjoying your summer!
Liz
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…or ten!
Our zucchini plants are out of control this year! We only planted two plants and we have zucchini’s coming out the wazoo! (It must be because of all the pampering I’ve been giving to the yard this year.) wink wink.
On Sunday, I baked 7 loaves of zucchini bread! Did you catch that? I made SEVEN loaves! That’s pretty impressive for me since I hate to bake. My aversion to baking is no secret either because when I took a loaf over to one of my neighbors, he said, “Whoa…you baked this? I thought you hated baking!” But what’s a girl to do when the zucchinis are starting to take over her entire kitchen? And that’s even AFTER giving loads of them away to friends and neighbors.
Of course, when I bake zucchini bread I have to give it all away or I end up devouring the whole loaf. When I was younger, I always thought that zucchini bread was healthy for you…after all, it IS made with a vegetable! Imagine how sad I was when I found out it’s basically like eating a slice of cake. Yeah…I was pretty disappointed.
Speaking of produce, my apricot tree is now overflowing with ripe apricots! This year however, I decided to turn over a new leaf and actually get out there and pick some – all by myself. I can’t stand the thought of being up in a tree and the probability of bugs and spiders falling into my hair or climbing on my back without me knowing it…so this job has always been left up to Matt. Well, I’m happy to report that I survived my first major attempt at picking apricots yesterday. It was a close call however, thanks to Nic who yelled from down below, “Mom! There’s bugs all over your bag of apricots!” My natural instinct when I hear things like that is to scream and run, but since I was up really high on a ladder, I screamed and nearly came crashing down from the top rung. (Boy is he lucky that I didn’t fall off!)
On a more serious note, one of my beloved plants died last week. I could NOT for the life of me figure out why either because I had been giving it so much TLC! Suddenly one day, it was deader than dead. Apparently, Matt’s really good intentions of fertilizing it (with a tad too much fertilizer) was the cause of it’s death. Bummer.
Oh well, I still have many other plants that are bringing me pure joy. Beautiful isn’t it?
My eyes have really been opened this summer at how the small and simple things in life really CAN bring us so much joy! So, if you’re feeling stressed, bummed or blah…for whatever reason, try to find something around you that makes you smile on the inside. It’s not as hard as you might think, and it can do wonders for your outlook on life.
And if you need a little help, watch this super adorable movie clip that my sister emailed to me the other day, and just see if you can’t help but smile!
CLICK HERE
Hope you have a fabulous day!
Liz
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Check this out!
I grew that!! In my own yard! All by myself! LOL! (Can you tell I'm pretty impressed with myself?)
Okay, so really I just planted it, watered it and watched it grow into a beautiful flower all on it’s own…but everyday I am totally entertained by walking around my yard checking out the flowers and plants to see how much they’ve changed since the last time I looked at them. It’s really funny actually, because my whole life I have thought that gardening was dumb. I mean, I was happy that there were people who DID like it, so I could see the beautiful yards around me…and I was totally grateful that my husband was a green thumb so our yard would look nice…but this year, something strange happened and I completely flipped! I suddenly loved gardening and going to the nursery to pick out new flowers and shrubs for my yard! I actually look forward now to getting all dirty and sweaty as I mow the lawn, plant things, water my precious new additions to the garden and enjoy my new favorite hobby.
Matt seriously thinks I have gone nuts because this is such a dramatic change for me. Now days, if I ever hear him outside with the trimmer, I immediately go start up the lawn mower so I can mow the lawn before he does! Just this spring, we put in a new flower bed with a retaining wall in my backyard that I have filled with three trees, shrubs, perennials and lots of flowers. I’m telling you – this is so bizarre! Until just recently, I could never even remember what the difference was between an annual and a perennial! Ha ha!
A few weeks ago, when I was planting about my 20th plant in the yard, Matt grabbed the camera and took some pictures of me because he is so bewildered about my new attitude toward yard work. He even got the video camera out because he thinks this is just a strange phase I’m going through. Well, it’s not. I am officially a wanna-be green thumb!
Here is one of the layouts I did for www.scrapbooks.com this month, telling about my new hobby.
You can see the other layouts for June HERE. It’s things like this that are so fun to scrapbook about…not just the big things like birthdays, holidays and vacations, but the “everyday life” things that make us laugh and enjoy each day. If you love to scrapbook, remember to scrapbook things about yourself…whether it’s about your hobbies, your personality, your dreams…be sure to include YOU in your scrapbooks!
Well, I’m off to go sing to my plants…
(Lol! Just kidding of course!)
Have a fabulous day!
Liz
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