The Lifebook

In case you were wondering why Donna had written so few blog entries in the last half of July, the answer is: The Lifebook.
I'd started planning and journaling for Mia's lifebook almost a year ago. I have a great guidebook written by Kay Graap that discusses the topics you should cover. Graap recommends that parents create two books, one for the preschool years and another more comprehensive book for when they are older. The latter will cover topics like the one-child policy. I've been accumulating various Asian papers and embellishments and during business trips (back when I had business trips!) I would work on the text for the toddler version - a book that will serve Mia for the next 2-3 years. A couple of weeks ago, I decided it was time to finally get started on creating the book. I've been telling Mia the story of when she was born in China almost every night, and it is high time I gave her the illustrated version.
Up until this point, I'd created all of about 10 scrapbook pages in my entire life. I have tons of supplies from the years when I used to make handmade greeting cards. (In case you are wondering, the card-making has dwindled to the point where I'm lucky if I made my own Christmas cards.) It has taken a lot of time to select the photos and design the pages, but I'm making progress. I've now completed 13 of 25 pages, and hope to complete 3-5 more over the weekend. I'm really enjoying finding my own style. This project could easily take another month. I can't wait to share it with Mia.