"chick night" at rvc

Christine Caine of Hillsong Church Australia will be a guest speaker this weekend at River Valley Church in Apple Valley. Sunday at 6:30 pm is a special service just for women. (It involves food.) If you're interested in attending, let me know! It's sure to be an inspiring evening.

dollar days sale

From Aug. 3-17, customers who shop at at my CM website can choose from more than 25 different sticker packs for just $1 each! If you are not a regular customer of mine, just shoot me an email at acvega at frontiernet dot net for more information.

someday when I'm gone...

This blog and my scrapbooks will be a voice that goes on. Someday when life flips upside down, this blog and my scrapbooks will be a reminder of everything important to me. Someday when I question God's plan for my life, this blog and my scrapbooks will point to His faithfulness.

These "somedays" are real, not only have I discovered this in my own life but in the countless others I've been touched by over the years. As I celebrate eight years with Creative Memories, I'm reminded of the importance of documenting and preserving our stories. The heart of scrapbooking isn't about the pretty paper or glorious images, it's about your story. Your family history. Connecting with future generations. Remembering moments. Celebrating the everyday. It isn't a guilt trip, nor a race to the finish line. It's about enjoying the ride.

finally, more adorable pics!

The boys and I spent our day at Grandma's pool on Sunday. My youngest nephew was there because his momma just gave birth to a sweet baby girl on Friday. My niece (and future babysitter extraordinaire) spent most of her time tending to the little guy poolside:

Grandpa Don (in his usual fashion) kept things... interesting:

And my favorites from the day:

(So cute it just had to be posted again.)

Along with a classic game of "Grandma is Gonna Getcha!"

With the start of school around the corner, these summer days are becoming more and more precious.

Speaking of which, my kids played outside voluntarily yesterday. (Mandatory Outside Time is a daily requirement and the boys aren't always eager participants.) It was our first low-key day in ages (or so it seemed) and the big plans I had for groceries, the library, and an overdue oil change just had to wait.

Because these days are precious, ya know.

Did you know?

A few months ago, a scrapbooking friend was over and we got to talking about this special project. She had decided to similarly document a special friendship and while stopping to take an arms-length self-portrait during an outing with her friend, was confronted by mall security. "No photographs allowed," she was told.

Seriously?? In this age of cell-phones-gone-crazy, how in the world do you stop two shopping gals from taking pictures?

After looking into things from myself, it sounds like you can't. According to this USA Today article and the many corresponding links (two of which are outdated so I've reposted them below), the ladies were very much entitled to snap to their heart's content.

You can take photos any place that's open to the public, whether or not it's private property. A mall, for example, is open to the public. So are most office buildings (at least the lobbies). You don't need permission; if you have permission to enter, you have permission to shoot.

In fact, there are very few limits to what you're allowed to photograph...

One link was this helpful PDF document that can be printed up and tucked into a camera bag or purse to give you quick access to your rights and obligations as a photographer. (Note: Property owners may legally prohibit photography on the premises so be sure to honor any posted restrictions.)

So apparently, unless you see a sign that says otherwise... snap away!

Updated Links:

Journalists' Right of Privacy Primer

Background from ALI's Concise Restatement of Torts on Harvard website

okay, so I lied

We were so busy messing around with friends that I never made time to post. I did make a batch of peanut butter bars in the hope of posting another yummy recipe... but it was, unfortunately, not so yummy. It's late (again) so I'll have to sadly leave you with another batch of images:

Good night!

i'll be back tomorrow...

...with more adorable pics. And the most recent faithbooking lesson. And hopefully a real live posting, with words even.

Have a great evening.