Who Am I?

In response to Sara's challenge to post a self-portrait without taking a picture of yourself, I am posting the following: the contents of my purse, pictures on my walls, and my space.

Do the contents of your purse really define who you are? I'm not sure. I did this exercise several years ago for a scrapbook layout and the contents of my purse then were quite different from the current contents. Here's a run-down of what I tote along with me daily:

- Sony Cyber-Shot camera. You never know when a photo-op will happen. A purse sized camera is a must.
- Wallet. Treasure trove of cash, credit and debit cards, postage stamps, plastic store cards, gift cards, receipts, etc.
- Cheque book. Seldom used but I carry it just in case.
- Small card holder for all those stores with customer 'points' , etc.
- Sugarless gum. 5 packs. I'm not a big gum chewer but I like having some for those times when I need a quick breath freshener.
- Comb, lipstick and gloss. For a quick touch up.
- Small bottle of hand cleanser.
- Pill box (Coke design) with Motrin.
- Pill box peppermints with Scrapbooking Girl motif.
- Almost empty pocket pack of tissues.
- Notebook and pens. An essential.
- Keys. House keys on a ring with a huge pink 'diamond' (I love bling), car keys on their own key fob, and a key ring punch card for my favorite scrapbook store.
- Dentist appointment reminder card

These things really don't tell you who I am. I don't carry pictures of my husband, kids and grandkids in my purse and they are the main focus of my life. So I did a quick walk through of my space. It gives a much more insightful look into who I am.




I am a wife, with a strong, loving husband.


I am a mother of seven strong, independent, wonderful kids.

I am a grandmother, with not enough places to store all the pictures of the grandchildren.


I am a daughter, whose mother doesn't always recognize her. I used to be a cross-stitcher. This is a picture I did for Mum and Dad's 40th anniversary in 1986. I brought it home from Winnipeg this past weekend because Mum didn't want it hanging on her walls anymore because "the people in it are fat".

And I am a sister, thankful for the caring older sister I have, and for the younger brother we were privileged to have for 39 years.

I am a scrapbooker. This mess is my scrapbooking space - full of photo albums, scrapbook albums, tools of the trade, works in progress, bins of embellishments, flowers, ribbons, stamps and inks, not to mention all the cardstock and patterned paper. This is my hobby - it's where I organize the many photos and memories of my life. Working here helps me to remember how important family memories are, and they are something I never want to lose. I hope that by organizing these scrapbook albums, my children and grandchildren will look at them for years to come and remember how things were when they were small, and when I was young as well.

So, that's who I am according to the contents of my purse and home. Who are you???