Over the years, I have taken numerous photos of my children probably just like many thousands upon thousands of parents. This past week my son turned 25 years old, and I decided to make him a scrapbook of his first twenty-five years.

My first thoughts were to do a page of pictures for each year of his 25 years. Once I started going through the pictures, however, themes started to emerge.

Along with these themes, I put motivational quotes on each page. The quotes seemed to fit nicely with the pictures and also had wonderful words of wisdom for his next 25 years.

Here are a few examples of the pages:

Santa sees Curtis Grow Up
This took up two pages. I pasted pictures of Curt with Santa. Along with these pictures I put the following quotes:

If I could wish a wish for you, it would be for peace and happiness not only now, but for the whole year through!" Catherine Pulsifer

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." -Norman Vincent Peale

"It came without ribbons,
It came without tags,
It came without packages, boxes, or bags.
Christmas can't be bought from a store...
Maybe Christmas means a little bit more."
Dr.Seuss

Curtis with His New Baby Sister
This filled 4 pages of the scrapbook. It showed pictures of when his sister was born and pictures of the two of them growing up. I also pasted quotes throughout these pages:

"Sisters are for sharing laughter and wiping tears." Author Unknown

"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." Amy Li

"A sister is a gift to

Special People in Curtis' Life
These pages were filled with people in Curtis' life over the years. It brought back wonderful memories of family and friends over the years. I used the following quotes on these pages:

"Family isn't about whose blood you have. It's about who you care about." Trey Parker & Matt Stone

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing." -Author Unknown

"And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped make you the person that you are today." -Author Unknown

"My family. I realized they are the most important part of my life. Throughout the year I had many challenges, but my family were always there offering support and encouragement." -Catherine Pulsifer

Curtis's Many Vehicles
These pages were filled with pictures of Curtis' younger days….pictures of him riding different vehicles at the fairs, pictures of him standing beside his Dad's car. The quote that I used for these pictures was:

"The important things in life are not things." -Author Unknown

The scrapbook was filled with many more themes some as described above. It turned out to be a wonderful present. So, if you are looking for a simple, inexpensive but meaningful gift, and you have trouble journaling in a scrapbook, take your pictures and add quotes. You will find quotes will express the thoughts you have. You will end up with a scrapbook that has both meaning and memories!

Catherine Pulsifer is one of the editors of Stress Relief by a Simple Life where you will find craft projects, info on simplicity, frugal living, inspirational quotes, and more.

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