Scrapbook Pages

Do you see this messy work space? So much work can go into ONE single scrapbook page, and so many supplies can be dragged out to get that perfect effect. Sometimes I rush through a few pages just to get them done, but I prefer to take my time and make them really special. That is often a problem for me since I am a snapping queen with the camera. I take way too many photos, and then feel like I have to scrap ALL of them. The entire green album in the photo is dedicated to one vacation trip that the 3 of us took in 2007. Yes, shamefully, I said 2007. And I'm still finishing it up in 2011. I have more ideas in my head for scrapbook pages, as well as entire books, than I will ever be able to complete.
It doesn't help that I'm distracted lately by my new sewing machine and the quilt I've been working on. I guess I haven't accepted it yet that working 10+ hours per day at a "real" job doesn't afford me much time for quilting, sewing, scrapbooking, and the attention I need to give to my husband and son. Some of my scrapping friends stay up until the wee hours of the morning after everyone else is in bed so they can get that creative time in. I'm not a night owl anymore; if I'm up much past 9:00, I start to really fade. Plus I have to be at work so early (usually 6:45) that staying up late is really not much of a fun option for me.
I see some of my friends' pages and I think wow, that must have taken DAYS to complete. Then I feel like my work is sub-par. But you know what? It's still a memory that has been beautifully preserved, whether it took me 5 minutes or 5 days to do it. Right? I should enjoy the process, isn't that part of the joy of creative pursuits?
I have enough scrapbook supplies to fill my own store, so I should easily be able to create any type of pages that pop into my head. It is just having the patience and taking the time.