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As a woman who has been scrapbooking for over 7 years now, I have quite a nice collection of memories all preserved in various albums with nice stories to go along with photos. I LOVE these albums*they are a tangible piece of my past. But my husband*well, let's just say that if he had a chance, we*d warm our home with some of them this winter!

My husband once asked me how much I have spent on all this stuff. You know, I really have no idea, but it's probably in the $1000's of dollars. It's kind of embarrassing to think I have that much invested, but if my grandchildren can look through an album I made and learn a little about me, it is SO worth it!

Now, as to the question of why men don*t *get* scrapbooking*I'll give you 5 reasons.

1. You know the feeling you get when you open the door of your local scrapbook or craft store? It's a small, but unforgettable *rush* to know you are about to embark on a shopping adventure! Now, while your husband is in the car, listening to talk radio, waiting for you to emerge, all he is thinking is, *I wonder how much she's spending THIS time!* They see lots of pieces of paper and stickers that are WAY over priced. We see the latest patterned papers and sticker embellishments. Plus, how many men do you know that actually love to shop? Need I say more?

2. That leads me to my next reason: scrapbook lingo. I told my husband about how I like to use certain embellishments on my pages. The look he gave me was probably similar to the look he gets when he talks about hunting or anything automotive! Scrapbooking has its own language that men just don*t understand.

3. Crops are a big part of scrapbooking that is outside the comprehension of most men. Why would anyone want to get together with a bunch of other women, cut up their photos, write what happened in the photos onto paper and stick them into books that, if you mess them up, you will be subjected to tortures yet unknown to mankind? Men have never really understood the need women have to be with other women, regardless of the excuse. Scrapbooking is just another one of those excuses!

4. Now, scrapbook retreats take the crop-confusion to a whole new level. Why women would want to leave the comfort of their own bed to go sleep on a hard mattress to cut MORE papers and MORE photos? And spend more of the family's hard earned money? Men just don*t understand why we can*t get as much scrapbooking done at home with our 3 year olds constantly running off with our scissors, our 5 year olds using the tape runner on the cat and our teens raiding our sticker stash to spell *I love Parker* on their notebooks!

5. A party for scrapbook stuff? Are you kidding? Yes, even the direct sales parties are a mystery. I guess the name really throws most men off. After all, what kind of party, in the traditional sense, do you leave with less money in your wallet? A party is for free food, not spending money in their minds. They miss the point of chatting with friends, learning a new technique or playing with a new tool. It's all just frivolity to them.

You know, now that I think about it, why do we spend $0.60 on one sheet of paper, $12 on a contraption that is basically a glorified glue stick and $30 on a photo album? You know the answer! WE LOVE IT! Scrapbooking is an addictive hobby and, men, you are allowed to join us, but you better learn the lingo and no sharing my tape runner!