Wow, that went fast. The boys have just finished their first week back at school. Well, we’ve got an awful lot going on right now, so everything just flies past. I can’t keep up. To sum up…. we are moving back to the “tree” house. In less than 2 weeks. Which means more organising electricity/phone/carpet cleaning/movers and packing. Lots of packing. And my Dad, Jack, who you’ve previously met, has spent the last 2 weeks in hospital with severe infections and pneumonia. It’s not shifting, and he’s going to be there a while longer. My sister has been over from Tasmania, staying with Mum and doing an amazing job of propping her up, and the other family members have all been visiting Dad and trying to encourage him. In between naps. He naps a lot. But he’ll pull through. He always does, tough old sod.
As a result of this, and the heaps of rain we’ve had this month, and many other dramas which are not for this blog, I haven’t scrapped for quite a while, and I had 3 weeks off of “running” as well. I was very happy to get back into it this week though. I hadn’t realised how much I was missing it, until I got out on the track again.
Sadly, I have to post and run, because I just had a huge day at work and my legs are aching sitting in this hard chair. Time for a soft, warm bed, a mug of milo and some funny Dvd or other on the TV. I’ll try to pop back in a bit more regularly. *skip* and I were just going through our calendars for the next 4 weeks and it’s just crazy. And that’s all the scheduled stuff. It doesn’t include the as needed stuff like going down to visit Dad (1 hour there, 1 hour back trip) and the extra stuff that being back at school involves.
Ok, enough boring typing. Time for something pretty to look at!
Not from the voices of the cheerful youngsters. By the fact that it has rained almost without stopping, all day. What a wonderful sound. The garden and the birds are loving it. The dog, however, is not impressed. I ask you, why have a double wool coat if you are afraid to get it wet?
I have been so behind on posting layouts, so here’s a whole slew of them to keep you amused. Sharon has been running a promotion where everyday she’s featured an older kit, and we’ve done some fantastic layouts with these oldies but goodies.
Here, we have School Daze.
This layout created using Softly - gorgeous papers in this one!
This layout used Sweet Pea, and no, I didn’t fold those scallops!
This layout used creashens gorgeous kit, BelievHer. Those sparkly stitches looked too much like fireworks to me!
This last one would have to be my favourite latest layout. I had so much fun doing gradient masks and getting the blending just perfect. Again, its one of creashen’s kits, this time called Barefoot. Yummy stuff. This clever girl has got herself a gig designing over at catscrap now. Totally rockin’!
The boys helped me put on a huge pot of pumpkin and assorted vegetable soup today in the slow cooker. The smell is slowly driving us all insane, so I’m going to go and stir/check it, and have a cup of cofffee to ward off this incredibly chilly afternoon. Later all!
Have you seen a wordle? I saw one on another blog, and was inspired to have a go at making one. I used all the text from my previous post, and this is what it created….
Pretty cool, huh?
EDITED TO ADD (FOR SHARON!) MAKE YOUR OWN AT wordle.net )
Meanwhile, I want to say thankyou to my new visitors for popping in and giving me the encouragement I need to keep up what seems somedays, to be an uphill fight. And to all my old blog friends, as always. Thankyou for your love and support
I heard on the weekend, that we are always learning. From the minute we are born, we do not stop. I whole-heartedly agree with that idea. We should NEVER stop learning. About our world, and about ourselves. I have been doing more in-ward thinking than out-ward lately. The events, however dramatic, of the last few months, have really been an opportunity for me, and my family to look at ourselves. At how we work, how smoothly we run, and to appreciate it. *skip* has closed ranks around me as it were, and it has been a wonderful chance for me to show how much I really do depend on him. Without his support, things would have gone pear-shaped long before now. I am truly blessed to have him in my life.
I have also been meditating on some of the truths about our environment. Where we live and what we do with what we have. From simplifying our life to live on a reduced income, in a world where prices are starting to spiral upwards dramatically, to making decisions based on their environmental impact. I have been reading so many sites, blogs, articles, forum discussions on Simple Living. On living with a conscience as it were. It all started very quietly on Rhonda-Jean’s blog, previously mentioned. As I have followed her links, then finding links of my own, it has grown.
For a start, try HERE and HERE, and then allow yourself to branch out.
And so this is how we come to today. Today I made a huge step in my simple living, although it may seem absurd to many others. Today, as I was reheating my lunch, I popped an upside down side-plate over the bowl to cover it for the microwave. Although the plastic wrap was sitting on the bench, right in front of me, I didn’t even think to grab it. It’s a small step, but it’s part of the learning process. Learning what we can do without, learning that there are other alternatives that are just as good, and possibly much better. It has started with saving money, and a lawn, by trying to be greener with my washing machine. It is now a minor revolution reaching into the rest of the house.
We have changed how we feed our precious dog. Not only are we doing it cheaper, but she loves her new “home-made” food. All it takes is a little bit of forethought and planning, and we all benefit. I think she’d stage a revolt if we went back to the old ways. *skip* and the kids have gotten on board as well. We buy large packs of chips, of yoghurt etc, and then parcel out servings in re-usable containers. Cheaper to buy, and without the burden of multiple wrappings destined for the bin. My little list of tricks is slowly growing.
There are many things that I may choose not to give up. However, these things are, as I said, a choice. I know what I am doing and why. I will no longer let the media chose for me. They will no longer do my thinking for me. I will chart my own course, and that of my family.
My life just slips through my fingers like fists of sand. I think that’s one reason that I scrap, in a desperate attempt to hold on to just one or two of these moments. I refuse to be the person that can’t remember those special times, where we were and how it felt.
Here’s just a couple of layouts I managed to ooze out lately. I have been working hard behind the scenes spring cleaning my computer - lots of burning back-ups and rearranging of files. *skip* just bought me a Mozy subscription today, so I have to tidy up all the odd documents and files that I seem to accumulate over a few months. Now I have a quick, cheap printer, I am able to print off all those recipes I’ve been hoarding, some sheet music for Tyson, some Camera and Photoshop tutorials. It’s all good.
Ok, layout time
Hopefully I’ve got a couple of days off coming up, assuming no-one ELSE at work gets sick… and I have grand plans for my time - cleaning the fridge, microwave and pantry! Maybe some scrapping too….
I’m still not really here. Things have been so busy at home, and I’m still battling a rotten cold that has me resting every chance I can get. But I got some layouts created and wanted to share them
Just because I’m not blogging, I am still scrapping when I can spare a little bit of time. I wanted to share all of these with you, so here goes. Clicking on layout should take you to my gallery at DST if you feel like leaving some comments!
I know that not a lot of people check in here anymore, but for those that do, for what it’s worth, I’m officially out to lunch for a while.
Everything that we’ve gone through over the last few months, including the last few weeks which just haven’t been any easier, got to me tonight and I lost it.
So I’m shutting down, and just taking some time for my family and for me…. because they need me and I need them.
It really is, sad to say, but true. The rest of the band was fantastic, but I was there just to see Rob.
What am I rambling on about? Why only the Matchbox 20 concert that *skip* surprised me with tickets for last Sunday!! I took my camera and a good set of lungs, and got about 30 photos that weren’t totally useless, got deafened, and had a wonderful time!!
The first, but most likely not the last layout. Sadly, I only took my little P&S compact digital camera, of a whopping 4 megapixels, so I miss out on the life-size poster print. Such is life I suppose!
It was a fabulous live performance. Rob just exudes energy and puts his whole body into his performance…. and he used all the stage and made sure that no-one in the audience felt left out. Naturally it didn’t have the polish of a studio album, but it made up for that in electricity and what came across as a real joy for performing. They were all fabulous musicians and very talented. Their former drummer is now a guitarist, Rob played guitar, piano, and sung his heart out… there was a new member for the tour on keyboard, guitar, mandolin and every other imaginable instrument. But if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be energy. Lots and lots of energy. Something that I will be lacking if I don’t go to bed now!
I know that I’m not the only one that for various reasons, has decided to get more active. This of course, means less time on the computer which isn’t always a bad thing *wink* but the results are definitely worth it. The simple satisfaction when you walk to work, or around the block, or take your kids bike riding is reward in itself, as well as improving your health and fitness and general point of view
So a while ago, I decided to live in motion, and I’m keeping it up so far
But meanwhile, it was a long week, a long weekend, and a working Monday, so I’m taking some chocolate and some Numb3rs to bed!
