Dolly's Dreamings

Free Sunday class and new challenge

How can it possibly be time for another free class. It means a whole week has gone by ... and what a week eh!

We have gone from people who are rushed beyond belief to people who have all the time in the world.

Anyway, here is another free weekly class.

Do tell your friends these are running and that they can download them for free from this blog.

This one is a new class not seen before and I hope you enjoy some of the techniques it involves.  You will be using canvas or canvas card, twill tape, sewing, stamping, inking and LOTS of journalling.

As ever, please don't call it your own class and teach it elsewhere but do enjoy whatever inspiration it might give .... and please please do comment and let me know what you think.

You can download it from HERE

The new challenge on A True Friend has gone live today and it is animal themed cards. I loved making mine and the girls ont he team have come up with such fab ideas.

I hope you will pop over and have a look and have a try.

I uess my theme was kind of predictable LOL

Photo of the day will follow later.

Happy Independence Day

I am liking this leisure idea. And how appropriate that today s the 4th July - Independence Day .... and it truly is.

I came home yesterday - in the awful heat - and Nij had done the washing, shopping and cleaning. I was able to have a cool shower and then we sat and watched tennis eating strawberries and cream.

This morning, unlike a usual saturday, there has been no sense of urgency. We have just chilled (and have actually really chilled as the weather has broken and it is much cooler) and I have scrapped (not able to share yet as it is DT stuff) and read. I have just started Eclipse, the next Stephanie Meyer in the series. I kept it for the holidays ..... how restrained was that!

I hadn't shared this page here and as I have now made myt hings for the next challenge I figured this should go up first.

The next challenge on A True Friend was to use the gorgeous papermania kit Katy had sent to us. Thank you so much for the kit - it was lovely and is stuffed full with things.

I made two pages and will share the other later.

The challenge was also to use a quote and as I have so many pictures of the cats sleeping (yes even Fiki sleeps occasionally!) it seemed so appropriate.

The filmstrips were digitally produced and then added to the page.

I will be back later with my photo of the day. I know just what it will be.

Luci it was great to hear from you. I am so glad you read here. I appreciate that I am very lucky to not only have someone I am totally devoted to (abd that it is reciprocal) but also to love my job. But then you know that first hand too.

Had a great evening. It was the 4th July so where better to eat than TGI Friday, all done up for 4th. Then we went for a drive along the peninsular and to a concert by the Wessex Youth Orchestra

It was also a day for past pupils.Our  waitress in TGI remembered me - I taught her 18 years ago. Three people came up to me at the concert all past pupils. Semms I may be memorable .... hope it is for the right reasons.

Fab end to a fab day.

It's a heatwave

It is a heatwave here. it is hot hot hot and very very humid.

But it's a heatwave in digiworld too.

Dawn Inskip who is guest designer of the month at Gotta Pixel has a new collab kit called Heatwave and it is so apt right now.

The page here was a page I made using the fab new kit so you must go check it out.

The photo is one with quite a story. It was taken at jackson Beach when we went for a weekend with my folks from georgia. We thought it would be cool to have a photo taken int he pool - and it was - but there was this cute little boy called Zachary who so wanted to be in on the picture. He never said a word but paddled over to us and got in shot. We thought it was hilarious - as you can see.

His family kept calling to him to get out of shot but he wouldn't.

So there it is - us and Zach.

Special special day today. Nij and I started a 9 week holiday together. The cat int he kitchen says it all!!!!

I am so pleased that the pupil comment was added yesterday and have puzzled who it is and can only assume that the a is missing off your name? have I got that right? I am so pleased you commented and it was so good to hear from you.

I hope you become a regular visitor.

Such a special gift

I promised I would share the very special thing that happened yesterday. So here it is.

I am still so moved by it the tears keep welling up.

We have a leavers tea for the Year 6 girls and it takes place in the dining room and the quadrangle outside.

The girls and their parents are all invited and it is always a lovely event.

Part way through one of the mums - the parent rep for my class- came and asked me to come outside. I assumed they were doing the usual dress signing and photo sessions that always happen.

The girls were arranged in a semi circle and one of them came forward and read a letter from all of them and their parents about a special thank you to me. Then she gave me a huge pink stripped box. I was, of course, in tears by then. The words were so lovely and I was quite taken aback that they would have got me something, no matter what it was.

I knelt on the grass and opened the box. Inside was a smaller pink box and a scrapbook album.

I cried a bit more when I saw the album.  (the picture here is blocked out as is her surname for obvious reasons)

I work hard to encourage my own class to make circle journals. For many of them it is the first time they have done anything like that and we talk a lot about how important memories are. Well it obviously hit home because boy have they and their parents taken that one on board.

The front of the book was lovely with some beautiful quotes on arranged like petals. Inside there was a dedication page and then a page from every girl in the class - 17 of them.

I was so thrilled with it and couldn't think of a nicer gift. each page had the girs name and her photo and it was so pretty and girlie and I was struck by what a lovely momento of such a special class it would be.

I didn't really notice the other pictures until I looked closely. Each page also had a picture of a troll bead.

I opened the small pink box and there was the most beautiful complete bracelet I have ever seen. Each child had chosen a bead and the parents had made it up into a complete bracelet with silver spacers between each bead.

 As if I wasn't crying enough by then, one of the Mom's said that it mean that now I didn't have to say goodbye to the girls for I had a little piece of each of them forever.

I can't get over how much thought and effort the parents went to to make this possible.

On the back page of the album was a photo of each bead with the name of the girl who chose it.

I don't think i have ever been so moved by a gift. Forget the fact it was an incredibly valuable gift to be given - it was just so completely thoughtful and perfect. They had focused on things I loved - troll beads and scrapping - and made me the perfect gift to remember what has to be one of the most special classes I have ever taught.

I have had some challenging times at school this year ..... not with the class, they have been utterly wonderful, they truly have. And I am sure I will have challenging times again. When I do I will look at the bracelet which is now firmly on my wrist and remember why I do my job. I do it because working with children is the best job in the world. It's not about the gifts, nice as they are, or the holidays and certainly not about the pay or the workload. It is about the reward you get working with children every day, watching them grow and develop, watching them become the people they are and knowing that, in whatever small way it is, you have made a difference to that child's life and played a small part in their future.

They really and truly did give me the greatest gift and I will treasure it and the memory of those girls for always.

I had a comment on my blog which i assume was from an ex-pupil yesterday and in answer to her question .... no it wouldn't be weird. Please visit .... and let me know who you are!

Finally i said I would share another page made with dawn Inskip's new Misty kit available at GottaPixel - I have to say it is a fabulous kit and so versatile.

I made this page of Emily just because it was such a cute picture and she does mean the world to us.

Thoroughly spoilt - part 1

I have been thoroughly spoilt today - and yes .... this is just part one. there is a part two to come.

Part two - tomorrow - is incredibly special.

The children broke up from school today and I was spoilt rotten with gifts of all sorts. There were plats, massive bouquets, bottles of wine and champagne, loads of chocolates, pens, books, ornaments. Just wonderful things.

Truly wonderful things (and remember - the best story is to come tomorrow)

But even more than all the wonderful gifts were the cards. So many and such gorgeous cards, from grateful parents as well as pupils and they mean so much.

aily life can be stressful and challenging at times, but I have to say, being a teacher has to be the best job in the world. No, not for the presents and the holidays. It is the best job beacause you get to work with children .... little people who are not jaded and fed up, who love learning, who have energy and enthusiasm and a desire to learm, discover and explore. I am not keen on the admin, the paperwork, the school politics, the backbiting and the angst. But whenever I walk into a classroom I smile. It is the happiest palce to be. It is magical and rewarding and I love it. Yes I love the holidays, but I miss the kids. They are what makes it all worthwhile.

The two pictures are my photos of the day from yesterday and today.

Now - digital news. Dawn Inskip is guest designer of the month at gotta pixel this month (How can we be in July already!!!)

She has awesome new kits - some of which are collaboration kits - for sale

I will share some pages from her other kit tomorrow, but today this page uses the new kit Misty.

It is a  beautiful kit packed with so much and is soft and misty and really lovely.

You can find the kit HERE

So today's the day

I am sat waiting for Nigel to come home - coming home for the last time from the job he has been doing for 27 years.

I am sat waiting to make him feel special and important and value.

I am sat waiting to ensure he doesn't feel de-valued anymore, doesn't feel redundant but semi-retured. To ensure he is excited about some quality relaxation time and to ensure he knows he is loved and that this is just one step on life's path.

I know it is slushy, but boy I love that guy! I so often say it, but it is true. He is the kindest, most honourable and most truly good person I have ever known. He will never knowingly upset anyone, no matter how badly they treat him. He will always put others and their needs before himself. He would help anyone, and frequently does. He has no sense of revenge or payback, no matter what people do to him. He rises above it all and is a bigger and better person. If I could have one tenth of his self control, his patience, his integrity, his calm, his ability to switch off I would be a much better person. Instead - I am the luckiest girl alive because I get to live with him. I get to be his best friend in the whole world. And I get to spend so much more time with him now.

I hope and pray with all my heart that tomorrow is the start of something really good for him, because he deserves it so much.

Finding Freedom

Ok - so the reality of Nij's change in position is starting to hit home a little more now, but we are still celebrating the freedom to come.

Work has been hard for him over the past year or so and not the happiest place for him to be so we are both pleased he is getting out.

I haven't paper scrapped just for me for a while and was motivated to make this page yesterday.

The three photos were all taken saturday evening whilst we were in the pub - or rather outside the pub - enjoying a summer evening dinner outside.

The large picture lifts up and underneath it is absoultely filled with journalling about how he feels, how he has felt and also a copy of the very heartfelt e mail he sent to his brothers about his change in circumstance.

It is a very simple page. It is not artistic, has no great techniques but to me it is what scrapping is and should be all about. It records a very special moment in our lives and is journalling that needed to be written and remembered.

St Margaret's birthday today meant truly yummy chocolate cake to share and enjoy.

I promise it tasted as good as it looked!

Finally i want to share a letter - I received it as an e mail and it was apparently printed in the times.

I have no idea if it is genuine but i hope so.

I admire the author - you go girl!!!

A SENIOR MOMENT:  I HOPE I HAVE THEM LIKE THIS. A 98 year old woman in the UK wrote this to her bank.  The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the Times.   Dear Sir, I am writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with which I endeavoured to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the cheque and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it.  I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my Pension, an arrangement, which, I admit, has been in place for only thirty eight years.  You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account £30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.  I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.  From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.  Be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.  Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete.  I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.  Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Solicitor, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, I will issue your employee with PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.  I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.  As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further.  When you call me, press buttons as follows: 1. To make an appointment to see me. 2. To query a missing payment. 3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there. 4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping. 5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature. 6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home. 7. To leave a message on my computer (a password to access my computer is required.  A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorized Contact.) 8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through to 8. 9.  To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.  While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.  Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous, New Year. Your Humble Client       (Remember:  This was written by a 98 year old woman; DOESN'T SHE MAKE YOU PROUD!

Maligne Lake - Free class

I was intending a different class page this week but time has got the better of me with everything that has been going on.

This was a class page I taught a while ago but I haven't shared the class on here and I hope it is something you might enjoy.

If you would like to use it I would love to know what you think of it. Just pop a comment at the end of this post.

You can download the class page HERE

I will be back later with my photo of the day

OK so we tidied out the top cupbaords over the bed in our bedroom this afternoon as a first stage of getting ready for bedroom and bathroom renovation.

I have a serious shoe addiction and quite a lot of the shoes that i wear arely - you know .... the sort you can only wear when you are planning zero walking and standing due to high heels that i just can't wear for long now - are in those cupboards. BUT I did get rid of 12 pairs of shoes (some brand new i am ashamed to admit and they have gone int he charity shop pile)

Complete life-change

Well – it has been a really interesting time in our household. A little surprising, taking a little bit of getting used to but, by and large, something we are very pleased with.

Nigel has taken voluntary redundancy and it is effective as of Tuesday, the last day of the month.

It has been on the cards for a long time, and many times we thought it would happen. And now it has and we are both pleased the waiting and agony and stress and worry is over.  Nigel has always been a hard worker and used to live and breathe his job. I actually used to worry that I would never get him to retire even, and envisaged me begging a 65 year old Nij to call it a day. He has always taken such pride in his job, but in recent years the job changed and Nigel wasn’t as fulfilled and as happy as he used to be. The times away from work became more precious and a happier place for him to be and so we are looking on this as a blessing. He has coped well with all that his change in work circumstances threw at him, remaining as upbeat as possible and never ever doing less than his 100% best.

He has always wanted to do something different – and boy do we have lots of ideas – but jumping off that cliff is always a worry and he was never quite secure enough to do it. So to be pushed off the edge is the best possible result. Now he HAS to venture into all the things he has long wanted to try.

Maybe they will be successful. Maybe they won’t. But he will be happy and relaxed and stress free. We are both believers in the idea that as one door closes another opens, you just have to find that opening and step through with confidence and self-assurance.

Nigel is truly the most honest, hard-working, loyal person I know with great personal integrity and can leave with his head held high that he did everything right even though, at times, it was awfully difficult.

And the best news ….. we get to spend 9 weeks together, just enjoying the summer, being together, relaxing, going out, chilling and doing what we love most …. Being together.

I am sure, when the halcyon days are over there will be worry days and we will have to cut our cloth accordingly, but happiness and a stress free life are far more important than that oft dramatically diminishing regular income he was getting.

 

He doesn't look bad on it does he?

 

Photos were taken this afternoon as we enjoyed an early pub supper.

 

We needed to celebrate the new phase in our lives.

Friday - at last - and a couple of tributes

How can one week seem so long? Do they sneak in the extra hours? Do they extend it bit by bit?

It seems like an awfully long week.

I do have one page to share and it is a page for my Wild west album. I didn'tt like my original Wild west album. I had not been scrapping long and it doesn't please me so i am planning to re-scrap the photos in a different format that will bring me more pleasure.

The photo is of two moose in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was just one of those lucky finds. we were alerted by the fact there were several parked cars - always a good sign of some interesting wildlife. We were not expecting to see these gorgeous creatures and I was so thrilled.

I wanted to pay tribute to two people on my blog today. Today - well yesterday actually but the news hit today - sees the passing of two stars .... two very different stars.

Micahel Jackson's sudden death has been all over the  news today. He was a larger than life character and a bit of a marmite - you eother loved him or hated him.

I was quite stunned by the news - not necessarily because I am a huge Michael Jackson fan ... I wasn't. I liked some of his music but his oddness and behaviour coloured my impression of him. I would have loved to have seen him perform int he early 80's but I think life and media and fame had taken its toll on him. I was stunned because it is the first time a famous contemporary of mine has really hit home. He was just a little older than me. I grew up listening to the Jackson 5. I thought of him as 'my age'. Although I remember the deaths of Elvis and John lennon I was younger and they had little impact really. Somehow this one hit home.

I feel he spent most of his life unhappy and searching for something he was never able to find. I hope that he has finally found peace - a peace I don't feel he ever had in his life.

The other loss is Farrah Fawcett majors who died this morning having lost her battle with cancer. She was another star I 'grew up' with. She was the definitve action girl who combined skill and beauty for me in Charlie's Angels. The role made her world famous but I will never forget her part in one of my favourite films, The Burning Bed' which was superb and where she played the part so brilliantly. She never got to marry Ryan O'Neil in the end. Perhaps a warning to us all not to put things off.

I hope they both rest in peace and that their families are comforted by the outpourings of so many about their loss.

It seems almost trite after that to show my two photos - one the photo of the day yesterday and the other the photo for today.

Yesterday evening was a school disco for year 6 leavers and the picture is three staff sat outside int he cool. (Boy was it hot int he disco ...... seriously hot)

It is not the greatest photo in the world but it captures a memory I want to keep.

The other is one of Fiki's favourite toys. It is a - or was a - solid ball of nylon twine that dangles between the stair rails. It has a bell on and is obviously the most exciting thing in the world to pull and bite and tear, judging by the state of it. Its been there for the last 5 years and he loves it. He plays with it most days. Others have come and gone, but this is the one!