Dolly's Dreamings

Are you lonesome today?

It's been like going back ten years today. Nigel used to be out every single Sunday for the first 16 years of our marriage as he was the announcer at Poole Cycle Speedway. As Poole Pirates (motor speedway) took more and more time he scaled down his time on a Sunday as it was one of the few times we got to share together. Although there were plenty of times when I was sad we couldn't go out for the day, I did quite like my Sole Sundays as I used to craft. In those days it wasn't scrapping - it was painting. And all the paints would come out when I had the house to myself.

Today he was at Cycle Speedway, the first time in a long long time and I scrapped. Having said that, I wouldn't want to go back to having every Sunday committed. We don't have a great deal of time together and so it is nice to do whatever we fancy at the weekend and not be tied.

Today I made the weekly challenge for UKS (amongst other things)

The challenge was to do a before and after page, use a frame, cut and hide.

I opted to scrap Fiki before he was fully grown and huge and after. The two pictures are 9 years apart almost to the week. In the first - the small one - he was just 4 weeks old. The little runt of the litter. He wasn't even big enough to have gone into the fuzzies and his eyes were that washed out kitten grey and runny all the time (he wasn't terribly healthy as a baby)

Now look at him. 21lb of magnificent masculine mayhem.

 

I haven't taken my picture of the day yet so will add that in tomorrow's post.

Today I am thankful for

• Sundays - today has reminded me to appreciate them
• Believing that the little runt of the litter would turn out just fine ... and he did

 

Someone sent this in an email today and it doesn't work well on here - a little slow - but it is way too cute to share. It is also just what the Fiki monster does. He has a blanket on a spare bed and he rolls himself up in it every night. It is the cutest thing ever.

 

busy busy busy

It doesn't take long for the weekend to become a dim and distant memory as you lose yourself in the wonders of a new week and all that that entails. And often what you plan to do never gets done because, no matter how much you think you know, the unexpected ALWAYS happens.

But then if every day was a weekend day you wouldn't appreciate it. You need to work hard to appreciate the off time. Mind you - if I had the chance I'd give constant weekends a go! One day eh!

 I have a new page to share today which was made for the cyber crop for INSD two weeks ago. I scrap more than I can post - something wrong there then.

I used one of my all time favourite collections which is a sea kit by Tirimisu designs - plus there were lots of other bits and bobs thrown in there.

The challenge was to scrap a childhood memory and my memories so often involve the sea. We moved to the sea when I was 6 and I used to go to the beach every single day. I was a real water baby. I am still moved by water and the ocean, although we almost never go during the summer - it is way too crowded and if I am sitting in the sun I prefer the garden or a pool, not a sandy beach. Last summer was really unusual for us as we decided to go to the beach for a day. Something we have never ever done in the UK together. It was OK, but once in the 26 years was probably enough.

Anyway - here is the page.

My photo of the day today is little Kira using her brother's back end as a pillow.

You can also see how her left eye is even more pigmented now. It is more pigmented than not pigmented now and I think we will have to take her back for another visit to Emma the eye specialist vet. However, it will no doubt still be that we don't know if it is a tumour and the only way to be sure is to remove the eye and then test it, which we all agree is a radical choice.

She seems fine and can see as clearly as ever. It is just a bit like having a time bomb and never knowing if it is going to explode or not. What none of us want is to get to the stage where the eye is removed and then we find out there is nothing wrong, that's just what her eyes do.

Today I am thankful for

• a lovely comment from Tracey - what a nice thing to say - Thank you so very much
• fan heaters - you have to really want them to truly appreciate them

 

and I have a special e mail to share from cousin Joyce today.

Out of the mouths of the Babes--

It was written by an 8-year-old named Danny Dutton , who lives in Chula Vista , CA . He wrote it for his third grade homework assignment, to 'explain God.' I wonder if any of us could have done as well? 

EXPLANATION OF GOD:

'One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.'

'God's second most important job is listening to prayers An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.'

'God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.'

'Atheists are people who don't believe in God. I don't think there are any in Chula Vista . At least there aren't any who come to our church.'

'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God. They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said O.K.'

'His dad (God) appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.'

'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.'

'You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God!

Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.'

'If you don't believe in God, besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.'

'But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.


And...that's why I believe in God.'

Titanic Exhibition

It has been a bit Bank Holidayish weather here today, well at least this morning. It was grim and grey and wet and so we opted for an indoor activity.

We started off with breakfast out. We had seen that georgie Porgies did breakfast for £5.99 and whilst I wouldn't eat there again for dinner I figured breakfast would be ok. And it was. I don't really do cooked breakfast and it was the lack of hot food that put me off. Nij had cooked and said it was OK but not terribly hot. I did have an omelet which they make whilst you wait and that was good and hot.

All in all it was good value for £5.99 and made a special treat as a one off.

We then headed to the Sea City Museum in Southampton as we wanted to see the Titanic exhibition. It was incredibly quiet on the roads and the museum was quiet when we arrived It was bombed when we left with queues very long and the traffic getting in and out of the city was incredibly heavy. But by the time we were on the way home it was a bit more like May - warm and sunny.

The museum is very good and the exhibits well laid out, varied and informative. Not a free museum, it needed to be good to warrant the cost.

We both enjoyed it and learnt a great deal. I have always been fascinated by the Titanic as it sank on my dad's birthday (though well before he was born) and when my Dad was in the navy he worked for the White Star Line too.

My photo of the day is of some books I bought for the school library as one year group do a project all about Titanic. (Plus I was not allowed to take photos inside)

 
I have a page to share today made with Dee Bee Designs goodies from PBP as part of my CT commitment this month.

Credits

Who You Are collage rubs and clusters set by Dee Bee Designs at Pickleberrypop

Character Counts kit by Dee Bee Designs at Pickleberrypop

The flower clusters and rub ons are totally awesome - expect to see them A LOT

The photo is of Emerald Lake in the Canadian Rockies - a trip we will never forget.

Today I am thankful for

• a day out
• interesting things to see and learn
• a great scrapping opportunity that came my way today

I know people loved the video I shared yesterday so I can't resist another one today - this baby Jaguar called Bella is one of the cats we are going to visit this summer at Panther Ridge and we are so excited. (Bella isn't a baby like this anymore though)

 

and finally my one minute devotional page today from my calendar

Driving to work yesterday, I stopped at a red light. As I absently looked at my hand on the steering wheel, I noticed the long scar on my wrist. Suddenly I drifted back 36 years to the summer following my high school graduation. I was living in my hometown of Fort Valley, Georgia, and working on the assembly line at the Blue Bird school bus factory. Eighteen years old, I was making school buses in order to save money for college.

Bus-body assembly lines are dangerous places. Amid powerful machinery, hydraulic presses, hot metal, and a vast assortment of high-powered tools, it’s easy to get injured. One day, as I cut through a steel beam with a blowtorch, my wrist grazed the sharp, molten edge of the beam. Suddenly I was cut to the bone with a wound that would scar my wrist for life.

For a while the scar was prominent and jagged. Sometimes it would swell, becoming inflamed and painful. But I noticed yesterday that now the jagged scar is smooth, faded, almost unnoticeable. Time has worked its healing wonder.

Sometimes events in our lives wound us so deeply that an emotional scar is left for a lifetime. The death of my father when I was 14 years old cut much more deeply than that steel beam. Yet, over time, I have learned that God has a way of making emotional scars grow smaller, too. A grief that we feared would consume us; a disappointment so intense that it maimed us; a shameful mistake that seared our self-image—all of these things can be healed by time and the loving grace of God.

Father, I am thankful that in You I have found a balm in Gilead that can make the wounded whole.

—SCOTT WALKER

Normal Service has been resumed

Well - unheard of for me. No blogging for two whole days.

Usually if I know I am not going to be able to blog I have something up my sleeve and post ahead, but I was too rushed an busy to even contemplate that.

I have been away for a couple of days to London. Sounds very relaxing doesn't it. I have had the chance to see some great things like the Natural History Museum (one of my favourite buildings in the world), Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London. Awesome. However, I was there in an official capacity, escorting some lovely children and that meant it was anything but relaxing as when you have A LOT of other people's children in your care it is stressful with no off time. It means constant vigilance and 100% attention. However, we did all have a lovely time, but to say I am tired is the understatement of the year.

I ache everywhere - possibly as I think I have a bit of a bug - and I am sooooo tired I haven't even scrapped. How immense is that.

I have a few catch up photo of the day pictures first

This was Wednesday night - packed and ready to leave the house before 6 am the following morning

 

I just loved these bright red phone boxes. Such an iconic image and about to disappear. And look - it had stopped raining! YEY!

I like the picture as you can see the new modern box behind which I am afraid to say just doesn't cut it really. Does anyone else remember very vividly the smell inside the red phone boxes. A strange mix of stale tobacco (I haven't been in one since smoking was banned everywhere) hot plastic, stale air and - well, just a very distinctive smell. I can't remember the last time I entered a phone box - must have been 10 years ago easily, but I can smell that unique smell so vividly.

 Yesterday we went to the Tower od London and I saw something i have never seen before - Tower Bridge open. I have seen the bridge hundreds of times but never open. I just thought that was pretty cool. Makes the Twin Sails looks very modern!

 

 I have a few more pictures to share from the tower and yesterday. It was a fascinating day and one of the really special things is seeing with children and seeing it all afresh through their eyes. The joy in seeing the Crown Jewels was really special as they were entranced and fascinated and it made it even more special for me. They say childlike wonder is magical and indeed it is.

They had enacment groups going on which was wonderful - this was a half hour presentation about Judge Jeffreis and the Bloody Assizes

 Guards outside the Crown Jewels

 

 They had lots of wonderful wire animal sculptures around and this was my favourite

 The White Tower. How fab these photos would have looked if there had been blue sky but it really was damp and grey and very very cold.

 

 

The view of the illuminated London Eye on the way back to the hotel - very drizzly!

The new statue replacing the ship in the bottle in Trafalgar Square - oh and more grey sky

Guardian of the cases - most of them pink like mine. You gotta love us girls.

And the gorgeous Iguana, one of the animals in our Animal Vision talk at the NHM

Now I am sure it cannot have escaped your notice that today is iNSD - international Scrapbooking Day and there are fab deals around everywhere for great supplies. However I confess to being a tad biased with this.

dawn Inskip has an amazing storewide sale on so it is a chance to snap up some of her amazing kits.

She also has a very spectacular grab bag for sale which you need to check out.

And here is a page I made with it.

Finally here is my picture of the day for today . We have loved our birds but the pigeon keeps taking the robin's block of suet and he eats it in a little over a day so we have bought some new feeders with domes so only the smaller birds can get the food in those feeders.

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• being home
• a job I love, tiring though it may be
• the joy of watching our birds

And my one minute devotional calendar today

I sat in my window seat on an early morning flight from Atlanta to Miami for my college reunion, deep in thought.

But I wasn’t thinking about the classmates I’d see shortly. I stared at the rose-and-orange-tinted clouds on the horizon and the bright morning star in the distance, and thought about my friend Javier, with whom I’d spent my childhood in Cuba. I’d escaped with my family to the United States and had been able to live a free life. But Javier wasn’t so fortunate.

Javier had been arrested for rebelling against Fidel Castro’s Communist regime. The last time I saw him, he was in a hospital prison ward, wounded and unable to walk. I didn’t know when, if ever, he would be released. I wished I could see him again, if only to comfort him, and give him hope that one day he’d be free.

It was 6:30 in the morning here, same as it was in Cuba. Maybe Javier could see that same gorgeous sky, that same shining star. I closed my eyes and prayed for him. Lord, let Javier see this sunrise and lift his spirits.

Two months later, I checked my mail and was surprised to find a letter with a familiar name atop the return address. Javier!

“Dear Gilda,” the letter read. “It is 6:30 in the morning. I was dreaming you had come to visit me in prison. We chatted and had a good time, when I unfortunately woke up. But right now I am looking out my cell window, and there is a beautiful shining star over a dark sky, and the morning begins to show in orange reflections on the horizon. I wish you could see it!”

I looked at the date on the letter. Sure enough, it was the date I flew to Miami.

Somehow, Javier had felt my prayers. He was eventually released, after 16 years. And with his wife and three children, he finally made it to the States.

Thank You, God, that the heavens declare Your glory, here and everywhere.

—GILDA CABRERA REYES

and it rained and rained and rained and rained and rained

Oh boy

That drought must be wearing thin now - surely. It's been a shocking day with high winds and torrential rain. Yuk yuk yuk.

However, it does make it a good day for being in and being crafty.

We did pop out briefly (well Starbucks don't deliver .... yet!)  and on the way back from Poole we called into Pets at Home to see if they sold the sort of dome for the feeder that would stop the large birds from gobbling everything up in record time. They didn't. But we did get a new litter tray for the CFH. Their old one was in need of replacing and we have to have a big one as - well frankly Fiki is enormous.

 Of course, as with any single thing that comes into this house, even if it not for them, it had to have the full CFH inspection.

 

 

 and just because ...

He looked a little baffled to be honest

and no it doesn't usually sit in the middle of the kitchen. That was just for photography purposes. It lives in the far corner of the utility room, well away from us.

I am loving being on the Pickleberrypop Creative Team and having lovely things to work with.

One of the designers whose work I have loved for a long time is Indigo Designs. I already had a few of her kits and today I worked with a new one which has just been released.

It is called The Story Never Ends and is an amazing collection.

and if you click ont he picture or THIS LINK it will take you right to the collection in store.

Isn't it fabulous?

I made this with it this morning.

Little Emily doing what she does so well - just looking beautiful. The photo was perfect for the kit too.

Today I am thankful for

• a nice warm dry home to be in whilst it is horrible outside.

And finally the last few of the howlers from the children.

 

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and have a good work week next week x

 

 

9 Amazing Years for the CFH

Today is a special day for us as two members of our family are celebrating a birthday. But I am sure we have been involved in some sort of time travel experiment that we are not aware of, as there is no way that 9 years have passed since the CFH were born.

It seems like such a short time ago that we made the fateful decision to add two Bengal kittens to our family.

They were born on 17^th April 2003 and were special from the word go. The breeder, Jamie, owned both their mother, Mojo (Millenia Junglebeat) and father (Otis Redding) and they were two of a litter of 6. Their mother had an accident when they were just a few days old and broke her pelvis and she could not keep all 6 kittens. Jamie had to try and hand rear three, who did not make it – and she kept the other three. There were two boys and a girl.

When we first met them when they were four weeks old we were smitten. We knew we wanted two kittens and I desperately wanted a boy. We had only had girls before and Nigel would have preferred 2 girls. Until we saw Fiki that is. There was no question we wanted Kira as she was the only girl. The other boy was identical to Kira, much darker, a more traditional brown spot colour. The other boy, who was to become our Fiki, was smaller, had runny eyes, was quiet and withdrawn and was the most amazing colour. He had inherited from his prize winning grandfather the very prized rufus gene and was, even then, a very russet colour. His coat went on to become a deep rich mahogany and he is also blessed with glitter, another prized gene. He was, however, clearly the runt and the kitten you should never buy. But we were already smitten.

Eventually, after a health check and a long conversation with the breeder, both were to be ours. We do still wonder whatever happened to the other little boy and I hope he had a happy and caring home too.

We visited them again when they were 6 weeks old and then collected them early at 12 weeks and brought them home.

We had no idea what a difference in every sense they would make to our lives.

They have been such joy – and such stress too- with their very unique characters and beautiful loving and devoted natures. They have caused us endless laughter, a few tears and a fair bit of shouting. They have had their accidents and their health issues, especially poor little Kira, but they have enriched our lives. Bengals are not to be adopted lightly – they are unique – but we love them. Fiki, the little run who weighed exactly half of his sister when we brought them home, is now a massive 21lb cat with the naughtiest most loving and adorable nature ever. Kira, who has eye problems, allergies to pretty much everything except air, Fiki and us, is a much smaller but equally devoted little cat who follows us everywhere. They both just want to be with us constantly.

This is our handsome boy

and this is our beautiful little girl

How have 9 years gone by in such a flash? Maybe, now he is 9, Fiki will stop being quite so naughty. Maybe not – I fear!

Happy birthday CFH xxxx

It was fitting that I should finish this page made for another of Shimelle’s challenges today. It was made for Challenge 5 and takes the inspiration quite clearly from the examples given.

 

and it is not her birthday and she is not a Bengal and she did not come to us as a baby but I cannot leave her out ... this is our beautiful Boo who is now a poor old thing who is deaf, has cataracts and is a grumpy old thing but just as beautiful as her siblings

 And I also made this for another of Shimelle's challenges - this one for the 'use the same photo twice'.

Photo of the day today was snapped by Nigel this morning. They have cattle grazing on the heath now and this morningt hey were right by our fence so here are two pretty meadow ladies.

Today I am thankful for

• all of the cats who share or who have shared our lives and our hearts but especially my little - well big actually - CFH.

 

Barb you asked yesterday if we have Michaels here and no we don't but I make sure to shop whenever we visit the US.

You also asked if I had any photos of my dolls house -  If you looks at the subjects down the right hand side border and click on Dolls House that will take you to all about that.

 

My one minute devotional today is

My wife, Julee, and her mom, Wilma Cruise, were extraordinarily close. No matter where Julee was in the world—and it could be anywhere—she called her mom in Creston, Iowa, every day without fail. Even after Wilma’s capacity for speech was pretty much wiped out by a stroke, Julee was the one person who managed to carry on conversations with her. The nursing home would call Julee when they couldn’t figure out what Wilma wanted; somehow Julee always knew.

Wilma died this year, very peacefully. I did everything I could for Julee as she sank deeper into mourning. I tried to get her to eat, to exercise, to make it to her doctors’ appointments. I told her that God was with her no matter how alone she felt, that He was really there, closer than ever. I sat up with her late into the night, sometimes without even talking. But still she grieved.

Finally, in frustration and despair, I told a friend there was nothing more I could do. “I feel so inadequate,” I said.

My friend looked at me for a long time, then said simply, “It’s death. We’re supposed to feel inadequate.”

We humans can overcome just about anything, but we can’t overcome death. And the deeper we love, the harder we grieve. Finally, we come through the other side, as I know Julee will, when our love becomes acceptance—perhaps of our own inability to let go of people all at once. We don’t want to let go, so we let go in stages—imperfect, painful, not always pretty. And each and every step of the way, God takes hold of what we have let go.

And the sun shone on

I know they say that people in the UK only ever talk about the weather but heck - when it is this remarkable it is worth talking about.

This is about the sixth day of glorious sunshine. The weather is better than it often is in the height of summer - simply awesome.

We have been sat outside again and it is just glorious - not so hot as to be sticky and uncomfortable, but just great to get that vitamin D topped up.

My car passed its MOT with flying colours and no work needed - phew - and Nigel's looks like being mended tomorrow. Things have taken a turn for the better maybe.

The morphine is keeping the pain at bay - and being spaced out and sleepy and nauseous is small price to pay.

My photo of the day is Fiki who insists on being wherever we are - but that is lovely actually.

 
Nij is off to speedway and I am planning an evening of very strenuous TV and snoozing! No doubt accompanied at all times by Fiki.

I have a new page to share for the Austria album today.

 The village of Oberammergau is not only known for the Passion Play but also the special style of painted buildings which are simply stunning. They are throughout the village and the effects are incredible.

I had fun with the teeny punched flowers and stickles on this one.

Today I am thankful for

• MOT success
• Unbroken sunshine
• Fantastic devoted felines

 
 And that is the reason why I don't leave my camera lying around!

My one minute devotional page today is

Maggie appeared in the doorway, ready for a trip to the park. She was dressed in the height of four-year-old fashion: fancy velvet dress over an old striped turtleneck, flowered tights, and black boots. “Look, Mom,” she said, gesturing toward the sparkly red headband in her blond curls. Tucked beneath it was a toothpick. “I’m a rose. This,” she said, pointing, “is my thorn.”

I laughed, shook my head, and herded my creative one out the door. I know plenty of little girls who layer plaids over stripes. (My sister had a button for her daughter that said, “I dressed myself today!”) I know other girls who remove one glittery ballerina outfit only to don another. At some point, each of my children has pretended to be a tree or a plant or a flower. But Maggie’s imagination is something else entirely. It amazes me that she dressed up in splendor and then stopped and went in search of a toothpick so she could truly be a rose. Who else would think of it?

At this point in my musing I stopped short, amazed by a different thought. It wasn’t Maggie whose idea was unusual, but mine! Foolish creature that I am, I’d somehow gotten stuck on the idea that the essence of a rose is its flower. But when God created the rose, He made the whole plant. The thorns weren’t an unfortunate afterthought, something to be ignored. To truly be a rose requires looking at roses from God’s perspective. Or Maggie’s.

Father, teach me to see things Your way.

—JULIA ATTAWAY

And the hits just keep on coming

So today should have been an amazingly happy day - first day of the school holidays, endless possibilities and brilliant sunshine.

Should have been and, in fairness, it had its highs, but it had a couple of lows too I'm afraid.

I didn't sleep much as I was in a lot of pain and I was starting to cheat with painkillers which is never a good thing. I was living my life in 6 hour blocks, just waiting till I could take the next batch of painkillers. That's never a good thing. Plus even the Votlarol was starting not to work too well.

I figured that the pain ought to be getting better not worse and so I called the dentist and they said they would take a look. It was the clinic again as my own dentist doesn't work on a Friday.

The dentist I saw has to be one of the most handsome dentists I have ever seen. It almost made it worth going - almost!

Anyway, sure enough I had a dry socket hence the foul taste and the increasing pain.

He cleared it all out, told me it often happened with wisdom teeth and then put in a dressing which he said would taste awful. I have to say it tasted (cloves) a heck of a lot better than it had done earlier.

If they know there is a 50% chance of a problem with a wisdom tooth extraction why the heck don't they put a dressing in to begin with?

Anyway it is dressed and I am now on liquids only. Still, the good news is Fraps are liquid! And yoghurt is almost liquid. And I am picking up some chocolate tetra later so I will be OK - and probably loose wight into the bargain as well.

It is still throbbing but the pain killers seem to be working.

The weather is gorgeous and balmy and springlike. I came home - with frap - through the park and spring is springing all over the place.

I even sat outside for a while as the sun was so warm.

The boiler man came and it may now be fixed - let's hope so.

So let's put the bad behind and move forward to a great Easter holiday!

I have a new page to share and it is another CT page.

I have to say I am loving being part of Pickleberrypop. They have some awesome designers and this is a page I did with Jumpstart Designs new collection called Dude-a-tude It's a lush collection.

 

and so I scrapped my little dude!

Good to scrap a page about smiling. I plan on doing more of that!

It was also exciting to see that I had several pages int he newsletter that went out from PBP this week. Gave me a real thrill.

Today I am thankful for

• handsome dentists and antiseptic dressings
• liquids
• spring sunshine
• the fact that normally I never do any cleaning (I felt I needed to do my bit today and I had forgotten that it isn't a whole heap of fun)

 

 

 and my page a day calendar for today is

Cooking has never been a pleasure for me, and it was especially stressful when my four children were small. I sometimes dream that we’re all young again and that I’m in the kitchen, happy and content.

Recently, Jeremy, one of my twin sons, came to live with my husband, Gene, and me for a short time. Jeremy had made some stunning changes in his life, which had been marked by addictive behavior fueled by refusing to take medication for his bipolar disorder. Now we were seeing an amazing new young man emerge.

One spring Saturday afternoon, as Jeremy trimmed our hedges, I made supper for a friend who’d had surgery. Pot roast, asparagus casserole, and banana pudding were on the menu. As I layered a large bowl with vanilla wafers, Jeremy came through the back door, hot and tired. He leaned on the kitchen counter, poured himself a glass of iced tea, and smiled. “Wow, Mom,” he said, “banana pudding—my all-time favorite!”

“It’s not for us,” I answered without looking up. “I’m making it for a friend at church.”

There was silence, and our eyes met. I had to look way up at him now, but the years unexpectedly rolled back, and I saw myself staring down at a small redheaded boy and saying, “No!” to cookies or punch or whatever he asked for.

As Jeremy went into the living room, an inaudible voice suggested, It’s never too late, Marion. I made a miniature banana pudding in a custard dish, and a burst of joy filled my heart and, it seemed, the entire kitchen.

In the living room, I presented the pudding to Jeremy, “For me?” he asked. “For me, Mom!”

Show me more ways, Lord, to make those I love happy.

—MARION BOND WEST

An OOOPS! and a YES!

So today I have a post with an oops! and a post with a yes! and a post with some news.

Let's do the news first.

We are having a blog hop over at Its A Creative World to celebrate Spring. With the talented group of girls that make up the rest of the team it is bound to be amazing with spring related posts of all sorts if you follow the hop and no doubt some little prizes along the way.

Make sure you don't miss it.

You'll find this little logo I made popping up all over the place soon.

 

Now whilst we are on the news part of the post I can now share MY news that I was so excited about.

I don't really do design teams and Creative Teams these days. I used to - I am blessed to have been on a whole host of teams for stores like A Trip Down Memory Lane, Charmed Cards and Crafts, Jillybeans, Craft Obsessions and even UKS itself. I have been on the permanent design team for four UK magazines, published on both sides of the Atlantic, and on several digital CTs including Shimelle Laine, Pat Christensen of Weeds and Wildflowers and the amazing Dawn Inskip. And I loved every minute of it. I really did, but it became overwhelming. I lost confidence, it started to feel like work, I felt pressured in the one area that was meant to be my chill out zone. I felt I couldn't be creative any more. I was filled with self doubt and I simply didn't have enough hours in the day to go around. So I scaled down - right down.

I now only do DT work for Charmed Cards and Crafts  - and this is just once or twice a year - and do my weekly CT work which I absolutely love for Dawn, whose work is so awesome I couldn't bear not to work with her creations.

Anyway, I saw a CT spot advertised and it just happened to be from one of my all time favourite stores. It was a store CT spot, working with creations by all the designers there (and designers I already love) and so I knew the chance of getting it was really small. I almost didn't apply but then I thought, heck. I won't get it but what is to loose.

BUT - I got it. I can't believe it. I still have to pinch myself. But it is real. I am now, officially, a Pickle Princess. I am on the Creative Team for Pickleberrypop.

 
I am thrilled.

I did my first CT piece today, working with the following kits

Time4mystory Dig-ETTE-al Kit

Time4mystory Journalling Blocks

Time4mystory Word Art

I couldn't resist this collection - just way too cute and I think the cats I made will make appearances on other pages too.

I also used the kit to make myself a blog banner to use in my signature on digital forums.

 
Now that the news is done let's go to the oops.

Nij went out, as you do, about an hour ago to wash his car. Nothing remarkable in that. I did hear an odd noise but didn't really register it.

Then he came in - not a happy man.

Whilst washing the wheel the valve on the front tire just sheered right off. The sound was the air all coming out, really quickly, to leave a tyre as flat as a pancake.

We tried and tried but we could not get the nuts to undo, and Nij is pretty strong for a reasonably wiry guy actually. His strength always amazes me. Good job we are in the RAC then - they are on their way.

So sadly, the oops is my photo of the day (and in true me style there are two of them!)

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• being blessed with so many scrapping opportunities
• Nigel's tyre going whoosh on the drive not on the motorway
• A lie in

My one minute devotional page today is pertinent. I do believe the Lord protects us, even though we may not realise it. The tyre is an irritation, but it may have saved Nigel's life. These devotional calendar pages are so often so relevant to our day.

 

MYSTERIOUS WAYS
Some people decorate their bedroom bureau with family photos. Mine is filled with music boxes. I love them, always have. They play the music of my memories, the music I adore.

My favorite was one my late husband, Joseph, gave me, while we were still engaged. It was brass, with tiny holes punched through the lid and sides in the shape of four-leaf clovers. Some called it a cricket box, because children in Asia used similar ones to catch crickets. Originally, a child ballerina was perched atop, but years ago it broke off and I replaced it with a pirouetting angel. It played “The Carousel Waltz.”

One night, I returned home from running errands, exhausted. I plopped in my living room, too beat to turn on the radio or TV. Suddenly, I heard music playing from my bedroom. I rushed back—it was Joseph’s old music box. I watched the angel on top twirl and listened to the final, tinkling notes, when I began to smell something strange and acrid. I couldn’t figure out what it was.

The odor was overpowering. Something like plastic or rubber burning. Beside the bureau was an electrical cord leading from a lamp. I reached down and felt it, quickly drawing my hand back. Hot! I ran and turned off the circuit breaker, then dialed 911 to be safe.

Two fire engines roared to a stop in front of my house. One of the firemen unplugged the cord and held it up. The insulation had melted, the wires were exposed. “Good thing you discovered this when you did,” he said. “Any longer and you would have had a fire.”

I said a silent prayer of thanks. For the music box that played, even though I hadn’t wound it or opened it in months.

Even though I can’t explain You, Father, I trust You to protect me.

—JEAN VISTICA

Late, exhausted, excited ... and cheating

I have just got in and and shattered so be prepared for cheating.

I am so awfully tired I haven't the energy to take my camera out of my bag so I am cheating

I took a picture of my new yummy stickers last friday and I ended up not using it as I took a picture of the unexpected lambing instead.

Now the stickers really are very very pretty and they deserve to be on a page and so they are now my picture of the day for today. well I COULD have taken another picture so it really was picture of the day,but even I am not that dedicated.

 

Obviously I haven't done new scrapping but i do have a page not shared before to share. I made it for last Christmas as a DT piece for Charmed Cards and Crafts

It is a picture I had scrapped before but one of my favourite ever photos of the cats. I think it is magical - just at the right place at the right time.

I may not have new scrapping but I do have new scrapping news ... but I can't quite share all of it. I applied for a CT post - haven't done that in almost 2 years. I lost all my scrapping confidence and so have steered away from anything and everything other than my CT work for the amazing Dawn Inskip. However there was a CT I really really fancied and I knew I didn't stand a chance but I applied anyway and - WOW. I got an e mail today and I have a place and I cannot quite believe it. I am over-awed and thrilled and soon I will tell you who it is for! But not today!

Today I am thankful for

• home
• A successful CT entry

On our 20th wedding anniversary, my husband walked in the door with a dozen red roses. I went to the living room cabinet for a vase and saw several of our wedding gifts sitting on the shelf—china, crystal, silver—as though they were museum pieces. “We’ll save them for a special occasion,” I’d told Paul. But in 20 years, we’d hardly used them. Most of the time they sat waiting on that shelf. Well, if this isn’t a special occasion, I thought, I don’t know what is.

Reaching for a vase, I thought of other gifts I might have stored away, waiting for just the right moment. Like my gift for music. I hadn’t sung in the church choir for years; I always said I was too busy. But just like those wedding gifts, weren’t God’s gifts meant to be used and enjoyed?

That night we set the table with our best tablecloth, our silver flatware, and a cut-crystal vase filled with red roses. The kids especially enjoyed drinking sparkling juice from etched crystal goblets that they’d never before seen on our dinner table. We laughed as the four of us clinked our glasses together. “Let’s do this more often,” my daughter said.

“We will,” I replied, as I made a mental note to go to choir practice that week. After all, if every day is a gift from God, then all of life is a special occasion.

Give me one more gift, Lord: the courage to use all You’ve given me for Your glory.

—GINA BRIDGEMAN