Dolly's Dreamings

Rather a Sickly Saturday Failure

I love Saturdays and it has been a great one - I will come to the rather sickly section all in good time.

We had a late breakfast - well late for us - and headed out to Stewarts Garden Centre. We stopped on the way at the seaside and had lunch - an ice cream ... which was to prove one of the healthier things we ate today... and bought some new clothes - yes WE .... even Nigel succumbed to the bargain.

We bought a few new shrubs for the garden to fill spaces left by things we had killed last year. OK so we are NOT gardeners. Not much seems to grow in our soil but heathers, azaleas, rhododendrons and Pieris and so we bough four different varieties of pieris to kill - I mean to plant.

Actually, I have to say the garden looks good at the moment. The weather conditions must have been just perfect as we have a terrific show of azaleas this year - beautifully vibrant and each of the dozen or so plants we have are absolutely covered with blooms. They all bloom at slightly different times too so the ones that have just about finished are replaced by the ones just about coming out. It means the show lasts for a good 6 weeks if not longer.

Anyway - plants bought we stopped off to get Nigel new shoes and me a new handbag and beach wear for holiday and then came home to plant said plants.

And then the sickly bit happened.

We had a stupid stupid stupid idea of baking cupcakes for our Jubilee Street Party. I could see them in my mind - perfectly formed cupcakes in red white and blue cases, frosted to perfection, little flags stuck on them presented so beautifully for the rest of the street to admire. It was a very Nigella - or actually Kirsty - moment.

I KNEW they would be perfect but figured it was only sensible to have a dummy run first to check they were going to be as perfect as I believed.

Heck who was I kidding. I hate baking, I am no good at baking, I didn't even have a recipe I had to ask friends.

So Nij did some shopping - no we didn't have any store cupboard ingredients. I don't have a store cupboard - well not with anything that is still within sell by date. I have a fridge, which we eat empty each week, stocked with fruits and veg and salad and stuff. I have a freezer stocked with mostly stuff Nigel eats, I have a condiments cupboard that is amazing and some of the things get used. And then I have three cupboards full of .... um porridge (eaten daily) granola bars, crispbreads, tinned stuff I thought might be a good idea, left over oddments from previously thwarted baking efforts that need throwing out and nothing much else of any use. Oh and three cupboards full of all the gadgets that I thought would turn me into a domestic goddess.

The thing is I am not a good cook. I am not a bad cook. I can cook everyday meals and I do a mean Christmas dinner, but I don't like cooking. No - change that. I HATE cooking. I really don't find anything enjoyable in it at all. And I think when you don't like it you are not good at it. There is no love in it and I think something like cooking has to have love.

Anyway, armed with recipe from my padder friends I set about making a mess ... I mean making cakes. Now in the olden days, back when I was young, we didn't have cupcakes. We had fairy cakes and these were going to be fairy cakes as they were small. I didn't have a muffin tray or anything. I had little patti tins and little paper cases. So small was the order of the day.

I figured I would halve the recipe as I only wanted to make a test batch and six would be fine. So I carefully measure half the dry ingredients, half the butter and then put the full amount of eggs in! See - that's why I don't cook.

So I added the same again of everything figuring now we would have 12.

They were actually very very light and tasted lovely. We over-indulged, however, on the raw mixture. OK I KNOW you shouldn't eat it. Something about raw eggs and salmonella etc. But we never bake and we were like two five year olds with Mommy's baking bowl. YUM.

However, as adults with no-one there to stop you it is possible to over indulge. Especially if there are not enough cake cases for mixture and you hate waste! You can see where the sickly is heading can't you.

They looked small but OK when they came out. Mind you the empty case shows the one we ate when it was still warm! We really ought NOT to be allowed in the kitchen unsupervised by a responsible adult.

Then we made the frosting and realised we didn't really have a piping bag. We did have a very very old (older than me as it was Mommy's) piping set - the metal syringe and plunger type. We boiled it to ensure it was OK and then realised the only tip that fitted was tiny. So very very very small piped frosting ensued and then I gave up and Nigel piped and I made 'snow effect' topping. And then we ate what was left and then - well, if anyone asks me to eat a cupcake int he near future they may get a different reaction than they bargain for.

So - no cupcakes for the street party. I'll buy more wine instead. Far more sensible and far less likely to make us feel ill. I can hold my drink .... it's the sugar I can't cope with.

So my picture of the day - the worst ugliest sickliest cupcakes in the world. ... now in the fridge as that is where I put anything vaguely edible and because I have no clue what to do with them as neither of us want to eat any more.

 

So, I am absolutely pants atbaking but I am OK at scrapping so I am planning to stick to what I can do OK with.

The page I have to share today is another with Dawn's new Cowboys and Indians kit.

When we did our Wild west tour we had one of those special moments. A moment you don't plan but that is just right. We never planned on staying at Cheyenne but we travelled further than we anticipated and so as Nigel thought it had a great sound of the old wild west we booked in there for the night. It was a Saturday night - with a great hotel and a fab meal - and we were up and out early on the Sunday. The town was deserted. We just didn't see any people. It was early on a Sunday and so they were all obviously resting after a night on the town line dancing or whatever. And we had it to ourselves. We were fascinated by the huge pained cowboy boots. This was long before London's elephants, Bournemouth's lions etc. and we had such fun finding them and taking daft pictures.

 

Today I am thankful for

• having other skills as baking clearly isn't one I possess
• Laughs together
• simple Saturdays

and my one minute devotional calendar

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I told my stepmother, Gloria. She’d called in the wee hours of the morning to tell me my father didn’t have much time left.

Dad had battled with emphysema and lung cancer for years, and he had told me a week earlier that he was ready for the pain to be over. Still, I wanted him to hold on long enough to know that I was with him at the end. I would have to hurry. Dad was nearly a thousand miles away, in Grand Island, Nebraska.

My husband, Max, and I hopped the first flight we could to Omaha. I prayed that I would make it to Dad in time. Dad, I’ll be there, I hope you know it.

As the plane landed, I checked my watch. 10:30. We hurried to the rental car and drove to the hospital.

When we stepped into Dad’s dim hospital room, Gloria explained the situation.

“He’s still in a coma,” she said. “The doctor says he could go at any moment.”

Max and Gloria left the room so I could talk to Dad alone. “I love you, Dad,” I said. “I’m very proud to be your daughter.” I was glad I got to say it, but I still wished Dad knew I had rushed to be by his side. I hugged him and prayed to God for a sign that Dad was aware of my presence.

But there was no sign, and he died soon after.

After the funeral, I asked Gloria if Dad had ever regained consciousness after entering the coma.

“Only for a moment,” she said. “He did something strange the morning you arrived. He sat up in bed and said, ‘The plane has landed. It’s time to go.’ I looked at my watch, just to see if I could make some sense out of it. It was 10:30. I still don’t know what he meant.” 10:30. Just when I landed. He knew I was there.

Thank You, Father, that my times are in Your hands.

Spring like - sometimes

We woke to a frost this morning.

In mid May.

Not usual at all. And not the right time to not have heating on. It has been cooooooooold.

I suffer from Reynauds anyway and it has been getting much worse during the past two years. There are times when all of my fingers and toes go and what is ridiculous is they look dead, they feel dead and yet they hurt. Today it was so bad at one point I couldn't hold a pen properly. Sadly I didn't think of taking a picture until it was almost passed when only two fingers were still dead. I am sure many of you reading suffer with it too, but it is a horrid thing to get. I can no longer do the supermarket shop in the fridge and frozen sections as my hands go almost instantly. (Look, that is MY excuse for not doing the shopping and I am sticking to it!) I even have to have layers of napkins to be able to hold my fraps. I can hear some of you asking .... if the fraps hurt your hands then stop the fraps! Blasphemy!

Anyway

my poor remaining dead fingers this afternoon as my photo of the day.

The middle finger is my normal colour. And it's stunning when they come back to life as they go from white to deep deep purple then red then normal. I am a veritable rainbow!

 I have a new page to share today which is another for my 2012 album. I love doing these yearly albums. All too often we think we don't do much other than the daily grind. I love looking back and seeing all of the wonderful things I have done in a year.

This was a page all about our trip to Minterne Gardens on Saturday.

I am still loving these Prima papers which just should out Spring to me. I had to be creative with the title as I didn't have an 'M' but had to use a 'W' and both 'N's are really 'U'.

I only added a couple of extra butterflies and a mess of dots and a journalling block.

Today I am thankful for

• feeling my fingers right now
• Amazing (again) Customer Service from Amazon. For some reason my Amazon account deregistered my Kindle. No idea why. It worked perfectly Sunday then not Tuesday. I contacted Amazon at 5.47 (Yes I can be that precise) and they got back to me with the right fix at 6.07. Now THAT is amazing customer service and it is what I have always experienced with Amazon. I cannot sing their praises high enough.

 
 and finally my page a day calendar

I woke up this morning feeling that all I wanted to do was to stay in bed and cry. I really had no reason to feel sad: I love my life, my husband, and my children; this little village we live in; our spiritual community. In fact, I had no excuse at all for feeling tearful and wanting to stay in bed.

Today is Sunday. Robert and I attend church on weekdays so that we can stay with Belva, our hospice patient, on Sundays and give her husband an opportunity to go to church. It was a great effort for me to drag myself out of bed, get dressed, fix breakfast, and drive the five miles to Belva’s house. But when we walked in the door, something unusual happened: Belva smiled and said “Hello”—quite an amazing thing for this end-stage Alzheimer’s patient, who is usually mute and sleeps most of the time.

After her husband left, I began feeding Belva, and she eagerly opened her mouth to receive each bite of cereal and spoonful of juice. And when she had had her breakfast, she looked right at me and smiled again! I felt my heart open, and my early-morning sadness left as mysteriously as it had come.

Sometimes I wonder which of us is nourished most by this Sunday morning ritual, Belva or I. But I do know that it’s quite impossible to help someone else without having my own soul fed in the process.

When I’m feeling down, please lead me to someone I can help, so I may know the grace of both giving and receiving.

—MARILYN MORGAN KING

 

water water everywhere

Do we are in a county where there is now a declared drought - although unlike many of our other southern counties we do not have a hosepipe ban ... yet. However, I can't help assume that there is less of a drought today than there was yesterday as an awful lot of the wet stuff has fallen out of the sky today.

It has been a real drenching. I paddled across from my car to school this morning - truly I did.

The garden and the heath needed the water so much and truth to tell I really don't mind rain. It's the howling wind I am not so keen on to be honest. And howling it has been.

Strange though that there has been so much wet stuff around today and yet this little cutie (yes I KNOW it is meant to be a BIRD feeder, but he doesn't!) took time out of his munching to wash it all down with some nice pine-needle-and-general-debris flavoured water. It was just too cute not to use as POD.

 

Isn't he cute. I know many people see them as vermin. I know people call them tree rats. I know they can do damage, but I have always had a soft spot for squirrels. I love them. When I was younger we used to have a family of squirrels who used to come onto our kitchen windowsill at tea time every day and were hand fed. There were a pair and they bought babies with them. They came for 2 years and we all loved feeding them. Well until one came inside and Mom freaked out so much they were kept at a distance after that.

I made me remember the little baby squirrel at about this time last year that we found in school grounds and that I took to the local vets. It held it in my hands and it shivered and trembled and then snuggled and I stood holding him as the vet told me there was no chance and took it off me. I was sobbing so much I sat in the carpark for ages before I could see well enough to drive home. When the children at school asked the next day I told them a half truth. I said I had taken him tot he vets and the vet was taking care of him. I guess it was true - just not in the way they, or I , wanted it.  

Still playing catch up with my 366 pages here is the next one.

Today I am thankful for

• the joy of nature in our garden
• the chocolate eclair for break (Bad but soooooo good)
• a bonus of having Nigel home as Speedway is cancelled due to the bad weather
• much needed rain

 
and my one minute devotional calendar page today is

Since I can remember, I’ve had dreams in which I’m flying. That’s far from unusual, of course. Any psychology student will tell you that dreams of flight are universal. Iowa corn farmers, Alaskan Eskimos, Australian investment bankers—everyone in the world, it seems, dreams at one point or another that they can leave the earth and gravity behind.

What’s interesting to me about my flying dreams, however, is that they’re of two distinct kinds. The ones I remember most vividly the next morning aren’t those in which I’m swooping around far above the ground. Those are fine, but the ones that carry real magic are of a more low-key variety. I’ll be walking along someplace, on a beach perhaps or maybe just on the street where I live, when suddenly I’ll find myself lifting up and floating a few inches off the ground. The difference is so slight and subtle that the people around me—if there happen to be any—don’t even notice it.

Why do these modest dreams of flight mean so much to me? I think it’s precisely because they are modest. In dreams, anything can happen. But these dreams where I’m lifted and carried just a few inches off the ground remind me that in dreams, just as in waking life, the most wonderful changes of perspective often come with the smallest change in viewpoint. Sometimes just a few inches will do it.

Lord, keep me awake to the little changes in perspective that can make all the difference in how I see the world.

—PTOLEMY TOMPKINS

No reason why it can't be you!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that Shimelle has been running on her blog. I really have. They are reasonably simple - which is good for a simple scrapper like me - but inspire me so much.

This is my take on challenge 6 which was a sort of scraplift challenge. It was about taking a page, keeping some elements the same but with a twist to change the style of the page. You could scraplift anything or anyone and so I chose to scraplift a scrapper I know quite well .... very well in fact.

I took one of my pages and scraplifted that - with a twist.

I chose a page I didn't like - how bizarre is that. It was a page made for my 2011 album and really isn't me at all. Way too bright and busy.

But I liked the basic design. I liked the three pictures and the stitched edge and border and the central roundel.

So this is my take on changing it but keeping it the same if you see what I mean.

Hopefully you can see the inspiration. The three photos are there with the same placement, the border at the bottom is there, the stitched frame is there and the roundel too, but it comes over as simpler, cleaner, more streamlined and Oh my goodness, much less 'in your face!'

 

And this is another challenge page which was to use those less than perfect photos. Shimelle used the example of those faded orangey coloured pictures. Mine were not even in colour let alone fading colours. They are very small very scratched little pictures of me and some friends at a 4th birthday party. Poor quality pictures great quality memories.

 

I used one of Dawn Inskips templates plus Lindsay Jane Designs Outdoor Play elements which are a Picklebarrel special until the end of today at just $1.

My photo of the day today is of my little boy monster who loves to sit on top of the kitchen cupboards - mind you he was so full of chicken I have no idea how he hauled himself up there!

 

Today I am thankful for

• interesting days
• Nigel going hunting and finding my favourite yoghurt. I have to recommend it to you  because it is delicious. Muller Light Greek Style coconut yoghurt. Yum

And this is my one minute devotional page today

“This is the captain speaking. There’s a lot of weather around the Denver airport, so you might want to buckle up early as we try to land.”

Whoa! What was that? Try to land? I dutifully fastened my seatbelt and attempted another article in the in-flight magazine, but no chance. We were beginning the roughest reentry since Orville at Kitty Hawk, bouncing around like a Chihuahua on caffeine. Finally, the runway came into sight. We were still all a-jolt, but at least we were on the ground.

Wrong! The pilot aborted the landing at the last second, and we went screaming skyward. After a few minutes of top-notch roller-coaster action, the pilot informed us that we were going to Colorado Springs. Some people applauded. No one complained about the abrupt delay; phone calls were made, plans changed, meetings rescheduled. Once we were on terra firma, I was tempted to kiss the ground.

I cannot tell you how many times my life has met with rough weather and bumpy rides, and usually without the warning to buckle up. Birth, death, joy, sorrow—they pop up like a sudden thunderstorm. Sometimes you land. Sometimes you try to land, then take off again. Sometimes you end up in a completely different place, and there’s nothing to do but call on the Almighty and ride it out.

Finally I have to share this awful story from our local paper. I KNEW I was right to be afraid of spiders.

Ok so the article does say this was an unusual extreme reaction, but still. Read at your peril

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9652335.Woman_nearly_loses_hand_after_bite_from_false_widow_spider/

A lesson to be learnt

As a teacher I know for a fact that we learn something new everyday. As a scrapper, and a veteran of LSNED class each September I know we learn something new everyday but that some days we have to look hard to un-earth that lesson. There are some days, though, when a lesson makes itself very obvious, and not always in a good way.

Today started off with that lesson as I attended the funeral of a work colleague who passed too young, too suddenly and too unexpectedly. Yes there was the obvious lesson that life is short and we should make the most of each and every second of it. But there was also a much harsher lesson. So many people had turned up to show their respects; people I hadn't seen for a long time and we were all unified in our concern over the passing of someone we admired and valued. But what was the sad lesson was that we were all paying respects after they had passed. I for one had not spent time telling him when he was here how much his kindness meant, how he was always so helpful and thoughtful. I was doing it when he wasn't there to hear me. I was doing it too late. So a lesson learnt. I plan on trying to change and remembering to tell people how valued they are whilst they are here, not when they have gone. I don't want to feel like I did today - that there were things I could have and should have said and just didn't. Not because I didn't care, not because I didn't have time, not because I didn't think it was important ... just because I didn't. For whatever reason. Lesson learnt ... I hope.

I have a photo of the boy monster today, who loves having his 'mom' home for the holidays to the extent that I am not left alone at all. That includes going to the loo. I have explained to him that nothing exciting goes on in any of the bathrooms, that the visits are brief and that I come back but no, not good enough. He runs ahead and beats you to the door and then just wants to stay. Bless him. It just means absolutely no privacy! And so it is a cheat photo of the day because I just didn't take one.

 

I do have new scrapping to share today though. I so often post how I love Dawn's work and how lucky I feel to be a part of her CT. Her work is unique and I think that is, in part, because of how she creates. Hew digital designs are created in real life more often than not, using pens and paints and watercolours and sewing and fabric. It is what makes her work so special.

I have dozens and dozens of kits of hers and I love them, but every so often one comes out which just moves me and becomes an instant favourite and such is today's collection. It is called Yesterday and it is amazing and you can buy it HERE .

 

As with all of her collections it is stuffed full, but it has such gorgeous colours, such wonderful elements and is just beautiful.

This is one of the pages I made with it.

The photo is of Nigel's gran and her beloved Teddy that she had when she was little. There is quite a story behind teddy and she cherished him all of her life. When Gran passed away we became custodians of Teddy and he sits in pride of place in our spare room. He isn't ours - he belongs to the family, but he graces our home at the moment. One day he will pass to our niece and nephew to care for as a treasured family heirloom.  He is extremely valuable but his value lies in far more than the money - it lies in tradition and heritage and family.

Now, to answer a question raised by Barb - I am afraid I will not be watching the Olympics at all. Well, I may catch a glimpse on TV. But other than that, I have no interest in them what so ever. I am not thrilled we are hosting them. I am not excitied that some events are local to us in weymouth. I am sorry, it just doesn't interest me at all. Now the Junilee - that is a different matter. I love our Royal Family - a trait I inherited from my Mom and we will be celebrating the Jubilee in fine style.

I have just done our street party invites. We organised a street party for the Royal wedding and everyone was so thrilled so we will be repeating it again this year. People have already been asking us if we are doing it again. In reality we didn't actually 'do' anything. It was a bring your own affair, we simply suggested it. Oh and rigged up all the bunting and flags and outdoor PA system LOL. However, the people in our road seem to feel we organised it and hope we organise another, so we are.

This is the invite (courtesy of yet more Dawn Inskip designs) which we are posting through doors. It is a small road with only 32 houses but that is enough. (It looks a little lopsided as I have obviously removed the names of the roads etc)

 

Today I am thankful for

• a bit of a wake up call that I hope I can learn from
• no pain relief at all - first day!!!!

My calendar page today is this

“I’d been picking the wild grapes from those vines along the veranda, but before I made jelly from them I thought I’d stretch out on the sofa for a short nap,” my elderly mother explained as she recalled the details of that day on the phone. I could just see her on the old maroon sofa, slippers kicked off, glasses folded on the paper stand, purple grape juice staining her bib apron.

“I don’t know how long I slept,” she went on, “but when I really woke up, I was already halfway across the street on my way to Helen’s house.” Helen was another senior who lived kitty-corner to Mom in the little village. Helen had lived alone since her husband was hospitalized. “I felt so foolish,” Mom continued. “I was wearing my slippers and apron, and I didn’t even have my glasses on. I thought for a minute I should go back home and change, but something told me I was needed.”

Helen invited her in. Just as they were about to enjoy a cup of tea together, Helen’s phone rang. “Hello? Yes, this is Helen speaking. No, I’m not alone. A neighbor just dropped by unexpectedly.”

As Mom watched, Helen suddenly sat down, her face ashen. Replacing the receiver with trembling hands, she looked at Mom with tear-filled eyes. “That was the hospital calling. My husband just passed away.”

Suddenly Mom knew why she had come and Who had urged her on.

Lord, help me to follow through faithfully on Your nudges.

—ALMA BARKMAN

 

April Fool's Day

If you have arrived here to take part in the It's A Creative World Blog Hop don't worry - you are in the right place. The blog hop continues here, but as I blog every day you need to just scroll down to yesterday's post.

If you look at Yesterday's post you will find not only my Spring creations and ideas but also details of how you can win a free voucher for Pickleberrypop. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is comment in yesterday's post and I will pick one winner at random on Monday. So, nothing to loose, scroll down and comment on yesterday and, if you have time, join me for today's post as well.

Today looked glorious, and so we packed a picnic and headed out to do one of our favourite walks over Hengistbury Head to Mudeford and back. Well that was the plan. Trouble is we were both fooled by the best April Fool of them all - the weather. We got out of the car at Hengistbury Head and it was cold. Not chilly .... cold. Way too cold to go for a long walk by the ocean in what we were wearing. Way too cold for a picnic on the beach. What April Fools we were. .. dressed so inappropriately.

Back int he car and plan B. We stopped off at Stewarts Garden Centre and bought supplies for our many many visitors to our bird feeders and they we headed to Wooton Bridge in the New Forest. It had warmed a little by then and we sat and enjoyed our picnic amongst other people doing the same thing.

My photo fo the day is of Nij, still looking chilly, and there are a couple of other pictures thrown in for good measure.

 
The water is crystal clear there but what I would like to know is how the toddlers playing int he streams in just underwear and wellies were surviving. They were paddling way deeper than their wellies and taking great pleasure in emptying the water out of them and that water must have been icy cold. Oh my. It made us shiver to even contemplate it.

I didn't get to post a picture of the day yesterday as it was blog hop day so here are my new comfy walking shoes for summer and sooooo expensive (£6!!!!)

Now before I share some new scrapping I have to share the best April Fool I have seen today. It landed in my in box this morning and I am sure others had it too.

Don't you just love it!

Anyway - new scrapping to share today is a page I made yesterday for the weekly  challenge on UKS. It was to use a list, scraplift a page you liked and also use numbers. I made this for my '10' album about 10 National Trust properties I love. We get so much pleasure from our National Trust membership.

 

I scraplifted a page by Karen that I loved and she used flowers and leaves punched from pages of an old book. I couldn't bear to cut a book up so I stamped papers with text stamps and worked with that.

 

The three properties showcased at Stourhead, Stowe Gardens and Lyme Park - our top 3 properties.

Today I am thankful for

• sunshine and picnics ... but maybe not for warmth
• ice cream
• a tidy desk (you had to see it an hour ago to really appreciate that one!)

My one minute devotional calendar page today is

 MYSTERIOUS WAYS
I really don’t like the color purple. My husband, David, found this out one Valentine’s Day when he brought home a bouquet of purple flowers that didn’t elicit much enthusiasm. It became an inside joke among my family and closest friends.

My love of flowers, though, goes back to visits with my grandma at her farmhouse, and the phlox and iris that grew in her garden. On one visit there, the two of us sat in her kitchen eating homemade buns smothered in fresh butter and her own strawberry jam. We talked about what heaven must be like. “Whoever gets there first should send a sign,” we joked.

Grandma lived on the farm until she turned 92, when her health started failing. She ended up in an assisted-living home, had a fall there, and had to be taken to the hospital. The healing process was slow, and when David and I visited her in the ICU, she was foggy and disoriented. We talked about her garden and the farm, and I promised to bring her flowers as soon as she was out of the ICU. I even asked her what color she would like. “Purple,” she replied.

She never recovered. I was able to sit with her for a long time in the hospice room, holding her hand, telling her I loved her, even reminding her of our pact—that sign that now it would be up to God to send. But the day of her wake, I was overcome with grief. David took my hand and showed me the floral arrangements that had been sent. Among the ferns and azaleas, a basket of purple flowers caught my eye.

I looked at the card. It was from our friends Sue and Paul, and it made me smile, because they knew just what I thought of purple flowers. Later, I found Sue in the crowd of mourners. She gave me a big hug. “Thanks for the purple flowers,” I whispered.

She looked at me quizzically. “What purple flowers?” she exclaimed. “I ordered red and white ones.”

Father, help me to see signs of You all around me.

 

More YUMMY templates and GOOD NEWS at last

Today has been a fabulous day - not the day we expected by any means, but a fab day for many many reasons.

Let's start with last night first.

Nij came home from speedway with a huge - and I mean huge - basket of fruit as a thank you from someone he had helped.

It was packed with oranges, satsumas, apples, (several varieties) pears, bananas, grapes (red and black) kiwi fruit, damsons, passion fruit, figs, strawberries, melon, papaya, mango, kumquats  and star fruit. Awesome. I had to pack some up for our ever lovely neighbours as there was no way we could begin to eat it all.

So I am replacing it as the photo of the day.

 

Anyway, Nij said they were queing for petrol when he came home at 10.30 p.m. so he went back out to fill up my car (the only car we have at the moment) as we were planning to go to London today to the Ideal Home Exhibition. We had planned to go Monday but then the tooth from hell struck so Thursday was the new plan. He came home half an hour later to say the queues were silly and one garage was already out of unleaded. We decided it was irresponsible to go to London as we may not get fuel to get allt he way home or it would leave us low. I was gutted as I had really been looking forward to it for over a month but heck - such is life. (He actually got up at 5.00 a.m. to try and get fuel but they were all closed and out of unleaded)

We decided instead to go to Gunwharf Quays. Well the best news ever was that I took morphine int he night but .... no morphine at all today and the pain is kept down just with ibuprofen so we have turned a corner. It appears the infection is now under control and I may live through it after all!!!! A day for real celebrations.
We celebrated with a bit of a shopping splurge as we both got some new summer goodies and we also had the first frapp in a week (yey!) and even ate out (slowly and very carefully)

We did have a bit of a glitch when the garage phoned and said when they were replacing the small component it sort of sheared off and the end disappeared and they thing it went into the main cylunder in the engine.  This is the main Chrysler dealer and so it is all covered and even if it needs a new engine they will replace it but heck - why us eh! So his car is likely to be away for another week but they have now leant him a courtesy car which is a brand new jeep and actually quite cool.

I have new scrapping to share today - a brand new set of templates (actually several new sets of templates) by Dawn Inskip from her Scrapbookgraphics store.

Her templates are awesome - totally awesome - and I have had such fun with them. This page is another for our Paris album and is a picture from Sacre Coeur. It uses Creations Templates Volume 2 and  items from the following kits and collections Promise, Hallelujah, Peace, Pony Club, Enchanted Garden,  Kaleidoscope, Safari

Today I am thankful for

• pain free days
• summer sunshine
• a courtesy car
• fruit
• realtively normal eating

My one minute devotional calendar today is

It was a beautiful spring morning as I walked out to get the paper from the driveway. Mary, my next-door neighbor, was already working in her garden; flats of bright yellow marigolds lay nearby, ready to be planted.

A twinge of longing ran through me. Oh, how I wish I was planting flowers! I thought. But I had decided against it. My husband and I, newly married, were planning to buy a home. In the meantime, we were renting a small duplex that was landscaped with a few evergreen shrubs.

“Your flowers are beautiful!” I called out as I walked over to get a closer look.

“Thanks,” she said, as she picked up another flat of marigolds. “I bought these over at the high school. The horticulture students are selling them. You might want to pick some up. You can’t beat the price.”

“Thanks,” I said, “but we’ll be moving at some point, so it would really be a waste of time. But I’ve been planning the gardens I’ll have when we buy our own home—camellias, wisteria, lots of zinnias—so I can have fresh-cut flowers inside.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Mary said, as she dug a hole for the next flower. “It’s great to have plans for the future, but don’t forget about today. What a waste it would be to miss it.”

Mary was right. I was so busy planning tomorrow that I wasn’t fully living today. Later, while running errands, I stopped by the high school and bought a flat of marigolds. It was time for me—and a few spring flowers—to bloom where we were planted.

 

Keep me present, Lord, to appreciate and participate in Your daily gifts.

—MELODY BONNETTE

And this is what Val posted int he comments box yesterday

Last week I was in West London attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving through the terminal was a group of soldiers in their uniforms, As they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost everyone) Was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, It hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded Briton who still loves this country And supports our troops and their families. Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes Who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work, and enjoy our home without fear of reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women a young girl, Not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He knelt down and said 'hi,' the little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek. The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter’s name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Corporal and had been in Afghanistan for 5 months now. As the mum was explaining how much her daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mum was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it. After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a Kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'Your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.' The mum at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mum. I was standing no more than 6 feet away as this entire event unfolded. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of moment turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek. We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an Englishman. RED FRIDAYS Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Englishmen and women who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for Country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions. Many English people, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Britain supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every Briton who supports our men and women afar will wear something red. By word of mouth, press, TV, let's make Great Britain on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football team If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, It will not be long before Britain is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once 'silent' majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is...'We need your support and your prayers'..

Finally

Don't forget that there will be a blog hop on Saturday and Sunday and I will have a freebie to offer you. So make sure to visit so that you don't miss out.

 

 

Perfect

I have such a great photo of the day today - I really and truly do. Today is a once in every 4 years sort of day. I don't really want to have the past three weeks ever again in my lifetime let alone in 4 years time.

But today is a good good day and the photo of the day is great.

Not great because I am in it but because of what it says and what I can celebrate.

I finally finally got my results today. After not hearing and then ringing constantly and being told there was a hold up in histology etc etc and meeting with a rather unhelpful secretary I finally got them and they are all clear.

The dreaded result didn't happen and I can't begin to explain how I feel.

Thank you to my many many friends who read here daily who have sent so many message of support and encouragement whilst I was going through the tests and the wait.

And it really has changed me. The whole thing. I really am trying to savour each and every day. I really am trying to live rather than plan. And I really am truly grateful for this life. So many people have such truly awful things to deal with, such awful tragedies to face and I am very very lucky and extremely blessed. I have always tried to see the positives in life but I can tell you what, having a wake up call really does put things into perspective.

I have to go out to a meeting shortly but even that feels absolutely fine!

The page I am sharing today is another art journal page which, this time, was all about layers.

I was aiming for a look a poster on top of layers so I made the poster first then put it down on lots of layered things. Sort of worked, but not completely. I still feel I haven't got the hang of this art journal stuff.

 
Today I am thankful for

• the all clear!

My one minute inspirational page today is

The windshield wipers scraped aside the morning sleet. Miles of red glowing taillights lined Route 50 leading into Washington, D.C. This was part of my daily routine: Each day I woke up, inched through traffic, worked eight hours, sat in more traffic, walked my German shepherd, Kai, and went to bed. I was single and 22 years old. The year before, I’d dropped out of college. God, I prayed, isn’t there more to life than this?

I’d grown up in a small Minnesota town. But I had fled from the miles of cornfields by transferring to a college in the D.C. area. After a year in the city, I didn’t know what to do with my life or where to live.

That weekend, Kai and I walked along a leaf-littered trail. The breeze caressed my cheeks and the sun warmed my back. Kai bounded ahead and splashed into the creek. All he wanted was to be with me, playing outdoors. I ached for my life to be that simple. I sat on a boulder and Kai paddled over with a gift, a rock. I tossed it into the water. He dove after it, expecting adventure. Adventure—that’s what I need, I thought. So why am I living here?

My dream had always been to work outside, preferably on horseback. I thought of my brother Chuck, who lived in Montana. Peace overwhelmed me when I remembered horses grazing under ponderosa pines on Rocky Mountain slopes. It was almost as if God’s still, small voice was urging me to plunge into a new adventure.

That evening I phoned Chuck. “I’ll be moving to Montana April first,” I told him. “Can I crash on your floor until I get a job?”

Life is what we make of it.

Happy Valentine's Day

Ok so it is a day of total and utter commercialism. It is a day when flowers and chocolates rocket in price, when eating out becomes a nightmare as it is so busy and overly sentimentalised.

But I love it.

And it doesn't hurt to have a special day - now does it.

Nij and I exchanged cards as usual, but I had an extra special treat alongside breakfast.

Nij had bought some lush valentine cup cakes. Apart from the fact they were gorgeously yummy, it was just such a thoughtful gesture.

So they are my photo of the day.

There was only one thing to do after injesting that many calories - a nice long walk along the beach. It was much milder today and the sun was really restorative. All in all a lovely morning.

Follow it up with a bit of Loose Women over lunch and an afternoon scrapping and you have a pretty good Valentine's Day actually.

I finally managed the doodling art journal page. I had been putting it off as I wanted to keep it digital as the rest of the journal is but I also wanted to doodle by hand. I ended up doodling by hand and scanning the doodles in and then supplementing them with some of Dawn's amazing Zentangles. They are from her kit called Tinker which is amazing and on sale at her Scrapbookgraphics store.

It was even themed for today LOL.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a very thoughtful husband and little treats

 

This LOL cat made me giggle like mad. Just my sort of humour.

and my one minute devotional today is superb. I am loving this calendar and this is a great thought for today.

Some years ago, my daughter looked up with sad brown eyes. “I’m missing the Valentine’s party at school,” she pouted. “Chicken pox is no fun!”

I happened to be writing a note with a red magic marker, and on impulse, I picked up Mandy’s speckled hand and drew a heart around one of her pock marks. She smiled. I drew another heart. She giggled. For the rest of the day she admired her hearts. That night, after we had drawn pictures of snowmen with chicken pox and made up stories about animals with chicken pox, Mandy squeezed my neck tightly. “This was the best day ever,” she whispered. I kissed a smooth patch of skin on her hand—between two hearts.

Today, remembering that incident, I’m reminded of a wise friend who said problems are opportunities for growth and change. When I think how much I disliked the traveling job my husband had when we first married, I see I became much more independent and self-sufficient as a result. When our basement had to be gutted because of a flood, we liked the remodeled version much better.

It’s not that I want problems. But when they come, it seems I have two choices. I can be miserable and rail against them, or I can, in a sense, draw a heart around them and turn them into opportunities for growth and learning.

Who knows? I might even end up having one of my best days ever!

An apple a day

OK so the old adage says an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Well I am not prepared to do this EVERY day but we did invest in an Apple today that we hope will keep the doctor firmly at bay.

I have had a phone for quite a while that I have really really really not liked. I found it difficult to use (and yes I am sure that it was user error rather than the phone not being great). It was great for picking up work e mails but I couldn't collect my personal e mails on it. It was OK for texting but I couldn't answer it when it rang. Oh yes, I understood HOW to answer it, just could never actually get it to work. I never did manage my way round how to navigate the things properly and it never truly felt like mine.

So - today I resolved the problem.

I had been waiting for Jakki to get her iPhone so I could see what she thought about it  and have a play with it. She got it last week and loved it and I could make and receive calls from it so that seemed good enough for me.

So we went to Southampton tot he Apple store and bought me a new phone. I thinkt he chap who helped us was surprised as, considering we were two old people, we seemed to know what we wanted.

Anyway, I am now the proud owner of a shiny new iPhone 4S that has siri and speaks to me and is just so darned cute. I haven't yet managed to put all the things on it I want. I have spent a lot of the afternoon updating my i Touch and trying to figure out how to synch them as I can't seem to get ios 5 for the touch as it is too old so i Cloud won't work on both. But we will get there - eventually.

So my photo of the day is me outside the Apple store with new iPhone in hand.

 

I have a new page to share today made with a lush new kit and entriee collection by Dawn Inskip. It is called Kiss and is really cute and just right for this Valentines time of year too.

 

Today I am thankful for

• a new gadget and the confidence ... almost ... to use it!
• a friend to pave the way.

My one minute devotion today is

I cried most of the seven-hour drive home from the long-term adolescent addiction treatment center where I’d dropped off my 15-year-old son, David. Leaving him was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do.

Back in town, I stopped at the grocery store. I wiped away my tears and put on my bravest face. I hope I don’t run into someone I know, I thought miserably.

The store was nearly deserted. I grabbed a few items and quickly headed for the checkout line. Then I heard someone call my name. “Kathy!” It was an acquaintance of mine who always seemed to have everything together. The last person I needed to see. “It’s nice to run into you,” she said. “How are you?”

“Fine,” I said, fighting back my tears. “It’s nice to see you, too. Sorry, but I’ve got to go.” I hurried to the checkout. She’s the perfect mom with perfect kids, I thought. I wish I had her life …

The next morning, I groggily poured my coffee, wondering how I would get through the day. The phone rang. I checked the caller ID. It was the woman I’d run into at the grocery store. She must have noticed something was wrong.

I took a deep breath and picked up the phone, trying to sound cheerful. “Hello?”

“Kathy,” she said, “I know where your son is.”

My heart sank. The town grapevine must be alive and well, I thought.

“I got a call from my son last night,” she said. “He met David yesterday. You see … he’s there, too.” She had been afraid no one else would understand what she was going through. Then she found out from her son why I’d looked so upset and she knew she wasn’t alone.

We talked for almost an hour that morning, and talked every step of the way, getting through our sons’ recovery together. All because on what was the hardest day of my life, I ran into just the person I needed to see.