Dolly's Dreamings

It's A Creative World Blog Hop with freebies

 

So it is finally here - THE event of the Spring season. A very special It's A Creative World Blog Hop

You should have arrived from the amazing Sutty's blog (her work is awesome ... simply awesome)

In case you get lost, the full list of links is at the end of this post.

I am so proud to be a part of It's A Creative World. There are so many talented ladies who scrap, craft, sew, bake, crochet, ink, stamp, garden and just plain rock out crafts. And to celebrate Spring we have got together to do a very special blog hop where you can see so many different ideas that we hope will inspire you to be creative yourself.

And there are even some freebies along the way.

My little freebie is a $5 voucher for Pickleberrypop so you can snaffle up something for yourself to help you get creative for Spring. There are so many great Spring kits available and whether you are a digital scrapper or a paper scrapper you will see things you love. If you are a paper scrapper you could spend the voucher on things to print to add to your pages such as cool journalling blocks and word art or images to make cards.

 

So IT'S FREE  and it is money to SPEND. What have you got to loose? Just pop a comment in the box at the end of the post and a free $5 could be yours.

 

I will pick a winner by selecting a random comment on Monday morning. So ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is leave a comment below and you could have a little Spring bonus to spend.

 So now on to my offerings for the blog hop - a couple of spring pages and cards

 Firstly, I fell in love with this range from Prima called The Sun Kissed Collection. I think it shouted SPRING! I was lucky to get to go to a local farm at lambing time and, whilst we didn't see any lambs born that night, we did see lots of cute little lambs just a couple of hours old and the love their gentle mothers showed was such an inspiration.

 

I used lots of small flowers, adding beaded centres and also a cute chipboard butterfly stamped with brilliance shimmer inks and text to coordinate with the page.

 I don't know about you but no matter how many letters and alphas I have I never have the right colour to coordinate with my page. So for this page I inked some chipboard letters and then stamped them with text and then versamark ink before using clear embossing powder - several coats - so that they look like enamel.

and I also used some cute new dies I bought from Memory Box - some lovely swirls and a cute little picket fence die.

 

Never one to miss the chance to use up scraps I made a card with some of the leftovers.

 

I used one of the Prima Notecards as the background and added flowers and butterflies from the Hero Arts/Sizzix Framelits set - which is a joy to use.

and for those of you who are digi scrappers - or those of you who fancy a bit of hybrid and want to use your $5 voucher, here are some digital and hybrid ideas.

 

This card uses  

Day of Grace Full Kit by Trixie Scraps Designs available at Pickleberrypop

 

 and this page uses the same kit

and the spring freshness in Dawn Inskip's Enchanted Garden collection from Scrapbookgraphics is great for your spring pages.

and  this one using a lot of Dawn Inskip products from her on line store here

And finally this springlike page using a whole range of products from Pickleberrypop and was made using Fayettes template for this month's template challenge (You so have to check out their challenges -they rock!. Find them here )

So enjoy your Spring whatever you do and remember to comment below to have a chance at winning a $5 voucher to spend in the store.

 From here you are hopping off to MANDY's Blog 

I can guarentee you are going to love what she has in store for you! 

Happy crafting and, if you get lost, here is the list of all of the blogs from the hop

Start at IACW-

1-Laura-

3-Doda -

4-Gabrielle-

5-Eleanor

6-Erika-

7-Ifa-

8-Katherine-

9-Dolly-

10-Mandy-

11-Leanne-

12- Kerry-

13- Tracey-

Finish _IACW

And the sun just keeps on shining

The weather continues to be glorious and we finally feel we are on holiday. Nij had to work this morning and so I did a bit of scrapping and managed on only ibuprofen again - yey!

When he came home we made some inroads intot hat huge basket of fruit and the resulting fruit salad was delicious.

Then we popped out for a walk along the Quay and through Poole, which of course takes us past a Starbucks!

I love our home town and walking through the park, along baiter, along the Quay and then back through the High Street remains one of our favourite walks in our local area.

My photo of the day today is of our Jeep - Nigel's hire car. It is kind of cute and reminds us a little of the 4 wheel drive vehicle we had when we did the Death Valley tour. Nij also says it is training us for when we go away this year and are due to have a Ford Escape or similar.

 
 and although not the photo of the day a photo of two people who are not in pain or filled with worry - now there is a reason to celebrate and look happy.

I have a new page to share today which uses another of Dawn's fab tempates - you so have to try them out as they are awesome.

This one is a photo of Nij on the coastal walk at Lulworth and uses Dawns Natural History Museum, Primeval and Peace as well as her templates.

 
Today I am thankful that

• the pain is still scaled down so many notches
• I found the shoes I was searching for
• We bagged a bargain
• It now feels like a holiday

 

Remember - this weekend is a fab blog hop by all of us at It's A Creative World and a chance here on my blog to win a Pickleberrypop Prize.

 

and my one minute devotional page today is

When I was a child, I liked to watch my carpenter grandfather work with his tools. His hammer moved with sure, even taps that drove in nails straight and true.

Grandpa let me try my hand at carpentry, giving me a hammer, nails, and scraps of lumber. But my nails never slipped easily into the wood the way Grandpa’s seemed to do. My nails hesitated, bending under the misplaced blows of my inexpert hammering. Frustrated, I would wrench the bent nails out and try again. It was years before I could drive a nail straight.

Not long ago, my husband, Bob, and I had an argument that was mostly my fault. I knew I needed to apologize, but it took me several hours of deliberating before I could utter the simple words, “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” Bob said. “I know that was hard for you.”

It was hard. Hard like learning a new skill. Like learning to hammer, I realized. But maybe with a little practice, apologies would become easier, too. It was worth a try.

So I’ve been practicing, driving words of reconciliation carefully into arguments and disagreements. Now the words “I’m sorry” come more easily, slip more neatly into place, mending what my anger or careless words have broken.

God help me practice the skills of love in the lives of those around me.

—LISA ISENHOWER

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.

 

 

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

The ultimate treatment

It has been another glorious day here with not a cloud in the sky. The perfect day to sleep in the sunshine - and I did.

I want to thank the people who have been so kind e mailing messages of support and comments.  I was so positive yesterday but OK, so I guess I knew this would happen eventually. But it does have a happier ending.

The anaesthetic into the socket wore off and it was worse than ever and intolerable and to be honest after 5 days of it with no respite enough was enough. We called the out of hours surgery and were given an appointment and went down and saw a lovely doctor (but boy did I feel old ... when did I get old enough that doctors started to look impossibly young) and he prescribed morphine. So I now have the full gambit.

I am on oral morphine every 4 hours and it appears to be doing the trick.

I went to the dentist to have the tooth re-dressed again and - touch wood - have had a relatively pain free day. The morphine makes me very nauseous but small price to pay. I can't drive, but as we only have one car left anyway that isn't a problem.

We even went to Broadstone today (OK so it was to get a prescription but heck) and decided to sit at an outside cafe and have an ice-cream as it is one of the few things I can eat when along came Jakki and Alice. Just perfect.  And a decent photo of the day.

and this was yesterday's but I have to say it was a very disappointing read. I am a great believer that every author has one outstanding book in them (OK some some great authors have many ... but I think most only have one) and Jeffry Archer's was, for me, Kane and Abel. This was NOT one!

 

I have slept most of the rest of the day but have a page I made last week to share - another of the 365 pages. I was trying out a template idea but am not sure I like the graphic look for this project.

 
As you know I am now on the CT over at PBP and have some great advice for you.

Check out their forum and their challenges which offer fabulous inspiration. If you are stuck for something to scrap, the challenges will get you started and you can save money on products by doing them too. Just click the picture below and see what you fancy.

 

 

  and you can keep up to speed with new releases, news and great ideas by subscribing to their free newsletter. Now what can you possibly lose? It's free and fun and fabulous.

Today I am thankful for

• being pain free for most of the day
• sunshine and sundaes
• unexpected meetings

and finally my calendar page  

Dogs scare me. I’ve been a runner or walker for 27 years, and like many pedestrians who’ve been terrorized by man’s best friend, I’m wary of the beasts. There’s a street I like to walk on that’s near the beach, a pretty lane with lovely old houses and gorgeous gardens. It would be the perfect path except for one house with two large hounds. Across the porch entrance is a rickety barrier that looks as if it wouldn’t hold in a toddler. Fortunately for me, there are always people sitting on the porch when I pass, so when the dogs start to bark and growl, the people murmur some magic words and the monsters subside and glare at me with their tiny, bloodshot eyes.

Yesterday I walked early. As I approached the dogs’ house, I noticed that the keepers were absent. I was about to go back to the main road when I saw the mailman nearing the house. Yes! Letter carriers in our area are allowed to carry pepper spray to protect themselves from vicious pets. Not only were these beasts about to get a comeuppance, I would be a happy witness.

The mailman bounded fearlessly up the porch steps, and the dogs went crazy, charging the puny barrier. Then, to my astonishment, he started to talk to them. They stopped, cocked their barrel-sized heads, and lifted their ears. He spoke in a low, comforting voice, and after the dogs were completely calm he pulled two dog biscuits out of his bag.

They delicately took the treats from his fingers, and as they munched away he delivered the mail.

I walked by slowly, wondering how often I let fear cloud my perspective and how much more I could accomplish with a few kind words and a couple of treats.

Lord, help me not to let my fears rule my actions.

—MARCI ALBORGHETTI

 

Such a sunny day

The sun has shone and shone here

It is amazing weather for March. I can't remember ever having sat in the sun in the garden in March before.

I hope this bodes well for a terrific summer.

Nigel got news about his car today too - it is a four figure sum .... GULP! But it is fixable. I guess cars are now so technical that the electrics on them are the costly bits to sort out. At least it is holiday time so having just one car is not a problem.

We were on the dentists doorstep at 8 am this morninga nd she was wonderful. So kind and sympathetic and actually DID something. The packingw as removed (and Oh my did it ever smell - there is a deep deep infection down there) and then she cleaned it - which hurt a great deal) and then re-dressed it.

Itw as very sore afterwards but I had no real pain from 9 am until about 3.00pm when it came back very agressively. Very very aggressively. However, now I know that the pain is due to the infection I can bear it. I believe it will go, eventually. Meanwhile I am still doped up to the eyballs.

Picture of the day is taken but not uploaded yet and it will get added another day.

I have a new page to share which is a catch up on my weekly pages. I was so behind but have now mostly caught up. This is week 8 which seems an age ago now.

That visit to Netley Abbey seems a lifetime ago. Strange to think it was just over a month. And what a month.

Today I am thankful for

• the care and attention of the dentist
• a breif respite which I really appreciated

 

My one minute devotional is

 I commute about 35 miles each way to work. For years, it was the same every day. It got to the point where I could tell exactly where I was by the tree or house or turnoff I was passing at the time. I knew every inch of that road.

Maybe that’s why I was so startled one morning by a sign that had appeared overnight on the side of the landfill. PREPARE TO BE AMAZED, it said. Nothing else, just that, in white letters on a blue background. A couple of miles down the road, another sign. Then another and another—six identical signs in a stretch of about ten miles. PREPARE TO BE AMAZED.

All day long, I couldn’t get those mysterious signs out of my head. Their message had me noticing other things, too. Did the sun always reflect off that barn? Were the trunks of those trees always such a beautiful shade of brown? Did that colleague always have such a broad smile? Did I always get this excited about my work? When I drove home, the road signs were gone. But they’d already done their work.

Now I commute to work every day along a new highway. When everything starts looking the same, I put a sticky note on the dashboard: PREPARE TO BE AMAZED. On those days I see signs of God’s presence that I have either missed or simply not appreciated. And that, I think, is pretty amazing.

Give me eyes to see this day, God, Your work and presence in the people and places of my life, especially those I may have overlooked.

—JEFF JAPINGA

pills, pills and more pills

I have a full set of pills now ... I think.

Ended up at hospital today and have more to take and none of it is touching the pain and I am just too exhausted to fight it. No sleep for three nights and no respite from pain has just wiped me out.

If you have time or inclination, perhaps you would pray that when I turn up at my own dentist tomorrow as soon as she opens she finds that it is just an infected socket and not anything more serious; that no other teeth need drilling, removing, hurting and that this pain will go and will be treatable. I can bear the pain but not the fear and terror. So please, support would be most welcome.

The pills did make a memorable photo of the day though!

 

I did scrap today though - but this page took me most of the day when I wasn't crying! It is based on Shimelle's Now for something completely different - quite loosely based. It does have two pictures, does have stamping, does have butterflies and has some vague similarity but heck.

 

It was the right page to scrap today as it is the day when all of this really started. A nice walk through Durlston Country Park, a visit to the newly restored castle and a picnic. Lovely. Except that was when the offending tooth broke and it has been downhill from there really.

 

Today I am thankful for

• Doctors and nurses and pharmacists
• Sunday
• trials that come, though we might not know why, to teach us a lesson that we cannot always see

My one minute devotional is so very fitting and I will try - I really will

When I was a boy, we lived in the Ohio village of New Richmond, near Cincinnati. One year, the river overflowed, turning our town into a little Venice. We kids were thrilled! We sat on the front porch and watched motorboats and canoes putt-putting through our liquid streets. We launched our own toy boats and tracked them for as far as we could see.

When the waters finally receded, we drove around town “admiring” the damage—houses tilted on their foundations and cars buried in mud. We marveled at the big, whiskered catfish flopping in the gutters, and we chased ugly crawdads that were trying to find their way back to the river. We collected slugs in jars, slimy creatures as big as breadsticks. We knew little of the cost of the flood, we were so busy being excited with the adventure of it all.

Now, as a grown-up, I tend to see only the pain of adversity and miss the fun altogether. When a blizzard buried our campus under four feet of snow, I saw shoveling duties, messy streets, and being trapped indoors. My students, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to build the world’s biggest snowman and an igloo dorm room. They were happy to be free of classes for a while, and they enjoyed a long snowball war.

There’s nothing funny about adversity, but when times are tough, I still need to laugh and play—perhaps more than ever. From laughter comes perspective and the strength to recover.

Lord, help me to laugh, even when nothing seems funny.

—DANIEL SCHANTZ

 

 

 

 

Glorious weather

Let's be positive today.

The weather is glorious - I mean really glorious.

Last year we were amazed that we were sat out in the garden in April.

It's only 24th March and the sun loungers are out. How amazing is that!

We have had a busy day today.

Nigel's car has developed a potentially serious electrical fault and so has had to go to the Chrysler garage for what will no doubt be lengthy and expensive repairs. Electrical things always are. Still, we have my car to use and that doesn't;t have to have it's no doubt costly MOT until Wednesday next week. But it is still sunny.

We have been out to an emergency dentist. The pain has become intolerable and is spreading and the pain killers are no longer working. So we phoned and got the emergency number. We explained the symptoms and were told it sounded like a dry socket and needed antibiotics. We had to go tot he emergency dentist and, quite frankly, although we left with antibiotics, I think we were both amazed and disgusted and if I hadn't been in so much pain we may well have said so. We arrived and he then arrived. he let us in, went straight to a cupboard, got two packs of antibiotics, wrote my name on them and at that point hadn't even looked at me let alone examined me. He then sat me on a stool and looked in my mouth - no mirror, no light no nothing and said 'Oh good the wadding is still in' and that was it. For that we paid £90! I still can't quite believe the laissez fair attitude but if the antibiotics work I am happy. I cannot believe the pain and no pain killers are touching it now.

I can no longer fight it and just want to pass out or something - anything to get away from it. But at least the sun is shining.

I have done some digi scrapping, though my heart isn't really in it.

But this is a page made last week with the new kit by Dawn Inskip called Enchanted Garden and from her scrapbookgraphics store

The photos are from a visit to Furzey Gardens in the heart of the New Forest

The gardens are beautiful but perhaps even more beautiful are the lovely whimsical buildings dotted all around. Plus they have loads of fairy doors to find. We had a lovely day when we visited and one of the highlights was having a picnic and throwing crumbs for a tiny mouse who came to watch.

 

 Today I am thankful for

• the sunshine
• antibiotics (I hope I am thankful for them)
• having two cars so we have one that still works (at the moment)
• a very supportive and caring husband

My devotional calendar today is a good one. We never really know why the Lord does some of the things He does, but He always has a reason even if we don't see it. He always does and we just have to trust and also know, as my Mom always used to say, He only sends us what we can bear.

MYSTERIOUS WAYS
I was excited to interview for a position at a nearby cancer center as part of my graduate program in social work. But my academic adviser had other plans. She sent me to an interview at a major medical center downtown—an hour-and-a-half away! How would I have enough time for my family and classes with a commute that long? It seemed pointless to go.

“Just check it out,” she said. So I braved the traffic—which was worse than I expected—parked and waited in the lobby.

My mind wandered to the only time I’d ever been to that hospital. It was several years before, when my brother Woody’s fiancee, Stacey, underwent two kidney transplants. She’d been so strong. Through her surgeries and dialysis, Woody stayed by her side.

Two years after her last transplant, Woody died unexpectedly. We were all heartbroken, and I hardly ever saw Stacey after that.

“Meg,” I heard someone say. I thought maybe it was the receptionist calling me for my interview, and I looked up.

It was Stacey!

I flung my arms around her. “It’s so good to see you,” I said.

Stacey explained she was there for a checkup—doctors feared her body was rejecting her kidney. I could tell she was hurting but she was as brave as I’d remembered. We embraced once more before I left. Stacey smiled broadly. “It’s amazing to see you,” she said. “Good luck on your interview.”

The position turned out not to be what I was looking for. But back home, I got an e-mail from Stacey.

“I want you to know that I think about Woody every day,” she said. “And when I came to the hospital today, it really hit me that he wouldn’t be by my side. I think Woody knew that, too. That’s why he sent me his little sister.”

Help me learn, Father, that You sometimes have good reason to send us where we don’t want to go.

—MEG MADVIG

 and finally - don't forget this

 

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

A bad few days

I always try and find the positives to post about and even when things are not great I try and put a positive spin on them.

But do you know what. I am too tired and too much in pain and too depressed to do that today - so sorry, depressing post ahead.

I went in to have my wisdom tooth (the one that had broken) out yesterday. I was terrified. I am dental phobic, have TMJ so cannot open my mouth properly and had to wait to go to a clinic to have it removed under sedation. I was lucky to get a cancellation appointment for yesterday as the next available slot was 4th April.

I was terrified and it was every bit as bad as I dreaded but also not as bad as I dreaded. The wisdom tooth was huge and they did say they might not be able to get all of the curved deep root out as it was very close tot he nerve that could cause loss of sensation in my lips and tongue. Great. It was also next to a crown and there was a risk the crown would come off. It is a crown that has a filling through it. Awesome.

Thankfully the crown didn't come off, but there appears to be quite a lot of tooth left and I am not sure if that is right or not so I am off to see my own dentist to have it all checked out on Tuesday. It's a long wait untilt hen!

Last time I had sedation I didn't know a thing about it. This time I heard everything. There was no pain - then - but I didn't like it much. Since two o'clock yesterday I have been in pretty much agony. I live from one painkiller to the next and had an awful funny turn in the night. I managed - goodness knows how - to get to school last night for the final of our school play, but I was there in body only really. We broke up today which is just as well as I am in pain, exhausted, depressed and am much better being away from people and wallowing in my own misery to be honest.

To compound issues we have been without heat and hot water since Monday morning - perfect. And Nigel pranged his car Monday too. It's not been fab in our house this week.

However - I WILL find things to be thankful for.

I have a bit of catchup on photo of the day as I was doing advance posts this week.

 Yesterday's photo of the day - my new best friends. I live for the next time I can take them. Along witht he gauze pads I have come to hate!

Celebration cake after the play - I so wish I had been able to enjoy it.

 

I do have new scrapping to share though  -  Dawn has a brand new kit out at her Scrapbookgraphics store. It is called Enchanted Garden and is so lovely.

We have an enchanted garden here at home. Fairies live in our garden - honest - here is the photographic evidence. But faries are magic and so when you take photos of them they often look they are made of stone!!!! Seriously, I love my hidden fairies which were a gift from Nigel and I just know that if I let them they will weave their magic on us this Easter holiday and we will get back on an even keel.

 Today I am thankful for

• breaking up for Easter
• Not losing the crown
• Being able to cope with the pain - thus far
• Nigel being OK even though his car was bumped
• The heating going at a time when it is not so cold
• A successful play done and dusted

See - I knew I would find things to be thankful for if I tried.

And my one minute devotional is

“Don’t forget the Wedgwood,” Aunt Kate said shortly before her death. “It’s out in the storage room in a big wooden crate. You can just throw away those old dishes in the kitchen. I’ve been saving the good china for you.”

That was one hundred percent Aunt Kate. She paid careful attention to every game the Cincinnati Reds played, but she was also always thinking of me and worrying over what she might pass on to me and to our children, Brock and Keri. But the material things weren’t really important. I just wanted her to stay with us. I wanted to hear her stories and enjoy her unique approach to life.

But finally I knew it was time to let her go—because she told me so. She slipped away quietly, and then it was time to clean out her apartment. In her kitchen cabinets, I found only one plate and one cup and saucer. The bowl of the once-white cup was brown with coffee stains. It was chipped in two places, and the saucer had a tiny hairline crack that wrapped across its rim. As Aunt Kate had said, these dishes weren’t worth keeping. But before I realized what I was doing, I found myself carefully wrapping and packing that old cup and saucer.

Now when I need to feel close to Aunt Kate, I go to the china cabinet and pull out that old cup and saucer. Every crack speaks to me of unselfishness. Every chip reminds me of the joy that comes when you consider someone else’s pleasure more than you think of your own.

Aunt Kate left us many things, but the least valuable of all her possessions, a simple cup of kindness, is the greatest heirloom of all.

Father, how can I look past myself and give someone a cup of kindness today?

—PAM KIDD

	Thursday	March 2012