A bit of a non-day

I am trying very hard to focus on the fact it is good that I have been ill at the weekend rather than during the week.

I am not terribly convincing.

Weekends are always such treasured times, a bit of a chance to relax, to re-group and, for me, to scrap.

Mmmmm

Not been a fab weekend on any of those scores.

My voice is hysterical and ranges from an almost silent whisper to a high pitched squak and I guess really I should try and avoid talking altogether, but it is so funny I keep 'trying it out!' Little things eh!

I am hoping by avoiding going to bed even though I ache I might be so exhausted that I sleep tonight instead of spending the entire night coughing. We live in hope.

I haven't downloaded my photo of the day yet, but I have a page to share which is from the cyber crop at ATDML.

There were some amazing classes but I have saved them for another day.

This was a sketch challenge and a chance to scrap another Harry Potter page. This time from the Great Hall. I know I have said it before, but the tour was amazing. The attention to detail everywhere was fabulous and the fact they were 'real' sets and not things created for a theme park made it so special. The Great Hall has to be one of the most stunning sets of all. It was incredible.

 

I had fun adding heads digitally before printing the photos.

Today I am thankful for

• Covonia - sort of works
• Fisherman's Friends - sort of works
• Frapuccinos - doesn't work at all but tastes so good

And finally the page a day calendar

It brought tears to my eyes - in a good way.

It talks of a loss those of us who love our furry friends know only too well.

 

Many springs ago, we added a new member to our family—a black Labrador puppy. My girls named her Abby. I just hope she won’t be too much trouble, I thought.

Little did I know. Shortly after we brought Abby home, the girls came running. “Mom!” they cried. “Abby was digging in your flower garden!” I hurried outside to find several holes in my neatly tended bed. Gone were the delicate pink bleeding hearts I’d spent so much time caring for.

Abby grew up and settled down a bit, and though a few shoes were chewed, I fell in love with her. She was always in the middle of a birthday celebration, enthusiastically wearing a party hat or a bow on her head. And she made a great pillow on the floor in the living room for family video night. Abby completed us.

Then I began noticing the gray hairs and how she no longer leapt at the balls we’d toss. I knew her health was failing, but I wasn’t prepared when a few months after her 15th birthday, Abby passed away.

I cried until I ran out of tears. Did pets go to heaven? I just wanted to know Abby was at peace.

Somehow, I dragged myself into work the next day. I was trying to keep my mind off my sorrow when I looked up to see a new coworker standing there.

“I heard about your dog, and I felt I needed to bring you these,” she said. “I know this is how your heart probably feels right now.” She handed me a small bouquet of flowers. I couldn’t help myself. I broke out into laughter.

My coworker was confused. “What is it?” she asked.

I stared at the bouquet in my hands. Pink bleeding hearts. My coworker had brought them for me, but I knew who they were really from.

Father, thank You for turning my tears to laughter.

—SUE TAYLOR

 

 

Comments

[Katherine]

What a beautiful story :)

I love your page and the photos are amazing, beautiful die cuts and lots of detail that I will have to come and look at it again as each time I look I notice something different :)

[Scrappyjen]

I agree, a moving story. But I do believe we get little messages like that all the time. We just need to be open to it. Hope you feel well soon. Too busy in a school at this time of year. My class have been gorgeous this year and it has been lovely to see them develop. Jenx

[Lizzie]

Hello Karen! Haven't been here for ages - also very busy, but I was determined to catch up with some blog friends today!

I've just read all the way back to June 15th! You've certainly been so busy. Sorry to hear you're not all that well - it does seem that illness strikes at these manic times in the term. Hope you are feeling much better by the morning - I would def. recommend some Echinacea supplements, plus a high-dose vit.c a day, for a couple of weeks - both really help to shift the bugs! (we take A.Vogel Echinaforce tablets, which are v. good). There are some nasty germs around this summer - perhaps because of the damp weather. Poor Nigel sounds as if he's really been hit by the lurgy - I hope he also feels much better very soon.

Loved all the scrap pages - some are very pretty - the Austria album is going to be gorgeous and I liked the two Paris pages too (must try that hotel ;-)

The cats made me smile / laugh and the Calendar days made me think - and one made me cry a bit (but that can be a good thing...). Thank you for sharing all these - I do like them.

Have a good week; hope you cope well and that you feel much better! X