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OK so that title doesn't make sense but it will when you look at it.
Dawn Inskip is now at The Lily Pad and Wednesday is something old something new day.
This means she has two lovely collection on special offer at a bargain price for today only.
There is this one ... Loving Angels
and this one - Laughter is the best medicine
Today I am thankful that
I guess it is the nature of the beast that any retiree let's go of their post bit by bit. Well it is certainly true of teaching. I think there are possibly few jobs where there is such a long lead in. My resignation will have taken 6 1/2 months from when I handed in my notice so it is a long old process which is kind of surreal. And hard.
Today saw a day of preparations for a new year and so that was something I was not part of and yet was part of. Very odd and very strange. I have no regrets - my decision was totally the right one and it would be hard to hand over 'my school' whether I do it at 55 or at 65 or at 75.
Nigel gave me my retirement gift this week ... it was a gift we picked together and which he knew would be helpful for me to have as a reminder on my arm every day until the end of term. It is a bead for my troll bracelet but is actually a Pandora Bead and a Disney resort exclusive bead ... the Let it go bead. It is very pretty and - those of you who know me well know how meaningful Let it go is for me. It's what I am doing ... letting go bit by bit, tear by tear.
I have a video I want to share today as well. I meant to share it at the weekend but I forgot. It's my age you know!
I just thought it was so lovely and I hope you enjoy it
I have new scrapping to share today too.
It was made with a lovely collection called Blossoming Years by Eudora Designs
Today I am thankful for
Today was scheduled to be a bad day with rain but actually -a part from the rain storm that is looming now with skies jet black - it has been nice.
I even managed scrapping and we had a late lunch early dinner out.
Just a nice Sunday after a working Saturday.
I have a new page to share today made with a collection by JB Studios called Don't you cry
one of the things Nigel often says it is 'us against the world' so the collection was perfect to record the use of that phrase.
I love the newsprint lettering.
Today I am thankful for
No blogging for a couple of days. There hasn't been time!
Thursday saw out first ever whole school theatre trip and I was a little worried as I had organised it and wanted it to work well.
Despite the worries - it did.
We went to see Mary Poppins and it was amazing. Such great staging and so many 'magical' elements. The children loved it and so did the adults. The timing was a little off - being almost half an hour longer than we had been told, but heck. It was so worth it.
Shattered and not home until past 7 we were then back early for a wonderful trip to Weald and Downland Open Air Museum.
I have been to this venue no fewer than 12 times and it is not one of my favourite places to visit but I can honestly say yesterday was the very very best school trip I have ever had there. The weather was perfect, the company was perfect, the timing was perfect, the activities were perfect. It is my last ever school trip and I am so pleased it was one of the best. Tiring but wonderful.
So today - today I have been largely tired. But had lots of work to do so in spite of being tired I have cracked on and worked and tomorrow - tomorrow I can rest and relax. Hopefully.
There is a new release to shout about today though
Dawn has a new release out at The Lily Pad called Prehistoric
as soon as I saw the cute little dinosaurs I knew what I wanted to scrap.
There is a song - a totally stupid song - that Nigel and I love and has become a stock phrase in our house.
It's just daft ... but 'don't go little dinosaur' is often said in our house.
OK so now you have heard the inane song, the page will make a little more sense.
Today I am thankful for
OK
so I am British
and we talk about
...
...
...
the weather!
And it is hot and it is humid and I live in an uncivilised country where air con is not the norm and I am sick of the pollen.
I can't sit in the sun as
a) it is too hit
b) it makes my hayfever worse
c) oh yes ... I am at work and desk bound and
d) I am not allowed to get a tan anymore in case I get more melanomas
So please ... a little light relief ... just a little. Not to spoil it for everyone else but just a little dampner!
OK enough moaning ... a new page to share
Oh my that is bright isn't it! So right for a day like today.
This is a super kit called Summer Beach by Paty Greif
Today I am thankful for
This week is a crazy week so I apologise for the fact my blog is likely to be neither regular nor inspiring in any sense of the word.
In fact it is likely to be a bit flakey for the next 19 days. Yikes - 19 days left of a teaching career and so much to do. So please do bear with me.
I do have a page made at the end of half term though. It is a page made for the latest SLYMI challenge to use ribbons.
And I fully intended to use more of them than I did - but the page sort of took on a life of its own.
It's a very poor picture because the light was bad. I snapped it when the terrible twosome were asleep on our bed one Saturday morning and we were just tickled how they sleep the same. They always seem to do it - adopting the same position next to each other.
The gingham is ribbon and so is the little bit I used as a flag at the bottom
Today I am thankful for
The title of the blog post isn't how long today has seemed - though that would work. I do feel shattered after 1 day back. It has been a full on day with so much going on and I have another couple of hours left to work yet. So yes I am tired and yes today seems like forever, but actually it refers to the page I am sharing.
This is a page made for the weekly challenge on UKS last week when I had time to scrap.
I was also inspired by one of the classes over at ATDML with a pie chart.
It was a more complex page than I intended as I decided - no idea why - to cut the pie chart out of the black card on the silhouette and infill with different papers.
The challenge also needed to have a heart and a script word. In my sorting out I found the word Forever - a very old making memories rub on. I used to love those rub ons and have a serious amount of them. Note to self - use them up.
I wrote a suitable bible verse around the edge of the circle and also added faux stitching.
It was so special to be at the ceremony the night there had been atrocities in Brussels - it made it doubly moving. I was so touched by the fact this ceremony goes on every single day and - god willing - will go on forever as a tribute tot he fallen.
Today I am thankful for
It has been a glorious day today - really hot and sunny - though quite a bit of sea fret ont he coast - so we went abroad.
It must have been abroad as we came back across the sea.
OK so we went to the Purbecks and came back on the ferry but it had a feel of being abroad.
We headed off through gorgeous countryside with no where special in mind and ended up at Swanage.
This was our picnic spot - pretty nice eh!
It was whilst we were there I realised I did not have my purse. I was a little stressed by that but figured it must be at home.
We enjoyed a lovely walk in the sunshine
and this mural was pretty cool
and I even stood ont he same spot I was on in December when Nigel was quite poorly - just because I could
Bit of a difference in temperature eh
When we got home after a lovely drive and trip over the ferry my purse was NIT at home. Yes it had all my bank cards and credits cards in! We searched everywhere and then decided that the last place I knew I had it for certain was the restaurant Friday night. Thankfully it was there in their safe - now collected and safe at home.
This isn't strictly new scrapping to share today - but Dawn has this collection called Artistry available at her new store at The Lily pad so do go check it out
I made these two pages with it
Today I am thankful for
And I end with this thought -
this is the last time I am ever 'going back to school after a holiday'
That is an amazing thing to say after 29 years in my current post and 34 years teaching.
Please - surely - someone must have seen Saturday.
I know it was due.
I know it comes between Friday and Sunday but I think someone pinched it ... it's just gone so fast
We did have a lovely dinner out last night at Vesuvio. It is still one of our favourite restaurants and where we always go when family and friends are visiting. The views are lovely as it is right on the beach, the pizza is divine and I may have even had a glass or two of wine - really unusual for me.
It is also special for me as I literally grew up on the site where Vesuvio is now. Our beech hut was on the exact site and I was there every day every summer throughout my teenage years.
I did make a new signature for PBP today in response to a challenge
I have a new page to share today made for a challenge on UKS. I really really wanted to make it yesterday in paper but I hit endless issues, the major one was Font Expert not working. However, I cannot speak highly enough about Proxima Software who sorted me out. There service was superb and I am good to go now.
However, I had to do the challenge digitally but it turned out OK.
It is a tribute to Rick Riordan books that I really enjoy. Of course I PRETEND I am reading them to check they are OK for the school library. Truth is I enjoy them as do the girls.
Today I am thankful for
Hate hate hate my computer.
It magically updated itself a few weeks ago to Windows 10. It did it overnight and I swear I never told it to.
Hate hate hate Windows 10 but am battling through but today I found two more programs that don't work with it and one is my beloved font program. When you bear in mind I have over 1000 fonts I unistall and install regularly this is a major blip. Am trying to fix it but it is so very tedious.
Anyway - enough moaning - now some celebrating.
Dawn's store opened today at The Lily pad. You can find it here.
And she has a new collection released today called Deep Blue Sea
and this is what I made with it
do pop over and help her celebrate her new venture.
Today I am thankful for
