Dolly's Dreamings

Happy New Year

I'd like to wish everyone a happy new year. I hope 2023 is kind to us all and that the good times outweigh the bad, the laughter outweighs the tears and that we are all able to find joy in every single day.

I have been keeping my blog for 15 years now and I used to post every day. I know I now only manage every two or three days (I really don't often have much to share or say) but for all of those 15 years I have ended my ramblings with gratitude. Because there really is something to be thankful for every single day - not least the fact you are there having that day, a pleasure denied to so many. Some days it is harder to find the things to be thankful for, some days there are any many things. But I promise they are always there.

I am looking forward to 2023. I have no idea what it will bring and what we will need to face over the year, but I know my faith will sustain me and I have great hopes. I have my results appointment on Wednesday where I will find out what my immediate future will be like. I will find out if they managed to get clear margins and if any of the cells had become invasive. I will find out if I have to have further surgery or can proceed straight to radiotherapy. It's funny isn't it? Two months ago I would have been horrified about the very thought of ever needing radiotherapy and now I am looking forward to that being the next step rather than still a way down the road. However, I know that whatever the surgeon says on Wednesday, we will deal with it. We have shed very few tears over this, we have both been quite stoic and brave, and I think that stands us in good stead.

 

I have a page to share that was completed a couple of days ago and is from the heart. It is my page for my Flair Hut design team using the flair the whole team are working with. I went with the theme of HOPE

 

 

The photo in the O is of a rainbow during a storm taken from our lounge window. The sky was dark and the autumn trees were like flames. It seemed to symbolise hope.

 

 

 

 

I wrote a poem for the flap which then lifts up for journalling

 

 

I haven't shared the last few pages of my Christmas journal which is now complete - and I have even done a video walk through on my You Tube channel.

 

 

 

 

Having done a December journal for 15 years it was the hardest I have done by far and I am amazed I finished it by the end of 2022.

 

I have started a new art project with my best friend too and we are painting a picture each day in a sketch book - we have a list we have made up to work from and some are challenging.

 

This is my cover page and Day 1 was holly and day 2 was a polar bear!  It's an A5 sketch book. I've decided to add text to each page too ... not sure that wasn't a mistake to be honest

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• my faith
• hope in the future
• Nigel who gives me courage daily
• art - it is real therapy

 

 

Post Christmas

Well it has been a while - my last post was Christmas Eve and I'd like to say I have been too busy to post - in fact we have been generally pretty chilled.

Christmas Day was a lovely quiet day. After church we donned PJ's opened presents, relaxed, ate, relaxed some more, ate some more and had a lovely day. I got to talk to my family and I had some amazing gifts.

Boxing Day was more of the same during the day. Nigel and I spoilt each other - why not - and I had so many amazing new painting supplies. I better find the time to paint really! One of my favourite gifts was a Pandora Breast Cancer Bead which Nigel said was my 'medal' and to be worn with pride. I was thrilled because it fits on my troll bead cross I wear every day and so is with me all the time - as if I needed a reminder - but if and when I beat this it really will be a medal.

Boxing Day evening we went to my best friend's and her hubby's for a lovely meal with their brothers and daughter and son in law - people we know and love being with. It was an evening of superb food, silly games and great fun and was a real highlight

The other days have passed very quietly with beach walks and chill out time. Today we went to Mottisfont but Oh My. We got there not long after 10 and there was massive queue to get in, the car parks were full and we wouldn't have been able to go into the house to see the Narnia exhibit until the afternoon. I have seen shorter queues at Disney! We bailed and had a lovely walk round Romsey instead and a nice lunch at Reeve.

Christmas morning

 

 

new art supplies

Romsey and the Abbey

 

 

 

 

 

 

My completed advent calendar

 

 

I painted a squirrel yesterday in a style so not suited to me - I really don't do loose but I wanted to give it a go. I'd rather do it more detailed, less bright and less 'free'

 

 

And I am nearly up to date on my journal - just today not done ... I have found scrapping this December really hard. I know I will be glad when I look back on it but it has been hard to do

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• family friends and food
• peaceful days
• good healing
• my truly wonderful husband
• my little fur boyz

 

 

 

 

A Kingston Lacy Christmas

We have struggled to feel Christmassy this year so going to Kingston lacy to see the different trees was just perfect.

The house is always beautiful and to see it all decorated was fabulous

 

The little selfie shepherd's hut on arrival

 

awful photo but I need to remember I looked poorly

The laundry tree

 

 

Beautiful wreaths on the door

Trees of peace in the entrance with paper doves made by local school children

 

 

 

 

The silent night tree

 

 

 

The spider tree

 

 

 

Gorgeous 3 kings centerpiece

 

The three kings tree

 

 

 

Beautiful faux candle trees

 

 

 

 

This was stunning and there were two identical trees in this gorgeous room

 

Home for sherry and treats

 

and it is even already scrapped for the journal

 

 

 

 

I am signing off for Christmas now - I hope that whatever you do, whoever you share the season with, you receive the blessings of our Lord and that he is at the heart of your Christmas.

Playing catch up

I seem to have spent much of my time tryng to play catch up with DT commitments. I hate letting people down and have had to request time off from some of my teams as I am just not scrapping well. I get easily tired and my mojo seems to have vanished. It is OK doing things for me that are 'half hearted' but not for other people.

We have had an interesting few days - some good some not so much. Let's just focus on the good.

We had a special day yesterday as it was the boyz Gotcha Day ... two years since we made that fraught drive up to Telford to collect our new family we had never met. And in two years they have brought us so much love and joy.

We bought them a new Christmas house which they fought over so we had to get the old one back out so they had one each. They had fun!

 

 

 

 

 

And look at those teeth - I don't think with Koda in charge the new house will last long.

 

Also yesterday - after yet another hospital visit - we had a wonderful time with my godson, his wife and their mom (one of my oldest and dearest friends) I cannot believe the little baby I helped deliver all those years ago is now 35! How is that possible! It was wonderful to see them and they brought a beautiful hamper with them. A very happy afternoon and just what we needed

 

Today I had my best friend over for coffee and chat and that was lovely. Without her and Nigel I would not have gotten through the last month.

 

I have caught up on my Christmas journal but I have to say it is NOT my best work by a long way. However, even though I didn't feel like scrapping it was worrying me that it wasn't done so it feels better now.

Day 21 - the photo is our new grand-nephew with the blanket I made for him (I blocked his face out - not mine to share)

 

Day 22 - Our godson and wife with Nigel and Gotcha Day

 

 

A visit to Wimborne Minster this afternoon for Day 23

Today I am thankful for

• the kindness and love of so many people who mean so much to me
• being ready for Christmas - we plan on really trying to enjoy it

 

More positive times

After a quite frankly dreadful december so far, I woke today feeling more positive. I've been positive before though and it has all come crashing down, so I am hoping that isn't the case today. I am in less pain, from all sorts of things, today, and we even went for a proper walk at the beach (though I was pooped afterwards)

We took my dressing off yesterday which was utterly terrifying I have to say. The surgeon does things differently apparently. She likes to use no external stitches at all, it is all external. So on the incision itself you have a steristrip and waterproof dressing.  We were told to remove it after 10 days. We were worried and it didn't come off easily but off it is and the scar, though much longer than I expected, is healing well. So, next stage is complete. 

I just have an iridotomy check and an ultra sound to deal with this week!!

Anyway, presents are wrapped, shopping is largely done, house will be blitzed tomorrow and then I can say we are Christmas ready - or as ready as we can be.

Plus I am up to date on my journal

 

 

 

 

 

 

I confess they are not the most exciting pages I have ever made - it has not been the most exciting month I have ever had. But it is a record of what has been happening.

 

Today I am thankful for

• positivity today
• less pain
• healing scares
• catch up
• the beach
• my wonderful husband and my incredible best friend.

 

Let's stick to scrapping

OK - this post is going to be pretty much about scrapping because life hasn't been fab to be honest. Every random illness that could have hit me has hit me, I feel lousy and so let's move on!

 

In happy news we became a great Aunt and Great Uncle yesterday. That sounds awfully grand and awfully old. Our neice delivered a little baby boy very quickly and very safely and we are thrilled for them.

I have been scrapping - slowly - and some bits were made pre-op too. So here we go

Journal day 14

 

 

Journal day 15

 

 

 

It was my DT slot at The Flair Hut Today and this was made for that and also used yesterday's sketch by Lisa at Scrap a Sketch (made before I was ill)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally - because I can  - some gorgeous pictures of our wonderful boys

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

friends to listen to me

Nigel - I couldn't do any of this hell without him

a new baby in the family and another on the way

 

 

Running before walking again

Oh dear. It seems I never learn and have been guilty of doing too much again!

Yesterday we decided to do something Christmassy. We went into Bournemouth to see the Christmas tree trail in the gardens and also to grab a bite to eat at Wagamama. It was blisteringly cold - too cold to be it - and I overdid the walking and felt ill when I got home, but it was lovely to have dinner out, which was delicious, and the lights were pretty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I haven't been very well the last few days - tired, an infection, and general unwellness and do today was very quiet - a really gentle walk along Mudeford and a browse round Stewarts before back to the doctors yet again. It's wearing a bit thin to be honest. I look dreadful - totally exhausted. Even Nigel agreed.

 

 

 

I have two new Christmas journal pages to share

Day 12

 

 

Day 13

 

Plus these two are design team pages for A Trip Down memory Lane using Cocoa Vanilla Merry and Bright

 

 

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• Nigel's unwavering support and patience
• Our GP surgery which truly is marvellous
• Faith - it is all that is keeping us going at the moment

 

 

Don't walk before you can run

So I am learning to respect recovery and rest - not an easy task for me to be honest.

Clearly this is going to take a little getting over and can't be achieved in a day - or three.

Yesterday was a bad day. I hadn't slept (I am really struggling with sleeping propped up on my back - everywhere aches) and I was in a lot of pain and so I just had to accept not doing anything much at all. Today I felt much better and so we ventured out, but i confess I was scared. Not known for my nimbleness, and able to trip on a shadow as my mother always said, the icy weather freaked me out. Nigel fell all the way down out front steps yesterday as they were icy and we were both terrified of what that would mean if I slept. pretty much a disaster as I am not nearly healed. Thankfully he wasn't hurt, though it was spectacular and captured on our new doorbell camera. Consequently, we were aware that as it is still below zero I couldn't risk anywhere icy so we did an indoor walk around the Range and Dunelm Mill. I know I must be poorly as Nigel agreed very readily to a new duvet set we didn't need but I just fancied. It wasn't a strenuous walk but I was pooped afterwards.

I did sit and scrap this morning though, catching up on some of my Christmas journal pages.

So here are some of those to share - for most of them I used Scrap Squad lifts

 

Day 7

 

 

Day 8 - never going to be a good one

 

 

 

Day 9

 

 

Day 10

 

The postbox picture is a little watercolour I did on Saturday

 

 

Day 11

Today I am thankful for

• slowly learning to take things easy
• Nigel - he really is an exceptional nurse

and these painted hands are incredible

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A round up of my classes

I can now share the classes I made for A Trip Down Memory Lane last month. Even after all of these years I still find doing these classes stressful, hoping people like them. I never pick what my class papers will be and so there is excitement when the parcel comes and I open the box to see what I am creating classes with.

Anyway, I digress enough. These are the three class pages from November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have also done today's journal page. After a rough tearful day yesterday today I am focussing on the fact I cannot do anything about my situation, I have to pass the burden over to God and let the doctors do their things. It's not easy but I am trying hard. And I'd like to thank all the people who read here who have taken time to message me - it means such a lot.

 

and I did a digital page too

 

Credits

Hello December Bundle by et designs

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• positivity - sometimes hard to find but it is there
• my bestie ringing to check on me every day
• Nigel's cold almost gone. I can't wait for a hug!

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone - bit belated but better late than never eh!

 

I hope that it is a good one for all of you. I am expecting ours to continue much as the past year and to be honest, in spite of Covid etc, we have still had a lovely time. So more of the same would be OK.

I am happy now all the decorations are down and the house had been spring cleaned. I like the decorations for the first few days then I itch to get rid of them. They always come down on 1st (not the outside ones - they wait till 12th night)

 

I am planning on focussing more on art than scrapping this year - well that was the plan but I appear to have done 4 pages just today!

 Before I share pages I have a video to share - I actually made a video of my Christmas Journal because I was proud of it. Apologies for the voice. I am still breathy and wheezy.

 

 

 

I finished my annual pages so that is good. I may not do annual pages again although Nigel does like to look at them and see the whole year on 12 pages.

They are not the most exciting pages as they are really just a summary. Lots of them have flaps etc too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 and then there are these

 

 

 

 

The last two pages of the journal

 

 

 

 

 

The final Scrap Squad sketch of the year

 

and today's fun

 

 

Today I am thankful for

• a nice walk
• scrap time
• a tidy house
• a clean minimal fireplace

 

The inbetweeners

We are truly in the in between zone. Those days between Christmas and New Year when you have no clue what day it is and nor do you care.

 

Our days have moved along nice and slowly with beach walks, new tyres (Nigel had a flat on Christmas Eve) neighbourhood meet ups, indulgent food, scrappy and art time and general loveliness.

 

I did my first ever picture with coloured pencils - I followed a tutorial and whilst it is only 5" square I am quite pleased with it for a first attempt. It is a very different medium.

 

I have also been making pages each day for the December journal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My beautiful Koda

 

 

I hope my readers are enjoying in between days too and just doing whatever the mood takes you for a while.

Today I am thankful for

• scrappy time
• chilling out