April 2008

I have just been reading a very interesting post, I found it through ‘The Happiness Project’ which I subscribe to. It was on following your dreams and doing what you are passionate about, the article was called  ‘Follow your passion? The blogger Roundup’

The message in the end is that you are more likely to be a lot happier and contented doing something that you are passionate about but it doesn’t necessarily led to financial wealth. I have been passionate all my life about art and craft. While I was at school and college I painted, as a young married woman sewing (clothes) and embroidery, I then discovered patchwork and at the same time kept doing embroidery. In recent years I discovered scrapbooking but the amount of supplies and the cost use to worry me;  my son one day in an off-hand comment solved the problem by saying “Why don’t you try digital scrapping, Mum?” That opened a whole new world to me, I found that from day one that I loved it, I could design extra things to go with the photos, that I was inspired by the many layouts that were shared on the web and that a whole wonderful on-line community  was there. For a few years I designed but found I was spending far to long on the computer and away from by family. So I stopped designing but I still scrap and I have also gone back to painting, sewing and embroidery. I find that I am contented when I am doing those things, that the world is a lot happier place. Where is this going, today I started a painting course at the Institute of Art…….a beginner course in acrylics.

My oldest daughter is 32 today, she has developed into a remarkable young woman, a partner and a mother. Happy birthday my beautiful one.

It was Jess’ formal on Saturday, months of preparation and searching had gone into this event. Many an hour had gone into looking for the prefect dress, the prefect shoes and the prefect jewelry. When Pen was home she helped a lot in sharing of the searching and shopping. But in the end it was well worth it, Jess looked just beautiful and her joy was reward within its self.

Well that holiday went really quickly and I’m back at work this week. We spent a few days in Canberra, mostly catching up with Sarah, Arthi and Riya; although we did seem to do a lot of shopping as well, as Jessie was looking for  shoes for her formal this Saturday night. Sarah and Co. are moving to Cambodia not Vanuatu as originally planned. At the moment they are doing an intensive language course  and I feel that it most likely be another six weeks before they go. Life is a little unsettled for them as they are living in a serviced apartment but it is amazing how much they have made it feel like home. They have put Riya’s wonderful art works up on the wall and the kitchen is full of appliances and ingredients. We had a carbon copy of the apartment four floors above them and ours really felt like a rented apartment…….lovely but cold.

It was so good to be back in Canberra, there have been so many changes in the city, extension of the shopping centre, which is just lovely and lots of other new buildings. Autumn is really on the way and it was  beautiful to wake up on the Tuesday morning to two hot air balloons floating over the city. The weather was starting to get cold and most days you needed long sleeves.

I have a problem with time. I really hate waiting like this lady, so I often cut my time too short and as a result I am often late.

I found time to scrap today. I have not scrapped for ages, so it was good fun. I left my scrapping supplies at home, so I got some lovely papers and supplies from ‘Little Dreamer’. I really love the colours that Julia Makotinsky uses and her drawings of flowers are just lovely.

This is such a funny photo, Molly still thinks that she is a small dog but these days it is very difficult for her to fit on your knee, plus she is getting very heavy.

The topic for this week for IF is ’save’. We have a funny tradition in our house,  no-one likes to take the last piece or slice of anything. They will cut it in half each time and it  gets smaller and smaller until some brave soul takes the last bit. So I have been on Flickr looking for inspiration.

1. Holiday Tea Party, 2. mini chocolate cupcakes 1, 3. Chocolate Fudge Cake, 4. Un momento, mais nada, 5. pre-birthday cake, 6. Waiting for Jnr™: 9 days, 7. Sunlit Teapot, 8. A slice of heaven!, 9. Green Tea and Chocolate tarte

photo credit: Pixi Toxicination

The school holidays start tomorrow. Hooray! I started at a new school this year and the first term has being hard ……..learning the new job has been difficult; trying to work out what different classes need and what  pre-existing skills  they have. Trying to fit in with each of the classes’  units of work  and to make what I do with the children in the library relevant and interesting. I have 14 classes over three days and although we have some grades with three classes that are doing the same unit of work and theme, how each teacher approaches is totally different. I am hoping that next term will be easier, as I have been able to sit in on two grades planning meetings and that has helped me tremendously in knowing now where I can fit in. So even though I will be working over the holidays, designing my units of work, I will be able to do it at my own pace and in my own time.

 I wish to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to the beautiful people who left a comment on my last entry. Pen I think that I will take your advice very much to heart and do what you suggest…..so that I can draw and paint more. The theme for last week’s ‘Illustration Friday’ was ‘homage’ and although I really was not in the frame of mind to do it, I still checked out the entries and some people had such wonderful ideas. I really love this one (a bit how I feel at the moment) and this one.