Where has this month gone

I have just realised that it is so very nearly the end of September, it has been a good month weather wise, most of the time pleasantly warm. Autumn is nearly upon us though and the leaves are turning fast. On the 20th I took a photo of the tree by the bus stop, it had just began to colour up. Today just 7 days later it is far more colourful


In town this lunchtime I decided it would save me cooking tonight if I had a proper meal instead of just a snack so I went into British Home Stores, ordered a burger which was cooked fresh so I had to wait, look at the number board they gave me isn't it cute?

I've been trying to get some kits together as I have a scrapping retreat coming up next month and I know that I won't be able to take all my stash just in case so if I am organised properly I should be able to work easily. The emphasis is on the SHOULD because no matter how restricted I am in my supplies I still seem to loose thing and not have what I really really need, still I can but try.
I do now have the scan photo of Grandson No.4 due next month, what's the betting he puts in an appearance while I am away?

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I didn't scrap at all yesterday as I was so very tired after the morning at the sale but I have done one this afternoon

I had upset someone by my reactions so had to try and put it right with them. It was a relief to receive their forgiveness.

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Today I am grateful for something that made me smile

the new autumn drinks in Costa

kit preparations under way and some photos printed.

 

Learn Something New Everyday

I really ought to get back to blogging everyday as again I have lots of pages to share.

SATURDAY was a rubbish day


SUNDAY was far better and Pamela managed to get onto the internet and to get the You Tube that Paul wanted for the beginning of the service. We had a good service and afterwards Neil picked me up for a good old family Sunday Roast


MONDAY was the start of a new venture at church, a group for young mums to be and those with babies up to one year of age. Ann had realised when her daughter's son was born that the support we all enjoyed for the health visitors and clinics was no longer available and mums were left to struggle through. We only had two at this first one but hopefully the word will get round and more will come in the weeks ahead.


TUESDAY is my craft club morning at the Library, we do have such a laugh, I didn't know what to take to do this week as I had finished the weekly challenge from UKScrappers, so I just took some pens and pencils and paper, I've been trying to do zentangles but mine always end up as doodles

I took a close up photo of this and played around with it on Paint Shop Pro, changing the background to black and then reducing it till I had it small enough to make a border for today's page.
I had been talking about the little owls I had seen on Pinterest and decided it was time to make one rather than just admiring them.

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I do have the weekly challenge page to share. One of the criteria was to scrap something different like what you do everyday so I did a page of my Friday this week. 

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We had a heavy mist Tuesday morning which made for some spectacular spiders webs apologies to those of you who don't like spiders

the next ones don't have spiders in residence

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Today I am grateful for getting the three pages done ie having a scrapping day

for being able to turn the rest of the vegetable soup I had lunch time into a tasty curry for tonight very enjoyable it was too

Learn Something New every day

Another catch up on my pages 16th - 20th



I said I wouldn't try any new crafts that were not going to fit on a scrapbook page, but I did lol


each month at the hairdressers I thumb through magazines and am inspired by what I find there, I take photos of pages, bring them home, download them onto my computer and that is where they languish, I never seem to act on the inspirations but today I rectified this and made the bicycle paper and also took the colour combo from this lovely painted chest.
 

The prompt for the 19th was changes and how we approach them, well I just had to use this photo and the journalling on the page says it all.


Prompt for the 20th 'what is your signature'? 'what makes others say "I saw this and though of you". As this had happened to me only the previous day I knew exactly what I was going to do. Shimelle suggested that we put ourselves in the picture today so I made sure I was wearing my favourite colour, purple, and I added lots of purple to my page
 

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Today I am grateful  

A lovely, lively service at church

for Sunday roast at Neil & Gemma's, it is so lovely to be in company for a meal and not to have to cook it myself

Learn Something New Every Day

I'm still on target for this challenge though I am two days behind, yesterday and today, but that is not too bad and hopefully I will be able to catch up soon.
here are my pages for 12th - 15th

I made the little envelope (birdy one) myself copying the idea from some I've seen for sale, why buy when you can make.
Journalling is on the tag inside the envelope and explains how tensions that have been affecting our church activities were not evident this Thursday.

on the 13th I actually made the envelopes and also index cards so this days page reflects this






what did I learn on Monday, mainly that it is wise to act upon a prompting from the Lord. I need to get some photos printed for Thursday and felt that I shouldn't leave it till Wednesday to do it (not able to get to ASDA today (Tuesday), and yes I found that their 1 hour service was out of action and that I had to use the 2 day one so I'll pick them up on Wednesday. Trouble is I didn't take a photo of the machine with the notice on it, wonder if the service will still be down tomorrow, if so I must remember to take a photo then.

Today at craft club the others were making rather pretty bracelets and although I didn't make one there I learnt how to do them and will have a go later.

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I do have some other pages to share, this one I did today at craft club and it is for the weekly challenge on UKScrappers. we had a sketch to work from, seasonal theme and instagram type photos.

My elderly cat Rudi enjoying the autumn sunshine

This one was also done from a sketch 

this is the journalling

Rufus enjoying his birthday present from me

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Today I am grateful for the laughter we enjoy at Craft Club

for being able to help Lisa with things that need sight

for catching up here

Learn Something New Every Day

I have been scrapping nearly every day to be able to keep up with the challenge, so I have several pages to share today
6th was to be grateful and when I saw the prompt I immediately thought of a chorus we sing in church quite often 'Give Thanks with a grateful Heart.


Saturday saw me taking a trip out to Hobby Craft, all I really needed was some glossy accent (3D glue) but they didn't have any in stock but somehow rather a lot of bits and pieces fell into my basket, including 6 sheets of double sided patterned paper, as if I needed any more.
Coming back on the bus I decided to get off 2 stops early so I could see what Aldi was like, never having been in there. Prices quite good but I didn't really need anything except cat food. Walking back into town I knew that I would be passing the Range and just maybe would get the glossy accent in there. To get to the paper craft aisles I wander through the picture section and again admire the new modern art form which I really like but it wouldn't fit in with anything else I have in the home.

Isn't that a superb quotation must try and remember that one.

On the Sunday the 8th I went over to my Son's new place to help with the unpacking/keeping Rufus amused etc. well as Rufus was amusing himself quite well I lent a hand, mind you the sight of a room full of packing cases is rather daunting, especially as we needed to clear it so that we could sit down to eat. Neil asked me to unpack the books and put them on the book case, but most of the shelves were not in place as the pins that hold them were still at the old address. Still never mind he said just pile them up so that is what I did and in no time at all I was able to get to the table to put that together and we gathered around it for a lovely meal cooked by a very pregnant Daughter-in-Law.


What lesson could I learn on Monday, I have known for a long while that I am a hoarder, but didn't like to admit that it had got completely out of hand, I could do with a society like the AA only for Hoarders not Alcoholics or better still a friend who would be prepared to help me get rid of my mountain of accumulated stash. All this came about because as I turned around I nearly tripped over tins of buttons. Now I have lots of buttons sorted into colours and all in Really Useful boxes

and as well as there there are smaller boxes with other sorted buttons in. The four big biscuit tins are jammed full of unsorted one which I never look through or very seldom do but I can't seem to bring myself to throw them away and as the boxes are quite heavy I would find them difficult to transport anywhere so that I could give them away.

btw the buttons on here all came out of one of the unsorted tins

Tuesday's prompt was about lists, do I make lists, not if I can help it except shopping lists, but I just had to do this as a list as it seemed rather a good way to tell the shenanigans of trying to transport 2 cats to the vets for their annual check up and booster.

just in case you can't read the list (font is a bit indistinct on here)
How to put 2 cats into one basket
1. Shut all means of escape
2. Open basket wide
3. Grab first cat
4. Pop in basket and shut it quickly
5. Search for second cat
6. Grab her
7. Open basket to put second cat in
8. First cat escapes
9. Shut second cat in basket
10. Repeat steps 5 & 6 with first cat
11. Open basket and shove first cat in on top of second cat before second cat can escape.
12. Take a breath
13. Transport basket with cats inside to the vets for their annual booster

I think my learning must be in future make two appointments

Wednesday I have set aside to scrap, I love having a day just to do some crafty stuff but often feel guilty if I do that during the week so my lesson has to be to stop feeling guilty and just enjoy.  I found this quotation on line  If you are not doing what you love, you are wasting your time. Billy Joel so using it but reversing it round to the positive I came up with Doing what you love is never a waste of time 
 

Today's lesson I will try and do a page of tomorrow but as yet I really don't know what I've learnt that can be translated into a layout. we will see.

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Today I am grateful for a good morning at the sale, 
the packing up going very smoothly (after last week's difficulties) 
for scrapping instead of snoozing this afternoon (much more enjoyable)
 

Learn Something New Every Day

I am so enjoying this scrapping, 6x6 pages are easy to fill though sometimes a bit restrictive, still I got a lot on the page for the 4th, we were exploring what we can learn about our home. As soon as I saw the prompt I thought ' Home is where the Heart is'. I love my bungalow I love where I live, but I live alone except for the cats and my heart is really centred on my family. Trouble is half my family live a 5 hour train journey away, 'oop norf ' the other half live down here in the 'souf ' so my heart is split, when I am with my Daughter and her family I wish I lived nearer so I could see more of them but if I did I would then miss my Son and family. Still I am so grateful to have two loving children and their partners plus 3 and 8/9th grandsons who all bring joy to my heart.



on Thursday morning at about 6.00 am I have been going to the church, so that I can pray in the peace of the sanctuary before we start getting everything out for the sale. It has been such a blessing to have that time and has helped the mornings work feel so much easier and I feel so much more alive for it. My lesson learnt was that time in prayer really is time well spent, and is even more essential with a busy morning ahead.



I have one more page to share and this one is for the weekly challenge, the criteria was to scrap and everyday event, to use 6x4 or 4x3 cards (Project Life) and add stars
My photo of the awesome sunset of Sunday evening may not seem and everyday event but as I am always taking photos of skies to me it is, though no two skies are ever alike they are always there.



Today I am grateful for
a leisurely start to the day
the page for the weekly challenge coming together after trying all week
the rain to freshen up the garden and the air
Sun shining and warm afternoon

(Trying to )Learn Something New Every day

Good morning friends, as my title says I'm trying, sometimes I just don't seem to do anything that can be classed as learning, sometime I feel 'wow I didn't know that' for instance I've been very frustrated with my phone camera it hasn't enough scope, it doesn't do what I want it to do. But I have discovered that it has a zoom, I have always thought it should have a zoom, but I couldn't find it, I've lost the manual so couldn't read up about it, a week or so ago I thought that the pictures I had taken were strange, looked as though they were zoomed it, but how because I hadn't done anything to make them so. NOW I'VE DISCOVERED THE BUTTON, the one on the side, the volume one when it is a phone is also the zoom one when it is a camera, clever eh! multifunctional buttons can be so confusing.
So my page for the 2nd is my attempt to take a photo of the zoom effect on my phone camera with my real camera (does that make sense? never mind I think you get the gist of it)


the tag with the 'oops' on pulls out to reveal more journalling


Yesterday's prompt for the lesson was along the lines of 'steps'. Well I was taking no steps at all yesterday I had a tummy bug and couldn't be too far from the loo. I did discover something but that will have to wait for another day as it didn't fit the prompt at all. Now how could I learn something from a day spent lounging around or sleeping that involved steps well a good start was to take a photo of my feet, that's something towards a page isn't it?

 (I rather like my feet they don't show weight gain as much as the rest of my body.)

 Lesson learnt, how to make the prompt fit the circumstances


Yesterday I was grateful for
 having a bungalow where the loo is on the same floor
not feeling ill with this bug
finding a way to do my page for the day

Sunday Special

Today has been a good day.
Church this morning and, as we have been doing all through the holiday period, the children have been joining the worship team, this morning the seemed to have excelled themselves and sounded really beautiful.
Home for dinner, and I did myself a lovely roast, pork cutlet with a crust of sage, onion and apple stuffing, roast potatoes and lots of vegetables, I had made myself a desert an apple parcel made with ready made puff pastry, first time ever I've used it. I was too full to contemplate eating it then but had it later, it was delicious, so light and crumbly I could never have made it so well if I had tried.

• Take one sheet of puff pastry and divide it into 6 squares (I used two to make 2 parcels)
• put a generous helping of stewed apple in the centre of each pastry square
• fold over the corner and seal
• brush with beaten egg
• sprinkle with sugar
• cook at 200 for 15 mins

how simple is that and so quick to do

this became my LSN lesson for today 

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Coming home from church this evening I saw the most amazing sky, I didn't have my camera with me and my phone camera just isn't good enough to do it justice, so I rushed and grabbed my camera and dashed back to where the view was best.

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Today I am grateful for the gift of simple pleasure

of eyes to see God's beauty in nature

of ears to hear what he is saying

for a heart open to Him.