{QE2's Space}

Life is a gift :)

I was sent this in an email the other day. I've posted it on Facebook but I wanted to post it on here too because I don't want to lose it.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more."

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2.. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch..

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck..

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow..

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business..

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

 A wise woman is Regina :)

Lots to share!!

This is a page out of my Art Journal. I'll have to create a photo album for it so I keep them altogether on here! I've got a thing for glitter at the moment.... and for all things vintage LOL (maybe that's because I've had a birthday though ;)) The first one is where I am right now... learning a lot of things that come naturally to most people but yet with programming I learnt to mistrust everyone. Slow process but I'll get there :) And... last one is the cover... very simple but I love it.

 

 

These LO's and journal pages were done for A2Z Scrapletts, and are the last things I did for them. I've resigned from my position on the DT and now looking for a new challenge!! So if you need a guest DT'er email me!!

Boot Camp!

 

There's a challenge going on Blue Bazaar at the moment... it's all about getting layouts done. Not worrying about perfection. It's a challenge I needed!!! Last night I managed to get three layouts completed and only stopped because I was waiting for the Mod Podge on the napkin to dry for the layout above. I took this photo a few years ago, Luise and I decided to go practice our photography at night. This was before I had my digi SLR though...now I just need valium to try and take photos at night LOL

 

An old photo of a 4yo Isaac. Love this cherryArt paper!

  

This is some wadding I got from BB that I alcohol inked. I've used the reverse side because I liked the white uninked bits of wadding showing through.

I've got more to share but I have to wait until they're posted on the A2Z blog ;)

Links to share

Love this...

and this...

and this because I love angels! 

Nest is (taken from their website) a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art or craft-based businesses.

And this.... I {love} stationery!!

Blog award

 


Thank you Peta!!! I have received this award!

"These blogs believe and invest in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their awards".


Here are my 8 bloggers:

1. Emily Falconbridge
2. Kathy Z
3. Loretta Grayson
4. www.dooce.com
5. Heidi Swapp
6. Trina McClune
7. Decor8
8. Rebecca Cameron

Today was just one of those days...

You know what I mean... those days when you get up on time and have everything planned and then something happens to put a spanner in the works! This morning Isaac wouldn't get out of bed, I called and called and when he finally came he was all croaky and looking all pale :( I think it was sinus because it seems to have cleared up with an anti-hystamine. So, I stayed home from work, medicated him and planned to scrapbook the day away! Sounds good doesn't it :D We had an early lunch and I felt a bit tired so decided to have a nap. Three (yes 3) hours later, I got up. I guess I was tired LOL I went and got the washing off the line and Isaac followed me out and fed the guinea pigs. Well, that was followed by a "MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!" Flower, one of our first guinea pigs had had her babies (again), four in total. One was dead though, probably due to the fact that poor Flower was trying to get away from the male guinea pigs who were climbing all over her. So we dashed off to the produce store to get another guinea pig cage so she could feed her new family in peace. The little one who died was her colouring, the rest are their dad's... Caramello.They're so tiny compared to the last two, but very cute!!

Post Secret...

nuff said really.... Post Secret...

Stuff to share...

                                    

I did this cute little door hanger for December 2008's Helmar newsletter. (click the Helmar link for more info and a fact sheet)

I did the layout below for A2Z... they have some of the cutest little journal blocks! I left this one plain but you can do anything to them. I've inked, stamped, alcohol inked and painted others.

 

This little house is going to document all the houses that Isaac has lived in. I'm yet to take picutres of the houses though!! Oops!! Loved this Sassafrass Lass paper too... *sigh* so many yummy products and so little time!!

I used three different chipboard products for this one, wings, drama masks and the rose. I made it for my niece on the left who is about to start high school this year (gasp) and does music. She'll have lots of photos to stick in it I'm sure!!

I was in Scrapbook Creations two months ago? Maybe? lol I can't remember the issue, but it's been so long since I have had anything published. During my 'growth' year of 2007 I stopped submitting altogether, but in the next few months I'll have another couple of things in print and hope to actually scrap more so I can submit!!

I'd also like to wish you all a very happy new year! Hopefully I'll be a better blogger this year ;)

Journeys

Yesterday I attended Create 08 workshop with Heidi Swapp (with lots of organising by Chanel - thank you!!!) Heidi was musing over the last time she was here and the time before that as well, and about how much change has happened in her life since then. After the busy workshop had ended Lisa and I caught up with Ngaire and Trina. Now this is going to sound a little conceited but please stay with me... (it won't in the end) Ngaire told me I was looking fabulous and didn't actually recognise me at first, a hell of a lot has changed in my life since I saw her last.

Late 2003 was the first time I met Heidi at Melbourne ISC. Then again in 2006 at the Gold Coast ISC. Just before the Gold Coast ISC, I had ended (or so I thought) a VERY unhealthy relationship. I seemed to have had nothing but unhealthy relationships and was very tired of the whole "love" thing. At the end of every relationship I do something wacky, some women get their hair cut off... me I don't now otherwise I'd be bald LOL The time before I had had my belly button pierced, so I decided now I wanted a tattoo. To cement my despair in love I had decided to get a black empty heart, not broken, just empty. It was to symbolise a reminder to myself to never fall in love again. Jaimie, Kass and myself all had a spare session after lunch on the Saturday and we planned to go get pierced and tattooed.

First class up on Saturday morning was Heidi. She has this aura about her. She was telling us all about thejourney she'd had with her product release. I got so much more out of that class than scrapbooking. So much so that I took the packaging with me to the tattoo place later that day and got her flower logo instead of the empty heart. Quite a few people thought it was an attention seeking stunt, stalking, etc etc but to me that flower represented a light bulb moment in my life, one that has continued to change and shape me since that day to bring me to where I am now.

The woman who wanted the black empty heart had no desire to live whatsoever. She was tired. Tired of life and everything in it. In contrast a flower represents the full cycle of life, and that's what I needed to remind myself, this too shall pass.

After ISC I got incredibly sick, had an operation, had a lot of time off work and let myself be coerced back into the bad relationship. I was in a very bad place. This was around the last time I saw Ngaire when I bought some scrappy stuff off her.

Since then a lot of people have come and gone in my life, none of which have been forgotten though. One in particular led me back to my roots, my spiritual being which I had tried to suppress for so long. I'd gone to so many different churches in the past in a hope to somehow fit in, but because I challenge everything, I just don't fit in. I started to meditate on a regular basis and found it so beneficial that I do it now because I know I *need* to, not that I have to or feel compelled to.

The first major change was moving house. I was living in the house that held a lot of negative memories of a failed marriage and failed relationships. I almost completely lost the plot when I had to leave there. I became so angry and held onto that anger for quite some time. After another year of being generally angry and unhappy in working through all my baggage I decided I was ready to let go of it. I did an Angel Card reading for myself and the card that came up was a card that means there is going to be major change in your work life and home life. When I was given notice that the house I was renting was being put up for sale I wasn't surprised at all. I wasn't happy about it but I saw it as another phase in my life. My healing phase of getting rid of the old had come to an end. I still kept getting that Angel Card when I did readings though, so when I was accidentally copied in on an email talking about my redundancy I wasn't shocked. So many things happened around this time that I refused to let get the better of me.

To back track a bit, when I was looking at rentals before I moved into the house I'm in now, I wasn't worried that I wouldn't find one. For the first time in such a long time I had faith. That's how I felt about my job prospects too. My boss (at the time) asked me to define my dream job and what I needed for it training wise. I now have my dream job :)

Emotionally I feel free for the first time in my life. I'm happier than I can ever remember myself being. And... I'm looking forward to the future instead of wishing it away.

So thanks Ngaire ;) for reminding me how far I've come in the last few years, and thanks Heidi for being the catalyst.

And he did.....

What a powerful song... imagine what the world would be like if we all took on this attitude that we can make a difference. {and we can ;)}