Let's Get Shabby - June Challenge

Third Birthday Challenge #31 - This is the New Year.

New Years Day; my youngest son, his wife and 1 month old daughter looking out from their front door onto the New Year. The past year had been both sad and wonderful; my daughter-in-Law had a difficult relationship with her mother and had worked very hard in the past year to rebuild the link between them, they had come to understand, appreciate and love each other not long before her mother was diagnosed with late stage cancer and subsequently passed away only months before the little one was born.The birth of their first child, this beautiful, tiny little girl brought a new wonder into their lives.

I have posted of my hopes and wishes for my little families previously so wont go into it again but to say that, in looking out onto a New Year, they are looking out onto a year of new hopes, new dreams and new possibilities and, with our love, support and very best wishes for them.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes

CSI#25 Scraplift Challenge

I chose to scraplift Heather Jacobs' CF#19; I love her beautiful layouts but try as I might, I have not done her justice, there are so many layers and so much skill in her work.

My eldest son and his wife, 15 months after their own wedding; Best Man and Maid of Honour for our second son and his bride. This is one of my favourite photos of my son and his wife; there is so much love between them and it really shows through in this candid shot taken on the beach near the reception centre. My sons accident was five years later and they still looked at each other in the same way. I have included a letter to both of them for his wife to read if she wishes when she inherits my son's albums. They had so much of their lives in front of them and my heart aches for her. I could only wish that I could have seen that same look between them 20 years from now.

Thank you for looking and for any comments you may leave, best wishes.

Scrapmatts - June Challenge

I can't resist a challenge; the inspiration for this challenge was to use the song 'Hello World' by Lady Antebellum. I watched the video and was very moved by the story of the song, so much so that I down loaded the song from iTunes.

There were many photos that I could have used and many different avenues I could have gone down with this one but chose to use a line from the song... 'I remember why I am here'.

In the dark moments it is too easy to wallow and wonder if you are just taking up space or if you really do have a purpose here, if you have a job to do and you have to stay until it is done.

The men in this photo are my inspiration, my reason for being here.

They and their children are my world and I do everything I can to be the person that they need me to be whilst still being true to myself. I can only hope and pray that I get it right and am there for them when they need me to be.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

CSI #24 Challenge

I am very heavy handed in my scrapbooking and cannot seem to find that soft touch which photos like this deserve. This is a photo of my husband and I looking lovingly at one of our grandsons at one of our sons weddings. It gets a little confusing but we have two sons married to sisters, they have also built houses next door to each other and the younger son works with the girls dad!

Our eldest son and his wife orchestrated the relationship between their siblings and they were ecstatic when asked to be Best Man and Maid of Honour for the wedding. Sadly my eldest son was killed in an accident before he could carry out his treasured role. He loved to dress up and look smart but had a quirky way of wearing converse boots with his suits, he had such a lovely fun character that he could pull it off with ease!

His little boy, pictured, was Ring Bearer and proxy Best Man for his Dad. He wore a little black vest, pants and tie, a white shirt with his Dad's cuff links and a tiny pair of converse boots with the rings tied to the laces. We all realised the significance of the boots and there was not a dry eye in the chapel.

I beleive in miracles and this little boy, born 6 months after my sons death is our little miracle; a tiny part of our son left to help us through the darker days and bring such light into our lives.

Thank you for looking and for any comments you may leave, best wishes

  

Introducing - Our Granddaughter

We have four sons and 4 grandsons; we couldn't beleive it when our youngest son and his lovely wife announced that their expected first child was to be a girl. We didn't actually buy anything for her until she was born in case they got it wrong!

Our daughter-in-Law lost her Mum to cancer only a few months before the little one was born; it was a very difficult time for her and I was fortunate to be able to support her through the last few months. I was 'on call' for the day of the birth and everyone at work was warned that I might suddenly rush out the door. The call came at about 2pm; the little mother was tiring and my son was worried for both of them. I rushed to the hospital and was there to hold his hand while he held his wife's hand and watched his daughter being born. I feel very blessed to have been allowed to be present. Our little angel carries the name of both her grandmothers and two of her great grandmothers; She is perfect, welcomes everyone with her beautiful smile and is a delight.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

TCR #114 Challenge

I have wanted to do this page for a while and happened to print this photo on the day the TCR#114 palette came out in exactly the colours I needed. It was meant to be!

Many people do not know what to say when they learn you have lost a loved one; they say things like 'God wanted him, God took him....'. I know I have said these words myself in the past and regret them now. I do not believe my God is vengeful, he does not give us these terrible illnesses and does not take our loved ones from us. My belief is that we are all here for a limited number of days, each of us having their own number; our son had reached his limit and when he died  my God welcomed him with open arms and will take care of him until we meet again. 

Someone came to me in my church a couple of months after our son had died and asked why I was there, why would I continue to come, why did I not blame God for taking him. I was shocked; this person holds a position in our church and was challenging my faith. I asked why I shouldn't be there and explained my belief. I don't know if I helped her but I know it is this belief that gets me through the tough days.

There is a movie called 'The Book of Days'; I saw it only a few days after my sons accident; it confirmed my thinking, my belief and I continue to search for a copy.

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes.

Daring You to Scrap Challenge - June 2012

The first word that came into my head when the challenge asked to describe myself was 'ordinary'!  I looked it up in the Dictionary and it is an appropriate word for me. I am an ordinary person surrounded by some wonderful people and memories and I am okay with that.

This photo was taken in 1999; it was the only one I could find that did not have another person in it; it also relates to one moment when I did something (apart from having my children) that was a little less ordinary. My paternal great, great grandmother, an Irish Catholic, was a very early settler in Western Australia and had a small holding in Kojonup in the south of our state; she was known and has been written about in the history books of the area for her great walks. Her most documented walk was from Kojonup to Fremantle to take her daughter to Catholic boarding school in Fremantle.

The current members of the family gathered to celebrate our heritage in Kojonup in March 2000;

I chose to honour my great, great Grandmother by emulating her walk. I walked the 262kms on paved roads, with support vehicles and comfortable shoes and it was hard work; she would have done it in a long gown and boots in the height of summer on dirt roads. I had gained a whole new respect for her by the end of my journey; she must have been a very wonderful lady. 

Thank you for looking and any comments you may leave, best wishes

Once Upon a Sketch Challenge - June 2012

This is our beautiful grandmother; I have posted about her before; she was our anchor, our safe haven through the difficult years of our childhood, we knew we were loved and cherished by her.

We began celebrating her major birthdays at 65 as that was near to the age her husband, our grandfather had died. She was from Eire and a Catholic; she had always remarked that she didn't want to live to be a hundred, she didn't want a letter from the Queen! I had organsied a papal blessing from John Paul II for her 90th birthday, we had a special mass and it was presented to her by the parish priest; she was delighted and was happy to pose for this photo.

Grandma didn't get a letter from the queen; she died just two days before her 94th birthday. She told the priest that morning that she had heard the banshee call the night before, she had a shower, dressed as always in her frock with beads and broach, sat in her favourite chair and went to her eternal sleep.

She was an angel here on earth and we loved her dearly.

Thank you for looking at my page and for any comments you may leave, best wishes.