Let's Get Shabby #38 - Doors and Windows

A beautiful Bo Bunny paper with louvered windows and a door on the bottom left;  I have cut and lifted them both but they may be a little hidden by the cluster of flowers! I may have gotten carried away!

This is our third son and his wife; our eldest son is married to her sister so don't be surprised when you look at another wedding when I get it done and think you are seeing double, the sisters are very alike.

These two had known each other for many years through their siblings and often went out as part of a group; it took us a little while to realise that they had become a couple. Our son had the ring hidden for some months before finally asking her to marry him on their favourite beach at sunset; the timing had to be right and he had delayed a little longer when our youngest son unexpectedly announced his engagement.

The OCD part of me was a little concerned that my sons would get married out of birth order but we had asked the youngest for a long engagement to be sure they were ready and these two were able to schedule theirs sooner rather than later and they married in December of 2009.

They are now the proud parents of a gorgeous little boy of 16 months and will be parents again in November of this year; they have chosen not to find out what they are having and we are looking forward to the announcement.

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

CSI Challenge #33 - Brothers

These two dear little boys are our eldest grandsons; their dad is our second son. The eldest is six and the little one is nearly five. They love each other one minute and will be fighting the next!

The older one is sensitive and loving, very like his Dad. From a very early age his fascination for all things mechanical became very obvious. We would be walking along and he would suddenly sit down, his gaze fixed on a tractor, digger or bulldozer that could be far off in the distance but he had spotted it. He can name most models of 4 wheel drive as they pass and loves it when his Dad comes home with a truck magazine just for him. He takes such good care of the magazines and loves to show the latest favourite to us when we visit. He tries to look out for his little brother but is told firmly that he can look after himself.

The younger one is stubborn, independent and loves his hugs; he will cling on to you like a little monkey and enjoys nothing more than to sit in your lap for his favourite movie. He loves going out into the bush and will turn over every rock to see what is underneath and watch the bugs and worms underneath! It takes an age to walk a few hundred metres but he notices absolutely everything.

Their favourite movies are the Ice Age series; they enjoy going to the lake to ride in our kayak or take the bikes or scooters for the five kilometres round trip. 

With the grace of God, they will be joined by another little brother later this year or early next.

These two little boys light up our lives!

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



Once Upon A Sketch - August Challenge; Seasons

I love Christmas! As a Christian, I believe in the true reason for celebrating the season but I also love the trimmings that go with it in this modern world. My nativity always sits beside the tree and above the presents and the children are taught the true reason for the celebration.

I love the idea of the perfect tree, the perfect table, the perfect presents for each member of our ever growing family under the tree. Unfortunately I set the bar too high for myself and am disappointed when I fall short which I invariably do! That is on me; part of my OCD and something I am learning to deal with; the perfect doesn't or shouldn't matter. I should have cherished the decorations the children made in school and hung them on the tree for all to admire, I now wish I had.

As you can see from my photo, my favourite colour is blue and everything has to match; I love that my daughter-in-laws deliberately wrap their gifts in rainbow colours to help me realise that little things like that aren't important, it is more important for us to be together, to share that special time with each other and, as those occasions are rare, they are all the more precious.

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



Let's Get Shabby Challenge #37 - Inspiration

This challenge is based on the photo of old paint brushes in a pot near a paint splattered canvas; as soon as I saw it I thought of the paper I have used and the photo taken many years ago of an old piece of jetty in Busselton WA. The paint brushes are old and well used; are they left to age alone, are they just waiting for the artist to return, will they inspire another artist to take them up; what stories they could tell, there is a beauty in their age and use. It is the same for the jetty; who built it and when, what was it used for, what left it in ruin? There is beauty in it's strength and it's weakness, in it's age and it's decay. Look at the rust in the nuts and bolts and the lines of weather and use in the timber; there are so many stories in there waiting to be told. Alongside the piece of old jetty are foot prints left only moments before; the old and the new together, both telling their own story. 

I love old things; this piece of jetty, an old farm fence, an old door or iron gate, older or ancient architecture. I love that these things were built hundreds or, in some cases a thousand years ago. I had the privilege and pleasure of going around the world in 20 days in 1998 with my youngest sister; 5 days of that trip were spent in the south of England. Oxford, a Cistercian Abbey ruin, Roman baths and Stone Henge just a few of the places I saw in those few days. To reach out and touch walls that were built so long ago, to see the technology in use and imagine the stories those walls could tell, if only they could speak.

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

Daring You to Scrap - July (Tape & twine)

Our second eldest son, writing the Best Man speech for his youngest brothers wedding. He had been stressing about it for weeks and it was only a few hours before the wedding. His Dad took the rest of the wedding party outside to give him some peace and quiet so he could get it done; the photographer was able to sneak this photo of him. It is a great photo and emphasises his strong facial features. The speech was perfect and well presented, a good balance of fun and seriousness; it spoke volumes about his love for his brother.

This son had a pretty rough start to his life with an undiagnosed allergy and chest complaints. He also struggled through school and in his apprenticeship. He rarely complained about what life threw at him and although he had a temper, it rarely lasted long and he would be as loving as always. He is the tallest of our boys at 6'4'', suffering growing pains as a child and teenager.

He joined the volunteer fire brigade at 17 and gave them 5 years of good service before marrying and starting a family of his own. He now has two little men of his own, a little angel in heaven and another child due in January. He is kind, sensitive and loving and likes nothing better than to spend time with his little family, his brothers and their families and is generous with his time for his parents. He is strong, loyal and committed. We are truly blessed to have him in our lives.

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

Scrap the Boys - July Challenge (School photos)

As my husband and I and our siblings had been privately educated at great sacrifice by our respective parents, we chose to also privately educate our four boys. Not only that, but since we had gone through single sex schools, we also chose this for our sons. It is a decision we have never regretted. They had their social time with students from the nearby girls school on the bus each day and at planned social events but were able to concentrate on their studies whilst in class. They were schooled with the same values and morals that we were endeavouring to teach them at home. They were also treated as individuals instead of 'someones' brother and therefore their individual needs were met, particularly in high school. None of them chose to go to University but all held down steady part-time jobs when at school and went into full apprenticeships.

It became a habit for us as I am sure it is for many families, for all the boys to have a photo taken at home on the first day of school each year. As the boys got older they were a little less in favour of the idea but put up with it for my sake. The year this photo was taken the eldest was in Year 10, the second in Year 8, the next in Year 6 and the youngest in Year 3. It is very clear from the reactions on their faces that I had asked for just '1 2 Many (photos)'.

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

Once Upon a Sketch - July Challenge (Friends)

The girls in this photo have become very dear to me; most of us had been scrapbooking at the same store for a while but were more aquaintences than friends until after April 2009. It was whilst I was scrapbooking my son's motorbike album after his accident that we became friends. I hated his bike and had very few photos of it until after his death; the members of his club were very kind in allowing me to use photos from their website and, when asked, would tell me the story behind the photo. Scrapbooking his time with them and reading how much they thought of him helped me to understand that part of his life. 

It was during this very important period of my mourning that these girls came to surround me with their support, their understanding my need to talk about my son and the accident, the issues that resulted from it and what completing the album meant to me. During the following three years they have continued to give me their unconditional love and support for which I am truly grateful.

We have all been through something difficult in those three years and have been there for each other in that time and have become very close friends. We now have a bi-annual scrap camp together and break into song from the classic musical movies and Mama Mia movie playing in the background; the reason behind my title! (The Journaling is on the back of the LO.)

This photo was taken when celebrating my sisters' 50th birthday in 2011, her daughter and her daughters best friend celebrated with us in a black and white themed High Tea.

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