Update....

This morning, our local hospital rang to say that my Mum was to be discharged on Wednesday, and wanted to know what her living arrangements would be.  They stated that she was fine to go home, so long as someone was with her for most of the day to help with medication, eye drops, cooking, washing, etc.

Right.....   The suggestion was made that one of my girls could move in with her for a while. 

Don't you love it when, just because you homeschool, people assume that, therefore, your days are full of free time?  I mean, they still do have school to do.  Of course, if it was going to be for a few days, or a week or so, that'd be fine - she's my Mum, and family takes care of family - but this could possibly a long-term arrangement, and I just couldn't figure out how we'd make that work.

So, into a mad panic we went.  What should we / could we do?  Mum could come and live with us for the time, but we knew she would not be happy to do so - too far away from Dad, church, etc.  And where exactly would we put her?  The only option we could see was to move out one or more of the children into the caravan, and let Mum have their room until a more permanent solution could be found.

As there were no beds available at the Old Folks' Home, we began telephoning other homes in the area.  We knew that wouldn't be a popular choice, either, but it could be an option.  After a few calls, we found a place, and was just in the process of faxing through forms, etc., when the phone rang again.

It was the local Old Folks' Home - the one where my Dad lives, and where Mum wanted to go.  Guess what?  That day, a resident had been offered a bed in a different home, in the town where they used to live.  Which means, a bed was free, and Mum could move in on Friday! 

Isn't God good?  Just when it seemed we needed to wait until a resident of the home passed away so my Mum could have a room (not a nice thought), a wonderful solution presented itself - offering not only a bed for my Mum, in the very place she wanted to go, but just when we needed it.  And, the person who was moving out was going where they wanted to go, as well! 

After yet another phone call, the hospital agreed to keep her there for the extra couple of days, so we'll pick her up on Friday, and move her over.  Needless to say, my Dad is thrilled!  He's been waiting for the day when he could once again have his wife by his side.  And yes, Mum is happy also - living on her own has simply become too much for her.  We pray she can now relax and take time to rest.

No doubt there'll be stacks of paperwork to do, and then of course, the sorting out of the house and everything that is in it, but, we'll get there.  At least the future is now not so uncertain, and we can all sleep easy tonight. 

From chaos to calm - I'd call that a successful day.   :)


Linda.

TTC17- Touch Twin Marker Challenge

My entry for the latest 'Touch Twin Marker Challenge - TTC17':

I used #9 - Pale Pink, and #67 - Pastel Blue, for this card.

The ribbon has also been coloured with Pale Pink.  Add a couple of flourish stamps, a punched butterfly and a 'Just for YOU' stamp, and there you have it.  :)

Linda.

Confirmation Day

Today was confirmation day for two of my girls - Helena and Margaret.

The day was certainly a busy one!  We began by saying goodbye to Helena's music teacher.  He is moving Interstate, and we are very sorry to see him go.  Helena began lessons with David some two years ago, and I cannot even begin to say how much he has helped, encouraged, and supported her during that time.  Sadly, the departure of such a wonderful teacher means that we will now need to travel to Adelaide, a 3-hour drive, every two weeks for lessons.  As music is her forte, we shall therefore be making the effort to do so.

Around lunch-time, Granny arrived, along with an uncle and several of their cousins.  They were able to enjoy the afternoon together, watching YouTube funnies, talking, and of course, playing with the archery equipment.  All too soon, though, it was time for them to head back to Adelaide, leaving Granny behind to stay with us for a few days.

And then it was time to get ready for the big event.  Mass began at 7pm, and I'm proud to say, we actually made it to the church a full half-hour early, to help set up and make sure all was ready.

 

It was the most beautiful service.  The Bishop, as always, was most entertaining, assuring the girls they would only get a decent slap on the face if they were misbehaving!  All in all, there were five girls for confirmation, plus two younger children for first communion. It was wonderful to witness how excited all the girls were beforehand - smiling, chatting amongst themselves, and waiting anxiously for Mass to begin.

Everything went just as it should, and there was the most wonderful, peaceful, atmosphere in the church. I cannot put into words how proud I was of my girls - they looked beautiful, and walked proudly and confidently to the Bishop to be confirmed.  After each family stood in turn to pray for their daughter(s), the congregation applauded the girls, welcoming them as full members of the Catholic community.  And yes, I was very close to tears, but actually managed to control them (this time)!

Afterwards, it was off to a local venue, where the children cut their cake and we all enjoyed  supper together.

 It was certainly a very special day, full of wonderful memories and special moments.  Did I mention how proud I am of my girls?   They are so special!


Linda.

My Church, My Home

Twenty years ago today, as my first child was baptised, I entered the Catholic Church and received the Eucharist for the first time.

It’s been a long road.  There is so much more to learn, and sometimes, I am very hard on myself for everything I don’t know, and everything I mess up or do wrong.  Over the past year especially it’s been tough, with troubles in the family, and friends who have turned against us, determined to save us from the ‘evils’ of the church.  It’s tough to take – and sometimes, it’s a struggle just to get through the day. 

But last night as I prayed, I realised just how far I had come.  There I was, busy telling God how I had failed and neglected to serve him, when I was reminded of a young sixteen year old, lying in a hospital bed after an overdose.  How I managed to leave that life behind is nothing short of a miracle.  Looking back, I can see God’s hand on my life, even then.  So many dangers presented themselves, and how I even managed to get through it alive is incredible, especially given that others in my group of friends did not.  There but for the grace of God, go I.

The fact that I am now a mum of eight, Catholic, and homeschooling is truly amazing.  Sometimes, I can hardly believe that it is real.  When I think of what my life could have been, I find that I am so thankful for everything I have, for my faith, the hope that is in me, and for my precious family and friends.

But there have been times.  After a particular nasty attack on my faith by some other ‘friends’ a few years ago, I found myself at Mass one day in tears.  Were they right?  Had I simply stepped from one evil to another?  Was I now brainwashed?  Should I stand up and walk out, and find somewhere else to worship?  As I prayed, I looked up to see the tabernacle, and the words came, loud and clear in my mind:  "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life” *  And at that moment, I knew.  I knew there was no brainwashing, and the teachings were not false.  I knew that Christi’s presence in the Eucharist was real, and that there was no more need of searching.  I was at home in the Catholic Church, and I was here to stay.

Linda.

* John 6:68 

A Question for the Catholics out there...

Well, actually, a couple of questions.

A very quick background.  I was not raised a Catholic.  I am now a Catholic of course, and although I've read and studied a great deal, my knowledge in the practice of the faith is still lacking.  We don't have any local classes or anyone close with a great knowledge of these things, so sometimes I still feel like I'm floundering.


First Question:

Yesterday, we attended a practice at the church - two of my girls will be confirmed this weekend, and this was the first of two practices that will be held.

We usually avoid the lessons in the lead-up to confirmation and first communion in our parish, given that the sister involved is very 'liberal', I guess the word would be. 

As part of the practice, each girl went up like they would do on the day, to receive communion from the Bishop.  After they received the 'pretend' communion at practice, they were told to return to their seats.

One of my girls went to do the sign of the cross, and the sister grabbed her arm and said very firmly, 'no, we don't do that'. 

I always do the sign of the cross after receiving Holy Communion, but my girls were told very firmly not to. 

Why would they not be allowed to make the sign of the cross?



Second Question:

Communion on the Tongue.

Since becoming Catholic, I've always believed in receiving Communion on the Tongue.  But once again, in our parish, everyone is taught to receive it the in hand.  As well, dear hubby receives it in the hand, as he was taught. 

But I've always felt that it is far more reverent and respectful to receive it on the tongue, and of course, it eliminates the possibility of fragments falling to the ground, to be trampled underfoot.

But I stand alone on this issue, certainly in our family, and our parish.

I'm currently Googling more info on this topic - I'll present it to the troops, but I guess it's nothing that can be forced, especially considering the rest of the adults in our family see nothing wrong with it. 

What are your feelings and beliefs in this area? 



I'm in 'deep thought' mode today, aren't I?  :)


Linda.

Believe

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become.

You never know who these people may be – a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a kid down the street, or even a complete stranger – but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart.

Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.

The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones.

If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things.

If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say.

Set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.

You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then go out and live it.  Hold onto your hopes and dreams, no matter how hopeless things may seem.  Let faith sustain you.  And above all, hold onto love.

Author Unknown

The Adnil Lady has Kaszazz!

As many of you know, I’ve been ‘pulling back’ from our home business for some time.  While I still take care of the paperwork, ordering, etc., for the most part, it’s been dear hubby Bill running the business, taking care of customers, orders and the most time-consuming part – the printing and binding of books, CDs, and DVDs.

It’s been a long, slow process, but I have finally realised that much of my inability to run the business of late is that I’m simply ‘homeschooled out’.  Not so much in actually homeschooling my own children, but in the way of researching new curriculum, getting excited every time a box of new goodies arrives in the mail, and the ‘thrill’ of updating that pesky website has long since passed.

After fifteen years of homeschooling, we’re quite well settled in what we use.  That’s not to say we don’t try out new things, or change resources from time to time.  Actually, we probably do that too often – one of the side effects of running Adnil Press – always a new curriculum to browse through and try out.  But it’s like homeschooling became all-consuming.  Everything in my life was about homeschooling.  Every time a new ‘how to’ book was written, I’d order it in, and devour it, picking up hints and tips, and putting my new knowledge into practice.  It was wonderful to have so many of these books, and to have so many choices when it came to choosing our course of study.

But now, I’m feeling like moving on.  Not from homeschooling itself, but from spending so many hours looking at books, going shopping for texts, etc.  After spending a year or so feeling very burnt-out, things are coming back into focus.  While homeschooling remains at a very central place in our lives, and of course, learning happens all the time, there are other things to life.  So, after all that, I’ve realised I now need to move onto other things.  

Some time ago, I took up Scrapbooking.  And how I hated it!  Seriously – I thought it was a complete waste of time.  After all, all my photos are printed, are in albums, and are all on the shelf in date order.  While other jobs around the place may be neglected, this is one thing I have always kept up with.  But then came the workshop.  I really didn’t want to go, but a good friend invited me to attend a demonstration.  I knew I’d catch the bug, even before I went – and I did.  But I still hated it.  Faced with a blank piece of paper, some photos, and various embellishments, I found I had no idea how to put them together to make a decent-looking page, and it was so frustrating!

Fortunately, the Internet was a wonderful source of ideas, and after picking up a few tools and books off of ebay, I felt more able to produce something that looked respectable.  I still found it exhausting, but somehow, it was relaxing as well, and it soon became my ‘therapy’.  This was proving to be an enjoyable, and rewarding, past-time.  Yes, the photos could have been left in normal albums, but when you finish that first scrapbook and flip through the pages, you realise just how precious these albums can be, for they take a selection of photos and truly showcase them in a spectacular way.   Card-making naturally followed, and before long, I found that I was also enjoying making birthday, Christmas, and Easter cards for family and friends.  I had genuinely found I hobby that I could enjoy.

Fast-forward a year.  Homeschool camp – and low and behold, one lady who came along was a Kaszazz consultant, specialising in Scrapbooking and Card-Making workshops.  When she offered to run some workshops at our camp, I jumped at the chance, and attended two workshops during our time together.  Yep -  I’m doomed now – completely hooked!  So much so, that after the camp, I decided that I, too, would become a Kaszazz Consultant. 

And so I signed the papers, and my kit later arrived in the mail.  At this stage, it’s mainly to buy my own products, but I have an underlying feeling that it won’t be long before I attempt to run my own workshops.  When deciding which start-up kit to purchase, my girls were stating that they could definitely see me leading people through the process of creating scrapbook pages.  I didn’t particularly plan on starting up a new business, and I’m not sure where it will lead, but in the end, I decided to just ‘go with it’, and we shall see.

So there you have it – we still have Adnil Press to run of course, at least in the immediate future – but now, the ‘Adnil Lady’ (as some affectionately call me) is now the ‘Kaszazz Lady’.  We’ll see what happens!

Linda.


 

 

Update on Lesha Myers

Here is an update for those of you who are praying for Lesha Meyers, author of three of our IEW books: The Elegant Essay, Windows to the World, and Writing Research Papers.

Dear Prayer Partners,
I have a decorated box near my chair in my living room in which I keep inspirational notes and letters that I sometimes receive from students and friends. It’s bulging with new additions because of the outpouring of love you’ve sent my way. (One friend sent lots of “positive light.” That’s a new one for me because I didn’t realize light could be negative.) Add to this my equally bulging Facebook and email accounts. And the flowers! I think flowers are one of God’s richest decorations on the planet, and it’s wonderful to experience the spring flood both in my classroom and at home.
Needless to say, I am humbled and overwhelmed with your encouragement. Thank you so, so much for your thoughtfulness.
I want to give you a quick update because three things have happened since the last time I talked to you.
First, I discovered that the cancer has attacked my brain. It’s in my cerebellum, which mostly controls motor functions, but also affects attention and language. I’ve been spacier than normal, having a little issue with equilibrium for a while, and many people have told me that my Minnesota accent is back, so maybe that’s a result of the new brain lesions. I’m on a steroid to prevent brain swelling, and it’s not without its side effects (of course).
Second, I’ve entered the hospice program at my HMO. I know that sounds terrible, but it really isn’t. Before this, the focus was on the disease. Hospice transfers the focus to the person, and in the two weeks since I’ve started, I feel so much better. I’m really glad I made this decision.
Third, I have my retirement date from school. It’s Friday, May 18. If any of you former students want to visit, you will either need to come before then or drive out to Concord. Don’t come 5/16 or 5/17, I’m not staying those days, and 5/9 is iffy because block days are not only in the middle of the week, they are long and hard. But like I said, I’m doing better, so we’ll see.
After I retire, some of you who have offered to help can if you like. One of my friends is going to set up or help me set up a Web site with “stuff” (technical term) on it. Probably meals and errands (I’m no longer driving.) and maybe other ideas. I’ll let you know when it’s up, and you can take a look if you like. For those of you who are close to Concord, come visit! I crave your company. Two weeks ago, a group of friends brought over tea—yes the whole Victorian tea. It was lovely to tea and talk. Yesterday some friends came over for dinner. Yes it was takeout, but so what. We took it out of the plastic containers and put it on nice plates and it tasted just fine. We could “do lunch” as long as we “did” it here (getting out is harder), but a visit with no food would be just as good. In fact, if you sign up to bring dinner later, please plan on staying for at least a half hour. As much as I think I’m going to enjoy being home, and maybe catching up on some of my writing, I still covet your visits.

Prayer Requests
In the meantime, if the Lord brings me to mind, would you please pray for the following for me?
1. Stamina and energy to get through each day to complete what the Lord has for me that day.
2. Comfort for my family. They are bearing up well, but it’s still hard.
3. That I would live each day in the center of the Lord’s will and in the strength He provides.
4. That my AP Language students would do well on their exam (May 16th).
5. Sleep. This steroid doesn’t like me to sleep.
6. Pain equalization. So far, so good.

Please feel free to share this message with anyone who might be interested.

Thank you, thank you for all you do to encourage me.
Blessings,
Lesha

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

Old Age is Not So Grand

This week proved to be a bit of a 'toughie'.

My Mum had to go to Adelaide for an eye operation - they needed to reduce the pressure in her eye, otherwise, it could lead to blindness.  We waited to hear how it all went, and as far as we know, it was a success.

However, my Mum is suffering more and more with Alzheimer's Disease, and making the trip, having and operation, etc.  seems to have made things worse in that area.  My poor Mum is confused, contstanly forgetting things, names, etc., and has even begun to forget the names of family members.

She's back here now, but still in hospital, and today they rang to ask me if I could go in, as there was a problem, and Mum was very upset.  By the time I arrived, things had calmed down, and Mum had agreed to stay on in the hospital for a week or two.

The main problem being that she is so determined that 'all is well', but it is becoming increasingly obvious that all is not well, and I fear I'm very close to having to play the role of the 'evil daughter', and put my foot down with her, for her own safety.  This may include taking away her car keys and putting her into an Old Folks' Home.  This I have avoided for as long as possible, but, it seems the time may be here. 

It's not going to be easy, and I feel there are some very tough times ahead.  She is one stubborn lady when she wants to be.  It's certainly a strain for us, and it's proving to take a lot of time out of our days, but, it must be so much more difficult for her.

At least for the time she is safe in hospital, and I can take the next week or so to research, pray and decide what our next step will be.

Please pray as we work through it all - Old Age is supposed to be your Golden Years, when you can put your feet up and relax, but for many, Old Age is just not 'Golden' at all.

Linda.

Just Checking!

Linda.

Dissection Time!

Around ten years ago, we embarked on rather an adventure, using the KONOS curriculum.  We enjoyed it - the curriculum has some fantastic suggestions for hands-on activities, and we can all still remember building a castle out of boxes and creating a huge, crawl-through model of the ear.

One experiment that we did not do, however, was dissecting an eye.  There is no way I could have stomached it, and my girls thought the whole thing would be 'disgusting'.  I can't say I was sorry.

Fast forward ten years.  Now I have a twelve year old who simply loves that sort of thing!  When I stupidly mentioned dissecting an eye one day, she jumped at the chance!

Next step - going into the butcher to order one.  THAT took a while.  We live in a small town, and the people think we are nuts already -

1 - for having a large family, and

2 - because we homeschool (how dare we do that, when we have a perfectly good school in our town??)


But eventually, I worked up the courage and waltzed into the butcher to order our meat, and while there, I asked for the eyes as well.  All the guys froze - 'Did you say the eyes?'   Yep - we're doomed to be weirdos for life now!  I did explain what I wanted it for, but still...

Anyway, the eyes arrived.  I had hoped for a cow's eye, but I got pigs eyes instead - smaller, but we'd make do.

After a few weeks of looking at me whenever I opened the freezer,  I finally worked up the strength and courage to pull them out, and begin the experiment.  My Lizzie was delighted!  And she had a ball sifting through all the bits, and putting the empty shell on her finger afterwards.  (Yuk, yuk, yuk!)  I was quite grossed out by the end of it, and very keen to literally wash my hands of it all!

 

But, at least that is done, and I can finally tick it off our 'to do' list.  Actually, there are still two more eyes in the freezer - might just keep them aside in case someone visits that I really don't like - I'm sure they'll come in handy!  :)


Linda.

Camp Willochra - Day Five

All too soon, our country homeschool camp came to an end.

Several of the teens had actually managed to stay up all night, and although they truly did pitch in and help with the packing up, they were tired!  Certain people were well and truly ready for sleep:

I think we killed him!

I was impressed, though, that they not only managed to stay awake throughout the whole ‘group photo’ happenings, but they even managed to look bright and cheerful.

Our Homeschool Group

By 10am, the camp site was pretty much back the way it was when we arrived.  After a thorough check by the warden, we were given the all clear, and we were on our way back home.  

Packing the Bus

Needless to say, it was a very quiet household for the rest of the day, as our party animals went to bed, and stayed there until evening.

Camp Willochra was over for a another year.  It was fun, entertaining and very relaxing.  We all very much enjoyed ourselves, and it was wonderful to catch up with old friends, and to make new ones. 

Already, there is talk of another camp before the year is out!  It’ll just be a matter of mustering up enough energy to organise it.  :)

Linda.

Camp Willochra – Day Four

On Day Four, I crawled out of bed and headed for the kitchen.  We were supposed to be going for a hike down into Alligator Gorge at 9am, and it was already after eight, so I knew we needed to get moving.  Wandering into the kitchen / dining room, I was greeted with this scence:

One Empty Dining Room

Yep – I wasn’t the only one who had slept in!  9 O’clock came and went, and no-one cared.  We were all quite happy to take our time and get going at a leisurely pace.  Having said that, however, it was time to rouse the teens, and Jess took delight in telling them all to get a move on.  After another hour or so, we were all ready, so we loaded the vehicles and headed off towards Wilmington.

The Terraces

Alligator Gorge is a beautiful spot.  After a winding road to reach the top, we parked our vehicle and then descended the 250 stone steps to reach the walking track.  One of my favourite places in the Gorge is ‘The Terraces’ – part of the creek bed that has been worn away over time to look like a terrace.  Unfortunately, this time there was no water in the creek, but nevertheless, it was still very picturesque.  

The teens found a walking track, and came up and out of the Gorge a different way, and later we met them back at the top. During that time, they had also decided to have timed races down and back up the steps – with a couple of very fit youngsters completing the course in under 3 minutes!  Dear hubby and I had a lovely stroll through the gorge, and of course, I managed to stop and take a great number of photos along the way.

Some of the Stone Steps

 

The Race

Ascending the Stairs

After we returned to camp, we had lunch and then some campers played games, kicked the ball around, and took a walk along the Gibbon Line, which one of the mums had brought along.  There were some rather interesting acrobatic moves, but fortunately, no major injuries.  And then a few of us managed to escape to our ‘quiet room’ for some more craft activities.  It was a very relaxing afternoon that was over far too soon – before we knew it, it was 6pm and time to organise dinner, for next on the programme was concert night.

The Gibbon Line

  

Craft Afternoon

We began the night with only a few acts, however, just before my Aimee was to sing her first ever solo in front of an audience, my camera decided it’s memory card was full, and so I grabbed my computer and began to download some 450 photos and 12 videos.  During our little ‘technical hitch’ moment, others decided that they would get involved, and suddenly, the number of acts increased enormously, which was fantastic.   The acts were wide and varied, including singing, musical numbers, juggling, story-telling, and some where the whole audience was called upon to join in.  I still can’t get the ‘Pizza Hut – Kentucky Fried Chicken – McDonalds’ number out of my head!

G'Day G'Day

  

Loch Lomond

Bumblebee Act

With the concert out of the way, we said a few ‘thankyous’ and reminders for the clean-up the next morning, and then some of us went to bed, while others decided that, being the last night of camp, it was time for an all-nighter, and proceeded to stay up all night.  This was agreed to, so long as they would all be prepared to help out with the cleaning and packing the next morning.

And so we left them to it – and that was Day Four.

Linda.

Camp Willochra – Day Three

Day Three was Anzac Day.   

Following some morning activities including word searches, puzzles and the making of paper poppies, the girls headed into the kitchen to bake a cake with one of the mums.   

The games continued of course – including a not-so-serious card game among several of the teens.  As the weather was finally beginning to warm up, a few people also braved the swimming pool.

After lunch, it was off the Big Shed for a traditional Australian Bush Dance, hosted by our very own Jessica.  Many of our campers joined in the fun – and soon the music was blaring and the ‘Heel and Toe Polka’ went into full swing, followed by the ‘Flying Pieman’ and ‘Ned Kelly’s Land Stand’. All had a wonderful time, and afterwards, we headed off to the kitchen for dinner.  

Keeping with the Australian theme, it was BBQ night, and many ate their dinner outside, at the bonfire. One of the Dads had very kindly gathered up a heap of wood during the camp, and the bonfire blazed well into the night – and even into the next day.  Of course, marshmallows were toasted, and some camp fire songs were soon heard drifting across the camp ground.

And thus ended Day Three – well, as far as I was concerned.  The nights seemed to be getting later and later, but, that’s camping!  I wandered off into dreamland, as many of the other campers stayed wide awake, continuing to enjoy the fun.

Linda.

TTC16 Touch Twin Marker Color Challenge

We interrupt our five-day camp report for a brief 'Art & Craft' moment.

Today I created my entry for the latest 'Touch Twin Markers Challenge - TTC16':

My entry is a card created with Red cardstock, a lovely flower stamp, and then coloured with Touch Twin Markers:

Colours used were:

7- Cosmos
11 - Carmine
23 - Orange
26 - Pastel Peach
35 - Lemon Yellow
54 - Viridian
56 - Mint Green
59 - Pale Green
63 - Cerulean Blue
67 - Pastel Blue
85 - Vivid Purple


If you would like to be in the running to win some of these fantastic markers, please visit the 'Touch Twin Markers & More' Blog and visit this link:  Touch Twin Markers - May Day Giveaway.  You have until May 31st to Enter!


Linda.

Camp Willochra - Day Two

To begin the day, the teens headed off for a hike up Mount Remarkable. Some rather keen adults and young children followed along a little later, and the rest of us settled down for a cuppa, a chat and some board games.  After an hour or so, some of the campers then headed into Melrose to have a look around the town.

A couple of hours later, I telephoned the teens to ask if everyone was still alive.  When I received and enthusiastic, ‘No!’, I figured all was well!   Eventually they returned – mostly fine, but with a few bumps and bruises here and there.  They’d had a good climb, and some of them had even reached the very top.

The afternoon was spent either relaxing, playing games or at a craft workshop.  After dinner, it was time for the ‘Quiz Night’, hosted by yours truly and my trusty sidekick, Margaret.  That was an effort!  It was the first time I’d run a quiz night, but I think all went well, and the general consensus was that there were a good variety of questions – some easy, some more difficult, and others, well….  Interesting!  My favourite question of the night was:  “According to the 2001 UK Census, how many Britons stated ‘Jedi Knights’ as their religion?”   I’ll leave the answer to that one in the comments section in a day or two!

After the ‘Marshmallows’ team took out the ultimate prize for the night, out came the broomstick, and the line up for ‘Limbo’ began.  I gotta say, it’s amazing how flexible some people are!  Some of the girls especially amazed us with their abilities to simply flip themselves backward!  My friend Jacqui and I sat back and enjoyed the show, and..  er… threw some entertainment back at them by singing (at the top of our voices) along to several of our favourite ‘eighties’ songs. 

 

 

And that was Day Two.  Successful, relaxed, and a whole lot of fun.

Linda.

Life

Good morning!

Just wanted to share with you all this picture I found online:

Have a great day - keep smiling!

Linda.

Camp Willochra – Day One

 After packing the bus the day before, we were (mostly) ready to head for camp on Monday morning.  However, the bus suddenly seemed very full once food, eskys, and other bits and pieces were added, so we made the decision to take our little car along as well.  Bravely, we placed ‘L’ plates on both vehicles, and our learner drivers took their respective places to drive to camp – with Carpenter driving our bus, and Daniel the car.

All went well, and we arrived at the campsite around 10:30 am.  Instantly, the games were brought out, and a round of Yahtzee started the week.  One by one the families began to arrive – old friends and new – some had been before, but for several of our campers, this was their first visit to the Willochra camp site.  The games continued in the dining hall – including a round of poker and more Twister entertainment.

Once everyone had unpacked, we proceeded to cook and eat dinner, and then it was time for the ‘official welcome’, where I took care of all the ‘necessary but boring bits’, such as reading out the rules and so forth.  Afterwards, we celebrated some birthdays.  One camper had turned 17 the day before, another had their 17^th on the 1^st day of camp, and a third would celebrate their 17^th in just over two weeks – so, we gathered them together for a cake and a round of ‘Happy Birthday’. 

Games night was then on the list.  I would describe the whole affair as being ‘semi-organised’.  I’d listed games night, and I’d brought along several board games, but as to what would actually happen on the night would be up to the campers.  Carpenter had a wonderful idea of beginning the evening by building a human pyramid, and many of the teens, children and even the adults plunged in, and they did quite well! Over the course of half an hour or so, several pyramids were attempted, including one just for the younger children.

Later, the games continued with many other activity-type games including ‘Tangled’, ‘Mafia’ and ‘Electric Shock’, where the ‘message’ to grab the towel was sent down the line by each person in the team squeezing the hand of the next one along.  And of course, these were followed up with even more ‘Twister’ hilarity.

All in all, it was a successful night, and a great start to the week!

Linda.