Sunday, April 29, 2012

PHFEW!

Life can return to normal again... well, as normal as our life gets, that is.

I had my bloodtest last Monday. I'm always worried, but this time I was in an actual panic. I haven't been feeling right, but can't put my finger on it. No pain, nothing that should give me an idea that the cancer was back... just tired (but not sleeping), frantic, short tempered and in general "a royal pain". Combine that with absent minded and scatter brained, and you'll understand why Mike might be happy he's back at work! LOL. When we got to the doctor for the results, he did something he has never done before.... he checked my bloodpressure, temperature and heart rate. I almost lost it at that point, thinking that all my fears I had been telling myself were rubbish, were founded in truth...... He proceded to tell me that my blood was perfect and that he wanted to see me in 6 months. WHOOHOO!!! So, now I can get my head back where it belongs, I hope. But my laments is not why you're here, so on to more interesting news, I just had to share with you why I have been in such a muddle these last couple of weeks.

Mike has been easing back into work, and started alternating days this week, and will go fulltime next week. We went yesterday morning to get his release to do "his" job, not the light duty they have him on. He can't wait. He doesn't mind working the register, but he has a hard time being in one spot all day. He needs to move, and next week, he gets his wish.

I also have other news, that I think is downright awesome!!!. Since the beginning of this month, I am part of Boo's Blossoms. Not our Boo, but Booland Designs. She had a CT call over at The Studio and since I love her stuff, I put in for it. I have to say, I didn't think I stood a chance, but she thought differently, and here I am :-) I could not believe my eyes when I got THAT email!  To be able to play with all the new kits she has coming out..... B L I S S !!!!!

I will show you some of the pages I made for her sofar in a little bit, and, as required, do a little advertising for her as well. I hope you don't mind, but that's part of the CT bit. You receive awesome kits, play a little, and hopefully pay back with sales for the designers you CT for.

This maxes me out on commitments though. I am CT for 3 designers, host the Point in Time heritage challenge over at The Studio, signed up to help index the 1940 Iowa Census, AND started fixing up the computer room, so I have a little spot all to myself with the computer, my aquarium-in-waiting my genealogy research... and I'm going to be looking for a job on the economy after all, so I also contacted the Lymphoma society here because, as it turned out that even though I couldn't be happier about it, being a cancer survivor is NOT looked on as a good thing if you're trying to find a job... There's all kinds of pitfalls. If you DON'T tell, you can get fired for withholding information, if you DO tell, you don't get hired, because they don't want the risk of it coming back..... Meanwhile,we have bills that are in desperate need of sorting out as well as the need to feel useful. I found the lymphoma site by accident, and it has a whole section on working after cancer, as well as possible ways to go back to school for retraining, if you're not able to do your old job. Since my occupation the last 20 years or so has been data entry, and I can't use my hands longer than 20 minutes at a time (yup, they ARE gettting better) I think I may qualify.

Once I go back to work, or school, depending on what happens, I may have to slow down, but for now... I'm going to be as busy as I can be. I need to get my brain back, the use of my hands and some kind of schedule. Mike will have his schedule at least 3 weeks in advance, so we know what we are looking at there, and I have to get started to make this house we are renting a proper home with whatever energy I have, when ever I have it.

Ann from StarSongStudio has a couple of new kits, since I last posted here, so I'll be doing a little bit of bragging for her also. She's been very patient with me, and really a great "boss". She doesn't like it when I call her that, but.... she is :-) so when I feel like teasing her, I email her with "hi boss" She takes it in the spirit it is intended, lucky for me, otherwise I would be out of a job LOL.

Last but not least... IvyScraps has a new Mega out. Bon Voyage. You would think it is right up our alley, since we seem to be either packing or unpacking... but oddly enough... There's not a whole lot of pictures of it. I made a double page for my LifeBook with it though, and it was my turn to put out the Bingo page, so I did my bit for them. I had every intention of doing some challenges, but haven't been able yet. Hopefully before the end of the month, I'll have some luck in that department. LOL Meanwhile, I'll show you some stuff  (except the Bingo page) on the bottom as well.

I have been so freaked out about things, that I completely spaced putting a challenge up over at The Studio, but it's on the calendar for next week. It IS good to have a schedule, and hopefully  not too many things happen, so I can actually stick to it. I still have to set up a cleaning schedule for the house, set some time aside for the family tree (research and inputting into the computer, again) as well as working out and menu planning.

So, first up is the "advertising" followed by the pages.


APRIL PROMISE
You've already seen the pages for the kit, but here is my favorite again:-)



SHE HAS A RAK OVER AT DIGISHOPTALK FOR HER CIRCUS KIT.......







She's also part of the blogtrain over at CoolScrapDigital........


There's still a couple of days to go visit the blogs



I have loved her stuff for so long, and I am SOO completely floored that I'm part of her CT Team. I have realized over the last couple of weeks, that I have to step it up. She creates at breakneck speeds, and I'm happy that not every kit is mandatory to work with! Like with Ann, it's VERY hard to say "NO" to a kit! LOL

Here are the pages for her latest kits, with a view of the kits themselves. All pages are made with stuff from the kit only.

SPRINGS DESIRE




SPRINGS HOPE





SPRINGS BREEZE




SPRINGS BRIDE

 


SPRINGS PROMISE



Well, I think you're all "up to date" on my CT things.

Still working on 2 new kits coming up, but I'll post those when they premier in the stores of Ann and Boo.......
Sorry for the onslaught of things, but I've been running so far behind that I had to do something. Still have to post and post the links, but I'll do that another day.

I hope you're having a great weekend, and as always..... don't forget to hug that loved one! :-)





Saturday, April 21, 2012

Quick Page Challenge


time again over at CoolScrapDigital......

The kit is so much fun! Go over and take a look, maybe enter and share, but for sure, go snag some of the pages. There are only a couple in the gallery so far, but I think there are over 50 sign ups... so that should make for one heck of an album, if you pick up all of them. When you download, leave some love, and if you enter the challenge.... have fun, and good luck on the voting :-)



Download  


The contest thread is here: 

Thursday, April 19, 2012

if you wanna visit the zoo......

I don't know where everybody is from where we are, but we have a zoo about 10 minutes away by car, and, as I have found out, quite a bit longer on foot! LOL. Mind you, if you're looking for a zoo like Artis, Emmen, Antwerpen and the like, I think you may be dissapointed. It's nothing like it. As a matter of fact GAIA ZOO is only 5 years old! It started out as Gaia Park, but I think it was decided that it didn't give the idea that there were animals there... so it was changed somewhere last year, beginning of this year. BUT, to me, it's great. It's easy to get to, there's enough animals to keep it interesting, even after 3 trips (and planning a 4rth one and renewing my annual membership) but it is smallish. The animals are mostly NOT in cages, but that makes them more fun to watch. They're rebuilding some of the "older" areas to optimize viewing of the animals as well as trading animals with other zoo's, so there's lots of things changing between visits. They have an aviary show, which I YET have to catch, but they were practicing with the bald eagle last time I was there, so I'll make sure to catch it soon.

BUT the reason I'm mentioning it now, is that there is another IKEA family night coming up on June 1st from 19.00 to 22.00. For 8 euro's per person, max 4 to a card, with voucher, to be picked up at the Heerlen Ikea, or 10 Euro's for non voucher holders you can visit with the animals. The whole zoo was accessible last year, including the restaurant...... So, if you are in the neighborhood around that time, check it out for yourself.

I know, I'm shamelessly advertising for them, but I think it is such a cool place to spend a couple of hours!

Hope you can find the time!

Hugs,
Pauli

I'm reposting a page I made from when my sister and I went this winter. I haven't had the inspirations to work on the pictures I took when I went last month :-)


Saturday, April 7, 2012

wishing for you and all you hold dear.......



That said.... I want to share with you a couple of pages I have made over the last couple of weeks. 

I finished the Bingo page over at Ivy, so if you want to see what it looks like, you'll have to play LOL. I also am finished with the pages with the Mega BON VOYAGE.......


I made these for the LifeBook project I've been working on. Putting to paper how many times as well as how long we were at each place kinda showed me that I'm not totally crazy when I feel like we've been packing and unpacking for the last 20 years LOL.


I made a page with Boolands newest kit. SpringBlossoms  


This page came to pass a little bit by accident. I had the page in my head, but couldn't find the picture I wanted. Than, I realised I still wanted a page to separate the cemetery section from the rest of the family tree in the album I eventually want to put together..... and I came up with the rest of the page.... I just realised something.... the picture and mask are backwards!! I must have gotten sidetracked while saving it, and NOT saved it before I saved as a JPG... Oh well :-)


Ann, from Star Song Studio, also has a new kit coming out..... It will be called Circus, and it is SOOOOOO much fun and it's coming out Friday the 13th of April, so only one short week away.....



There's also another kit, that's already out....... BLUE POPPIES. The colors are so incredibly vibrant! Go check it out. It is being sold at: 




I also managed to finish, at last, a page from "lammetjes dag", otherwise known, as my trip to the sheep farm, and the zoo. Sofar I only made a page with my favorite pictures of the farm. Still thinking on the zoo pages though :-)

Don't these little guys just look like ultra mini cows?
I want to take a couple of pictures of them in the meadow, but sofar, they haven't been outside......

And I also just realized something.... I never posted my Ivy Pages with last months Mega!!!!
OMG I think I'm completely losing it......

Here are the pages I made....
The kit can be found HERE