Last week this part of Ontario had flash flooding & since the ground is still quite frozen there was no way the earth, soil, could absorb. Plus the milder weather allowed partial melting of the ice in the rivers to break up & all the rain created fast moving water - combine the two & it spells disaster. Many bridges were damaged & roads closed as the ice (thick as 1-2 feet in some spots) jammed up against the bridge tresses or over flowed on to the roads. Luckily we are on higher ground from the river that runs through our little village, although there was some flooding on the road.
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| Taken In The Conservation Park |
Currently I am:
Thankful For: The help of another customer at my favourite scrapping store. I asked about an "embossing buddy" & the lady behind the counter had no idea, but the lovely other customer lady walked up to me & said she was sorry for eavesdropping but she thinks she knew what I'm looking for & handed me an embossing buddy. This kind lady & I had quite a chat about stamping, she's been a stamper for about 15 years. She gave me lots of helpful & useful information about stamping. She told me that for heat embossing you really did need a heat gun, a hair dryer would not get hot enough quick enough.
An embossing buddy is a little sack of anti static material that you brush/rub over the area you will be stamping & heat embossing, it prevents the embossing powder from sticking to anything other than the ink of your stamp.
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| Embossing Heat Gun |
Reading: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. It's an easy read. The author, Margareta Magnusson, certainly does not seemed too pleased that some of her grandchildren don't write thank you notes.
I have only 1 book left on my Winter Reading List to get through, This Was A Man by Jeffry Archer, I think I am 2nd on the wait list. So far my favourite read from the Winter List has been The Keeper of Lost Things. I am putting together a Spring Reading List.
Making: I have made about 4 cards for some upcoming birthdays in the next month. I am a slow punching, stamping creator but definitely having some fun with the creative outlet. I continue to attend the monthly card making workshops hosted by a Stampin Up demonstrator but we make the cards she pre-assembles for us, so not always birthday cards.
Watching: More of the Winter Olympic ice skating. I always get quite tearful when watching these athletes compete - they all train so much for these few minutes, their lives are so focused & to know you can do a particular jump or movement but fail at the Olympic moment, so heart breaking for them.
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| Source: Internet - Canada's Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir; Gold Ice Dance |
Looking Forward: March's Angel Card is about courage.
Trying: After watching 3-4 episodes of Jamie Oliver's 30 Minute Meals, I am trying his suggestion of boiling the mini potatoes with cloves of unpeeled garlic, which you peel after the boil, the squish both the potatoes & garlic & then roast ... I'll let you know how it turns out.
Disappointed (some what): I am not a good candidate for hypnosis. Apparently I did not relax enough & I was reluctant to give up the control ... I'll say no more about that!
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| Source: Internet |
"Be brave enough to live life creatively" Alan Alda
Happy Monday to you! The Olympics were amazing - I've loved watching, especially those guys and girls competing in Big Air, SkiCross and Half-Pipe - brilliantly bonkers!
ReplyDeleteI saw some of the snow boarding, wild. I got a little anxious just watching, it's not something I could ever consider doing. Brilliantly Bonkers is a good description.
DeleteI've been seeing mention of the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning but haven't read it. It sounds like what my mother did, not just towards the end of her life but all during her older years. It's something to keep in mind.
ReplyDeleteI just work through my to-be-read stacks and I've participated in annual book challenges, but a seasonal list sounds like a more manageable system. Thx for the idea.
I always enjoy the Olympics and will miss it now it's over. I'm not trusting enough to try hypnosis lol Happy Monday!
One of the points this book & others I have read on the de-cluttering of our homes & lives is that we are a society built on consumerism. Time for us to re-think our purchasing habits. There was a TV special done by a Canadian investigative show on old clothes & what really happens to them after we "donate" them. Shocking. I find having a reading list gets me "focused" & I read more.
DeleteTwo feet thick ice? Wow. You have some pretty extreme weather there. I'm not sure I'd survive a winter there! I'm not sure I'd be all that good with hypnosis either. The thought of it fascinates me but I'm sure I'd have trouble relaxing enough.
ReplyDeleteWith the proper winter wear you'd do OK, believe it our not there are people that travel to Canada specifically in winter. The hypnosis thing is a circle, I need it to relax but can't be because I'm not relaxed enough ... I don't get it. (lol).
DeleteGlad to hear you are enjoying progress on the cardmaking front. Sounds like a perfect thing to do indoors away from all that weather!!!
ReplyDeleteNice that that lady helped you out. At least British shop assistants aren't the only ones sometimes clueless as to their stock! A while ago a customer asked me (for some reason!) about a couple of products in the supermarket and I found one nearby, fetched the other. Just as I arrived back with the second one the sales assistant whom she'd asked in the first place returned to tell her they didn't stock either item. She showed him what I had found and suggested he give me a job! At least we all had a giggle (incl. the assistant).
I enjoyed watching some of the ice dancing and thought of you when the Canadians came on. :o) Finally, I hope the friendship you have relinquished was the one you mentioned before and not another. (Although good riddance to both if they don't treat you right!) :o)
Thanks Lady Ella. I think once gardening weather is here, card making will take a back seat. The let go friend called me last night at 6pm, her other plans fell through, let's do something! I'm just sitting down to dinner. The lady in the supermarket asked you for help because I just know you show kindness. It is surprising how often the customers know more about the products or what's in the store than employees.
DeleteI must admit to a chuckle about the hypnosis. I fear I would have the same problem. The flooding looks nasty; glad you are on higher ground. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is on my hold list at the library. I don't have any time right now to get serious about cleaning out, so it's just as well it hasn't come in. I've given myself two months to get caught up with my Project Life pages, and to get two photo books made. That plus the necessary cards for birthdays, etc. will keep me more than busy for awhile. The only thing I really missed while being away was the Olympics. Once we were back, I couldn't get into it.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing more of your card creations - I certainly aspire to your level of ability. Alexa gave me some links for a CBT approach (cognitive behaviour training) which have been very helpful & since the hypnosis didn't work out; maybe March's courage theme will be a good time to approach this technique. As my Gran would say "it can't hurt" ...
DeleteSuch a busy week you had.
ReplyDeleteI too help those at the craft store if the employes don't know the answer, lol.
Have fun embossing, it really adds a lot to your projects.
Blimey, that's some serious ice in your photo! Hoping it all dries up and that Spring is on its way ... Smiled a little about the hypnosis - I suspect I'd have trouble too. I've not done much embossing but your tool sounds like a good idea. is it getting lots of use? I've read the Gentle Art of Death Cleaning (though I think it could have done with more editing myself), and it's definitely something we are doing little by little. Courage is a quality I could do with for March too.
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