And so it begins - -

- - that most magical season of the year I mean. You must be able to guess?? Of course you can - for today is the start of Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas for 2010, I am an Alumni of the class of several years standing yet I am filled with the same sense of anticipation and excitement that I used to feel as a little girl waiting for that Man in Red to come down the chimney! My favourite albums and a favourite time of the year!!!

As in previous years I will use Shimelle's prompts - but try to add a little twist of my own. Last year in order to stay on task I took a photo every day in December, the year before I had only about half my pages with photos, and the two years previous to that I simply worked with the prompt topic.
This year I thought I would try to include snippets of information about the day/date that interested me - a bit like an old fashioned almanac, with quotes: poems: other countries Christmas Traditions, poems or legends,odd snippets and scraps which have caught my attention : all related solely to the month of December- well thats the theory anyway - lets hope I can make it work!
I am also really trying to post on my blog more regularly - especially as I complete my Journal

Quote for the Day
Christmas, children, is not a date.  It is a state of mind.  ~Mary Ellen Chase

December 1st - on this day

• in 1761 Marie Tussaud was born
• in 1955 Rosa Parks is arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama
• in 1971 it was my Wedding Day - the day I married my first husband - and it was also a Wednesday!
• in 1990 the English & French halves of the Channel Tunnel meet up.

It is also St Eligius Day - and as the Patron saint of Metal workers - he is quite significant for me as my husband is a metal worker, as was my Grandfather and my Uncle - and we have Smiths as a name in our family tree.

I just need now to plan my "manifesto" for this year and hopefully tonight it will all come together so that tomorrow I have the first page in this years journal.I am planning on  making it as easy as possible so will keep it simple. Love Shimelle's print out for today!! I have just decorated the Christmas Tree in the school foyer - hope you like it!

I love this season of the year!
Bannaghtyn J x

Big skies and

- - beautiful colours driving in this morning. I am truly blessed with my daily commute as I come in towards the rising sun and home again towards the setting sun - so beautiful skies are a gift given to me each day. This morning the moon was a single pearl hanging from the sky like a jewel - soft and glimmering in the reflected light as the new day dawned. Sunriise painted the sky with peaches and cream fading to pearl and silver, tree branches, chimney pots and soaring gulls made silhouettes like a child's drawing

I just wish I could do it justice with my camera - but somehow my pictures never quite work out how I think they will.
Nice of you to drop by,
J x

Birthday flowers - -

- - from my youngest daughter. Today was our my Craft Club's all day event and we had a great, though we were quite a small group this time compared to previous all day activities. We did manage to enjoy ourselves though and the kit went down really well. That is always a relief for H & I as we do all the choosing of product. Any way a good time was had by all and Theo,  H's new baby boy - was a little love - so very placid and good that she was able to make the whole album and stay for most of the day and so enjoy the whole class!

When I got home it was to find that R had had D - her boyfriend, go to M & S to get me flowers & wine for my special day! So here are my beautiful flowers!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Jx

A Different twist - -

A challenge today to add a slightly different twist to my scrapbook journalling - since I had my recipe book out I took my inspiration from that. I can't claim that it is my idea - as I know I have seen poems?? or similar called "Recipe for a Happy Marriage" - however I made it really pertinent for us, as I listed what I thought had made our relationship work.

Take one boy and one girl
Add love – and mix well

Into the mixture - -
Add a large handful of liking
A huge scoop of laughter
Two handfuls of tolerance
4 listening ears
A large pinch of friendship
A spoonful of patience
A dollop of courage
A measure of trust
And a pinch of space to grow
Mix very carefully and share generously every day. Make it last - for always.

Result – me & you –still loving and laughing, still together, still happy in each other’s company
What could possibly be better than that?
I plan to include it on a page at some point - just don't know when!!

Thanks for stopping by. J x

Write like a novellist

Well I have tried - this was the prompt from my latest class with Shimelle which inspired this

She lay in the semi darkness – the bed beginning to warm to cosiness as the wind -howling & wuthering in the darkness outside - battered itself against the roof & chimney – the cottage almost shook – but she knew that it was only her imagination, built into the hillside as it was, meant that was an impossibility! Hailstones spattered the skylight just over her head and the continually rising wind was beginning to roar – she had never heard it sound so elemental or loud before. The cottage felt like a small ark being tossed around on the “cloudy seas” from Alfred Noyes poem The Highwayman, as the storm raged overhead.
In her imagination she could see the bay – knowing that the sea would be churning as white horses gallupped into the shore before crashing in tumble of white water, blown spume and spray against the cliffs. Here in the safety of her bedroom – a little sanctuary from the wildness of the night - she was safe & warm – just her and her thoughts – a small smile played over her lips as she thought of Christmas plans before drowsiness crept up silently and suddenly she slept - - --


Thanks for stopping by
J x

Questions????

The first prompt for true stories came today - and it was all about asking questions - an interesting start - and one of the options was What Frequently Asked Questions do you get asked?
Not a lot I found in my case - good job there are few other options to choose from!
I did manage to think of a couple of questions -
1 What made you move here?
2 Would you ever go back?
3 How long have you been here?

Not really very exciting but there you have it.
We had to scribble our ideas or answers in a note book as really this class is all about journalling and actually WRITING more - with a real pen or pencil and on paper!!

I do write my thoughts - but mostly on the 'puter. So I guess I will do as I am told and use a notebook. Off now to do just that - -so more later hopefully
Thanks for stopping by.
J x

Words - -

- - and True Stories - as Shimelle is running a new class starting on Monday! And of course I have signed up - don't I always??? Though recent classes have resulted in half finished projects - much to my dismay. I have never been brilliant at keeping up with the posting of my pages etc - but I do usually manage to complete an album - -somehow life is getting too much in the way of my creativity. And usually I am very much a "glass half full" person so actually I find I am quite down about it - I am also constantly tired and am no longer sleeping very well so maybe that has a lot to do with it. Better get a tonic I think! We have had a difficult couple of years with our son - maybe it is beginning to catch up with me.
On a more positive note I am looking forward to the class - I do love words! I rather feel my life is a little too mundane to make much of story though - being a creature of habit and routine doesn't make for very exciting reading I feel.
Thanks for stopping by.
J x