Finding joy in the everyday

How true. We are often so busy looking after our own families that we forget that our parents are getting older and need our help. We need to reach out and care for our parents, even when its difficult (as it can be).  They have done so much for us, now it is our turn to help.  If they are living alone they also need someone just to talk to and a phone call can make all the differences. My dad and I chat for ages on the phone (we often fix the worlds problems all by ourselves) and I pray that these phone calls do cheer him up and do make a difference. He lived with mum for so many years and now he is on his own and that must be very lonely at times. This is our time to help our parents and even if you live a long way from your parents, as I do, there are little things you can do such as regular phone calls, letters and cards (always a nice surprise to receive a cheery letter), assist with buying books, clothes etc..  . . . . because one day we will be old...

Ruby and my new wool I went wool shopping last Friday and discovered some amazing wools to buy, I just need to improve my knitting skills so I can use them.  I decided to move from making a simple square to making a scarf which can't be that hard (?) to make and its certainly something I will wear during winter - so its something useful!  This is the wool I finally bought, it was a hard decision making up my mind!! I was planning on making a black scarf, but as you can see here, this is certainly not black - it contains all the colours of the rainbow!! Its 50% wool, 50% acrylic and made in Turkey. Now (whilst I hate to admit it), I learnt a valuable lesson this week . . .  make sure you have the right needles for the job. The wrong needles really do cause problems . . . I bought 7mm needles for this wool and this is the result. More like a heavy blanket and certainly not suitable for a scarf.  What I really needed was size 20 (mm) which is ...

Dear friends, Another week has gone and a new one about to commence. Its been a quiet week for me, however my poor husband has been very busy. As I mentioned last week, our washing machine was playing up and after attempting a load of washing on Monday, we decided it was time to replace it (it would spin when it needed water, add water when it was meant to be washing and then decided to do nothing at all).  The new one arrived on Tuesday (works beautifully) and for the rest of the week DH spent replacing the taps, washers etc and making sure they didn't drip or leak. It might sound like an easy job, but it wasn't . . . it also involved a number of trips to the hardware store and finally the plumbing store. All looks good now, I had complete faith in him that it would work in the end - DH had his doubts!! My son has completed his first week in his new job. He bought a new outfit last weekend and looked very smart on his first day.  So far, so good which is such great ...

I am a fan of boxes for storage. I don't know about you, but I run out of places to put things and I find boxes (big and small) very handy. There are many to choose from and they come in many different sizes and shapes. They start from a under a dollar and can cost over $20 for the fancy ones. There a girly boxes, boxes for children, more boyish boxes and just plain boxes.  I always struggle in deciding which ones I need as there is often too many to choose from!! If mine are on display (such as on a shelf in the bedroom) I go for the more expensive feminine designed ones (see below). If they are for the cupboard (e.g. for sewing) where only I see them  -  I am not as fussy.  These feminine boxes are in my bedroom - considering how pretty they look, they aren't expensive additions to a room -  the larger box was $12, the smaller box $9 and but really do look lovely on the shelf. These I picked up from the Reject Store (dollar store). I can imagine ...

This is a bit of a cheats "Art Friday" but I've been busy and I haven't had heaps of time to put together anything detailed.  But during the week I have come across a couple of contemporary artists that you might enjoy.  Below is work by Michelle Manley (from Texas) who has some very expressive storm art that is well worth checking out.  For anyone who lives in Texas, are storms like this, dramatic? "Storm Series" by Michelle Manely:   http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/michelle-manley-storm-series *** *** Canadian photography  Patty Maher and her   "Faceless Women" series I find this sort of photography interesting and very artistic, but I understand it isn't everyone's cup of tea. http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/patty-maher-faceless-women-photography *** *** Diana Belran Herrera and her paper birds These are gorgeous Link for more wonderful examples of paper birds...

Happiness is for today.  Joy is available now.  We are NOT to put it on hold.  Happiness isn't something that will secretly open up to us when we turn fifty-five, or when we reach some goal or fund the right marriage partner. Happiness is for now. It is inseparably linked to the living Lord. . .  Happiness is to pervade all the years of our life. We don't have to wait until we reach some magical age when we are allowed to crack open the door and slip silently into the realm of happiness. It's there for us to enjoy throughout our days.  from Wisdom for the way by Charles R Swindoll I am a happy person, it takes a lot for me to loose my "happiness", but for some people it doesn't always come as easy and it can be a struggle just getting up in the morning.  Its on those sad days that I wish I could send a little bundle of my happiness to share as I don't like seeing sad people :) I do have tough days, things don't always ...

This is for all the knitters out there - making a difference, one park bench after another.  Making the world a much prettier place to rest your weary bodies!! But don't rely on me - it has taken me all week to make one square. And for those who are very clever knitters, check this out - these are the cutest children's toys but very much beyond my current capabilities.   http://www.jeangreenhowe.com/index.html .  For all those who aren't knitters - this looks like more fun and the children (big and small) will love you.  How about dipping them in chocolate and then add sprinkles.  Source: Both clever ideas come from Facebook. Creativity is contagious, pass it one. ~Albert Eistein~