Thursday, October 29, 2009

Time to check in

It's been another very long week.

Things continue to be difficult at school- everyone is still angry, depressed and upset, and I am sure will continue to be throughout the year.

I have had two severe migraines in the last week- certainly a result of exhaustion and stress. Had to go to bed this afternoon for hours to knock out today's headache. :(

How about some good news?

People who don't understand sometimes make fun of the idea of "online friends". Too bad for them- they are really missing out. Years ago no one thought the idea of pen-pals was odd, but taking this concept into the internet age seems alien to a lot of people. One of my favorite books and movies is "84 Charing Cross Road", the story of a 20 year correspondence that leads to a wonderful friendship between two people who never meet. See the movie if you get a chance- Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins are marvelous in it.

Anyway.... back to the topic here. The card above came from my kind and caring Internet friend Shirley. I so wish that the scan did it justice- the shimmery paint on the fish is gorgeous! You really must check out her blog- her cards are always so beautiful! She is so thoughtful- this card was waiting for me when I came home from a particularly bad day at school and really cheered me up! Thanks SOOO much, Shirley!

I have received other cards, and lots of emails and messages, from "online friends"- which has really helped make these last few painful weeks a little easier. I really appreciate my online friends!

Another good thing was my scrapbooking weekend! I spent two days with good friends, we laughed a lot, we got some work done, and I was able to focus entirely on something else for a little time. I took the pieces to begin working on the album from our cruise to Bermuda in 2007. I didn't get any actual pages done, but I did get all my pictures cropped and matted and in order. I used the Perfect Layers rulers to do all the matting- these are getting VERY hard to find and I hope someone starts selling them again- I showed about 5 people how to use them and now they all want them as well.

We visited a little scrapbooking shop near the camp and I get a terrific tee-shirt. It says "iScrap" and is purple to match my iPhone! I also found some blades for a paper trimmer that I bought years ago and really like but hadn't been using because the original blades wore out, plus a few other things. I also bought a LOT of Creative Memories supplies this weekend- several album kits, plus a couple tools- I really think CM makes great quality tools. AND.... I won a raffle and got a complete Black & White 12 x 12 Power Palette- it is GORGEOUS!!!!

The most important part of the weekend, of course, was spending time with a great bunch of ladies, particularly my Flybaby friends. We always have so much fun and they are wonderful friends.

Well, the Phillies just lost, but that's ok- they won last night and they now come home to play. Sunday will be wild with the Eagles in the afternoon and the Phillies at night- not going to get much done then! Time now to get things ready for the morning- however much I may fall off the FlyLady wagon in other ways, she certainly has helped me with making my nighttime routine a ritual I cannot go to bed without finishing. And, in spite of 5 hours sleep this afternoon, I am ready for bed.

Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow!

3 comments:

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

Luckily, I have no aptitude for scrapbooking! Otherwise, I might have to move into a bigger house, or build a studio, or something!

I agree, online friends are special, and I'd be lost without them!

I've been watching the Phillies with great interest! We moved to the Chicago area in 1965, but I think of Philadelphia as my home town, and I would move back in a heartbeat!

Catherine said...

Beautiful card! I agree that online friends are much like pen pals from years gone by. I really don't believe that many people actually sit to write letters anymore - it makes me sad, as I see writing as an art. Same goes for all the new gadgets for "reading" books. I need to have the actual book in hand and be able to turn the page.

I can't imagine how the spark was taken out of the kids at your school. Especially for the students that aren't graduating this year.

Since you scrapbook and live in Philly - you should check out the Flower and Craft Warehouse in BlueBall, PA (nevermind the name of the town, it is what it is!) - they have a whole room dedicated to scrapbooking!! If you Google it, I believe you'll see some pictures.

GO PHILLIES!!!

Shirley said...

Not only do we chat like close friends, but we enable too! LOLOL I am still thinking of you all and hope someone will look into maybe a charter school for all of those who want to stay together to finish their 4 years there.