Wilderness trail

I'm not sure how I agreed to go on a wilderness trail where the camp has no electricity and the daily walk is about 7 hours in thick bush among wild elephants and rhino.  But I did.  And I had such a great time.  The trail was organised by Dr. Bridget Sutton.

We left Johannesburg at 5am on Tuesday morning, fetched Leonie in Pretoria, and then headed to Nelspruit.  Breakfast was at Milly's, and then we pushed on to the Kruger National Park, checking in to Bergendal Camp.  It was great to meet new friends - there were 8 ladies in our group, some from Port Elizabeth.

Leonie, Bridget and I as we arrive in Kruger at Malelane gate

Our chalet at Bergendal

The beautiful Impala Lily

Buffalo feeding at the river

Sunset in Africa on the Bushman's trail

In the middle of a 7 hour hike, Leonie and I rest

Up close and personal with an elephant

The brave girls at 6.30am, ready for hiking on day 2

Our 'home' on the bushman's trail

Brave girls after completing the Bushman's wilderness trail

Leonie and I - scrubbed clean and feeling human again. 

We stayed at a private camp for an extra 2 days after the trail ended,

some time to rest and recuperate after a really tough walk in the bush

Our tent at Nkambeni Tented Lodge

A late afternoon game drive

Yep, we're considering doing another trail next year with the girls again.

Encouragement

Hello, I'm back from the wilderness trail; photo's and the story to follow soon.  For now, a little comfort from Brave Girls Club

Layout to share

The weekend was great - I got to scrap with the Scrap Addicts on Saturday - it's always great to be with them

A quick layout to share about a previous trip to the Kruger Park with my friend Cathy.  I've been going to Kruger since I was a little girl, I still love it.

I'm off to the Kruger National Park for a few days, back next week

Mexican hotties

I hosted a mexican dinner for friends last Saturday, such fun!  You will have seen all these people in previous scrapbook pages.  Pat and Marlene made the starters accompanied by Margarita's, I served tacos with spicy mince, chillies, sour cream and cheese, and Cathy brought cheesecake - we didn't care that it wasn't a mexican dessert because it was delicious.

Good friends, good food and memorable moments - that's a great evening for me

The mexican hotties (LOL)

Pat and Marlene.  They drove all the way to my home dressed like this

but no-one really noticed because it was already so dark outside

Cathy and I; Cathy brought the scenery - ze cactus centrepiece

Pat made the starter of nachos and guacamole - yum!

Just a list

listening : Mumford & Sons - sigh no more
reading : the Bible
watching : the housewives of New York
eating : butternut soup (yum!)
drinking : Jacobs Kronung decaf coffee
weather : cold and overcast, just 10 degrees
wearing : warm red fleece
feeling : a little snotty with a head cold
playing : with my Slice
wanting : more beads for my Pandora bracelet
needing : to learn how to stop worrying so much
waiting : for Saturday to spend time scrapping with the Scrap Addicts
enjoying : planning a weekend scrapbooking trip to the Good Shepherd
thankful : that it's Friday

Have a great weekend

Layout to share

May 18 was a successful, peaceful election day in South Africa - well done South Africa!  I went to vote at 3.30pm, strolled straight in and voted within 2 minutes.  That's democracy in action.

A quick layout to share this Thursday morning...

This is a quick 1-pager using scraps of paper

I don't always do double page layouts

Mini books to share

I love making mini books - mostly as gifts.  I have a Zutter bind-it-all which is very useful for whipping up quick gift book.  Here are 2 which I made a while ago.

Matchbook album

I used the idea of a book of matches to make an album of my girls

The outside of the matchbook is covered in protective plastic

the mini pages are bound only on the left with the ribbon

Inspirational chipboard album

I covered this chipboard album in paper and my favourite quotes.

I made this album at a very difficult time in my life,

and kept it next to my bed for comfort and encouragement.

I still page through it often

Tomorrow is election day in South Africa - an opportunity to exercise our democratic rights and responsibilities by voting.  I'm praying for a peaceful and fair election.

What if?

What if ...

• I am perfect as I am?
• I have an incredible talent that must be shared with the world?
• I am right where I am supposed to be at this moment in my life?
• I am in the perfect job for me right now?
• I am exactly the right weight for me?
• My prince charming is on his way now?

I am so mindful of the fact that nothing lasts forever, neither the good stuff nor the bad stuff. 

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.  Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.  Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.  Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.  One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return"
              **Mary Jean Iron**

What are YOUR "what if's" this Monday morning?

Layouts to share

As you may know, I have cut most carbs out of my diet for the last 6 weeks and have been moving my butt a whole lot more.  I have lost 5 kilograms.  And now my weight is stuck.  I am walking and running and kickboxing and staying away from the sugar and carbs, but - stuck!  Sheesh.  I need to rethink what I'm doing without over-reacting.  Go and take a look at Cathy Zielske's blog today; I love her honesty about the battle with her weight

A couple of layouts to share

I always add lots of photo's, and just a few embellishments

I love the effect of the paper strips, and use this idea often. 

I have used a Martha Stewart punch around the edges

The T!m Holtz ticket words are ideal for this page

about my sweet niece, Elizabeth

This is my 2009 album, too fat ya think? 

I'm not sure how to split it because when I put the pages

into 2 separate albums, the albums seem too small.

I'll just ponder this for a while. 

You can choose again

Sometimes we are paralysed by choices, by having to make a decision about what to do.  Life is never about being 100% sure about anything, but a comfort is knowing that in most cases, we can choose again.  If we make the wrong decision about something...buying property, getting in or out of a relationship, choosing a holiday destination, a hairstyle, selecting a field of study or making a career choice to take the new job or not, we have the right to change our minds and choose again.  There may be a cost to changing our mind and making a different choice, but you can weigh up the cost against choosing again.

Let the fear melt away about making the decision, and know that in most cases, if you make the wrong decison, YOU CAN CHOOSE AGAIN

**Taken from my (unpublished) book "Whispered Comfort**

Bits 'n pieces

It was a wonderfully lazy weekend; it rained most of Saturday so I spent time in my scrap room and scrapped 4 pages.  I have bought an external hard drive to back up my photo's - busy with that now.  It's hard to decide which are 'must keep' photo's and which can be deleted, so I'm probably going to keep most of my photo's.

"To have a satisfying life,
you need good friends,
plenty to do, and a
job that means something to you"
**Anon**

It's Mothers Day, and I'm celebrating good friends and plenty to do.  Lynn, Richard and I walked at the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens at 08h00 this morning; we hike together about every 6 weeks.  The ground was soggy after all the rain; it was beautiful being outdoors.  A gentle stroll turned into some serious walking up and down hills, and we climbed to the top of the waterfall - phew!  We saw the Black Eagles on their nest below.  Our reward was the satisfaction of choosing to be active (as part of my MOVE MORE, EAT LESS goal), and a hot breakfast in the Eagles Fayre restaurant.

Yep, we climbed all the way up here from way down there

me with Lynn and Richard at the top of murder hill

Now... about that job that means something...

Have a great week!

I'm working on

I'm working on...

• moving more and eating less - less carbs, more walking and kickboxing
• uncluttering, bit by little bit
• finishing craft and e-course projects
• reading the pile of magazines next to my bed
• planting winter bulbs
• reading "straight talk" by Steve Harvey
• more self-care - spending a day at Soulstice Day Spa
• resting
• reorganising and decluttering my craft room
• scrapbooking for the sheer joy of it
• reaching out to friends
• supporting my sister who is very ill
• living in a constant state of gratitude

What are YOU working on?

Layouts to share

With the easter weekend just gone by, here are some travel layouts to share.  Both layouts are from a trip to Richmond in the Northern Cape; this little town is roughly halfway between Johannesburg and Cape Town, so a good place to spend the night on a long journey.  My brother Michael, lives in Richmond, a really small but historic town.  The air is wonderfully clear in the town, so the photographic opportunities are awesome - especially fabulous sunsets.

Keeping the attention on the photo's,

not too much embellishing or fiddly bits.

I used a brochure about the town as part of the story on my layout

I hand cut the shapes for the title,

simple letter stickers on a double mat, raised with thick foam tape

You may have noticed - I love to use a LOT of photo's on my layouts!

I also always do some journalling on my layouts

3 'must do' things in Richmond:

1. Enjoy a meal at Vetmuis Kombuis
2. visit the horse museum
3. walk around the town and take gorgeous photo's

A new morning

Each morning, God gives us a basket of new gifts - the gifts of hope, grace and new beginnings.  Choose to unwrap and use these gifts joyously, looking forward in anticipation to what could be.  A fresh start each day.  Just for you.  Just for me.

**Taken from my (unpublished) book "Whispered Comfort"**

Winter pansies make me happy.  I planted some in my garden. 

Little smiling faces that greet me every morning

Layout to share

Good morning world.  William and Kate are now married and Osama is dead.   This moment in our history feels huge and significant and maybe just a bit scary. 

Some comforting Oprah wisdom at this time... "no matter what is happening in my life, your life, our world, that sun is going to keep rising, and I trust in the power that allows that to occur.  I call it sunrise faith.  Sunrise faith is knowing that you will make it through.  It's believing in abundance and your own worthiness"

Easter has come and gone.  I really enjoyed the public holidays and time off, the opportunity to go slowly and pause, often.  I scrapped a delicious pile of pages - a total of 28 pages during April!  This page was inpired by Margie Romney-Aslett, who was in South Africa recently with Tim Holtz.

My scrapping style is usually quite classical and orderly, so I really enjoyed doing this less orderly, somewhat crazy page.  Feel free to scraplift and copy this page.

t!m holtz

I met t!m at Emperor's Palace on 2 April 2011 - what an awesome man!

Have fallen in love with the Ranger products and t!m's great teaching style

My version of Tim's project - a travel journal

Tim signed the inside cover of my travel journal

a few of the pages

I will fill the travel album with extra photo's from my Italy

trip in September 2011,

I KNOW that I will take a gazillion photo's

My friend, Leonie who attended Tim's class with me, and

who will be travelling with me to Italy (her second trip in 2 years!)