2 days to Christmas

With just 2 days to go to Christmas, I'm deeply grateful for...

• having the resources to be able to bless other people
• the wonderfully cool weather in Johannesurg, and lots of rain
• the opportunity to see my brother Michael over Christmas (he lives far away in the Karoo)
• friends and family who care about me and bless my life
• work that I enjoy and which challenges me to reach higher all the time
• scrapbooking
• my gorgeous kittens
• the gift of salvation - being a born again Christian

May you be blessed abundantly this Christmas
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3 days to Christmas

I'm still working until midday tomorrow so it doesn't really feel like Christmas yet. 

I attend a regular Wednesday evening Bible Study group - a wonderful group of people who bless my life immensely; I so appreciate their prayers and messages of comfort as I travel around the globe.  This past Saturday evening, we had our Bible Study Christmas dinner, once again a blessed time of sharing and comfort.  This group reminds me of the real reason for the Christmas season - the birth of Jesus Christ - our Lord and Saviour.  He is the real gift to us at this time of year.

The layout below is of the 2009 Bible Study Group Christmas gathering. 

Sunrise

like an egg dropped
by the slip
of a child's hand
the night lies spilled
the morning has broken
          **Dikobe wa Mogale**

I LOVE this beautiful poem - enjoy

5 days to Christmas

Just 5 days to Christmas - it's come too soon, almost as though it's snuck up on me when I wasn't looking!

5 things right now...

• I went scrapbook shopping in Pretoria on Saturday (LOVED it!) - Scrap-a-doodles have the best range of supplies and lowest prices right now
• we've had tons of rain and a bit of hail in the last 10 days
• new yummy finds : low-alcohol beer shandy and moroccan spatchcock chicken from Woolworths
• I'm packing for a looong trip to Richmond (Northern Cape / Bo-Karoo) on Friday
• I'm thinking about my 2011 goals and dreams - I'll let these simmer and unfold during the next few weeks

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Scrapbooking retreat

I have been scrapbooking with  a group called the Scrap Addicts since 1998. We scrapbook together once a month, and we set the dates a year in advance.  We also save money all year for an annual Christmas scrapbooking retreat.  This past weekend, we spent time on our annual retreat at the heavenly Maison Bordeaux guest house in Randburg - total luxury and comfort.  Here's a snapshot of the weekend...

We've just arrived on Friday afternoon - Lynn, Lynette, Leonie and I

The patio outside my bedroom

My bedroom - heavenly comfort

The living area became our scrapbook room

Lynn and I enjoy breakfast on the patio

Lynn

Dontcha love my page!?

Leonie

Lynette

Time to go home - Joyce was our hostess for the weekend and

treated us to tons of filter coffee and delicious meals

Rain

Johannesburg is soggy with all the rain that we've had since last weekend.  LOVE IT!!  This is a dry country and we don't get nearly enough rain, so I'm joyful right now. 

I love the sound of the rain, the smell of the rain on the dry earth, the feeling of wanting to huddle and find comfort in hot coffee and Christmas mince pies.  I love my kittens wanting to snuggle up against me because it's cool.  I even love their muddy feet traipsing mud into my home.  Thank you Lord for this gorgeous rain!

Layout to share

I just spent the most awesome weekend at Maison Bordeaux guest house in Johannesburg.  The 4 Scrap Addicts spent the entire weekend scrapping - totally glorious but more on that later when I have some pictures (drool!) to share.  For now, see www.maisonbordeaux.co.za


This is another layout to share using just scraps and leftovers...

I encourage you to look at your scraps of paper with new eyes - they can easily become cards, gift tags, scrap pages or covers to note books for 2011.

This past weekend, we discussed how to store scraps of paper, and there was no real consensus.  Some store scraps by colour, some by pattern.  All I do is sort through my scraps every few months, toss (into the recycing bin) anything smaller than half a page (probably A5 size) and keep the rest in a plastic basket at the bottom of my scrapbooking cupboard.