Reflections

Another 'Post It Noteholder'

These little 'Post It Noteholders' sure are getting quick to do! A friend of my Mother-In-Law supports 'North Melbourne' Football Club - another club that we won't talk anymore about - *grin* - and so here is one for her!

On the health side of things . . . I took myself back to the doctor today - whilst there's no pain in my ear, it's still blocked and feeling the whole time like it should 'pop' BUT it just won't do it! He believes that whilst the middle-ear infection has cleared itself, my Eustacian tube is blocked . . . here's some information I found online from THIS website . . .

Your middle ear is connected to the back of your nose by a narrow tube called the Eustachian Tube. This tube acts like a pressure valve and opens to make sure the ait pressure is the same on both sides of your eardrum. When it opens you feel a pop.

Normally, each time (or each second or third time) you swallow, your ears make a little click or popping sound. This occurs because a small bubble of air has entered your middle ear, up from the back of your nose. It passes through the Eustachian tube, a membrane-lined tube about the size of a pencil lead that connects the back of the nose to the middle ear. The air in the middle ear is constantly being absorbed by its membranous lining and resupplied through the Eustachian tube. In this manner, air pressure on both sides of the eardrum stays about equal. If and when the air pressure is not equal, the ear feels blocked.

The Eustachian tube can be blocked, or obstructed, for a variety of reasons. When that occurs, the middle ear pressure cannot be equalized. The air already there is absorbed and a vacuum occurs, sucking the eardrum inward and stretching it. Such an eardrum cannot vibrate naturally, so sounds are muffled or blocked.

How To Unblock Your Ears

Swallowing activates the muscle that opens the Eustachian tube. Yawning is even better.

BUT - if yawning and swallowing are not effective, unblock your ears as follows:

• Step 1: Pinch your nostrils shut.
• Step 2: Take a mouthful of air.
• Step 3: Using your cheek and throat muscles, force the air into the back of your nose as if you were trying to blow your thumb and fingers off your nostrils.

So . . . the doctor suggested that I take another course of the antibiotics - just to be sure that we have got all the infection AND to try and 'pop' my ears - try the pinching nostril technique described above AND by inhaling eucalyptus vapours (putting a towel over my head and then leaning over a bowl of hot water with a little eucalytus oil added to it) I have my fingers crossed that this will work!

Until next time . . .

MS Readathon Ends

The MS Readathon ended on Monday and James is very pleased to be able to say that he has exceeded his goal to raise $350! You can visit his personal webpage here or by clicking on the 'MS Readathon' picture in the left hand menu!

His Auntie Helen challenged him to read for 55 blocks of time (each one being 10 minutes) and then she would give him and extra $5 . . . well Monday night saw him reading before going to bed, just so that he could reach that goal too!

CONGRATULATIONS James! You have done an absolutely fantastic job and we are all so very proud of you!

Today, whilst I got busy and wrote out all the receipts for his sponsors, James got busy and created numerous 'Thank-you' cards for those people who needed to be sent handwritten receipts - just some simple cardstock, one of my new stamps, circle and scallop punches, a mini blossom and a brad - like I said simple, BUT all hand made by James!

Until next time . . .

Blue, Black & Silver Beaded Bracelet

Remember those beads I told you yesterday I picked up from Spotlight whilst they had their 30% sale on? Well - I ended up choosing some blue beads, some plain black ones and these other black ones that had silver painted around them - I thought teamed with some silver Bali beads, it should be a lovely combination!

I decided to have a bit of a play last night and here are the results

I just loved the varied colours on these blue beads! I'm thinking I might have to make a matching pair of earrings now . . . or maybe a necklace? Mmm - I'll ponder that one some more!

Thanks for the queries on how my ear is . . . well the pain is gone BUT since I started putting the drops in nearly a week ago, I have been deaf in that ear - it's kind of like having a ringing sound in that ear (like after you've been to a loud concert). Very annoying to say the least BUT at least there's no pain. Hopefully the ear will 'pop' and my hearing will return to normal today or tomorrow - otherwise I might have to contact the doctor to get her advise again.

Until next time . . .

 

Beaded Bracelet

Today Spotlight had a 20% off instore sale and so my Mother-In-Law and I just HAD to make another trip in there . . . yes . . . I do say another trip because this was the 3rd one since my Mother-In-Law had arrived a little over a week ago!

You see, having seen the bracelets I made a little while ago, she was very keen to try her hand at making some bracelets herself AND of course she had to stock up on some beading supplies so that she could get into the 'creative' zone - *grin* - AND - of course I had to grab a couple of packets of beads whilst they were on special too!

Anyway - here's one of the bracelets that she has made - this one is for her Sister-In-Law who is stopping by for a visit tomorrow afternoon

 

She's also made a couple for herself AND has a few more ideas of bracelets she wants to make for other people as well . . . it looks like she definitely has the bug doesn't it?

Until next time . . .

Go Kart Racing

Today was Go Karting for James - the first time that Nana Fyfe has seen him race AND it was also the maiden voyage for the Go Kart Trailer that Stuart has built from scratch! I'll have to go through all my pics that we've taken along the way and get some others of it now that it's all complete AND share them won't I? Actually . . . I think a page just might need to be created about it for the 'Boys' album!

James had a great day racing - 2 thirds and 2 fifths AND was just outside the points for picking up the third trophy for the day. The best thing we took out of the day was however, that all the kids raced cleanly this weekend - everyone gave each other racing room and for the first time this year, James came home without a mark on his kart . . . needless to say, he's all inspired to go for a practice session again!

Probably all my Go Kart pics are starting to look the same BUT I'll share another one from today for family and friends who aren't able to get to the track to see James race.

On the scrapping front, I got busy and made another 'Post-It Notebook' BUT I won't share it just yet incase the recipient of it happens to drop by my blog for a read! I have taken some pics of it and promise to share as soon as she receives it though!

Until next time . . .

'Post It' Noteholder

Whilst I was looking forward to our Longford Scrappers day yesterday, I was somewhat distracted by an earache I'd been experiencing since mid afternoon the day before. As that day went on, the earache got progressively worse and throughout that night it ended up keeping me awake for much of it - even taking Panadol didn't really do much to dull the pain.

Needless to say, I got up in the morning and rang the doctor as soon as I was able and was very fortunate to be able to see one at 11.15am. I headed off to my scrapbooking day with the plan to duck away to the doctor as soon as it was time!

The doctor diagnosed a 'Middle Ear Infection' which she believed we had caught nice and early. $48 later, I came away with prescriptions for anti-biotics, ear drops and pain killers and told to take it easy and rest up! I have to say I do hate the drops - I've been deaf in my right ear ever since I put the drops in . . . I can see it's going to be a very long 5 days of treatment! At least the pain has lessened now!

So . . . what did we do at Longford Scrappers yesterday? Well, I didn't get mine finished because I decided that I would give it to my Mother-In-Law with a little image added to the top that I would have to find on the internet. Can I just say - *grin* - that being an avid Carlton supporter, going to the Collingwood site made me feel rather ill - *grin* - my Mother-In-Law should really support another team I think - *grin*

Anyway - here it is . . . a little 'Post-It Noteholder with 'THAT' team on the cover - *grin*

I ended up loading a wallpaper from 'THAT' site - *grin* - and then used the 'Print Screen' function (on my keyboard) to copy a screen shot of the logo onto my clipboard. I then pasted that image into a new image in Photoshop . . . hopefully that doesn't sound too confusing? Using a wallpaper image meant that I got a final image with relatively good clarity once it was cropped to size and printed. To add a little more definition, I also mounted the image onto a piece of chipboard before adhering it to the top of the noteholder!

The only thing we found with the online instructions we were using to make these, was that the spine didn't really allow you to use a full 'Post-It' pad . . . it made the whole thing sit ajar too much. I think the next time I make one, I'm going to make the centre spine section a little wider AND maybe even re-inforce this area with another piece of chipboard as well! I'll be sure to share when I get one made!

Here's the inside

Until next time . . .

 

Yay Nic! She's into 'Bride of the Year' finals!

Some of you might remember my fellow 'Longford Scrapper' - Nic - who was asking for votes in a 'Bride of the Year' competition?

Well - I see on her blog today that she's made it through to the finals!  CONGRATULATIONS Nic!  We all look forward to voting again for you later in the year!

Another Page - 'Occasion Cakes Album'

Remember that 'title' page I shared a little while ago for my 'Occasion Cakes' Album - the album I am going to create which features all the decorated cakes I have done over the years?  Well - I finished a page to go inside it! I've decided to kep all the pages very simple - no titles, dates or journaling - just the photos and some simple decorating to accompany them.

I can't remember exactly how long ago I did this cake (not that it really matters anyway) BUT I remember it was the first one I had done that featured a 'bell' as the top tier!

The cake was covered in white icing and I made all the flowers from icing - orchids, roses, carnations, forget-me-nots and rose leaves too. The sides were simply decorated with lace extension pieces that were attached in a scalloped design around the cake with small apricot bows added for a finishing touch - such a soft and delicate look!

And - as usual - here's a couple of close-ups

Oh - and I just wanted to make mention of James doing the MS Readathon and how well he is going - he's almost reached his goal of raising $350 this year - as you can imagine, he's so very proud! He's only got until the 30th - just a few more days - BUT he's convinced that he can make it AND also reach Auntie Helen's challenge as well! Just click on the link above to be taken direct to his personal MS Readathon Homepage to see how he is going!

Until next time . . .

 

SEI - 'Happy Birthday' Card

After visitng the school first thing for the boys Parent/Teacher Interviews, the rest of yesterday was spent in 'cleaning' mode . . . especially in the boys playroom which has now been converted to Nana's bedroom. The boys were both so excited and very helpful - packing up their toys, moving some of their favourite things to their bedroom, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning the window and then once everything else was done - making up Nana's bed as well.

We even gathered up a few 'pre-loved' toys and books as we were going along and have bundled them up to drop off at the Red Cross 'Recycling' Bin, the next time we are in town. With the boys love of reading meaning we are always buying new and interesting books, it's time we started recycling some of the more junior ones to other people - the book shelf in the playroom is just overflowing - some of that though is because of my own extensive children's library that I established before the boys came along in my Kindergarten Teaching days. I've still got a few books there that I won't be recycling, but some of them are better off for other children to enjoy!

Whilst we were in the cleaning zone and because James wanted to earn some pocket money to buy more 'Football Chipz' and the folder they go in (the latest 'collecting' craze for kids), he decided to clean ALL the windows of the house - well - on the outside anyway! He then asked if he could fill the wood box and even did a little more vacuuming too! Actually, I was quite amazed how many things we got accomplished yesterday!

Today - well - we've been up early - 4.30am to be precise (well Stuart and I anyway) as Stuart's Mum arrived for her two and a bit week stay with us. Her bus was due to arrive at 5 but got in early, so once I received the reply SMS text message to say she was in town, Stuart drove in to pick her up. As you can imagine the boys were so excited to see her here when they got up later on in the morning!

In other news . . . Adam played a 'Grid Game' today - an Auskick game that took place on the main oval during the half time break of the seniors game - Sale City and Glengarry. The day has been bitterly cold - the wind just seemed to cut right through you! He didn't get a kick unfortunately but he did enjoy himself which is the main thing anyway AND he's got Auskick again tomorrow - this time just his usual weekly lesson, she he'll be sure to get his hands on the ball then!

In scrapbooking news - here's another sinple card for my Mother-In-Law's 'Greeting Card' Box - it features more of the yummy SEI pattern papers you'll find in this month's CLUB Scrappit as well as a KaiserCraft Rubon and a Mrs Grossman's Greeting Sticker! Like I said - just a simple one!

And a little close-up too

Until next time . . .

Framed - Counted Cross-Stitch House

Guess what I went and picked up today and that is now hanging on my wall? Yep . . . my 'Counted Cross-Stitch House' that I finished a few weeks back.

I just love how it looks all framed . . . inparticular, I love the timber I was able to choose for the frame - it's got a blue/grey painted area as well which ties in perfectly with the wall colour in our entry area!

With this one now hanging on the wall, it's really motivated me to continue on with this other one - that I started several years ago when James (who is now 9) was only a baby . . . I hope it looks equally good once it is framed (although because of it's bigger size, I'm sure it's going to cost me a small fortune - *grin*)

In other news . . . the boys brought home their school reports on Monday and we were so pleased to learn that they are both are doing fantastic at the academic level - slightly above where they should be at this time of the year! We've got Parent/Teacher interviews tomorrow, so with no school taking place, the boys are really looking forward to a bit of a sleep-in in the morning! With only one week of school left, the school holidays can't come soon enough - they are both getting so tired - this term has certainly been a long one!

Until next time . . .