Introducing challenge 46

The awesome Ronda Palazzari of one little word (OLW) fame has issued us the challenge for this week.
One More Day, because the journaling was so hard to get out. So I
think if I was to challenge your players, I would challenge them to tell a
story that is difficult to tell...whether it is your fears, your regrets,
your wishes.

Her actual journaling...
One more day with you is all I should ask. It is hard for a girl of 10 to lose her favorite Grandfather. The memories are fading over these years and I wish I could have one more day together. I had more days with Grandma but what does a 16 year old know about time spent with a loved one who is dying of cancer. I was scared. I made your food and tucked you into bed but that was all. I could have sat with you, listened to you, read to you but I didn't do anything. And now regrets and wishes for One more day with you. I miss you both something terrible. I am sorry for not appreciating the time I could have had with you while you walked on this earth. One more day is all I am asking for so I can tell you how much I love you and how big a role you did play in my life, even if our time together was short. But then at the end of the day I would probably want One more day together...

You have until the 12 of December 2008, midnight GMT to either leave a comment with the URL to your LO, or email it to me, my email is on the right.

My name is Stefanie and I am a branded shopper.

I looked through my cupboards and what did I see... branded items.
Mr Min polish, I only use Avroy Shlain's sunscreen because I sell it and because I believe it is the best.
Mr Muscle for the kitchen counters, Domestos for the loos, Sunlight for washing the dishes and Handy Andy for general cleaning power...

The grocery cupboard was much the same, five roses orange tea, only Jacob's decaf, Nestle's hot chocolate, Ina Paarman's herbs and spices (no MSG), Simba chips (Willards only if it is seriously cheaper, but in my heart I'm a Simba supporter, Lays are good too, but Simba makes them as well), Bakers biscuits, Bokomo weetbix, Crosse and Blackwell for mayonnaise, All gold for tomato sauce and Mrs Balls for chutney, and look, no-name for the peanut butter. Can you tell that's in the cupboard for the kids mainly? My hubby shops for the cheapest, I decided long ago that for some things cheap will do but for the rest, I have my favourites.
Shhh! don't tell him! or my Mother.

Decopatch Papers

Tracy K created these.

These were crafted by Nicole.

These decopatch papers were generously sponsored to the journaling junkie team before I took over and these items were made by Nicole Drewniak and Tracy King.

If you're intersted in any of the papers please contact :

Karen Doherty

Vice President,

Marketing Exaclair, Inc
143 West 29th Street, Suite 1000
New York, NY 10001
Tel. - 1-800-933-8595, Ext. 17
Fax - 646-473-1422
Home Office - 516-484-2930

Reader's roundup take 2

This one is from Gracie Ann.

Journaling:Pink dresses & flowers, little bears & cute dolls,I guess it's a part of a little girl's life.You looked so cute with that dress& even cuter with the cuddly little bear beside you.

Reader's roundup.

Journal: True Friends are hard to find, to be able to find one, you should learn to be one. We've been friends since grade school and for sure our children will do...

Thanks to Bernadine for this one, challenge 43 Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Mia's challenge 45 : brands

Journaling:
Gone are the days of generic toys!
Nadine and Raya are old enough to know what they want.
And they definitely want the branded ones.
Nov 2008

Cabbie's challenge 45.

journaling: the secret to every woman's aura is her scent that's why the moment Victoria Secret's Amber Romance filled up my senses, it captivated me more than any other cologne or perfume. You can smell the fresh flower scent and as the day comes to an end, the smell would linger on!
Talk about secrets!!!

Marisha introducing challege 45

Brand names: Think of the products you commonly use in your household- laundry detergents, dish soap, cleaning products, toilet paper, paper towels, or even food products (cereal, canned vegies, ice-cream etc) What are the well known brands your family tends to use? How did you come up with these brands? Did your parents use the same brands and you just followed suit? Did you experiment with various brands until you came up with the one you liked. Or do you just buy the one on sale? Make a LO including some of your favourite brand names and how you discovered them.

This challenge is due by midnight GMT the 5th of December.

Readers roundup.

This is from Janis for challenge 43.

Journaling: (not) – pretty little thing… possesses that sweet smile that can melt hearts of steel… talented (Karen Carpenter in the making)… a (barbie) doll… future beauty queen… you may be a lot of things but to me, you’ll always be Mommy’s princess….

This one is from Ali.
Only the sandals are left.

My baby, my last one. My special child, the one I worry about most. The one who brings me such joy; excitement in every accomplishment and milestone. They don’t come easily.

You went to school today, Noah. First day, first time. Smiling, excited about “Big School.” You even called it “Noah’s school” once or twice!!

First time in almost 14 years that I have no little people at home with me. All four kids are in school now.

It feels so weird. I go around the house, looking at things, putting away toys, doing laundry, all the million things that Mommies do. My desk is piled with writing, an open Daytimer, work and ideas. It calls to me. I ignore it and take one more tour around the house, finally stopping in the room you share with Daniel.

There are books and toys on the floor, but I leave them. They seem comforting. The shelves look empty ‘cause your sneakers are on your feet, your favourite hat on your head. You went off to school like a big boy. My special child.

Only the sandals are left. Left behind as summer days have been left behind, as being a preschooler has been left behind.

Only your sandals.
This one is from Lynette.
I had to really "dig deep" for this pic. It was taken in 1985 when my children were still kids. Kobus Jr is in my shoes and Wynand in his dad's. The journalling is a poem that I found...the origins and author unknown. It reads " Sandals, pumps and highheeled boots, it really is a treat. To wear Mom's many pairs of shoes, upon my little feet. Loafers, wingtips, cowboy boots, it really is a treat. To wear Dad.s many pairs of shoes, upon my little feet." Wow...looking through old photos really brings back memories. My two boys are already daddy's themselves!

This one is from Timi.
My Journaling: Dannah and I have a lot of things in common. Aside from being look-alikes, we love doing some things together - chatting, shopping for gifts and pasalubong, planning for family celebrations, traveling together, posing for a photo and wearing the same style of clothing and shoes. I just loved these shoes that I also got one for Dannah, size 8 for me and size 7 for Dannah.

Thanks again to all of you ladies for taking up the challenge.

you don't know how glad it makes me that we have readers who actually "go for it "too,

hopefully we all end up with LO's done that we wouldn't have thought of doing

that tell a story and leave a legacy.
Blessings, Stefanie.

Tracy K's "shoes-y"

Journaling: He 's only 10. I was pretty sure that I had at least another year or so before it really mattered. You know..."it", wearing the right shoes, having the right look. He saw the commercial on TV right before we went shoe shopping. I was excited that he was finally taking an interest in anything that he put on his body so I humored him and told him we would look. Wouldn't you know that we found them at the first place we stopped? *laughing* He was very excited by their flashing police car like lights and I was excited by his obvious joy. So, I guess it turns out that sometimes he's a little shoesy.

Marisha's shoes LO.

The journey in my shoes has been quite an interesting one to say the least. I have followed in big footprints and even managed to make some of my own along the way. I have jumped many hurdles, overcome numerous obstacles placed before me, U-turned from a few dead ends, and of course walked through some open doors. These shoes have been there to walk me through the endings of relationships and the beginnings of many friendships. They’ve marched me through racial barriers, moved me through my sad valleys, and helped me climb the mountains of hope over and over again. They helped me to stand my ground when challenged with injustice. They’ve kept me walking forward when I often wanted to turn and run back. They often led me to the light when I wanted to hide in the darkness. Yet, they’ve also been there when I jumped for joy, skipped along, and even when I danced off beat. They’ve truly endured a long trip, yet still managed to provide me with comfort every step along the way. These shoes have walked me through an amazing journey, and I cannot wait to see how they’ll pace me to my wonderful future.

Shannon's "shoes challenge"

the journaling reads: two little shoes that run...two little shoes that stomp when their angry...two little shoes that jump...two little shoes that like to hide beside the house and jump out and scare me...two little shoes that are always happy to see me when i pick them up from school...two little shoes that kick the back of my seat when we're riding in the car...two little shoes who are so very happy to see their teachers and do a little hop...two little shoes who can sit quietly during church...two little shoes that step on mine and order me to walk....two little shoes that fill my life in ways i never imagined they could...even on the worst of days...two little shoes are the most wonderful thing in the world to me and i can't wait to see what those two little shoes will grow up to be, but for now i'll enjoy those two little shoes.

Nicole's "shoes challenge"

Even though you are only 6 years old you already have a growing shoe collection, fuelled by your love of playing dress-up. Are you an actress or a fashionista in the making?

Mia introducing challenge 44.

Just for fun how about a LO about shoes... be creative and inspired by the teams creations. Journaling: The shoe bandit strikes again. Dressed in her pyjamas all ready for bed. Who would have thought that she would take another adventure in Tita Ovvian's room and swipe the most coveted shoes? Waddling and struggling to balance herself with the shoes almost twice her own shoe size, the bandit is apprehended and sent off to bed with tickles and giggles. Indeed there is no telling when she will strike. So beware!

Tracy G and 2 readers LO challenge 43.

Tracy G"s:
BARBIE or G.I. JANE??

My sista, you were a big hit at Bryce’s Paintball Party this year – the 12-yr old boys were amazed at your ability to go “stealth” – almost chameleon-like! And then you’d pop up, seemingly out of nowhere and fire the perfect shot!! I thought you were just another “Barbie Doll” but I see that you’re really a “G.I. Jane” in disguise … Who knew?


This is from Shayne.
Her journaling:
"This was such an impromtu moment, taking photos in the garden on a gorgeous
summer day. How I love you two, my two girls, how blessed I am to have you.
You make my days worthwhile. I love you both more than you'll ever know"



This is from Lynette.
Her journaling:
"You were not born from my body, you were born in my heart. From the moment I first met you, you crawled into my heart. And I knew you were mine..."

Thanks ladies for all your hard work.
Will post the new challenge tomorrow.

Mel's challenge 43.

Journalling : I have found that pursuing a life of simplicity comes at a cost few people care to mention.I am not saying its not worth it...simply that its not as easy as tossing out a few boxes of unwanted junk or saying no to arbitary requests on your time.Simplicity is not only decluttering your home and time but also decluttering (renewing) your mind. This is something I find far more challenging but a journey certainly worth travelling.

Stefanie's challenge 43.

As you can see I flipped mine horizontally.
This LO captures one of the infrequent times we got to have one on one time without the kids.
My journaling is to him and tucked under the photo.

Cabbie's challenge 43,

Please give a warm welcome to Cabbie Lopez, she is an awesome scrapper who has graciously agreed to step into the gap while Joanne's taken 2 months off for her move and to find her feet.
Pop in and visit Cabbie's blog for a feast of eye candy, her artistry is sure to fill you with inspiration. Her journaling:
The moment to remember was during the IDOL 2007 finals ( in the Philippines ) where 12 finalists compete and only one would emerge as winner...It was a day full of excitement for me. I was one cool scrapper while my other buddies who would also be competing were quite apprehensive and tense. I told myself that to win, I have to compose myself. Breathe in... just be yourself! Well, I just did those things mainly because I felt that when you scrap for a challenge, the most natural thing will just come out and well, it did for me! In the end, my tears of joy marked the beginning of a journey worth remembering.

Liza's challenge 43.

Her journaling:
Being the eldest in a brood of three, it has been a given that I take on the responsibility of taking care of you two. As we were growing up, our different personalities have always clashed. We each had our own opinions and we all wanted our words heard. Whenever we have an argument, Mama would always tell me that being the eldest, I should be more patient with you and that I should give way as much as I can. It was difficult at times to be the eldest but I knew I had to be more responsible. And so as I look at the three of us together in this photo, I realize even more that despite all our differences, I still love you both no matter what. I have long embraced the role of being your sister but I am embracing it even more now!
(June ’08)

Mia’s Journaling:

I love having three girls to giggle and talk with.

I'm definitely looking forward to just enjoying them --- shopping, eating and singing.

Girls are so much fun!

Need I say more? :-)

Nicole's challenge 42.

This year everything seems to be going in fast forward, especially now that school has begun. With the kids being older, there are more extracurricular activities and I am trying desparately to fit it all in for them and me. That translates into a lot of time spent being as a chaffeur for everyone. The worst day of the week is what I call Psycho Tuesday. I take Dominique to school, then Gabriel, then back to Dominique’s school to help with the reading program. After that it’s a quick dash home to get on top of work for a spell before heading back out to pick up Gabriel and make lunch.
The afternoon is spent running errands, tending to Gabriel, picking up Dominique, doing homework and making supper before she needs to go to jazz class and I go out to my ballet/stretch class. Thank goodness for my daily planner or nothing would ever get done! Sometimes I get stressed out, especially when I realize things are only going to get busier once Gabriel begins participating in organized sports as well. It will be worth it though. I feel that what they will gain through these activities will far outweigh the temporary craziness that we are going through now.

Challenge 43

This week's challenge is brought to you by Annie.

Please pop by her blog and give her some appreciation.

Many thanks, Annie.

She has given us a sketch and the following criteria.

:-since Oct is breast cancer awareness month,

-the layout should be feminine

-at least one pink item on the page

-hand stitched flourishes

-the girl symbol somewhere on the page (like the symbol on the bathroom doors)

Lets see what you can do when you play along.

Bearing in mind that any submission for any of the challenges for October and November gets you a ticket in the lucky drawer for the prize sponsored by Shannon.

Stefanie's

This isn't my week to have a submission for challenge 42, however I wanted to say that no matter how busy our lives are we need to ALWAYS take time to appreciate beauty in our everyday busy-ness.
My niece took this photo of a pelican flying in front of Table Mountain, I may be biased here but as a Capetonian this is beautiful to me. Then this is a LO I did for Kim's challenge, we had to use 5 patternend papers and the title "amaze".
After a chat with her and being prompted and inspired I actually did it.
My son is 12 and he wrote this poem for English this year.

The wish of a tree.

The tree once a seed
is now so tall,
it’s wish to become famous
and known to all.

But when struck down
in around 30BC.
The once great wish
left the mind of the tree.

It was sawed quite smoothly
and sanded quite rough
to become 2 planks,
A boat and a trough.

The animal trough
was sent very far away,
until the Messiah
was laid in it one day.

The boat was sent to Galilee.
From which Jesus
calmed the storm
and the sea.

The two planks were cut
and together were nailed
to hold the king of Kings
whose hands and feet were impaled.

So the once tall tree’s
wish has now come true.
You can read it in the Bible

and in this poem too.

Marisha's busy day.

"When I'm on the go, it seems as if I'm running to and fro all day! I'm here and there and back again. Some days are waaay busier than others, and needless to say, more draining. Those days are jammed packed with "need to do's", "should have dones", and of course those "urgent do now!" things. It's on days like that this that everything gets done somehow or someway, and I'm left still at the end of the day trying to figure out how I managed to do it all. I manage to hit the gym, feed the cats, eat breakfast while checking emails and return all my missed phone calls, demolish that pile of dishes that magically appeared out of nowhere, cleanout the refrigerator, takeout the trash, do loads of laundry like they're hot potatoes being passed from washer to dryer, vacuum, dust, and scrubadubdub the bathroom and even make the bed. Take a 2 second breather. Then I'm off to wrapping up work related tasks, scrambling to finish the last details on class assignments, zooming off to class- realizing that the tank is one E and that I have to fill up on the way, grab Starbucks to help me stay awake during a boring lecture, and then I'm heading back home- stopping by the grocery store with list in hand. Then I'm off again, unloading and putting away groceries, while cooking dinner. Finally I sit down to enjoy a meal, and watch an episode of one of my favorite tv sitcoms, but pass out within the first half of the show. What a day!"

Weekly challenges

We had a question about when the challenges are posted and due etc so as we have no more layouts to feature today (sadly Mel's computer "died" and Marisha has been ill and is still recovering).

My goal is to post the new challenge on Sunday morning early our time (before 10 am GMT), then as there are 5 members in each team I post a layout every day showing how the various team members have responded to the challenge, with a readers roundup posted on the Saturday. I think we need to extend the time allowed to the second weekend to allow for added participation. Sorry that I haven't made it very clear. I am always open to featuring a guest designer if you would like to submit LO's to me for the team to do and until the end of November any LO submitted for any of the challenges will go into a lucky draw for the prize from Shannon.
You can leave a comment here with your blog URL or you can email it to me directly eyeore@telkomsa.net

Thanks, Stefanie.

Shannon's challenge 42.

"it's funny because i feel like everyday is my busiest day! each day no matter how much i try to stick to our set routine - it always runs off course somehow...a few extra snooze alarms can set the whole day off course....or getting stuck at a light...or forgetting something i needed at the store and having to run back out....or getting distracted by something...as i so easily am it seems these days....i can already feel the pressures of the upcoming holidays and of upcoming changes that are going to happen whether i want them to or not...and it just seems like things are going to move much faster and things will grow more busy...and i wonder if i'll feel like life is passing me by with all these busiest of days... i almost feel overwhelmed by the thought of it. then i wonder if it's right to feel this way? am i alone in these vast mix of emotions? i hope i'm not passing these faults onto Patrick and Mackie. i don't want to feel unsure or anxious - or thrown off by the littlest thing like i am - but it seems i am unable to fix these personal faults - at least i can recognize it - so i'm sort of better off than i thought? and though my days seem busy - each and everyday - it feels good to know that at least i'm here to enjoy the blur that is life as i know it right now...november 1 2008"

Tracy K's busiest day.

Today's To-Do List:

-Don’t forget to wear character shirt
-Clean out purse (how many pens were in there?)
-Sign Joey’s planner
-Leave checkbook for Jason
-Clean and cut strawberries for lunch
-Organize photo shoot of entire school in their character shirts
-check e-mail
-finish notes for parent/teacher conferences
-check for Career Ladder deadline
-e-mail Tisha about Pumpkin W.O.W. at church tonight
-find caterpillar activity for 2nd Grade Music
-check mummified chicken for REAP
-finish scarecrow bulletin board
-put in request for day off next week
-call doctor and set appointment
-turn in time sheet before leaving
-cover ASD for Phyllis
-Grab McDonalds for supper
-Pick up Sharpies for pumpkin decorating
-Practice song for Sunday at church
-Pumpkin W.O.W.: get music ready
-Tell Jason about days off next week
-Check and see if he made his own appointment
-Thank God there’s only one October a year.

Challenge 42 : my busiest day

This challenge is brought to you by Ali.

journaled on the page about a PART of my busiest day. The actual minute by minute ACCOUNT of 2.5 hrs in my day is folded with the edge decorated and sits in the pocket on the LO. A person can read it if they take it out. It is a very mundane read, LOL; those little minutes and moments of life...but so important to capture! I admit it was satisfying to jot it all down and read it later on! LOL :o)

The silver Paua shell turtle charm is a bit of symbolism... helps me remember to slow down. I am a Virgo and a perfectionist and as a Mom to 4 with my MS I need to learn to slow it down a bit. I know this but it is VERY hard for me to practise. So by putting this little charm on the LO, near the heart, I gave myself that gentlest of reminders. Pete understood right way when he saw it...

The actual journaling says:

While typing up “my busiest day,” I chose to detail a weekday, and only ‘til noon! (See inside pocket.) A day’s work is crammed into the few weekday hours between arising & lunchtime. In reality, my marathon-worthy effort is expended between 6:00 AM & 8:30 AM. It can be quite overwhelming to get 4 children off to school. Add in some special needs for both Mom & the youngest child, & you’ll understand why I have developed a routine & stick to it! My goal every weekday is to have each of my children go off to school happy. I feel good knowing that I can do this by myself, even though it can be physically tough. I manage it pretty well with some organized planning. Whew!
We’re all busy people. Every one of us wears a lot of hats and does a lot of things in the course of a day.

Why not let us all in?

Tell everyone about “your busiest day…” or some aspect of your busiest day. It could be at home, at work, at play, or any combination. It could be a certain day of the week that’s just BUSY.

Tell us why it’s busy, if you like.

Who’s involved in your busy day? What technology do you use throughout your day… does it help simplify things?
Do you take a break during your busy day? If so, what do you do?

You could even give us a moment by moment accounting of one aspect of your BUSIEST DAY… it’s up to you!!

Sound like fun? Now, GET BUSY! (LOL, j/k)

Readers roundup : challenge 41.

Materials used: Patterned papers: Around the Block - You are Missed, Hope; We R Memory KeepersPlain paper: Provo CraftCardstock: BazzillLetter Stickers: DCWVOthers: flowers, metal photo corners, DMC thread, bling, metal flowers, glitter glue, cut shapes.

Title : You are missed.

Journaling:
I miss everything about you,
the complete honesty of your nature,
the magic of your presence,
your youthful outlook on life,
the sensitivity of your heart,
the spiritual goodness of your soul,
the sweetness of your whole existence.
Danny, Saudi Arabia 1999

Thanks to Timi for taking up our challenge this week and being brave enough to share her loss.