Autumn card

Obviously I have a lot of either retired Stampin' Up! product or other scrapbook/stamping companies product sitting around in my craft room.  It seems a shame that I can't show everyone all that I make with these supplies so I decided to show you what I make with this type of product on this blog.

I made this card last year, it was part of a series of cards using the Lovely as a Tree stamp set.  That stamp set is very much current but the paper I used is no longer in the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book & catalogue. 

The leaves in Christchurch have not only started to turn but they are falling to the ground.  I wonder what the flooding is going to be like this autumn when we have a busted sewerage network & storm water drains can't hold all the rain let alone all the leaves that are blocking the drains.  So far I haven't seen any street sweepers come by to pick the leaves, they were on to it quickly last year but I suppose the City Council has more important issues than possible flooding due to a build up of leaves. 

Another season has arrived a timely reminder that life does go on no matter what. We just have to adjust ourselves to what mother nature throws at us.

It's been a long time!

It's been a very long time since I have posted to this blog.  Since the last post I have been to India with Scott while he was on business.  We finished the trip with a weekend in Singapore which was fantastic.  We came home to a house that was still standing & with minor damage despite having an earthquake.  We then went to Fiji as a family & the boys enjoyed being away from a shaky city. 

We all came back home & got into the 4th term of the school year which involved athletic sports & carol services & then it was holidays.  We spent the holidays in Wanaka & Christchurch, leaving Christchurch just after the aftershock on Boxing day.  Yet again it was good to be out of the city.

The new school year started with Brent deciding that he really would like to go into boarding, so that is what he is doing this year.  James is enjoying being the only child in the house most of the time.  The aftershocks had died down & we got complacent then on February 22 BANG!

Apparently it only lasted 23seconds but that was one of the most terrifying 23 seconds of my life.  One minute I was enjoying eating lunch in front of TV & the next the house started a gentle shake, then the power went off, which kind of freeked me out because that's never happened to me during any of the aftershocks.  Then just as I was pondering the significance of this happening the house started really shaking violently so violently that I couldn't walk without lurching to one side or the other.  Things on the TV cabinet fell to the floor, the sliding door that is our front door slid open, the door to the hot water cupboard just swang open.  It stoppped & the first thing I did was walk towards the table to get my cellphone only for the next one to hit.  It sent me scurrying with tears in my eyes to stand back under the doorway where I was before.  It stopped again & I ran to the table to get my cellphone only to have another shake so I was back under the doorway again.  At least this one was a lot smaller & I could just lean against the door frame & ring Scott to see if he was alright.  Of course everyone was doing the same thing so I couldn't get through.  I decided to text him instead & this was my message " Are you alright.I'm scared shitless & we have no power."  At 1:02pm I got the comforting message "I am ok, things are bad here in town"  Scott walked home from Cathedral Square & picked both boys up from school on the way.  It was a huge relief to have all of them home safe & sound.

The boys had a week & a half off school & then it was back to school & all the activities that were supposed to happen within the 10week term had to fit in the remaining 5 weeks.  Now we are very quickly coming to the end of the term.  The boys finish the term on Friday.