Nina.

Made this LO this afternoon with a photo of Nina. She was a poodle and stayed with us for more than 12 years. She was a really nice dog! At the end she had a big tumor on her belly that bursted open. She had the tumor for years but she couldn't be operated because of a heartcondition. The vetenerian told us it was better that we put her to sleep because she was in pain. Well, she was almost 13 years old and that's a respectable age for a dog!

The little cow you see on the photo in front of her was her little baby. When she took it in her mouth it made a squeaking sound and than she would make the same noise. After that she started to lick the cow very carefully. It was funny!

Supplies: pp American Crafts, cardstock (Action), felt flowers (Action), embroidering-thread, strassletters (Blokker), font typewriter (downloaded from 1001fonts), stickers (market), brads (Junkitz and OTC)

You and Johnny.

Yesterday afternoon I made this LO of Zander with his favourite stuffed animal called Johnny.

I bought this dog for him when he was 2 years old. We went to Switzerland during the summer of 1996 to visit some friends who lived near the lake of Geneva. They had this big friendly dog called Johnny and Zander really loved that dog. I'll soon make a LO with some of the photos I took from Zander and Johnny to show you.

So, when we returned home and went to Assen to do some shopping Zander saw this stuffed animal and said to me: Mama, Johnny! He hold the stuffed animal in his arms and cuddled it. It was so cute I couldn't resist buying it for him. And it's good I did, because after having him for 10 years Johnny still is his favourite stuffed animal!

Supplies: pp American Crafts, cardstock (Action), ribbon (American Crafts), brads (OTC), font typewriter (internet 1001fonts), distress ink china blue, dymotape, letter rub-ons (market).

Have been busy!

I have been busy over the last couple of days! Not only with scrapbooking but also with some other projects, like Nordic Walking for instance! Because of the Fibromyalgie (don't know the English name for it, but it is rheumatism of the muscles) it is sometimes hard for me to get enough exercise. Last week I started NW with a joung woman living nearby. She's a NW instructor and a physiotherapist. Because my condition is realy poor we only walk for half an hour and I feel very tired afterwards. I'm sure that will change in the nearby future!

I have made 2 LO's.

The first one with pp I bought last Saturday. I had this idea in my head but it didn't work out. So it was quit a project to finish this one and to feel more or less content about the outcome!

I love the photo of Zander with his guinea-pig called Janneke. He his holding her so tenderly in his arms!

Supplies: pp Scenic Route PC, cardstock (Action, Aldi), felt (Xenos), staples, dymotape, black pens.

The second LO is about my niece Steffanie and a "piece of natural art" we made during a campingtrip in 2002. She was so proud of it! Trots means proud.

Again, I was inspired by Revlie.

Supplies: pp American Crafts, cardstock (Action), flower (Zeeman), foamletters (Wibra), font typewriter, embroidering-thread, brad (OTC), black pen.

Your eyes.

Made this LO today. It's a scraplift from Revlie.

On this photo Zander is looking straight into the camera so that you can see his beautiful blue eyes. At least they were blue at the time when this photo was taken. Today they turned out to be a meltdown of different colours. Somewhere between blue/green/golden brown. Maybe it's because his father has dark brown eyes and mine are grey/blue?

The quote is from an anglo/american poet: Denise Levertov. I changed it a bit (left out the word blinking between blue and eyes).

For me this quote is also referring to Zander's autistic inner world, a world that is not always easy to understand for Neurotypical persons.

Supplies: pp Scenic Route PC, cardstock, foam letters (Wibra = Dutch store), felt flower (Blokker = Dutch store), letter stamps typewriter (Image Tree), childrens stamps, font: Ghostwriter (download from http://www.1001fonts.com/).

Misty & Zander.

Today I made this LO with a picture of Zander and Misty (yes, the hamster killer). I thought maybe I will start liking her again by making a LO of her! It is coming slowly.

For this LO I was inspired by Jenni Bowlin! I have made the oval tag myself with 2 foamstamps of Making Memories. The Rob & Bob cirkels and flowers are connected to eachother by stitched black and light blue lines.

Supplies: pp polka dots (Kruidvat, Dutch store), Rob & Bob Studio, cardstock (?), foamstamps (MM), wordstamp (Provo Craft), brads (OTC and Junkitz), black and light blue embroidering-thread, Stazon ink.

The last couple of days.

The last couple of days I was still upset by the death of our little hamster. We buried her sunday afternoon in our backyard near the terras. I still can't be as nice to our cat as before. This morning I petted her on her head for the first time. I can sense she's confused by my behaviour, because normally I was always talking to her and petting her over her head and back. My love for her will grow again, I'm sure, but in the mean time I'm still upset!

On Sunday we also took care of Resta, the dog of our neighbours across the street. Our neighbour was celebrating her 60th birthday and her home was filled with little and big people. Resta doesn't like little people and so she asked me if we could take the dog for one day. Well sure, why not!

Yesterday I send 12 letters to all kind of different foundations to ask them for money for the Dolphintherapy for my son. I have met or heard from different people that dolphintherapy can help children with autism. Zander and I would love to go to Curacao for this dolphintherapy. Only it costs a lot of money and if I have to save from the money I get every month from the WAO and by selling the Dolphin keychains (see on top of my blog on the right), it will take years! So I decided to ask foundations for money. I already have had one positive reaction some time ago for 5000 euro's, but I only get that money if another foundation is willing to do the same. And that is a bit of a problem, because all the other foundations I have asked this far for help gave me a no. So I hope one of these new foundations I have written to will give me a big yes.

This morning I went to the supermarket very early because they have predicted snow and because I have to do my groceries by bike I wanted to be ahead of the snowfall. I don't like to ride on my bike when there is snow, it is to slippery!

In the supermarket they had these lovely pots with flowers I couldn't resist buying. They match so well with the accent colours I use in my livingroom.

Some time ago I bought this new table lamp at Ikea's. It was new in the collection. Love the top!!

Tragedy.

Last night Zander and I experienced a tragic event. Our little hamster was killed by our cat. Zander found her at the bottom of the stairs in the hallway. Our cat was sleeping on my bed, the little monster! Zander immediatly threw her out of our house.

I had told Zander over and over again to always close his bedroomdoor, because the cat already had taken the hamster out of her cage one week after we bought her one year ago. I managed to rescue her back then because I heard her squeak, but this time the telly was on and we both didn't hear a thing!

She was such a cutie pie, really! I always thought that hamsters were nasty biters, because I had this experience with another hamster when I lived in Paris. That hamster was so mean. But our hamster always licked our fingers and our noses. She has never bitten any of us.

When I saw her lying in her own blood (I will spare you the details about how she was looking) I immediatly began to cry and I didn't stop crying for quite some time! I know, I'm very sensitive to these kind of things. Even though I understand that my cat just followed her natural instincts I'm so pissed off with her. This morning, when she came to my bedroomwindow, I didn't open the window for her, which I normally always do. I just couldn't, no, wouldn't face her yet. I still have this image of the dead hamster in my head.

I have rapped the hamster in a paper towel and then put her in a small teabox. We are going to bury her later this morning in our back yard near the terras.

Zander today!

Wow, my son just let me take some photos! And I even got a smile!
Made them black and white because that suits him so well.

Your smile.

Made this LO of Zander with a photo I took some years ago (november 2004). I love his smile! Now that he has become an adolescent in his puberty I don't see that smile so often anymore! Life is becoming more and more demanding and complicated especially for a youngster with autism!

Supplies: pp My Mind's Eye (kaleidoscope), coaster arrow (Chloe's Closet), fibre (?), letterstickers (OTC).

Me, an old clock and my altar.

Here are some photos I took today of me in front of the mirror in our living-room, an old klock my parents gave me a few weeks ago (it belonged to my grandmother of my mothers side) and my small altar.

So be honest, do I look like almost 50 on this photo or what?

Don't you love the small daffodils?! For me it means Spring is coming soon! I love Spring and hate Winter. And Spring means Summer is not far away and I love Summer even more!

The old clock makes a banging sound every half hour. Just one at half past and 1 - 12 every hour. I have to wind it up with a large key every 4 or 5 days. I just love it!! And the banging sound remembers me of my childhood when I stayed over at my grandmother's house. I even like the ticking sound! Why did they have to go digital with clocks? My old clock is much more cosier!

I'm a spiritual person but I never go to church. I call myself a Universalist. I seek for the good things in all religions but I don't want to be connected to one particular religion. For me it just doesn't feel right. Can't explain why!

Amazing ukelele player!

Amazing huh! His name is Jake Shimabukuro and he's from Hawaii. It's just great what he can do with only 4 cords!