{scraps of jacki's life}

rachael scholz

rachael scholz is another one of the teachers who is coming to the south african scrapbooking convention.

it is held on saturday 13 and sunday 14 september 2008 at the sandton convention centre, johannesburg. the cost is R2250,00. this includes everything.

the teachers this year are:

stacy julian, kah-mei smith, margie romney-aslett, guinevere wessell, jenni bowlin, celine navarro, rachael scholz and kelly white.

they are all international teachers. they will be teaching 8 classes over 2 days. 

here is a note from rachael:

Dear Delegates

The lovely Jacki has given me the opportunity to send you all a message through her blog – what a lovely woman she is. I cannot believe how quickly this trip has come around. Originally when I was first asked to teach it seemed a million years away but now it’s almost two weeks until I fly out!!! I am bringing my lovely friend Kim along with me, she is a very talented scrapper from here in Melbourne and she cannot wait to meet you all! Kim is a little anxious, this is her first overseas trip, although I have flown many times before I haven’t been without my daughter for so long since she was born; that bothers me a little bit, but I’ll be fine once I’m there!

We have a regular at our local scrapbook shop here in Melbourne who is South African, Sharon Martindale, she has been to many Convention’s and has been giving me all the details and even teaching me a little of the Africaan language. The more I think about it, the more excited I get!

I’m looking forward to meeting you all, experiencing your culture and exploring your beautiful country.

See you very soon!

Rach xx

Here is what you can read about rachael on the convention website:

My name is Rachael Scholz, just plain Rach to most that know me. I'm 26 and my partner Warrick and I have one little girl, Bella. I live in Melbourne and work full time as an Office Manager. In my "spare" time LOL, I love to scrap!
I started scrapping just before Bella's first birthday in October 2005. I love scrapping to death and I love the online community even more! I have met some awesome chicks through scrapping and I am grateful for having a common passion to share with them. I joined the Scraptacular Design Team in 2006 and am a current Scrapbooking Memories Master. In mid 2007 I was a finalist in Scrapbook Creations Colour Expert Comp. I love working with Scraptacular and Scrapbooking Memories and look forward to the opportunities this craft throws my way in 2007.

rachael isn't the most active blogger, but you can still get an idea of what to expect by taking a look at her blog.

you can read where she posted about me here.

you can also read celine navarro's message, and more about the convention.

you can still book here, if you haven't yet.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

thank you so very much!

i got this award from both tracy and michelle:

tracy said:
thanks for your inspiration and honest blogging ... and also: Then to Jacki JVR - I always find something to giggle about on your blog and I love that you are so open and honest, thanks ...

my problem is that they nominated some of my favorite blogs! now, who do i chose? i would have loved to award it to all those blogs i regularly read, but most of them have already got one...

the scrapbooking girls who's blogs i read, especially the south african ones, are so generous and friendly. they are not afraid to share and to comment and to praise. they challenge, and take part in challenges. it is an honor to be a part of such a wonderful group. and, i'm finding new south african blogger-scrappers every week. i will update my blogroll with my new friends soon.

so, what do i do now? i thought i would look a little wider. and i thought i would nominate some blogs that are new to me. some of them are new, and some are established, but i have just found them.

so i nominate:

eilandkind, for a beautiful, yummy, afrikaans blog

brenda, for a delightful scrapbooking blog from australia

melani, who is so amazingly creative, and for whom scrapbooking is easy and blogging is a challenge

sam ellis, who is rather new at blogging but not new at scrapbooking, and she takes interesting photos

nicky, who is really is a new blogger and a great friend

hayley, who lives in cape town, but is from benoni, although she never mentions it on her blog

simply-mel, who keeps it real, and who writes about her everyday life

francois, who will scoff at this award, and probably die before he mentions it on his blog, but who writes so incredibly well (he takes after his brilliant mother...)

and last, but not least, kwebbel, who's posts i don't always understand as she writes mainly in german, but the photos of her projects are understandable and inspiring, and who nominated me for a blog award a few months ago

The rules are simple:

1 Make a blog post where you pass the award on to seven blogs you like and

2 Post a comment at their blog to tell them about the award!

 

phew, it's done! i still feel guilty daily because i never passed on the brillante weblog award, and i hope this makes up for it.

 

i was very nervous when i posted the photos of the sheep in my last post. it is so special for me to experience the birth of all the animals on our property. i realize that there are people who go their entire lives without ever experiencing anything like it, and so i wanted to share it. thanks for the overwhelmingly positive response.

 

 

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
 

we all need a helping hand sometimes...

on sunday morning our worker came to tell us that there was a problem. when we went to look, we found this:

she had gone into labor during the night, and in the morning when the sheep were let out, she made it this far.

do i hear you saying eeeww? you shouldn't. it's a miracle of nature.

see? not eewww. a tiny little lamb. we thought it was dead. it was very still, and it's tongue was hanging out.

the man started pulling it out. then, suddenly the lamb shuddered. it wasn't dead! that meant that he had to pull more carefully, because now he didn't want to hurt it.

see those hands? those are the hands that hold my hand. no more hand-holding until those hands are washed...

he soon realized why the lamb was stuck. it's one little knee was catching inside. the man had to reach inside to straighten the leg. believe me, this wasn't pleasant for the poor mama.

after quite a long struggle, it just slid out. the poor lamb and the mama were exhausted! our one worker was moved to tears. he said it made him sad to see the mama suffering like that. when he said that with a catch in his throat, it moved me to tears too.

hello little lamb. welcome to the world. i hope nothing will ever be this difficult for you again.

the mother sheep licks the baby clean, and eats all the afterbirth. this is to replace all the blood and minerals she lost in the birth. now, this is eeww..

come on baby! you can do it! i know you can! you see? a miracle!

sometimes we spend so much time looking for a miracle, that we do not even notice the 'every day miracles' that happen around us.

after this, our cup of morning coffee outside in the spring sunshine seemed to taste so much sweeter!

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

What to do when visiting South Africa

this is specially for celine, rachael, and anyone else coming here for the convention, or for any other reason...

my friend elsa lives in saudi arabia. she wrote this for the south africa day they are having later in the year:

1 Visit Cape Town where you can see the Castle of Good Hope built by the VOC between 1666 and 1679 and the oldest building in South-Africa. Go to Cape Agulhas, the southern most tip where the Atlantic ocean meet the Indian ocean or take a scenic drive down Chapman's peak. Visit the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront ( V & A waterfront) and the Two Oceans Aquarium. Take a cable car or hike up Table Mountain for breathtaking views. Frequent the botanical gardens at Kirstenbosch. Book a boat trip at the V & A Waterfront to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent 17 of his 27 years of imprisonment after being convicted of treason.
 
2 Visit the Cape wine lands with its unrivalled scenic beauty to sample some of South-Africa's top wines.
 
3 Take a trip along the Garden route - over 9000 species of plants occur in this area of which 6200 are endemic i.e. do not occur anywhere else in the world. Indulge in whale watching in Hermanus (July-December). Or get up close and personal with a Great White shark from behind a cage in Mossel Bay where you are also able to see a replica of the caravel Bartholomeu Dias used in 1488 to sail around South-Africa and visit the Post office tree. Board south-Africa's last operational steam train, the Choo-tjoe that runs between George and Knysna. At the Knysna Elephant Park guests have the opportunity to touch, feed and photograph the gentle giants. Or have a look at the coelacanth in Knysna. Bungee at 216 m at Bloukrans Bridge  - the highest commercial bungee jump according to the Guiness Book of world records. The Tsitsikamma Nature Reserve is not only well known for its beauty, but also hosts a variety of activities for the adventurous. Ride an ostrich or visit the Cango Caves in Oudshoorn.
 
4 Board the Blue train to glide in the only 5 star hotel on wheels in the world through the fertile wine lands before you turn inland to the sweeping landscapes of the Great Karoo.
 
5 Visit Namaqualand in early spring (August) when for a short period of time a normally arid area becomes covered with a kaleidoscope of colour during the flowering season.
 
6 Visit Johannesburg to book a tour to Soweto to visit the Apartheid's museum, the Hector Peterson Museum and drive down the only street in the world where two Noble Prize winners lived next to each other to visit the Nelson Mandela Museum in his former home. 25 km from Johannesburg is the Cradle of Humankind a world heritage site and home of Mrs Ples - a skull estimated to be between 2,6 and 2,8 million years old. Excavations continue to this day and Sterkfontein is the richest site in the world for hominids. Visit the Voortrekker Museum in Pretoria as well as the Jan Smuts Museum in Irene, close to Pretoria. {Visit Benoni, where world famous J blogger and scrapper, jacki janse van rensburg has her shop – tee hee}.
 
7 Sun City is more than a casino complex and entertainment centre. Stay in the magnificent Palace of the Lost City and play golf where the annual $2 million Nedbank Golf Challenge is played. Take a car, elephant or hot air balloon trip to observe animals in the Pilansberg National Park adjacent to Sun City.
 
8 Drive through the beautiful Mpumalanga to enjoy the spectacular 10 mile Blyde River Canyon. Enjoy sweeping views from God's window, gushing waterfalls and the Burke's Luck potholes ( an amazing system of cavities sculptured by erosion). Visit Pilgrim's Rest  - replica of a mining town during the late 19th century gold rush period.
 
9 Enjoy the beautiful beaches of KwaZulu Natal and visit the Venyane cultural village. The Drakensberg mountain range is a must if you enjoy hiking/mountaineering or rock climbing. Also visit the battle grounds of Isalwandla  - the best preserved battle ground in the world where  the Zulu's inflicted  one of the most humiliating defeats on the British army. Close by is Rorke's Drift: the successfull defence of this outpost is held as one of history's finest defences and 11 Victoria Crosses were awarded to the British defenders, the most ever awarded in a single battle by one British regiment.
 
10 Visit the Kruger National Park where there are more species of mammals (147) than in any other African game reserve! Not only will you see the big five but also the following record breakers:

    
     Girraffe: the tallest animal on earth
     Cheetah: the fastest landbased mammal in the world
     Eland: the biggest antelope in the world
     Ostrich: the biggest bird in the world
     Cori Bustard: the heaviest flying bird in the world
     African elephant: the biggest land based mammal on earth
     Shrew: the world's smallest mammal ( the size of a human fingertip)
 
If you can't go to the Kruger Park, enjoy the wild life at any of the multitude of game parks, national parks or game lodges.

 

this all will keep you busy for a few weeks. and you'll love it!

 

 

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

 

 

 

Celine Navarro

are you going to the south african scrapbook convention in sandton? these 2 days are all about scrapping, and having fun!

it is held on saturday 13 and sunday 14 september 2008 at the sandton convention centre, johannesburg. the cost is R2250,00. this includes everything.

the teachers this year are:

stacy julian, kah-mei smith, margie romney-aslett, guinevere wessell, jenni bowlin, celine navarro, rachael scholz and kelly white.

they are all international teachers. they will be teaching 8 classes over 2 days.

one of the teachers, celine navarro, comes from france. here is a message to you from her:

Hello fellow Scrapbook Artists!

Céline Navarro here! I'm counting the days til I meet you at the SA Scrapbook Convention in Johannesburg, I know it is going to be one of the most amazing experience I've ever had! Be ready to get inspired, to meet new friends, to enjoy yourself and to CREATE!

I want you to know that I've prepared a class for you that will get your hands a little bit dirty :) but don't be scared : this class is all about YOUR OWN CREATIVITY.
I'm so looking forward to visiting your amazing country, it has been a dream of mine for so long, and I am PROUD and HONORED to be able to get to meet you :)

See you REAL soon!

Céline Navarro

Things have been crazy here in France : we released our very own Scrapbook magazine two days ago! :)

thanks celine!

i don't know about you, but i'm really looking forward to meeting her. her style is different and interesting and creative. you can see a little of what she does on her blog. pop over there to have a look, and to say 'hi' to her. tell her i sent ya!

there is still space available at the convention, if you are interested. they will be taking bookings till the very last moment, so if you find yourself available for that weekend, you will still be welcome.

celine wrote a post in reply on her blog.

you can read about rachael scholz, one of the other teachers here.

love, jacki

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, south africa

name that photo...

i thought i would do a little 'name that photo' challenge.

help me think of a funny, cute or deep caption for this photo. i have already edited it, and captioned it, but i would like to see if you come up with something better:

if you read this blog you are obviously intelligent and creative and fun, so come on! the puppy's name is snowy.

i thought i would give a prize. and the prize is a smile from me, and a mention on this blog. what? don't you realize how many people there are out there who would love just that?...

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

comments... 20 08 2008

i have been getting lots of comments lately, and most make me smile. i thought i would answer some of them here today. there are many others, i cannot mention them all. but, please note that i read every comment, i love and appreciate each one, and i reply to almost every one..

Hi Jacki - you have been soooooo industrious you're putting us to shame!  Next you'll tell us you're gymming every day. What will you do when you're all caught up with your box of "to be completeds".  I know - go to another convention and refill the box!  Have a great day
Ciao
Cheryl

yes cheryl, i gym every day, and floss too - NOT! my hobby is collecting uncompleted projects. my box will never be empty. and yes, i am adding to my collection at the next convention...

Dearest Jacki ~
Does EVERYONE there have beautiful eyes, skin and teeth?  Just wondering!  :)  Great stuff from you as always.  I haven't been up to par with my blogging.  My daughter just went away on holiday and I hope to have a chance to get back to it real soon.
Hugs
Lori Ann

no, lori ann, i am the only beautiful one in south africa. i just photoshop the other people i feature on my blog, to make them seem more beautiful...

One day when I am BIG I want to visit all the countries featuring on your Neo counter! Love your blog. elsa

me too!

I don't even know what Google Reader does except that it sounds as though I could be even more addicted and attached to my PC - heaven forbid that I find another thing to keep me busy - sounds great, but I reckon you will be a Zombie soon due to lack of sleep AND having to clean the shop ... (tee hee)

Love,
Tracy

hi tracy. i don't need that much sleep. but, the cleaning part may just turn me into something ugly. the cleaning lady had still not turned up, she had missed friday and monday so far.

Thanks for the tutorial! I'm going to try to do this! Beautiful family you have on your blog!

Laura Fiore

hi laura. i only feature my beautiful family members on my blog. the rest i never mention. ok, just kidding, my family is beautiful, thanks. and i love them all!

Oh, what sweet memories this brings to me. I grew up on a farm in the Eastern Cape and we had a huge flock of sheep. Now and then I would adopt a little lamb which became my sidekick for quite a few months, until it was taken back to the flock for their daily grazing outings to the mountains. My favourite lamb adoptee was named Snoekie, but I am sure she also landed up on the dinner table some time.

Desire Fourie

oh desire, what a lovely story! it reminds me of heidi..

oi meiks,
the photos that you put up look so amazing! i have to admit that indeed a bit of moss has begun to grow on this madam. there are always different times in one's life for different things and different priorities, right now i am enjoying having a bit of stuff. i enjoy opening up the kitchen cupboards and there are pots and pans, my pots and pans. i even  enjoy having a bit of a routine!
there are many aspects i long for from a nomadic life but i carry those with me and every now and then i slip something like that into my routine, like catching the train with just a ticket to the end of the line and no plan, discovering something i had not known before...
always remember how much i love you though, no matter where or how far i am.
x
carla

oh, sis! you are so unique. and i love you too. and miss you soooo much!

thanks girls! i love, love, love hearing your feedback. please keep it up!

 

word art: shabby princess, ronna penner, ajoytome, part of the express yourself kit

love, jacki

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, south africa

*edited to add: i just found out that you can read blogs on your cellphone through google reader. and i don't have a very fancy phone. from your phone, in the web browser function, you type in www.reader.google.com, and surf away! *

verjaarsdag...

the afrikaans word 'verjaarsdag' means 'birthday'.

here is a layout i scrapped on friday. the photos are of francois's 11^th birthday, in 1997:

i haven't made cards in quite a while, so i thought i would use the scraps and make some. i used card positioning systems sketch #78:

see the sewing? it's my current addiction.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

these cards were featured on card positioning systems

google reader follow up

i have been called many things before, but it is the first time iv'e been called an awesome chick.. thanks, sophia. i think.

you can read my post about google reader here.

anyway there seem to be quite a few girls who are trying the google reader, and everybody seems to like it. i have found a drawback, though...

the first few days i opened it every day, and kept up to date easily. so i added more blogs. then i didn't have time to read for a few days. and since then, i have been unable to catch up. and having all those posts in the reader, makes me feel like i have to read them. all 85+ unread blogposts...

now you know why i'm online till the early morning hours on a sat night! i may never be able to go on holiday again. can you imagine how many blog posts my reader will have then....

*edited to add: i just found out that you can read blogs on your cellphone through google reader. and i don't have a very fancy phone. from your phone, in the web browser function, you type in www.reader.google.com, and surf away! *

i did enjoy catching up, though. the man had fallen asleep on the couch, as usual, on saturday night, while he was watching a movie with sean. i got into bed with the laptop at 20h30, and started reading blogs. for hours! uninterrupted! it was wonderful. at 12h30 am, i was almost up-to-date, when my google reader informed me that sophia had posted. so, as a last stop, i read her post, and went to sleep.

ok, so it wasn't entirely uninterrupted. i went ouside at around 23h00 for this:

spectacular isn't it? nah, i didn't think so either...

at least i got some quality time with francois, lying on our backs in the dog poop, shivering and freezing, and being attacked by the puppy who was convinced that the whole production was staged just for her playing pleasure...

and now i'm off to the dentist. oh joy!

love, jacki

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

thoughts...

friday:

at what time of the morning do you accept that your cleaning lady is not going to come today? when do you stop hoping? at what time do you stop ignoring the mess? when do you stop pretending not to notice?

during your 12pm coffee break, that's when...

i'm in such a creative mood! i've been scrapping. those of you who read this blog often, know that this has become a rather rare occurrance. i've been busy lately, and i have kinda caught up with some things, for now, and finished some projects, and done a little spring-cleaning. so, today i thought i deserved a little break, and i would do some scrapping...

then the cleaning lady didn't come. so, what am i doing? scrapping? no, cleaning...

saturday:

i have discovered the sewing machine. there has been one in the shop for ever, but once i tried using it, and it made a mess. tension, the experts said... so, it had been sitting there, gathering dust. then, a few weeks ago, antoinette hauled it out for a workshop. and it seemed to work fine. so, i thought i'd try again. now, i want to sew everything! we did quite a bit of sewing in the workshop today, and with great results.

this is a layout by amy, a 9 year old first-time scrapper, in today's workshop. she is a daughter of a dear friend, donna:

isn't it beautiful? keep it up, amy! it's a pity the photos never do justice to the real thing.

we have been having such beautiful, warm, spring weather. august is often nicer than september. what is the weather like where you are? 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

tutorial - creative cropping

playing and experimenting with photoshop has really made me feel more adventurous. and there is one thing i have realised - sometimes being unconventional and creative makes for a so much better photo.

{some of you who read this blog regularly will have seen some of these photos before. }

i want to show you some examples of how interesting creative cropping can be. you do not need photoshop for this, any photo editing software can so most of these things.

 

i am just a girl from benoni. i am not a photoshop expert. if you are prepared to figure it all out with me, then you are welcome. if you want a degree in photoshop, then you are at the wrong place...

word art: shabby princess, ronna penner, remember this, part of the express yourself kit

frame: michelle coleman floral frame, part of the 'wonderful' kit

ugh! looking at photos of myself makes me realize 3 things: i HATE photos of myself, age is unmerciful, and i love, love, really love photoshop!

frame: shabby princess scalloped border, part of the 'fesitval' kit.

by doing some really close cropping, you can get rid of that distracting background.

frame: shabby princess shabby borders1 inked border

you can also put the focus an the subject's eyes.

frame: jessica sprague grunge frame

the way i cropped this photo of my mom and my sister, creates an intimacy, a closeness. it also highlights how much they look alike.

this is marni. she is my brother andre's daughter. i want to use this photo of her to show you a magic trick in photoshop.

open your photo. create a new layer. do your basic edits. then, click on 'image' in the overhead menu. on the drop-down menu, choose 'crop'. a highlighted block will appear on your photo, with handles that you can make the block bigger or smaller. but first, under the word 'file' on the overhead menu, find the words 'aspect ratio', as shown by the pink arrow on the photo below. on the drop-down menu, you can choose one of many options. i like to use 'use photo ratio', as this makes the photo easier to print.

when you move your mouse on the handles of the cropping block, you will see that the arrow suddenly changes to a curved arrow. this means that if you click there and hold your mouse button in, you can move the angle of the cropping box, as shown by the green arrow in the above photo. when you are happy with it, you can click on the green arrow to accept it. if you are not happy, you click on the red circle, and try again.

the whole idea is to experiment, to play. crop dramatically. click to accept. look. like it? keep it. don't like it? go to 'edit' in the overhead menu, and click on 'undo crop'. photoshop is so much better than real life, you can do wild, brave, irresponsible, silly things, and just 'undo' afterward. not like real life, where you are stuck with the hangover/baby/crashed car/credit card bill.

frame: shabby princess shabby borders1 inked border

and this one i'm particularly proud of. this is ron, the man's father. i took this photo of him on christmas day 2006.

frame: shabby princess shabby borders1 shabby lines

go on, give it a try. remember, it is all about playing, experimenting, having fun. if you don't like it, you don't save it!

you can find my other photoshop tutorials here.

 

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

this post was featured on paxton prints and photoshop-pack and scrapscene and scrapdiary

i have always admired people who could write about nothing.

ok, so lots of people can write about nothing. what i really admire is people who can write about nothing in an entertaining way. people who write whole blogposts or essays or articles or short stories about nothing. people who can write about nothing in such a way that you read it from beginning to end. you read it all the way, and you are really enjoying it. you are intrigued and entertained. people who can string words together in such a poetic way. they can make the usual sound interesting, and the everyday seem amusing. you find yourseld reading and re-reading parts of it, whole sentences and paragraphs, because you want to remember it all. you are reading, and it is funny and interesting, you read all the way. and when you are finished reading, you realise you have just read a whole blog post about nothing...

ok, just kidding!

i'm still around. sorry i'm so quiet. i'm busy with a beeeg project... will let you know soon!

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPINTIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

i am daughter

i am sister

i am granddaughter

i am girl

i am cousin and niece

i am student

i am wife

i am mother

i am sister-in-law

i am daughter-in-law

i am friend

i am aunt

i am widow

i am fiance

i am partner

i am business owner

i am christian

i am scrapbooker

i am teacher

i am blogger

i am happy

I AM WOMAN

we at SCRAPPIN TIMES wish all woman a happy womens day, 9 august. even if you do not officially celebrate it in your country, then celebrate with us.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

window on the world...

i have shown this layout before, but it is always so great to see what others do with it. we used chipboard products made by wilpro, a local company.

this layout was made by laetitia. she scrapped photos of her trip to greece.

 

she was a scrapper before she went on her trip, so she took photos of the pebbles on the beach, and brought home some of the pebbles, to make a shakerbox. you can find a tutorial on how to make a shakerbox here.

we all agreed that this was the best shakerbox we had ever seen. she even covered the sides of the shakerbox with strips of the photo of the pebbles.

here is liza's take on it:

see how she used the same elements, yet it has a totally different feel. and here is another peek at mine:

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

new addition to the family...

during the night we grew 3 lambs richer. 3, in one night! what a blessing. our first set of twins, and another.

all together now: aaah cute!

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

subscribe to this blog...

being the amazing and internationally acclaimed consumer journalist i am - in my dreams - i will tell you today about something new i've just found. you see sophia, i'm blogging about it, like you asked...

as you all know, i read quite a few blogs. and in the process, i have noticed that people encourage you to 'subscribe to this blog'. now i have never known what this means, and i have never paid it much attention. but last week i decided that it was something i would like to know more about.

i read all about RSS feeds, and let me tell you, it still makes very little sense. then i visited my go-to guy, tibi at lost art of blogging. he claims he is not really an expert, but i have always found his posts well written, and he uses capital letters!, and i have learned a lot about the technicalities of blogging from him. his blog is not nearly as intimidating as some of the expert's are.

i left a bewildered comment there, and he emailed me back! i was very impressed. he explained RSS in more detail. it is very technical.  he also said "I follow about 150-200 blogs daily. Imagine me having to open all of these blogs in my browser each day, just imagine the time I'd waste. With my Google reader it's really easy for me to see if there's a new post, and eventually if there's an update I can read it from there, without having to deal with the hassle of opening the respective blog in my browser. It's all about time management and productivity. Of course there's a lot more reasons for using RSS, but for me 'time' is the most evident one."

what tibi does not even touch on, is the data bundle. most south africans have a data bundle, that should last for the month. data is expensive. so, every time i visit a blog, i download data on my computer, and it all adds up. not having to visit a blog unnecessarily, saves some data too. on dial-up it makes even more sense!

so, i looked at google reader. i had read about it a few times, and when tibi recommended it, i gave it a try. i added some of the blogs i read to it. and i am so impressed! you can add all your blogs in google reader. it keeps them all together. the other advantage of this is that i have all my favorites online, so i can find them on my computer at home, and my computer at the shop. over the next few weeks, i will be transferring all the blogs i like to read there.

i found the easiest way to add a new subscriber is to open the blog in the usual way, get up-to-date with the posts, then copy and paste the blog's URL (address) into the 'add subscription' block. it can find a blog itself if you fill in some keywords, but it is quicker to fill in the URL yourself.

the first time you add a blog, it will show you the last 10 posts. i check that i have read all of them, and then click on 'mark all as read'. then i add another, and mark as read. and so on. i have set it that it only shows the updated blogs. it gives you the amount of posts you have not yet read in brackets. when you click on that, it opens the blog for you.

now, i like to read a blog in context. i like to see the banner, the side bars, and the previous posts. so, i click on the name of the blog, and it takes me to the blog itself. then, when i'm finished, i just go back to the google reader, i click on 'mark all as read' for that blog, and move on to the next.

if you read the blogpost directly in google reader, it does apparently not count as a hit on the blog you are reading. but, if you click on the name of the blog, and it takes you straight to the blog, and then it does count as a hit. in the stats of the blog it will show as a hit from 'www.google.com/reader'.

tibi is right. it saves me tons of time, and that time i could use to read other blogs, that i never had time for. his reading 150-200 blogs probably takes up less time that my 10-30 blogs did. so, much more efficient! during the time i am online, i keep the google reader open, and when someone loads a new blogpost, i see it come up. i find it especially useful to keep track of those blogs that don't update regularly. now i don't have to keep checking in, just to find there is nothing new.

i know that there are other ways to subscribe. there are many places where you can keep track of your blogs. if you use another way, let me know in the comments. i am quite new at this, so there is still lots to learn.

wow, this post has turned out to be one huge infomercial. google, you can send me the cheque now...

you can read follow-up comments about google reader here.

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa

spring classes for men

Come one, come all ...

 

Spring Classes for Men

at the 

 

ADULT LEARNING CENTRE

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED
By September 30th, 2008

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM 


Class 1 
How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays--Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

 

Class 2
The Toilet Paper Roll--Does It Change Itself?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

 

Class 3
Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub?--Group Practice.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

 

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.
Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks.

 

Class 5
Dinner Dishes--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning
At 7:00 PM

 

Class 6
Loss Of Identity--Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other.
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

 

Class 7
Learning How To Find Things--Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming.
Open Forum
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

 

Class 8 

Health Watch--Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your

Health.
Graphics and Audio Tapes.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

 

Class

9
Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost--Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined

 

Class 10
Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks?
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.

 

Class 11
Learning to Live--Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife.
Online Classes and role-playing
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

 

Class 12
How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion
Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

 

Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy--Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

 

Class 14
The Stove/Oven--What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.

 

Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.

 

how do i leave a comment on a blog?

almost every day people email me or tell me that they read my blog, and they would have liked to leave a comment, but they did not know how. south africans are not so familiar with all things blogging, and there are many people who are unsure about how things work around here. so, here is a little tutorial on how to leave a comment.

most bloggers love comments. it is an interaction with their readers. it is wonderful to get feedback on what we say. on some blogs the commenters have big debates with each other. often the comments are more interesting than the blogpost in the first place!

at the end of each 'post' or blog entry, there is a word that says 'comment'. there are probably many other words there too, so you might have to look a little to find it.

when you click on 'comment' a little form will appear, where you can type your comment.

just fill it in and click on 'post'. you will then get this:

this is just to prove you are not a robot... if you comment on other blogs, it may look a little different, but the principle stays the same.

i read every comment and email, and i try to reply to every one. 

so, now you have no more excuse! please leave a comment...

jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa