« March 2009 | Main | May 2009 »
as most of you know by now, i'm trying to buy a car. for myself, and for francois. i was finding this a difficult choice, until i saw this video. now, i'm convinced, i am buying a hyundai!
i thought i would do a link-post. because i know you hate surfing the web. or love it, and don't need any motivation to follow all these links.
i love following links. i love it when i really surf the web, wandering aimlessly, following links like little signposts, losing hours of my life and emerging a little disorientated and blinking against the light, to find the house in chaos and the family hungry. like alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole, and finding wonderland, with lots of crazy and interesting people.
maybe it's just me.
sometimes through a link or 2, you find these beautiful, inspiring and sometimes sad stories on the web. this one is worth a visit, and makes me appreciate my life.
i have linked to this before, but because mother's day is coming up, i will bring it up again. if you are in need of inspiration for the making of a card for your mum, watch this. and if you are a man, watch it too. and if you own a man, then it is for you. even if you just know a man, you should watch it. it's funny!
if you are a digital scrapper, or just collect digital scrapbooking goodies, like me, here is a gorgeous freebie. thanks summer!
i found this website, that gives you all sorts of design freebies. there are some gems.
i started wilna and kayla's 'bling out your blog' course yesterday. you can still join me, if you wish. it is for bloggers on typepad and on blogger. you will learn all about templates and gadgets and widgets and photo albums. i'm practicing on amelia's blog, and my just jacki blog, and of course on the one you are on now.
if you are interested in starting a typepad blog, email me, or leave a comment, and i will give you a 10% discount code. yeah!
my grandmother, Pauline Sophia Straatman, would have been 100 years old on 20 april 2009. to commemorate, my aunt wrote a piece about her. i saved it here.
sean had civvies day at school today. they could dress in anything, as long as it reflected the theme "wacky wednesday". he is wearing different shoes and socks, over his sweater he is wearing a scarf and his school tie, and half his hair is flat and the other half spiky.
of course, if he wanted to be really wacky, he could have combed his hair and worn matching clothes, but he chose not to be that different... :-)
i look at that child every day, but only when i opened those photos on my computer this morning, did i realise how tall he is getting.
it took me 3 days just to get this post out. so many distractions. whew!
now i can start working on the next one..
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
i have been working on a post for 2 days now. not because it is such a brilliant post, but because there have been so many distractions.
but i'm still around. mainly on facebook...
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
look who arrived at our house last week. this mama had twins. awww sweet! just in time for christmas lunch...
...just kidding!
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
today cheryl came to scrap, and she brought a wooden frame. she wanted to put photos in it that were special to her husband, trevor.
he had been to a huge tennis tournament in dubai, and had photos of himself and many top tennis players. she also brought the lanyard and his id tag.
i helped her frame these photos. very simple and unfussy, with the focus on the photos.
i'm sure he will be thrilled, and he will cherish these memories for a long time to come.
and i got to do something other than the usual scrapbooking. it was a little challenging, because the size and style was different to what we usually do. i had to figure it out as we went along.
thanks cheryl. i enjoyed the morning!
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
i have been feeling rather intimidated lately by all these bloggers who manage to have a busy career and a model family and a life, and still manage to write an inspiring, entertaining and well written blog post every day. with perfectly edited photos.
so, i am writing a blog post today, whether i have something to say or not. just so you think i have it all together too.
...um...
...ah...
*scratch head and sigh*
no. nothing.
sorry.
oh yes. the man is home safe and sound from his long road trip from cape town to johannesburg. and i did not worry once! after this long and somewhat embarrassing post, i am doing great! shows you, a problem shared is a problem halved.
and i am SO SICK of pondering the same, age-old, never-ending question: what am i going to make for supper?
are you also so very gatvol (sick and tired) of this daily dilemma?
ok. i'm done.
i will be back tomorrow with yet another super-intelligent post. i know you are beside yourself with anticipation.
and if you came here because you followed a link from my facebook profile to what you were told was another thought-provoking post: you are a victim of misleading advertising. sorry for wasting your time.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
i have become quite a walking car encyclopedia.
i have learned a lot about cars in the past few weeks. i can hold a conversation, comparing cars and their specs, and their price versus value for money. i was chatting to a car dealer today, holding my own completely, and i even heard the words 'power versus weight ratio' coming out of my mouth! i was channeling that guy from top gear!...
...i think. i have never watched top gear.
seriously, i'm most guys fantasy. i can compare a tuscon with a sportage, and compare the prices of automatic versus manual. i know which are korean, and which are japanese, and which are american, and which are german. i know that which car is under warranty for how long, and i know which has the longest maintenance plan. i can debate about whether buying new is better than buying secondhand. i even know about fuel efficiency and carbon emissions and ENCAP safety ratings!
ugh! i hate that!
i know many guys who, the moment they drive their new car off the lot, start looking at what they would like to buy next. but i am one of those people who would drive a car for ever. i have no real desire to buy a new car. i find the whole thing quite stressful.
but i must. i have been spending more on my and francois' cars per year to fix them, than some people pay in installments.
so, i'm looking for a car. and talking to everyone about it.
the thing is that everyone has an opinion. a strong opinion. and everyone knows someone who is the best guy to buy a car from. and heaven forbid i do not follow his advice! i can see that there are many 'i told you so' s in my future...
as sean and i were leaving the shop today, we found this in the parking lot. of course, no 12.5 year old's life is complete if he has no photos of this amazing experience, to show his friends.
as he was posing (with my car keys in his hand, not the ferrari's) for photos next to the car, the owner came out. and he made sean's day week year.
he insisted that sean get in, in the driver's seat. sean, who is normally quite shy, was squealing in delight...
then the guy made him scoot over, and gave him a lift to the exit of the parking lot.
sean got out with shaky legs. and when we got in my dirty, old, uncool car, he said, in a tiny voice...
...'i think i'm going to pass out'...
by the way: it is a ferrari 612 Scaglietti.
it shares its naturally aspirated 5.7 L (5748 cc) V12 engine with the 575M Maranello. The Tipo F133E engine produces 397 kW (533 hp) at 7250 rpm and 588 N·m (433 ft·lbf) at 5250 rpm with a compression ratio of 11.2:1. The car is capable of 315 km/h (195 mph) and has a 100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds. It comes with two six speed transmission options: a conventional manual or the F1A semi-automatic paddle shift system, a much refined version of the F1 system in the 360.
just kidding. that info came from here and here. i have no idea what that means.
i think sean may just be excited to go to school tomorrow, for a change!
love, jacki
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
look who i shared a shower with over the weekend!
i often say this blog is form of therapy. a place for processing my thoughts and emotions. well today's post is one of those. so please excuse me as i have a little emotional meltdown.
this week is ronnie week. it is that week that starts on the 14th april with what would have been ronnie's 46th birthday, had he not died. the week ends on the 19th april, the day of his death 7 years ago.
this is a difficult time for me every year. you would think it would get easier as time goes by, and it does too, but as always the days leading up to this week are intense.
now, to make matters worse this week, i also have to face my biggest fear. i have blogged about it before. we all go through life with that wonderful gift of denial, that conviction that 'it can't happen to me'. well it did. and when it did, i lost that conviction. it did happen to me. and now, i can never shake that fear that it can happen to me again. and i know how blindingly devastating and suffocatingly dark "it' can be.
in fact, i am not even going to go there...
this week the man is on the road again. on thursday he is flying down to cape town, and driving back up. he is bringing up a very ill family member to johannesburg. and you know that his being on the road for such a long period is very, very difficult for me, as you can read here.
so, i have to deal with both issues in one week. the re-living of the death of my husband ronnie, and my fear of something happening to my man. a double whammy. or maybe a big, final test? i hope so..
anyway, there is a reason why i'm telling you this. i have found in the past that putting it out here, on my blog, works for me. i need to yank it out of the dark, moist, fertile folds of my heart, where it can grow and fester and multiply, and expose it to the cold light of day, where it will wither and die. i need to expose it, i need to think and write and read and edit and process it out, so it has no more hold over me. somehow saying it out loud, putting it out here, and telling you about it, exposes the fear for the parasite it is, and helps me to conquer it.
and now that it is written here, i am going to pray over it. and ask you to pray for me too. and then i am going to lay it at the foot of HIS cross. and turn around, and walk away, and leave it there. and whenever those dark thoughts try to tell me how big the fear is, i can tell the fear how big my GOD is.
because i trust that GOD has a plan for my life, and even if that plan includes the worst, as it has in the past, HE will never let me walk that path alone, HE will carry me, as HE has always done.
as i write this, i feel the tears build up in me. but they are not the tears of sadness and defeat, they are the tears of relief, and the tears of cleansing.
it is not a coincidence that this week was preceded by easter. i was reminded this past weekend that for those of us who believe and call HIS name, HE has already overcome the darkness and everlasting death, so i may have everlasting life in HIM. the message of easter is that of overcoming. and i will carry that message forward in me this week.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
i started to write this post on sunday, and then left it in it's raw, emotional form. then i edited and worked on it today. and can tell you that i already feel better. the moment i wrote this down on sunday, it was out of me, and i felt victorious. the demons were exorcised.
in closing i want to say this: i did not write this because i need sympathy. also, remember that although this is on my mind, it is not the only thing going on in my life. i am fine. i am happy. i have dealt with this issue, and i am dealing with this issue. there is no reason to be worried or concerned about me. at all. i promise!
i often say this blog is form of therapy. a place for processing thoughts and emotions. well today's post is one of those. so thanks for excusing me as i had a little emotional meltdown...
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
last year i did a easter 'egg' hunt, which is like a blog-hop, where you can find little treasures. this year i am doing something similar.
see the theme? a blog-hop? like a bunny? an easter bunny? and you will find little shiny treasures, less fattening but no less fabulous than lindt easter eggs...
sorry. it's lame, i know.
yet, it will also be different to last years hunt.
why? because all the blogs i'm 'hopping' to, are just plain fun. good writing. 'normal issues'. motherhood. life. worries. insecurities. and no scrapbooking.
first, i thought we could start with allie. her post hidden for finding is about the true meaning of easter. i love her quiet, shy little blog.
as always, wilna has a spiritual message too.
then we pop over to shiny, who has written a letter to the pope. you will love her writing. i do!
for mommy-issues you may, or may not, relate to, pop in to mommyismoody. she writes so well, even if i can't really relate to her life. so does tallnlucky. finslippy also writes mainly about motherhood, but she is sooo funny!
for photography that is just art, visit tara whitney. for beautiful art and introspective writing, visit kelly rae.
and i know i said no scrapbooking, but since tim holtz will be here in south africa at the end of the month, and he made an interesting easter tag, he gets an honorable mention...
it took me days to get this post this far. sometimes there are so many distractions, that nothing goes fast. so, i thought i would leave it here, and get it posted, before easter is gone and forgotton.
John 3:16
love, jacki
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
but it did.
somehow, time flew by. and before i knew it, it is thursday. again. and it has been almost a week since my last blogpost.
how did that happen? does time fly by in your life too?
anyway, in south africa we are at the start of long-weekend season. this was a 4 day week, so will next week, because of the easter weekend. the week after we have our national elections, so there is a holiday. on a wednesday. the week after that has 3 days, as monday 27 april is 'freedom day' and friday 1 may is 'workersday'.
unfortunately, as i am a retailer, i should be open on public holidays. they are prime shopping days! and as nobody wants to work on a holiday, it is i, business owner and sucker, who is working on those days.
so, if you are on the area, and you are off on those days, please come and spend lots of money in my shop. so it is worth my while? thanks.
also coming up is that fun time of the year for me, that time i call 'ronnie-week'. i can already feel the dread building up in me. 14 april is his birthday, and 19 april is the day he died. 7 years ago. you would think it would get easier...
on the 25th march i wrote a blogpost, and said i would draw a winner from the comments. and the winner is sophia! sophs, drop me an email, and tell me if you want a photo-edit, or a blinkie.
and remember that tim holtz is coming to visit south africa. the johannesburg convention on 1 may is sold out, but there is still space available in cape town on 25 april, and durban on 3 may. you can get more info here. and for a glimpse of what makes this guy so great, you can look here and here.
i want to wish you all a happy easter. and do remember that it is all about Christ's great gift to us. and hot cross buns and lindt easter bunnies....
and here is another photo taken by amelia at the photoshoot last week.
these are my friends. we have shared each other's lives for almost 20 years! this older photo of us was taken many years ago.
2 of the girls in the older pic have moved away. and one new one has since joined our group. and no less than 5 of the 9 girls in the older photo have lost their husbands since that photo was taken. we could almost call ourselves the 'black widows' club..
you can see what i wrote about these girls here and here. and you can see the individual photos taken on that day here and here.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
i'm a little sleepy, i'm having a friday afternoon energy crash, i just want to get home and do nothing at all...
anyway, i just popped in to tell you that you can download this awesome free digital kit by summer here.
and as soon as i regain some energy, i will pick a winner from this giveaway. in the meantime, you can still comment, and qualify for the prize.
and check out the well-deserved praise blog-friend and south african girl candice is getting over at two peas.
if you are a reader of this blog, and you are on facebook, then you can click here to follow this blog, or in the 'follow this blog on facebook' link in the right sidebar. this is not a separate blog, it is just a little group or community of people who follow this blog. it asks nothing further of you, but it is great for me to know who you are, that's all! it reminds me of the friends i have, in those 'nobody loves me' moments.
what, you don't have those moments?
if you have your own blog, you can link it on facebook here. it all part of networking... and if you are not my facebook friend yet, you can meet me here. i don't throw pigs or send drinks, i promise!
every time i re-read this post, i find more silly typos. i cannot concentrate. so, i'm leaving for now.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
