today sean went from this:
to this:
via this:
and is it my imagination, or is there fluff on that upper lip?
of course, the whole evening it was rather painful. but it will get better, and soon his cute little face will look completely different.
ps. ugh. my blog is acting funny. so i cannot do a final check of this post. i will look tomorrow, and if something is wrong, i will fix it.
sean started high school yesterday. of course, when your mother is a blogger and a scrapbooker, you have to pose for photos. to capture the moment...
the poor thing. he was soooo nervous! he could not even smile.
not even his dad's silly jokes could cheer him up!
but, 2 days into this new adventure, and he is fine!
love, jacki
ps: i will do a 'i'm-sorry-for-not-blogging' catch-up post soon. i have lots to tell...
... i could work from home.
i would love to do some blog-designing and writing work. and i would love to do it from home.
why?
well, i could work on my laptop. in bed. in my pajamas.
discipline would not be a problem, because i have a supervisor:
her name is snowy. and she is a strict taskmaster..
she sleeps with her head on my keyboard. and since i don't have the heart to disturb her, i don't move.
of course, sometimes i have to share her with sean.
maybe then i could jump up for a quick shower, and to get some coffee.
i posted about her here before. she is the princess in our house.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
happy 13th birthday sean!
i don't know that much about when he was born, as i was not there. but i do know that he is a kind and gentle boy, and that my life is better for having known him for the last 6+ years.
on sunday he brought us breakfast in bed, and when i asked why, he told me that it was 'evil stepmother's day'.
thank you sean, for enriching my life. without you i would not be a stepmother, evil or otherwise. and my life would have been poorer for it.
you can read what i have blogged about him before here.
tonight we are going out to supper and a surprise. typical scrapbooker/blogger, i saw a photo-op earlier in the week. and tomorrow we are going away for the weekend. with my entire, extended family. who are all already there.
and i am taking tonight, friday, saturday and monday off. wow! i hope the economy survives.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
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 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
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
when do you stop the tooth-in-the-shoe ritual?
when your 12.5 year old baby gets too old to believe in the tooth fairy?
(i photoshopped these teeth to remove the bloody bits - for you cheryl!)
when his shoe is longer than my hand?
when the dentist extracts 2 baby molars, and he takes the discomfort without a fuss? (i was so proud of him!)
or when he puts notes in his shoe, to negotiate rates with the tooth fairy?
the note says:
negotiation:
tooth 1 R 5
tooth 2 R 5
+ R10 because they were forcefully removed.
of the R20 he asked for, he got R16,85, because that's all the tooth fairy had available.
just for the record, he has not believed in the tooth fairy for years, but we still go through the ritual every time. he only has one more baby tooth left. and yes, the writing on the note is very untidy! but there were no spelling mistakes...
in november 2006, when he was 10.5 years old, he wrote this note:
dear tooth mouse
can you please go into my stomach and fetch a tooth that i swallowed.
thank you. sean
imagine. a tooth mouse in your stomach. needless to say, i do not have that tooth saved with the others. i think some sewer rat got it...
you can see my blog post about my oldest son, francois' tooth fairy story here.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
on sunday sean got a new little friend.
"hey, little friend. nice to meet you!"
"let's see you up close"...
"oooh, you are tickling me!"
"let's pray together, my friend".
and to prove that i actually do some work around here...
what do you mean scrapbooking isn't work? it is for me - i have a scrapbooking shop.
it was another tough day at the office...
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
going on holiday is not an option right now, so sean has been camping in his tent in the garden.
you see that door just to the right of his tent? that is our bedroom. he is closer to us in his tent, than when he is when he is sleeping in his own room.
a twelve-year-old's version of independance...
edited to add: he has slept there a few nights, cathy. and yes, kota, my 22 year-old lives in a flat on my property too, and he is only a little further away from us. during the week he lives on campus, though.
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
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
this is a typical winter's evening in our house. see the roaring fire in the background? ok, not so typical. usually we are out of wood. the men lying around, and the dirty dishes and the general messiness, now that is typical. the only thing missing, is a few cats and dogs. usually, the man has a cat lying on his chest. we have 4 cats, 3 dogs, 9 sheep, and a large assortment of ducks, guinea fowl, turkeys, and other birds. ah yes, domestic bliss...
on wilna's blog she has a link to this awesome layout. i think is is fabulous too. so i thought i would share it with you. also, i am linking it here, so that i can find it myself if i want to look at it again...
did you see how sexy donna downey is? she lost weight, and looks great. no more skinny poses for her...
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbooking shop, benoni, gauteng, south africa
i made this layout last week, after being inspired by a layout by the amazing, the talented, the nicest melani. i used those boring school photos. i love the way the 2 pattern papers (queen of hearts and 7 gypsies) go together! this is the kind of layout that the shop-owner in me does not approve of. it has very little 'product' on it. only paper, mainly. not a big sales booster. also, notice that although it is a school layout, it has no school embellishments/paper etc. but i am enjoying it, it makes my eyes happy.. edited to add: i taught this layout in our workshop today (saturday), and although everyone's layout was different, they were all beautiful! that is what makes scrapbooking so rewarding!
blogging in bed again. thought i'd have a linky day, to keep you from your work, and so avoiding those work-day blues. it sure beats solitaire... remember to open an excel spreadsheet in another window, so you can switch to it quickly when the boss walks by... just my contribution to the productivity in your office. remember when tetris came out? it seems like a million years ago. at the time, it was said that it was invented in russia, to decrease productivity in the west. i think it worked, too...
i have found 2 new blogs that i would like to kick of my 'blog of the moment' feature with. i enjoyed visiting them: my marrakesh is about a woman who is living in morocco. also, i enjoyed 37 days, that asks the question, what if you had 37 days left to live? the third blog that i'd like to highlight, is one i have been visiting often, for quite a few months, and is in my blogroll. yet, christine middlekamp is always worth a visit. there is so much scrapbooking inspiration there, and real life, too. tell me what you think of these blogs, i'd love to know!
next, go to jessica sprague. she is an awesome source of photoshop-inspiration. see her tutorial for making your photos 'pop'. also, i found a link on her blog to a photography article on 5 ways to hold your veiwer's attention. in fact, the website that the article is on, beyond megapixels, is a good site to visit if you are a photography fan.
then, if you have taken the digital photo, and photoshopped it, then you can digitally scrap it by using the free digital scrapbook kit you can find on that great site shutterfly.
if you have not done so, visit the south african scrapbook convention's website, and book. on the booking form, where they say 'group' tell glenda you are with scrappin times, and she will put you in our group. it really is a great event. and glenda is great too...
tomorrow is madiba - nelson mandela's 90th birthday.
i have not forgotton about the brillante weblog award. i will pass it on soon, i promise! in the meantime, please nominate any blog you read and love. i would like to make it democratic.
if you follow any of these links, leave a comment to tell me what you liked. also, on those blogs, leave a comment and tell them jacki sent you. comments are good. comments are what bloggers blog for. bloggers loooove comments. i know i do. don't know how to comment? just look directly below this post. there you will find the word 'comment'. just click on the word, and it will take you to a comment form. easy! even blondes from benoni can do it...
anyway, i'd better get out of bed, and get ready to go to work. i finished another scrapbook layout last night. seems i got my mojo back!
love, jacki
jacki janse van rensburg - SCRAPPIN TIMES scrapbook shop, benoni, south africa
this is sean. he is 12 years old today. he is a sunshine in my life. he is chatty and cheerful. i am proud of him too. happy birthday sean. i hope you have a great day. he is visiting his mom for the holidays.
