{scraps of jacki's life}

Social media for churches (or any religious group)

Should my church or group have a social media presence?

Social Media is for celebrities and large companies and the youth, right? Wrong! Small local companies and organisations with a limited, local market, can find social media a very powerful tool in their marketing strategy. Even a church can reach its congregation and community very well, by using Facebook and Twitter effectively.

Social media is cheap, easy to use, informal, immediate and social. Perfect for your church!

It may be more practical to have more than one social media profile for your church community. Different departments may have their own pages, with their own focus. You could have a ‘general’ page, a community outreach page, and a youth page. The idea is that each page has its own identity, while at all times being obviously part of the church's stable. Finding your church's 'Main' page should be easy from everywhere. All pages should be linked to each other. It is advisable to have the name and logo of the church displayed prominently on each page, and to have at least one person who acts as admin person across all pages, to ensure brand consistency and continuity.

Incorporate all your church's web presences into one vibrant, informal and informative digital footprint. Your website, blog, Facebook and Twitter should all point to each other, and work together. Get a bigger and constantly growing congregation and community buy-in and participation.

To make your church’s social media strategy most effective, decide in advance exactly who your target audience is. Knowing them, and keeping them in mind at all times while posting, is vitally important. Who do you want to engage? What are the goals of the page? What content do you want to share?

Some of the more obvious target audiences for your church page are the following:

• Current active members of the congregation – youth and adults
• Current members of the church, who do not attend services regularly
• People in the surrounding area, who are potential new members, or who may sometimes attend a special service, course or event
• People who do not live close by, who still want to feel a part of your church community
• Non-Christians, people who are unsure, or people who are inactive in their faith

Current, active members of the congregation

These are the people who attend services and events regularly. They know who you are, and are most likely to ‘Like’ your page. They are the easiest and most supportive and active audience to reach, but it is also often a case of ‘preaching to the converted’.

Posts aimed at this group may include:

Information and reminders of upcoming services and events – general info, what times and places, what to expect, don’t forget, etc. A big advantage of these posts, is that members who have not attended services for a while will still be in the loop, members will be able to ‘share’ these posts on their own profiles and so reach a far wider audience, and people who check their feed regularly can be reminded of the event on the day

Feedback and photos of events that happened recently – this gives the member good opportunity to see photos, post comments, tag friends, ask questions, relive the experience, and give feedback. It is best to update the pages with photos and feedback on Facebook from every church event, within minutes. Preferably as it happens. This helps to create a greater sense of community. Tagging people in photos will place the photo and the related post on their wall, thereby potentially reaching a far wider audience. It is here where having a regular blog, that does ‘community’ and ‘around the campus’ type posts, will also be useful. Make sure you update the Facebook page regularly with links to these posts. The point is to show photos and tell stories from events and projects by and around your church - sometimes a short update is not enough. The intention is to get each department to do their own 'Press releases'. When people work hard, or have fun, or donate time and money, the results will be visible to all on the blog. All should be linked to the Facebook pages.

This audience group is important, because they will ‘Like’ and comment on your posts, create a buzz, and will be most likely to ‘Share’ your posts, thus creating visibility and community. They influence their friends. Some people influence hundreds of friends, many of whom don’t know about your church and may not even be Christians. This will raise awareness of your church and its activities and outreaches.

Current members of the church, who do not attend regularly

Getting someone to ‘Like’ a church page, is very important. Unless you really annoy that person, it is rather unlikely that they will un-‘like’ the page again anytime soon. This means that you can reach them, even if they are not attending services regularly. You are keeping a connection that you would not have had otherwise. This is a person who is loyal to your church, but does not see your notices on the screen, or get them at the door. When he sees regular reminders and feedback in his feed, that feeling of ‘missing out’ may encourage him to come back.

People in the area, who are potential new members, or who may sometimes attend a special service

These are the people who may live in the areas surrounding your church, who may or may not attend regular services at another church. They may be family or friends of a regular member, of may have been a happy member in the past. They may love your church, but they are not members or regulars. This is a very valuable audience to reach – your next active member may come from here! It is important that you portray your church as warm, welcoming, active and friendly.

People who do not live close by, who still want to feel a part of a church community

This will probably not be your primary target audience, but you may be reaching them ‘accidentally’. This group may still be loyal and interested, and may ‘Like’ and comment on your posts. If your church has podcasts and videos of sermons, and blog posts or articles on relevant topics, discussions and forums, this may be what this group is after. Make sure you post links to this kind of content often. You could also post links to content generated by people outside of your church, such as other minsters and speakers that you admire. Also, you could post bible verses or inspiring quotations, to keep this group interested. Bear in mind that it is this kind of content that is most likely to be shared by your fans, to a wider audience.

Non-Christians, people who are unsure, or people who are inactive in their faith

A very important function of your church’s social media presence may be what I like to call e-Evangelism. Your church should decide in advance if their social media focus will be on this, or not. Some of these audience members may feel intimidated by overly Christian content. Others may ‘Like’ your page for precisely that reason. For some people, your Facebook page may be their first interaction with your church, so it should always be welcoming, inclusive and community-friendly. But you are a church after all, and should be proud of it. Keep a good balance.

Finally

It is important to get your social media presence to grow. Make sure there are links to your social media from your website. Put links on your presentations, newsletters, course materials, service notices and on the bottom of your emails. Keep the content and updates relevant, interesting, ‘share’-able and fun. Build conversation. Ask questions. Create discussions. Post photos. Engage. Reach your congregation, your community, and sometimes even reach beyond a Christian audience. And don’t be afraid to experiment. Social media content has a short shelf-life. So if you try something and it didn’t work, you can try something else.

Love, Jacki

Once upon a time, in a place far, far away, in a country at the southern tip of Africa...

The room is huge. It is noisy. It is filled with lots of people. They are all a-twitter: debating, arguing, and sharing information, all in short bursts.  They are following each other.  The decor is sparse. The rules are simple.

Many guests are scoffing at the social in the much bigger room next door. In that blue room, people are liking each other’s Faces and harvesting virtual crops. There, they say, the news is old, the conversations are mundane, and the guests complain every time the decor changes. In our room, they say, people are more real. More interesting. More fun.

In the corner of the room, is a radio booth. On duty tonight are @DJFreshSA, @Anele, @F1sasha and @GarethCliff.  A huge crowd is gathered around them, repeating everything they say. On the other end of the room is another radio booth. There @MarkPilgrimZA, @BaileySchneider, @PabiMoloi and @samcowen are chatting. @WhackheadS pops up occasionally, nobody has told him his mike is off.

The southern part of the room is the busiest. There they all stand in the shadow of a huge table. There is a lot of alcohol, and some whisps of smoke.  @SamWilson1 is partying, @Tertia is working on her laptop, and @MvelaseP, @helenzille and @ianollis are talking politics. But not with each other. @dorothyblack is talking about sex. @ettiennebeneke is surfing. @SquidSquirt and @kambabe are talking to each other.

In the tech zone, @shapshak, @AkiAnastasiou, @paulscott56, @walterpike,  @art2gee and @simondingle are comparing gadgets, codes and websites. Nobody understands a word that they are saying, but everybody nods, intrigued.

Wait, who is that, on the couch in the centre of the room? Why, it’s @NonhleThema. She is shouting about how many millions she has for dayzzzz. She is telling her fanz to SIT DOWN. BOOM. Many people in the room are pretending not to notice her, but they are hanging on her every word.

Near the beer fridge and the big screen TV, are @KevinMcCullum, @RunningGolfer and @6000. Actually, there is a huge crowd of sports fans. Today, they are watching #RWC. They are reporting every move on the field. And they are repeating everybody else’s reports of every move. Also near the TV is a group of people complaining loudly about the sports watchers. Later, when #SAIdol is on, the sports watchers will, in turn, start to complain about the TV watchers.     

There is a group of people complaining loudly to anybody listening about the bad service they are getting. A small group of brave company representatives are trying to pacify them. @WOOLWORTHS_SA, @Vodacom and @TheGautrain are trying hard to keep everybody happy. @MichaelJordaan and @Rbjacobs are doing a better job.

@CrownePlazaJHB is hosting all the cool parties. On chilly days @MelanieMinnaar hands out #TBD blankets. @News24 and @ewnupdates keep interrupting with the news, brought to you by @MandyWiener and @StephenGrootes. @phillipdewet is ducking rocks at a protest.

@simonwillo is travelling. @IvoVegter is disagreeing with everyone. @Sentletse is debating with everyone. @gussilber and @khayadlanga are being philosophical, and everybody is repeating their philosophies. @JJ_UFS is writing letters to his children. Wait! It is @SA_Trivia time...

In the interactive zone, @dan_vh,  @clivesimpkins, @staceysuperr, @angelo2711 and  @RayRott are chatting amongst themselves. @KeenyKeenz is chatting about bicyles and white people. @tumimalatsi  is being noisy. @sdiedericks is checking in on 4square!!!!!! @alambchop, @norwin, @TanyaKovarsky, @Nicki_Dadic, @MingBean, @samcholes, @ExMi, @acidicice and @Taniar2 are talking about their kids, @BronyW and @HayleyM_ are talking about their dogs and @TheJoLurie is talking about her cat.

@Jane_Anne62  is reading the news, the more bizarre, the better. @HansHaupt is working on his thesis. @comradesipho is writing articles. @mikestopforth is arranging a @27dinner. @DazMSmith, @blackburnmike, @cazpi and @Jenty are discussing photography.

@al_ice  #ChaseYouAroundTheKitchenTableDiveForYouGrabYourAnkleNibbleOnItAsYouTryToGetAway! Smile on this Toosday! @spillly and @BarryTuck are telling dirty jokes. @FionaSnyckers, @brodiegal, @MeyerDeon, @JoanDeLaHaye and @laurenbeukes are talking about books.

Do you spot someone in the crowd that i missed? Please feel free to tell me in the comments.

Disclaimer: All the characters in this story are ficticious. If any description reminds you of someone, you are clearly as mad as i am. The contents of this publication reflect the opinion of the author only. This publication is for informational purposes only. Opinions expressed should not be construed as medical advice. The particulars of any person's concerns and circumstances should be discussed with a qualified health care practitioner prior to making any decision which may affect the health and welfare of that individual or anyone under his or her care.

Book review: The girl who couldn't say no - the memoir of a teenage mom

"There are people who think they have the whole 'tragic teenage pregnancy' thing figured out. they don't. they don't know squat, in fact, unless they've been there themselves."

Tracy Engelbrecht was a good South African girl. a normal girl. no difficult childhood. no broken home. no addicted parents. just a normal girl from a normal home. who fell pregnant at 14.

this book is her frank account of how she fell pregnant, how she told her family, friends and school, how she decided to keep her son, and how she is coped with motherhood, homework and dating. 

it is also a story about how she grew up.  

so many aspects of the story were close to home for me, i myself was 19 and unmarried when i fell pregnant. i married the guy, and my son is now 24. many issues in Tracy's story were so similar to mine.

this book was easy to read, and has a delightful balance between humour and depth. it had me laughing and nodding, and wiping the odd tear. it is written in an informal, chatty style, that is charming and amusing, and it feels like she is telling you the story over a cream soda float.

i would recommend this story for teenagers and their moms, as an easy-to-read illustration of consequences. it clearly shows that while some choices have a very high price, nothing that happens to us is so bad that we cannot deal with it with love, humour and hard work. and that sometimes, when we look back, the worst thing that ever happens to us, can be the best thing that ever happened to us.

in her words: "it is not a cautionary tale of a Good Girl Gone Bad or even of a Bad Girl Made Good... it's just a little story of changes and adjustment, of love and destiny. it is just my story. that should be good enough, I reckon."

but this book is also enjoyable and universal enough for a even wider readership. it is a lovely book. read it!

 you can buy your copy of The girl who couldn't say no' here.

you can read more about Tracy's life on her blog here.

you can follow Tracy on twitter here, and you can follow me on twitter here. 

Tweet

on reading, and writing book reviews..

This post was written for women24's book club, and was published here on 13 August 2010.

My Dutch grandmother says I read 'prul boeken'. this means that instead of reading 'good' books, books of value, books that have meaning; I read empty, meaningless, cheap novels churned out by commercial writers who produce a book a year, all written by a formula. The literary versions of rom-coms. You know: pulp fiction.

She is right.

I read to escape. For a few hours at least, I want to be somewhere else. Living someone else's life. It has to read quick and easy, and if the story is forgettable it is also ok, because then I can get better value for my R100 by reading it again in a year or two. I have always jokingly said that if it has a fact in the first chapter, then I am put off. And if there is no murder in the first chapter, I am also disappointed.

I don't normally read chick-lit. There are a few exceptions, but generally I choose thrillers, who-dunnits and legal dramas - my favourite writers are James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman, John Grisham and even Dan Brown. I read very fast, I can finish an average paperback in a day if you leave me alone, so I prefer it if I don't have to think.

But this year I decided to read a little wider. Try new authors. Different genres.

And so in this spirit of inclusiveness, I read 'The Time Traveler's Wife' - a book a friend lent me. And I loved it! For weeks after, the story stayed with me.

It was during these weeks, that Sam Wilson, editor at women24 and twitter-friend, tweeted that book24 was looking for someone to do a book review for them. Without delay, I set about writing a review for 'The Time Traveler's Wife', and within an hour it was ready to send off to woman24. A few days later I got an email from Tammy, the book24 editor, saying that they already had a review for that book, but was I interested in doing a monthly review?

And so it came that I write a review every month. And that means I have to read a book every month. And it has to be a reviewable book.

This has been a wonderful challenge. Suddenly I have to think about what I read, and I have to think about the story while I’m reading it. I am reading more critically. I am asking other people who have read the book their opinions. Instead of just consuming, I’m chewing. And in the process i have discovered wonderful new writers.

I look forward to further literary growth. To many happy hours spent reading.

What do you read?

Tears of rage...

Aaaaarrrrgggghhhh! I am so angry, I could just..... just.... burst into tears!

A while ago, on twitter, someone mentioned that she was close to angry tears. Within minutes she had lots and lots of replies. It seems there are many women who can relate to that, including me. All of us agreed that when we get angry, or frustrated, we cry.

Crying is as much an expression of human emotions as laughter, we were designed to cry. But society has decided that laughing is much more acceptable than crying, especially in public. In fact, even violence, although frowned upon, is more acceptable than crying!

We all have situations where we get very angry, or very frustrated. Some people, like my husband, want to lash out, and fight. Much to my dismay and embarrassment, I start to cry. No matter how hard I try, I cannot help it! I am an emotional person, and keeping my feelings bottled up has never been my strong point. I cry when I’m happy. I cry when I’m sad. I cry when I’m angry. I cry in movies. In fact, when people run in slow motion across the beach in a cigarette advert, I cry. I once cried at a Toyota truck launch...

Of course, generally speaking, releasing emotions is a better way of dealing them. I have heard that tears are a way of flushing all that adrenalin. I know that I feel instant relief of the emotional tension that has been building up inside, after a good cry. So crying is a lot healthier than suppressing, and a lot more civilised than getting involved in a fistfight. But that is all well and good, when it happens in the privacy of my shower, or in my pillow.

The problem is when the angry tears happen in front of others. I want to come across as assertive, confident, justified. Instead I look silly, girly, pathetic. Just when I need to appear formidable, the tears come, and I lose all appearance of being capable and in control. Feeling humiliated by the unwelcome tears just makes matters worse. And of course, it doesn’t help that my mascara then runs in black streaks down my reddening cheeks, instantly multiplying the cringe factor!

The problem with angry tears is that they often achieve nothing. When, as the crier, I feel humiliated and powerless, I will often back down, thus ‘losing’. If the person I am angry at feels manipulated or blackmailed, nothing positive can come from the situation. Crying can be experienced as passive-aggressive behaviour or emotional blackmail.

Do you cry angry tears? How does that make you feel? And when someone cries angry tears in front of you, how does that make you feel?

Tweet

gautrain...

 

on saturday francois and i were invited to the official launch of the gautrain, at gallagher estate in johannesburg. it was a fancy, black-tie event, attended by politicians, ministers and journalists from all over the world. and us.

we were invited as so-called 'new media'. i was invited because i tweet, and i was invited to tweet about the launch. this is, as far as i know, the first time members of 'social media' were invited as media members, and we had full media privileges. this was quite exciting! this was the second time i got to ride on the gautrain, once before, in march, i went to a twitter-gautrain event.

 

for those of you who do not know, the gautrain is the first rapid-rail system in africa, and when completed will connect all hubs in gauteng with each other. at the moment only the leg between sandton and the airport are open, with the rest of the routes opening within a few months. 

 
i am looking forward to using it. my closest station is rhodesfield, and from there to sandton is 12 minutes and it will cost R21. people who live in cities where there always has been public transport may not understand our excitement, but for us it is great indeed.

 
 

you can read a somewhat negative article by ivo vegter here. he specifically refers to us who were tweeting from the event. please also read my comments.

read another article in mail and guardian, referring to, and quoting francois here.

and an article from bbc here.

 

ps. the photos were in my media pack

rather be silent and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and remove all doubt...

my man routinely makes the most outrageous comments. but, because the media is not camped outside our bedroom, ready to report on all he says, i am the only one getting upset.

there is this person who is very prominent in south african politics at the moment. you know who i'm talking about - he is a youth in a league of his own, one we love to hate. the one who makes the most outrageous comments all the time, and then we respond by getting all upset and hot and bothered and afraid for our future and our country. the internet goes crazy, twitter gets all a-buzz, and the newspapers fly off the shelves.

and, rightly so, we respond by saying that our leaders should rein him in. the president should shut him up. the government should keep him quiet. as he is causing conflict and dischord, he should be disciplined. we all agree that someone should do something!

journalists and newspapers like us all to believe that they exist to keep us informed, and indeed they are. but they also exist to make money. like us all. so, they report on matters that we are interested in, so we will buy that newspaper, or tune into that channel, or click on that link.

the point is that as long as reporting on troublemakers keeps making money, the reporting will not stop. as long as we keep buying the newspaper, and tuning to the station, and clicking on the links, and tweeting the tweets, the reporting will continue. and even worse, the reporting will increase!

a few weeks ago, i decided that i, for one, would start ignoring him. i refuse to buy a newspaper that has him on the front page. i don't click on a link to an article about him. i don't tweet about him. and if i have to, i refuse to mention him by name. i am even writing an entire blog-post about him, without mentioning his name. i tune him out of my life. i will not give him his 15 minutes of fame in my backyard.

now of course, if i am alone in doing it, nobody will notice any difference. except me. but if you did it, and we all did it, then newspapers would no longer make money from reporting about him. and if it is not profitable, why bother? there will soon be someone or something else that creates a new tizz.

so, even if the president, and the government, and the leaders who should be toning him down, will not - we can. because if no one is interested, and no one is reporting, then he will become like my dear man. saying outrageous things. with no one even knowing.

 

ps: there is talk on twitter about a week-long #ignorejulius campaign. this is my 2cents worth. except that my contribution will last longer than a week.

read what i said, only much better here.

read an article by the media, about why the media loves him.

edited to add:

Julius Malema has exploded into political… prominence… by making himself hard to ignore. Inheriting a platform that drew attention to the accidental outrages he tripped into, he quickly learned to stoke outrage and roar back at any responses he provoked. For the media, trying to gauge the state of the nation’s health from moment to moment, this makes him a much more attractive candidate than the business-as-usual official announcements of the ruling party proper. But Malema’s sound and fury signify nothing, and his disproportionate voice in South Africa’s public conversation is only hurting our ability to speak to one another, and to speak sense when we do. We think it’s time to ignore Julius, and invite you to join us.

For the week of 7-14 April 2010, we undertake to talk about this country, its challenges, its promise, its news, and to ignore Julius while doing so. Join us in this initiative. If you blog, join the roll. If you Tweet, add the hashtag #ignoreJulius to your daily output.
However you communicate, take a week off from Julius.

Here is the list of blogs that are participating in this initiative:
http://rwrant.co.za
http://zoem.co.za
http://www.thoughtleader.co.za/mariusredelinghuys
http://memyselfandkarin.wordpress.com/
http://robsramblings.co.za
http://antithesis.blognation.co.za/
http://singe.za.net/
http://blog.empyrean.co.za
http://www.pinkhairgirl.co.za
http://www.macgeek.co.za
http://www.futurechurch.co.za
http://www.cptawesome.co.za/
http://www.indigogirl.co.za/

south africans being positive..

today i have a couple of things to say about south africans being positive, and doing a little bit to make a difference, so i'm doing it in points:

go to the shout website. check out the video and hear the song. it is a collaboration of many top south african artists, who sing the song 'shout', which you can download for R20. all the proceeds go to the fight against crime. it is a darn catchy song. it has been stuck in my head since the first time i have heard it. you can sms 'shout' to 33335, and download it to your phone for R20.

 

on saturday francois and i attended #tweetuponrails. it was a function where people who follow the gautrain on twitter got to see, AND RIDE, the gautrain. we are the first members of the public to do so. it was an awesome event! and i can tell you first hand that the gautrain will be a fantastic service.

  

in terms of a public relations exercise, #tweetuponrails was a south african first. a social media marketing event that was successful far beyond anyone's expectations. it was wonderful to be part of history in the making, for the gautrain and for twitter/social media in south africa.

 

i have discovered the blog of tracy todd. she is a south african woman, who became a quadriplegic after a car accident. she writes openly and truthfully and from the heart. and within moments, your insight into the life of 'differently abled' people changes. forever.

if you are an international reader, and you know someone who is coming to south africa for the world cup, and they are on twitter, tell them to look for the hashtag #worldcuphost. there they will find active south african tweeters who are prepared to act as twourgides virtual guides, with anything they need, at any time.

south africa the good news is a website that collects all sorts of positive info on south africa. a great place to visit when the negatives of living here are getting you down. africa is not for sissies, but it is not all bad, either!

 

and last, but not least:

  

 

one quiet hour of me-time...

they stumble and run out of the house at just before 7am, to go to school and work, and leave me alone for my favourite time of the day.

from just before 7am every morning i have one quiet hour, some me-time. this is the time i make my toast and coffee, and get back into bed, and read, or use my phone to go online to catch up with last night's twitter, and follow links to the news and stories of the day. i just breathe and chill and relax. at just before 8am i have to get into the shower, and get ready to leave, to open my shop on time at 9am.

that one quiet hour of me-time i cherish...

so, after they leave the house in a rush, and the house gets restfully quiet, i stumble to the kitchen in my pj's. i reach for the kettle, to switch it on, and find it is empty. so i take it to the tap to fill. while it is filling, i grab the wet cloth, to wipe down the counter, that is full of breadcrumbs and sugar and water from the breakfast rush. i also wipe down the kettle. while waiting for the water to boil, i gather all the water bottles and coffee cups standing around and put them in the basin. while fumbling for the coffee bottle, i see the sugar container is empty, and i fill it up from the big tub on top of the cupboard.

i stumble over the cat. she complains, and i see their food bowl is empty. i reach up for the food, and fill their bowl. then i rinse the water bowl and fill it with fresh water, and fill the dog's bowl with her food. i accidentally kick the water bowl, so i mop up the spill, and wipe the stains off the floor while i am busy, and refill the bowl with water.

i take out the toaster, and as i pick it up it rains crumbs. so i grab the cloth, and wipe up the crumbs and wipe down the toaster. i take out the bread and see it is almost finished, so go to the freezer to get a new loaf so it can defrost. while i am there, i take out the meat for tonight, and make a mental note that i must use the frozen carrots soon. i put in 2 slices of bread to toast, and while i wait, i wipe down the inside and outside of the bread tin, and lift it to wipe below it and behind it. in the meantime, the toast has burned, so i take the slices to the rubbish bin, to scrape off the black bits. the bin is full, so i take out the bag and knot it, and put it outside. i get a new bag, and put it in the bin. then i decide that the toast is still too burnt, so i put 2 new slices in the toaster, while i go outside to give the burnt toast to the big dog.

on my way back in, i find sean has decided against taking his jersey to school, and has dumped it on the couch in the lounge. i take it to his room, and switch off his lights, the bathroom lights and his radio. i shake my head at the state of his room. in the lounge the remote controls are on the couch, so i put them in their place, and i straighten the carpet, and the throw, and the coffee table, and put the magazine away.

back in the kitchen, i reach for the butter, and see that the tub is practically empty. so i go to the fridge to get a new one, and see that there are no more. so i write it on the grocery list, along with a few other items. back to the toast, i put cheese on one slice, and go to the grocery cupboard to get the syrup for the other slice. the bottle is very sticky, so i get the cloth and wipe down the bottle. before i can put the bottle back in the cupboard, i have to wipe the whole shelf because it is full of syrup too. i water my plants on the windowsill, and break out a few dead leaves.

reaching into another cupboard for a plate, i find the top one was not washed properly, so i put it in the basin, and get a new one, and put the toast on it. i put the cutting board, knives, cheese cutter and teaspoon in the basin, and wipe the counter again. grabbing the kettle, i feel the water has cooled, so i put it on to boil again. while i wait, i see that there is no milk left, so i get a sachet from the freezer, and put it out to thaw.

finally, i take my cup of coffee, and plate of now-cold toast, and with a contented sigh, i get into bed. just as i read the first sentence, i hear something. i get up to find my cleaning lady has arrived, and is in the freshly cleaned kitchen. i realise with a shock that that means it is now just after 8am, and i am already running late, and i have not even had my coffee yet...

...and i wonder for a moment why that one quiet hour of me-time that i cherish, always seems to be so short...

  

ps. i was admonished by linda on facebook, so i edit to add this: when i got to the shop, i spent a few minutes chatting to linda. suddenly, she checked my earrings, and started laughing. i was wearing 2 different earrings! they are not even remotely the same. shows you how crazy things were this morning...

profile pics..

i love that in the new typepad i can make (and change) the URL for my blogposts. in fact, there is a lot i love about the new typepad!

i wanted a new profile pic. and as i hate myself in photos, and i cannot act natural in front of a camera, and i had an unexpected 15 minutes available, i took some photos of myself in the mirror.

....as you do...

my theory is that if i take 100 photos, 1 of them should be OK.

there is so much wrong with this photo. but somehow the grittiness and moodiness reflects me at this time, so it will do for now...

i have thought of an interesting theme for a blogpost. i have even come up with a catchy title. my best post ever! now, all i have to do is write it...

i found this video on vanessa's blog. having an adult son myself, i found this hilarious! except in our case it works the other way around..

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

time flies...

i am still here...

 but i don't know where the time goes. before i know it, half the week is gone! i never meant to stay away this long but i felt like i had nothing new to say...

so, what have i been doing?

well, a little of this:

reading blogs. in my fabulous google reader.

and working through this:

never-ending emails.

and a little too much of this:

bricks breaking and other games on facebook.

and speaking of facebook, i have been here:

and hanging out on twitter:

and doing lots and lots and lots of photo-editing in photoshop:

(that cute little kid is me.)

why have i been photoshopping so much?

i have been doing an incredible photo-editing course with the talented jessica sprague, and also collecting and editing photos of this guy:

who became this man:

who is my father, who is turning 70 on monday. and i am making a slide-show of his life story in photos. i will share more of this next week.

also: i have been running a shop in difficult times, living, laughing, playing, stressing, and just generally been living!

i have been loving this music, that i found on rozanne's blog. thanks ro! it is made by John Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson and it is called Love Story. It is a mash of a Taylor Swift song and Coldplay's Viva La Vida. i have played it countless times these last 2 weeks!

and while you are on youtube, you can watch this very well crafted stop-action video, made with post-it notes:

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

now...

i have been playing with photoshop again. i just love it! i have been doing jessica sprague's photo editing course. i am going to learn about brushes next!

i pop into the cuttlebug challenge blog from time to time, to get some ideas and inspiration. their challenge for this week brought my butterfly post to mind, so i entered it. that post is still one of the most popular ones i ever did.

i am part of typepad's beta team, and i have been using typepad's new design for quite some time now. and i am very happy. but best of all is the AWESOME stats. their stats were not too bad to start off with, but now they are great.

for some reason i have been getting fewer comments lately. are you not talking to me anymore? i also often visit your blog without commenting, so i'm guilty too. but i have been trying a little harder, because i have been missing the conversation. please talk to me...

anyway, i have not had much to say on my blog since i started playing 'bricks breaking' on facebook and hanging out on twitter a few weeks ago. i wonder if that has anything to do with it?... nah! so, i stole this of my new blog-friend wenchy's blog, so i at least had something to post here today. besides, it seems to be list-season i blogland, so you cannot judge me as you probably did a list-thingy this week too...

1) Are your parents married or divorced?
married. 44 years last week.

2) Are you a vegetarian?
no. i like oxtail too much.

3) Do you believe in Heaven?
oh yes!

4) Have you ever come close to dying?
no. I may have wanted to, but no. (sorry wenchy. here i even stole your answer too. i stoop to great depths to provide great comic content to my loyal readers)

5) What jewelry do you wear?
chunky costume jewelry. i get bored quickly, and i don't have a rich lover. (yet)

6) Favorite time of day?
lunchtime...

7) Do you eat the stems of broccoli?
jip!

8) Do you wear makeup?
yes. always. never used to when i was younger.

9) Ever have plastic surgery?
yes. i need all the help i can get.

10) Do you color your hair?
of course. i am not as blonde as i pretend to be.

11) What do you wear to bed?
PJ's.

12) Have you ever done anything illegal?
who wants to know? who do you work for? are you wearing a wire?

13) Can you roll your tongue?
yes. why would anyone want to know that?

14) Do You Tweeze your eyebrows?
no. it shows.

15) What kind of sneakers?
crocs. i don't wear sneakers, as i don't do excersise.

16) Do you still own vinyl?
No.

17) What is your hair color?
who knows? i have not seen my hair color in years. greyer than i would like, though...

18) Future child’s name?
huh?

19) Do you snore?
of course not! that would be very unsexy! don't believe anything the man tells you...

20) If you could go anywhere in the world where would it be?
new york. london. paris. cape town.  

21) Do you sleep with stuffed animals?
no. only the man, a jack russel puppy under the blankets, and 1-3 cats on top of the blankets. there is no space for stuffed animals.

22) If you won the lottery? …
i would pay my debt. and the rest? they would have to wait. just kidding. travel. fix my house.

23) Gold or silver?
silver. and silver-colored. see #5.

24) Hamburger or hot dog?
chinese. pizza. fish and chips.

25) If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Ice Cream. I declare it to be a food. (sorry wenchy! i could not come up with a better answer)

26) City, beach or country?
country. i love the bush. i just have to be within an hour's drive of a woollies, though. and have a good internet signal.

27) What was the last thing you touched?

*jacki scratches her head, thinking*

28) Where did you eat last?
here. now. salad for lunch over the keyboard.

29) When’s the last time you cried?
i cry often. cannot be more than a few days ago.

30) Do you read blogs?
Yes. all the time.

31) Would you ever go out dressed like the opposite sex?
probably not.

32) Ever been involved with the police?
i have been living with an ex-cop for 6 years. does that count?

33) What’s your favorite shampoo, conditioner and soap?
whatever is on special at clicks. times are tough..

34) Do you talk in your sleep?
I don’t know. i am asleep, aren't i?

35) Ocean or pool?
neither. toilet.

36) What’s your favorite song at the moment?
the theme song from sponge bob square pants.

37) What is your favorite color(s)?
eyes - blue. money - blue. to wear - black.

39 Ever met anyone famous?
ramblerclive. oh, wait. i have never actually 'met' him. heidi swapp. stacy julian. tim holtz. karen forster. donna downey. oh shucks, now i have to find links to all their blogs...

40) Do you feel that you’ve had a truly successful life?
no. not yet. 

41) Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
twirl.

42) Ricki Lake or Oprah?
jerry springer.

43)Basketball or Football?
neither.

44) How long do your showers last?
10-15 mins.

45) Automatic or do you drive a stick?
love automatic. then i can sms while i'm driving..

46) Cake or ice cream?
Ice cream cake.  (thanks again, wenchy. it seems we have something in common)

47) Are you self-conscious?
yes.

48) Have you ever drank so much you threw up?
no.

49) Have you ever given money to a tramp?
yes.

50) Have you been in love?
oh yes!

51) Where do you wish you were?
with my family.

52) Are you wearing socks?
yes. and slippers too. at work. what can i say - it's cold!

53) Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
fortunately not.

54) Can you tango?
no.

55) Last gift you received?
a kiss.

56) Last sport you played?
scrapbooking.

57) Things you spend a lot of money on?
groceries.

58) Where do you live?
on a plot in benoni, south africa.

59) Where were you born?
windhoek, namibia.

60) Last wedding attended?
can't remember.

61) Favorite alcoholic drink?
red wine.

62) What’d you do last weekend?
went away with the entire extended family, to middelburg.

63) Most hated food(s)?
hate food? i didn't know it was possible.

64) What’s your least fav chore?
ironing.

65) Can you sing?
yes. not very well, though. but i do. all the time.

66) Last person you instant messaged?
hayley. on twitter.

67) Last place you went on holiday?
holiday? i'm self-employed, in the retail industry. no holidays. alas.

68) Favorite regular drink?
water. coffee.

69) Current crush?
my man!

and thus endeth todays intelligent blog post.

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

busy, busy, busy...

i was reading this post by the talented artist and gifted wordsmith kelly rae roberts, who's blog is so beautiful and thought-provoking and interesting to visit. she was writing about how she was feeling 'blah'.

in fact, she said this: the truth is is that the last couple of days have made this week feel very very long. i'm a tad on the grumpy side, and a whole lot of restless. i start painting, i stop painting. i start reading, i stop reading. i start writing, i stop. and on and on. like one big giant unsatisfying circle of blah. you know how it goes. sometimes, it is what it is. even when we have nothing to complain about. even when life is going very well. even when a bad mood is just simply a bad mood without any complications attached. i'm trying to let. it. go. 

and it got me thinking.

we, modern man and women, especially those of us living in cities, have this urge to be productive. all the time. every day. we used to only be able to work at work, and overtime was an exception in peak times. now we work long hours. and have computers at home, and we work and check emails and make phone calls after hours too, and over weekends. and on holiday. we even check in from our cellphones.

and we multi-task. we cook while checking our kids' homework, we make phone calls while we drive, and we type that report while watching tv. time spent waiting in the car at the school or at the doctor's rooms is spent reading reports. we go to bed late and get up early, to make the most of our day. we use our social time networking with clients and marketing ourselves.

'wasting time' is frowned upon. computer games, watching tv, facebook and scrapbooking are scoffed at, as they are empty pastimes. housewives and full-time mothers are seen as 'ladies of leisure' and they do not get much respect. even when we go on holiday, we have to be active, out and about all day, entertaining ourselves and the children. when we sleep late and read and watch dvd's we are called lazy. students are expected to take jobs in the holidays. we even medicate depression and grief and exhaustion and trauma, and tell each other to 'pull yourself together' or get therapy when it takes too long.

as scrapbookers, we call ourselves 'memory keepers' or 'story tellers' or 'family historians', so we can justify the time and expense we 'waste' on our hobby. what happened to just playing or creating or having fun or relaxing?

why? i spend long hours a day in my shop. today i'm on a 14 hour shift, and there is no lunch or teatime. yet when someone walks in and catches me playing solitaire or on facebook, they always have something to say. and i feel guilty!

GOD created the dark, so we could rest at night, but we invented light bulbs and electricity, so we could do more. GOD created sleep, so we could rest, but we invented alarm clocks, so we could do more. GOD created seasons, so there would be a growing time and a resting time, but we invented hot-houses and heaters and fertilisers, so we could do more. GOD created sore muscles and tiredness, so we could stop working and rest, but we invented painkillers and energy boosters and caffeine and mood-boosters so we could do more.

why do we sell this to each other, and why do we buy this ourselves?

when i was reading kelly rae's blogpost, my thought was that she is probably just a little tired. and needs some downtime.

growing seasons should be followed by resting seasons. work periods should be followed by rest periods. over-exertion should be followed by healing. that is how it was designed. even when i work a while on my computer, it needs a few minutes to process and save the information. and so should i!

so. i am going to spend some time being creative. i am going to spend some time watching the sun go down, while processing and saving my work of the day. i am going to spend some time lying on the couch, watching recorded episodes of desperate housewives. i am going to sleep in and chat to my family and waste time. and not feel guilty!

now, i am going to spend some time with a cup of coffee, and play solitaire. and then i'm going to work again - reading blogs and playing on facebook and twitter. and it is not wasting time. it is networking and marketing. that is my story, and i'm sticking to it...

...i am blogging. and scrapping. after a long absence of inspiration. which kind of proves my point, doesn't it?...

 

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

alice in wonderland

alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book", thought alice, "without pictures or conversations?" so she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

and so the story begins, with alice following the rabbit, and falling down the rabbit hole, and emerging in a place called wonderland, where many silly and funny characters reside, and where they do all kinds of weird and wonderful and unexpected things...

often when i plug in my modem, and open my google reader, and start reading, following one link after the other, i too fall down the rabbit hole, and emerge in a place called wonderland, where many silly and funny characters reside, and where they do all kinds of weird and wonderful and unexpected things...

although i have been a very bad blogger lately, i have been reading blogs, and so i thought i would share with you some of the silly and funny characters that have been keeping me entertained in wonderland lately.

there has been a thought-provoking church debate going on at rambler, allie and mel's places. go. read. comment. (be nice). but most of all, think! all three are very interesting blogs anyway, local, and totally worth reading!

shadow project- photography with a humorous twist

fun cartoons with the internet in general and social networking in particular as a theme

speaking of social networking, you can find me on twitter and on facebook. you can also become a follower of this blog on facebook here.

i found some scrapbook inspiration from celine navarro, heidi swapp and donna downey this week, triggering ideas that translate into something else. sometimes a creative journey starts with just a spark..

although i have been a bad blogger, so you have not noticed it, i bought this e-book, and i am working through it slowly. i can definitely recommend it, if you are a blogger.

jessica sprague is hosting a free photo-editing class. you can get more info here. so, those of you who keep telling me you don't know where to start, go register! her classes are always good.

read this post by jodi, read it all the way through. there is a wonderful nugget of wisdom and insight in that story.

a comment i made on helen's blog, about ordering expensive scrapbooking kits from overseas versus buying at your local scrapbooking shop, sparked quite a few interesting responses. you can read the post here, and remember to check out the comments! thanks helen, for hosting the impromptu debate!

both helen and stefanie recently blogged about playing this game: you go to google, and type 'in what your name wants'. and you have a giggle at what is returned. here is 'what jacki wants':

little jackie wants to be the universe's biggest star

jackie-o wants to smash mos def

jackie wants a pre-nup

jackie-o wants to be your baby-mama

jackie wants to plan jason's wedding (the bachelor 13)

jackie wants you to want me

jackie-o wants to host the next big brother series

jackie wants 2 hot dogs on flickr

user jacki no longer wants to receive mail

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

max...

if you follow tertia, south africa's favourite mommy-blogger, then you will know that she had her baby, max, this morning.

what you might not know, is that max made twitter history, and the news, as you can see here.

interesting times...

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

8 things...

i have been tagged to do this at least 3 times, so best i do it, or be kicked out of blogland forever...

8 Things that I am Looking forward to:

1.  making soups and stews in winter
2. time!
3. improving our home and especially the kitchen
4. having a man who isn't a doesn't have pain
5. having a dependable car that i can enjoy
6. the economy improving, and while i'm asking, world peace
7. a quiet weekend
8. a social life. wait, those last 2 contradict each other, don't they? i' a complicated girl...

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1. got up early to drive sean to school in the dark and rain
2. made mother's day cards
3. blogged
4. twittered, and twittered some more. i'm productive that way!
   
5. paid some bills
6. watched desperate housewives and fringe on tv
7. caught up with emails and blogs
   
8. fussed over the man with his sore shoulder

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1. travel
2. have more time to do things i like
3. get my scrapbooking mojo back
4. design wesbsites (or blogs) for an income
5. write for an income
6. earn an income
7. buy an expensive awesome camera and take better photos

8 Shows I Watch:

1. desperate housewives
2. grey's anatomy
3. big bang theory
4. the mentalist
5. facebook - let's be honest, it is the world's biggest soap opera
6. CSI - love all of them!
7. brothers and sisters
8. 2 and a half men

8 People I'm Tagging:

1. you
2. you
3. you
4. you
5. you
6. you
7. you get it...
8. you


for the life of me i cannot get the papragraphs to align properly. so let's just pretend that it was intended to be this way, ok?

 

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

voting day...

• today is voting day in south africa. it is also a public holiday, but i am working, there is no rest for the retailers.


• i will vote on my way home later, because the queues were too long this morning.


• i am really enjoying all the status updates on facebook today, as one after the other of my friends are reporting that they have voted. there really seems to be quite a festive feel around today.


• it being a day off, but because i am working, i decided that today would be the day that i figured out how to use twitter. i have had an account for months, but i never got it before. now i see the light. i think.


• tell me in the comments if you twitter. and who you follow.


• do you have a blog? wilna and kayla are presenting a class called bling out your blog. it is for people who have a blogger, typepad or wordpress blog. or if you have no blog, and want to start one, they will help you too.


• it is like an extreme makeover for your blog. whiten, brighten, nip and tuck.


• would you like to start a blog? are you considering typepad? (you should. i love them. and although they cost a little, they also offer a lot).


• if you leave a comment, and tell me you want a blog, i will give you a 10% discount code. so you save on the annual fee.


• then, once you have the blog up and running, you can follow wilna's course.


• on saturday 9 may there will be a photoshoot at my shop. you do not have to be a scrapbooker to have your photos taken. you have to book a 15 minute slot, and cost is R100 for those 15 minutes.


• the photographer is amelia, who's photos you can see if you scroll down a little on this blog. she also has a new blog here

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