Blessings in business

On January 19, 2012 - Uncategorized

A few things today reminded me of how blessed I have been in my business, so here are some things I am grateful for,

My clients that I work with are amazing people who have always treated me well – I am really grateful for them and the chance to work with them.

I have always been paid on time, for which I am truly grateful. This goes back to my clients being amazing people.

Work is coming in continuously – there is too much for me to handle alone. It is exciting and presents new challenges and opportunities. I am grateful that there is an abundance.

I am grateful that I get to do something which I love. I am grateful that I get to give my art to the world.

I am truly grateful for what I have. Thank you Lord, may I use it wisely.

Mind, Body, Soul

On January 18, 2012 - Uncategorized

I met with one of my wise friends today. While she was discussing her children’s extramural activities, I commented that they were involved in such varied activities. She told me that in her house she has a rule for extramural involvement. They have to participate in:

One activity for the body
One activity for the mind and
One activity for the soul.

I really think that these are wise words not only for children but for everyone both young and old. It is a wonderfully healthy way to live, so I’ve decided that my goal for 2012 is to set about making time for 3 different activities that fulfill my mind, body and soul to be completed during my free / leisure time. Once I have decided what I plan to do I will write a follow up post.

We painted today and well lets just say seconds after this photo was taken disaster struck. Needing to pee (ie Grace waited too long to tell me – waayy to much fun to go until it’s too late) with hands like that resulted in paint on my dress, her dress, the potty and who knows where else. Only solution to dump her in the bath. I can’t say I was a particularly happy mommy

Colouring in

On January 17, 2012 - Uncategorized

Watching Grace grow and learn fascinates me. It's an amazing time to observe her sponge like brain taking in all things and learning new skills each and everyday. She has been colouring in pictures for a while now but in the last few weeks has started becoming aware of colouring in between the lines rather than just scribbling over the whole picture. I often colour in with her but have not made a big fuss about how she chooses to colour in her picture so it really interests me that she is now choosing different colours rather than just one colour for the whole picture and is trying to stay between the lines.

Grace's picture of her pig

Sjoe! Dis warm

On January 16, 2012 - Uncategorized

35º in the shade today, so Donné decided that Grace's nap should happen in the lounge under the watchful eye of the air conditioner…and Grace rested peacefully.

Story time for Spicy cat

Heard it in the playground

On January 15, 2012 - Uncategorized

We had a lovely breakfast with Stephan and Izelle at Rhodes Memorial this morning. There is a play area which the children enjoy and the conversations are always entertaining.

One little girl, a bit older than Grace, came up to me,

"My dress is dirty."

"Are you going to wipe it off to clean it?"

"I will put it in the wash."

"Oh, who is going to help you put it in the wash?"

"Primrose."

And there I was expecting her to say mommy.

There was a dad with his two daughters at the playground. The eldest (about 10 years old) was sitting in the tree trying to figure out how she was going to climb down. Her father told her to lean forward and he would catch her. She was very cautious holding on and not wanting to let go which resulted in a rather amusing struggle. Once she was on the ground the dad asked her why she was afraid and told her he had her. She turned to him and said "well you not as strong as you used to be" 🙂

Fixing my nifty-fifty (Canon 50mm f1.8 II)

On January 14, 2012 - Uncategorized

Whoops…I don’t recall buying a tilt lens.

I accidently did not secure my camera to the tripod properly and my 50mm became a tilt lens (I probably should have tried taking a photo with it like that, but was not sure of the damage). It just fell a short distance, but the plastic body lens does not take much abuse. These lenses are really cheap (but great value) and at the cost of repairing it you might as well just buy another one. So those were my options: buy a new one, or try fixing it.

So fix it we shall…..first step, carefully dismantle.

Where did that piece fit again?

Fortunately nothing broken, just a few plastic clips that hold it together. Let’s put it back together now….

Quick, take a photo before it falls apart!

Ah, that looks a bit better. The autofocus sounds like a coffee grinder but works. And the photos? They seem perfect and the last few days photos on the blog have been with the repaired lens – yay for flash free low light photography. Fortunately the autofocus has settled down and sounds better now – I think it was not seating in the grooves properly, but settled in after a few photos.

And by now I am sure you are wondering how I managed to take it all apart and put it back together successfully…..I googled how to fix it and found these awesome step-by-step instructions. In total, including cleaning and figuring out how to clip it all back together, it took about an hour to repair the lens. Definitely worth it and a lot of fun.

Rain?

On January 13, 2012 - Uncategorized

Grace to me this afternoon: "hear rain" pause "need raincoat, boots." Before I had a chance to respond she was in her bedroom looking for her raincoat and gumboots.

All kitted out for the 5 minutes of rain

Since the rain proved to be no fun she decided to draw with her chalk on her table. Every time I asked her what she was drawing she told me Swiper (the fox) from Dora.

Rolla Ball and Pasta shoving

On January 12, 2012 - Uncategorized

Exploring painting with her Rolla Balls. She had lots of fun making circles and drawing lines. Grace loves doing crafty things and sand art is still very much on the "currently in" list.

First you take the lid off ..

Then you paint

And this is how we roll…we shove as much food into our mouth at once. Biting off and eating small mouthfuls is never part of the plan.

The flip side

On January 11, 2012 - Uncategorized

On the one hand Grace is getting cuter and sweeter, kinder and funnier, more loving and warm, and on the other she is becoming more demanding and moany, challenging and difficult.

It is wonderful to experience the joy of a heartfelt hug, or Grace laughing at something she thinks is, “very funny,” but so frustrating when she tries moaning and crying to get what she wants (as a side note we are now putting her on her bed and telling her that she can come back when she is finished moaning – it works surprisingly well).

It feels like there has been a jump in her emotions, or at least in her ability to express them. Some things are “very funny,” when she hurts herself it is, “very sore,” or she can be, “very sad,” if she is not allowed to watch Dora or when Outsurance decides to change their billboard and the purple piggy bank is no longer there, “very sad, no take away,” (while crying).

It is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, but it really is quite amazing to experience her growth in this area. And the loving cuddles and hugs are good too.

Games day

On January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized

With it being a little too hot to be outside in the middle of the day Grace and I decided to have a "games" day. We built some puzzles, matched mommy animals with their babies and homes, and matched colours. When she got tired of doing this, her way out was to say that the next game was "too tricky" which made me laugh. I have also discovered that when she is hungry she tells me "tummy sore, very sore" 🙂

This afternoon Grace wanted to play with the glue so I drew some shapes and she decorated them with various items from the kitchen. I think she mostly enjoyed putting the glue on and then painting with the food colouring and water.

Grace sticking some macaroni in her rectangle

Enjoying painting with yellow paint – yellow seems to be her new favourite colour.

This morning Grace spoke to my mom briefly on the phone. This is a little of the conversation which I thought was very sweet:

Granny: Where's Ker?

Grace: In PE

Granny: Where's Granny?

Grace: On the phone

Granny: Where's Grace?

Grace: Jumping on the couch

drennan a day

a daily dose of the Cape Town Drennan's