Journal Prompt ~ Mountains

Tanka is a form of poetry similar to haiku. It's short, and the lines don't need to rhyme. The just must have a set number of syllables: 5/7/5/7/7.

Today's tanka prompt is: Mountains.

I've flown over the

mountains but don't understand

their majesty seen 

photos but don't comprehend

I'd like to drive through mountains

Journal Prompt ~ Theft

Today's Prompt: Theft

Have you ever had something stolen from you?

Surprisingly that is something that has not happened to me very often. 

Many years ago my purse was stolen from a shopping cart at Zehrs.  The purse was found a couple of days later by some kids playing in a nearby gully.  Everything was wet but intact.  Too bad for the thief that I never carry cash.

Book Review ~ Giants: The Dwarfs of Auschwitz by Eilat Negev and Yehuda Koren

The authors tell the story of the of the Ovitz family in a clear, well-researched, easy to read style. They provide an amazing amount of detail into the life of the family gleaned from public records, former neighbours, other Holocaust survivors, and Perla who is the youngest Ovitz daughter. The close-knit family, made up of seven siblings who are dwarves and three siblings who are not, formed an very successful troupe of entertainers who travelled throughout Central Europe.

Although they were able to avoid many round-ups of Jews, they finally ended in a cattle car headed for Auschwitz in 1944.  Saved by Dr. Mengele's predilection for human anomolies, the family avoided the gas chambers.  Mengele knew his new test subjects were very fragile and was careful to keep them alive for his enjoyment and for study.  

While it is impossible to say that I enjoyed the book because of its time and place, it was definitely worth reading.  The authors could have turned the family into heroes but instead kept the story real, sharing the family's strengths and well as some of their less favourable behaviours.

An excellent story of an extraodinary family . . . definitely worth reading.

Journal Prompt ~ Dark

Journal Prompt: Dark

I'm not afraid of the dark.  I get startled by creepy bugs and sudden noises when it is dark.  But the dark itself doesn't scare me.  I sleep better when it is totally dark . . . which is a difficult thing to accomplish in our world of flickering lights on electronic devices.

Canadian Music ~ Emile Benoit

From https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/emile-benoit.php

Émile Benoit (1913-1992)

Émile Benoit is doubtless the most renowned individual to emerge from Newfoundland's tiny French-speaking community. Just as locals on the Port-au-Port peninsula regarded him as a fine entertainer, provincial, national and international audiences alike admired his fiddling and recognized him as an accomplished musician. But for years Émile Benoit worked, like most of the people around him, as a fisherman.

After retiring from nearly sixty years of fishing in 1980, he concentrated primarily on his music career with the help of Memorial University of Newfoundland professor of Folklore, Dr. Gerald Thomas, who at that time had already spent several years studying the French-Newfoundland culture on the Port-au-Port peninsula.

Émile Benoit, n.d.

Benoit performed at a variety of festivals. He is seen here on stage with his daughter Roberta.

From Colin Quigley Music from the Heart: Compositions of a Folk Fiddler (Athens: ©1995) 5.

Personal Life

Émile Joseph Benoit was born March 24 1913 at Black Duck Brook on the Port-au-Port peninsula, a product of the two groups that founded the French culture in Newfoundland and whose descendants continue to propagate the province's French identity to this day: the Acadians and the metropolitan French.

Émile left school after completing only three grades. With the responsibility of being the eldest of three sons, he had to help support the family when his father died at an early age. At the age of nine he had begun fishing with his father, and by the age of fifteen he was fishing with his brother Joachim, then thirteen.

Émile began learning English at the age of twelve and he received his very first real violin at that age as well. He had, however, owned a couple of homemade violins crafted by his father and by his uncle, and it was at that time that developed a rarely paralleled passion for the fiddle.

At twenty-one he married his first wife, Roseanne, and together they had five children. However, Émile's wife died young from tuberculosis, only a couple of weeks after delivering the fifth child, a girl, who also died. The thirty year-old widower raised the remaining four children with the assistance of three sisters who moved in to help out. Seven years later, he married Rita Collier and they had nine children. Émile Benoit died September 2 1992, at the age of 79 in the Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital in Stephenville after a bout with bone cancer.

Music Career

Although his professional music career began in 1973 when he took second place in a violin contest in Stephenville, Émile Benoit's first public music performances date back to his teen years, when he would play weddings and dances for free.

Émile Benoit, n.d.

Émile imitates the 'Sleepy Fiddler.

From Colin Quigley Music from the Heart: Compositions of a Folk Fiddler (Athens: ©1995) 179.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s Émile brought his foot-tapping musical style to one festival after another, both at home in Newfoundland and around the world: Une Longue Veillée at Cape St. George, the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in St. John's, the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans and the Mariposa festival in Toronto, as well as shows in lands as diverse as France, England and Norway.

In 1980 he went on tour with "Pistroli en Atlantique", a group consisting of popular and traditional francophone musicians; his career also saw him perform alongside other traditional Newfoundland artists such as Kelly Russell, Noel Dinn, Pamela Morgan and Jim Payne, all of whom admit to having been shaped in some way or another by his unique style. He appeared on French and English-language television and radio programmes such as Peter Gzowski's Ninety Minutes Live, while at the same time playing the bar scene in St. John's and on his native west coast.

Émile released three albums during his career, starting with Emile's Dream in 1979, It Comes from the Heart in 1982 and Vive la Rose in 1992. These were not, however, the only recordings to exhibit the talent of Émile Benoit; he also appeared in the Walt Disney production Portraits of Canada at Expo 86, and was featured in a BBC-aired film entitled The Magic Fiddle and in From the Heart: Canadian Folk Artists, part of the CBC Spectrum documentary series.

Several awards have been bestowed upon Émile Benoit in recognition of his contribution to both English-Canadian and French-Canadian society. In 1988, Memorial University of Newfoundland awarded Émile Benoit an honourary doctor of laws degree, while in the same year the Fédération des Francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador granted him the Prix Roger Champagne for his contributions to the province's francophone population.

Also in 1988, the Société Nationale de l'Acadie recognized Émile with the Médaille Léger-Comeau, whose past recipients include such distinguished individuals as former French president François Mitterand. Meanwhile, in 1992, Émile was handed a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council.

Émile Benoit, 1979

Émile (right) performing with Rufus Guinchard at the St. John's Folk Festival.

Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections (Coll - 154, E 1043), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL.

It is worthy of note that while Émile had no formal training in music and music composition, he was a master of the fiddle and created much of his own music, perhaps as many as 200 songs. Because of his creativity, he was the subject of a doctoral thesis at the University of California entitled "Creative Processes in Musical Composition: French Newfoundland Fiddler Émile Benoit".

Honours continued to come to him even after his death: a seniors' housing facility bearing his name opened in Stephenville Crossing in 1994 and he posthumously won an award at the 1993 East Coast Music Awards.

Émile Benoit was, however, more than a musician. In addition to being a father, a husband, a farmer, a fisherman and a locally reputed jack-of-all-trades which saw him serve as doctor, dentist, veterinarian, carpenter and midwife (he had helped one of his sisters during a rather long and laborious birth by turning the child before delivery), Émile was also a gifted bilingual storyteller.

He was able to recount stories from his youth, and often did so at his shows and public appearances. By his own admission, he may have forgotten some tales he learned as a boy simply because his love for the violin overpowered his love for telling stories. Yet he boasted a large repertoire of tales that he would tell in a style all his own, adding his own personal touch to the features of oral tradition he had learned as a child.

Amongst French Newfoundlanders, opinions of Émile Benoit varied over the years, moving from an early humorous perception to a later open admiration and pride in his achievements. For he has quite possibly left a legacy only rarely said of entire groups of people. Even in the face of impending death he remained true to his love for the violin, performing as late as July 1992, scarcely two months before his death.

Émile Benoit summed up his own character and attested to his sense of humour when he said the following of his mission in life:

"Faire rire le monde et pis assayer d'mette le monde hereux. C'est euh, c'est ma vie ça... je me garâcherais à la mer si j'pouvais vous faire assez, vous faire rire. Ouais, ouais. Pis j'sais pas, j'sais pas m'-nager" (Thomas 1985, 296).

[To make people laugh and to make people happy. That's my life... I would toss myself in the sea if it would make you laugh enough. Yep. And I don't know how to swim].

Journal Prompt ~ Six Words

Journal Prompt ~ Six Words

Describe your life or current situation using exactly six words.

crafting and playing in comfy clothes

The Challenge of 2023 ~ Have an emergency fund

An emergency fund is something everyone should have. When you set money aside for emergencies, you are preparing yourself for unexpected expenses. Instead of relying on credit cards or borrowing money, which can cost more in the long run because of interest charges, an emergency fund can protect you from taking on debt.

If you don't have an emergency fund and an emergency happens you have to go into debt, add to your current debt, or not be able to afford your basic expenses.

What kind of emergencies? No matter how secure you think your job is, there is always a chance that something could happen where you may need money. You could have a medical emergency come up which is not covered by your health insurance (if you even have health insurance). An emergency fund is a good idea if you have a car. You just never know when it will need a repair. If you own a home you might have to deal with an unexpected home repair that is not covered by your home insurance. If you have a sick pet, if you need to take time off work, or a host of other emergencies you may not have thought of, an emergency fund is a good idea.

What’s not an emergency? An emergency is not a birthday present, a new TV, or a vacation. 

Your emergency savings fund is meant to cover essential spending when something unexpected happens. An emergency fund will give you peace of mind if anything costly were to happen in your life. Instead of adding to your stress, you will know you can afford to pay your bills.

There are many reasons why you need an emergency fund, and debt may be one of them. An emergency fund while you’re in debt protects you from taking on more debt, and it will help you to continue making your debt payments if an emergency happens.

The recommended emergency fund amount is dependent on your situation. If you don’t have debt, then it is usually recommend that you have enough to cover at least three to six months of expenses. 

Your emergency fund is there so that when you need money fast, you can access it. You don't want to keep it in a place where you will be penalized for taking it out or have it invested in high risk investments. Keep your emergency fund in a high yield savings account so that you are earning a little bit of interest.

At the same time, you don’t want your emergency fund to be too easy to get to. Keep your emergency fund in a different account from your normal spending bank account.

Many people think of their credit card as their emergency fund. Some are doing it by choice, and others are forced to use their credit card when an emergency comes up because they do not have enough money saved. Using your credit card creates new debt or increases your current debt load. You never know if something may come up, how big the expense may be, and whether or not you will have a large enough credit limit to fund the expense. Plus, the interest rate on your credit card can make for an expensive bill if you are unable to pay your credit card balance before interest accrues.

There are situations where using a credit card for your emergency savings fund may not be a completely bad idea. If you know that you can pay off a large expense within one month, then using your credit card as an emergency may not be a bad idea, but you still need to be careful before adding any debt.

The first step to starting your emergency fund is opening up a separate account to save in. Set aside a certain amount each week to add to your account. Even better, arrange with your bank to transfer a set amount to your emergency fund account each week. Deposit your tax refund to your emergency fund. If you saved money on grocery shopping put the savings into your emergency fund. Get creative . . . 

Everyone has to start somewhere. $100 in your emergency fund this month will grow, and soon you will have saved $500, then $1,000. Once you have that saved, you can continue to add to it.

Do you really need an emergency fund?

Yes, you do.

Journal Prompt ~ Manners

Today's Prompt: Manners

Do you think manners are important?

I think manners are critical. Knowing how to behave in public and at home leads to a more harmonious life. It shows respect for the people around you.

Journal Prompt ~ Reunion

Today's Prompt: Reunion

Imagine you're on your way to your next high school reunion. How do you think your old school friends will react to the person you are today?

Believe it or not, I never graduated from high school. I have a college diploma and a university degree, but only made it half way through Grade 11. So I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be invited to any high school reunion.

Journal Prompt ~ Fire

It's time for the next installment of Tanka Tuesday!

Tanka is a form of poetry similar to haiku. It's short, and the lines don't need to rhyme. The just must have a set number of syllables: 5/7/5/7/7.

Today's tanka prompt is: fire.

Is there anything

more delicious than food cooked

over an open 

fire hot dogs marshmallows bring

back my childhood memories

Journal Prompt ~ Lies

Today's Writing Prompt: Lies

What is a lie you have told yourself?

Oh boy . . . do I have a list. It won't hurt to have just one more cookie. I frequently knock 10 pounds off my actual weight. I'll get to it one of these days.

Book Review: Homeless Narratives & Pretreatment Pathways From Words to Housing

From the back cover:

On any given night, there are over 643,000 homeless people residing in shelters and on the streets across America. What can we do to help?"Levy crafts stories of characters who sear the memory: Old Man Ray, the World War II veteran who resents the VA system and regards himself as the de facto night watchman at Port Authority; Ben who claims to be a prophet disowned in his own country, crucified by the government and enslaved by poverty finds a bridge to the mainstream services and a path to housing through the common language of religious metaphors, including redemption and forgiveness; and Andrew who has been 'mentally murdered' is helped to understand his own situation and gain disability benefits through the language of trauma; among others.
These stories are deftly interwoven with theory and practice as Levy constructs his developmental model of the engagement and pretreatment process. The outreach worker strives to understand the language and the culture of each homeless individual, builds a bridge to the mainstream services, and helps those providers to understand the special circumstances of these vulnerable people. Levy bears witness to the courage of these pilgrims who wander the streets of our cities, and his poignant book is a testament to the healing power of trusting and enduring relationships."
--Jim O'Connell, MD - President and Street Physician for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
The reader will...
Experience moving real life stories that demystify homeless outreach and its central objectives and challenges.
Learn about effective strategies of outreach & engagement with under-served populations.
Understand and be able to utilize the stages of common language construction in your own practice.
Learn about pretreatment principles and their applications with persons experiencing untreated major mental illness, addiction, and medical issues.
Discover new interventions via outreach counseling, advocacy and case management with people experiencing long-term or chronic homelessness.
Understand how to better integrate policy, programs (e.g. Housing First), and supervision with homeless outreach initiatives.

I know this seems like an unusual book for me to read but homelessness has become such a huge issue in our society and I wanted to learn more about it from someone who actually seemed to know what they were talking about.  I have to admit I didn't understand all the language used but I also don't have a degree in social work.  Now if you want to talk politics, I do understand that language.

What I noticed immediately is that Jay Levy is a kind and empathetic man.  It is also obvious that he is very good at his job.  Through this book he offers up insight into learning to communicate with the most vulnerable in a way which builds a relationship so that he can offer them assistance and they can understand and accept that assistance.  

What I learned is that society often categorize the homeless in demeaning ways -- drug addicts,

mentally ill, runaways, losers . . . What we forget is that they are people who need our understanding and support.  The problem is that the homeless person has often learned the hard way that the system is not to be trusted.  Mr. Levy offers a way to break through the distrust through communication.

In my opinion, some of the chapters were a bit difficult to read because I'm not a social worky person and don't understand everything written but I believe I did understand most of it.  Levy's heartwarming stories of some of the people he interacted with kept me reading.

Journal Prompt ~ Siblings

Today's Prompt: Siblings

If you could choose, would you rather have been born an only child or born the middle child in a very large family?

I've never really thought about being an only child. I'm not even sure what that would be like. I am the first born child and I like it, especially now when my siblings are starting to look as old as or older than me . . . LOL.

Canadian Music ~ Emerson Drive

Emerson Drive is a Canadian country music band consisting of Brad Mates (lead vocals), Danick Dupelle (guitars, backing vocals), Mike Melancon (drums), and Dale Wallace (keyboards, backing vocals). The band was founded in 1995 as 12 Gauge, which consisted of Mates, Pat Allingham (fiddle), Steven Swager (bass guitar), Chris Hartman (keyboards), Dan Binns (guitar), David Switzer (guitar), and Reni Barre (drums); Swager was replaced with Jeff Loberg early on. After recording under this name, the band moved to the United States in 1999 and renamed themselves to Emerson Drive. They released two albums for the former DreamWorks Records Nashville branch: Emerson Drive in 2002 and What If? in 2004. These accounted for their first hit singles in the United States: "I Should Be Sleeping", "Fall into Me", and "Last One Standing". After DreamWorks closed, Emerson Drive signed with Midas Records Nashville for the 2006 album Countrified, which produced their only American number-one single in "Moments". Further releases in the United States were unsuccessful, but the band has continued to chart in Canada through releases on Open Road Recordings. (Wikipedia)

Journal Prompt ~ Risky Business

Today's Prompt: Risky Business

Do you prefer taking risks, or having a safety net?

It depends on what I'm doing.  In my arts and crafts world I love to take risks.  In the really world, I tend to freak if I have to take risks.  I have become braver in my world and more conservative and nervous in the real world as I age.  I wonder if this is normal?

The Challenge of 2023 ~ Subscriptions

My husband wanted to have Amazon Channels on our TV so he ordered it. It was a simple process. And only $9.99. Except it wasn't. That was US funds. In Canadian funds it was $14.68. And you had to be subscribed to Amazon Prime which was another $11.29 in Canadian funds.

And that is how easy it happens.

The hint for today is to cancel subscriptions you don't use really want or need. Chances are, you’re paying for multiple subscriptions like Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, gym memberships, trendy subscription boxes, phone plans and Amazon Prime. And make sure you turn off auto-renew when you make a purchase. 

"But when it comes to subscription fees, auto renewals are your worst enemy. That’s because not having to click the pay button every month makes it a lot easier to ignore or even forget the money leaking out of your wallet. The best way to keep subscription costs in sight and mind is to just turn off auto renewals. If that’s not practical, then set a calendar reminder to check your subscription a few days before it renews. When the reminder comes, go to the cancellation page, hover your mouse over the cancel button, and decide if paying another month for this service is really worth it. Repeat this as long as you keep the subscription.

"While you’re at it, take the chance to review all your subscriptions. Make a list, record what they cost with a monthly expense tracker, and compare them. For example, if you’re watching most of your shows on Netflix, then do you really need Crave TV or Disney Plus on top of that? If you do want to watch everything, then you could always subscribe to only Netflix for one month, then only Crave TV the next month, etc. That way, you’re just paying the price of one subscription each month but will still eventually be able to watch all the shows you want."

"Of course, keeping subscription costs down is not always as simple as bookmarking the cancellation pages. Many subscriptions, especially internet and phone services, don’t even have those pages and instead force you to call. Their goal is to make it as hard as possible for you to stop paying them, hoping that you’ll be too tired or confused to figure it out.

Don’t let companies control your wallet. Find out right now exactly how to cancel your subscriptions even if you don’t plan on actually doing it. Having this information handy will give you the push you need if you do eventually decide that one of them isn’t worth it. Also keep track of how you actually use what you pay for.

"If you have to remind yourself to burn up your 10 GBs of phone data every month, then that’s a sign you don’t need that much data in the first place. If you get a gym membership to try to force yourself to exercise but don’t actually do, then you’re just giving your money away (tip: get into the habit of exercising before paying for a membership). Knowing how to trim unnecessary costs is key to staying financially healthy, especially when you’re paying off debt."

"When it is time to cancel, follow all instructions exactly and keep proof that you did so. For example, if you need to return an internet modem, then get a receipt showing that you made the return. If the company then tries to charge you because they say you didn’t return their modem, you can prove them wrong. If you’ve preauthorized charges to your credit card, you can ask your credit card company to block payments to a service provider if they don’t honour their cancellation rules. You many need proof that they agreed to cancel your service, so hang onto those emails or screenshots.

"If you preauthorized a company to withdraw money each month from your bank account, putting a stop payment on those charges might cost you. To avoid stop payment charges in the future, set up a recurring bill payment in your online banking system instead. That way you stay in control of who takes money out of your bank account."

"When it comes to subscriptions costs, the only way to subscribe and save is to get a good deal that meets your needs. Many companies advertise themselves as having the cheapest unlimited data plans or super cheap phone plans, gym memberships, etc. But price tags can be deceptive. Instead of picking one service over another just because it costs less, look carefully at what they each offer and how much value they really bring to you.

"One way to do this is to break down all the specific services included in a subscription. For example, getting a combined phone and internet plan might be cheaper than getting a phone and internet plan separately, which companies love to remind us of with big discount numbers. But does that phone plan have enough data for your needs? Does the internet plan have too much? Rather than get an all-in-one bundle that might include services you want more of or services you don’t want at all, it can be better to mix-and-match subscriptions to get exactly what you need.

"In the end, your goal is to keep subscription costs within your budget while getting everything you want to use. Taking the time to do this right is definitely worth it as either the costs or the savings will add up every month."

From My Money Coach 

Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #508

 You must know by now just how much I love sketches so when I saw #508 I just had to get busy.

https://atlanticheartschallenge.blogspot.com/2023/01/sketch-508.html

I pulled out some Blue Skies papers from Close To My Heart because the dreary sky outside meant I needed some colour. And here is my finished card. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Movie Review ~ The Sound of Music 1965

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Sound of Music is a classic movie featuring the amazing voice and talent of Julie Andrews.  I don't have any clue how many times I have watched the story of a novitiate who is a square peg in a round hole until she is sent to act as governess to the von Trapp family and falls in love, gets married and escapes from the Nazis.  What is not to love about this movie?

Even if you've never watched it, I bet you sang the songs in music class in school.

Academy Awards, USA 1966

Won Oscar	Best Picture Robert Wise Robert Wise couldn't attend the award ceremony, as he was busy filmingThe Sand Pebbles (1966) in ... More
	Best Director Robert Wise Robert Wise couldn't attend the award ceremony, as he was busy filmingThe Sand Pebbles (1966) in ... More
	Best Sound James Corcoran (20th Century-Fox SSD) Fred Hynes (Todd-AO SSD)
	Best Film Editing William Reynolds
	Best Music, Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment Irwin Kostal
Nominated Oscar	Best Actress in a Leading Role Julie Andrews
	Best Actress in a Supporting Role Peggy Wood
	Best Cinematography, Color Ted D. McCord
	Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color Boris Leven Walter M. Scott Ruby R. Levitt
	Best Costume Design, Color Dorothy Jeakins

Journal Prompt ~ Favourite Clothes

Today's Prompt: Favourite Clothes

Describe your favorite article of clothing.

Right now my outfit of choice is a pair of leggings and an comfy over-sized t-shirt. I know there is nothing sexy or exciting about my choice of outfit but I dress for comfort and for the life I lead.

Journal Prompt ~ The Lake

Tanka is a form of poetry similar to haiku. It's short, and the lines don't need to rhyme. The just must have a set number of syllables: 5/7/5/7/7.

Today's tanka prompt is: Lake

so close to the lake
a fifteen minute drive there
we rarely get there
tradition is Mackie's first
and last stop Shaw's Ice Cream 

New Year 2023 Craft Space Organization Challenge #3 ~ Photos

I know that the paper challenge can be a bit overwhelming but I hope you gave it a shot.  Even if you SPACEd through just some of your papers you are ahead of the game.  Next time . . . 

I'm still working on sorting through my papers and packing page kits. Its taking a little longer than usual because I'm changing my system up a bit. I'll share photos of the finished challenge when I'm done . . . which I hope will be soon.

I'm almost ready for Challenge #3 ~ Photos

So, your paper is beautifully organized, your scraps carefully stashed or purged, and your desk is gleaming! You are starting to get organized. Doesn't it make you feel creative? Don't you want to get cropping? Well, you CAN'T scrapbook without PHOTOS! 

Our third challenge is to organize our photos. Here is an excellent article to get you thinking about how to organize those precious photos before we start to S.P.A.C.E. them: 

https://www.scrapbook.com/articles/organizing-and-storing-your-photos-and-negatives 

Please take a moment and read this excerpt from Design Strategies for Scrapbookers: 

Photo preservation begins with safe storage. Remove photos stored in the old magnetic albums immediately. A magnetic album has cardboard pages with adhesive on them and a plastic sheet to cover the photos. The adhesives and plastics in these albums are highly acidic and can ruin your photos very quickly. 

To safely remove photos from magnetic albums you can use: 

1. Dental floss – Slip a piece of dental floss under one corner of the photo and use a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion to lift the photo. 

2. Blow Dryer – Set your blow dryer on low heat to soften the page’s glue and then carefully lift the photo. 

3. Spatula/pan scraper – Use a thin spatula to slowly pry photos loose. 

4. Undu Adhesive Remover – Undu neutralizes adhesive’s stickiness, making photos easy to remove. It dries clear and will not damage photos or smudge most inks. 

5. I have heard about freezing the pages first but I’ve never tried it so use at your own risk. 

Use an acid-free photo box with dividers or an archival quality photo album for storage. Organize photos chronologically or by theme, event or subject depending on how you scrapbook. Write notes on the dividers or on the back of the photo for later reference. Don’t use ballpoint pen to write on backs of photos. Buy a special photo-marking pen or pencil. 

Always save original photos if they are one of a kind and can’t be replaced. This is especially important with heritage photos. Instead, scan and print new copies, storing the original for safe-keeping. If you are determined to use the original, use photo corners to adhere these precious photos to your layouts so they can be safely removed. 

I just had a reminder of this rule recently. I’ve been working on a family tree album and needed some baby pictures. I scrapbooked all my baby pictures when I first started scrapbooking many years ago. And that was the problem. I had cut them all in shapes and used decorative scissors on them. Not one was complete enough for me to scan and reprint. My mom and aunt are going through their old photos in hopes they have some originals. So I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to save original photos. Scan the originals and have them reprinted. 

Don’t forget to properly store and organize negatives. Plastic negative sleeves will hold 4-7 negatives, depending on brand and the size of film. If you have older negatives in smaller sizes (such as 110) you can easily create subdivisions in the sleeves with a sewing machine and clear nylon thread. You can store negative sleeves in a 3-ring binder or folder. Label each sleeve with the date and/or subject. 

Digital photos have their own set of rules. Always back up your computer files, including your digital photo files because computers crash and hard drives fail. Store a back up copy of your photos and important documents to an external hard drive. You can also download your digital photos to CD’s or USB drives although there is some debate as to how long they last. There are many online sites that you can save your photos to as well. 

When you are looking for a safe place to store your memorabilia, photographs, negatives, supplies and albums, keep in mind that they will do best in a dry, cool place, out of direct sunlight. 

SORT: 

Gather together all of your photos, and sort them into categories that make sense: 

TRASH (it's okay to throw out photos with bad colour, expression, composition. Why keep them? You're not going to scrapbook them) 

TO SCRAPBOOK (the shots you know you are going to use) 

TO STORE (photos that need to be kept, but aren't necessarily going to be going into your scrapbooks) 

TO GIVE AWAY (doubles that you want to send to friends and family) 

PURGE: 

Throw out the TRASH pile. Put the TO GIVE AWAY photos in envelopes and mail them to friends/family, or put them in your car so you can drop them off the next time you visit. Do not leave them in your studio, or they will creep back into your organized space. 

ASSIGN: 

Sort the TO STORE and TO SCRAPBOOK groups of photos into a system that makes sense to you: 
Chronologically 
Holiday/Event/Vacation 
Person 

CONTAINERIZE: 

Now it's time to decide how you want to store your photos. Perhaps you want to put your TO STORE photos in acid free envelopes or albums. Perhaps you want to put your TO SCRAPBOOK photos into photo storage boxes, or accordion folders. 

Make sure to label whatever storage containers you choose to use. Ideas for labelling include: 
* buy premade labels that you can write on, 
* create your own labels using a labeler or a cutting machine, or 
* make labels with chalkboard vinyl so you can write on it with chalk and relabel later if necessary. 
Whatever you decide, in the end all that matters is that you’ve got a label on it. 

EQUALIZE: 

Next time you get new photos from the photo processor, spend a couple of minutes and put the photos where they belong: throw out the bad shots, give away the extras, put the keepers away in their album, and sort your photos for scrapbooking into their container. 

We have a Facebook group as a place for us to share photos, accomplishments, encouragement, tips and tricks as we work through the Challenge. You are welcome to post before and after photos of your photo challenge here.

Journal Prompt ~ Prom

Today's Prompt: Prom

Do you remember your prom?

I don't know these people.  I borrowed this photo because it cracked me up.

I only went to one prom and it wasn't my own.  I left school when I was 16 . . . hey it was the 70s! I really don't remember much about it except that we had supper at McDonalds and I wore a long black skirt.  That was a really really long time ago.

Book Review ~ The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens

I finished reading The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens and it is definitely a good read.

According to the . . . 

Library Journal Review

Mary Gooch is beyond shock when her husband leaves the night before their silver anniversary party. Jimmy Gooch has always loved her, but with each new trauma - two early miscarriages, her father's death, even the loss of her feral cat - Mary has felt less worthy of his affection and more hungry. Now weighing 302 pounds, Mary can't seem to move past her malaise. Finding $25,000 in their bank account, Mary flies, for the first time, from their small Canadian town to her mother-in-law's home in Southern California, determined to wait for her prodigal spouse. While there, she loses her appetite but discovers a measure of self-worth through the "kindness of strangers." VERDICT Lansens's (The Girls) portrait of a woman who hides behind the Kenmore as protection from life's heartache is earthy and primal in its pain. Yet Lansens doesn't resort to an overnight makeover to save Mary. Instead, our heroine uncovers a hidden strength she had all along.

Canadian Music ~ Elephant Stone

Elephant Stone is a Canadian indie rock band fronted by Rishi Dhir. Dhir formed Elephant Stone in 2009 after he left The High Dials. The band began to combine Indian classical music and instrumentation with 1960s pop and rock.

The band's debut album, The Seven Seas, was released June 2, 2009 on Dhir's own Elephants on Parade label, with distribution by Fontana North. The album was a longlisted nominee for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize on June 15, 2009.

On July 4, 2009 The Seven Seas was released on Irish label Indiecater Records.

On February 12, 2013, their self-titled second album was released on Reverberation Appreciation Society.

The band's third full-length album, The Three Poisons, was released in 2014. In 2015, Burger Records released a cassette featuring a remixed version of The Three Poisons titled ES3PRMX. The cassette features collaborations with Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Fabien Leseure, Tom Furse of The Horrors, Al Lover, Alex Maas of The Black Angels, Peter Holmstrom of The Dandy Warhols and JM Lapham of The Earlies.

In 2016 Elephant Stone released their fourth album, Ship of Fools. In 2017 they released an EP, Live at the Verge, and set out on a tour of Europe.

Elephant Stone released their fifth album, Hollow on February 14, 2020. {Wikipedia}

Journal Prompt ~ Salvage

Today's Prompt: Salvage

If your house was on fire, what would you grab and save before you escaped?

Funny enough, I have given this question a great deal of thought. It started the day someone took down all the signs in our apartment building that would have warned us that there was going to be testing of the fire alarm system. So the next day when the alarms kept going off I know I wasn't the only one a little "concerned" by them. We quickly found out is was a test, but it made me start to think about what I would grab in the case of a fire or other emergency.

On the lucky side, I am in a main floor apartment so I knew, unless the fire was in my own unit, I would have a few minutes to prepare my departure. I decided the things I would grab would be medications, coat and boots or shoes, a change of clothes, house and car keys, purse, a box of memories that could not be replaced and the external hard drive of my lap top which contains copies of all my documents, files and photos.

Hubby wondered why I wouldn't take the laptop but my thought process was that it was easier to unplug one thing (the external hard drive) than to unplug everything that is attached to the laptop.

Anyway . . . a little while back there was some trouble with my hydro panel and Hal wasn't home. Although I was reassured that there wasn't any risk of fire I didn't really believe them (Hal and the superintendent). So I put my coat and shoes, purse with my keys and medications, a change of clothes, my memory box and the hard drive right beside the patio door figuring if the smoke detectors went off I could grab them on the way out the door.

Fortunately, nothing happened during the night . . . so I guess Hal and the superintendent were right . . . and the fuse thingie was fixed the next day.

Journal Prompt ~ Admiration

Today's Prompt: Admiration

Who did you look up to / admire as a child?

When I was growing up I remember reading biographies of women who became nurses or doctors. Among the ones I admired most were Florence Nightingale, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, Dr. Jenny Trout, and Dr. Emily Stowe.  I was fairly certain I was going to enter the medical field when I grew up. Unfortunately, I discovered I didn't have the stomach for it. The sight of wounds or vomit just makes me ill.

The Challenge of 2023

I could go into great deal with what is going wrong in 2023 but I think we already know what the problems are. I'd rather find some solutions.

Menu Planning

I was menu planning whenever I was in the mood and paying for the service I use even when I wasn't using it. That wasn't going to help. 

I am determined to menu plan every week in 2023 and have included it in my weekly to do list.

The service I use is inexpensive, well-researched, and has menu plans for many health conditions as well as budget menus. Why pay for a service? Not everyone needs one. Many people are very shopping and food planning savvy. I constantly make bad choices, overspend, and fall back on take out food.

So paid service it is. If you want to learn more about the service I use just send me a message or comment below.

Why is it worth it to me to use a service? To get variety, good suggestions to deal with diabetes, and it provides all the recipes. The best part though is that if you register your favourite grocery stores it will create your grocery list with information on which has the best deal for each item. This is especially helpful if you like to "price match". 

Hardly Used Nearly New

I have no idea who came up with this clever name for discounted products but it has stuck. Plus its fun to say.

Become familiar with where your store displays their discounted meat, produce and other grocery items. I make it a habit to visit these locations a couple of times a week. Sometimes when I am really lucky (and I have a little extra money) I have been able to stock up my little chest freezer in one trip. It won't take long before you catch on to which stores discount on which days.

What do you do to save money on groceries?

E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial 1982

ET the Extra-Terrestrial 1982

Who doesn't love E.T.?  Action, adventure, aliens, bad guys, government agents, heroes, and friendship.  It has everything.

E.T. is an alien who was left behind when his ship had to leave Earth quickly because a government task force was nearby.  He is befriended by Elliot who helps him try to get home.

I still loves this movie today.

Things you never knew about E.T.:
http://dailynewsdig.com/e-t-the-extra-terrestrial-movie/

Academy Awards, USA 1983

Won Oscar	Best Sound Robert Knudson Robert Glass Don Digirolamo Gene S. Cantamessa
	Best Effects, Visual Effects Carlo Rambaldi Dennis Muren Kenneth Smith
	Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing Charles L. Campbell Ben Burtt
	Best Music, Original Score John Williams
Nominated Oscar	Best Picture Steven Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy
	Best Director Steven Spielberg
	Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Melissa Mathison
	Best Cinematography Allen Daviau
	Best Film Editing Carol Littleton

Journal Prompt ~ Listening

Today's Writing Prompt: Listener

When was the last time someone truly listened to you?

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/5-simple-ways-to-be-a-better-listener.html

My dear hubby is not generally very good at listening so we have rules of engagement for discussing serious issues like money which include having no distractions, sitting comfortably facing each other, and having any necessary information available . . . such as pulling up the bank account on the lap top. Sometimes he forgets the rules of engagement and it never ends well for him. That has become the exception rather than the rule, thank goodness.

Tanka Tuesday ~ Thunderstorms

Tanka Tuesday: Thunderstorms (Whew, alliteration!)

It's time for the next installment of Tanka Tuesday!

Tanka is a form of poetry similar to haiku. It's short, and the lines don't need to rhyme. The just must have a set number of syllables: 5/7/5/7/7.

Today's tanka prompt is: thunderstorms.

harsh light from the sky

terrifying sounds all 'round

I must hide from it

danger fear lurk in my heart

until the storm has passed by 

Book Review ~ The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis

This is a true gem of a book. The style and language in this book definitely feels like a young person's voice.  Parvana is an 11-year-old girl living in Taliban-era Afghanistan.  When her father is arrested by the Taliban for having a foreign education the family is left destitute and cloistered in their home.  Women cannot be outside without a male relative to escort them.  It is decided that Parvana will become a boy which is initially very upsetting to her.  They cut her hair and dress her in her late brother's clothes.  Parvana can now go out for food, and she reopens her father's letter-writing stall in the market, and she realizes she loves the freedom she has as a boy.

This is an interesting and thought-provoking story for most any age.

There are more books in this series and they are already loaded to my Kobo.

New Year 2023 Craft Space Organization Challenge #2 ~ Paper!

How did you make out on the first challenges? It's not too late to share your photos. Doesn't it feel great to start the new year with a clean work surface? 

Let's move on to the next challenge . . . 

Did you know that a 1” high stack of patterned paper equals as many as 250 sheets of patterned paper? That’s a lot of paper. I don't know about you, but I have a lot more than 1" of paper. 

So here is this week's challenge: 

Your challenge this week is to S.P.A.C.E. your paper - - and I mean ALL of your paper: cardstock, patterned paper, specialty papers, and all those SCRAPS! 

If you are a quilter you need to S.P.A.C.E. your fabric. A knitter -- your wool. I think you get the picture. This challenge is for everybody! 

SORT: 

Bring all of your paper to one area. Sort it all into piles: KEEP, SELL, DONATE, TRASH 

PURGE: 

Bag up, and assign a price to paper bundles that you want to SELL at a garage sale or online, and put the bags in the garage sale box. Throw out the TRASH pile. Bag up the DONATE pile and immediately make arrangements for drop-off/pick-up or put in your vehicle. 

ASSIGN: 

Separate your paper into categories that make sense to you. For example, you may want to divide it simply into cardstock and patterned paper. If you have a huge stash of paper, you may want to divide it by colour, theme, or manufacturer. If you bought paper for a specific project (in my case our recent trip to the east coast) keep it kitted together. 

I have separated out Christmas and sports papers in their own containers.  

Another way to sort your paper is in page kits. Package matching patterned papers in a zip lock or similar bag, add matching cardstocks and embellishments to create kits. Most of my patterned papers and embellishments are sorted in this way. If/when the opportunity for some scrappin’ time presents, I just have to grab my tool pouch and a kit and I’m ready to go. 

Do you buy a lot of paper “stacks” or kits? I don’t recommend taking them apart. They are perfect for building page kits. 

Do you save your leftover scraps? Decide on a minimum size that you are willing to keep. I usually throw out anything smaller than 4 x 6”. 

These photos are from the 2020 fall challenge but I will post updated photos of the results of S.P.A.C.E.-ing my paper when I post Challenge #3.

CONTAINERIZE: 

Store your paper in a way that makes sense to you: 

- vertical paper holders 
- hanging vertical file folders 
- wire cubes 
- paper trays 
- paper organizers 
- bookcases with adjustable shelves 

I use vertical paper holders for my cardstocks (which I personally feel I do not have enough of), hanging file folders for my scraps, and banker boxes for my page kits. 

EQUALIZE: 

Each time you finish a scrap session, return from a crop, or bring home new papers, spend a few minutes putting your paper away where it belongs. 

We have started a Facebook group as a place for us to share photos, accomplishments, encouragement, tips and tricks as we work through this SPEED ROUND Challenge. When you have completed this challenge please share your photos in our challenge #2 album.