THE THREE SISTERS

I know I should be posting on my blog a whole lot more, but often find it hard to come up with things to write about......  but I am an avid reader of inspirational speeches that men and women have made through history..... and I believe that these men and women, have words that should be reapeated often .... so for this month,  I would like to repeat the famous speech of Sojourner Truth at The Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio - December, 1851 ... What a woman . 

Ain't I a Woman? Famous Speech by Sojourner Truth

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from?

From God and a woman!

Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again!

And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.

To learn more about Sojourner Truth visit this link ...

http://www.biography.com/articles/Sojourner-Truth-9511284

Unsilenced

It is not easy to strike out on your own, or to change behaviours, careers or lifestyles. There is the voice of doubt inside that asks “Who do you think you are?” and “What do you know?” There are also those on the outside who would silence you for daring mightily, so as not to be uncomfortable themselves. There are those who would rather tear down than build up, in order to mask their own embarrassment and shame. There are those that imagine the speaker must be perfect, as only then will the message be worthy.

However, there is no one better than you, and there is no better time than now. Do not be ashamed of shortcomings, failings or imperfection. You deserve your attempts, your mistakes and your successes, and everyone else deserves theirs, as well. Ignore the critic; attempt fully; fail miserably; be a bon vivant; practice joie de vivre; sing as loudly as you can.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face in marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2qwgXv/www.bellamumma.com/2011/04/100-ways-to-uncomplicate-your-life.html

aaaahhhh, here is to a couple of calm and peaceful days ahead!! 

As most of you are aware, I spend most of my days looking after my husband who is recovering from a stroke.  He is doing excellent, it's been a long 6 months, but each day brings new little improvements.  I am so happy that he is on the road to recovery... but somewhere along the line, I became exhausted.  I just didn't realise it until I took him up to his mothers yesterday where he will stay for a couple of weeks.  I came home today, made a cup of coffee, sat down on the recliner, turned the TV on to watch good old Dr Phil.... and promptly fell asleep!  I am tired! 

Yesterday,  I thought, wow... I will have a couple of weeks of me time.... I am going to work wonders,  I am going to clean the house from top to bottom, move furniture and polish the floors until I can see my reflection... and then start on the outside...There are sheds to be cleaned out, and and acre of garden that desperately needs my attention.....That was yesterday, but since then, I have had time to come to my senses  ,,,, I think I am going to have some creative time!  Some wonderful uninterupted creative time.  I will sit down at my messy dining room table and create until my heart is content!!   I will not get up to dispense pills or run errands, or even to cook for that matter... this will be REAL "me" time! 

Oh I could clean the house like I said... but it will only get dusty and need doing again in a couple of days... so I figure it can stay dusty for a few days, and then I will only need to do it once before I go up there to get him....  I love woman's logic, it all makes perfect sense to me!! 

I hope your week ahead is full of fun, love, family, friends and creativity

Oh, and well done everyone... we are now 181 strong!!  

Hugs

Maggie

Today has been one of those days, where everything has worked out. Any problems that may have been, have been solved, and there is nothing left over at the end of the day that will prevent me from having a good nights sleep.   

The only negative thing in my life at the moment is the horrible mouse plague that we have here at the moment... and watching my poor little chihuaha dog, (who just so happens to be the best mouser around) almost have a nervous breakdown because she doesn't know where to start with mouse hunting!!  Hopefully that will all settle down soon with the cooler weather approaching. 

I was able to catch up with my sister on Facebook chat for about an hour,  we usually miss each other and have to communicate by email.... chat is almost like being in the same room.  We are making plans for our week together in September.   We haven't seen each other since Mum passed away 4 years ago, and neither Gwen nor I have been able to travel because of family commitments,  but this year, we have contingency plans in place too look after the husbands, and we are going to have a whole week together of lazing by the pool,  having a drink or two, and maybe even a combined birthday cake thrown in as well..... and when we are not being ladies of leisure, Gwen is going to teach me how to stamp!!   I am so looking forward to some girl time,  to some Us Time!!    The only problem is,  September is soooooo far away!!!

We are now at 118 members!!  and we even have 2 new photo albums from members who are sharing with us their beautiful cards.  We hope, now that the ice is broken,  we will see more albums being uploaded.   It's easy to do,  just sign in with your member details, go to the photo albums, and click on add photo's, this will bring up a box where you can create your own album, and then follow the prompts from there. 

So with such a beautiful day behind me, I will bid you all a good night and wish you all a wonderful day of sharing, and creating, laughter, family and love.

Crafty hugs

Maggie

Tomorrow it will be 4 years since our dear Mother "Gilly" passed away.    I can remember so many wonderful things about her, my mind is full of wonderful memories of growing up under her guiding hand.  But there are now things that I can't remember and they are the things that I miss the most.

I remember her smile and the twinkle she had in her eyes, and I remember watching her hands work magic on canvas when she painted birds.

I can remember the wonderful meals that she used to make out of nothing, that tasted delicious and could feed an army, and I remember her sitting up all night to put the finishing touches to our wedding dresses or wedding cakes.

I can remember her taking in strangers, just because she thought they needed a helping hand.  Working at charity shops, and selling raffle tickets.  I remember her dropping everything to rally the neighbourhood women when a fire broke out to start cooking and making meals for the firefighters, and I remember her cooking well into the night after the others went home. 

I remember how many friends she had,  how many people called her nanna, even though she wasn't their real nanna.  And I remember the tears that were shed when we said good bye. 

Even when she was ill and in hospital,  I can still remember her saying.... I'm ok,  She'll be Jake, Mate !  But I can remember seeing the doubt in her eyes. 

But I can't remember the sound of her voice, or the touch of her hand.  I can no longer remember her scent.... Oh I know they were comforting, but I can't remember them and that is just so sad. 

I wanted to write something about Mum today, because I was so afraid that tomorrow, I wouldn't remember.

She was Mother to 6, Grandmother to 12, Great Grandmother to 32 and Great Great Grandmother to 4.....  RIP Nanna,  we all miss you.  

May your day be full of fun, laughter, love and family

Maggie, Gwen and Joan

I guess it all depends who looks at my dining room table after I have had a burst of creativity, that determines if it is a mess or a very busy workspace!!

This morning, I stumbled out of bed and at first was a little taken aback by the site before my bleary eyes.   Paper pieces everywhere, little slivers of paper scrap all over the floor,  stamps here and there, cutting mats, scissors, glue, tape, a virtual mountain of goodies lay before me.   Then I smiled to myself... thinking,  aaahhh, that's right,  I worked on making up that template I designed for the website... then I looked at the finish product, and couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of what I had accomplished. 

Now my husband will come out a little later,  he will take one look at the table, and exclaim... What a Mess!! ... 

Really,  I guess I could say the same about his shed!!  To him it is the perfectly organised shed, with everything in it's place.  To me it's a mess and I wouldn't be able to find a hammer in there to save my life...

So not only is beauty in the eye of the beholder,  so is Mess!!  and coming to that realisation,  I feel so much better about the way my dining room table looks!! 

Oh,  as a footnote,  we now have 83 members,  and keeping my word,  I am busy creating templates for you to down load....  there will be one today,  and hopefully one tomorrow.

Happy Crafting and Mess Making 

I hope your day is full of love, happiness and creativity

Maggie

Is it ok to say that?  Nearly 60 members, and I am nearly 60 as well... so I guess I can take liberty to sprout the fact! 

I have just been overwhelmed by the number of new members that we have got since the website overhaul and of course the occasional plugs by Gwen and Chris from Stampin Up. 

When I started this site, it was more to connect people with the same interests than for any other reason and it is wonderful to know there are so many of you out there.  The best part, is we know that this is only the beginning. 

I am currently working on a "Badge" to be offered as a first prize for the the challenge that will be coming up soon.  I didn't even know that "badges" existed until my sister Gwen told me, so I have been reading everything I can on them and how to create them.  

Gwen suggested that we do a 3D card challenge, and I will repost the 3D sheets into the 2010 free projects.  Please let me know what you think of these and when it is decided, we will give everyone 2 weeks to complete the challenge,  post them to the site and another week to tally votes from members for the best one. 

The next tutorial/template will be posted as promised as soon as we have that magical 60th member,  so tell your friends. 

I hope your sunday is full of love, family and laughter..... and of course creativity

Crafty Hugs

Maggie

There is something wonderful about the number 50... well for The Three Sisters there is!! 

That is how many wonderful people have joined our fun community, and hopefully this is just the start of something big!     In celebration,   My sister Gwen from http://www.gwenscardsnstampsinbloom.com/  has made a tutorial for a quick box and I have also made one for a small favour bag.  I will post these onto the members free 2011 projects tomorrow. 

After seeing Gwens tutorial,  I now know how to do them properly!!  and now look at the ones I have put together and think how unprofessional they look! 

For every 10 new members, we will post another template or tutorial on the site... so tell your friends to come and join us,  it's fun and it's free!!  you can't get much better than that. 

Have a wonderful creative day

Maggie

Random acts of kindness, as the name suggests are just that, a sharing from the heart to someone who is not quite so fortunate as ourselves. To make and send or hand deliver a card to someone as Maggie has said who is not fortunate enough to have their loved ones around them can make an enormous difference to their lives. When I was in business I would see the young ones only too happy to chat away and bat their eyelids at the young males that came into the shop, and yet when it came to serving an elderly person they would be polite, yes. To take the time and listen to that older person, no.This upset me to think that young people could be like this. Would I be treated in the same way when I became elderly? I then set in place training for what I had always taken for granted.

I would say to my staff "Always remember this. You may be the only person that elderly lady/man will have contact with today or even this week. Make the time you have serving them be a pleasant experience for both of you." The result of this training was that I had staff that actually cared for the customer and their needs. These elderly customers came back time and time again because they could have a chat with the staff, and that the staff would acknowledge them almost always by name. They would offer to carry their goods to the car, give a seat if they were tired or unwell, listen when they wanted to tell a story that they had heard a dozen times before. My staff and I had become their surrogate families, and when they passed it was surprising how many of the surviving family members would come in to let us know because that person had talked of us and how we took the time to listen and to help.

These random acts of kindness are just that, an act of kindness from the heart. We should all try to add just a little happiness and sunshine to another persons life everyday, whether it is a visit, a card or even just lending an ear. I would like to think when I  became older that I would be afforded the same. Think about it.

I was visiting my dear old friend the other day.  She is well into her 80's and actually volunteers with me at the local charity shop.  She is bent over with arthritis and walks with the assistance of her walking frame which she affectionately calls "Leena". She is always surrounded by friends and family  and I can sit for hours listening to her stories of when she was a young girl.  She is the one person that I can open my heart to and unload my worries.  She doesn't judge, she just listens and gives sound advice.   

Besides volunteering at the charity shop, she visits with the oldies at the nursing home, especially the ones that the families seem to have forgotten.   She buys birthday cards and such and makes sure that no resident goes without a beautiful card on their birthday.

It scares me that some families can "forget" about their parents that they have placed into such places.  While they get the medical attention they need, their emotional side takes a bit of a beating.  Waiting for promised visits, only to be disappointed time and time again.  Birthdays that come and go without so much as a card.  Family is so important to me, and it really does scare me that there are families who can discard a member so readily when their age and or disabilities inconvenience their lifestyles. 

I think it would be nice if we, as a group, could start a secret card program.  Where we can find one person in a nursing home who has been forgotten by their families, if we could send a birthday card, or just a thinking of you card and signed "your friend"  .  What a difference it would make to one day in their lives. 

May you all have a wonderful day, surrounded by friends and family.

Till next time

Maggie