Change can be a good thing

This year, my job changed.  It changed dramatically.  There are always changes in my workplace, every year another layer is added to my already complex job.  Every year, teachers get a little more tired and it gets a little harder to be the teacher I dreamed I would be.  Last year, multiple changes almost monthly had me in tears most of the time and my physical health in decline.  How I pulled myself together is another story for another time.  Be assured, I am better than I was 8 months ago. This year, the changes were much greater and much more beneficial for my health, my social life and my work.  This year, the changes were good.

I don't want to go into specifics, because I think one of the reasons this was such a good thing, had a lot to do with my attitude about it.  The changes are ones I fought for a long time.  Changes I thought I couldn't abide or manage.  This year, I welcomed the changes.  I made a list of all the benefits of these changes and I embraced them.  I tried to think about the possible problems and worked out ways around them.  I also decided that I wasn't going to let the stupid stuff get in my way.  I decided I was simply going to focus on my job and only my job.

This was all going very well until this week.  You see, this week, I landed in the middle of a pain episode.  This is a span of a few hours to a few days of high pain levels and discomfort.  I was having not only pain, but I was shaking, itchy and having muscle spasms, I was nauseas and had a headache.  It was impossible to focus on anything.  It was impossible to relax or sleep or even breathe with any real depth.  I was exhausted, but couldn't sleep.  Heat packs and ice packs offered no relief.  None of the usual strategies that usually offer me some comfort, were rendered useless.  I took the maximum safe dose of medication and still felt awful.  There was nothing for it, but to wait it out.  That meant I missed a day at work.  

The fall out from this 12 hour episode continues.  It cost me a trip to the physio, pain medication, sleep, exercise and energy.  I am still trying to catch up on the work that I missed.  I am still feeling the impact of the muscle spasms, aches and change to my sleep pattern.  It will take time for everything to settle down again.  All of this has made me a little bit irritable.  I'm sure everyone didn't suddenly become nasty and annoying this week.  I sure it's just that my patience is thin.

Anyway, my point is..... some change can be really good and often the outcome of the change can be influenced largely by our attitude.  The cause of this episode is difficult to determine.  While much of my lifestyle is geared towards managing mild pain and pacing activity so that these episodes can be prevented as much as possible, I am not sure what I could possibly have done differently.  You see, the warning signs were almost non-existent.  Usually there are alarm bells, not little whispers.  So, I must take the attitude that moving forward (however carefully) is the best option for tomorrow.

If you are facing change... or the need for change... think about the benefits, imagine the possibilities for positivity and progress.  Take the step with an attitude of hopeful anticipation and see what happens.
:)

Stamping on Cork

A good crafty friend of mine used to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator.  She knows lots of techniques and is so helpful and encouraging.  I love it when she comes over to my house and we craft together.  She loves scrapbooking as well, so she will work with her photos and complete layouts while I stamp away.  We have so much fun! 

My friend often suggests new techniques or new materials that I can use to make my cards.  Sometimes I embrace her ideas with excitement, other times I am a bit sceptical or maybe nervous is a better way to describe it.  I still get a little worried when I try out a new technique. Who knows why? My crafty friend suggested I stamp on a sheet of cork which gives a great look. When she came over a few weeks ago, I decided to give it a go while she could be on hand to help out.  

We chose some wood mounted red rubber stamps (because they were the most suitable images I had). I stamped them out, which was so much easier than I thought it would be, and coloured them with some felt tip pens.  The hardest part was choosing the colours and deciding which patterned paper to use on my finished cards.  Check these out. 

How adorable is this platypus stamp?! 

I used a wavy stencil to make a background for this card. 

An alphabet stamp set made it easy to create the "G'day" sentiment. 

This puppy dog stamp is a bit small, so after fussy cutting it, I mounted it on

 a couple of die cut circles and used a smaller square card base.  

I love this bear... Enough said! 

That's all for this week. 

Happy Crafting! 

Pause IRL- (living the word)

I have been living my "One Word Resolution" for almost 3 months.  Admittedly, practicing the PAUSE has certainly helped, I'm not sure that it's making the impact that I hoped it would.  Perhaps, I need to be more patient with myself. 

The One World movement is all about choosing a word that will guide everything you do.  Your everyday actions should begin to change and this will impact every area of your life.  I have to admit: there are some days, when I forget to Pause and I make choices that I later regret. The important thing in all this, is that I am not giving up.  I have paused to reflect, but I haven't stopped.  That's vital when you are trying to make lasting changes.  No one is perfect, so you have to give yourself a break.  

Here are some ways that I am living my one word... PAUSE 

1. Reading God's Word everyday 

Removing myself from the "world" and spending real time reading the Bible is just one way that I Pause.  Reading the Bible and applying it to current situations or making connections to my past experiences helps me to learn so much.  I used to struggle with daily Bible reading.  Now this habit is finally developed, the time I spend reading my Bible is really making an impact on my attitude, my actions, my choices, my words and my relationships.

2. Meditating and Real Rest

The chronic pain in my neck and back gets a bit much for me and the best way to 'reset' (sort of) is to lie down.  That's right, laying flat on my back, right where I am.  There was a time when I would take meetings on the floor, call parents and answer questions from my colleagues, there were even times when I would talk to students while I was lying on the floor.  Now, I don't do that.  I lie down in the middle of the day if I need to, but I don't talk to anyone.  I just lie there.  No phone calls, no games, no work, no reading.  I just lie down.  Giving my spine and surrounding muscles a rest is important but so is giving my mind a rest.  My work is not just hard on my body, it can be even harder on my mind and mental health.  

3. Meal Planning/ Grocery Shopping/ Meal Prep

I have been meal planning before I go grocery shopping and prepping meals ahead of time.  On the days when I am not working, I cook in bulk.  Last week, I made three different chicken dishes and served them out into containers so I could freeze them.  When I take the time to PAUSE and plan my meals, it makes it so much easier to make good choices about food.  I plan meals and shop when I'm satisfied (not hungry) and I have time to carefully think about how balanced my diet is panning out to be.  I don't have to stick to it religiously, but it makes those choices so much easier.  

4.  Breathe First

Conversations are the most difficult activities for me, especially when it comes to pausing.  The pace is sometimes I little too quick for me to keep up which means that I sometimes say things without thinking.  While having conversations this year, my "pause" strategy is simple.  I just have to breathe before I speak.  Once I have taken a breath, if it really needs to be said, I can say it.  Often, if it didn't need to be said, the conversation has moved on anyway. I don't do this all the time. Maybe I need to do it more.  Maybe,  I don't.  

That's that...

for now. 

A Great Paper Crafting Hack

This week, I want to share with you a great idea.  This idea came from the Stamp Junkies group.  Simon Hurley demonstrated how to make one of these in one of his recent videos. You can check it out here.

Not everyone can afford the expensive magnetic die holders that are out there. I certainly wasn't prepared to pay for the shipping! When Simon made a die holder from a picture frame and a magnetic sheet, I was off to the shops.

Magnetic Die Frame I made myself! 

 I bought a cheap picture frame from a discount shop and I already had the magnetic sheet in my stash. This was so easy to put together, it took less than 5 minutes to make and cost me less than $5!

Steps:
1. Cut your magnetic sheet down to the size of your frame.
2. Pop the back off the frame and pull out all the inserts, including the glass.
3. Lay the magnetic sheet inside the frame.
4. Put all the inserts back into the frame behind it and secure the backing.
5. Pull out the stand on the back and stand up your frame near your die cutting machine.

Complete, with my favourite dies already attached 

and next to my die cutting machine. 

That's it!

Too Easy!