SMILEY SATURDAY SWAP!

Ok now another Smiley Saturday Initiative from Lightening was the Saturday Swaps. My swap partner A, lives in a rural area, a few hours outside a regional city, as do I (although my rural area is considered a rural city), so I dont know yet wether she has received the parcel from me, it can take up to two weeks to get a parcel to or from my area and this has had two public holidays occur since posting, so I will put up the pics I took of the parcel I sent to her and when I receive the parcel from her in return I will put up another post.

The pics above are of little lavender sachets, that were made from our own homegrown lavender, that has been dried in bunches hanging in our house and then my children helped to remove any stalks or spiky bits, to handmill the flowers to release more oil into the mix and then bagged in pretty sachets. There was PINK (part of the swap conditions) and maroon bags. Added to this two little easter chickens for A's two little boys and a necklace for A, who always has such beautiful clothes and I really felt this would look fantastic on her. The bag was an addition made by my beautiful Boo (7 next month) who thought the swap idea was the most fantastic thing she had ever heard of (pretty presents when its not your birthday!). Didnt have any cards, so printed a letter on dolphin stationery and folded it to fit inside the bag.

Will post pics when I receive my parcel from A.

Hugs,

Erin!

SMILEY SATURDAY!

Ok well I am very slack and have been meaning to write a number of Smiley Saturday Posts recently.

Smiley Saturday is a Lightening Online idea that is just a fantastic way to really think about and express at least one reason to be thankful, happy, smiley etc each week. Thanks for the inspiration Lightening!!

Now, please forgive me, but I am going to combine several Smiley Saturdays into one post.

My first Smiley Saturday, I was thankful and smiling to attend a prenuptual barbeque, being hosted by my 2nd Cousin for her beautiful Daughter J, who was a bout to get married to her longterm partner (sweethearts since early highschool) A.

Now I was even more thankful because J, 23 or 24 this year (my 3rd cousin??) has been battling malignant melanoma that keeps reoccurring in the same place, and this last operation, they found that it was because it was on both sides of the main muscles in her cheek. Now this girl is absolutely gorgeous, could have been a model and still could, yet instead she chose to be a swimming instructor, pool lifeguard and then pool manager, to save kids from drowning.

So, with the last operation only a few months ago and then radium therapy, she has lost a fair amount of hair, has lost the majority of sensitivity and taste from her tongue and has been suffering the sideeffects, the worst being chronic fatigue.


My next Smiley Saturday was to post that the Beautiful J and SHY but funny A got married on a cliff overlooking the ocean in the small beachside town where her grandparents (my great uncle and great aunt) had a holiday unit and eventually moved too. Even more reason to be thankful was that my great aunt was able to be there and was reasonably lucid (she has dementia, diabetes and severe asthma and has had to move into high dependency care) to see her granddaughter get married. Her grandfather had passed away several years ago, but his spirit would have been there no matter what the cost, he was devoted to his daughter and his grandchildren.

A's mother was there and before the wedding, they performed another ceremony, as A's sister was killed in a semi versus car incident a number of years ago (she was a friend of mine from highschool) and then A's father passed away around 12 months after the loss of his daughter, so they had a remembrance for A's missing sister and father, so that even in death, they too could be there for the wedding. This was a very simple, yet touching way to include them.

Another Smiley Saturday, is that my father is now taking an active part in my life and the life of my children again, we had spent the last four years (which is a huge length of time for a kid that isnt 7 yet) with no more contact than four phone calls. He has now had christmas lunch, a birthday lunch for my Moo (10th bday) and then Easter lunch this past Sunday.

HUGS!!