What's New @ La-Di-Da Studios?

Midnight Lace by Tara Dunstan is just beautiful. Although I have not had a chance to scrap with it yet it is by far my fave kit from her to date. I just love the colour scheme and the name of this kit is just gorgeous. You can grab it here in the shop at La-Di-Da Studios.

Let's Eat It by Tara Dunstan and JanaM Designs is an awesome and fun Christmas Kit that will delight the hearts of those that love the Yuletide Season and you can grab this one here in the shop at La-Di-Da Studios.
Woohoo we have a new designer over at La-Di-Da Studios. One of our creative team members Winnie otherwise known as Charlize Art in the digital designing world has started designing and she is doing a fabulous job. You can purchase her digital goodies here and just to tease you a little with her designs here is her latest kit - Natal - in collaboration with Shien Designs from Digital Candy and Digiscrap Boutique.

So how was your weekend? Considering it is now Monday morning, the start of another new week and I'm sitting here blogging is somewhat of a miracle.....lol.
Our weekend was busy enough and on Saturday the Bendigo Autism Asperger Group (BAAGS), we are now members of, had their Christmas breakup at the Discovery Centre here in Bendigo. It was just wonderful to be able to go to something where we could meet and chat with other families who have children on the Spectrum without being judged or frowned upon in any way and where we or should I say Lance could just be himself even after the "out in public" facade was beginning to fall apart and his agitation and frustrations of not being able to communicate as well as so many others (gosh was that obvious) was starting to show.

Onto scrapping.......no digi layouts I'm sorry but I did manage to finish another 2 paper layouts for Stephanie's album. I must get about scanning them in, and showing them off to you all. After all it's only an 8x8 album and so that fits onto the scanner nice and simple.

Apart from life being so busy and hectic I feel I am not getting anywhere when it comes to all things festive. Christmas tree and decs are not up which every year by now they are and that's simply because we have no time to do anything. I have not started Christmas shopping either and that is so frustrating as well because normally by now I have and the fact that I can't even get time to get out there and look around makes it worse. Lance has finished school and he is now home although in the past 5 weeks he has barely been to school anyway but it just makes it more difficult because he is unable to get out because of his depression and anxiety and that means that we can't leave him on his own either so I have to fit in even more on my own and try and manage....how do you do that when there is only 24 hours in a day!!!!!

Grace has finished school - exam week was last week and so her year is over. The funny thing about this morning though is she has gone to school dressed in casual clothes and I asked her why....."well mum everyone else is so why not"......lol, she's a dag. Next on the list for her is transition to Bendigo Senior Secondary College for all year 11's for 2 days this week and then the YR 10 formal next month which she is completely organised for. Dress, shoes, clutch bag, hair, makeup, limousine, photography and all things formal for the formal. Oh I so can't wait to see her all dressed up.

Stephanie and Maddison still have 3 weeks or so to go till they finish for the year which is good because holidays are long enough without them being even longer.....lol make sense?! Yeh thought so!!

Ok well I think that's it for now...time to finish up on the pc, shower, dress, sort out Lance, visit nanna in hospital, make some phone calls and off down the street to get some much needed supplies. Until next blogging, take care and stay safe, hugs Chris xoxo!

Bring on a miracle I say!

Credits

So here is my latest CT LO for La-Di-Da Studios (Tara Dunstan Designs) completed sometime last week from memory and very late at night hummmm actually in the wee hours of the morning in the dark and the quiet. The photo is of my DD Stephanie at dads funeral on the 10th of October, just a little over 5 weeks ago now and I still find it hard that he is actually gone.

Life just doesn't slow down for us these days and last Thursday Lance was finally admitted into hospital into the acute psychiatric unit because he was no longer able to function in any capacity and none of his meds were working. It was the scariest, most gut wrenching and heart breaking thing to do but it was desperate because he was in serious crisis in a serious way. After a difficult 24 hours of tears and frustration and escaping, Lance finally started to settle on Friday and by Saturday/Sunday we saw I peace and calm in him that we have not seen in a very long time. After having a good weekend he was discharged last night and is now home.

For those of you who haven't caught up with the news.... Lance is 17, autistic and dealing with multiple diagnoses. Not only is he autistic but also has an anxiety/panic disorder, depression, presumed coronary artery spasm and it now looks like he has epilepsy. As you can imagine each diagnosis is complex in it's own right but add them all together and wow we have serious issues and complications and when meds start to do the unthinkable.....not work, we are then in serious trouble.

There is still a long road to travel and in no way will it be easy with its bumps in the way some small and some large but we have crisis plans in place now and every health department in Bendigo (Psych and CAT services, CAMHS, DHS, Carer's Support, Home Assessment Care, Interchange and the list goes on) know our son by now and so that in itself in many ways as scary as it may sound is a comfort that so many departments are helping with much more to come over the coming months.

News on our youngest son Maddison who is 13......we have been dealing with some pretty heavy things with him as well and because he is also visually impaired (Best's Vitelliform Dystrophy) so many of his learning difficulties have been hidden under that banner until this year. He is now seeing the paediatrician and it is looking more and more like ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). He is struggling with all his language based subjects, his speech is slurred (something that has been happening and getting worse this year) and finding school very difficult. We hope to have him assessed to see whether or not he has autism but more on the milder side as the paediatrician thinks. Who knows when this will be but he is on the CAMHS waiting list and that's all we can do is wait. He is on a months trial with meds for ADD and so time will tell.

My dear grandmother is still in hospital after 3 weeks. She is 95 and suffers with dementia and as of last Saturday I have been left in charge of her as my mum decided to go on a "holiday" for a month because she felt she could not deal with things as they were any longer. I could say more here but I won't and the reality that my dear nanna has deteriorated since she has a serious fall some 2 weeks ago, is in rehab, is meant to go into respite next week which I have to sort out and organise and her memory both short and long term is a mess. So tomorrow I sit down with her doctors and the recommendation I do believe will be that she now needs to go into permanent care. I know that I do not want her going home to mum if mum ever comes home and I know it is time to put her in a place that can take good care of her. There is no way my mum could take care of her now and mum has not been coping with looking after her for quite some time now. Just in the past 3 days nanna has deteriorated even worse and she doesn't even remember what she had for tea 5 minutes after she has eaten it let alone having to keep reminding her of who I am but I love her dearly and the decisions the doctors and staff make with me will be in the best interests of nanna now.

So you can see even in our own crisis with our son Lance, his struggle to get through each day and make some sense of it without self harming, more and more is heaped upon us everyday. In a time when I am holding so many people up......God grant me the strength I need to keep going, the courage to manage all that I do and the peace and calm so necessary in times of difficulty where there is no option but to do what I have to. Bring on a miracle I say.

Till next blogging guys stay safe and take care. Hugs Chris xoxo