Please leave a comment!!!

I found out on Heather's blog that it's apparently De-lurking week, encouraging all regular readers of blogs to leave a comment!!  I too can be accused of just reading, so often I'm doing it whilst breastfeeding or just holding Will, and only have one hand so don't leave a comment.  However, if there's a post I really enjoyed or found funny or helpful or just plain interesting, I do try to leave even just a few words!

SO, here I am, down on my knees (not really, but almost) begging (yes, I know it's really sad), that if you are a regular reader of my blog, please leave me a comment here and there!  Sometimes I forget that anyone is actually reading as comments can be few and far between (yeah I know, bring out the tiny violin, poor poor me ........), yet I often run into people who then comment on things they've read on my blog.  "You read it?" is my stunned reply.  "Oh yes, I check it every day!!" they say enthusiastically.  Okay.  Wow!

Please, just a few teeny tiny words to make me happy?  And so I know who's actually out there?

Truth be known, I don't blog for the comments, but I do really enjoy them!  

Hoilday "school" & a new dress

I thought I'd share photos of Saraya's new dress.  I bought this one off Ebay and managed to wrap it small enough to fit inside her Christmas stocking. :)  It's very Victorian.  I absolutely love it.  We have a friend getting married this year, so at least one of us has a wedding outfit sorted!

I just love the back!!

Well, with the holidays winding down and Stuart spending a lot of time either at Wizard of Oz rehearsals or out at school getting ready for the new term......... the kids and I are together, looking for new projects to work on.  We've been busy in the garden (more on that later in the week!), and finding things to do inside through the heat of the day too.

Yesterday Saraya found one of her unfinished workbooks from Year 1 and decided to do some work in it.  Elijah was given a Preschool workbook for Christmas from his Aunty, so he was up at the table working away too.

Later in the day they both played with the playdough we had made together that morning.  A batch of blue and a batch of pink....... and well, for sure we'll wind up with a batch of purple. :)

A Reflection on 2008

I was blog-hopping yesterday, and came across a lovely blog called There Is No Place Like Home.  (I know, the title got me too!).  Kelli had done a lovely post, reflecting on the year now behind us.  Feel free to participate if you like; there is a "Mr Linky" there on Kelli's blog to add your blog link if you wish to, or take a peek into other people's 2008.

So basically, you take the first line from the first post of each month from last year (I didn't start blogging until April, so mine is missing Jan-March).  Add the photo from that post too, or the next photo you used from that month.  Here goes.......

"Ferns By the Fireside" - A look at 2008

April

"Well, this is it."

May

"It struck me today that some of the memorable, wonderful, want-to-bottle-it moments are completely unplanned."

June

"Elijah made us all smile this morning."

July

"Debi has invited us to post our favourite "sleeping baby" pictures."

August

"So the big question is : Do I look better as a blonde or with black hair?"

September

"My life is busy."

October

"He'll make a fine man one day"

November

"I can just tell this is going to be a rambling post".

December

"Shout with joy to God, all the earth!"

That was fun; so nice to look back on some of the photos and highlights of what was for us a year of many challenges. :)  Great to be starting a New Year this week - more on my thoughts / dreams / plans for the year ahead in coming posts!  Have a great Tuesday everyone.

A Nature Study

This afternoon Stuart saved a pretty little Praying Mantis from being squashed by our shed door, and passed it into the eager hands of insect-loving Saraya.  

"Mac" is staying the night in a glass jar filled with sticks and leaves.  He has been given a bottle-top lid with some water in it to drink.  And a few unidentifiable crawly insects we dug up from the soil as I was weeding, for his supper.  As always with the insects we allow Saraya to observe and pet for a day or two, he is being taken everywhere and watched closely by a set of blue eyes above a freckled nose.

A good little nature study.

A day with cousins

The weather has cooled down. Hooray!! The rains have started, and we are all feeling much more comfortable.

Mum and Ray are visiting, so I am very happy. :) Yesterday we traveled up north to Bargara to visit with Ray's son Jeff, his wife Jed and two little daughters. We hadn't seen them in 3 years, and the children were all excited to get together with cousins!

Saraya was intrigued by the Nintendo.........

All the kids started dressing up, and ELijah made a very handsome cowboy!

Jed's house was beautifully decorated.  She happens to be a primary school music teacher, has a passion for music and had some interesting musical items around the place- including a beautiful harp!  I fell in love with these amazing paintings; I could almost hear the jazz music pouring out of them......

This is my new favourite photo of William.  It's him at his finest - surrounded by toys and other children to watch and try hard to get to!  He'll be crawling soon.

You can't beat a spontaneous cubby-building time with dining chairs and blankets!  The kids all got on so well, we'll definitely have to get together again soon.

First day of 2009

I definitely got out of bed on the wrong side this morning.
Wakeful children, a sweaty baby who only wanted to cuddle up with me and suckle all night...... and a persistent 30 degree temperature and high humidity through the night kept me from sleeping much at all.

Still, a talk with a friend this morning, a phone-call from Mum, a good cup of coffee, and a new shower cleaner which is all natural but actually WORKED to make our shower sparkle after I spent half an hour scrubbing it - and I feel better! Today there is a breeze, which is making all the difference. Yesterday apparently it got up to 38 degrees here in town (100.40 degrees Fahrenheit), ouch!!

I need to go pack for Woocoo. It's a beautiful park/ nature reserve/ bbq area just outside of town, where our church family is gathering for a shared dinner, play for the kids, etc. I might take my new Christmas just-for-me-slimline-blogging camera from Stuart (!)and take some photos. So long!

It is SO HOT!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, today has been so hot.  Excruciatingly hot!

The forecast was for 35 degrees celsius for Maryborough, but we are guessing it made it around 37 or 38 - or hotter.  Plus, the humidity was up around 80% for much of the day.  It was bad.

So what did we do today?  What was on the agenda?  What wonderful, exciting plans did we have for our day?  It was a simple plan, easily formulated yet difficult to execute.   

The plan:  TO KEEP COOL............

Will wore only a nappy and the children wore a pair of underpants for the day (actually, they're not in much more than that in bed now either- it's still up around 30 degrees at 8:30pm, yuk!).  Stuart and I wore as little as possible!  We drank copious amounts of cold water and cold lime juice cordial.  We ate through a whole big wedge of cool watermelon. We put water on ourselves every time we washed our hands.  Stu put a spray bottle into the fridge and periodically sprayed the children and me with chilly water (yelps could be heard from miles away!).  We ate vanilla icecream with maple syrup for afternoon tea.  We had every fan in the house turned up full swing, but still couldn't feel one bit of breeze.  

By 2pm we were all going slightly mad.  William had had at least 3 baths, and Stuart and I each a couple of showers.  You'd feel cool whilst under the water but boiling hot again the second your skin dried.  Saraya and Elijah had watched a good hour or more of tv, and we were all too hot to think what to do next.  So we went out to our "liveable shed" (just a one room, unsealed but semi-liveable little shed) which happens to be fitted with an old air-conditioner (the lady who used to live here had an adult son who lived out there).  We took water, and a big basket of library books, and hung out reading for awhile out there.  It was good!

Coming inside again was hard.......... to quote Saraya "Oh Mamma, ouch!!!!  I just lay down on the couch in the living room, and it was so hot I had to jump off 'cause it burnt me!!".   Elijah was crying after walking on the grass outside because the grass was burning his feet.  Yep.  It's been THAT bad.

At 4:30pm we drove to Woolworths just to get into some proper air-conditioning.  We dawdled around the shop for an hour, collecting a few bits we needed but mostly just enjoying a reprieve from the heat.  People everywhere were doing the same.  We heard one lady say she was considering hiding in the shops to sleep the night - her friend commented that she'd have plenty to eat and drink!!

Anyway, at least we have water.  And fans.  And I'm almost finished a favourite book of mine, and think I'll go do so now.  We're hoping to get a half-decent night sleep, our last night of 2008.  Hmmm..... with this heat, I don't like our chances!  

Once again to quote Saraya today, "When is it going to be Winter?"!!!

Happy New Year everyone! :)

Saraya's bedtime prayer

Usually at bedtime it is me who speaks the words of prayer with the children.  Tonight Saraya wanted to pray.   My heart was overjoyed at her words so I thought I'd record them.

"Dear God,  Thankyou for my cuddly toys and for my cuddly bed.  Thankyou for our day.  Thankyou that I have toys, and a home, and parents.  Our sponsor children don't even have a home, and some children don't have food or shoes or anything.  Amen."

This prompted a discussion on poverty, missionaries, and a possible trip to Uganda to do some work there and meet our sponsor children one day.  I love the bedtime hour with Saraya- it is so often our special, "connected" time of day.  Oh, and a Uganda-trip-planning-conversation with Stuart in the kitchen as we did the dinner clean-up followed.  Thankyou Saraya!  

A Blessed Christmas!

We were indeed blessed this Christmas, to be able to begin our day here in our little home, singing carols - then to open gifts, enjoy a homemade Christmas breakfast, surprise the children with their new trampoline (!!!!), go to church to be with friends and worship our King, come home, enjoy our gifts, wrap a few more, deliver them, go to our dear friends the Bentley's for lunch (Cathy..... you are amazing, and thankyou from all of us!!), rush home, pack suitcases/ tidy up/ water gardens/ lock up the house etc. all in less than an hour, and hit the road by 3:30pm for the next part of our day!!!  Phew!!

The table setting Cathy set up was beautiful.... 

a red and white setting, little gift bags for us all with handmade gifts inside.....

and a scrumptious spread to eat!

Once arriving at the Sunshine Coast, we were able to spend time with my parents, brother, sister, and aunts and uncles and cousins.  SO nice to be with all the extended family!!  After more gifts, drinks and dinner, we travelled the short distance to Mum and Ray's unit to collapse into bed.  What a happy end to one of the best Chrismases I can ever remember!  Hope yours has been a peaceful, joyful time with the ones you love.  Christmas blessings to everyone!! :)

"Hark the Herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King.

Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.

Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies,

With angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem!

Hark the Herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King."

Christmas Eve

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!" ~Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1836

A Christmas movie and Christmas lights

The last few years have seen us start a family tradition of watching the movie "Little Women" together just before Christmas.  It happens to be one of my favourite stories (I love Louisa May Alcott's books), and this version of the film is my favourite.  This afternoon we all sat together in the lounge room, lunch plates and drinks in hand, and shared this old-fashioned Christmassy favourite.  The little boys did really well, just playing on the floor when their interest faded.  Stuart and I (yes, he loves this movie too!) got a tear in our eye in all the sad bits.  And the happy ones too. :)

I made sure Elijah had an afternoon nap, and tonight after tea we all headed out to look at Christmas lights.  The children "oooo-d" and "aaaah-d" sufficiently, and we were all quite amazed at the effort some people put in to decorating their homes for us all to enjoy!  Our final stop at the home with many running tiny model trains was our favourite.......... extremely clever and well set up, with tiny villages and people, cattle, farms, streetlights all lit up, etc.  We spent nearly an hour there!

It's been a delight delivering boxes of Christmas baking to friends this week.  

Shortbreads, rum balls, and little tarts- some raspberry and some fruit mince- with crumble topping, and lots of little Christmas sweets tossed in for good measure. :)  So nice to share at this time of year!  

"Only 2 more sleeps till Christmas!!" (quote Saraya, bedtime tonight.....)

We're Home!!

Late last night we returned home from Brisbane, where we had been visiting with family since last Wednesday night.  It was a full 4 days, catching up with everyone..... plus fitting in some shopping trips in the *big* shopping centre near Mum's house, swimming in the pool, eating some jolly Christmas fare, exchanging gifts............ 

And we also had a trip to the big city for me to go to my Neurologist appointment (following up on the migraines with aura I've been having the past few months).  Unfortunately I need to travel back down to Brisbane mid-January to have an MRI, just to rule out the possibility of anything else sinister going on.  My Dad had 2 strokes under the age of 50.... and the "auras" I've had have gone on for longer than is normal, apparently.  SO, we're just in the process of checking things out.  I need to stay on the medication I've been given until I've had the MRI & the follow-up appointment.

Enough about all that.

Today I'm busy unpacking and catching up on washing; and finding homes for those gifts we received in Brisbane.  :)  We're feeling festive and the next couple of days will be spent finishing Christmas cooking, present wrapping, cleaning the house till it shines (well, maybe)........... etc.!  Hope your week is starting off nicely!

These are Saraya and Elijah's Christmas stockings which Mum made and cross-stitched for them.  

.........."the stockings were hung by the chimney with care"...................  They soon will be!

Will loves his tucker!

Little William isn't so little anymore!  He's up (would you believe it) around the 10kg mark.  He has really taken off with his solids now, and is enjoying mashed banana, avocado, rice cereal, porridge, mashed potato, pumpkin, yoghurt, and stewed apple.  He is still breastfeeding night and day, and now drinking water too in our very very hot weather!

He is roly and pudgy and oh so cuddly.

It's tricky business getting this messy, but someone's got to do it!! :)

Christmas baking

Christmas baking has started!

Aside from the cake (which the children and I made last month), we have shortbreads, chocolate fudge, and other delicacies to work on over the next 10 days. :)

Last night after the children went to sleep I made the rum balls.  These happen to be my most  favourite Christmas treat.  I thought I'd share my Nanna's recipe.  Nanna was quite partial to the rum, and this recipe has a little more than most others I've read. :)  Mind you, they are very very tasty!  

Nanna was beautiful.  I always miss her at this time of year.

Nanna Cook's Rum Balls

1 375g packet mixed dried fruit

1 tin Nestles condensed milk

3 heaped tablespoons cocoa

10 crushed weetbix

5 tablespoons of rum, and an extra dash for good measure

Mix all together well with hands.  Roll into balls and then roll in coconut.

Refrigerate until firm and keep in the fridge.

Eat and enjoy!

Saraya and Daisy make a fairy garden

"When I was One,

I had just begun.

When I was Two,

I was nearly new.

When I was Three,

I was hardly Me.

When I was Four,

I was not much more.

When I was Five,

I was just alive.

But now I’m Six,

I'm as clever as clever.

So I think I'll be six now,

forever and ever!"

             A.A. Milne

Thrifting in Biggendon

I mentioned yesterday that on our day trip on Wednesday we found a wonderful thrift shop.  You know the *real* thrift shops, where things are so cheap it almost seems like stealing?  

Still, we found some treasures and were more than happy to support Lifeline at the same time. :)

How could I resist the bright orange zoo animal pattern on these soft denim overalls for William? Like new, and only $1-.

Saraya and I found this pattern for old-fashioned pyjamas and nighties for 50c - "oooo Mamma, do you think Nanna could make these for me?".  Well, um, Mum?  What do you think?........... ;)

There were 8 of these teeny tiny little glasses (they may be shot glasses...?) and I bought them all to use for tiny servings of dessert eg. jelly, for little people.  10c each.

A doll with a handmade dress, bloomers and shoes for Saraya $3- (she had a little birthday money left, burning a hole in her pocket.... and didn't seem to mind that this poor dolly has had a few fingers chewed off by what I imagine was a distructive puppy.......)

A koala backpack for Elijah (he loves this little guy & has been wearing it everywhere!) $2-

And a big sturdy wicker basket with handles for me $5- my most favourite bargain.

And finally, these 4 ironstone soup bowls, handcrafted in Japan, are crying out to me from the kitchen hutch as I type.  They were 70c each, deserve to have a good home.......... and will each have soup in them by the end of this weekend.  I can't wait to use them!

An Anniversary Day Trip

So yesterday we went on a day trip.  Aside from having some holiday fun, it was also in celebration of our 7th wedding anniversary which was last week.  Stuart decided to plan a day trip because going for drives of exploration was our most favourite thing to do together before we got married!  We love exploring new places.  I wasn't sure how the kids would travel (it can be variable), but praise God they were wonderful!  Lots of carol-singing and playing eye-spy, and napping.  Fabulous.

Occasionally Stuart will plan something like this entirely without telling me.  I love that.  I love surprises from him!

We headed out west to an area we'd never been.  One of Stu's prep families have just moved about an hour out there, so we popped in for a cup of tea as our first stop.  Very nice!  Biggendon is a typical country town, tiny and friendly.  And we came across a FANTASTIC thrift shop, but more about that tomorrow!

We had lunch at a little cafe with the widest variety of foods imaginable.  It was inexpensive and very very tasty fare.

Onward we travelled to our second pitstop, BanBan Springs.

For those Aussies who know the Aboriginal story of the rainbow serpent, this is where it originated.

It was a very hot day, and our comfy air-conditioned car was very very appreciated!  I still can hardly believe it's ours.

The children were fascinated with this Aboriginal mural painting.

Stuart and the children had a game of Boules, and Will and I lazed under some trees for a bit.

Onto our final stop, back through Biggendon and out to Mount Walsh National Park for afternoon tea and a bushwalk.

The track is steep.  And long.  And according to the sign "for experienced and well-prepared walkers only".    Did we let that stop us?  No!!  Onward and upward we went, for a kilometre or so anyway.

With walking stick and bird book in hand (there are wedge-tailed eagles - stunning! we saw 2- and peregrine falcons in the area), Saraya was a quick and masterful climber!  Elijah whinged on the flat ground but once we got going up the track, he was into the thrill of it.  He must have stumbled 4 or 5 times, but just picked himself up and kept going.  If it wasn't for the sun starting to get a bit low, we would have kept going.  Though come to think of it, we were all getting pretty tired.  It was a rocky, interesting trail and we'll definately travel out to walk it again.

Mount Walsh

As far up as we got.

It was great to explore some of our local area, and once again I was reminded of how beautiful Australia is.

Cold drinks on the way home as the sun set, baths and pyjamas, boiled eggs, ham and baked beans on toast for tea.  Bed for the children.  A favourite movie for Stu and I.

A great day, and probably the nicest anniversary we've ever had.  I love you my husband!  Thankyou for a beautiful day.