And so this is Christmas

I can't quite believe that Christmas is over for another year. This year was quite a monumental one. All the Andersons gathered at our place this year: Dave, Kay, Ben, Tyler, Sharlea and Ryan along with two Canadian friends, Phil, Claire and their three adult children: Genevieve, Sinead and Tyrone. Dave and Kay's family were blessed to stay at a friend's house (thank you Andrea and Will) where they all slept in comfort. We easily squeezed PnC and their kids in here and it was fun having everyone around.
Photos will come. Our newer computer crashed just before Christmas and this older one (on which I am now typing) is incredibly SLOW!!!!! So essential stuff only...
Highlights of Christmas....
Having everyone here on Christmas Eve for a BBQ and nibblies. Penny, Julian and their girls and Mum and Dad were also here. At one point during the evening I looked around and realised that nearly all the people I love were in our house. It was an awesome and humbling feeling and I had a little tear. The kids were treated to a little visit from Santa too... he walked up our driveway and stood near the deck and said a few ho's! Lots of squeals and excitement!

Being presented with my Christmas present, a lawn seat, organised by Hannah and purchased by mum with help from Bruce. The love that went into that gift was humbling!

Making Christmas lunch with Kay and Cyndi in the kitchen, the others on the deck and Bruce cooking the most delicious garlic prawns.

Playing cards with nieces and nephews and our kids. Winning at cheat!

The many discussions and conversations we don't often get to have time for... coffees and unhurried talk.

Watching Ryan throw Thomas and Isabel about 3 m into the air before landing in the swimming pool.

Good wine and cheese.

Church on Christmas morning.

Watching Tyler open his presents, ripping every last piece of wrapping paper off before earnestly holding the present up to look. His absolute joy at receiving every gift.

Feeling so incredibly grateful for the life I have, for the gifts God has given me: health, family, a home, a faith and for the gift of his son on Christmas.

My heart felt full! Praise God.

Addicted...again

I have been reading some really amazing blogs lately and I just love how some people have been able to turn their blogs into their work... being published these days is just so different, so immediate, so doable for everyone! I have found an amazing blog/website called "bakerella"... she is a cake decorator who has invented little cake balls on sticks, decorated with melted chocolate... haven't tried the cake pops yet but today I made oreo truffles following the same idea...just not on sticks. Will have to try to get some lollipop sticks while I am away over the holidays. The oreo truffles are GOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!

Hannah is having a card making workshop for some friends this afternoon and she has not pulled up that well after a friend's sleepover party last night. (a bit cranky.....:( ) I'm looking forward to the workshop, but won't be participating. I will be off in a corner trying to decide if I'm sharing my oreo truffles!!!! No, I will be trying to finish my final assignment which is due next weekend. Don't like the sound of it when you put it that way...next weekend.... aaaaaah!!!
Actually, I don't really have that much to do, will ace it!

We had a couple of gorgeous little visitors here for a sleepover last night: B (who is nearly 3) has been coming to visit us for a while and she is a funny little thing. Her little brother came too and they were both so good! Slept all night and didn't hear a peep from the little man from 6:30 pm until almost 6 this morning. B looked at Bruce when he came in last night and said "You're filthy!" and of course she was right. He was filthy and very tired. I seriously do not know how he works from 5 am until after 7 pm. Crazy.

Anyway, better go and count out some truffles on to a plate.... maybe half a one each????


This is what we've been up to this afternoon.... not much really!

A very kind friend suggested yesterday that I may have swapped my facebook addiction to a blog reading addiction???? He may have a point.....

Five down, eight to go!!!!

Music Fest is over for another year. This weekend always has a distinct deja vu feel about it... we were reminiscing (Robyn and I) about how, four years ago (the last time it was in Gundy) we were waiting for the call from Andrea and Will to say that Julia had arrived. Another mum and I met up at exactly the same corner four years ago as we did today, to go down to where the kids were marching from... we both said"Wow how strange..." I am beginning to love the sense of community we get from Instrumental Music and the way in which we meet up with people from all over who share a common bond. (Part of that bond is sometimes the drudgery of traipsing around after kids... but I had no sense of that this time.) Our kids are starting to feel that too, as they get to know musos from all over. I love being able to see all "my kids", from the schools where I visit as chappy, and to catch up with and chat to parents I don't often see. Loved it...

Have you ever seen a groovier bassoon player?

I want to express appreciation for our instrumental music teacher... a dedicated and hard working teacher who tries very hard to draw the best out of all of our kids with great results. The bands sounded excellent this year and they should all be proud. There are so many awesome stories of the great things that happen through the Instrumental Music program that I won't publish here... I can only say that for myself, I was able to learn a new instrument at the age of about 38, and can now play something that gives me great joy, is an avenue for worship and has helped me to help lots of kids.

Thank you Alex!

The cool clarinetist!
How's that freaky shadow??? Oh and that's Hannah on the flute!

Anyway, the weekend seems to have just started and is rapidly drawing to a close. Bruce is home a bit early, the sky is threatening big rain and it is the afternoon of St. Pat's fete... it always seems threatening for their fete... we know what that feels like!

Off to play my flute for worship practice!

It's been a while of course... and a lot has happened since my last entry.

Our family is once again on a break from tv, ds's, computer and internet and movies (except Bruce and I!! We can do whatever we want!) I have deactivated facebook again and it is liberating. I do have a lot more time on my hands and I'm going to need it!

Because.... I have resigned as Chaplain and am going back to teaching. I finish up at the end of this year and start back in the classroom next year. I am very excited to have finally made the decision, feel like it's the right one and ready to take on the next challenge. Most people are very understanding and even excited for me, however you get the occasional person (like a couple I spoke to today) who expressed real disappointment and ..."what a shame etc" That makes me feel momentarily bad, but I am not doing this to impress anyone, only following what I believe God is directing me to. I intend to continue my ministry, just in a slightly different way. EXCITING!

Tomorrow Hannah and I are heading to Goondi to see the dentist and it's probably a good thing that the ATM ate my card today so that I have no way of getting any money and spending more than we have to spend! It will be a quick trip with not much to spend! Hopefully Hannah will have some success.... her teeth are a mess!

We are also heading to Goondi on the weekend for Music Fest. Robyn and I will go with a tribe of kids. Fun times!

Better go... P&C tonight... weeks are flying away...

Ready to go

It's hard to believe, and in a few days I won't be feeling this, but I'm almost sick of the holidays!!! Not so much the holidays, but certainly having the kids around, arguing and annoying each other all day. Yes I know, two short posts ago, I was gloating about how well they were getting on....

Tomorrow we head off to Toowoomba for a day of shopping, followed by Kay's party in Oakey on Saturday. We'll stay there on Saturday night before travelling home on Sunday. Went to check out my renumerator card and thankfully we actually have some money on it so we can pay for our weekend. Things are very tight financially. Sometimes when I stop and think about it, I feel momentarily worried, but then I remember that God is looking after us (but testing our faith on a daily basis!). He continues to provide everything we need... I guess the trouble is that sometimes we want things that we really don't need and they aren't provided for. It is a constant temptation for me to give up chaplaincy and go back to teaching, but I know that God has blessed us because I am doing what he wants me to do and it is bery important to keep doing that.

As I type the kids are packing up and getting their gear ready to go. We want to leave early to get to hair appointments by 10 am. We are leaving the dog here, wonder what we'll come back to!!!

Our rose is flowering on the back archway....gorgeous blooms and amazing scent. The photos don't do it justice, it is a delight!

All done...

I have just submitted my second last assignment for the diploma of youth work. The assignment is not technically due until Monday so I may have just broken my own "leave it to the last minute" record! Usually I'm frantically typing away until the last hour or even minute it's due so I feel a bit strange being 5 days early. Good though. It means I have five days left of the holidays where I can actually enjoy not feeling like I have something enormous about to drop on my head!

Yesterday I spent the day out at a friend's scrapbooking and drinking coffee, also eating of course. Oh, had some delicious baby time- she is looking after her nephew while his mum recuperates from an accident. He's about ten months old, gorgeous blue eyes and bubbly baby laugh. Thomas has enjoyed making him chuckle! We are going out again this morning, aiming to finish scrapping 2008... a little behin perhaps???

Have booked hair appointments for Friday. Ellen stood beside me as I sat at the scrapping table yesterday and reminded me about how much I need to have those "tinsly bits" covered. She mentioned I might like to have the mo taken care of at the same time!!!!! RUDE!!!! On the subject of hair, Hannah and Josie spent Monday night together at Mum and Dad's and somehow convinced Mum to let them straighten her hair! They sent a text through with a pic.... so funny!!! Mum was a very good sport... VERY GOOD.... the girls had a great time together and really reconnected. Ellen and Maddy are there at the moment. Cousin time is so precious... I remember sleepovers at Nana and Puppa's and Nana and Grandad's so well. Lovely times.
Off to print some pics, have a shower and kick up my heels... my assignment's DONE!!!

Another Six Months... gone!

I actually had to do a google search to find my blog because I couldn't remember what I had called it! That's how long it's been since my last visit. Reading through my Easter post made me realise how important it is to do this! It was so good to be able to read over how we had spent the Easter weekend and to bring back those memories. And no, I haven't worked out how to delete those dreadful photos yet!


We are half way through another holiday and the kids are finally settled into each other. I'm no longer waking up to fighting at 6:30 a.m. and they are able to sit beside each other on the couch without kicking, poking or generally annoying. I love this stage and it usually happens just before we head back to school!





Holidays have so far consisted of an assignment (once again almost due, second last one), lots of scrapbooking, dinner and coffee with friends, lunch and a game of pool with friends after church, sleepovers, cousin time for the kids, a quick trip to Toowoomba and catching up on other people's blogs (which has inspired me to dig up my own). All in all, quite successful! Oh, and gardening. Our garden is comng along nicely and I love standing at the kitchen window looking out to flowers. We have a rose growing over the archway down the back that is flowering- the blooms are an antique pink colour and smell divine. I love having cut flowers in the house.

We are going to be spending next weekend with these guys... the Anderson family...celebrating Kay's birthday. She's 50 and I can thank her for reawakening my scrapbbooking habit this holiday. I made an album for her as a present and enjoyed every minute of the process so thanks lovely Kay! I hope your birthday is amazing... and not too much of a shock!

Okay, time to drop one off at a friends, one at Mum's and regain some peace around here...

What to Do???

I don't mean that I have nothing to do... at the moment, spinning in my head are:

• Worship leading for Sunday (about to go and choose songs)
• Making a cake for a friend for tonight
• an assignment for my Diploma... almost finished but not almost enough
• my three year strategic plan for chaplaincy (very tempted to write on it... waiting on God!!)
• housework (goes without saying but must be said...oh, but after sitting drinking coffee with friends yesterday, gazing at the sun setting through my river water streaked windows, I felt bad enough to clean offending windows this morning..!)
  

No I have plenty to do. What I mean is, what do I do when I log on to the computer? Now that I have removed myself from the book that shall remain nameless (starts with an f and ends with book...obvious yet???) I find myself aimlessly wandering around cyberspace, dropping in to random blogs, hunting down the games I was addicted to on THAT book (which has kind of defeated the purpose of leaving it in the first place)... last night I found myself searching recipes... and repeatedly dropping into favourite blogs to see if they've updated yet.

SAD, SAD, SAD.

So yesterday, I had a haircut and during the course of that haircut had a conversation with the hairdresser (as you do). I suggested to her that she start a blog, great for self expression and no one ever reads them!!... well this morning I'm thinking how can I be giving that advice to someone when I haven't written on my own blog for six months? And it's struck me that THIS is what I can do instead of aimlessly trawling!

SO HERE I AM... again.

EASTER

...was wonderful! Bruce had the four days off and we had great family time. He and Thomas camped in the backyard and cooked their brekky over the little gas stove. It was a bloke's show and the girls were not allowed but we had our own little picnic of bacon and eggs in the kitchen.

We also had some brilliant worship time at Church, lunch with my family up at Mum and Dad's, an afternoon of skiing with the Brumptons (and lots of others) and lots of great family time at home. Bruce had bought "Smoky and the Bandit" (Part 1,2 and 3) so we watched the first two. I drew the line at the third! They were hilarious! Bruce managed to cross a couple of jobs off the list and he was satisfied (some serious time spent on the end of a rake).