Thirteen!

My older son has his thirteenth birthday today! How his young life has flown. Now he stands on the brink of his youth. I can bearly get my mind around it! Here is a little about his birth written on last years birthday.

We were joined by a few of the families after our regular Friday swimming lessons at the Park to celebrate on Friday.  Then he and his brother had the rest of the day with a couple of friends. Because we are leaving for Melbourne (have I mentioned that?) on Tuesday, we  also did the family celebrations on Saturday, meeting the girls and their families at a local kids entertainment venue for a few hours and then lunch at the park.  Saturday night was tea with Grandma and Grandad. So, not only were we able to enjoy a birthday but also see all the clan before heading out of town.







Homeschoolers know how to do birthdays!

And so does the family!

The two year olds had a wonderful time!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2010 has been a year of ups and downs but has concluded on a high note for us. It has seen a great deal of improvement in the boys reading and a great deal of improvement in their teachers ability to cope (that's me :-).  Having my vision restored has been a huge factor in this.  I would not say I am organised, no, I would definitely not say that! but we are all managing a great deal better.
Both boys recieved awards at the Presentation Night and I was thrilled that their diligence and good efforts were recognised by their teachers.

Basketball is also finished for the year.  Though the boys miss it, I am not sorry to have a break from the several days a week we trek down to the stadium.



Team pow wow.

 So, we are leaving on a jet plane tomorrow!  I have a couple of posts ready to go while we are away but I may not get to read at your blogs for a week or so. Keep safe and well until then.  Bye xo

Give Praise & Thanks!

I'm thankful for:





*  My Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

*  My husband, children and grandchildren,  around whom most of my life revolves.  After many  years of  health and other dramas it is amazing to me that God has so richly blessed us and preserved us. ♥♥♥♥

*  The long and productive lives of my parents and for my very special extended family (yep, all of them!)We will celebrate Dad and Mum's 60th anniversary in March next year, DV, and including them, we will  have 72 of us ~ children, spouses, grandchildren and great grandchildren. ♥

*  My large and active homeschooling group of friends.  The beautiful flowers I mentioned recently who fill  my life with colour and the wonderful and varied perfumes of the their distinct personalities! ♥

*  My little church family.  Especially JJ and Rae, who are a continual blessing and encouragement to me and the precious elderly couple who have taught me so much of life, love and service ♥.

*  The many special Bloggers who have become my friends over the past few years.  Some have burnt out and we don't see them much on line, some are reliable to post nearly every day and some of us are spasmodic, but it is a unique little community and I am very encouraged by many here ♥

*  The conclusion of another academic year.  We've had our highs and lows, as always but we have had a  very productive year. We finished Term 4 yesterday and celebrated with the Presentation Night last  night.

*  The exciting opportunity to take a holiday to Melbourne next week.  This is an amazing and unexpected   Providence of God and something my boys and I are really hyped about! Thank you, Jeanne ♥

*  The successful repair and restoration of vision in my right eye.  While I am still fairly blind in the other, it has made me really appreciate the sense of sight.  Many things we take for granted until we loose them. I am particularly thankful to be able to look upon the beautiful faces of my loved ones and the pleasure of being able to read again.

*  Health and safety throughout the year. Uplifting in times of grief, enabling in times of anxiety and sickness and added joy in times of blessing.

Thank you Lord





Although we do not celebrate a Thanksgiving Day in Australia
it is good to give praise and thanks to our great God

from whom all blessings flow!
Every day.

The Saints in My Pocket

Recently, it was commented to me that my church family live in one another's pockets, spend too much time together etc. etc. This troubled me a little as it just didn't sit right with me. Most of us struggle to maintain both fellowship and charity and feel we are often isolated.  We do not want to become "Sunday" Christians with a cheery facade and shallow talk on the Lord's day and a self absorbed life the rest of the week.
One of the "pitfalls" I have seen with  some families is a tendency to not only teach the children at home, but to become insular and totally home focused to the exclusion of our other relationships in life.
Don't read me wrongly here, I strongly agree that our husband, children, home come first but there is a place for our wider circle.
How would one cope in the New Testament church where they had all things in common? I think our lives have become very selfish and man centred rather than God centred. People rightly protect their privacy but to the exclusion of the needy, the lonely, the hurting, sacrificing their own growth in the meantime. Breaking the bruised reed and quenching the smoking flax.

I was visited by two dear elderly saints last week. (You might remember them from here.) They were returning from an appointment and it was quite a huge effort to climb our stairs and make that visit. Once again they reiterated the great blessing that the brethren have been to them in these difficult days of sickness , pain and inability. The folk have faithfully visited and assisted for quite a few years now. Their own many years of service to others is being repaid many fold.

The same critic told me that people these days are stubborn and hard hearted and do not receive correction. Hmmm...no doubt this is true. Our hearts are hard but I see a correlation here. Being receptive and teachable  involves relationship. A closeness to God and to people. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. One who is unwilling to enter into the unique covenant relationship which Christians in fellowship share,  cannot expect to be embraced and listened to in the same way.

Our families and lives are private. but we should be living in a way which is open to scrutiny. Again, this person, though so critical  of others, makes their own home  like a no-go zone to others ~ hiding what?
We are told to be keepers of our own homes, not to run from house to house, not to be gossips. On the other hand we are to bear one another's burdens, help the sick, the widow and the orphan, encourage the downcast. It is natural to spend time with the ones we are closest to and get along with best, but we are responsible to include the less comely ones. The body (of Christ) aches when one part is severed.
It is not only heresy and liberalism which is tearing the Body apart but apathy and a neglect of this great biblical principle ~ we are united in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Hospitality is a requirement! Office bearer particularly are to be given to hospitality and it is a mark of the Proverbs 31 home to open ones arms to the poor and needy.

Friends, we all live shallow and sin laden lives when held up to the scrutiny of the Word. Forgive me if I sound jaded on this. I am very conscious of my own failings to love and support others, to  put God first and foremost and the work of the kingdom above what profits me. In New Testament time the people marvelled. See how they (Christians) love one another! Can this be said of us? We are to bear one another's burdens. We are to encourage and admonish one another. We are to walk along side as per Titus 2, both men and women. To show the scriptures more clearly as did Aquila and Priscilla. To lay down our lives if required!

John 13
34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.


Lord, grant me a heart to serve you and your people. To love the brethren and reach out to the needy. Forgive me also for an impatient and critical attitude and help me to be kind to those whose views differ.
Thank you, Lord, that my pockets are full! Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over!

The Dame has Lost her Shoe!

My sweet little grandsons, like most other children their age,  love to clop around in all the shoes. My GS2 visited a couple of weeks ago and tried out all the models at our door including my walking shoes.  They are actually Winter shoes but I keep them at the front door as I have some leg problems and these are my most comfy walkers. After he had gone I searched high and low, but could only find one shoe......

As the weeks went by and the rogue shoe had not appeared during normal cleaning up I set my boys to search under beds and other nooks and crannies, but to no avail.  I asked my daughter and she suggested that dear GS2 may have "posted" it somewhere!  Now my large, cluttered house has many wonderful cubby holes and posting possibilities, so we organised quite a search and destroy ~ but no shoe turned up.

Finally last week I decided I really needed to purchase a pair of Summer shoes anyway. Now I do like shoes.   I don't have many but I sometimes covet a pair I particularly like....just a little. Not in a Mrs BB boot fetish type way  :-)  just with a little longing.  The truth is  I am daggy, I have crook legs and I need sensible shoes.  Sensible.  I chose what seemed like a nice summery, open back pair of Colorados, just a little fancy, a little bit of height.  I wore them non stop for three days.  Well, they fit great on my foot but something just wasn't quite right and one foot began to pain.  Vanity of vanities.  Oh for the sensible walking shoes!

Now, I am going on a little jaunt soon and I thought, "What will I do without shoes I can walk in....take my wheelie walker?"  So back I went (to the same shoe sale) and have now purchased a sensible, home schooling mother type, set of Summer sandals.  I hope I can wear them in before my big holiday.

It was so ironic as I straightened up today.  You guessed it!  The good old closed in Winter shoes we have searched for now for over a month turned up behind a bed side table!

Now if I can just find all those odd socks I will be very excited!

The Widow and the Fatherless

Psalm 146:9

The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.


 
There are special provisions made throughout scripture for the widow and the orphaned children. God is a husband to the widow and father to children without an earthy protector. This teaches us what our attitude should be to those who have lost their husband and no longer have the head of their household to look to.
 
I don't often blog about my friends, though I am blessed with many.  I think when I do post about them I will call them flower names as they are a beautiful, colourful and varied bunch of women!

I have been thinking about a lady who is very special.  Daisy.  A friend who lost her husband to cancer about ten years ago when the youngest of her five children was six weeks old. After the terrible weeks, months, years of grief, it has been an amazing privilege to watch this woman embrace the providences which God has placed on her and face the world, by his grace.  She home schools her beautiful children and they run a home based business.

This weekend Daisy and the family hosted their annual "home market". This is where they hold an open house and sell all the goodies which they create themselves and usually sell at the local markets. Daisy is very creative and so are all the children so they have items from bookmarks, cards and wall hangings, to beaded jewelry and leather work. Daisy is also a fantastic cook! She makes all kinds of wonderful cakes in her country kitchen and her speciality is Pumpkin Fruit Cake.

My friend Petunia and I went out quite early and by the time we had browsed, enjoyed the Lemonade (made with love♥) bought a few bits of this and that, sampled the Carrot Cake and drunk our coffee about five more carloads of "shoppers" had arrived!

As a group of friends, we have sought to uphold and encourage this sister in her very difficult journey over the past ten years. I see a vibrant and very enthusiastic woman who gives so much to others. Daisy is a stalwart in our home school group, a wonderful communicator who keeps in touch with everyone and makes sure no one is left out. She works tirelessly to raise her little family and is doing a fantastic job despite the hurdles she has had to overcome. She works VERY hard to provide for her family and not be reliant on others.

It was such a lovely relaxing morning at her beautifully situated home in the country. I thank God for this friend and pray often that he will continue to bless and encourage this widow throughout life.  She is a wonderful example and witness to the fact that God lifts up the meek and those who are cast down and protects and provides for the widow and fatherless.

Sobering Thoughts

On birth, death and everything in between.

Today is my gorgeous and very precious, second daughter's

twentieth birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

AND GOD BLESS YOU, DARLING

You can read a little about her here from last year.
Yesterday we had a great morning with all the children and grandchildren,
lots of cake and chips and lollies
and cuddles
to celebrate the occasion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Earlier in the week I got the more sobering news that an (extended) relative is in the final stages of cancer.  As this is a case where there was a broken home, back when we were children, I had not seen this woman since we were maybe ten or so. I was really touched that another relative contacted me and told me of the fond memories she had of times with our family and of us kids.She thought she had beaten breast cancer but is now riddled with other tumours.She is forty two years old, with five children.Her youngest is five.

Then on Tuesday, the brother of one of my own brothers-in-law, who was also not expected to survive long with cancer, died after a stroke.We attended his funeral today.Have you ever been to a bushman's funeral?You would only see that many checked shirts and akubras at a rodeo.
This man was a very well known horseman and his funeral was a moving tribute to a man who loved the bush, his horses, his family and people in general.

One of my brothers also lost a close friend this week in a chopper mustering accident.

A young husband with four small children.

I can only wonder.....

How do those who live with out the Lord cope in such times of sorrow?

When we mourn a believer, we do it knowing they have gone to be with the Lord.

We rejoice that a saint has gone to his eternal home.

That their body is resting in the grave until the Resurrection.

It reminds me how fleeting our lives are here on earth.

NOW is the day of salvation!

A Poppy for Remembrance









,

A Rose for the Anzac Boys







When my sister passed on this book to read, I thought I may read it aloud to the boys. Yes, it is historical fiction, and very accurate. But now that I have read it I will pass on the reading aloud. When you start to get teary from the very first chapter, you know it will be a difficult book to read to others in any sort of cohesive manner. It is one of the most heart breaking books I have read in a long while.

Although it is fiction, it is meticulously researched and poignantly realistic in the telling. Jackie French has based her story on the letters, diaries and memoirs, right down to some very gory details, of real characters who were there as well as official dates and documents. Mostly, it is the vivid and emotionally charged portrayals of this bloodiest of all wars which pulled my heart strings and kept me in tears throughout.

Set in Australia, New Zealand, England and the battle fields of France in the Great War, it tells the story of Midge Macpherson.   Midge is a New Zealand girl of Scottish decent who winds up leaving school in England to volunteer in France. Although it is a story which both boys and girls will enjoy/ benefit from, it is very much the story of the valiant women who volunteered in so many roles, without the recognition received by the even more valiant young men who fought in the War. It is also the story of the nurses and rich patronesses who kept the basic needs of these selfless men foremost in their minds and worked tirelessly for the duration of the war.
But just as much it  the story of, to quote The Band Played Waltzing Matilda,

 "The armless, the legless, the blind and insane,

All the poor wounded heroes of Suvla."

and all the other arenas in which the ANZACs fought.

This story, though a novel, is very close to the bone, and heart,  for me as my own Grandad fought in this conflict in the very fields of France where the story is set. As a child, he spoke very little to us of the horrors he had experienced. He was wounded on two occasions. After the first he returned to action (Oh, after reading this I can hardly bear to think how hard that must have been to do.) After the second very close escape (We have his pocket book complete with bullet hole to show how he was spared) he was sent to recuperate in England and after the armistice was signed, shipped home. As this book describes vividly the transportation and conditions of the wounded and dying, I imagine Grandad in those very tents, among the screaming wounded and the shell shocked. My heart goes out to him and all those brave young men who went to war to do their duty, to serve King and country and came back, alive but forever scarred.

As children, (Grandad died, aged 91,  when I was 20 years old) he glossed over the actual horrors and atrocities we now know he must have seen and experienced. But he loved to tell of the wonders of Egypt and spoke of how lovely the people of France, England and Ireland (where he visited relatives after recovery) were. He would roar laughing about  how the French girls called him Michelle (Michael). Of course, France and London were battle scarred and deeply depressed when he visited.But as I got older, I realised that Grandad didn't just carry the scars of the shrapnel which we could see on his shoulder and over his kidneys. He carried much deeper scars and as so many men of that era, he carried them silently.

Now I have only the few memories which my own Dad has relayed of those dreadful hand to hand battles on the fields of France. An image of his mate being blow apart beside him. Of Grandad refusing to shoot a German whose head kept bobbing up and down as he dug in just yards away from them. All was quiet and apparently he told the Captain if he wanted him dead he could shoot him, himself. Which he did apparently and all hell broke loose.

My grandfather was a quiet man, a gentleman and a scholar. How that war must have crushed his spirit.
When World War II broke out and his sons wanted to enlist he advised them to seek positions other than foot soldiers to spare them the same horrors. The two who went become drivers in the Army and were also blessed to return home safely. My Dad, a little younger and also a gentle soul, was blessedly not required, though the ones at home carry many cruel and vivid memories as well.

Once again, as we remember the fallen and those who have served our country in all conflicts, on this November 11th, I thank God that my grandfather was spared and that I have such precious memories of a wonderful man. A grandad, a story teller,  a farmer, a deeply religious, pious and well read man, a hero.

The pocket book which was tucked in Grandad's trousers, over his kidneys,

which took the brunt of the bullet and probably  saved his life.

(It is hard to see the hole in the bottom in this pic.)

Service medals and the Rising Sun insignia

He served in the 47th Battalion

.

A Rose for the Anzac Boys

http://www.jackiefrench.com/historical.html#anzac

Vote Now!

Voting has opened over at the Home School Post.

There are twenty categories and

some great blogs are entered.

Hey, I even see a couple of you people there!

(In fact I nominated a couple of my faves!)

Head on over.

Check out the great blog links

and go ahead,

VOTE.

When Apples go Pear Shaped!

The week looked so rosy. Full of promise and me feeling on top of the world.
Only a month of school to go and everything going on track.

Yep, coming up apples......

The school work returns needed to be in by Friday, so that was good.
But every day, some thing, that is life, happened and here it is Friday and
they are not done, that's bad.

My daughter with two little boys came to visit and stay overnight, so that was good.
But 1am in the morning the two year old was up vomiting so mummy and Grandma
were up too, that's bad.

At least I got back to sleep (unlike my daughter), so that's good.
But around 4am my younger son was also up sick, that's bad.

Thursday dawned snuggily and rainy and perfect for sleeping, reading and bookwork,
 so that was good.
But by the time we struggled in and out of the car with the babies, taking them home,
did routine shopping and errands, got to basketball, most of the day was lost.
Now that's bad.

Friday, sunshine! Hurrah, this is the day we will catch up. That's very good!
But after swimming Dad needed a hand with something, just a quick something,
which took until lunch time. Too Bad.

I might get a post up, a happy positive post. That is good.
But Optus is having problems and we have no internet. So, no, that's bad.

No internet. Ah, I will get a HEAP of house work done. That is good.
I am too tired from the hectic and disorganised week and it hasn't happened.
That turned out to be bad.

So, as I survey the carnage of the week that was I remember Monday and wonder
where things went pear shaped?

Now there's the weekend to look forward to. An early night perhaps?

There is the Communion Season at church with three good messages
and a blessed time of fellowship.

Maybe, just maybe, a sleep in tomorrow.

So, it's all good.

"His mercies are new every morning!"

HAVE A VERY GOOD WEEKEND!

Home School Blog Carnival

I joined in the Home School Blog Carnival hosted at

Dewey's Treehouse.

 They have some great posts listed there, so all you homeschoolers, pop on over and check it out.

Opposing the Prince of this World

1 Thessalonians 5:21-23
(King James Version)

21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

22Abstain from all appearance of evil.

23And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit
and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is definitely not easy being in the world and remaining aloof

and not of the world.

We are tormented on every side with temptations

and the pleasures of this world.

But sometimes I marvel.

 Surely these practices are abhorrent to many who do not know Christ

as well as to those who are seeking to serve Him?

I've had a couple of disturbing, thought provoking experiences lately.

They cause me to plead with God for my young boys.

They have made me want to take up the segregated lifestyles which

some Christian opt for.

Most of all they encourage me to keep on the good fight

and to pray without ceasing

especially for the Covenant children growing up in our homes and churches.

Sometimes, friends will lament to me how their teenage boys are going astray,

becoming restless, using bad language or displaying a rebellious attitude.

I have all the same struggles with my young men.

It is a reality for the home school family, I believe to have

to wrestle with this, as in days gone by a young man of fourteen plus would not

be under his mother's constant supervision but more likely out somewhere

working, earning his living and being educated in the school of hard knocks.

We are training our sons to be heads of their households and leaders in the church

not mummy's boys.

But I can often encourage a friend by telling them how well mannered Johnny is

or how kind he is to his siblings.

Our boys are mowing lawns and helping their dads,.

they should be taking on responsibility.

When they are not reaching our goals perhaps we have set that bar a little high?

I am not letting them off the hook here and suggesting we let our guard down,

but almost every young man I know growing up in Christian home is doing way

better than what I witnessed recently at an outing to the Skate Park.

Now this is not our usual routine.
 As I have mentioned before, if we are going to use

scooters and skate boards we generally go when the school kids are in school.

This was a Saturday, Thirty or forty youths, all dressed in matching outfits

doing very little skating and a lot of smoking and swearing.

They did not alter their behavior because I showed up one jot.

They used a lot of offensive swear words strung together
making absolutely no sense.

How do these guys actually communicate?

My boys and the ones who were with us, plus some others, maybe three,
headed to one little area away from the mob and minded there own business.

This was not a violent or threatening environment.

These are just lost souls hanging around in expensive skater boy clothing
 with costly equipment, lots of tools and a need to out-do one another.

SAD.

Next time one of my friends mentions how Johnny is hard to motivate,
I will compliment herthat he actually knows what an adjective is
and where to use it in a sentence,

 That he speaks to adults with respect.

Let's encourage one another on this difficult journey,
upstream against the current.

The other incident was even more deeply disturbing to me.

I was looking to google a scooter image to put on my son's birthday invitations.

There among all the nifty scooters and stunt pictures was the most

revolting sexual image I can image.

I will not describe it, but it caused me a great loss of sleep and has haunted my mind since then.

This has never happened to me before and I am devastated that a child, my child,

could be exposed to that type of debauchery.

We are careful with the internet and its usage here, but this was a totally innocent search.
It has rattled me.

We know that we live in an evil age. We know that parents all through the ages have struggled with the same doubts and fears that we have.

We live in a time where everything is instantly available and accessible and we often do not stop to think what the long term results may be. Train up a child in the way that he should go.

BUT GOD... is on his throne! Nothing is unknown to him.

Lord, give wisdom and strength to us to train and direct our children.
In your gracious sovereignty be pleased to call our loved ones to yourself. 
Help us to abstain from every appearance of evil and persevere to the coming of our
 Lord Jesus Christ.


(I will refrain from mentioning the macabre costumes in the neighbourhood on Saturday night and the absolute drivel  excuses I have read on some blogs regarding Hallowe'en.
Excuses why it is okay for Christians to do this stuff.)
 Exodus 22:18  Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.


It has been very discouraging to see this practice taking on here.
We have liberty in Christ to do that which is good and pleasing to Him!
For His glory and for our good.
Okay, so I didn't refrain, but I did restrain :-)