Merry Christmas to All.



Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas,and a great New year..
Our home is very quiet this morning no children visiting this year, well not till tomorrow,I just can't wait until our daughter and family arrive.
Our son and family have just called and spoke on speakaphone as they opened their gifts from us, tears welled up as we imagined the excitment and as the children called out each time they removed an item from their stockings that we made for them,they loved their pillow bags too.

I am waiting to collect my brother for the day then he can have a couple of beers throught the day,typical Aussies it goes with everything lol.

yesterday Bob and I did our Santa run,I will post some pics later.One family gave us some money for the homeless,how lovely and kind of her to do that, she asked us not to stop doing our bike ride and lollie drops as her children consider it to be part of their Christmas in Aberdeen so that was lovely.

So leaving you now to get the pud out ,get the meats organised and when Rob gets here,open the pressies. I have to say I don't really enjoy getting them but I LOVE TO GIVE THEM! so I am looking forward to Mums 90th Christmas.
Blessings from our home to yours. Bob and Carole  xx

                                               A Productive Day


Today was the day set out for making homemade Tomato Sauce.It is a different recipe to what I am used to so we have made a decision to go back to old faithful next time as this one is a little spicey but I am sure it will still be enjoyed.It made 8 bottles for hours of work but trying new recipes is half the fun.

Then it was time to make the mini puddings that I make each year.They are so easy  and look so nice, I package 4 into small boxes and deliver them to the oldies  around town that have no one to make them yummies.

You need I home brand Christmas Pudding,take it out of the plastic bowl and crumble it, add a small amount of orange juice to bind it,roll into small balls about 1 inch and place in mini patty cases.

Melt white chocolate over water and drizzle a teaspoon over each pud. Place 1/4 of a red glace' cherry on each and 2 strips of green cherry to look like leaves and ta dah thats all.

These are so simple and so tasty, sometimes I cut up cellaphane into thin strips and place them in the little boxes first,whatever takes your fancy.

Have a lovely day,I am meeting my DIL tomorrow at her sisters so Molly can say hello to her brothers and so I can have a hug from the grandchildren and give them their Christmas gifts as they have decided not to come home this year,no matter what we think we must put on a smile and accept decisions that may not sit happy in our hearts.peacemakers are precious so I must tell myself that many times on the drive there,at least I am going to get to see them.

I am ok,I think God is taking the stress from me for now,and for that I am truley grateful.



A Wonderful Life

I have been a little late getting the party blog done it has been caotic to say the least.

Mum had the most wonderful day, unfortunately I was in the kitchen most of the time lol but I loved that it was an honour,but it meant I could not take pics.

Ann Marie took reems of photos and as she lives a couple of hours away I have not received the disc yet..However when I picked up my camera someone had taken a few snaps for me with it. Mums favourite colour is pink and most people came in something pink without being asked to so that was lovely,all except the birthday girl she thought that was hillarious.

This is gorgeous young William,formerly known as Bulldozer Bill,he got all dressed up for Great Nanna and shhhhhhhhh as he is her favourite little person she was really impressed,he was a gentleman all day long so we now have to  say goodbye Bulldozer and welcome Master Will.

Malcom was ill and could not come at the last minute so our blue mowhawke friend was absent,AnnMarie made a thigh throbbing entry on her purple trike and swagger and after everyone found out she was really nice they enjoyed her lol but the faces were priceless.

She and my friend Glor got along like a house on fire( must have  had something to do with the fact they speak the same language if you get my drift).F this and F that!..you know they had a rocky start at their first meeting,so it was a relief that they got along.

Mum had a smile on her face all day and we were still chatting to a cousin and a close friend and Aunt and uncle at 8.30 pm to say Mum was tired was an understatement but she did not miss a thing.

I will put some more pics up when I get the good ones,everyone is pulling yukky faces on most of mine .

I will leave you with a pic of AnnMarie and her purple trike as she backed out of our drive,she just adores Mum and the feeling is returned.I felt such a blessing come over me through the day when I looked around and saw the joy of the people as they looked at Mum and she at them,she loved everyone that came and they knew they were specifically chosen by Mum to be here, I think they felt just as special as Mum did.

A little note to say that Stephen our son in law was not well enough to make the trip, being just a week since his heart attack he needed to stay close to the hospital.

Glor my darling friend was not well as she helped me in the kitchen,she had a chest infection,by Sunday night when she returned to Sydney she had to be admitted to hospital with double pnemonia! she is now back home but with nurses visiting daily.

To top that off we were to collect Bobs Mum from the nearest large train station,Maitland today after an 8 hour train trip,only to receive a call last night from Bobs sister saying Great Nanna was in hospital and wont be coming for Christmas.She had gotten herself so worked up about the trip she made herself ill, they are going to do some tests while she is in there, she is 90 years old as well.

So to say it has been a big week is putting it lightly,the up side is, we had a great day for Mums birthday,heaps of food great company and lots of lovely hugs for her, Stephen is getting stronger each day,Malcom is ok and will be fine,Glor is home and improving each day,Bobs Mum is a little better as I write my blog.

I am a great believer in our glass always being half full,obviously God had been trying to tell all these people to take it easy and as they did not he made sure they will!! the other great thing is that while I have been worried about them all I have not had time to worry about me.so how can that be bad!

Have a great day or evening wherever you are,Bob and I are off to be Santa and Mrs Clause at the monthly country dance tonight,so that can only be fun,we do it each year,Bob winges but still says yes when they ask him the following year..can you believe men..I think he secretly likes the adulation the little ones give him..hee hee hee.

The Blinds are Down...must be Summer!!!!

Well we have pulled our blinds down to protect us from the heat,summer is here with a vegence,in winter we put them up and let the sunshine gently warm the bedrooms, but summer is a different story,you could literally cook a meal on the floor without these wonderful blinds,behind them are french doors that belong to the 2 front bedrooms.

I have not taken a photo yet of our home with the Christmas lights up I will do that this week.

I want to give you something to think about and hopefully have a little smile.As you know Mums birthday is on Sunday but her lunch is Saturday.There are about 30 coming and she has chosen her little list of favourite people herself,it won't be all family,you know the neices and nephews that never call and the next time she says she would have seen them was from her box!!so she said blow them I will just ask the ones that call etc.

Of course there are my brother and myself and our families ,our son has to work so sadly his family can't come,precious Stephen says he almost missed it altogether so he is coming for sure,Mums baby brother and wife 80 and 78 years, these 2 are very prim and proper,then there are friends we have had for years,young ones ,adopted great grandchildren,that have adopted Old Nana..then there is Glor she is a darling friend that unfortunately cannot complete even a short sentence without the dreaded "F" word lol but she rarely says it in front of mum!but she is hysterical and a laugh a minute,there are Malcom and Ann Marie,what sweet names, these are bikies that we ride in a bike group with, they are rough and tumble have hearts of gold and adore Mum and she adores them the problem is they are always in black leather,bad to the bone and Malcom has long hair down to his waist,well the middle bit  from the forhead to the nape it is a mowhawke always bright blue and the back long part is black!! (this couple are in their late 50's) Ann Marie has long overdyed blonde hair to her waist with touches of purple and sparkles all through it,she looks like she has been on a horse for a month from all the accidents she has had,O'h lord Ican just see the noses go up when they walk in, Aunty Rae will need oxygen and we will have to tell Uncle John to close his mouth as it will drop open..Glor will say "Who the F are they"! the cousins that are a few classes above us will probably choke on their ,vegetarian puffs so carefull prepared by moi...I can't wait for this day..when Mum chose who she wanted I kept saying "are you sure" these are our friends Mum..well she said "They are mine too I love em".

You can't judge a book by its cover can you..these people are the ones that ring up and ask to have a chat to nan,tell her all their troubles and secrets,then she tells me,remind me never to ask her to keep a confidence, her age has taken that talent away from her lol. she has made her choice for her special day,and I think it is going to be very interesting to say the least!

So happy Birthday Joycie, thank you for all those that have sent her you best wishes,we appreciate it.

We are ready now all the lovely fresh fruits have been bought ready for the watermelon basket,pavlova is ready,slices,cakes,meat dishes vegetarian dishes,punch ready to be put together, so roll on Saturday I can't wait till I can say "thank goodenss thats over" I am pooped.I am a very proud daughter,as  this lady has been both Mum and Dad to us and so to still have her is a double blessing.

She is a Lady in every sense.Bless you Mum,have fun and if the others don't like your friends they can always go home lol.



Life Gets Tiedous Don't It !!!!

There is a really old country type song that is almost spoken rather than sung and for the life of me I can't remember the singers name, it is on the tip of my tongue like may other things these days, but at the end of each little verse are the words "life gets tiedious don't it" and this last 2 weeks that  is how I feel.

Getting ready for Mums 90th has been an honour and the big day is Saturday with 30 people she has chosen to be here, many relatives are not coming as she says they never call her or come see her, she just wants to enjoy the people that care,which I think is great, but I have to sy doing it all by myself has been a mamoth job and working full time,I do wish I had a sister or my daughter lived nearby to help a little.

All the cooking is done other than the fresh foods that will be put together on the Sat morn,the freezers are full with yummies as we have vegetarians in the family I have made the meaty version and the vegie version of everything.The house is all spic and span.

We wrapped all our Christmas presents 2 weeks ago and the house is ready for Christmas also, the lights are all up out the front and the tree is done,I had to be organised otherwise it would all go pear shaped lol.

As we are posties you can imagine how hectic work is with parcels and letter galore and Bob and I haveing to deliver mail on weekends also from the first sat in Dec till Christmas is here.

So as the song says Life gets tiedious don't it.We are exhausted,but in a good way.

Then Bam!!!!!!!!!!!! a batman type bam!!

Do you believe in miracles and God or maybe you call it coincidence in your world?

Our darling 49 year old son in law had a heart attack on Saturday morning! he had just gotten to work when it happened.Praise God we still have our lovely Stephen.

He works at the John Hunter Hospital so that was the first blessing,he was supposed to have been driving to Queensland with the three children to see his very ill Mum and William was not well and as she has had Chemo ,Will was not safe to take near Gran yet,2nd blessing, as it could have happened while he was driving.If he had not gone to work he would have laid down on the bed and never woken up 3rd blessing.

Stephen and Kate had been painting their loungroom all week and he was getting some dizziness and some chest pain which he said was indigestion,and was annnoying but the room was finished everything back in place and they were thrilled.it had taken Kate months to talk Steve into painting the room as it was so badly needed.

He went to work Sat morn was there half an hour when he felt very nautious,he threw up and the Bam,the heart attack happened!

They raced him in and did an angeogram and straight to theatre as his lower chamber had no blood going into it,thats where the blockage was, he had a stent put in  and yesterday he came home.

Stephen has for a long time looked pretty awful, he has been tired for as long as I can remember coming home from work and having to have a rest, in fact it used to make me feel a bit cranky as our kate works very long hours also and she never gets enough rest, now it is clear why he has been like that,he told me yesterday he feels more energetic already.Steve has been a very heavy smoker and lives on coffee and smokes rather than food..guess what life is about to change for him.

There is a new beginning at their home today a change in lifestyle and food.He has had a terrible fright and so have we.

We love this man so much, he is quiet, does not like foolish people, no patience with anyone that hurts others,so protective of his little family.He has in the past spent so many hours playing his Xbox thingo etc and just nodding if the children ask this or that, he tells me thats all about to change yay!! he has had an awakening and that can only be good.

The strange thing is all this is that our daughter is a medical person holding a major positon in The Mater Hospital,she is a trained ICU intensive care nurse of 20 years in her other work life and Stephen is also a hospital worker so they know all the signs yet Kate said she never thought it could be that.At the moment on TV they are running and Add that says if you have dizziness and pain that is like indigestion,call OOO as it may be a Heart Attack.So it just goes to show that not only do plumbers always have dripping taps in their home, medical people also just go along not knowing what is about to happen.

Yesterday it all sunk in, we were all like stunned Mullets,the realisation of how lucky we are to have Stephen has made us all think hard about what is important in life.

He will be here for Great Nanas birthday on Sat " are you up for that" I asked."Mum I almost did not get there so nothing will keep us away",they have to travel over 2 hours and he does only have to sit in the car as he has 6 weeks on not being allowed to do anything much and no smokes ever again and no coffee for a little while as this will trigger the want of a smoke.

Bless him, dear Lord and thankyou for giving him a second chance,we praise and adore our Heavenly Father for his kindness,not everyone is so blessed to  survive.

So we are a little worn and torn but the weekend will come and go and be over before we know it so we will savour  every moment.

Thanks for reading my ramblings ,it is not woe is me, just life I guess and when we are tired we think "Life gets tiedious don't it".

"Now where the bloody hell are you going to put that!!!!!!"

I saw this little cupboard at the op shop...I fell in love with it and a matching small table ,I just had to buy them.

I gingerly snuck them inside the house, Mum thought they were wonderful,she asked "where are we going to put them"?And I replied"quick lets think of somewhere before Bob gets home"lol.

Of couse being resourseful ladies we decided the little table would be perfect for beside Bobs chair in the lounge room and he could place his glass of wine there..(that was good thinking !),while he watched TV.

The little cupbaord was just what I had been looking for to put my craft in,things I use all the time in a handy place,we  decided that it would fit beautifully on my button shelf so,of course things had to be moved and dusted. I was in the middle of dusting when Bob got home from work, he saw the two items out the back room,he asked "who's are these"? "ours" we replied,now he says "where the bloody hell are you going to put that!"

The little cupbaord is perfect for my craft and it was exactly what I had been looking for to use to store the things I most often use and it looks great.

I carefully moved the tray mobile from the place beside his chair,moved the rocking horse and rearranged the quilt ladder and made a perfect sized space for the little table,moved all my button jars across to make room for the cupbaord and then asked Bob for sugestions as to where we he thought we could place them,he thought the little table would be great beside his chair,and the cupboard up above my work desk,gosh he is clever!!! we would never have thought of that!

He loves his little table,I haven't told him yet (as it has a photo and and angel on it,and room for a cup or a glass),but the top lifts up and perfect to put embroideries in and it has 2 little draws that will hold threads,I can't wait to line them up in rows in their colours all co ordinated lol,afterall what would a man want with a little table with a lift top and 2 draws he only needs a place to put his drink and O'h of course the remote!!

Men must never ever understimate the power of women ,when two get their heads together it is even worse a 61 year old and a 90 year old,what chance does poor old Bob have.
It is a strange thing but women are born with an extra sense,it is the sense of knowing what will be acceptable and what is not,presented with the right elements I think most things become acceptable and almost always become the great idea that the fellows have come up with, while we smile sweetly and tell them they are just wonderful,and how we would never have thought of that.

I do give thanks to God for such a good husband,although sometimes a grumpy old thing,he is always willing to listen to my ideas and if he ever does say no to anything it is because he knows best( well thats what I tell him,then present the idea another day in another way) its a win ,win situation whichever way it happens,I just love him,he just loves me...so he gos with the flow lol .

God makes things in pairs I think,sometimes you get the right and left to make a perfect pair, sometimes you don't . I think we got the perfect fit,after 40 years together he probably knew exactly what Mum and I were up to and just let us think that he thought it was his idea when all along he was smirking inside that tough old skin thinking"here we go again"!At least it's not boring.
Have a beautiful day and may blessings abound at your home.

Beauty Tips from a Beautiful Lady

Below is a wonderful poem Audrey Hepburn wrote when asked to share her 'beauty tips.'

It was read at her funeral years later.

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
 For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
 For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
 For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
 For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.
 Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
 As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.


How lovely and wise is that!! we should all read it again and again, let it sink into the very essence of your being and bones.That chocolate that you ate last night sitting on your hips today doesn't really matter does it?

I think we place too much importance on how we look,unless we feel uncomfortable and unwell , leave yourself in a peaceful state of mind and body.If not and it  feels so much better with a little less weight,then just shed a little, don't set goals that are impossible,afterall most times after dieting,the weight creeps back on so we place ourselves in a postion of unrest.
It is now the season of festive foods,women everywhere have been madly dieting for summer,Christmas,Thanksgiving etc only to indulge and put it all back on...ohhhhhh!!! the pain when we step on the scales,wouldn't it be better just to have a little less on our plates each meal,cut back slightly and we would hardly notice it.
O'h thats good advice think I will take it lol.
Beauty of course comes from within,it shines from our eyes and  our smile.I think the best beauty treatment of all is being in love..there is nothing like the glow on the faces of two people in love.
How about today you start your beauty treatment,put a bounce in your step as you go through your day, make eye contact when you smile at those you know and when you smile at a stranger it will become infectious.
Have a blissful day,if you ,like me have a heart filled with the love of our heavenly Father let it shine and don't be afraid to let others know.You don't need to be sprooking about it in every word,it will be blaringly obvious in how you use your day.

A Little Bit of Everything

Sunday today and beautiful weather but we decided to stay at home and catch up on jobs on the waiting list.First for Bob was to put a skylight in the kitchen over the work bench, it has been in 14 years since we put the kitchen in and who ever is cooking has to work in their shadow so today was the day Bob said "I see the light!" lol and he did a great job Bob thank you so much,more power saved.

First he had to cut a hole on the inside,then up on the roof and cut there as we have a tin roof,then back inside to fit the hole cover and plastic window.(as you can see these are his paint shorts lol,the paint on the shorts should have been on the ceiling!)

Then ta dahhh it is brighter than the actual lights,we are so thrilled but now you can see the painter(Bob the odd job man lol we can't even blame anyone else!) did a shocker of a job on the ceiling about 6 years ago,so now when we repaint after Christmas we will have to be more careful lol.

Next was for me to make young Master William a blanket for Pre School which he will go to for 1 year before starting big school.He needed a blankie for their afternoon rest time.

These are the same type as I have made all the other 5 grandchildren when they started pre school,I do polar fleece on one side and on the other a good cotton,they use the  polar fleece against their skin in the winter and the cotton side in the summer.I have made these right from when all the children are tiny starting from half this size ,they have always called them their beach blankie and they take them in the car and wrap up in them on the way home, you know sometimes you are a little burnt and shivery they love to put the fluffy side against them and used to fall asleep on the way home.Then I gradually get them a bit bigger and this is the last one I make them it lasts them for ages.(The ladies at Spotlight tell me you cannot put these fabrics together but SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!don't tell them.... I have been doing it for 11 years and it works great!)

I had enough fleece left to make a little carry bag, this will hold Williams sheet, pillow and blanket when he goes to pre school,I will change the ties before I give it to him as they are too short  making the opening not big enough  really so I will get some cord when I go to town,he loves Buzz so I think he will be happy.The Buzz fabric was so expensive in the normal fabric section,I wandered over to the curtain section and it was half the price and twice the width, I have found this many times on different ocasions so I check it all out now.

Next

Next was to finish some needlecases that I got the idea from on the blog,I love these and would love to keep them all but they were made with love and made to give someone pleasure.These are from the old doilies etc that had too many holes in some places to save,and some were made from napkins,I have several more to do but these are the first finished ones.I am not doing these to sell just for gifts so I do thank the land of blog for lovely ideas that we can all share,mine are not perfect but I am happy with the outcome,so thank you girls for all sharing your ideas.

These are so simple and when they are finished you can't help looking at them and admiring the embroidery the ladies did way back in time,so neat and tidy,they feel so lovely as there is nothing like aged linnen.

We also planted some lovely bits and pieces in the garden as Mums birthday approaches we are trying to get the garden looking lovely for her, it is coming together and looking nice and neat, all the turf has now taken and looks so lush.I have cooked myself crazy and have only the slices to go now, I have vegetarian and meat dishes done and frozen,100 sausage rolls,100 cabonosi swirls,cheesecakes and heaven knows what else,just slices to go.All my Christmas shopping is done and just to be wrapped as there is only me to do the party and I have to be organised as I work full time.Yes I am tired but it is a love job and they are always a pleasure.I have my newspaper article ready for our community paper,the Hampers for the Homeless are going wonderfully and I have so many beautiful blankets for the winter packed away ready for the homeless,this little town is so generous.We also always have a poor collection of toys and food and that is going fantastic,so many poor will get a wonderful hamper ,we do this every year at Christmas but the homeless ones will be going all year,after all they don't just get hungry at Christmas.Bob and I will be out selling raffle tickets in the next couple of weeks to try to keep our little community Info centre open.It is not just me and Bob alone,there are 2 others that share these jobs and we all work full time so it is hectic but O'h so worth it!

The way I see it is, we have food each day, we have a lovely comfy bed, we have a roof over our heads and hot running water and a flushing loo all at our fingertips. God made each day 24 hours, so if I can give about 1 hour a day for the good of my fellow man I think my Heavenly Father will be well pleased.Sometimes I drag my feet to do my little bit but I walk on air coming home,my grandmother never rested,her blood flows through my veins be it a curse or an honour, I prefer to think it an honour,this is of course how I got myself sick, I have taken things much more slowly now,I used to run everywhere but these days by 2pm I am bone tired but I will get better.My Nanna always said she would be lying down for long enough when she was placed in her box,she managed to stay upright till she was 85 and now is in the wonderous slumber,so I think I will just  do as she did.

Have a lovely Sunday and Sunday evening with those you love and who love you,praise God for your health and for what he provides for you.Be kind to someone each and every day and try to remember to be kind to yourself,that is the hardest thing to do.

May His heavenly light shine upon your wonderful faces and may you feel blessed and special.

 

 Inspiration for Christmas

After reading Deb from Simply Me asking if anyone has started their Christmas shopping I decided to share my start of Christmas sewing with you,these took me longer than I expected as the old health stops me some days..but at last I have finished this lot.

Recently my sweet friend Bronwyn from my Cackle Club gave me this surprise gift of a Pillow Bag to take my pillow in if I go away overnight,I loved it so much it gave me an idea that my grandchildren would love one for when they go on sleepovers.

I must say her work is so beautiful that my own interpritation is very simple by comparrison.

For my grand daughters Lilli and Olivia I have added suffolk puffs and Bric Brac braids and buttons and reversed the fabrics,the girls are cousins and I always have to be aware that they love the same things although one favours purple and one pink so I just reversed the fabrics.

For the 4 boys the 2 older ones similar fabrics reversed and the younger 2 boys the same.When they are all in the same place at the same time at Christmas I have to make sure they all look alike as it would be shameful if one had an extra button lol( just joking..well not really)

In actual fact when you have 6 to make it was much more affordable  for me to get the fabrics to mix and match and the way they are the brothers of each family have different to each other.

Next thing is to make  some little gifts for friends it is always exciting to make special things and at this stage I am still working out what! better get a move on I think.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend,it was hot ,hot .hot. here.

Thank you God for the patience,perserverence and yes even the finger pricks while making these ,thank you for allowing me the joy of making these chidren something and they better like them or else!each one contains a new pillow as well.

                                                      Update on Miss Molly   


Just thought you might like to know Miss Molly has settled in beautifully.She helps herself to one of Bobs work socks each afternnon to place in her little bed,along with her fluffy toys.     
She goes outside for her toilet no problems just runs up and lets us know.She was absolutely not impressed on her vet visit.After being weighed a huge 800 grams lol at 6 weeks.Then a thermometor up her bottom, a needle for the usual protection, then Frontline  flea and tick  protection put on her neck genlty , the absolute shock af a big needle that placed a micro chip in her on her back,she gave a cry and we felt terrible,Bob held her while they did this, in our country it is the law we have to have this done.Poor little sweetie, the vet offered her a reward but she told her where to put it with just one glance lol.I think when we go back for her follow up needles Molly will not be so eager to greet the vet.  

However after we got home and she had some puppy milk and some yummy dinner she was exhausted and promptly fell asleep,she slept for ages so much so that we were like kids waiting for Christmas so we could give her lots of cuddles.When she woke she was bright and cheerful and we made a huge fuss of her.

We think our next visit  to the vet will be very interesting indeed!She is already proving to be a wonderful little companion for Mum and she just seems to know to be careful around Mums feet,Bob on the other hand gets ambushed at every turn, it is so lovely to see him enjoying Molly as we thought he would be our worry.

I seem to be the toilet lady and food supplier lol I am happy with that roll just as long as I get my cuddles at the end of the day and because I am up I get the lovely greeting of Molly almost turning herself inide out when she sees me.

 Heavy Heart for the Homeless

I am just putting my heart on the page today as many bloggers do, no photos today just something to think about.

Sometimes when we have something heavy on our hearts we feel it for the moment and then it is business back to normal,you may see something that makes you think"thats awful I must try to do something",then life's busy days come and go and we realise we never did do what we had planned.

As a Christian,it is times like this that we believe the Holy Spirit is talking to us and we are either obedient to the message or not.If not then we often suffer the consequences such as a guilty consience or ask for forgiveness,each person knows what they should have done.For non Christians if can be interpreted as just a  subconcious thought I suppose, or a knowing of what right and wrong in the world is.

Recently I went to visit my daughter and I love to go to her church,it is Penticostal,happy clappy,rock and roll music and if you are not foot stomping had clapping and full of the message when you leave you have either been dead for 3 days or totally deaf lol.The thing is the pastor does not preach at you, he talks to you,there is a huge difference,his talk of the day was the Homeless in the city of Newcastle(Australia).There are so many in the thousands actually.

This was so heavy on my heart,when I came out I thought "I have to do something"knowing this time I would not forget to be obedient.In the outer hall of the church was a pamphlet with a shopping list for a hamper for the Homeless.I took a list and bought it home.

I am very much involved with my community and we even print a small free monthly little paper.I do a column called Treasures Talk as I am co ordinator of our little opshop,we are all volunteers and all the goodies come from the townspeople and the money goes back into things the town needs. I wrote in my column this month about my going to church etc and the message of the day and put the list in there.I also asked for blankets for the homeless for next winter.My heart felt good, I had come home,followed through and printed of a hundred lists placed them all over town in the shops etc where people could pick one up and put it on the fridge.I asked not that people in these hard times try to get a full hamper but even one or 2 items extra when they shopped and I would make the packages up.

It has only beens a week,I have already a pile of the loveliest soft blankets and food is starting to come in.

I found that when I made inquiries in our local area alone we have many homeless and they are not people who can get the dole as they have no fixed address it is frighteneing.In the city many are corporate people who have lost first their company,then their home and family and have nothing absolutely nothing.My daughter in laws sister recently moved from 2 states away leaving a 20 years marriage taking her 11 year old son with her, she came to be near her sisters only to find she had never rented so had no references,this and the fact that at least 30 people were trying for each flat that was available,she after exhausting her welcome with every relative spent many nights in her car!(she finally has a home after 4 months!) I could not believe it! this is the way many people get to be homeless.

Mother Tereasa once said "if you cannot feed thousands,just feed one".

I am so sorry to have rambled on,I just wanted to get everyone to think about just when you shop next time buy a little item extra and drop it off at a charity shop near you,you will make a difference.

I am so thankful everyday for the food on our table,our soft bed and shelter.I know we are just an average family but we have too much when others have nothing.

I always thought of homeless as runaways or alcaholics and the like I never thought in the blink of an eye it could be any one of us.

Thanks for reading if you got to the end lol,ordinary people can do ordinary things that will make an extraordinary difference to another.

Feel blessed today and remember to give thanks to God for keeping you and yours safe.

GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY.

Well what can we say! Mum turns 90 in a few weeks and a male friend came aknocking on Saturday with an early present.I knew it was hard to know what to get a 90 year old but a puppy! lol

Anyway she has made herself at home she is a Shitzu, Maltese cross,adorable of course.

We have not had a dog for many years as we were so hearbroken when we lost our Boxer Sasha to breast cancer,we could not face getting attached again.Molly has in less than 24 hours turned us all into oooh and ahhh besotted adults lol.

We did forget about the crying all night etc,and we did take her to work today but it will be too hot for her and too long a day in the car and she will never learn to stay alone if we do that all the time.

So tomorrow it is needles and  micro-chipped so guess it will be me that takes her.

Molly was the runt of the litter and is very tiny,but in no way is she shy.She has done what we thought was the impossible and in no time at all placed herself on the chair with Bob.Who as you may know does not like pets of the four legged variety too much so I have longed for a puppy or a ginger cat for so long.This is Mums puppy but as she is so old  have to do all the bits lol so it is a claytons pet.A friend called last night and told me I almost have a ginger cat as Molly has caramel ears lol

So Molly and Bob watched the news together and I guess life will not be the same until she is settled,housebroken and learns her manners. I have to say she has impressed us at just 6 weeks when we take her outside she does her toilet and turns back to the door as if to say "well come on,I'm done what are you waitng for"very bossy little lady.

Hopefully Mum will not trip on her too many times as we have to be so careful,another reason we have not had a four legged pet,but what can you say when someone turns up with such a cutie,well maybe give her back if she keeps howling like she is right now lol.

Have a lovely day everyone.

More Birthdays..non stop now till December 12th

October 29th is a birthday shared by our wonderful now 12 years old grandson Alexander and our Daughter in law Kirsty.

We could not be with Alex this year but for his 13th next year I am promising myself to be there with him in newcastle.

Alex is here with olivia and William blowing me a kiss via the phone.

I am so proud of Alex he is a lovely young man, beautiful manners and so loving to Pa Pa and I and Great Nanna,we just love him,we were there for the birth of these three grandchildren belonging to our daughter and I can still remember every detail of his arrival, his Gran and I were given the honour of bathing him straight after his birth,I thought I had died and gone to heaven,the only down side was the hard time our kate had but she did a great job to go back another 2 times lol!.

Our Daughter in Law Kirsty turned 35 and our son will be 37 on the 2nd November.All they wanted for thier birthdays was for us to babysit and for them to borrow Bobs and My motorbike to go for a ride with Kirsty's sisiter and husband.We jumped at the chance to have the children and they had a wonderful day riding to a small town about 2 hours away and having a lovely lunch.

So Happy Bithday to the three of you.Michael we are so proud to be your parents, your road has not been easy but you are a wonderful son,husband and daddy what more could anyone want,to see the light in your eyes after your bike ride was prize enough.We just feel so privelegdeg to have two lovely children.Praise God.

Michael and Kirsty on our bike going for a day out for  their birthdays.

While Mum and Dad were out for the day we had a wonderful time with the children.We headed for the bush with the trailer on to get a load of firewood for next year,then when the work was done it was time for fun.Poppy made little wooden boats for the children to have boat races, we packed a picnic lunch and we headed for the bush.

Nanny, Lilli,Eden and Elijah ready to picnic and boats ready for racing.

The place we chose was a water crossing deep into farmland,it was the most beautiful prisitne place,the water so clear and the running water so refreshing.

The boats were placed in upstream and then the fun was on,Poppy was the retriever of course when the boats got snagged!

Pop waiting to see who the winner is and Elijah won now it was between Lilli and Eden,Eden came in second but as the others put their boats in half the way down the stream Poppy declared Eden the winner on handicap!

It was a beautiful day and we headed home at 2pm to check on great nan then I took the children to the town pool,they were exhausted when we got home but had the most wonderful day.Needless to say it was early to bed,I like to think that we got the best end of the deal even though Mum and Dad had a wonderful day together.

Next birthdays will be Elijah on 6th November a big number 5,then Lilli on the 16th November a big 10.Then Great Nana will be 90 on December 12 but we are having a pink party for her on 11the December,she loves pink another Barbara Cartland!

So happy birthday everyone,problem is when these are all over then I have to think about Christmas! I am however working on both at the same time and sewing madly to make gifts for the children, I will show you them when they are finished.

This is probably a boring post but it is here for me more than anything,to diary it and remember it and then most importantly be thank ful for the little pleasures in life.Thankyou Lord for a full and loving life.

     

Ta dah...My twice crochet rug!

I never thought I would finish this crochet blanket/rug.I only started it a few weeks ago when a lovely 82 year old came to cackle club and showed us how to do raised flowers. Not being a crocheter?I gave it a shot and the task was to make nine squares and make it into a cushion.I did not think I would use a cushion so decided to join mine together for the centre and continue to make a rug.

Last week I had 3 rows to go when a friend was admiring my work as she new I am just a learner,she then noticed I had turned my work around after about 12 rows and it was inside out!!

It  was so obvious as it was almost like looking at a jumper half the back knitted right and then doing a purl row where a plain should be does that make sense?My position was to either hope no one else noticed and finish or pull it undone.

I decided to undo it, as I would always know it was wrong.Today I completed my rug and I am so happy it is over,hence caling it the twice crochet rug.

I decided to get smart and crochet some little flat flowers for the border,still not sure if I like them but they are there to stay.

I would like to say to all those people who relish their crochet that I am now hooked so to speak and will do more,it was a lovely relaxing craft to learn,I still have a long way to go but so happy that I got to make this,I am in awe of some of the things all you girls make and hopefully some day I will be able to make lovely things without having to unpull it.

What a beautiful time of year our garden is a picture at the moment, birds chirping,the chooks are happy and it is almost 7pm and bright as bright,the sun is still beaming through our front door. I am not always a fan of daylight savings but I do like it very much on the weekends.So roll on summer I have finished with the wool now for a season or 2 and out comes the embroidery threads.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Happy Birthday to our Darling Daughter

Our darling girl turns 39 today,I can remember the moment she came into our world and she is much loved by us.So happy birthday Katrina,Trini to us Kate to all others lol there was a time people thought we had 3 daughters.We are so incrediblly proud of her she is a daughter, wife, mummy and career person with a very stressful job that she never thought she would have in a major Cancer hospital and we are just so happy that she was given as a gift to us by God. Bless you sweetie have a lovely day.

I have not blogged much lately, my health issues continue,poor old Mum has had the awful cold thingo going around and is on her second round of antibiotics and sits up at night to sleep as when she lays down she coughs all the time,this has gone on for 3 weeks at 89 it is not good for her,Bob has now started to get the dogs desease as we call it.

Today I am going to get over myself as how pittiful to think we have it bad when a beautiful little girl in our town  was called home to God yesterday.Riley was 8 years old, has battled cancer for almost all her life, everywhere she went people were in awe of her ,just amazing and brightening everyone else up right to the end.Our whole community has been on this journey with Mum and Dad and 2 little sisters and peace has come at last for her,but we will miss her little smiley face,God has certainly some beautiful angels up there.

The pic of the rose is from our garden. Bob and I would love a House and Garden garden and someone else do it lol but since Mum came to live with us we have tried hard to create some lovely garden beds for her,the fruits of our work are now appearing with the most beautiful roses.The rose in the pic is the first ones out there are actually 55 buds on this bush, we have buds literally everywhere,and we find we are loving growing things, we have eaten our first cabbages and they are so lovely.I will always be thankful for Mum for getting us started.I am just starting to get things ready for her 90th birthday in December,gathering everything pink I can find,I found lovely pink lanterns on the weekend so the back area is starting to take shape in my mind,I want it to be a lovely day for her as she will be sad for the most as her twin has not survived to celebrate this milestone,we lost Aunty Thelma just days after their 85th birthday.

I look around me at our little home,it is not a mansion but it is our castle, I look at our health,but for a few hiccups lately we have been so blessed,I look at our family we have all healthy happy grandchildren and I thank God for his graciousness and blessings,I look at our bank account,it is small in balance but we always have enough to pay the bills and put good food upon our table.

We are truley blessed with life in general,so I am going to pick myself up, dust myself off and get over myself lol,I am about to go and do my volunteer afternoon and smile at everyone and tell them they look nice and make their day and by the time I get back home I too will feel wonderful,hope you get a chance to do the same.

God in his glory gave us this day and so many are not here to enjoy it, we are so lets not waste it,

"This is the day that the Lord has made"

We will rejoyce and be glad in it".

blessings to you all xx Carole xx

My Mother in Law turns 90.

Joan and Charlie when I first met them in 1968.(Dad passed away at 84 years).

Happy 90th birthday to Bobs Mum, I call her Mum too,unlike many, I like my mother in law.I have not

 always felt liked or loved or whatever but for the last 30 years I have felt very much liked and loved.

We had a wonderful family gathering 8 hours away travel for us and our children, worth every moment.There were 44 people in all and thats just immediate family,Bobs side has definately been more productive than mine ! lol.

I do not have many pics as they used my camera to record the day,that memory card was then placed in a digital frame and Joan could watch them even as the day was ending, eventually I will get copies.

We had a Pinyta and pass the parcel as there were so many little children there but Great Nanna had to have first go!

Joan and our Michael,he was very brave to hold the pinyata lol what chaos when it finally burst ,lollies and goodies all over the hall!!!! kids scampering everywhere to fill their pockets.

In December my Mum will turn 90 but we will not have to travel for that one,we will have it either at our home or at our little church hall depends how many family say they can come.

Joan is still very active in her community going on bus trips each thursday and helping the elderly on and off !!! I am not sure when she will consider herself as aged .

This next pic is just a little print that is in our hallway.It takes people eye and they ask who are those children ?strangely enough my fathers family founded an old gold mining town way out in the dusty western part of Australia,he and his wife were both bad asthmatics and had a large brood of children,sadly many died and the children in this pic are reminders to me of the family babies,I have visited the graves.

This print is quite spooky  as when you pass by it faces appear in the trees etc.There is a soldier ,another  tiny baby and quite a few ladies in 1800 dress,they are very visible( I am not crazy) I have been told that black and white pics capture lost spirits,has anyone else ever heard of this?.I put this pic up as when I was reading Kimmies story the other day of her dream,and this pic came to me.The other strange thing is the number of children in this print is the number of children lost to this lovley man and woman,what a hard life they must have had,eventually they had to move on and went back to Sydney and made a life there.

I do hope you don't all think I am mad lol.

Have a lovely day and be blessed and smile at someone today,it might just be the only lovely thing that has happened for them today.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOB

On Saturday 11th september it is an anniversary for a horrible time in the world,but in our little world it is my husband Bobs birthday,this year he will be 63.

We first met when he was just turning 21 and I was just 19.

We had no money to do the "dating" thing as he was still in training and  we both loved old furniture so most of our time together was doing up a bedroom suite in my families shed and getting things together.

Bob asked me to marry him on the day we met 21st Feb 1968.I said yes but "don't ask Mum yet as she would have a fit" so he waited till the next day! the reaction was mirth of course.So 2 years from that day we were married.

We have moved so many times since we married but not the last 20 years.Bob was a train driver when I met him and still was when our daughter,Katrina, was born,then he wanted to become an Ambulance driver so that meant a move from the country to the city!! Boy what a change,there we had our son Michael,and moved in with Bobs grandmother to help care for her. Then were transferred out west  to a small town,had 3 years there,then back inland a bit for another three years,then another transfer to a town 10 minutes from here.

We were there for 10 years when Bob had a breakdown"post traumatic stress syndrome" they call it.

It shattered our lives,but we coped,we were in an ambulance home so after realising Bob could not go back to work we found our little cottage here and settled in. Katrina went to uiversity just months after our change she did not want to go but we said she must,she is now a very successful young woman ,a huge job that she juggles with the help of a lovely hubby who chose to be a stay at home Dad for a while and just works weekends to allow her to do this job and 3 gorgeous children, a wonderful Christain woman.She is a rock to us,we are so proud of what she has achieved but it is her daughterness that makes us more proud,she is so much loved and I just know she is there someone you can be "sure of".

Katrina and Stevens children

This is a pic I recieved on my phone sending Grammy a kiss on a not so well day just recently,they are Alexander,Olivia and William.I just love them.

Our son is a wonderful man, he has had lots of mountains to climb,he did not cope so well when his "rock",his dad crumbled but over the years has had battles with his demons.I am so proud that he has risen above his  barriers,found God and is doing so well at his job,  I do not think I would have the strength do be able to do what he has done and managed, he is just terrific.He is a good Christian man,always provided for his family and has enabled his lovely  wife to be a stay at home Mum.Just as with his sister I fell in love with Michael the moment he was born. Recently Michael thought he did not want to be of this worls any longer and it was the hardest time of my life,I know he will never go to that dark place again for he knows how much he is loved by us all and he is too good a man to to that to his family,I call it a hic cup in his life he has turned a corner.He has gone on to have 3 gorgeous children also.

They are Elijah,Lillian and Eden.Here they are off to watch their footy team play ,how gorgeous are they!

Both have been married for 12 years now,rough and smooth they are still together.Of couse I worry about them all but I just love the family that the meeting between two people generate 40 years on.

We both still have our Mums both of them turning 90 this year,how blessd are we.

It has taken many years for my husband to get on with life,he is now the town Postie as you would know ans I help.His breakdown was caused through so many children dying in accidents and fron cot death as it seemed to be so rife back 20 years ago, he had 3 on a Christmas day.That was the begginig of the end for him,he coped with the elderly dying but could not cope with anyone under 20.

He is a good man often has a dark far away look and I know the nastly memories are lurking there.

We have stuck together through thick and thin, I am at last getting health issues under control and hope I will be more pleasant to be around. He may not skittle up to the shed so often lol.

My husband has always had great respect for my belief in God and he knows I pray for him although he does not,he only ever made fun of me once and when he saw how hurt I was he never did that again.

My only complaint about him is he does not like cats and Iwould love a ginger one so much,I joke that if he dies first I will have a cat as quick as a flash,he says who says he is going first so I may still miss out!. lol.

When we meet and fall in love with our partener,we have no idea what is ahead, some peoples lives have a smooth road hardly ever a problem,others have nothing but problems,I think we came in the middle.We have no idea when we are all in the first throws of love what will be thrown at us but if it is a strong love and both are good people at heart you can overcome anything.Some people at the other end of life are still together if we are lucky these days,and still in love,some still together for companionship,some because it was too hard to leave and too much trouble,some ended one marriage and went on to have another union maybe happier maybe not.

I am a believer in marriage,got no idea why it is just there in my heart.Both our children did things the old fashioned way,engaged,married then children.I have many young friends that would not marry if their lived depended on it but have had long time parteners live by the same rules of marriage but don't think the paper matters,they are happy and content .Does it matter? that piece of paper? who knows that answer but I know it was marriage for me and here 40 years on  Grumble Bum and Grumble Mum at times in our home would not want to be with anyone else.

Have a beautiful day,enjoy the blessings in your life,the good and bad were meant to happen they are what makes our life journey,would we change anything,perhaps only words that we spoke but in the big pic the hard bits make us who we are.

Praise God for he is good, praise him for your seeds and praise him for just being.

                               Some of the Little People Hangin' round the Home.

These girls are two fabric teddies dressed alike as I made them to represent my mum and her twin.I did not name them after our girls though as I already have a Thelma and Joyce porcelain twins.These ones are named Letti and Millie. One is dressed in Debbie Mumm fabric abd the other just in country check,they have underwear ,petticoats the whole works and their little jackets are appliqued and hand painted name brooches.The other is little Mimmi she is lovely and just perfect the way she is a no frills girl just like me lol.

The stool they are sitting on was made by Bob and painted by me it is our family tree(needs a couple of names added Imust do that!),and they await in the hallway for something exciting to happen.They have been waiting a long time lol.


I thought I would share with you just a few of the lovely little people that share our home.In an earlier post I talked about learning a new craft each year,These girls are from one of those years.I just love making dolls and teddies.Although I have not made any for some time,it is a rewarding thing to do as you never get 2 the same.You watch as they form into shape and then the most exciting is when the face becomes alive almost.

These girls are also hangin' in the hallway just up from the others.They were a lot of fun to make.I have many hanging round on the walls I love them all,Lord knows where they will end up when I leave this world.

It is lovely to have things around us that we love or have made or painted etc but at the end of the day they are just material.They give us great joy when we look at them and sometimes pride but if they were taken away would we really miss them?
It brings the thought to  my mind about words.What it has to do with all this I do not know but I am going to run with it.
Lately I have been sharp in speech,not feeling well is that an excuse?It is not!...would I like my family to remember me by harsh words(not so much words but tone)   NO!!!or the gentle soft caring person that is really within YES PLEASE.

Proverbs 16:24
Pleasant words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

How true are those words...have you been grumpy today? if you checked out for the wonderous heavenly place that awaits us what is the last memory your loved one would have of you today...BLUSH!! BLUSH!!
I think I better go say sorry for being grumpy,and put in place some sweet honeycomb for my loved ones soul.
Thank you for listening to me ramble ,in all of that a lesson came to me,whether you are of Christian faith or other it does not really matter ,for me the Holy Spirit used this post to remind me of that verse,if you listen to your inner self it is the same thing,the hardest part is being obedient to the message.
Have a most beautiful day.