A LIttle Too Close!

Over the past few days, we've had a lot of time to further survey the damage caused by the fire.  Our poor trampoline is 'toast', as well as a few other items around the yard.

But the interesting thing was my deck chair.  I went to look for it, thinking it would be great to take it up to sit by the river, but all I found was old, metal bars.  And then I realised.  The deck chairs, which were on the verandah, had caught on fire, and their canvasses were destroyed.  But the remarkable thing was that they were leaning up against the wooden cubby house, and right next to an old wooden cupboard, which is more than past its time, and ready to be split up for firewood. 

In this photo, you can also see our dining room window - which gives you an indication of just how close we came to losing the house:

Our yard is littered with amazing sights like this;  someone was most definitely watching over us!


Linda.

Update on our move.

Well, things continue to move along, and, after the excitement of the past few weeks, thing have been remarkably calmer these past couple of days.

I'm also feeling much more positive on a personal level, and feeling more than ready to leave the emotional 'baggage'  and hurt behind, and ready to begin a whole new life in NSW.
 
We had an excellent day today, taking several loads to the dump, putting aside a heap of items to be delivered to St. Vinnies, and clearning out two whole rooms.  We are getting there!  

Although we are all very tired, the excitement is building, and the reality of our move is truly setting in.  The children can't wait to get up there and see all their friends once more, and I am very much looking forward to visiting with my own friends up there, and being able to pop in for a cuppa on occasion, rather than invading their houses for an entire week when we make our 'Interstate' visits - how they managed to put up with us for that long is most impressive! We will forever be grateful to them all, and hope we can return some of their kindness by having them over to 'our house' for regular visits.
 
We just can't wait for the next few weeks to go by!  Here's more reasons why:

Every fortnight, we'll be joining in with a group for a shared dinner and prayer evening.

The Clarence River - our new home is right on the banks of the river, and it's going to be absolutely lovely to sit out the back and ponder away the hours while overlooking the water (and maybe, even do a spot of fishing!) 

Lessons at the Conservatorium: 

Helena - Private Lessons, Concert Band, Stage Band and Clarinet Ensemble.

Daniel - Singing Lessons, Vocal Group

Lizzie - Trumpet Lessons

and Me - Concert Band, String / Flute Ensemble, and I may possibly enrol for some private lessons as well. 

And Bill just may be joining the vocal group, too.

I also have a flute teacher lined up for Emily, as well as, of course, a brand new Sing Australia group for us all.

TAFE - it seems my daughter and my son will be attending TAFE next year, and fortunately, the Grafton TAFE offer some wonderful courses!  Helena's application is in, and Daniel is making the final decision as to which course he'll take.   They are both very much looking forward to taking this next step towards adulthood.  Of course, that'll mean that I'll be only homeschooling four next year - which will be quite an adjustment.

Scrapbooking and Card Making - I am already in contact with a few ladies in this area, and I hope to finally get my Kaszazz business up and running.  I look forward to running workshops and meeting a heap of new friends who enjoy using the 'creative bug' as much as I do!

Art and Craft fairs and opportunities - still following up on these, but again, have been given several leads regarding opportunites for art and craft around Grafton.  Several of us love to draw and paint, and my girls are very much looking foward to showing off their creative talents in our new home town.  

Edited to add:  Also mixing in with the Grafton Homeschooling Group!  How could I have forgotten to mention THAT??!!!
 

Won't WE be having fun????  

Just eight more rooms and two more sheds to clear, as well as about twenty cars to get rid of (I just HAD to marry a mechanic, right?), and we'll be done!

Linda.

Fire!

Well, they say that ‘whatever can go wrong, will go wrong’.  It certainly seems as if it is our time for things to go wrong.

As you know, we are in the process of moving, and part of that involves sorting, packing, and getting rid of the rubbish.  We organised an incinerator, and for the past few weeks, have been busily burning off rubbish, old school books, broken furniture, etc. 

On Tuesday, we continued this process, and as usual, we carefully put on only a little at a time.  Once the fire had died down and was only smouldering, we stepped inside for a break.  I was tending to a few things inside, when I stopped short, as I smelled smoke, and thought that it was a little too much smoke for our small fire.  Then came the terrified scream from my 15 year-old:  ‘The yard is on fire!’  It sure was.  Racing outside, we saw that the fire had somehow escaped from the incinerator, and not only was the grass burning, but the pine tree as well.  As we grabbed water buckets, blankets, and whatever else we could find, we realised very quickly that there was no way we would stop this fire on our own (Orson – where were you?  Of course, by the time he put on his fire gear, I guess it would have been too late, anyway – he does have a few issues in that area (another story for later blog post!)). 

I ran inside and called the fire brigade and was just giving them directions when my daughter screamed, ‘it’s about to get the house!’  At that point, it was time to simply grab what we could, and run.  ‘Everyone to the bus!’   I grabbed my bag, my phone, and of course, my laptop (!) and was just running out the door, when my husband rang, and was merrily leaving a message on the answering machine – ‘Hi, how are you?  Anyone there?’ I grabbed the phone, screamed into it, ‘The yard and house are on fire – we’re getting out  - now -  I have my mobile!’, and slammed the phone down in his ear.  I haven’t actually asked him yet what he did or thought at that moment – must do that….  Poor guy, at the time he was 2000kms away, so unable to do anything but wait.

By the time we got to the cars, the smoke was so thick we could hardly see or breathe, and we all piled in to take off.  ‘Have we got everyone?’ I screamed, and my sixteen year old, who was busily still pouring water on the fire, thought, ‘Wait – you don’t have me’!  and dropped her bucket and ran.  I only found out afterwards that she had just dumped a heap of water over a bush that is right next to the house, and it had just caught on fire.  That simple act saved the house, for that bush lies directly under a wooden beam, which, if it had caught, would have certainly set the roof ablaze. 

With all the girls in the car, we called out for my son, not knowing where he was.  He, too, was busy pouring water over other items close to the house, when all of a sudden he realised that a tyre was burning right next to our other car, and the car was very close to catching fire itself.  He ran, jumped in the car, and drove straight past me and down the driveway.  With that, we slammed the bus door shut, and flew out the driveway as well, heading for the neighbour’s house.

The neighbours (who live about 1 km away), had looked up to see billowing smoke.  Fortunately, they had just fitted fire units to their utes, and quickly put them into action.  We met in their driveway, I shouted that everyone was out and safe, and they took off.  Their actions also saved our house, for they were able to spray water over the house and anything close to it.  I rang the fire dept again, and they said yes, a truck was on the way.

In the end, we actually five or six trucks from all the various local towns, as well as several police cars and water trucks.  The flames rose around 30 feet in the air, and they reported exploding fridges, sheds filled with flames, and burning cars.  But, they saved the house.  In a couple of hours, the fire was contained, and the trucks were able to leave.  They certainly were not happy with us for burning off our rubbish, and gave me and my son a terrible serving of abuse.  I could understand their frustration, but we were not burning in fire-ban season, it was not windy when we lit the fire, we had taken steps to ensure the area around was clear and we only burned in the incinerator.  Still, the police say that someone may need a ‘rap over the knuckles’, whatever that may mean – I guess charges may be coming my way – we shall see.

There used to be a heap of trees and bushes between here and that line of trees.

Apparently, the heat that came out of these fridges was unbelievable.

 

Jessica's car - first wiped out by a kangaroo, and now by fire!

Later that day and all through the night, we checked for hot spots and wandered around with buckets of water, and the neighbours continued to check with their ute as well.  During the night, shock began to set in, and understandably, there were several tummy upsets, headaches and lack of sleep.  By morning, I found I was short of breath and struggling to stand – it had certainly been an experience.

On examination, the electrician decided that power would not be restored to the house without a lot of expense and work, so for now, the house is without electricity, and given the age of the house, it may remain that way. 

Yep, I'd say this one is totalled....

As we inspected the damage that day, we found that one shed had been completely gutted, as had three cars.  But somehow, the house was saved, the main big shed (which was the closest to where the fire had started) was fine, as was our other cars and the shearing shed. 

I’ve spoken in recent posts about miracles, and I believe we just had our third one in a fortnight!  How our entire house did not go up is absolutely amazing; when we sped out the driveway, the fire was about to take it, and I was positive we’d be returning to nothing but a pile of smouldering ash.  But no, we still have a house.  However, with no electricity, we decided to move into my parents’ home, 15kms away, which has been standing empty since they made their move into the Old Folks’ Home a few months ago.  The plan now is to sleep there each night, and go out to our house to finish the sorting, packing and moving during the daylight hours.

Can I just say that I have the most amazing, brilliant, children?  Even in the event of a fire sweeping towards our home, they kept their cool, worked together wonderfully, and with cool heads, saved our home, our car, and even grabbed the dog.  The past couple of days has been an incredible experience – not one I’d like to repeat – but just watching them and realising just how much they have matured, even in that short space of time, has been an honour and a privilege.  And again, we have spent time in prayer together, holding hands, and thanking God for his providence once again.  

Bill's Tool Shed

Bill's Tools and Work Table

As if my last post on moving was not convincing enough, now we are certainly moving!  Our whole focus now is the cleanup and packing up, and heading off.  Bill left NSW the day after the fire, and is now back with us (praise the Lord!).  I still can’t quite believe we got through the whole affair without him, but, we did, and we are still standing tall.  And I discovered a strength within myself I never knew existed.  They say what doesn’t kill you makes your stronger – and this month, October 2012  – has certainly made me a much stronger person.  I think by the time I get to Grafton, I’m going to be the strongest woman out; maybe it’ll be my turn to sing, ‘I Am Woman’ at our next homeschool concert! 

We are alive. We are safe. And we are together. 

And..  umm..  I guess we’ve taken care of that yard cleanup.

Linda.

Left with No Doubts

Today, I am left with no doubts.  We are supposed to move to Grafton; God has chosen this path for us, and has shown us, without doubt, that it is where we are meant to be.  We have known for some time that were to move on, and for the past few months, Grafton has become the obvious choice – we tried Dubbo, Wagga, Adelaide, and other centres, but each time, the doors firmly closed, leaving us frustrated and confused.  But in Grafton, the doors swung open.

Firstly, the job.  We arrived in Grafton for our ‘holiday’, the Thursday before our annual homeschool camp.  Dear hubby, Bill, looked online for work, and found a job he thought he’d apply for.  He sent through his application on Saturday, had an interview on Monday, and was offered a weeks’ trial straight away.  Now, he has not started in that work as yet – due to lack of rain, current work opportunities are minimal (it’s at a lawn mower workshop), but he has been told once, and then again this week, he is at the top of their list, their employee of choice, and once the rain arrives, the job will be his.  And even if it doesn’t work out, Bill has a great sense of peace that there is a job waiting for him, and it will come at just the right time.

Next, the house.  With work looking promising, the hunt for a house began.  We applied for several, and were knocked back.  But all along, we knew that if possible, we did not want to go through a real estate agent.  So, we put up signs, and put an ad in the paper.  On the very morning we were leaving to come home, we received a text message about a house just 10 minutes from Grafton.  The house contained 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and overlooked the river.  We went to inspect it, and both Bill and myself felt such a sense of peace in the house, that we knew, despite the fact it was a much smaller house than what we have now, that it was ‘the one’.  It was also private rental, so no real estate agent, and was around $100 per week cheaper than any other house we had looked at.  Perfect!  And, after spending hour after hour filling out forms to apply for rentals, providing identification, proof of income, etc. etc., this house was offered to us on the spot – no application forms required – it was just ..  easy.

But as if that wasn’t enough, after being knocked back for so many other houses, it was as if God said, ‘and just to show you I mean it – here are three other houses for you’.  Yep, one was through a real estate agent, and two others were offered to us because of our ads in windows.  So in the end, we would have had a house, whether that be through the real estate agent, the signs in the windows, or the ad in the paper.

Anyway, we returned home to begin the packing.  The whole ‘removal truck’ thing concerned me, for we currently live in a rather rural location, and I wasn’t sure how to go about finding a suitable removal company.  One email later, I had a company willing to do it for us, and they so happened to have a truck coming through our area two days later, who would deliver the boxes.  We were on our way!

But you know, it seems that whenever God is doing something great in people’s lives, the devil is there, willing to do whatever it takes to prevent it.  And he has tried.  Some people began to spread lies and vicious rumours.  With great sadness, I told my parents and close friends the news, and the next visit to my parents turned out to be one of the most difficult days of my life.  They had both sunk into depression, and I left the homes terrified that one (or both) of them had given up on life, and were now simply waiting to die.  With the stress of it all, I collapsed, and nearly ended up in hospital.  My health has suffered greatly, and in the end, I was simply unable to move on the date we had set for the removal truck.  But, we packed anyway.  And my husband headed north with the truck, leaving the rest of us here to finish the packing, cleaning and sorting. 

Some wonderful friends then stepped in to help, although, they said, it would be with sad faces, as they would greatly miss us.  In the end, we had two families helping us out.  But in the two weeks that have followed, one family hit a kangaroo and totalled their car, leaving them unable to help, and the second family were rear-ended, leaving them also without a vehicle.  And so, we were back to just the children and I to complete the task. 

But, it doesn’t stop there.  First came the near accident that I wrote about in a previous post, where we nearly wiped out the bus (and ourselves).  A miracle of God saved us that day, and more were to come.  Earlier this week, we were driving along with my son at the wheel, when another driver turned without looking at a t-junction and nearly hit us.  My son handled it beautifully, swerving quickly to the left, and going out and around the shocked driver, who suddenly became aware of our presence as we darted around the front of his vehicle.  But the most powerful sign was today.  On the way back from Port Pirie, I took the wheel as my learner driver was feeling rather tired.  We were travelling along a straight stretch of road, when I looked up to see a taxi driving towards us.  Slowly and gradually, the taxi started to drift, and suddenly I realised, the driver was asleep at the wheel, and his vehicle was headed straight for us!  I slammed on the brakes and pulled off to the side of the road, but still he was drifting in our direction.  My son braced himself to rip the wheel out of my hands and take us further to the left, when suddenly, the driver straightened up and yanked the wheel to take him back to his own side of the road.  As he scooted past, we came to a complete stop – but he didn’t, and casually kept going down the road (thanks a lot!). 

And with great trials come great graces.  On Sunday, we were privileged and blessed to be able to attend the Port Pirie Cathedral for Mass and veneration of the right arm of St. Francis Xavier.  For an hour, we knelt in prayer, as well as praying before the relic itself.  It was a powerful morning, to be sure, and I left with a sense of peace and purpose I had not felt for weeks.  I knew God was about to do some marvellous works in our family, and all we needed to do was just keep going.  And he has.  Over the past fortnight, He has shown us marvellous works, protected us, and taught us powerful lessons in trust.  He has shown us things that normally we would not see; let us know some of what awaits us in Grafton, and shown us perhaps a little of the unexpected.  .

And now I realise.  Situation after situation, disaster after disaster, and there is no doubt.  We are supposed to go to Grafton.  There are those who oppose it, and those who are definitely making things difficult for our journey.  But there are others who have encouraged us, held my hand, and threw their arms around me.  Some have helped us here, and others and have supported us across the miles. And I have learned the true value of friendship, and who our true friends are.  After today, I am left with no doubt.  Our family will be in Grafton, and we will arrive with joy and thankfulness, and no-one, not even the devil, is able to stop it, because we have God on our side.  He is the one who has chosen this path for us, and we will follow wherever He leads.

May God bless you day,

Linda.

  

St Francis Xavier, Pray for Us!

Our Eventful Week

It's amazing just how much one can pack into one week!  Here's a brief summary of the past few days:


1.   Easter.  This was rather a peaceful occasion – Jessica was singing in the choir for the Easter Vigil Mass and of course, there was Mass on Good Friday, but otherwise, Easter was a quiet affair.  But things were soon to change…

Jessica's Birthday Celebration

2.   Tuesday.  My son’s friend arrived from NSW for a couple of days.  We really love this guy – but it is rather like a tornado hits the house when he arrives – total chaos!  It’s fun having him around, though.  Unfortunately, his visit was short, and all too soon it would be time to take him back to Adelaide so he could begin his journey home.

3.   Wednesday.  Before the trip to Adelaide, however, we celebrated Jessica’s birthday with a cake and pressies.  I had a sudden panic attack, thinking I hadn’t bought her anything – until I remembered we’d bought her a car!  She will have her licence soon, and we purchased a Toyota Camry at an auction, which she will use until she decides to upgrade.

Archery

4.   Thursday.  We return one teen to Adelaide, only to collect another one – and coincidentally, this was another friend from NSW.  ‘Carpenter’ arrived on the afternoon plane for his first visit to SA, and we were delighted that he’d made the effort to visit us.

5.   Friday.  My Mum had an appointment in Pt Pirie for her eyes, so we packed everyone into the bus, and headed out for the day to show Carpenter our ‘big city’, have a look at the shops, and then go geocaching.  Afterwards, we headed home, and the teens took each other on in ‘Band Hero’, followed by an archery session.

Sing Australia

6.   Saturday.  Our local Folk Fair.  On arrival at the fair, I proceeded to the Art Gallery to ask if any of us had won any prizes in the local ‘literary awards’, which several of us had entered.  Unfortunately, none of us had been successful this time, however, they informed me that I had won the Art Prize for my pastel drawing!  I was quite stunned; and very honoured; it was most unexpected. 

Then it was off to the opening at the main stage, to perform with ‘Sing Australia’; several of our family members were involved, and spent the afternoon performing wonderful classics such as ‘Sweet Caroline’ and ‘A World of Our Own’. 

Afterwards, we stayed on to enjoy the bush dance and the spectacular fireworks display, which are always a hit.

Bush Dancing

 

The Fireworks

Clare Valley Concert Band

The Percussion Section

7.   Sunday.  The Folk Fair continued, but today it was concert band.  Several of us are in the band, and we even managed to convince Carpenter to become an honorary member for the day. Some friends from Adelaide also joined us, increasing the number of our percussion section to three, and our homeschooled members to four.  We rattled off our favourites including medleys from Aladdin, Pocahontas and some old-time Comedy Classics, and then packed up to enjoy the rest of the fair.  

Our Homeschooled Band Members

Sunday also brought about one of the main events of the Fair – the annual ‘Ice-Cream Eating Competition’.  Our three youngest girls entered the junior section, and the older teens tackled the task with the seniors.  They did not win, but they all gave it a good shot!

Ice-Cream Competition - The Juniors

Ice-Cream Competition - The Seniors

Fortunately, this coming week is not quite so eventful, but no doubt we’ll be taking off for some more sight-seeing and showing Carpenter all the lovely green vegetation brown landscapes of South Australia.

Linda.

My Happy Place

Years ago, back in the days where I went out to work for a living, I attending a seminar which spoke about reducing our stress levels.  During the seminar, we were asked to close our eyes, relax, and to imagine we were in a nice, relaxing place - we were to think of the most calm and peaceful surroundings we could. The idea was that, if in the future we felt stressed or overwhelmed, we could return to our own, special 'Happy Place'. 

During the exercise, I thought of a peaceful forest scene by a river, with birds singing and dear coming down to drink from the stream. It was a lovely, relaxing picture, and the idea worked - I always felt somewhat calmer when I thought of the scene in my mind.

However, that was years ago, and it's been a long time since I've thought of it.  That is, until yesterday.  Yesterday, we attended an auction, and on one of the tables, I spied the most beautiful picture.  I instantly exclaimed, 'Wow!  It's my Happy Place!', and when my children looked at me rather strangely, I went onto explain to them the story.


So, I bought the picture - much to my surprise, actually - at 110cm x 60cm it is rather large, and it had a note attached stating that the picture had recently been re-glassed and framed at a cost of $175. So, I figure my $45 was quite well spent. The beautiful wooden frame is, however, rather heavy, so putting it on the wall may be an adventure, but I have the perfect spot - right above my table in my room, which is where I often retreat when I need some time out.   It's a very rare thing that I will spend money on something such as a picture, but there you go - I've now officially bought something  'just beacause'! 

My Happy Place

Linda.

The Year our Cameras Went Nuts....

I have just completed the mammoth task of dating, ordering, and filing over 1400 photos.  All of these photos were from 2011, and they are now all in photo albums, in order, and on the shelf.

And in case you were wondering, no, I didn't have every photo I took printed - this was just a selection!   I did, however, take advantage of a New Year, 'prints for 10c each' offer.

Did we take just a few too many photos last year?

I think so...

BTW,  if you happen to be looking for some great photo albums at a great price, the blue albums pictured above are availalble for only $60 for four, including postage to anywhere in Australia:

http://www.photoalbumshop.com.au/prod97.htm

I happened to find this deal via Google search.  The albums are lovely - simple, slip-in albums that also have a place to write something about each photo (not that I have done that for every photo of mine!).  Each album holds 300 photos.

While I completed my task, I must confess to having the thought that this whole thing would be such a waste of time if our house ever burned down....

Still, it's nice to have all my photos, right from my childhood, organised, labelled, and in order on the shelf for easy reference - at least this is one thing I seem to have managed to keep up with over the years.

Another job off the 'to do' list - well, until this time next year!

Linda.

It's official - I'm a sook!

As you probably know, several weeks ago, both our female cats gave birth to four kittens each.

A week or so later, my dear hubby said he'd need to 'do something' about them shortly.  I knew it would be hard - it's very difficult to put animals down, but what else to do?  We live in a farming community, and the last thing most farmers want is to have even more cats around.

But then, a friend visited, and said she'd love to take one of them.  She also said that when her cat had a litter of kittens, she'd simply put up signs, and all of them had found a home.

So, I was then a woman with a mission!  Five signs went up around the towns, including these two pictures:

Four weeks went by, and slowly, the phone calls came.  We had found homes for six of the kittens!  I was quite proud of myself, and resigned myself to the fact we would be left with two. Well, two more cats in the house wouldn't be such a bad thing, and the two we had left had captured my heart.

Then, I began telephoning people to let them know their kittens were ready.  My friend, by this time, had decided that maybe it would be better to take two kittens, so they'd keep each other company.  This was fine - it would still leave me with my favourite kitten of all - little Snowy (1st picture about, 2nd from the left).  However, my daughter's favourite was Fluffy (the next one along, with his head up), so we agreed we'd give the lady who wanted a 'male ginger' a choice between the two.

But then, when I rang this lady and mentioned she had a choice, she said she'd take them both - she had a friend who also wanted one.  Reluctantly, I agreed.

And so, all our babies found a home.

And I cried.


But I know it is the right thing to do.  We still have four cats, and even in the country, that is enough.  And I know that dear hubby did not cry when he heard the news!

Four of our kittens have now gone to their new homes.  Two more go this Saturday, and the final two next weekend.  The two female cats are then booked in to be de-sexed the following Tuesday, so I'm hoping I'll never have to go though this again!

It's so wonderful that they have all found homes, but I will miss them.  I suspect though, that our remaining cats will be even more loved, and receive many more cuddles, in the weeks and months to come.  It'd be nice sometimes to have a heart of stone and not care, but I'm afraid I'm too much of a softie!

Linda.

Thankyou!

OK - I have to say it.  After stating in my last post that I appreciate all the work that Dear Hubby and Dear Son have done over the past week, I need to also say 'thankyou' to all my girls as well.

Dear Daughter (16) emptied and reassembled her room almost on her own, and all my other girls have helped with moving, washing, cooking, dragging things out from under cupboards, vacuuming, and whatever else needed doing. And all without fuss. 

So to my Dear Daughters - THANKYOU! 

A Wonderful Surprise!

Well, I have to admit to feeling a little spoiled atm.

In addition to the new carpets, dear hubby bought me a new cupboard, to display all my little trinkets, ornaments, etc.  He decided that this would be my valentine's day present (and since we normally don't buy things for valentine's day - that was a surprise!)

I have been looking for such a cupboard for 8-10 years, and the other day, we spied it in a 2nd hand shop.  At first, I saw only one part (about the size of a wardrobe), and thought it might just suit.  But then, we noticed there was a 2nd, matching cupboard next to it, and then - a 3rd part behind, which was a perfect replica of the 1st section. 

The price tag was $450 - and it is not like me to spend anything like that on furniture.  Usually, my furniture is either picked up as freebies or bought for a bargain at auctions.  However, as I say, I had been looking for a cupboard like this for a long time, and had priced on up new - $895, and that was for one the size of only the 1st section of this one - so this one was three times the size!

Anyway, we left it and went home, but the next day we talked about it, and dear hubby said he was perfectly happy to go get it - he too thought it was quite the bargain.

Hoping it was still available, we hitched up the trailer and headed for the shop.  It was available - and after a little bit of juggling to fit it all in, it was loaded and we headed home.

As we were in the process of having carpets laid the following week, it spent a few days in the shed before making its way to my room - talk about perfect timing - having all the furniture out meant that it was easy to measure and put things back in a different way.  

We discovered the cupboard is actually in six parts - not only do the three sections separate, but if you wanted to, you could also separate the top sections from their bases.  However, it also came with a surround, so that once all the parts are together, you add the surround, and it looks like one, massive display cabinet, which is how we have set it up.

Here it is:

The New Cupboard

And here's Dear Hubby in front (as a reference for size, hubby is 6' 2"):

 

I do not normally like to have a 'show and tell' of 'things', but as I say, I am feeling a little spoiled - I never thought I would have the opportunity to own such a beautiful piece of furniture.  

And as an added bonus, it was lovely to see my hubby and my son working together so well - not only in moving this, but in all the moving about that has been happening in the past week.  They have been so willing and so helpful, and I've appreciated all the work they have put in. 

Oh - and yes, that is the new carpet in the picture also.  It's plain, but, I like it!

Linda.

And.. Done!

The excitement builds.....

One thing is for sure, it is going to be absolutely lovely to go back into my very clean room!  It has been a wonderful opportunity to scrub, clean and dust.  Currently, my room looks like this:

  

 While our Living Room (and several other places around the house!) looks more like this:

We actually discovered that our room had some fairly decent lino beneath that terrible carpet, but new carpet will be much nicer.

I will also be adding to my room my new cupboard which we picked up on Wednesday - I've been searching the 2nd-hand shops for around eight years for such a cupboard - excellent timing - just when we're moving things about anyway! 

Well, time for some sleep, and back to it tomorrow - and then tomorrow night, we begin the process of putting (some) of it back.  

Linda.

Whew! What a Day......

Well, here I am!  I've kind-of collapsed at my computer - wanting any excuse to simply sit down for a bit.

A few weeks ago, we ordered new carpets for two of the bedrooms.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  And, it still does - but the carpets are due to be laid tomorrow, so of course, today is the big job for us - to completely empty two rooms, and to find places to put it all in the meantime!

I only have one cupboard and one bed left to move, and then dear hubby will rip up the current carpet, and we will be ready!  It certainly has been an enlightening experience- seeing exactly how much dirt, and how many cobwebs, can congregate behind each cupboard.  And, it's made me even more determined to continue in my efforts to simply get rid of 'stuff'.  Man, it's amazing how much stuff can be crammed into one room!  And so much of it, we simply do not need.

Anyways, back to it - hopefully, this time tomorrow, we'll have the carpets in and done, and then, it's just a quick little job of putting all the stuff back (All in different positions, of course - gotta grab the chance of moving the furniture around while I can!).

Linda.

2012 - This Year

This Year:

I will not worry so about horrible diets and exhausting exercise routines, but rather:

I will learn learn nurture and to respect myself.

This Year:

I will no longer ask God for things I want, but rather:

I will ask God what I can do for Him.

This Year:

I will not be harsh on myself for all I can not do, but rather:

rejoice in the things I am able to do.

This Year:

I will not stress over what curriculum to use, or what resources to choose, but rather:

I will trust that God has given me enough knowledge and experience to pull us through;  we have all we need. 

This Year:

I will no longer spend my time grieving for those who shun me and turn their back to me, but rather:

I will be content with those whom I can spend time with;  both online and in person.

This Year:

I will no longer be drawn into all the arguments against my faith - the constant negative drain that screams of hatred, misinformation and prejudice, but rather:

I shall continue in my studies of our Lord, and in doing so, strengthen my faith and trust in Him.

This Year:

I will work to let go of all the things I cannot change, and rather:

put my trust in Him to lead the way.

May God bless your year.


Linda.

A Successful Day

There are days, and then, there are days.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle - it seems like I can never get everything done that needs to be done. And then, there are those other, strange days, which leave you in a daze, wondering, 'how did it all happen?'

Yesterday was one of those days. I knew it would be busy - we were singing at the hospital in the afternoon, and we had band practice for the carols in the evening.


By the time I was up, showered, and organised, I discovered that my darling children were already flying through their schoolwork - and had left a pile of marking that looked something like this:

Then, there was jam to make. I'd been given a heap of apricots, and they were very quickly ripening, so the night before, three of my teens had sat down and cut them all and placed them in the pot, ready for the next day. So, as I called out instructions while checking emails, my 19 year old got to it, and began boiling the fruit.

Given that it was our last 'Sing Australia' event for the year, we had been asked to take along something for a shared tea. My son had already worked out what he wanted to cook, so he and my 14 yo daughter headed to the kitchen:

While all this was happening, I began lessons with my three youngest girls. We read our daily Bible passages, and made the ornaments for our Jesse Tree:

Then, we continued working on our current lapbook: Symbols of Christmas.

After that, my 9yo continued to work on a book she is creating:

Having finished the lessons, I wandered into the kitchen, to find the jam cooked, as well as a lovely batch of quiches, all ready for the evening's gathering:

For the next hour, I helped Bill out in the office with organising emails and packing orders, before taking a little time out for a quiet cup of coffee.

Then, it was time to iron our shirts, and head off. Firstly, we visited the elderly in Jamestown hospital, and sang a few Christmas Carols:

After which we headed back to our usual meeting place for dinner and an extra sing-a-long. Many of our songs were conducted my my dear son:

He did a fantastic job!


And after all that, we headed just down the road for our final band practice before Sunday's performance:

We arrived home around 10pm - exhausted, but very happy - it had been a full day, to be sure, but a wonderful one, and I feel like we achieved so much in those few hours!

Linda.

The Joys of Country Living

Well, it's been an interesting start to the week!

There we were, sound asleep at 6am this morning, when..... CRACK!

My poor daughter, who was in the next room, wondered what on earth had happened, but a quick dash to the room next door soon told all.....




yep, that would be a part of our dining room ceiling!

The rain the past week has been lovely, but the 'bow' in the dining room roof has been of some concern, and this morning, I saw exactly what had caused the undesirable bend. Water had come through the tin roof, and the insulation had kindly soaked it up - which of course led to an awful amount of weight on the ceiling.

Stumbling out of bed, we did some quick 'soaking up', with a bunch of towels, and dear hubby removed any excess weight and potential dangers, and then with a shake of his head, staggered back to bed, with that 'later' look in his eyes. I'm guessing there'll be a 'field trip' to the local hardware store later today!


You just never know what each day will bring, do you?


Linda.