Heart Reflections Live

3am-please Pray if You Read This

2012-01-02T03:09:00.002+10:00

Yes it's 3am and Max has just left by ambulance for another cardio-inversion. Please pray for a successful procedure- it's less than a month since his last one. Will keep you posted.
Claire

All is well once more- Max got a lift home within a few hours. Praise God for His goodness.

PLEASE PRAY!!!!

2011-12-15T04:23:00.002+10:00

Max is on his way to hospital again for another cardio-inversion. As you can see from my blog, the last one was just under a month ago. Please pray if you see this over the next couple of hours, as theyll rush him in, stablise him, and do the procedure very quickly.
JESUS IS LORD!

UPDATE- I just rang the ER and Max has been successfully cardio-inverted with no complications. He will be released in a couple of hours. I am so thankful.

Please pray for Max!

2011-11-18T08:21:00.001+10:00

If you see this would you please lift Max up to the Lord, as he is in an ambulance heading off for another cardio-inversion. He had 2 episodes last month, and they seem to be occuring more frequently. Please pray for him today, and please too keep praying for my brother, Mark (see previous post).

JESUS IS LORD!

Claire

Thankyou for your prayers- it worked first time, and Max is back at home with us again.

Please PRAY for My Brother, Mark

2011-11-11T21:46:00.001+10:00

I am requesting prayer for my younger brother, Mark, who I fear may be seriously ill. For a couple of years now, Mark has had a lump growing on the side of his neck. I don't know if it is cancerous or benign, as he refuses to seek conventional medical advice. Instead he is treating his overall health with natural foods and alternative treatments. The lump is now very large and seems to have changed the sound of his voice. He is greatly struggling with his health at the moment.

While he won't seek the aid of a regular physician, I know he is not beyond the reach of our Great Physician, The Lord Jesus Christ. Please pray that if it be His will, that our Lord would touch and heal him of this affliction, and pray for his salvation. Mark accepted the Lord as a child, but no longer goes to church. I know the Lord is there with him, just waiting for Mark to turn his heart towards him again.

I love my brother- please pray for him.

Two and a Half

2011-10-04T15:32:00.000+10:00

Hold him a little longer
Rock him a little more
Tell him another story
(you've only told him four)
Let him sleep on your shoulder
Rejoice in his happy smile
He is only two and a half
For such a little while.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Life's great when you're two and a half, carefree and have just mastered the swing under Poppy's mulberry tree- like our Zachary has done.

Cardio-inversion No. 54 coming up

2011-10-04T00:12:00.003+10:00

If you see this post tonight, please lift Max up in prayer, it's 12:13am and he's on his way to hospital for his 54th cardio-inversion. Please pray for his safety during the procedure, and that it will work first time.
Thankyou
Claire

Many thanks if you prayed. All is well!

Please pray For Max

2011-07-26T00:29:00.003+10:00

Please pray for Max who is on his way to hospital for cardio-inversion No. 53. Pray for wise doctors, quick and safe treatment, and that he will be back home with us before morning. Max hasn't has an AF episode since his ministry trip to Malaysia in May.

Thankyou also if you prayed for Ashley in the previous post. She went from being on death's door to an amazing recovery with her lungs. She is now out of hospital, Praise the Lord!
Claire

Thankyou very much for praying-all is well once again.

A Prayer Request

2011-06-14T13:08:00.003+10:00

We don't know this young lady personally, but our hearts go out to her family at this time. If you see this post, please pray for 16 year old Ashley, who is in ICU in a Brisbane hospital with collapsed lungs. Pray for God's touch to be upon her, and his Grace and loving presence to be with her and those who love her. We also pray for her family to have the peace of God that trancsends all understanding, whichever way our dear Lord chooses to answer their prayers and that God would be glorified in this situation.
Thankyou,
Claire

UPDATE: Ashley is improving and is up and moving around- but keep praying, she is not out of the woods yet! She is still in critical care!

Christopher Exploring

2011-04-19T12:14:00.004+10:00

Grandmother and Poppy's place... many wonders to discover in God's beautiful creation.

The Swing Under the Mulberry Tree at Poppy's Place

2011-04-19T12:02:00.004+10:00

Reminds Me of "Elsie Dinsmore"...

2011-04-19T11:15:00.005+10:00

There is something about this pic of Zara, dressed up for church, that reminds me of the fictional character, Elsie Dinsmore, created by Martha Finley in the 1800s. We read the first Elsie book as a family read aloud last year, and we all fell in love with little Elsie, who had such devotion to Christ and love for her father.

Our "Junior Masterchief" in Training!

2011-04-19T10:44:00.006+10:00

Although I do most of the cooking around these parts, NOBODY can beat Max's meat pies! Here he is sharing his secrets with our own "Junior Master Chef"! I normally can't stand having my kitchen messed up, but that smile made it all worthwhile!!

Walking in Daddy's Shoes

2011-04-19T10:37:00.003+10:00

Here is Christopher our youngest twin. He is 2 years old. Already Max has prophesied that he will be a preacher when he grows up- LOOK! He is walking in Daddy's shoes already!!!

Bread Making is FUN and.... MESSY!!!

2011-04-19T09:47:00.007+10:00

We've been teaching our girls lately how to bake bread the old-fashioned way. (Think of how many wives and daughters have done this for centuries!!) We do this on a semi-regular basis-we do still buy some bread- but there's nothing like the taste and aroma of home-baked bread- not to mention the satsifaction of producing a staple food with our own hands- just like my Grandmothers did!!!

Every child should learn to bake bread. All the little lessons on leaven and sin come to life, as they perform the task. It also puts together the scriptures, "Give us this day our daily bread" AND "If you don't work you don't eat"!

It all helps bring perspective in our instant push-button techno world. How I love our "vintage" life!!

Monopolizing

2011-03-23T19:36:00.003+10:00

Here is our Zara Hope happily playing Monopoly with her "Babies" (Teddies and Dollies) on one of our two vintage Monopoly sets. I think I've mentioned before how much we love using vintage items in our home, and yes-even some of our boardgames are vintage.

Our Zara is a very resourceful young lass. In the absence of available players, she thought it a great opportunity to help her babies with their mathematics.

Zara is actually not bad at maths-especially when it comes to counting money. We've had to offer Godly counsel on occasion lest it become an obsession. Zara dreams of saving her money so that she may buy a farm one day and make everything herself in "Little House on the prairie" style. She also longs to help the poor children of the world and often asks what countries they live in. Just recently, we noticed she was adding extra coins into her money box, and I wondered where they were coming from. It turned out that her big sister gave her a coin for doing a job that she didn't want to do. Zara was inspired- and the Wishing Fairy was born!!! Zara was charging her sister money to grant her wishes!!!! Hubby firmly had to explain why this was not appropriate, while I scurried into the pantry for a good laugh: Is this Monopolzing the situation or what!!! I need to pray for this precious girl!

More prayers For Max, Please.

2011-03-13T03:58:00.003+10:00

I'm requesting prayers again for my husband, Max, who is 46 years old and is on his way to hospital for his 46th cardio-inversion.

We had an extra-long wait for the ambulance to arrive, as there were none left at our local hospital, which is 10-15 minutes away, they had to wake someone up in a nearby town to come and get him, so his breathing was very laboured and he was very weak with the AF, by the time they arrived.

We covet your prayers that he will be attended to quickly at the ER, and that whoever is on, follows the standard directions for "fixing him" with his unique 3 heart defects.

Max is preaching at church today, so is keen to be fixed quickly- he's not one to sit around after a cardio-inversion. He's been known before to come out of hospital, and literally get up and preach with his dots and pads still on under his shirt.

Please pray too, that I may get a couple of hours sleep before ringing the hospital.
Thankyou
Claire

UPDATE: Max has just rang me, his heart is beating normally again, and he'll be discharged in about an hour. Thankyou for your prayers!

Prayer Request

2011-01-30T03:27:00.003+10:00

Hi, it's nearly 3.30am here in Australia, but if you are awake somewhere in blogland, and see this over the next couple of hours or so, would you please hold up my husband Max in prayer. He has just left in the ambulance for the hospital, to undergo another cardio-inversion. I''ve lost count now how many times this has happened, but it is in the 40s.

He's in the care of excellent paramedics, who phoned ahead to organize a bed in resuss. Once there he'll be given amiodorone to relax his heart muscle, then they'll cardio-invert him. Please pray for his safety during the procedure, and that I can manage to get a couple of hours sleep before I ring the ER to check on him.
Bless you
Claire

Thankyou sincerely for your prayers. Max will be discharged soon and his heart is beating normally (well normal for him!) again.

My Australia

2011-01-25T15:29:00.003+10:00

My Australia is...
...sitting on a wide verandah of a "Queenslander"house, eating pumpkin scones, Lamingtons, Tim Tams and Pavlova...
...enjoying Vegemite toast and Sanitarium Weetbix for breakfast...
...depicted in the paintings of Darcy Doyle and John Bradley...
...tree-lined streets of Jacarandas and Red-flowering Tea-trees in the Spring...
...rows of Terry Towelling cloth nappies waving in the breeze on the Hills Hoist...
...spotting sleepy-eyed koalas in the gum trees...
...Snugglepot and Cuddlepie

...Dot and The Kangaroo
...Listening for the Kookaburra to herald the morning birdsong at the break of day as all creation praises its Maker...
...The Cane Fires...
...the call of the Magpie, Bell Bird and even the mournful sound of the Rainbird at flood times and cyclone season...
...Hubby in the garden with his Victa Mower...

...standing teary-eyed at the tomb of The Unknown Soldier...
...Singing the little known THIRD verse of our National Anthem, declaring Christ our Head and Cornerstone...
...looking with pride at our national flag, remembering our ties with Mother England and The Magna Carta, which protects our religious freedom, and The Southern Cross Constellation, which hangs in our Southern skies, showing the world exactly, where Christ was pierced for our sins...
... The Great Southland of the Holy Spirit...

I pray that all Australians here and overseas will have a happy Australia Day tomorrow!

A Treasured Family Tradition at Our House

2010-12-17T11:50:00.003+10:00

I can't recommend this Christmas story more highly. It is not a nativity story, but is based on an old Christmas legend by Tolstoy and beautifully illustrates the living out of "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

The pictures are beautiful. Why not make this one part of YOUR yearly traditions- a beautiful, gentle reminder of how God wants us to live ALL year round.

Talitha and The Christmas Windows

2010-12-06T06:31:00.006+10:00

One of the yearly delights that my husband, Max, remembers from his childhood in Melbourne, were the yearly trips into the city at Christmas time to see the Christmas window displays in the Myer Store. How could he not resist sharing this wonder with our Talitha on her first holiday there. This year the theme was The Nutcracker. These were my favourites of the many window shots Max took. I like how you can see tha reflection in some of the very old city buildings on the opposite side of the street. These were taken at dusk.

Our Talitha Loves Horses!

2010-11-28T12:39:00.006+10:00

Talitha and Max have just returned from a short holiday, down south to Melbourne, to catch up with Max's side of the family, and for Talitha, to see the sights and to have her first plane trip ever! Before they left, Max found out from a lady at our church, that there was going to be a big Equitana down there. So as we have a horse crazy daughter, this was added to the itinerary.

These beautiful pictures that Max took are from this event. Now before you see them, I just want to say- we don't own a horse, at this point Talitha doesn't even visit one regularly, though this will probably change sometime soon, as she now has a friend from church who has one. I wondered if she would be nervous getting up close to these beautiful beasts... Well she wasn't! I think she's going to be a natural!

PS The bottom shot is my favourite. She fell in love with this wild, unbroken Brumby.

Do you like her cowgirl outfit? She packed it especially for the horse show, and wore it sight-seeing all day. Enjoy the photos- Ah! How we love this precious, soon-to-be 9 years old, girl!

Prayer Request

2010-11-01T01:56:00.003+10:00

Greetings Dear Readers

It's 2 am here, and Max has not long left for the hospital for another cardio=inversion. I think it's been less than 3 weeks since his last one. If you see this over the next hour or so, would you please lift him up to our Heavenly Father, and pray for his protection.

One of our twin boys woke up frightened while waiting for the ambulance to arrive and he took a little while to settle. I've been up with him watching a "Lil' Gaither DVD, and now he's asleep again. So without further ado, I'm going to try to get some more sleep.

Will update later.
Claire

Many thanks for your prayers, it took 2 cardio-inversions, but Max's heart is beating back in normal rhythm again.

Homeschooling at the Park

2010-10-28T23:12:00.010+10:00

Headmaster Daddy and his beloved youngest son- a man who raises his children in the "Fear and admonition of the Lord".

Music Lessons- Microphone technique today!

Drama Class- a brilliant thespian- this Peter Pan can really lose his shadow!

Physical Education at its best!

The intensity of nature study!

Lessons in Grace and Beauty!

Our Family History Website

2010-10-26T19:39:00.004+10:00

I'm very excited at the moment, as my Aunt, Fay Bradford,(our family historian and author of "One Way Ticket") has set up a family history website to supplement her wonderful book, and to keep family up-to date on family news as well as any memories, stories or anecdotes that come to mind.

I'm mentioning this on my blog, as I have a variety of international readers, who might just happen to know people of the surname Kuskopf, in particular, or of some of the other compatriot families mentioned who immigrated around the same time- we know that some went to Illinois.

US, so there could be descendants anywhere now, and it would be so exciting for my Aunt to be able to add to our family tree.

the website address for "One Way Ticket Revisited" is http://onewayticketrevisited.weebly.com/

The picture I have included is a special one for me. The parents in the middle are my Great Great Grandparents, Peter and Catherine (pronounced Caterina) kuskopf. Catherine was formerly Rehder from Kellinghusen in Schleswig-Holstein. They were the first settlers in Palmwoods on The Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane in Queensland.

Catherine, was Peter's second wife-their own children together were the 3 girls and the baby boy on her lap. but she was greatly loved by the children of both families. She was a woman of great grace and character, and I wish I could have known her. Seated next to her mother's shoulder is Catherine, my Great Grandmother, who went on to grow up and have 17 children.

Our family heritage is very important to me, to keep the stories alive in our children's hearts and minds- the perilous sea journeys and the providence of God. The wonderful people who walked this way before us, must never be forgotten.

Prayers For Max, Please

2010-10-12T14:47:00.003+10:00

Hi there. Just letting you know I had to send Max off in the ambulance again about 2.20pm for another cardio-inversion, and I ask that if you see this over the next few hours, if you would kindly pray for God's protection over him. I don't know what time it will be done, as Max was out having his quiet time when his heart jumped out of rhythm, and if he had lunch, they may want to fast him first, after he is stablised.

God is good. He was sitting in a cafe in our little village when it happened, and he managed to go downstairs to the car, rang me to order the ambulance, and managed to drive the short distance home safely AND get up our stairs.

Thank you for your prayers. We celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this month, and have been going through these emergency situations for nearly 8 years now.
UPDATE: MAX is all fixed once again and should be home in a short while. Thankyou for your prayers.

The Swish of a Skirt- In Gaining Freedom and Comfort, What have we Lost?

2010-09-28T18:56:00.003+10:00

Legendary book illustrator and author, Tasha Tudor, once said,"Why do women want to dress like men when they’re fortunate enough to be women? Why lose femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get more accomplished by being charming than we would be flaunting around in pants and smoking. I’m very fond of men. I think they are wonderful creatures. I love them dearly. But I don’t want to look like one. When women gave up their long skirts, they made a grave error…"

I'm not sure how old Tasha was when she made this comment. She lived into her 90s, passing away just a few years ago, and would have remembered the introduction of women in pants in the popular media of the day, through film stars such as Marlene Dietrich, back in the 1930s, when smoking was considered" glamourous". But Tasha didn't march to the beat of the world's drum, not only did she make a name for herself illustrating children's books, she became famous for her garden, her tea parties and for choosing to homeschool her children and live out her real life in 1830's style-LITERALLY- No running water or anything AND of course she wore long skirts. She was talented, hardworking and very feminine...

Last night , our Zara, made an interesting comment as she took off her pretty floral jeans that she'd worn that day, gardening with her Daddy in the garden-"You can't do ANYTHING in jeans! I don't like wearing them." She finds them hard to do up- and they are not tight- and uncomfortable. Today, as I hung our washing on the line, I watched her watering the tomatoes in an old but pretty floral dress. She was a vision of loveliness, especially as she swirled and twirled as our girly-girl is apt to do.

I thought as I watched her- my Grandmothers gardened in dresses, and fed the chooks, chopped wood for the stove, and a myriad of other things. In fact much more physical labour than the average woman has to do today, but they proudly wore their dresses, and would be company -ready just by taking off their aprons and giving their hair a quick brush. My maternal Grandmother was very beautiful, motherly, and a picture of femininity. She was, and still is, my "style icon" to use a modern word or two. I inherited her photo collection, when she passed on, and growing up loved the pictures of her in her long, elegant, but modest dresses.

Do I wear pants? Yes I do, but for a while now, personally haven't felt really comfortable with it-especially after spending some time studying the history of women's fashion from the 19th into the 20th century, and matching the changes along with the rise of feminism. I caught sight of myself in the mirror one day,after rushing around doing some cleaning. My long hair(my glory), I had hastily tied up in a knot at the back of head "to get it out of the way", I wore an old T-shirt and old black pants with sneakers. I realised silhouette-wise I looked no different from the plastic figure in pants used for the sign on the mens' room at the mall- and here I was the Lady of the house. I looked androgenous! What's androgenous? Have you ever seen a person from a distance and worried because you couldn't tell if they were male or female? So many of the fashions in todays world are this way!

Since then,I've looked at history many times and have found much food for thought. I don't cut my hair anymore ( I do trim split-ends), or wear make-up apart from lip-gloss/balm; as I've seen that prior to the 1920s, that cutting hair and painting faces was not done by "decent" people. The "Roaring Twenties" was one of the most decadent and licentious decades of the 20th century-prior to the flower-power sixties, and lack of decency suddenly became popular, through the influence of Hollywood and women's magazines. The SHAPE of womens' clothing changed. It expressed their desire to be like men.This was before the "HAYES CODE" came into being in LA-LA Land, and restored decency and home-spun goodness to films. Some of my favourite films are from the 30s and 40s.

Another recent discovery I'm pondering on is in the Bible in 1 Tim 2:9, where it speaks of women wearing modest apparel. In the Greek language from which the New testament is translated, the word apparel is "Katastole" meaning to let down, or long loose and flowing. While I don't wear tight jeans, my dress pants may pass for LONG, but I can't pass them off as flowing no matter how much I pretend! This is something else I'm pondering upon...

So what's the bottm-line (pardon-the Pun) for me on pants now... While I can't afford to throw out half my wardrobe, I'm endeavouring to wear skirts and dresses more, because I feel way more feminine AND modest without the gap between my legs. I'll be keeping an eye out at the thrift stores for more too, as I wear my pants out. Maybe I can find some cute smock tops to wear with my pants that cover the posterior. Our daughters wear dresses most of the time unless it's really cold, and if I desire to set a standard of feminity in the home, then it has to start with me, not just talking about it. I also, now we have sons, wish to show them what feminity is, and how it looks different from masculinity. Because we ARE different- loved by God equally, and yet with different roles ordained by Him.He's given me an all-important task- I need to dress the part to honour Him, as a reflection of what he has done on the inside.

Our children grow up with traditonal family images in their vintage storybooks - homes with Mum in a dress smiling as she does the dishes- not Barbie in her pant-suit with a briefcase on the run. I need to come into line with what my heart is saying and go for it-so I don't see any more scary images in the mirror!!

PS. I just want to stress that these are my personal thoughts and ponderings and convictions- If you love Jesus, have short hair and wear makeup and love wearing your pants- you are still my sisters in Christ and we are still friends!!!! This is my personal walk and journey.

A Simple Pleasure on a Mild Winter's Day

2010-08-19T21:14:00.004+10:00

We are currently enjoying the last month of winter here in sunny Queensland. Queensland winters are very mild, though up in the hills where we live it gets very cold at night and in the early morning.

Today was a surprise... It started off cold as usual, and then by midday it felt like we'd suddenly skipped to summer!- very unseasonal...

I opened the window near me after lunch when I was washing the dishes, and I could hear my girls squealing with delight as they danced and played near our water tank. They had both shed their shoes and one of them waved and said happily, "Look Mama- we are playing in our feet!!!"

Perfectly priceless!!!

Beatrix Potter's Nursery Rhyme Book

2010-08-16T20:13:00.003+10:00

My lovely 8 year daughter went thrifting with her Daddy this week, and bought this lovely book for me. She knows her Mama well- how much I love Miss Potter's beautiful illustrations, and writings for children. I love that girl. She has good taste, and now keeps an eye out for vintage stuff as well. But I love her most of all, for the tender heart that bought the gift.

Here's a rhyme from the book that I'd never heard before. It was so beautiful. I thought I'd post it for you:

THE KETTLE'S SONG

With pomp power and glory

the world beckons vainly,

In chase of such vanities

why should I roam?

While peace and content bless

my little thatched cottage,

And warm my own hearth

with the treasures of home.

Isn't that precious? I'd like to be like that faithful, old black kettle in the picture!

Inspired by The English Nursery

2010-08-06T07:04:00.008+10:00

Who else out there loves the idea of the traditional English nursery? You know, the world of Christopher Robin , Mary Poppins, and The Darling Family children in Peter Pan... The bedroom adjoining the larger play area equipped with its own sofa bookcase and of course- toys!

Being a long time lover of classic, English literature for children, this world has always come alive in my minds eye- minus the Nanny of course, as I love to raise and nurture my own children. We love collecting Beatrix Potter Books, beautiful Nursery Rhyme Books, AA Milne Pooh originals, some Enid Blyton Books and of course Paddington Bear!- all little tastes of England- my Grandfather was Brittish.

I've been pondering on this a lot lately, as the time is soon coming to move the twins out of our room, and into Max's old office. It's a tiny room, but being right next door to the playroom- it's the closest I'm going to get to an English nursery!

Reality check- we live in a 1970's 3 bedroom rental- the room is small, poky, has no storage (though we have a $5 thrifted pine tallboy), and we probably shouldn't paint anything- BUT we can ACCESSORIZE!!!!!

So far we have found to decorate it-all thrifted- a tiny wooden train, a tiny wooden sailboat, a small Paddington Bear, a noddy doll, a vintage Noddy in his car (probably 1970s), a toy red London Bus, and because he's vintage and hard to resist, a 1960s Mr Squiggle the Man from the Moon.

I'm looking forward to the BIG MOVE, which hopefully won't be too far off- I'm itching to decorate our boys room!!!!.

Christian Products For Children- What's worked for us!!!

2010-07-27T06:14:00.005+10:00

As a Christian mother, one of my greatest desires is that our children grow up with a passion for God, and a deep, ever growing knowledge of His Word.

There is a saying that faith is caught and not taught, and while there is an element of truth in this- AND WE MUST LEAD BY EXAMPLE- it won't happen by accident either, and you can't rely on your church's Sunday School, or even on a Christian school to do the groundwork for you.Training in Godliness and learning the Bible must be done by the parents in the home, whether they choose to Christian School, Homeschool or Public School their children.

That said, only God the Father can draw a sinner through His Love to the foot of the cross, by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, still God's Word commands us to train our children in the way that they should go.

Here are some of the Christian products we have used and loved so far:

- Our absolute favourites have been "The Bible Story" series by Arthur Maxwell, "Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories" (We have 8 volumes from the 1964 edition) and "My Bible Friends"set by Etta Degering for toddlers. I think we also have an old copy of Bible ABCs from the same publishers.

These books are all printed by The 7th Day Adventists- We are NOT SDA, but I can tell you they have little to no SDA doctrine in their children's material, and what little there may be can be easily tweaked.

I am a stickler for reverent, realistic artwork in children's Biblestory books and these books have some of the best Bible art I've ever seen- our children love them, and we've incorparated some into our homeschool. Arthur Maxwell has a wonderful devotional style aimed at children.

2. King James Bible. Our children like The Seaside Edition for Children.

3.Because I Love You- by Max Lucado. Is one of my personal favourites, but he has written other good books for children as well as creating the Hermie the caterpillar DVD series for little ones.

4. Little Jewel Books from Rod and Staff

5. The Princess and the Kiss- A Story of God's Gift of Purity- by Jennie Bishop

6.What Happens When Children Pray by Evelyn Christenson

7.The Candle in the Window- A Christmas Legend by Grace Johnson- a powerful message about seeing Christ in others.

8. Just Like Mama by Beverly Lewis- An Amish story- Great for girls.

9. The Donut Man DVD

10. DVD The Story of Jesus for Children- personally recommended by Zara!

11. DVD The Torchlighters Series- half hour animations on reknowned Christians for children with a free documentary for grownups plus software- BONUS- personally recommended by Talitha

12. Ben HUR- Children's Animation with Charlton Heston

13. Hymns for a Kid's Heart books and CD's

14. We have just discovered the original Elsie Dinsmore series- The girls and I are eagerly devouring the first book of the series: a wonderful taste of Southern Life. Many scriptures are not only quoted, but lived out by the characters. I'll have to post more on this series another time!!

Do you have any children's Christian products to recommend?

Living In The Moment

2010-07-02T20:20:00.004+10:00

Do you Ever feel DRIVEN.. Pushed to hurry... I do a lot, I admit. It's a besetting sin of mine. Pushing mindlessly through the current task, even those involving my loved ones, just to get to the next item on my mental to -do list. I catch myself doing this all to often lately, and I've realised what an idol my mental clutter and to-do lists can be. I'm challenged- In these moments, whose agenda am I following? God's and His richness, or miine and its shallowness?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm more often than not the type to stop and smell the roses, to let the sunsets seep into my soul- my thoughts are at once lifted to behold the Majesty of our Creator, when my eyes meet His wonders. When I'm working alone, I meditate on His precepts, I'm abiding in Him... but once everyone is up, I seem to switch gears, and obsess on my to-do list. How many precious moments must I miss as I get caught in a flurry and try to HURRY???

Every so often I visit Ann Voskamp's beautiful and inspiring blog, Holy Experience. It's like streams of water flowing over one's soul. A place of beauty, inspiration, humility and conviction.Something usually connects and ministers to my spirit.Especially this recent post:"3 Ways To Rest Today (and Stop the Push) The Practice of Rest Pt 1"

LINK http://www.aholyexperience.com/2010/06/why-your-daily-push-practice-of-rest-pt.-html

This has deeply challenged my tendency to "be in a hurry". Slow my thoughts down, Lord, and when our household is at its noisiest, help me not to miss YOUR still small voice saying "This is the Way- walk ye in it" Amen.

PS There is a minor problem with the link. Just click on Holy Experience, and it is currently the second article in.

Waiting For Max to Arrive Home

2010-06-21T07:01:00.002+10:00

Just a quick note to let you all know that Max is OK.He actually ended up having 2 cardio-inversions last night, separately. The first one was already done by 3am. when I rang, and they told me he was stable, but that after the procedure his heart jumped back out again into a slow uneven rhythm.THIS HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE.They were at the time waiting for the consultant to decide whether or not to repeat the sedation and cardio-inversion. By the time I rang just after six am this morning, it was done successfully and Max was ready to be picked up.

What a night! I think I've had about 3 hours broken sleep. Thankfully we are starting 2 weeks of school holidays today. My beloved has just walked in the door! That's the best sound in the world, when you've had a night like mine!!!

Thankyou for your prayers!

Requesting Prayer For Max Again

2010-06-21T01:21:00.002+10:00

Hi It's 1:22am here, and yes I've just sent my beloved off in the ambulance again. I awoke after little over an hours sleep, to Max sitting up in bed with an approx heart rate of 150 beats per min.He went to the toilet and it jumped into AF in less than a minute. I think it's only been a matter of weeks since his last cardio-inversion.

Please pray as he preppares for his 41st cardio-inversion(Max has adjusted my cardio count- it out by a few in one of my last posts.Please pray God preserves him safely through the procedure again,and for immediate treatment and competant care in the ER- they are usually pretty good, they know him very well!

Please pray also that when he is released either later on tonight or this morning, that it would work out convenient for Max's best mate to collect him for us. We've all had or still have the flu at the moment and I don't really want to wake all 4 children and take them out in the cold or dark.

Will let you know what happens. I need to get some sleep. There'll be no use ringing the hospital for a couple of hours at least

Thankyou for your prayers. Supporting us in prayer at these times is greater than silver or gold.

What We've Been Up To....

2010-06-10T13:05:00.004+10:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been wanting to share some pictures with you all, but we've mislaid our computer cable to do so. So for now, word pictures must suffice!!

Our little family is keeping me very busy these days, what with homeschooling, housekeeping, and caring for hubby,girls and twins. Our boys are growing sooo big sooo quickly- only 18months old and already in size 2s!!! They are going to be so tall. We'll be getting them measured soon at our next doctors visit.

The girls are learning so much with homeschool. They are already becoming self-motivated learners. Like their Mama and Daddy, their noses are rarely out of a book, and like me their book piles are accumulating!!

I still love to read- mainly Christian books and classics, but my piles shrink at a much slower rate than in times gone by. Besides my Bible, I'm currently reading Spurgeon's Morning by Morning; Edith Schaeffer's The Art of Living; The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer and John Calvin, His Life ,Teaching and Influence- I find books on The Reformation fascinating. I've recently finished Abide In Christ by Andrew Murray-LOVED IT, The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith, and For The Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. It may sound like a lot, but believe me they took a long time to read!

We recently took the girls on a family excursion to a working dairy farm, and they got to help wash the cows' teats and to have a go at hand milking- they were so excited! I had the boys in the pram, so I couldn't get as close. Max got some great pics. The Jersey cows were absolutely beautiful,big brown eyes, and of course we got to take home some REAL unadulterated milk-there is nothing like it in my opinion-YUM!!!

Our thrifting expeditions have borne wonderful fruit lately- God has truly blessed us in needs and wants. We'd been wanting to upgrade our dining table for some time from a six seater to an eight, even though the boys are still in highchairs at the moment. We got a new to us pine colonial setting for an unbelievable price-lovely heavy table and very comfortable chairs. My husband also found a vintage/antique/very heavy oil lamp to grace it at a Collectorama. We're big Little House on the Prairie fans here, and it looks pretty close to the one the Ingalls family had in the TV series.

Oh! and for the grand sum of twenty dollars, my bargain hunting hubby also picked up a bowed front 1950's china cabinet. I love antiques, but have a soft spot for mid-20th century vintage too! :-)

We went to a garage sale that was on behalf of an elderly couple just moved into a nursing home. What was left needed to be sold quickly, so they could secure a rental income, so we were invited to :Take what you like for $20! I did. I had to show restraint and keep in mind the amount of-no lack of- space we have at home, but we came out with a beautiful 8 piece dinner service, a 1950s hairdryer complete with book, a vintage cannister, some hardly used 70s tupperware,some peach FireKing for my collection, and some framed sketches. We've also done really well lately building our library- more vintage books for our children, including Christian ones, and other books and material to use in the future for homeschool. I'm starting to wonder why people would want to buy ANYTHING new-except maybe underwear and shoes!!! LOL

On a more serious note, Max needed another cardio-inversion early Monday morning, but God brought him through again. He's now had a total of 38! Does anyone out there in Blogland know of anyone else who has had a lot of these? I'm very curious...

Must go I've rambled on long enough about our very ordinary, but very blessed lives.

Thankyou for your Prayers!!

2010-05-03T12:52:00.001+10:00

Max has been successfully cardio-inverted once again, and will be back home, later on this afternoon. PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!

Does anyone know anybody else, who has been zapped 38 times???

Prayer Request.

2010-05-03T09:39:00.002+10:00

Please pray for my husband , Max, who will be undergoing his 38th cardio-inversion in the next couple of hours. His heart was in rapid AF 170 beats per min, when he left in the ambulance. This is his first turn since January, so that's not too bad.

We actually got an amazing report back on him, from The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane- the top cardiac hospital in the Southern Hemisphere. He recently had an MRI, and they said that despite 37 cardio-inversions, and having 3 heart defects (anyone of which that can cause death before the age of sixteen), he is now forty-five years of age, and his heart has not only NOT deteriorated, it has IMPROVED over the last 7 years!!!!

ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD!!!! Thankyou for your prayers.

He Looked Beyond the Cross and Saw My Need...

2010-04-02T14:22:00.002+10:00

Verse
Amazing grace shall always be my song of praise,
for it was grace that brought my liberty;
I do not know just why He came to love me so,
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

Chorus
I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,
to view the cross where Jesus died for me,
how marvelous the grace that caught my falling soul;
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

This short but beautiful hymn was penned by the late Dottie Rambo. She was a renouned southern gospel singer and song writer. The hymn is meant to be sung to the tune of Danny Boy/ The Londonderry Air and has a lovely tender story behind it.

In 1970, Dottie began writing a song about the grace of God, but was unable to finish it. When her older brother was hospitalized with cancer and told that he had only weeks to live, Dottie sat by his bedside and ministered to him. Within a few days, she persuaded him to marry the woman who had borne him five children. Dottie read the Bible to him and prayed with him. One day, after singing at a concert, she returned to ask: “Have you given your life to Jesus since I’ve been gone?”

Eddie, 37, stared at her with sad eyes. “After the wicked life I’ve lived, the Lord won’t raise a person like me,” he muttered. He reminded her of his time in jail and his addiction to drugs and alcohol.

“The Lord left the 99 to bring a lost sheep like you back to the fold,” Dottie told him. She continued to pray for his salvation. Then she went home and finished “He Looked Beyond My Fault.” For years Jimmie Davis, the southern gospel singer and former Louisiana governor, had asked her to write a song to the tune of “Danny Boy.” With this song, she finally discovered the inspiration. Later that day, she returned to the hospital to sing the song to Eddie.

This Easter weekend, I just wanted to say, that if you are reading this, and you don't think God would ever want you because of the life you've led, I want you to know that He died for YOUR sins too. All you have to do is acknowledge them to Him, repent from them ( be sorry, turning away from them), and ask Him to become your Lord and Saviour. He will NOT turn you away.

Where Have All The Heroes Gone?

2010-03-20T11:10:00.004+10:00

It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing yesterday of veteren actor, Fess Parker- the world lost "Daniel Boone" and "Davey Crockett" in the same day...

I grew up watching these alongside my younger brother, and I really lament the loss of such shows for the current generation. Being the mother of two sons now, as well as two daughters, have brought these ponderings to the forefront of my mind again. Who have todays generation of young males to look up to- Bart Simpson and Harry Potter? Or here in Australia, I'm sorry to say, one of the biggest TV hit shows last year was "Underbelly", the true story of some of the biggest crime families in recent history- what sort of a world is the media trying to promote?

A couple of years ago, I wrote an article- still in my archives- "The Deceptions of A Manufactured Generation"- things have degenerated further since then. I thank the Lord for the opportunity to buy good wholesome shows on DVD- "The Andy Griffith Show" and we have nearly all "The Little House on the Prairie" series. I'm determined our sons will have wholesome heroes before their eyes.

Films like "Old Yeller" and "My Friend Flicka" are good too, as they paint a picture of adolescence being a time to begin to grow into manhood and learn responsibility, unlike the current trend of Peter Pan living and rebellion.

Maybe now that Fess is gone, we'll consider adding his two famous heroes to our boys collection.

One thing's for sure... Zachary and Christopher will see Godly, manly heroes in our house.

"To sing the songs that so many mothers had sung...

2010-02-02T15:52:00.004+10:00

"Anne was not sleepy. She was too happy to sleep just yet. She moved softly about the room, putting things away, braiding her hair, looking like a beloved woman. Finally she slipped on a neglige and went across the hall to the boys' room. Walter and Jem in their bed and Shirley in his cot were all sound asleep. The Shrimp, who had outlived generations of pert kittens and become a family habit, was curled up at Shirley's feet. Jem had fallen asleep while reading The Life Book of Captain Jim... it was open on the spread. Why how long Jem looked lying under the bed-clothes! He would soon be grown up. What a sturdy, reliable little chap he was! Walter was smiling in his sleep as some one who knew a charming secret. The moon was shining on his pillow through the bars of the leaded window... casting the shadow of a clearly defined cross on the wall above his head. In long after-years Anne was to remember that and wonder if it was an omen of Courcelette... of a cross-marked grave "somewhere in France." But tonight it was only a shadow... nothing more. The rash had quite gone from Shirley's neck. Gilbert had been right. He was always right.

Nan and Diana and Rilla were all in the next room... Diana, with darling little damp red curls all over her head and one little sunburned hand under her cheek, and Nan with long fans of lashes brushing hers. The eyes behind those blue-veined lids were hazel, like her father's. And Rilla was sleeping on her stomach. Anne turned her right side up, but her buttoned eyes never opened.

They were all growing so fast. In just a few short years they would all be young men and women... youth tiptoe...expectant... astir with its sweet, wild dreams...little ships sailing out of safe harbour to unknown parts. The boys would go away to their life work, and the girls...ah, the mist-veiled forms of beautiful brides might be seen coming down the stairs at Ingleside. But they would be still hers for a few years yet... hers to love and guide... to sing the songs that so many mothers had sung. Hers... and Gilbert's.

FROM "ANNE OF INGLESIDE" BY L M MONTGOMERY.

My Australia...

2010-01-26T12:00:00.003+10:00

My Australia is...

... sipping tea on the wide verandah of a "Queenslander"house, eating pumpkin scones, lamingtons, Tim Tams and Pavlova...

...enjoying vegemite toast and Sanitarium Weetbix for breakfast...

... depicted in the paintings of Darcy Doyle and John Bradley...

...Tree lined streets of Jacarandas and Red-flowering Tea trees in the Spring...

...rows of Terry Towelling cloth nappies waving in the breeze on the Hills Hoist...

...spotting sleepy-eyed koalas in the gum trees...

...Listening for the Kookaburra to herald the dawn birdsong at the break of day as all creation praises its Maker...

...The Cane Fires...

...the call of the Magpie, Bell Bird, and even the mournful sound of the Rainbird at flood times and cyclone season...

...Hubby in the garden with his Victa mower...

...standing teary-eyed at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier...

...Singing the little-known THIRD verse of our national anthem declaring Christ our Head and Cornerstone...

...looking with pride at our national flag, remembering our ties with Mother England and The Magna Carta which protects our religious freedom, and The Southern Cross constellation which hangs in our Southern skies showing the world exactly where Christ was pierced for our sins...

...The Great Southland of the Holy Spirit...

I pray all Australians here and over seas had a wonderful Australia Day Weekend!
Labels: Christian Heritage

My Country by Dorothea MacKellar

2010-01-26T11:51:00.003+10:00

My Country
© 1904 Dorothea MacKellar
The love of field and coppice, of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance, brown streams and soft, dim skies-
I know but cannot share it, my love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror- the wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests, all tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains, the hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops, and ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country! Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us we see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather, and we can bless again
The drumming of an army, the steady soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country! Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine she pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks, watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness that thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country, a wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her, you will not understand -
Though earth holds many splendours, wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country my homing thoughts will fly.

Australian Cuisine

2010-01-26T10:47:00.003+10:00

Since, I have so many international readers, I thought I would do a couple more posts on Australian foods and culture.I enjoy so much learning about YOUR countries via your blogs, I thought I'd share a little from mine.

Being born in the late sixties and growing up in the seventies, our meals were greatly influenced by English foods. One of my Grandfathers was British,and our heritage is strongly English and German. We grew up mainly eating very traditional meals of meat and 3 vegetables per meal, followed by a homemade milk pudding.We never had international foods, and takeaway was always Fish and chips or accasionally a pre-cooked chicken. Roast Lamb dinner has traditionally been the Aussie favourite over the years, but in recent times with the influx of more international foods, Spaghetti Bolognaise officially tops the list as the favourite Australian Aussie meal!

THE PAVLOVA: is our famous Aussie dessert. It is a huge merengue shaped like a cake. We usually buy the shell, top it with whipped cream and fruit and/or crumbed chocolate.

VEGEMITE: In the Bible there was Israelites, Canaanites, Jebusites, Hivites- in Australia we are a nation of Happy Little Vegemites! This is a dark yeast based spread rich in Vitamin B. I sometimes have it on toast, lightly spread over butter. It tastes like...Vegemite. Forget Marmite and Promite- they are totally different. The only substitute we sometimes buy is Mighty Mite by Three Threes- it is Ausralian owned, and very very close in taste.

THE MEAT PIE: Yum, what can I say? We actually have stores over here that specialize in meat pies. They are also the all-time favourite food sold at sporting events over here. There used to be a TV jingle over here when I was a child that went "Football, meatpies, kangaroos and Holden cars!"

The Lamington: These are a plain vanilla cake, cut into large square serves, dipped in chocolate icing, then dipped in dessicated coconut. Very nice.

Please don't ask about delicasies such as kangaroo, crocodile or snake- I was tricked into eating a Kanga-banger one night (a kangaroo meat sausage)I felt so sick after finding out what it was, I can't remember what it tasted like!!!

Anyway, that's a brief run-down on some of the main foods people associate with our great country Australia.

Uniquely Australian

2010-01-25T19:11:00.005+10:00

Well, tomorrow is Australia Day- January 26th- and so this week I've been reflecting on our Aussieness, mateship, and the wonderful things God has blessed us with that are unique to Australia.

I've dug through our DVD cupboard for some Australian movies for our girls to watch, and have come up with "The Man From Snowy River", and "Phar Lap"- both our girls are interested in horses at the moment- Talitha especially! Our copy of "The Lighthorsemen" is out on loan at the moment, we also have the Australian mini-series "Against the Wind" made in the 1970's, which is the true story of the lives of 2 convicts, and gives a good look into the history of Australia, and the bad corruption in the country's ruling authorities, prior to the Govenor Lachlan Macquarie coming to power. If you live in other countries and wish to learn more about Australia, try to hire these movies they are very well done.

Well, Australia can take credit for Vegemite( no it doesn't taste like axle grease!), the Victa Mower, the Hills Hoist Clothesline, the "Queenslander" style house with its wide verandahs ( A verandah is similar to the porch on a home in the South part of the USA, only it sometimes goes all around the house) No we don't live in one (sigh!), Tim Tams-Yum,Drizabones, RM Williams boots, and Arnott's Biscuits. I find it sad though that some of these things are no longer owned by Australia.... ( Buy Australian!! Aussie readers please!)

Our nation is the home of The Great Barrier Reef, Ullaru, Cradle Mountain, beautiful opals, the kookaburra ( We have gum trees in our street and often see kookaburras- my favourite!), kangaroo, koala, platypus, red deserts, and lush rainforests. We are truly blessed.

So what uniquely Australia stuff have we got in our home? Let's see... We have Blinky Bill ( a koala character) and a traditional Koala that plays "Waltzing Matilda" in the cot; I collect things with kookaburras on them- 2 vintage jugs(pitchers), some wall prints, a fridge magnet, a hand painted tile hanging in the kitchen; Darcey Doyle Artwork-images of vintage Australia, a copy of "Snugglepot and Cuddlepie"; and some stuffed toy Aussie animals for the children to play with.

Some facts you may not know: Australia has been named "The Great South Land of the Holy Spirit" by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandez de Quiros in 1606.He was the first recorded European explorer to lay claim to Australia.

The constellation The Southern Cross is on our flag and hangs in our Southern skies. Each star shows the exact points where our Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for the remission of our sins. Our nation has had its share of droughts ,floods and natural disasters. Recent surveys say that mateship is now second in Australia to getting ahead. We need to pray for our nation, that God would drive us to our knees, and exhort us to "Look up"- He is there for any hardened sinner who'll look to the One who is there, and whose enduring sacrifice is illustrated above.

The Absolute Preciousness of a Garnet in Gold- Twice Over

2010-01-02T17:39:00.006+10:00

Many moons ago (about 11), a certain Night in Shining Armour (my hubby) proposed marriage to his fair maiden in a mountain top inn after a delightful meal. Poetry was recited:

Roses are red, violets are blue, my heart belongs truly to you.

I pray you will always stay in my life, which is why I am asking if you'll be my wife

Yes, I'm so sentimental, I'll remember that poem for the rest of my life! Then came the ring-carefully concealed near the window ledge... A gasp of delight... A beautiful red garnet set in a victorian style filigree yellow gold setting.

I adored the ring, as I adored the one who placed it on my finger. My then, fiancee had been trying to establish his own business at the time, and there were not many dollars to spare. I knew the lovely dinner and the precious- to- me ring had been paid for with sleepless nights cleaning. It came at a cost, was given in love, and was worth more than any diamond to me. (Personally I don't think engagement rings HAVE to be diamonds anyway!)

Two children later, we spent a year living in Beerwah, Qld, near Australia Zoo. (As an aside, how weird is this? We only spent 12 months in Beerwah, it turned out to be the year Steve Irwin died, and he died on my hubby's birthday.)

Anyway, I was doing some heavy cleaning and decluttering, hubby was preaching overseas, and as I prepared lunch, I caught sight of my ring and went cold, when I realized the garnet was gone. I checked everywhere I was working, in the vaccuum and the garbage to no avail- the stone was no where to be found. Hubby rang from overseas to find me in tears over the missing garnet. I put the damaged ring away, and put an emerald ring of my Grandmother's on the finger next to my wedding band, as my hand felt like something was missing...

A few years later, we are living in the hills we love, we've celebrated 9 years of marriage in October, and I've not long had my 42nd birthday...

Hubby wrote in my birthday card "To my lovely wife, I love you very much, so I thought it was about time you got this gift again."

What was it I wondered. I was speechless and tears flowed, as I opened my gift- it can't be I thought- There it was, another garnet ring set in gold, different this time- a sleek design with a heart shaped stone. I'm still looking at it a few weeks later, as it sits under my wedding band, and my Grandmother's ring now graces my right hand.... SOMETHING LOST HAS BEEN RESTORED!!!!

Does this remind you of anything? God creates us in love, handcrafts us in beauty, like my first garnet engagement ring, and then, things happen and we realize something is missing- there's an emptiness, a longing, a hole in our hearts, because of our sin. Our loving creator, sent Jesus, His Son, to pay the penalty of our sin, so that when we realize our unworthiness before a Holy God and repent, we can be restored, and have a new heart... just like my ring.

Isn't that just like God, to bless my socks off with my birthday present and give me a parable to share as well! Praise His Name!

The pictured ring is similar to my birthday present. I couldn't find a picture of an exact copy.

Prayers Answered!

2009-12-23T10:32:00.001+10:00

Many thanks for your prayers. Max is back in normal rhythm and is bursting with excitement to exit hospital and hit the shops!! We are very grateful.

Yes, It's happened Again- Please pray...

2009-12-23T09:02:00.001+10:00

It's 9am and I've just farewelled my husband again by ambulance for another cardio-inversion. Please pray for prompt, swift treatment at the hospital, and that God would graciously preserve him again theough this procedure that does carry quite a risk.

He heart suddenly popped out of rhythm while I was showering this morning. It seemed more stressful in the midst of screaming babies and worried big sisters.

Knowing Max, he'll be keen to get fixed and outa there! We'd planned a family trip out today for last minute Christmas shopping, and I'd also planned to catch up with a very dear old friend I'd known since kindergarten, we don't understand God's timing, but we do trust His heart and His Sovereignty.

Will let you know how things go...

The Boys at One!

2009-12-10T16:43:00.002+10:00

Well, our little men turned one last week, and we had a small family celebration at my parents' place on Sunday after Church- of course they got to try one of Mama's home made cakes for the first time!

Zachary and Christopher- What smart little tykes you are! Christopher (the youngest) was the first to master crawling and walking, with Zachary slightly behind, but little Zachy was the first to figure out how things open, that they are not allowed to touch! He's a thinker, our Zachary.

Here's a funny story: Zachary discovered how to open our refrigerator, so we are always listening for that sound. One day I heard it... snuck up behind him and said firmly ZACHARY ELIJAH ROBERTS!!! He dropped to his knees, and hid his eyes behind his hands ( like when he plays peekaboo), thinking he was hiding from me! Of course it immediately reminded me of Adam hiding from God in the garden. It illustrated so beautifully how silly it is to think you can hide from Almighty God!

Sorry no photos today- hopefully in the near future.

Thankyou Lord!!!

2009-11-29T06:24:00.002+10:00

And thankyou for your prayers- just spoke to Max on the phone, and all is well-cardio-inversion worked first time!

It's the Lord's Day here, so I'll have a friend pick him up from hospital soon, and we'll be off to Church soon, tired as we are. How can we not give God glory?

I found I was more anxious this time- it all seemed too normal, so unemotional, so clinical, and then my eldest woke up, and again so unemotionally we had a talk, would she still love Jesus if He decided to keep Daddy and not let him come home as we hoped. Thankfully she got some sleep in our bed after a short while. I've had an extra 1 1/2 hours sleep, but still feel odd and crampy in the stomache. I'm fine in emergency situations, but generally feel ill later, even though I'm relieved and happy.

It helps to write how I feel, I hope you don't think me strange that I feel so unemotional right now. Coming into the Christmas season is usually a very emotional and joyous time for me, firstly remembering the miracle of The Incarnation, The first advent of Christ, and the fact that all of our children were born in December, with Zara soon after in January. I get very emotional remembering their births, and how I nearly died after having Zara, and yet the Lord brought me safely through the arrival of the boys nearly a year ago.

Sorry for raving on so, I feel better now. I'm going to play some hymns while the children are still sleeping and ready myself and them for Church. My miracle man will have another good testimony today!

Thankyou for praying.

Prayers Needed Again

2009-11-29T03:07:00.002+10:00

It's 3am and yet again I'm requesting prayers for my dear husband, whose heart has gone into rapid AF for the third time in just over a month. Please pray the usual as per the last few blog entries.

I never intended my blog to become a list a prayer requests- don't get me wrong great things are happening in our lives, we've just a had a busy month- too busy to blog much- but this is a great concern to me that this has happened 3 times in just over a month for no apparent reason. It's a test of my faith, and I'm starting to wonder if it's time for Max to be on medication for his condition, or, dare I say it, if this the beginning of the end...

I covet your prayers this night wherever on the globe you live. My 7 year old daughter woke as max was led out to the ambulance, so no doubt will spend the rest of the night in our bed- will keep you posted.

Thank you Jesus for Your Peace

All Is Well

2009-11-07T07:18:00.002+10:00

Well, they had a good team of Doctors on at the hospital, who didn't muck around with Max's heart condition. He was cardio-inverted pretty much straight away- fixed him first zap!- and I spoke to him in the ER over the phone just under 2 hours after it happened. He's resting now,awaiting discharge.

Thank the Lord for HIs mercy and Grace- YET AGAIN!!- and thankyou for praying.

If you've never read any of my posts about Max's heart conditions: He has tricuspet artesia, pulmonary stenosis and transposition of the great vessells. He has NEVER had heart surgery, takes no medication at this point except for 1/2 an aspirin per day and fish oil capsules, and for the last nearly 8 years has had several episodes a year of rapid AF attacks, the only treatment being for him cardio-inversions, as medications such as amiodorone alone won't put him back in normal rhythm. There's a good chance he is the oldest living person on Earth with these conditions. He horrifies his doctors by visiting developing countries to preach, ends up in hospitals, and lives to tell the tale, bringing much glory to the Lord Jesus Christ, whom we praise for each extra day we have with our walking miracle!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!!!!

2009-11-07T05:39:00.002+10:00

Please pray for Max, again! Just 9 days ago I sent my hubby off in the ambulance with a life threatening AF situation ( due to his 3 rare heart defects), and now he is on the way to hospital by ambulance again. Please lift him up before The Lord Jesus in prayer. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED THIS CLOSE TOGETHER BEFORE! W hatever the cause, please pray... Will let you know more in a couple of hours.

Thankyou
Claire

JESUS IS LORD

Life and Light Bookshop

2009-10-30T20:10:00.004+10:00

For those who live in South East Queensland, I would like to recommend a new-to-us Christian bookstore.

Life and Light Bookshop is situated at 4 Tin Can Bay Road, Gympie, Queensland. I discovered them online http://www.australianchristianbrotherhood.org/ while searching for Rod and Staff products online, in particularly the Little Jewel books, which came highly recommended from some homeschooling families in the U.S.

To my knowledge, this is the only supplier for these products in Australia. They are printed by the Anabaptists in America.

We ordered 4 books online Wednesday morning, to see if we liked them, and they didn't dissappoint- arriving in our mailbox, today to much excitement from our girls. We'll definately be ordering more product from them in the future. Why not visit their website for a look? Click on bookstore. Their free Christian magazines are good reading too.

I am always happy to recommend Christian businesses or ministries that operate with integrity.

Praise The Lord!

2009-10-30T07:07:00.002+10:00

Yes, my hubby has survived his 30th cardio-inversion! I spoke to him by phone about 4.30am. ER was fairly quiet and he was treated straight away. He should be coming home by taxi soon. Thankyou for your prayers. I got bits of sweet sleep between the babies waking. ( Hubby went into AF on his baby night shift-LOL!) The children are sleeping, the sun is shining. My heart is thankful and bursting with praise to The Lord of Heaven and Earth!!!!

Max's 30th Cardio-inversion.

2009-10-30T02:20:00.002+10:00

It's 2.20 am here. Would you please pray for my dear husband Max, who is currently heading for the hospital by ambulance for what will be his 30th cardio-inversion. We have God's peace with us, but are fully aware of the risks, and therefore covet your prayers.

P ray that God will graciously bring him through again. Will let you know how it goes.

Thankyou ,Claire

Moments,,,

2009-10-22T06:23:00.002+10:00

Life is made up of moments...

Am I hungrily savouring the simple beauty in each and every one of them? OR are they being lost and WASTED under the stress of the tryanny of the urgent?

There is beauty in EVERY moment! I want my HEART to learn to capture it! I want the heart of a CHILD like my own children who not only see the raindrop on the leaf, but see the extreme , transient beauty of it, and CELEBRATE it, as a gift from the Saviour, The Creator... before discovering the next one!

We don't need manufactured excitement in our lives, what some call drudgery is really service to the KING OF KINGS!!! I want to revel in this more and more...even when I'm scraping poop off a nappy. To live life with the same joy and hunger my children have... not wasting my moments with stress and distraction.... LIVING IN THE MOMENT... not wishing myself out of it!

EVERY moment we are making a memory for our children... are we singing hymns and rejoicing as we work or sighing and grumbling about the work they make, instead of the joy they are in just being? (GULP!!!!) I am over 40 now, and have discovered that the more children you have, the faster childhood and MOMENTS go, even when you homeschool, and create an atmosphere where childhood is cherished and not programmed by the dictates of popular culture.

I often wish I could freeze frame my childrens' faces in my mind's eye, but if they could do the same with me, would they remember a happy rejoicing Mama, or a grumpy one mostly- maybe I'm not game to ask ... yet...

There is to be no division between the secular and sacred in our Christian walk. I pray my children will notice that I seek to glorify the Lord moment by moment, and that they will grow desiring the same... Some days I think I learn more from them, than they do from me!

When my children and others look me in the eyes, I pray they will see a whole person, not fractured by care or worry or stress, sparkling with the joy of the Lord, as I live out the rest of my life savouring and celebrating the moments!

Vintage Pyrex, Vintage Books and Family Fun

2009-10-04T17:57:00.003+10:00

What a great couple of weeks we've had. We've just come to the end of 2 weeks school holidays- back to homeschool tomorrow- and we've been spending some of the holidays bargain hunting! FUN! FUN! FUN!

Apart from church and family visits, and occasionally a Christian Playgroup, I don't get out of the house much, so these family days were relished. On Wednesday, we drove from our hilltop home out to the coast for our semi-regular visits to our Koorong Christian bookstore. I was thrilled when Zara found a double Donut Man DVD set we didn't have. They are a refreshing option to many of the much more commercial stuff available for kids these days.

We also visited 2 of the huge Lifeline Secondhand Warehouses at the coast, where my darling hubby found me some vintage pyrex!!! I decided last year to start collecting this to use so that eventually we can eliminate the plastic we have in our kitchen. He found me a large casserole dish with a glass lid, in the English pattern pictured above, and a lovely smaller glass baking dish with a lid in clear glass with a slight green tinge to it. I've saved a website called "Pyrex Love" which helps identify most of the common patterns. I really love some of the pastel aquas and pinks from the 50's and 60's, as well as some of the yellow and olive green designs from the 60's and 70s. We just happen to have an olive green and yellow retro kitchen in our current rental which I love. I never collect things just for the sake of having them, I'm hoping to track down pyrex in different sizes for reheating leftovers and baby food, and food storage in general. The more I find out about the toxins in plastic, the keener I am to find alternatives. This is a fun, cheap way to do so.

We also got some great 2ndhand clothes for our boys who are now 10 months, and enormous! My hubby found some lovely pants and collared shirts for them, as well as a lovely handknit cardigan- I love traditional children's c;othes! It's even better when they're as cheap as chips! I'm blessed to have a hubby who loves to bargain hunt.

We scored some more vintage children's books, and I managed to find a few more classics off my list- Pollyanna, Coral Island by R.M. Ballantyne, and My Side of the Mountain. I also found The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith, and an A W Tozer classic- all for next to nothing.

The best part of the day however, was just going out together as a family, having wellbehaved children, and babies that travelled particularly well that day. A day we all enjoyed. I don't mind that fact that I don't get out of the house much as a homeschool mum, but it makes the times I do more appreciated and really exciting. We are truly blessed.

Vintage Housewives and the Turning of Time

2009-09-14T06:29:00.008+10:00

Do you ever feel like you were born in the wrong era? I do from time to time, but I also have complete confidence in the same God of The Bible, who said to Queen Esther, "...who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

In this day and age where sin is blatant, as well as rampant , and culture has become ugly and dumbed down with it, God needs people like us to bring a change where we are and to beautify the corners we live in.

This may sound trite to some, when millions of poor children are starving overseas- a fact NOT ignored in our home- but the point I'd like to make is this : THERE IS NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN, and if you enjoy studying history, you will see this and realize that things usually go in cycles- it did with the children of Israel in The Old testament, and still does today.

Here is an example of what I mean by cycles. This chart is taken from the book "Boomers, Xers and Other Strangers" by Dr Rick and Kathy Hicks and is recommended by Focus on the Family.

"History shows that the average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations passed through 10 stages:

-From bondage to spiritual faith

-From spiritual faith to great courage

-From great courage to liberty

-From liberty to abundance

-From abundance to selfishness

-From selfishness to complacency

-From complacency to apathy

-From apathy to moral decay

-From moral decay to dependence

-From dependence back to bondage.

Take a look at that list...Those who were not raised with traditional moral standards, and who question whether there are any absolute truths to live by (as we will see is true of the younger generations today), may not think we are as far along in the process as members of our older generations would. But if there is any truth to this theory, our future could be in jeopardy."

The world at large is showing in places that it LONGS for a change back to the "good-ole-days". I found an article on the internet about "Time Warp Housewives"- women so dismayed by our modern culture, that they CHOOSE to "live" in the past. Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1042702/Time-Warp-Wives-Meet-women-really-live-past.html

I found it an interesting read. I noticed a couple of interesting things. Firstly 2 out of 3 of the featured women were in a traditional marriage (positive statistics for these times). Also, sadly, None had children. One said that she didn't want to bring any into the world because of the violence etc. I don't deny we live in perilous times, but this is where our faith kicks in and holds us strong. Children are a gift from God, and we firmly believe that if we raise them right, God will use the next generation to change the world, as they serve Him.

Being a bit of a vintage Mama, myself, though not as extreme as the ladies in the linked article, I was amazed at how much vintage stuff and blogs came up on google- some were Christian, some not. The desire for simpler times seems to be universal. My hubby had the morning news program on the other week, and it was said that 50's bathing suits are coming back into vogue, as people are getting sick of showing so much skin, and want to be prettier.

Yes, it's the year 2009- not 1949- but I'm very happy to be raising our children with some of the best resources the past has to offer. The morals were better and more in line with our Judeo-Christian ethics, and the reading material and music was not dumbed down as much as it is today- What a sharp decline has taken place in our manners and general culture in the last 40 years. My husband, who was born in 1964 often says that in the Australian Censes that year, 84% of Australians claimed to be Christian, now sadly it's 6%!

Things are changing. Austalian News Show 60Minutes recently did a program on "Housewife Superstars", showing amazement over the number of 20 and 30 somethings, who choose to stay home and look after hubby and children, while he brings home the bacon. Change is in the air. Feminism is finally being seen in its true warped colours.

While serving Jesus remains my number 1 priority, I enjoy "Being vintage": doing things the old-fashioned way, so that our children know that the best things don't come from a drive-through, baking cakes and cookies, hanging out the laundry when it's fine, using cloth nappies and glass baby bottles, wearing dresses or skirts most of the time like my Grandmothers did, learning to crochet again, reading vintage books with our children,collecting and wearing vintage aprons, using our teapot and cups and saucers, eating off my Grandmothers china, listening to our hymns, classical and other oldtime music, watching old, old movies, and collecting vintage TV shows on DVD for clean family viewing( We have most of the" Little House on the Prairie" episodes and I'm thinking of hunting down some "Andy Griffith" "Donna Reed" and "Father Knows Best".) A much better investment than pay TV don't you think?

It's time for revival... We can't really go back to The Good Ole Days, God needs to change the hearts of men. Change is in the air... Let's pray...and see our nation turn.

The World of Baby Boys

2009-08-31T06:41:00.003+10:00

We are delighting in our baby boys day by day watching them grow and learn, despite me having to pack all the girls' homeschool stuff into plastic tubs, after some paper work was joyfully torn and nearly eaten! They are getting into everything- crawling fast, pulling themselves up, and even attempting to take tiny steps, while holding onto things, and they're not quite 10 months yet...

We are just as committed in raising our little princes to walk in godliness, as we are with our little girls, and maintaining a happy, old-fashioned home in which to do so. I've been inspired afresh with my Christian parenting, imperfect as it is, through Mrs June Fuentes latest series on her blog- A Wise Woman Builds her House- The link is on my sidebar, and also a few articles back.

I've been meditating lately on this scripture with regard to all our children: Psalm 144:12 "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similtude of a palace;" I'd read this many times before with regard to our daughters, but not since having our sons. Grown up in their youth, refers to the age of 12 upwards having a maturity in their lives and outlook. We do not want our sons to become rebellious video-game playing Peter Pans in their youth who never want to grow up and take responsibility! We want them to become noble, strong youth, Like Daniel and his 3 friends in the Bible, who were so different from those around them. We want to instill such a love for the Scriptures that men such as these become their heroes and Not Superman, Spiderman etc- We don't do superheroes at our house!- this is not meant to condemn any one else who does, but we have to lead our little family in the way God directs for us :-)

Has anyone else noticed how hard it is to find nice traditional boyswear in the shops? We don't embrace the current trend to dress even babies as rock stars-YUCK! Let our children be children, I say! If anyone knows of any Aussie stores or online stores that stock nice traditional boyswear that doesn't cost the earth, please let me know! I'm still new to the world of little boys, you know! It's so easy to find beautiful dresses for girls at thrift stores, but so hard to find nice things for boys...

Books for boys have also been in my thoughts lately. We have heaps of vintage Little Golden books that have boy stories in, as do our old Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories, but what of Good classics for when they're older? Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson, I believe we have, I'm keeping an eye out for originals by R.M. Ballantyne- I believe my Dad may have some of these-, and we have heaps of Christian bios of such heroes as Spurgeon, Bunyan, George Muller and the like, but I'm open to suggestions for other good classics for boys. We try to buy our books original and unabridged, and good morals are always a must- ideas please????

I'm so excited about raising boys!

This Is The Life I Love...

2009-08-03T06:31:00.003+10:00

- Early morning... the sun is rising... I gaze out through our dining room window and glass sunroom beyond, over the green hills and valleys, all the way to the few white skyscrapers that say "the Beach" and the vast Pacific Ocean beyond... the sun becomes a huge red beautiful ball... very soon I have to close the curtains else the winter sun will make the room too bright for our babes...

- The noise of the kettle... the promise of a nice hot milky coffee ... my fuel for the day...

- The sound of the computer warming up... the feel of leather as my Bible is opened, leaves gently turning... the best food for spirit and soul... Prayer... communing with the One who made us and died for us..

- The smiles and cuddles from our little men as they wake melt my heart... No matter what sort of night we've had with them, I remember how God's mercies are new EVERY MORNING towards us, and their sweet smiles never fail to confirm this truth to my heart...

-The sharp, scent of our homegrown herbs, as I cut them for my hubby's omelette... The aroma is all the richer, knowing they are from our garden...

- The hymns and Christian media that bless our family during the day helping keep our focus on Jesus...

- The cuddles and giggles as our girls get up... The joy of hearing them read to me daily... Trying to be intentional with them throughout our busy day... the priveledge of homeschooling and all it encompasses...

-The beauty of glass... the glass bottles that feed our babies... the glass of flowers from our garden on the table... the glass of herbs on the bench...

- the fresh scent and soft sensation of clean cloth nappies to wrap our babies bottoms in... baby feet to kiss at nappy change time...or any time...

- the birds that sing... the colours of the day and seasons as they change here around our hilltop home... we feel closer to Heaven here...

-the rich, beautiful sunsets... peaceful dusk...the beauty of quiet night after a busy day...

This is the life I love...

From Generation to Generation

2009-07-22T11:21:00.003+10:00

I've been thinking much about our forebears again lately and how much we owe them. I've just received this years invitation from my Auntie Fay to this year's Family Reunion, and it never fails to send my thoughts back into time, and in the present wonder "Who will be missing this year?"... I was searching my archives to check what I've already posted on my family history, and felt to repost this one from a couple of years ago. If you've never read it before I pray you'll be blessed...

From Generation to Generation: I've often looked at photos of those in my family who've run their race already and have gone on to be with the Lord. Some I've been privileged to know & love, others I must be content to know through the family stories passed down, knowing I'll see them in Heaven one day.
As you may have guessed, passing on our Christian Family Heritage is very important in our house. It's an important part of the Word of God too. The Bible is always exhorting us to think beyond ourselves, to think multi-generationally- from generation to generation & to learn lessons from the Patriarchs, both biblically & in our own families too. Psalm 145 shows the greatness & glory of our God & His goodness to us. How important it is for us to not only remember this, but to speak forth & sing His praises daily & pass this on to the next generation.
Our relationship with God & our love for His holy Word needs to be in our hearts & on our lips 24-7, not just at Church or mid-week Bible Study. We need to look for every opportunity to impart this to our children:
DEUT. 6:7 "And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down & when thou risest up." We need to constantly re-evaluate how we spend our time with our children. Are we actively sharing Jesus & God's ways with them, or are we teaching them the ways of the world?
I know when I find myself starting to feel discontent & gloomy over the dirty dishes waiting to be washed, or the nappies in the nappy bucket- it helps me to think back in time to my Great-grandmother, Henrietta, who lived on a farm, near Toowoomba, in Queensland, Australia. She was a wonderful, Christian woman; I've been told, of the Lutheran faith. She reared 8 children (all close together)- Hey! And I've only got 2. Imagine HER nappy pile- and she didn't have a washing machine! Would she have gotten bluesy from time to time? I imagine she would have, and do you know what else I imagine? I imagine her counting her blessings, praising the Lord, looking out the window across the rich soil of the Darling Downs & yet seeing beyond that to the glories of Heaven still to come" Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Sing for the night is o'er Hosanna in the highest Hosanna for Evermore."
I imagine her sons pitching in on the farm & her girls helping her around the house-all learning a good work ethic & the tradition of having the Word of God read at mealtimes. This so inspires me-You know why? It's the same God who saved me!! HEB. 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."
Sometimes I feel I have a lot to live up to when I study my heritage. I have always, since my younger days in the faith, loved the writings of John Bunyan- especially The Pilgrims Progress. When my Dad's Father passed away, it was revealed to me that through him we were direct descendants of John Bunyan, I was floored! I hope if ever I am persecuted for my faith, that I handle myself with the same strength & dignity that he had. We have collected some of his writings & will be reading them to our girls as they get older.
One of my Aunties has written a book ("One Way Ticket" by Fay Bradford) on my father's side of the family, who emigrated from Schleswig-Holstein & pioneered 2 townships in Queensland, Australia. I think of the quiet faith & fortitude the women in particular must have had to leave a cultured, middle-class life in Germany, travel by sea & become a pioneer in the Queensland bush. I am fascinated by stories told of my Great-great-grandmother Catherine (pronounced Cat-ar-ina). She married a widower with 6 children & then they had another 4 of their own. Here is a quote about her from my Auntie's book, spoken by one of Catherine's step-sons, shortly before he died, "… but I do remember every day & night of our mother (meaning his step-mother), & her love for us though so many & her love & work for everyone in the district, day & night. The sick & the well, she was ever ready to comfort & befriend. The babies she brought into the world, the eyes she closed for the dying, the trials & tribulations she suffered through the years, all made her our lovely Mother, & I'm sure she would be pleased to know you are here with me doing the same good work."
What an example of a Titus 2 woman-how this Quote makes me grieve over my short-comings & hunger for more of the fruit of the Spirit in my own life. We can learn so much looking back, that can help us gain strength to go forward. Even if we feel we have no Christian Family Heritage, we can still learn from some of the "sad & sorry" characters in our family, not to follow in that way. Just think-our Lord Jesus had Rahab- a former prostitute in His family line. History becomes a wealth of lessons for us when we know the Lord.
I love to teach our children the great hymns of our forefathers. The words are so rich in Bible truths- for they also worshipped the same God. I also love reading the King James Bible. I'm reading the same version my Grandfather grew up on & read every night & I love to think of all the great revivals that came from that wonderful version. Gaining wisdom from the "old paths" JER.6: 16, helps me to grow in Jesus who is alive in me today.it is my hearts desire that our 2 daughters also grow up to know the Lord & walk in grace & truth as we study God's Word & learn from our heritage together.
Labels: family, generations, godly living, heritage, Teaching children
posted by Father's Grace Ministries at 10:40 AM 0 comments

PS Of course you all know, we now have 4 children! With twins my nappy washing pile is ginormous (Is that a word?) But I can't complain, one of my Greatgrandmothers had 8 children, another had 17, and no they were not Catholic! I'm very blessed. I need to remember these brave, faithful women next time I feel like whining!!

Lessons from "A Wise Woman"

2009-07-21T20:19:00.003+10:00

I've really been getting a lot out of Mrs June Fuentes Christian Motherhood series. You should really check out her beautiful blog. When things aren't really "working" in my day to day life, when the children and I are grumpy, it's usually me doing something wrong, setting the spiritual barometer completely wrong for the day. Her wise words not only encourage me, but give me a gentle rebuke when needed, which is quite often, if the truth be told!

Please check out her blog at http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/ I highly recommend it!

Poppy's Cooking Class

2009-07-02T13:53:00.002+10:00

Here is Talitha and her beloved Poppy, after cooking up a storm together one Sunday afternoon. Together, they've produced pizza, chocolates, biscuits and cakes- I always wonder who's enjoying themselves the most- Talitha or my darling Dad!

Six Months Old

2009-07-02T12:56:00.003+10:00

I just love these shots my Mum took of our dear little Princes! Zachary is in the blue and red, and Christopher in the cream and brown. They have 2 teeth each, are enjoying their solids, and are rolling in our living room. They could take off crawling any day now. I'm doing LOTS of house cleaning and baby proofing these school holidays!

Every 5 Year Old Girl Needs a Bike!

2009-07-01T16:10:00.004+10:00

Just like her big sister before her, Zara Hope received a bike for her birthday in January.

Zachary Elijah at 3 months

2009-07-01T15:42:00.004+10:00

Christopher Haddon at 3 months

2009-07-01T15:02:00.003+10:00

I Couldn't Resist Posting This One!

2009-07-01T13:56:00.002+10:00

I couldn't resist posting this one! My parents have recently given me a whole disc of photos that they have taken since Christmas last year, so I'll be sharing some more as time allows.

Here is our" little Mama", Talitha tending our dear little twinnies on our bed on Christmas Day. They've grown a LOT since then! I'm hoping to use this disc to give you all an update on our precious growing family!

So stay tuned...

Little Miss Enterprise

2009-06-25T07:03:00.004+10:00

Zara, aged 5, has been very interested in learning about money lately- how to count our Australian coins, how many you need to buy certain catalogue items like food and clothes... So for her math in homeschool, we've been counting coins and looking at catalogues, while Talitha does her workbook activity.

Both of our girls get a small amount of pocket money, which they have to save in their money boxes, and at the end of the year we give them a designated amount- like $20, that they can spend on something they want, that we approve of. Last year, Zara spent all her $20 at once on the "Andre Reieu Live in Australia" DVD- good taste eh?- She definately went for quality over quantity!

Talitha on the other hand wanted to get as much as she could for her dollars, and bought a vintage Little Golden book, an historic sticker book and a cheap pair of shoes- both girls were commended for they really thought about their purchases.

Of course, leaning about money is a great opportunity to teach that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil, and how to save and spend wisely AND how catalogues are designed to make you WANT things... good life lessons.

The girls have been helping hubby clean up downstairs for a garage sale (US- Yard sale!) Wanting to earn a few dollars themselves, the girls started doing some "very intersting" things outside. Inspired by the Amish Rachel Yoder books we're reading, Talitha started painting rocks to sell- unfortunately she used waterpaints, so they weren't exactly Amish masterpieces.

Zara cracked me up big time announcing she was going to sell "her Moss". Having heard Daddy saying how good moss was for the garden, she took it upon herself to start tearing it down and putting it in a box to sell, figuring if it was good for OUR garden, people would spend good money to put it in Theirs!

I was hiding doubled up in the pantry, while she explained that one to her Daddy. I think Poppy will be very proud of her enterprising nature!- That's my laugh for the week!

What Do You Cook Your Hard-working Husband For Breakfast?

2009-06-20T13:12:00.003+10:00

When your hardworking husband rises in the morning, and says, "What's for breakfast, Darling?", how do you reply?

Do you point to the pantry, smile and say, " There's cereal in there. Help yourself, honey!", or do you really honour him by cooking him a breakfast you know he loves?

My husband nearly always orders a ham, cheese and herb omelete (Occasionally bacon and eggs), a cup of "Ecco" ( he can't have coffee anymore), 1/2 an aspirin ( for his heart), a glass of water, and freshly squeezed orange juice, when we have oranges available. He also likes his toast with various toppings to choose from.

What do you cook YOUR man for breakfast?

By the way, can you guess, I'm eagerly bucking that nasty trend called FEMINISM.

My Reaction to Queensland's Doom and Gloom Budget was...

2009-06-16T20:58:00.004+10:00

My Reaction to the news coverage of Queensland's Doom and Gloom State budget was to thank the Good Lord for our free water, herbs, and the fruit and veges to come, glory in the happy, healthy, smiling faces of our four children, turn off the TV, put on my Smoky Mountain Hymns DVD, and do a happy dance! :-)

I think I'll relax with a Tasha Tudor book tonight and choose joy...

I Think They've Gone Too Far

2009-06-10T20:28:00.005+10:00

I always look forward to getting the book and media catalogues from our Christian Book Store, Koorong in the mail. I think it's great that there are so many avenues God uses to get His Word out there, indeed I long for the day when more of these products will be found in the mainstream stores and not just the Christian ones. Now, don't get me wrong here, I have nothing against Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber as such- the same goes for Max Lucado's Hermie and Friends. They provide clean, moral entertainment for Christian children, with a child level faith message from the Bible (Though I feel compelled to add that these entertainments should never be relied upon to teach the gospel or the Bible accurately, and they Should never take the place of plain, old-fashioned family devotions). But I believe that products such as The Veggietales Bible and The Hermie Bible go too far.
The Holy Bible is SACRED. It is to be esteemed above ALL OTHER BOOKS, and should never be filled with cartoon type characters to make it more relevant or appealing to children. It is timeless- it transcends age or time. It is as relevant to a child as it is to the elderly. If YOU love and read the Bible AND READ IT TO YOUR CHILDREN, then they will come to love it too. We only use the King James Version in our home and Church, and our children have no trouble with it. They get used to the language very quickly. We Do use Bible Story Books with reverent pictures in them, but explain the difference between Stories and The Bible itself.

I guess I hoped on my soapbox a bit, but I really think they've gone TOO far. What do you think?

Sky Angel Cowboy, Logan

2009-05-25T21:00:00.003+10:00

I really hope this video blesses you as it did our family. The simple faith of this 13 year old boy is outstanding. It's interesting that the closer you live to nature, the more God can convey the deepest truths to you, through everyday situations. We pray that our boys will have the same strong faith. Be sure to turn off Old Fashioned Christian Radio on the left of the screen, so you can hear the video clearly.

Prayers Answered!!

2009-05-10T02:12:00.002+10:00

Thankyou for praying. Finally managed to get through by phone to the hospital. He's been cardio-inverted and is recovering. I'm So thankful for God's continued grace and mercy. It's after 2am here- I'd better get some sleep. God bless you, Oh and happy Mother's Day!
Claire

Urgent Prayer Request.

2009-05-10T00:34:00.002+10:00

Please pray if you are awake and happen to see this. My husband Max has just left in the ambulance to go to the hospital for what will be his 29th cardio-inversion. This is his first one he's had since he nearly died in Vanuatu on Feb 4th.

Please pray for competency in the medical team at the hospital, which would have just changed shift, and for God's hand of mercy and protection to be upon him.

Thankyou
Claire

If you want to know more about his very rare conditions, try putting" heart' into the search blog box at the top of the page, as I've posted a few times on this.

Talitha's Birth Name Poem

2009-05-08T22:15:00.003+10:00

TALITHA

Fourteen days before Christmas Talitha Chloe was born-

Her mother Claire was resting, with a smile for one and all.

This Gift of Life was welcome,- GOD had heard her call!

Her father had a dazed look, as only fathers can.

He wondered what to do next. Has he got a plan?

The family was parading before this new born Queen.

They didn't come on camels, to arrive upon the scene.

But joyously they came there, in cars that looked so swell,

To pledge their love to Talitha, and Mum and Dad as well.

Zara Hope's Birth Name Poem

2009-05-08T22:03:00.003+10:00

Zara

It was the fifth day of January-2004.

There was Zara Hope arriving- on the floor

Her mother Claire was quite surprised

She rested for a while.

Father Max raced round and round-

He couldn't hide his smile.

All the family came to see- this treasure

oh so bright.

They all said "She looks great to me,

but is her mother right."

Claire's strength is in her heart,

and the LORD shall lead the way.

Pain and suffering amount to nought,

now that Zara's here to stay.

The Twins Birth Name Poem

2009-05-08T21:30:00.003+10:00

I think I must have the best Dad in the world- he's not bad at poetry either! My darling Dad has written a birth name poem for each of our children. We frame them and hang them in our children's rooms, and they are greatly treasured items in our family. Names are very significant to us. Here is the twins' poem:

Zachary and Christopher

They came at once as babies do.

First there was one then there were two.

Zachary and Christopher at last were here.

Claire could rest- and shed a tear.

Max's smile was quite broad,

As he moved around the ward.

Talitha and Zara waited with Grandmother,

And Poppy lay down and tried to recover.

Claire's prayers were answered at last- two boys.

May their lives be filled with ample joys.

Thrifted Literary Treasures

2009-05-06T21:22:00.003+10:00

My wonderful, bargain-seeking husband blessed us abundantly last weekend when he happened upon a garage-sale in the same town we live in. Knowing how much I'm inspired by the art and brave lifestyle of the late Tasha Tudor, he snapped up "Springs of Joy". I have 2 of her books now!

For those who aren't familar with illustrator Tasha Tudor, who passed away last year in her nineties, she was as widely known for her beautiful gardens, afternoon teas, and living her desire to dwell in the 1830s, and to bring her children up in an innocent non-commercial world, as she was for her beautiful watercolour illustrations. She truly followed her dreams and lived a life consistant with Phillipians 4:8. She still inspires me. Hers was the real world- not the techno-overladen society that surrounds us today. I'm convinced we can all learn from Tasha- not that we all have to live in the 1830s- but that we can make our homes havens of joy and peace, dance to the beat of our own drum and not the commercial world's, and give our children something far better.

After that little digression, hubby also bought "The Fairy Caravan" by Beatrix Potter- I LOVE Beatrix Potter! and The Buttercup Story Book by Enid Blyton- beautiful treasures to capture our children's imaginations. He also purchased some Dr Suess books just for fun and a few others that Talitha loved. I can't wait to find some time and a cosy nook to read some myself!

Visiting Places in Song- A Just for Fun Post!

2009-05-05T21:30:00.002+10:00

It just occurred to me lately , how many songs have been written celebrating different places on this Earth in song. Now we mainly listen to Christian music in our house, apart from a community station for elderly folk which plays stuff mainly from the 30's to the 70's, which we enjoy listening to in the car, so my listening scope is probably pretty limited!

Here's where you come in. I'm going to list as many place name songs I can think of, and then I invite you to comment and add to my list if you so desire, and also I thought it would be fun to know where you're from, and how you found my little blog.

I have some song titles swirling through my head now. I'm wondering if there will turn out to be more songs written about Paris or New York, or maybe somewhere else in the world... Now, let's see:

- I Still Call Australia Home

- Tenterfield Saddler

-Advance Australia Fair

- I've been Everywhere , man!

- Botany Bay

- Rocky Mountain High

-Country Road

- Kentucky Rain

- Georgia on My Mind

-Going To Graceland...

- O Susanna!

-Mississppi Girl

- Carolina in the Morning

- Way Down Yonder in New Orleans

-I left My heart in San Franscisco

- San Franscisco

-New York, New York (x2)

-NYC

-Springtime in the Rockies

-The White Cliffs of Dover

- Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner

- I Love Paris in the Springtime

- The Last Time I saw Paris

- Loch Lomand

-Scotland the Brave

- The Girl From Ipanema

-Blue Moon of Kentucky

- Blue Hawaii

- Moonlight in Vermont

- Moscow, Moscow

- California Here I Come!

- The Yellow Rose of Texas

- Deep in the Heart of Texas

OK, I'm all out of ideas! Now it's up to you to help me.

NB. If you're new to my blog and have just happened along, I just ask that you keep your song choices family-friendly please :)

Happy singing and typing!

Music To My Ears

2009-04-24T20:25:00.002+10:00

It was the end of a particularly long day. It was a day of many unavoidable interruptions, people dropping in (all important stuff), and the girls had done a pretty good job continuing their homeschool throughout background noise and "Twin Breaks".

We got through the schoolday all pretty exhausted, with a few small things undone, and I let the girls go for a run outside, while I tended the babies.

Finally come night I was preparing dinner ( a couple of hours late), and I was delighted to see Talitha at the table unasked finishing off her colouring page from school, with Zara beside her- not fighting or arguing :-) but copying out of a book, practising her letters for fun, no pressure, no nothing...

And then... they began singing together... tunefully... O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing- our current weekly homeschool hymn- It was beautiful... Music to my Ears and soul... I silently praised the Lord in my heart as I worked... Harmony... Togetherness... Loving the Lord... Loving each other... working diligently... The "bad" days faded from view- This is why we homeschool...

Delight in the Creation, Worship our Maker

2009-04-20T21:02:00.002+10:00

This simple poem was given to us by friends this Easter season. It is good to remember all year round. May we with the simple faith of a child, delight in the real things of this world- not the hurry and flurry of materialism and consumerism- but the real things- the joys of Creation, and may each thought draw us closer to the Creator, who loved us enough to die in our place for our sins...

Lord, You have risen forever

In my heart!

May the sunrise

Remind me to shine in Your light.

May the caress of a gentle breeze

Remind me of your compassion.

May the fragrance of a flower

Remind me to blossom in Your love.

May the singing of birds

Bring a song of joy to my lips.

And in the closing of each day

May I remember to quietly pray.

Wherever I am, whatever I do

May my thoughts in joy return to you!

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross...

2009-04-10T16:10:00.004+10:00

When I survey the wondrous Cross

On which the Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord. that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ, my God:

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingled down:

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were an offering far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all.

By Isaac Watts, 1674-1748

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/mid/r/o/c/rockingham_miller.mid

The above link will play the tune for you, if you are not already familiar with it!

Happy Happenings at The Roberts Home

2009-04-03T15:34:00.004+10:00

Here are some of the things that have brought smiles lately:

- Zara aged 5 making her first ever proper sandwich from scratch with the "homemade" tomato she picked from the garden herself.

-Zara beginning to read and her mighty efforts in learning her times tables.

-Talitha is loving reading aloud, and to practice she is reading a bit from The King James Bible daily. I nearly burst myself with laughter, while she was reading one of the accounts of The Christmas Story and poor Mary ended up being EXPOSED to Joseph instead of ESPOUSED! (Isn't she beautiful?)

-Hubby dear has been collecting as many of the Little House on the Prairie DVDs as he can get his hands on. We are really enjoying laughing and crying over these as a family. I remember growing up with this show. I've also read aloud Little House in the Big Woods to the girls.

- The Twins bring many smiles just by being cute. They are the first thumb-suckers I've had, and I think they're going to like "blankies" like Zara. One of them-Zachary, I think- brought smiles recently by making tuneful baby noises on my lap during hymn singing time with the girls.

We feel truly blessed!

A Simply Beautiful Read-a-Loud

2009-03-31T20:16:00.002+10:00

Anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time, must know how much we love books around here. As well as moral classics , Bible stories and vintage children's books, we are always on the lookout for picture books that are edifying and that little bit special.

This one was a blessing... Talitha and I had already found and read "Great Joy" at one of our council libraries, and it had become one of "the desires of our hearts"- you know, the sort of thing you don't exactly pray for, as it seems too flippant; but the sort of thing you say, "Lord I'd really love one of those...", and leave it at that.

Well, once again, The Good Lord answered the desires of our hearts. We paid a visit to a lovely Christian elderly couple, who used to be our neighbours in our first marital home. We moved just before Zara turned 2. It was wonderful to be welcomed as if we'd never been away, and they delighted over the twins. The girls were invited to peruse a pile of children's books in the library, which were going to be disposed of and invited to take what they desired. Guess what was in the pile... "Great Joy"!!!

This will become a seasonal favourite for us. Set at Christmas time in 1940's New York, it tells of a little girl's compassion towards a homeless elderly man, who entertained on the streets. The illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend you check out "Great Joy" by Kate Dicamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. It is truly special and will bless you no matter what time of the year you choose to read it.

Brothers

2009-03-17T20:13:00.004+10:00

Isn't this sweet! I love watching our dear little Sons as they lie sleeping. It is so endearing how they snuggle into each other. I often call them Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. They are so yummy.

Their favourite lullaby (the one that works the best) is the children's hymn "Fairest Lord Jesus". It usually gets them to sleep very quickly, and what precious words to sing into their dear little souls. As well as a normal musical diet of hymns and classical music, the twins are rather partial to Donut Man songs and they just love The Gaither Vocal Band Homecoming tour to Australia!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T19:29:00.004+10:00

Well, I can only lay claim to one Irish lass in my family tree (We're mainly English and German), but since hubby has a bit more Irish blood than I do, that definately makes our children of at least part Irish descent, and what a good excuse to make Saint Patrick's Day another memory making learning time for homeschool.

Today, we all searched our wardrobes for something green to wear, and started our school devotions talking about the doctrine of the Trinity and the life of Saint Patrick, who was responsible for converting the whole of Ireland to Christianity. The amazing story of his kidnapping as a child shows God's hand of sovereignty over that part of the world, as well as over Patrick's own life. It's amazing to note too, that it was a missionary from Ireland not long after who God sent to evangelize Scotland!

We watched the docu-drama "Patrick" (available at Koorong) narrated by Liam Neeson. It is meant to be very factual and authentic; and just for fun also watched the old black and white movie "Little Nelly Kelly" with Judy Garland playing both mother and daughter- really sweet and funny.

We don't do a lot of craft, but today made green Celtic Style crosses- the girls did a great job!

Dinner was something the girls will remember for sometime to come: GREEN Shepherd's Pie (The cheese was hidden in the middle) and green jelly for dessert. I usually avoid food colouring where possible, but made an exception for tonight. They eventually ate the pie after reassurance it tasted the same as usual!

So what did you do for St Patrick's Day?

If you are wondering what a photo of Talitha, then aged 4, swimming in my parents' pool has to do with St Patrick's Day- IT DOESN'T!!! I clicked on a picture of a Shamrock! Don't ask me what happened there! But it's a cute slice of life from the Roberts family, so I thought I'd leave it up! Ah Technology!(Grrrr) Blessings to you all.

The Marriage Book

2009-03-07T07:34:00.002+10:00

The Marriage Book was especially added to the setting for my hubby and I, as a reminder that it was 10 years ago on Valentines Day, that God showed him I was the one set apart for him. Time passes too quickly...

Special Touches

2009-03-07T07:29:00.003+10:00

The children got a great deal of pleasure helping add these special touches...

Making Holiday Memories

2009-03-07T06:19:00.003+10:00

One of the things I love most about homeschooling, is the opportunity to make memories, as I have the priveledge of having our children with me daily, instead of being at school most of the day. (That's not to say our lives are perfect, and that every homeschooling day is a delight. I can assure you we have our Bad days. Our children have a sin-nature, whether born into a Christian family or not, and there are many times that I have to remind myself that homeschooling is a marathon and not a sprint, but nevertheless I feel very priveledged to have the opportunity to nuture 4 little souls daily.)

While thinking about memory-making and "numbering our days" recently, I came across Annie's Holiday Pages on the net http://annieshomepage.com/holiday.html . What a resource! Many links for heaps of different holidays and all from a Christian perspective. So, in February this year for the first time we celebrated Valentines Day as a FAMILY!

The girls and I baked some pink heart-shaped cookies for housegroup and Church that week, we did a children's bible study on love during homeschool and also learnt about Saint Valentine the Christian Martyr- Wow! and I thought Valentines Day was a pagan thing! On the big day itself, we had a Family Valentines Feast. The girls and I dressed the table up using things we had as a surprise for Daddy. They really enjoyed it!

Australians as a whole I believe don't really celebrate the holidays in a Christian manner. We are fiercely patriotic when it comes to Australia Day and ANZAC Day, but Australian Society is sadly very secularized, much more so, than the USA, though we hope and pray God will revive this land and change that. At the moment, there's nothing a typical Aussie loves more than a long weekend, and sadly that's all Easter has become to many. But for myself, I'm totally inspired by this website, and I'm sure it will help bring many more happy memories to the Roberts Household. By the way, Valentines Day already has a special significance to us, as it was on a Valentines Day 10 years ago now, that God showed my dear husband that I was "the one"- how time flies...

Here are some pictures of our Family Valentines feast!

I Love Cloth Nappies!!!

2009-02-24T21:52:00.004+10:00

I love cloth nappies!- the kind my Mum used on us when we were babes in arms. Yes, I use terry towelling fold-them-yourself nappies (diapers) on our dear little twinnies and love them!

While I've always liked doing things the old-fashioned way, there's a bit more to it when it comes to things like baby care for me. I'm no New-Age Greenie, just a Bible-believing Christian Mama, whose been thinking a lot more about Christian Stewardship and what it entails the past few years. As I become more aware of something, then it becomes my duty to act on it, especially when it comes to the welfare of my children.

Did you know that on average, a single disposable nappy takes 6 months to decompose! We do buy disposables to use while I recover from my Ceaserseans, and I'm always shocked by how quickly the rubbish mounts up- double that for twins! After my 6 week recovery we use cloth at home, saving disposables for going out, and the rubbish pile reduces dramatically! This time round we are allowing disposables for night-time changes as well, but it's a good feeling knowing that each cloth one you use saves landfill.

Now, you may ask, is this a justifiable point for a Christian who believes that God will make new Heaven and a new Earth? I believe it is. As much as we'd all like to believe that we'll be the generation to see Christ's return, we may not be, for no man knows the time nor hour, and if Christ delays His Coming, I'd like to leave as little landfill as possible for my Grandchildren.

As well as the environmental issues, I've become more aware of the issues involving the chemicals used in many baby products and paper products , including disposable nappies. This is something I'm still looking into.

Financially cloth nappies save heaps of dollars. The disposables the boys currently use cost about 35 cents ea (AUD) That quickly multiplies with 2 babies. We buy generic brand nappy liners and nappy soak, we're on tank water- God provides-it's free, and unless it's raining we don't need to use the dryer. I still have to do a cost comparison of disposables verses using the dryer for those weeks when it's raining non- stop.

We were blessed to be given 2 big bags of cloth nappies before we had the twins- lovely thick soft ones! The old ones from Talitha and Zara have become burp cloths, or hand cleaning cloths for hubby when he checks the engine- they keep on keeping on! I fold my nappies in whatI believe is called the Scottish fold- a triangle shape with very thick padding between the legs. I've never ventured into the world of prefolds or modern cloth diapers. Having to upgrade nappies to bigger sizes seems a bit of a waste to me, when I'm 41 years old and up to babies 3 and 4! The beauty of the terry-towelling squares is that when they get a bit snug, just change the fold!

I find there is minimal time difference between changing a disposable or a cloth. The only difference really is adding a pilcher or nappy cover over the nappy, and that takes seconds! I use a snappy nappy fastener ( a plastic claw)- much quicker and safer than than a pin!

Have I whet your appetite for trying cloth nappies? You could start a college or private school fund for your child with the money you save buying disposables! Try it- you might just like it- and there's nothing like a line full of nappies happily waving in the wind. Satisfaction of a happy baby in soft white fluff...

Here are some links for you: http://www.punkinbutt.com/ Scroll down the left hand side to articles and read the whole or parts of Cloth Diapering 101. This is a great study on environmental damage, health issues, saving money, laundry tips and more!

A Night I'll Never Forget...

2009-02-04T11:24:00.004+10:00

Last night I came closer than I ever had to losing my husband from his heart condition...Was I by his side? No, I was on the phone to him as he has been ministering overseas in Vanuatu. When the phone rang during the night I knew it was something like this... All alone in a villa he said to me, "I'm in AF. And I don't know what to do."

Without hesitating, I told him to wake someone up, while I started to pray. God gave him strength to dress himself- something I normally have to do in an emergency- and enabled him to walk to the caretakers house and bang on the door. This lovely Christian man had him at the hospital in minutes and I "went" too on the mobile phone. He saw a nurse on arrival and I heard him explain his condition, which again made evident that God was sustaining him, as he usually loses his ability to communicate clearly due to lack of oxygen by this time. The nurse gave him oxygen- what little they had- while they/we waited for the doctor who wasn't even at the hospital. The next couple of hours were a blur of serious warfare prayer by myself and Edward, the caretaker, the Pastor arriving from the church where Max was ministering, also to pray, and Max's voice fading in and out as he came close to cardiac arrest several times.

I kept telling him to hold on, that he was there for a purpose, and kept personalizing a scripture to him that God gave me- YOU will not die but live and declare the works of the LORD! The doctor finally arrived and not being familiar with his case, refused to give him a cardio-inversion. She rang the consultant who merely recommended morphine!

We kept praying, and God every so often renewed his breath miraculasly- he had never gone this long without medication or cardio-inversion before! Then suddenly he came close to cardiac arrest again, and with the little breath he had left said his goodbyes and I love you's... How petty all the little irritations like socks on the floor seemed then... the hasty words spoken in annoyance... how I'd wished I'd bitten my tongue!... He was 2 hours plane flight away, and I couldn't even kiss him Goodbye!

I couldn't hear anything but the Pastor in warfare prayer, and Max's breath returned. He was at peace no matter what might happen, and I sensed a peace too, but wasn't sure if we'd get a miracle or not... The Doctor gave him some Djoxin( is that how you spell it?) And said he would cardio-invert him in a couple of hours if nothing happened- then the battery in the mobile died... I numbly had a coffee and watched the sunrise...

The hospital allowed him to ring me on their phone, and gave me their phone number. The phone rang early in the morning with the news he'd been cardio-inverted and was getting better, but it wasn't until he vomitted blood that they whipped out the consent forms.

We are so grateful to the Lord, Edmund and the Pastor for praying and the skeleton medical staff working there fervently with what little resources they had. It was an experience for them to treat a case as rare as my husband's and they understand more now. God worked despite ancient medical equipment, and other unknown factors to bring a positive end.

God has not finished with my husband down here yet, and guess what! He can't wait to preach about it tonight giving all glory to the ONE he serves! The Lord Jesus Christ! The great Physician!

I can't wait to have Max home! Ladies, do you know what I would like you to do? Go and kiss your husband, and your children. Tell them you love them-SHOW them you love them, and live each moment in the light of Eternity. Learn from a night I'll never forget!.

My Australia...

2009-01-27T21:24:00.003+10:00

My Australia is...

... sipping tea on the wide verandah of a "Queenslander"house, eating pumpkin scones, lamingtons, Tim Tams and Pavlova...

...enjoying vegemite toast and Sanitarium Weetbix for breakfast...

... depicted in the paintings of Darcy Doyle and John Bradley...

...Tree lined streets of Jacarandas and Red-flowering Tea trees in the Spring...

...rows of Terry Towelling cloth nappies waving in the breeze on the Hills Hoist...

...spotting sleepy-eyed koalas in the gum trees...

...Listening for the Kookaburra to herald the dawn birdsong at the break of day as all creation praises its Maker...

...The Cane Fires...

...the call of the Magpie, Bell Bird, and even the mournful sound of the Rainbird at flood times and cyclone season...

...Hubby in the garden with his Victa mower...

...standing teary-eyed at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier...

...Singing the little-known THIRD verse of our national anthem declaring Christ our Head and Cornerstone...

...looking with pride at our national flag, remembering our ties with Mother England and The Magna Carta which protects our religious freedom, and The Southern Cross constellation which hangs in our Southern skies showing the world exactly where Christ was pierced for our sins...

...The Great Southland of the Holy Spirit...

I pray all Australians here and over seas had a wonderful Australia Day Weekend!

Now we are Five...

2009-01-09T21:50:00.003+10:00

Yes, our little Zara has reached another milestone too, and as promised, now has a bike like her big sister!

Happiness Is...

2009-01-09T21:47:00.002+10:00

The smile says it all!!!

Our Miss 7

2009-01-09T21:29:00.004+10:00

What could be a nicer way for a girl to celebrate her 7th birthday, than a special meal out at an Italian Restuarant with the most important man in her life- DADDY!!

Our little girl is growing up...

Two Little Mamas

2009-01-09T21:05:00.004+10:00

First holds at the hospital.

Signiture Colours

2009-01-09T20:53:00.002+10:00

So how do you tell who is who? Christopher has a ruddier complexion than Zachary, and a slightly smaller head, for everyone else, at least for now,I'm putting at least one blue item on Zachary, and green looks great on Christopher.

The Most Delightful Little Time Consumers

2009-01-09T20:43:00.003+10:00

Zachary Elijah and Christopher Haddon- I love watching how they snuggle into each other as they sleep!

THANKYOU for Praying!

2009-01-04T08:29:00.002+10:00

Just a quick note to let you know that Max was fixed by 6am. ALL IS WELL!!! We are now getting ready for Church to celebrate another Lord's Day- God Be Praised!!!!

Thankyou for praying for us.

Please Pray for Max

2009-01-04T03:25:00.003+10:00

I'd been meaning to post an "I'm Back" post the last couple of days but hadn't gotten around to it. Instead I'm posting a prayer request again to uphold my husband , Max, who has just gone off to hospital via ambulance again, for cardio-inversion No. 27. Please pray for peace and grace for Max as he undergoes another one, for God's hand of protection to be upon him, and competency in the Emergency team.

I prayed for him when he awoke in AF, and his heart rate actually slowed down a little by the time the ambulance arrived. I'm hoping and praying he'll be back in normal rhythm by daybreak- it's 3.30 am here now.

The twins and the rest of us are all fine. I had a longer than normal hospital stay starting from the last Saturday in November. The rash had spread all over me and Max came home to find me with a fever. I was admitted, but still had to wait till the 2nd December for my Ceaser, though they considered doing it earlier. Praise the Lord, I had no post-op complications this time, prayers were answered, but at 40, now 41, I found it that bit harder to recover ( it was my third major uterine surgery) so was in hospital 12 days, we then spent over a week at my parents' place while I recovered and while hubby continued to shop for a new vehicle to fit us all in! We finally got a Chrysler Voyager. We'd been shopping for months to find a people mover that had enough room inside not only for people, but for a twin pram and the other paraphernalia we carry. Our new van even has the letters "Jah" on the rego plate- how's that for God's stamp of approval!! We had no internet at Mum and Dad's, and then our computer crashed!, so we've been offline for a while.

Anyway, we covet your prayers for Max this Lord's Day, I'll let you know how it all goes, and plan on posting a testimony soon of how God has blessed us with our children. God bless you all.