Yum!

Today we picked beetroot (for relish), our first cucumber,

beans, peas (and more lettuce....)

So exciting!

Summer fun

Me and my honey!

Boy am I one lucky girl!

Anyway, I had a trim this week, and the girl curled my hair with straighteners (?!)

- apparently it's easy. Hmmm..... need to get practising. 

Quite enjoyed having curls for the day :)

Cousin time!

This past week my mum came to visit with my neice who is 7. 

The girls were hilarious together - they dressed the same every day (thanks to nana, who went shopping...)

Aren't they gorgeous!

Another project

This was a wee find at a market on Saturday...

Ta dah!

Today

It's a beautiful day here in this part of the world. 

We had a lovely picnic and enjoyed some much needed family time. 

He had just seen a truck!

Can't get used to her without her two top teeth!

And.... just to give you a wee smile.....

Like father like son..... 

xx

Homeschool athletics day

Sorting into teams....

The theme was The Olympics... 

Our team "GO USA!"

So proud of my girls who were so nervous - but gave every event 100%

Look out world - here come the girls!!

Sadly all other photos didn't work... 'someone' (aka a 20 month old) put his big grubby fingers over the lens so that every photo taken here after was smudged..... sigh....

PS - was it weird that I was weepy every time they completed an event??

Art class in the garden

the artists

the subject

cute!

of course there is no show without punch!

hello pukeko!

cup of tea anyone?

the finished piece - Georgia

Lucy 

Hand made Christmas...

Thanks to this lovely lady, I now have two Christmas gifts ticked off my list.....

Two of my nephews will be getting these 'Digger Cushions'

If you bothered to look at the above lovely lady's cushion, you will note she is very clever.

 And I am not. 

But still, they're perfect for two sweet little boy's bed's..... right?

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Mallowpuff biscuits, 

dipped in melted white chocolate

 decorated with cut up jelly beans.

Cool huh!

Good night!

Lulla-bee, lulla-bye, honey bee say good night, 

Lulla-bee, lulla-bee, oh lulla-bye.

xx

Today...

Sparkley Saturday

While the youngest maestro was in bed.... this was happening outside....

Boy these things bring back some memories...

Have a safe and fun guy fawkes!

xx

The nasty brown chair

There is something that thrills me about turning nasty brown things into cute pretty things. 

So of course when I saw this chair (for $5) at Habitat yesterday, I knew it had to come home with me. 

A couple hours of pottering last night and walah! 

Sweet little chair! 

I have no room for it, so on trade me it goes to help with the pergola savings jar!

The Im-Perfect Mama

So, tonight as I tucked Miss 5 into bed, she throws her arms around me, real tight - as she does every night -  and says "Mama you are the best!" And tonight, as happens every night, my heart is pricked with sadness - because today I failed her again.

I have pretty high expectations on myself as a mama. I  want to be fun loving, wise, with grace flowing from my tongue, a calm spirit, peacemaking, gentle (ok and I want to be the kind of mama who always has cookies and milk ready at any moment.... - sad I know)  - the list goes on. Sometimes I am some of those things. Sometimes I am not very many of those things. Sometimes I wonder if I can ever be any of those things. Motherhood is a battlefield. My task oriented pride is at risk. Every conversation, every dealing, every glance is a potential fatal wound to my 'portrait of me as perfect mother'.
What I mean is that when I want to speak kindly with wisdom to settle a dispute or issue of disobedience, sometimes a poisonous rebuke comes out. The kind that shrivels little hearts. And sometimes an impatient sigh. I know about the sigh because I heard my 1 year old copy me yesterday.... (another fatal wound to my pride of self imposed perfect motherhood!)

But... this is not a confession of self pity! No, certainly not! This is just some thoughts out loud which is me, making some moves in the direction of loving my children as the Lord loves me. Because actually that's what I need to be doing. Paul (as in the Apostle Paul) writes in his letter to the Corinthians about love. True Biblical love. Ironically I am in the midst of writing a children's book about how to love like this. So, maybe you want to join my on this journey. Go ahead, look up 1 Corinthians 13 - and join me on the journey.... and as for the book.... well.... watch this space! :)

Guess what

We have a 'toof-less goof-less' 

(um.... I don't know why, but this is a family nickname for someone who has lost a tooth...)

Lovely day!

Labour Day Monday looked like this.....

We came here for our picnic lunch....

It was a beautiful day but the air was still a little cool at times

Then we tried (again!) to get a photo of The Three....

(without much success again!)

Then to dear friends for coffee and playtime.....

(this couple have got more than their fair share of talent

- who thinks to build a plane in a tree?!)

And a highlight of coffee time for a certain someone

 was the four legged furry friend ...

who was much in demand....

It was a lovely day!

Hope yours was too..... x