Almost there!

Dear mum and dad

So.... I think you must be stuck, somewhere very remote - possibly even snowed in somewhere. With a cell phone that has a dead battery. For all the day. And evening. Because..... I think you've forgotten to call me for my birthday!!!!!! Lucky for you.... I am aware that you adore me. (hehe) - and lucky for you that I am still so excited about The Red Mixer..... oh you are so so lucky!
I have had a great day. I've been so spoilt and have had numerous occasion to wonder just how I got such a great husband and kids. Didn't I just leave school? Wasn't it only yesterday that I cried my eyes out as you dropped me at uni?? If that's true... then how come my girls told me "Happy 35 birthday mama!" this morning?? 35?! *gasp*
Anyway, I just wanted to say I still love The Red Mixer. And you. Very much. You are such great parents (even if you do forget to call your only daughter on her birthday...) 35 years ago today mum, you had a little girl placed in your arms. She wants you to know (and you too dad) that she loves you both. Talk to you tomorrow. I will call. :)
xx

That's my mum! Isn't she pretty!! xx

Kitchen Garden ... stage 1

I think I have mentioned that tomorrow is my birthday..(tee hee) - well for my birthday what I had asked for was a vege garden. But not just any vege garden. I want a kitchen garden complete with white picket fence,  roses growing up against the fence and some cottage flowers just for fun too! Don't get me wrong - it's not all about looks. Not all. But some. :)

Isn't that a beautiful photo. I saw this on the net (I am not sure where sorry!) but I love that look. It would be such a delight to pull weeds and harvest produce in that garden! This is what I am aiming for.... on a smaller scale. :)

Below is the first 'before' photo. This is a corner of our wee backyard. It won't be a big garden - but it will be my very own kitchen garden.

So.... today was stage one. Removal of very large pittesporum (sp?) and smaller one too, removal of compost bin, weed mat and some plants. Right now it is all looking horribly messy. Ugh. Come summer however, we will have beautiful fresh vege from the garden to the plate. Watch this space!

My Handsome Honey with his willing team of uh ... 'helpers'!

Stage one successfully completed. Well done team! Watch this space for stage two...... x

Destitute Gourmet

Tomorrow is my birthday.... so today my sweet and handsome honey told me about one of my gifts. 

*squeal*

3 of my lovelies and I are booked to attend an evening in September with Sophie Gray!! *another squeal*
When we lived in the UK I really wanted to attend one of those cool cookery class weekends. But they were about 500 pounds.... a little teensy weensy bit (BIG BIT) out of our budget! So I can't even begin to tell you how exciting this is for me. I love to cook. Love to serve my family.... and love to learn from others.
Thank you honey!!!! * kiss kiss *

Sophie is the author of a number of great cookbooks - which I use all the time. She is all about providing delicious meals for the family on a small budget. I love that!

Of course Sophie may well have heard of me now that I am a baker - I may even take a few of my fav recipes for her ;)  ..... (Sophie if you are reading this you know I am kidding right....)

If you don't have any of Sophie's books you are missing out! Get to the library today and grab one.

Just thinking

It's coming up five years since our sweet Lucy joined our family. Which also means that it's almost five years since my sweet brother Kylie passed away. 

I have hope.

When sorrow and pain

Cause tears and grief

When memories that smart

Dim the flame of life

Hold on, there is hope

When the darkness threatens 

To steal light and joy

When loneliness comes 

And brings with it silence

Hold on, there is peace

When the questions and doubts

Are painful and real

When the answers are missing

From the pages of life

Hold on, there is love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast

It is not proud. It is not rude or self seeking. 

It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love is here. 

Hold on, love is here

x

Wardrobe Wednesday.

So I am joining in Wardrobe Wednesday. I am still not sure whether I really want to because I am no style queen... but I will. That's just how reckless I am ladies! In fact I am joining in twice. Why twice you might ask? Well.... today is an at home day. I am in my comfy jeans and a cotton on cardi. I have a friend who regularly tells me how shocking my comfy jeans are... but until I just saw the photo, I had NO IDEA how shocking they really are!! So I changed. And being an honest miss, I had to put a photo of the non shocking (or least shocking) jeans on. That's all. And yes, that is my laundry basket in my room. It's raining so in the basket it will stay! 

Another rainy old day

School is finished, the fire is toasty warm and we are in 'rainy day mode' - things will change shortly when Master J wakes and wants to play.... 

Making a card for Grandma

A quilt for neice-to-be Tinkerbell

                                                

Cosy on the couch with Hairy Maclary

Hairy Maclary himself....

My 15 minutes of fame....

I had a message today from Amanda at Craft Gossip saying that she would be linking up my Spice Rack project on their new Home and Garden channel! Wow!! Now I have never heard of this website before - but I just had a wee look and it's very cool!

Apparently my wee spice rack project will be here on our Tuesday (Monday USA time). Thanks Amanda - this is such a fun honour!!! So ladies - if you want my autograph, you have the next 15 minutes to get it.... 

PS - I wish I knew how to put 'buttons' on the side bar - but it wont seem to work. So here it is instead....

and don't forget, go on over to Craft Gossip and check it out!

A joyful Sunday

Thank you all our dear friends who have been thinking about us and praying for us today, the FIRST service of River City Bible Church.

Firstly.... I took the camera - but not the memory stick!! *sob sob weep!!!*  - so no photos today. I need to see if anyone else played papparatzi... (sp?)

Anyway, we had a wonderful morning. We had at about 70 folk (40 adults, 30 children)  join us - including two hitch-hikers! It was a lovely service. We enjoyed some words of encouragement from Pastor Russell Hohneck (Riverbend Bible Church) and of course The Handsome Pastor (sorry honey - I know you will be blushing!) preached a wonderful introductory message to 1 Thess, focussing on 'The Powerful Gospel'. It was an encouragement to my heart and reminded me afresh of the wonderful Saviour we serve.

We also enjoyed a lunch together afterwards - and have now farewelled 5 dear friends who stayed with us from the Hawkes Bay. And just to keep me humble, I have also been trying to get red ink out of my light coloured carpet..... a sweet little girl was trying to ink up some thank you notes for our guests.... and walked it through the house.... eeek! As I was reminded this morning, one expression of our love for the Lord involves serving one another - and I will serve this little servant hearted girl by making sure she doesn't feel bad about the carpet...... so off to dab some more...

Again, thanks for your love to us. We are exhausted but encouraged.

Praise Him from whom all blessings flow!

It's a sign!

You and me were meant to be....

The honeymoon is not over. 

The Red Mixer is my new BBF  BFF (thanks Dee - see how uncool I am!).

Confession: I actually have no idea what BFF means - but everyone says it and so it must be cool. 

However it must also be acknowledged that I am not cool. I mean is it cool to be so rapt up in a mixer? 

To delight in donning an apron, fluffing flour around, singing and prancing around the kitchen - "I am 16 going on 17..."?

Nope. That most definitely is not cool.

Unless you are 1, 4 or 6. 

Then it's the ultimate in cool.

Oh I am so cool!

Have I mentioned lately what a joy it is to be a mama!

x

PS - a 3 layer lemon cake with homemade lemon curd between the layers.... oh so tasty!

A weekend away

This past weekend we were in Auckland where The Handsome Pastor (THP) was preaching at the Manurewa Bible Church family camp. The setting of the camp is just stunning - right opposite the beach. It was fun to watch the kites from the kite surfers from our upstairs accommodation.

Willow Park Christian Camp

It was a great weekend - catching up with friends old and new, enjoying great worship, great food, and of course a wonderful opportunity for THP to teach from God's Word. On the flip side the youngest member of the family struggled to sleep well and so the mama came home a little weary.

Some photos for you to enjoy (for some reason I forgot to take photos during the day and instead remembered to take them when the kids were in bed)....

 

The Dog.... ready to go to boarding school for the weekend.... and not best pleased about it!

All loaded up in the car. Yes that is a whole lot of blankets in the back - winter camp in NZ means freezing cold nights! You can never have too many blankets!

In bed with big sister. Master J has just started doing a crazy smile whenever the camera is pulled out - it's hard to catch a normal smile now!

Miss Lucy in bed reading to Pooh.

The normal smile! Don't ya just want to kiss those cheeks?!

Pray for us this week - it's The Big Week for River City Bible Church! Yeah!