Moved....

It seems that I have run out of storage space on this dear blog of mine. And to get more space means buying it.... or moving to another blog site. So... that's what I have done.

Come on over to completelycottage.wordpress.com

See you there.

Hello my lovely!

Remember this?

Well who knew that underneath that ugly cabinet exterior was hiding a lovely cabinet, just perfect for hiding away books and mess?

Oh, I did!

giggle

(now we just need to sort out that cable, so tempting for little hands to pull!)

Very Silly, Very Beautiful or Very Blue

That was the theme of dinner tonight. 

Guests were asked to come dressed accordingly and so the minutes before dinner were a flurry of activity.

We have, from the left, Very Blue; Very Blue and a bit silly, and Very Beautiful.

Also known as (throughout the meal) Joe Moustache, Beatrix and Priscilla.

Here we have.... well.... quite gorgeous!!

The Handsome Honey did well!

(or I should say 'Professor Horatio)

Our 'Downton Abbey' pose :)

(Prof Horatio with Madame Gertrude!)

hehe....

Then there is the real us.

Yep, we're geeks!

The 'geek-ettes'

Oooh isn't he lovely!

I just adore that man!

The true definition of Very Beautiful.

A baby.

sigh 

(she was called 'Sweet Valentine' for the evening)

Trick or Truth

Halloween is actually short for 'All-hallow-even' which is the eve of All Saints day.

All Saints Day is a day in which Christian heroes are remembered, the greatest hero being

Jesus Christ. Jesus, the very Son of God, came into this world as a man 2000 years ago to pay the penalty for sin. My sin, your sin, everyone's sin. The Bible says that 'All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23) and in sinning we are rejecting the all knowing, all loving, all powerful Creator. The consequences of such rejection is a life without God even into eternity. This is called Hell. 

It really will be hell.

 

And yet, there is hope. 

Jesus is our hope and the way to true life.

When Jesus died on the cross He took the punishment that we deserve and paid in full with His own life. He rose from the dead and now offers forgiveness for sin and the way to eternal life. All we need to is to believe in Him, the Son of God who paid for our sin, ask His forgiveness and accept it. That is hope! Blessed and assured hope!

Kind of weird then, that Halloween has become a day to dress up in the most ghoulish of costumes and go door knocking for treats. 

Have we been tricked?

Or do we have truth?

Happy All-Hallow-Even!

Another ugly piece of furniture

Don't be deceived - this is one very ugly cabinet

But for $10 it's got real potential - tee hee!

After it's first sanding and primer....

Any guesses where it's going??

More soon!

The happenings

Spring time swinging

Treats from G'pa!

Out for lunch at the mall

Sweet girls who surprised us with snacks for the beginning of 

Downton Abby season 3!!!!

A long weekend in Waihi Beach and a ride on an old fashioned train

The cafe which was cute to look at....

and too expensive to eat in!

Aboard the train

Cute little cottages

Baking with G'pa

One year old already

One year ago today

Beautiful x

Today!

The year has gone so fast and we are so blessed.

But I have said it a million times.... how do I slow these days down??

Thank you Lord for such sweet blessings!

FYI: I actually still look that rugged today as I was up 8 (!!) times last night with sick kids.....

Grandma and Grandpa are here!

Grandma and Kate get to know each other

Grandpa is playing a game within 5 minutes of arriving....

New outfits!

Playing trains together

Grandpa always leaves funny situations for us to find....

Grandma and Milo having a nap together

- these two have become best buds and although Grandma doesn't agree with dogs on the bed, Milo not only gets on the bed but IN the bed with her.

Why? Cause apparently "He's just a little chap"

My latest books

You might remember that I mentioned a project back a while ago.... 

well, here it is. The one project in fact turned into 2 when my publisher asked me to do a companion book for boys. 

    

This is the girls book.

 It's written in devotional/bible study style and is aimed for ages 8-12 ish.

This is the boys book.

Can't wait to get my own copy and see them in the flesh!

A little update

A wee update on a fantastic weekend we have just enjoyed.

We are 'beachy' people. 

There's just nothing that resonates like the sound of the waves crashing on the beach.

Lakes are beautiful.... but the beach - a balm to my soul.

These two buds had a blast together

Digging and building.

Fishing.... so much fun.

It was all a little too exciting for this wee one...

Precious ones

I love this man!

Love watching him 'do his thing'

The joy I get from that smile is un-measurable

And this guy even got to come!

And just to prove I was there......

The bach we stayed in.

What a blessing!

She's almost 7

More tomorrow.....

By the way....

we have a crawler....

And.....

this guy has been with us a year today!

Happy 1st 'joining the family day' Milo-dog!

Isn't he beautiful!