What You Will Get

David has left for work and the kids are still asleep.  I love the mornings when I can start slowly.  I am reading a daily devotion from Oswald Chambers 'My Utmost for His Highest'.  He writes:

The reason people are tired of life is because God has not given them anything, they have not been given their life "as a prize".  The way to get out of that state is to abandon to God. When you do get through to total surrender to Him, you will be the most surprised and delighted person on earth; God will have you absolutely, without any limitations, and has given you your life. If you are not there, it is either because of disobedience or a refusal to be simple enough.

I love those last words.  They speak to mt desire for the now.  When you want to simplify your life for the purposes of keeping lifes main things your priority: faith, family and love.  But it is when you want to simplify that you realise how complicated you have made your life!

I have also finally started this book.  I am re posting this clip as it is beautiful and it is how I want to walk every day.

chestnuts

 

He Is Risen

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

John 11: 25-26

Rememberance. Good Friday

Yesterday morning we read the Passion from Audrey's Toddler bible.   I think it was perfect for them.  I read from Jesus entrance to Jerusalem through to when he appeared to the disciples ("Jesus friends" in Audrey's bible).

 Audrey then wanted to sit and read her bible - she loves the story of Moses in the bulrushes, thanks to her Sunday School teacher.  :)

In the afternoon we read a gorgeous Peter Rabbit pop up book we have about an Easter egg hunt and had some more paper fun.

School holiday fun

My first day home with Nicholas and Audrey for school holidays.  We've made a list of things to do.  Today, rainy and cold, we did moreof them than I had expected!  We went to the library but as I feared the Easter library book I had seen was gone...

Armed with milk arrowroot biscuits, betty crocker icing and plenty of sprinkles they were kept occupied for a while, following it up with an Easter bunny craft. 

Then this afternoon we made popcorn, turned the lights down and watched Stuart Little 2 - cinema style. 

photos of cuteness and other things going on

Just some pictures to share.  I am very much the amateur, just playing with the camera...

The new world of homework!

I went through our bookshelves and collected all the books we own from the Chief Ministers Reading Challenge, which Nicholas is doing with school this year.  The basket of books is currently living in our lounge room to make a comfy spot for Nicholas to choose a story before bed.

A new hat and looking grown up!  Audrey's favourite thing to say at the moment is "I a big girl now!"

Views of nature.  I love photos of the everyday. My favourite things to photograph are the kids and still life arrangements.

Other things going on lately... preparing for Easter. I saw a great book at the library but we didn't have our library card at the time...  Hopefully it will still be there when I go to the library later next week.  It was about the meaning of Easter for Christians and  associated traditions around the world, such as painting exquisite eggs in Eastern Europe. Growing up I had a friend from Macedonia whose grandmother made the most beautiful detailed decorated eggs at Easter time.  When I visited the USA (over 15 years ago!) I loved the tradition of going to church on Sunday morning with children wearing new clothes and then having a huge Easter egg hunt after church.  This year I have some craft for the kids to do on Good Friday and we will have a special breakfast and Easter egg hunt on Easter morning.  Here are some links for easter egg craft.

 

Nicholas went in a colouring in competition.  He spent so much time making sure he stayed in the lines...

So that has been the happenings at our home the past week or two!

memories

I haven't posted for a few days - mainly because I haven't gotten around to downloading photographs from the new camera... maybe I'll get to it tonight.  One thing that has been on my mind to post here though was this picture.

It was my grandmother's birthday on 9 April.  She would have been 77.  hard to think that she passed away so long ago and realise just how young she was.

This is her with mum.  I know she was smart, had a funny and quick sense of humour, knitted beautifully and loved her family.  She kept a memory box of photographs and letters.  She valued those things.

I miss both of my grandmothers.  I know I have written before about the strength of women, and I think of them.  Both of them lived lives common of women in their era.  They did what they had to do.  How I would love to talk to them about it now that I'm a mum. 

While she was alive my grandmother gave me her mothers watch.  When she passed away I was given her pearls.  I wish she could have seen her great-grandchildren, and to have held Audrey...

catch up

David has been busy with university assignments, which means he gets priority over the pc.  I have some catch up to do.
He was away fishing last weekend, so I armed myself with BBC favourites, books and magazines. 

I also whiled away the hours making this satchel for Nicholas. 

He loves it and uses it to carry some of his favourite things, which of course makes me very proud.

Along with mum, dad, Mel and the kids we went to an apple farm on the outskirts of town where they had a harvest festival. 

A fun thing to do, although I think half of the city thought so as well!  Mum, Mel and I didn't sit together much that day as one of us was always queuing for something while the other watched over the kids. 

I tried to take some photographs of the kids with toffee apples but Audrey would have none of it.  I couldn't even get her to pretend!

She much preferred picking apples...