where to begin??

my baby boy

is now 4. well, officially tomorrow is his birthday, but on Sunday afternoon we celebrated so that he could invite “little people” rather than just his grown up family to sing happy birthday to him. all he was worried about was that everyone had received their “inbitation” and that there was going to be enough balloons. of course once everyone arrived, running around and playing was all that mattered.
i love this kid.

and this one too

conversation with Nicholas

last night at dinner:
Nicholas: does Jesus know da is sick?
Me: yes. why don't you pray for Jesus to make da better?
Nicholas: dear Jesus, please make da better. thank you for Jesus. Amen
but how does Jesus make da better?
Me: because Jesus can do anything. he made the world.
Nicholas: how did He make the world? with tools and screwdrivers like mine in my toy basket?
Me: yes.
Nicholas: wow! that's really hard work! but who made Jesus?
Me: Jesus was always here.
Nicholas: but how did Jesus get here?
Me: ask da when he is better.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

also made the rabbit for Nicholas last week. i was pleased with my thought process in doing the pattern and then working out how to sew it together. i made a mistake with sewing the arms and legs into the body, so had to trim some of the fabric which i wasn't pleased about since i had liked the fabric i had chosen for its body. (thanks Mel for letting me go through your scraps!) the arm still was difficult to sew into the body, so it didn't quite work out how i wanted...

the important things

there has been much bubbling away beneath the surface of my life. a little shake up, that i have desperately needed. a little clarity on my view of the world. i am only beginning to see these things revealed to me, so can't really comment on them here. yet. what has helped me, is to begin to keep a journal like this one. one where God can talk and i can listen. i have wanted to write about this journal keeping, but haven't had the right words.
today, on the bus to work, i cried. a good thing i wear big sunglasses! i want to encourage anyone who crosses my little blog, to listen to this testimony. you can click on audio, or visual. i cam across it via a devotional that i have downloaded automatically to my ipod. (hence my listening and crying thismorning!) all i can do is share it for you to listen to yourslves.

i thoroughly enjoyed our long weekend. (in spite of a couple of crazy work dramas all about Tonga and East Timor. even then, Nicholas thought the mad taxi ride to my work on Monday afternoon was an adventure.)
work dramas aside, i took Nicholas to his friend’s birthday party at the Fun Factory on Saturday. fun for the parents, as the party is supervised by employees, so we could have coffee and eat lots of wedges while watching our kids running and screaming all over the place. Nicholas was SO excited he could barely contain himself. must keep this in mind for future parties….
as Audrey is sick with a cough and cold, i basically stayed put after this. we had the fire lit nearly all weekend, keeping us warm and helping to get washing dry.
the sewing bug hasn’t subsided, with this library bag for Audrey (because she really needed one, right??) and another doll.... i have also drawn up a pattern from a picture i saw of a rabbit, to sew for Nicholas. there is so much to make for Audrey, but I have to think of some things a bit boyish so he gets something new too.
as well as sewing, the past few days have been filled with cooking. Tessa cooking to be exact. i made her cottage pie for dinner late last week, and on Friday Nicholas and i made a chocolate cake. from scratch. you can tell i am proud of myself! then Monday night i made beef stroganoff (a Tessa Kiros version) which cooked over two hours on top of our fire place. it was yummy – i love winter for all that good slow cooked comfort food…
we also babysat friends’ pet cockatiel (Faith). Nicholas and Audrey were in love with it. they wanted to see it in the morning as soon as they woke up. Nicholas drew a picture of him and pegged it to the cage and also made a cage of his own, with a small plate of oats for Faith to eat and some water to drink. he was a bit shattered when we said Faith couldn’t sleep there. Monday night Nicholas (with a shaky voice) told me he didn’t want Michael to take Faith away. so i said we would ask if Faith can come and stay with us for holidays. this morning he stood in the lounge room looking forlornly and told me he was worried about Faith. ;-)
David has his uni exam on Friday. i think we are all looking forward to the break – it means we can relax at nights, watch movies and unwind after dinner at night.

a friend sent this is a picture of Nicholas at Lachlan's birthday on Monday. he is sitting with one of his "best" friends. they have known eachother their whole lives. :)

i look at Nicholas and i so clearly remember this:

where is it going?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

for today...

outside my window... the skies are grey, the ground is wet, rain is falling gently and I am loving it.
i am thinking... about how much food for thought I have gathered over the past couple of women’s studies I have attended.
i am thankful for... the days when things seem to run like clockwork!

from the kitchen... today Nicholas and i are making his famous chocolate chip biscuits, and i am thinking about a Tessa Kiros cake (but i don’t think it will happen). tonight is Tessa Kiros’ cottage pie
i am creating... this felt food for Nicholas and Audrey to play with.

and forever working on the infamous blanket.
but my eye is on this. i am going... to stay home all day...

i am reading... Such A Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry.
i am hoping... Audrey's fringe grows out quickly.
i am hearing... Sesame Street.

around the house... the beds are made, two loads of washing (that I can’t hang out) are done and the kitchen is clean.

one of my favorite things... hmmm... a quiet place with a cup of coffee. can’t remember when that last happened happened though.

a few plans for the rest of the week: am working tomorrow. a party for one of Nicholas’ friends on Saturday, church on Sunday and a day at home on Monday... i know that runs into next week, but that is how far i've planned.

for Melanie

this has done the rounds of blogs a bit, but it makes you smile.

blogging?

been busy, busy... i've had so much on my mind to write about... new craft inspiration, fabric for the back of the infamous cross-stitch blanket (gorgeous fabric - i don't want to cut it up!)
excellent studies on parenting at my church... but for now, a few random questions on why i blog the way i do!

1. Do you promote your blog?
not really. i used to keep a written journal – something much more private, but i found that since having Nicholas and Audrey i don’t really have the time to sit and write. typing is quick and instant. and i can add photographs or pictures and clips of what inspires me. i don't mind people reading my blog, but i am consious to remember i am writing primarily for me.

2. How often do you check hits?
i don’t. i did have a counter on my blog, but i never actually looked at it, because i don’t really care – it is not why i have a blog. besides, with all my updating, i am sure most of the hits came from me anyway!!

3. Do you stick to one topic?
well, the content is all about what is important to me on any given day! it is quite eclectic – children, family, craft, music, faith and sometimes my little soapbox on social issues.

4. Who knows that you have a blog?
some friends. most of my family.

5. How many blogs do you read?
lots. i try not to read the links in blog side bars, as i will invariably finad another good one. i wonder how many blogs there are in the world? truth be told, there would be about half a dozen i check almost everyday, and then loads i browse through quickly now and again.

6. Are you a fast reader?
i skim read a lot of blogs. there are some that i look forward to every word (SouleMama, TreeFall, Holy Experience...) and some that i just love the photo's.

7. Do you customise your blog or do anything technical?
i originally started a blog just because i wanted to play around with a banner. it took me half a day to work it out! and even now i can’t remember. so it is a good thing i like to keep stuff simple.

8. Do you blog anonymously?
i didn’t use my kids names for ages. or my husbands. mainly just to keep them at a distance. for their privacy – i still don’t blog about my husband very much for that reason. i don’t see this as the place to talk about the intimate details of his life., or even a running commentry on what he is doing, or thinking. originally i wasn’t even going to put photos up of their faces, but where is the fun in that? i love being able to preserve an image of a certain moment in time, and connect it with my feelings at the time.

9. To what extent do you censor yourself?
i don’t talk about anyone else on my blog unless I have something good to say. nobody’s life is a bed of roses, and i don’t try and paint a perfect picture of my life, but I chose to blog the things in my life that make me happy.

10. The best thing about blogging?
keeping a record. i keep telling myself i need to have a hard copy of this somewhere…
i love reading blogs where the content is a shared interest (parenting, craft etc) and I love getting lots of ideas from a variety of sources.