All jumbled up

There are no pictures today.  Almost no words.  My blogging well has dried up.  I've even considered closing various social media accounts (gasp) but I know that one day in the future I'll want to come back to them.

The hubster has been working long hours the last six weeks, I've not been very well.  The cockerel (oh wait, make that the kids) crows every morning at 6.30am with a litany of complaints and request.  Milk. Stories. Uniforms. Missing jumpers and hats.  She hit me.  No she hit me first.  She took my toy.  I was playing with it before she was.School notes.  I've given up feeling guilty for not getting more involved in school activities. Requests for money for this that or the other. Obligatory shopping trips.  Food.  Warm clothes.  A heater. A dental bill.

Where does time go?

And jumbled up with all of the tiring is the great stuff too

Beautiful sunny days.
Girls getting dressed by themselves, making lunches by themselves, growing up.
Cuddles and chats.
Kind friends taking them for playdates.
The chance to stay home and get things done.
Finishing quilts.
Offers of a place to escape to for the weekend.
Daddy-girl dates.
Making music together.
Books to read.
People to pray with.
Relief from the pressure.

Since Easter, so much has been humming round my brain spiritually, learning new things, remembering old things, being inspired and re-inspired.  It's hard to put it all into words, perhaps one day it will pop out in one way or another.

For now that's it.  That's all I got.

Soft and snuggly boy quilt

 Off to a baby shower tonight so yesterday, having looked at naff baby offerings in shops, I thought I'd make a quilt myself.  Silly silly girl that I am, I didn't bother to make the trip to Spotlight to stock up on supplies so it must be the most expensive baby quilt I've ever made but anyway.  I'm pleased with how it turned out, even if there are a few more wrinkles and bumps than I would like in there.

Made this card for my friend too as, again, I couldn't find any baby shower cards, only your classic pastel congratulations on your baby ones.  Annoyed to find out that I have run out of glossy photo paper!  Doh! Oh well, I'll be able to give it to her when the baby actually arrives!!

Linking in with Jenny's Creative Me Linky

Seasons

I'm thinking about Simoney's post about going to see a man about a [black] dog.

I'm thinking how I too can get to that place of over-serving, over-committing and carrying other people's burdens when I shouldn't.

I'm thinking of how I also feel guilty when I'm not doing that when I'm being 'selfish'.

I'm thinking how there is a season for everything under the sun.  A season for work and a season for rest and if have one and not the other we get out of whack.


I'm hearing the warning to make sure I take time to be balanced, to be ok with not doing everything I want to do, to have seasons of rest.  And not feel guilty about it.

I'm thinking about perspective and life.  Local to our community is this little boy's facebook page.  He's five and he's dying of a brain tumour.  

I realize that I am anticipating and assuming disaster when in reality my situation(s) are not at all disastrous compared to what it must be like actually sitting by a hospital bed in the oncology ward watching your young child listless and suffering.

I don't know him but I'm feeling guilty that I'm not doing what others are doing to help but I know that this is my season of rest.

I'm realizing that it's ok to simply pray, even when I don't know what to say.

Girls getaway

 Friday night drive down.  It looks late but really its just winter closing in around 6ish. Much hilarity and giggling staved off panic as we got lost in the lanes in the dark and had to ask our way.  No mobile reception can be a blessing but not when you're lost!

 Scrabble is a holiday must. Just don't forget the dictionary which allows you the words QI, JOYED and GROWED.  I know they're in there somewhere!!  Wine, nibbles, yummy chicken in blackbean sauce with rice, lots of chocolate, marshmallows and a movie.  Oh yes, did I mention the insane laughter?

It may be the weekend and not a child in sight but my body clock still had its alarm set for 6.30am.  This glorious view is what I found outside.

 Set on a hill on the side of the valley, the beauty just went on and on and on.  Too much to capture in just one photo.

 Having a quiet time before bacon and scrambled eggs for brekkie.

 A gorgeous morning definitely requires a walk.  Beauty everywhere.

 Friendly locals.

 The papparazzi.

 Love autumn.

 Catching up with old friends is lovely.  Having lunch just round the corner from her house, we invited Cecily to join us.  Coco was very sweet and well behaved but I just couldn't catch her beautiful face as her curiosity got the better of her!

 Lunch was delicious.

 Kangaroo Valley is my all-time favourite place to visit.  Snuck a photo of this antique motorbike  outside the pub that I haven't seen before.  Didn't quite dare to brave Bikie irritation by snapping the row of glossy Harleys as well.

Possibly the most friendly looking copshop ever!

Lots and lots of sharing, reflection, praying together and many many cups of tea/coffee/herbal tea/milo/horlicks.  Lovely to have Caz down for the day on Saturday.  Couldn't get everyone in this last shot, there were three or four of us just sitting out of range but hopefully the mad series of self-timer shots taken on Lynda's camera will be on it's way soon!

There's something special about going away with the girls.  It deepens friendships quite considerably.

Small but glorious

Sunlight, plants that curl and grow round things, fuzz, cobwebs, sunlight, powerful words, gratitude, beauty, riotous colour, time to weed, beloved windows.  I can't wait for the women's weekend away this weekend in beautiful Kangaroo Valley.  Two whole nights.

Where do you call home?

This is a very thought provoking video from Adrian Bautista about where we call home and growing up differently.  If you haven't come across the term before, Third Culture Kids are those who come from one culture, live in another culture and develop a third culture.  For example, I'm English, I grew up in Pakistan but the school that I went to was multicultural and had its own unique culture separate to the Pakistani culture.  In addition, I married a Frenchman and gave birth to children in England, New Zealand and Australia.  We have lived in NZ, Fiji and now Australia.  We are a Third Culture Family and our kids are growing up that way too.  Parts of our heart have been left in each country we have lived in and we all experience saudade for them.

In July, I'll be speaking to 35 or so teenagers and young adults on Identity so this is great material for me. How do you identify yourself?  Is it linked to where you grow up or what you do?  Where do you call home?  What makes home?  Is it the location of your family and friends? Where you've always lived? Your nationality? What makes up your identity?  What do you do to treasure your identity? To defend it? To encourage it?  What happens when the identity you've known is taken away?  Have you experienced identity loss as an adult?  Perhaps through a move or a major life event like getting married or having kids?  

Back on the wagon

It's been an odd couple of weeks. Busyness, much needed rest followed by a dash of drama and no computer, then no mouse meant that my bloggy mojo has been lagging behind.  So to catch you up on the little bits and bobs that have been going on, here's some photos to tell the story.

Awesome friends, great garage sale.  Glad that the money has already winged it way over to Fiji and that there was $10 more than I thought we raised! Whoop whoop.  Funny to have the girls dressing up in clothes and shoes and prancing round the garden having fun.  Craziest story of the day: A Fijian family came to check it out and bought some fudge, went to the car, tasted it and came back for more.  Three times. She must have bought $36 worth of fudge... in fact the entire tray pretty much!  Lovely to meet Eleanor from the Sutherland Shire Council who took photos and might include us in the next newsletter!

The kids had their cross-country races the same week of the garage sale.  Pikalily hates anything with a competition that she can't win so she was dreading it.  Sore tummy.  Anxious.  Tears.  We had a bit of a chat about pacing yourself and what's important (finishing, not winning) and how bananas can give you an energy boost just before you race.  I promised gelato from the fundraising stall after the race and a banana beforehand and reluctantly she agreed to give it a go.  Standing on the sidelines, running alongside her on the far side of the course that went round the playground, I was so proud of her doing it despite her misgivings and dread of having 'wobbly legs' at the end.  She made it round the 2km course and was over the moon that she came 13th instead of 20th which was where she placed last year.  

It was so lovely to see her understand that with a little bit of work and good planning she could improve and it would make a real difference.  Beautiful to hear her say that she had had a lot of fun that day, that the banana really worked.  She did an awesome grown up job of pacing herself too...not an easy job for a kid.

 This bus and it's number plate made me smile. That and the sign we saw when we were driving down the Canterbury Road which said:

SPIT FOR SALE

Can you imagine??

A few more sales on Etsy.  I sold a couple of things at the garage sale too so those came off the shop and am just waiting on a delivery before I make some more button rings to put up there.  Love the idea of using sewing patterns as wrapping paper. Thank you to the blogger who inspired me with that idea [sorry I can't remember your name, but you did the bunt exchange with me!]

Just as we were finishing the garage sale and the hubster came back from paintballing, our beautiful friends came and whisked the kids away so we could have a date night.  The hubster's birthday was the next day so talk about the BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!  24 hours sans enfants is not to be underestimated as a marriage refresher.  Ahhh the bliss of a quiet house, of coming back late from the movies, of ordering whatever we liked to eat, of being able to have uninterrupted conversation and being able to nose in shops and cafes without worrying about what someone was picking up or climbing on.

Last week I got some much needed time at home just doing absolute minimal things and seeing hardly anyone.  I'm hoping this week will be a quiet one as well as Mother's Day has left the house a hodgepodge of wrapping paper, washing up and catching up on housework.

Oh yes, and my little dash of drama?

Little Bun did a faceplant on the sidewalk on Friday.  Oh yes.  Broke half her tooth off.  It might sound strange but I am so very very grateful for God's protection.  The nerve wasn't exposed, the tooth didn't need to be pulled, the fracture doesn't go into the root and it doesn't seem to have affected her adult tooth underneath.  I was shocked to see her sucking her thumb and blood on it when she took it out of her mouth so when I put my finger in her mouth to see if there was a cut in there.  I was horrified to feel the side of the tooth all but sheared off and flapping around.   I'm amazed still that we got an immediate doctor's and dental appointment and that the dentist was able to take an xray (I thought she'd clamp her mouth shut and not let him see it) and then pull it out within five minutes.  No anaesthetic or anything.

Poor wee thing.  I feel really sad for her everytime I look at it but I got a text from a friend about a child who is dying and has two weeks left to live.  News like that puts everything in perspective and you realize how precious life is and how drama is really just drama and not disaster.

Linking in with Simoney's Best in Blog Monday.