Meet Raggie...and new house!

Well we are finally here. Sadly packing and moving and saying goodbye to our little home in Holland Park West where so many great memories were created. I was doing well, until I saw the new owners taking pictures of the SOLD sign out the front. The tears flowed a little. But all for good and I was excited to be making a new home for us.
Two months on now and I can call this place our home, but it took some time. The freedom that came with selling and finalising some debts is always foremost in my mind and reminds when I am feeling a sadness that we do not own a house anymore. It is still there, but I am hopeful of our future and the sense of peace I have as we move forward. Maybe we will buy again, maybe we won't, but what is more important is that we are good stewards of all God has given us and teach our boys the same. We never stop learning, do we?

One thing Joey was waiting for in the moving was picking up his new doberman puppy. Raggie, or Ragstar as we affectionately call him. He is four months old and a very energetic, get into everything puppy. I have only just successfully trained him NOT to pull clothes off the line! Sadly him and Lucy are not getting on! Oh well, she has become more of an inside cat anyway, still very adored by the boys.

Two of my favourite things about this house is my kitchen, it is open and airy and opens onto the deck with a lovely view and is old and retroy and it finds me cooking and lingering a little longer than I used to, so we have been having some yummy things lately. Also the backyard is perfect with two trees placed just right for our hammock. I find the boys outside a lot more and I don't miss the concrete jungle of the other house! Just green and sunshine and fruit trees and flowers. God is good.

Ninja Party Fun!!

What could be better than asking lots of boys around to celebrate turning Ten and Eight and play ninja games, eat pizza and cake and some art aswell. I was tentative about planning this party since I have no idea about ninja's - can you believe? But my boys were unrelenting in their request and I have a secret love of planning these things so....in the midst of selling our house we embarked on this afternoon of fun and I have to say it was a huge success! You know it is when your sons come to you the next day exclaiming how awesome it was over and over!! Glad I pushed through the quiet desire I had to cancel in the midst of high stress levels negotiating our house.

Some of the things we did were:
I made headbands for every boy to wear as they arrived.
I sourced dense foam from reverse garbage to make swords to be decorated and used in games and of course sparring.
We played the magical orb game where the boys stand in a circle and balloons are thrown in the middle and using their swords the balloons can't touch the ground.
The biggest hit game though was the plank game. A plank of wood balanced on bricks on either end and a good ole pillow fight in the middle. Lots of boy energy used up. Thanks for this Cher!
The pinata was a homemade chinese lantern and each boy had a chinese take away box for their goodies.
The art class was run by my dear friend Melissa who runs weave +wonder . She does art classes at a local coffee shop and birthday parties. Take a look at beautiful work on her blog. She did hero and villian portraits with the boys and though a few were tentative, they had a go and loved their creations.
My cake this year was super easy, I have learned that you do not have to go to amazing lengths when cake and icing is appreciated anyway it comes! However I did find these cool ninja figures from a cheap shop and the boys loved it. Oh and the ninja shaped cookie cutters were a great find!

One Thousand Gifts...

I am naming my gifts - naming offers the gift of recognition. Now in the bible a name reveals the very essence of a thing or rather it's essence as God's gift. To name a thing is to manifest the meaning and value God gave it, to know it as coming from God and to know it's place and function within the cosmos created by God. To name a thing, in other words, is to bless God for it and in it. Excerpt from 'One Thousand Gifts' by Ann Voskamp.

I am counting.

11. Sounds of early morning.
12. Mind filled to brim with ideas for my book.
13. The thought of a family filled weekend.
14. Crisper autumn mornings and more to come.
15. First cup of tea for the day.

I smile, I can't believe how much I smile.
Record the moment. Numbered. See the one at the centre of it all. Record the blessings. Enumerate the gifts, Ann reminds us.

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

The way to learn to number our days is to count the moments of his grace...

16. Lemon water soothing throat.
17. Watching my baby run around, giggling, glowing with friend before school bell.
18. Sitting in the silence with my firstborn, no words necessary.
19. Whites glowing in the sun.
20. Hard working husband home while still light.

Psalm 84:5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hears on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs - they go from strength to strength till each appears before God in Zion.


Keep counting these moments of grace. Even in the midst of a deep shadow filled valley. I love that it slows me down, I recognise what is right before me and I am learning to have a heart full of gratitude no matter the circumstances...I am a slow learner but he is leading and we will count together.

Meet Lucy...

Little Lucy the day we picked her up at six weeks old.

So tiny and timid.

We lost her for a couple of hours her first afternoon with us with all her hiding attempts.

Three months now, so big, loves exploring her new home.

About two months here, still likes to find cosy places to snooze.

So affectionate and tolerates boys rough cuddles.

She can be a big distraction to getting ready for school!

Almost 14 weeks.

When it comes to having pets I am definitely a cat person. We grew up with cats... Tilly one of my favourites and I have such fond memories of her. So on Joey's suggestion, we brought home this lovely little kitten whom has to be the most affectionate cat I have ever had. The boys LOVE her with their very rough cuddles and she tolerates to a point...but I think I am her favourite and it is very nice, she makes me smile. Soon we will bring home a playmate for her...Joey is planning on having another doberman. Won't that be fun, at least Lucy will be right at home and put him in his place.

The Flood of 2011

Surveying the Flood of 2011.

RSPCA to the right.

Fairfield Rd Yeronga.

A friendly Policeman offering Caleb a seat, he couldn't believe it.

Amazing sights we had never seen in our lifetime.

People at this point still trying to salvage property.

This was before the peak in Yeronga.

Debris catching on the Goodwill Bridge.

Appreciating the power of the river.

The boys check out a city cat terminal destroyed.

It was January 13th. The inland tsunami had just come through Toowoomba and we all looked on in horror. Then the news came through that the torrent was headed toward us. I was at work and the worry was tangible with many staff unsure if they would even get home. I made it home, then the panic in the community was real over probable power losses and access to petrol and food. So I made all the necessary stops even cueing for over an hour at Woolies for essentials. I had never seen the shelves so bare, it was incredible. People were chatting in the cues and aisles, I already sensed a community spirit not normally seen in a grocery store. We were braced for the coming peak. Told to stay in our homes. Well we did, but ventured a couple of suburbs over to see these levels at Yeronga before the peak. Thankfully it peaked lower than 1974. Everyone has heard of 1974. But even though it peaked less, the damage was much greater with more houses and businesses in the flood zones. The way people came together after the flood for the clean up was inspirational. It will be a very memorable wet summer.