Meanderings...

Hooley Dooley

2011-03-27T03:54:00.001-07:00

Evie has started going to kid's church now. It is all very exciting and each week brings new stories from the leaders about the kids in 'Hooley dooleys', usually involving Evie and one of her best friends- Bailey. Last week was a particularly warming story that made me laugh out loud with joy.

Hooley Dooleys were learning that Jesus loved them and that he said to love each other too, at which point Bailey stood up in class and announced " I love you Evie' , it was only a short moment before Evie replied 'I love you Bailey', followed by a warm embrace and Evie planting a kiss on little Bailey!!!! What I love about this is that it doesn't come as a big suprise! These two always seem to enjoy each other's company even if play is occasionally interrupted by a bite or a push or a fight over who gets to sit in the special chair! :)

and the exciting news is Bailey is going to have a baby brother or sister this week, heres hoping they'll be great friends with Josie girl and each other!

countdown is on... again

2011-03-13T04:44:00.000-07:00

I kind of forgot I had a blog, here is a current life countdown to update things a bit

10= months is Josie's current age!

9= sleeps until I go back to work (2 days a week)

8= laksa for dinner tonight

7= extra residents soon to live on our property (they are planning to build a boarding house in our backyard!)

6= number of cousins the girls will have by the end of this year- all 3 and under!!!

5= years of wonderful marriage just celebrated at an awesome day spa in Balmain!

4= days til Mike's day off- our last thursday off together :(

3= cute kids coming to play tomorrow! All cute little boys, I'll go find Evie's cars- there somewhere in one of her handbags!

2= toothie pegs for Josie!

1= exhausted mummy who should go to bed now :)

oops

2010-11-26T03:53:00.000-08:00

my new post somehow ended up 3 posts down - the 'from the mouths of babes'.

Bottled up.

2010-10-16T05:29:00.000-07:00

I rarely see mike express anger and frustrations, so when he does I always notice. And you know what I noticed? It seems to be the little things that frustrate him most, like Maccas leaving something out of your drive thru order. Funny.

TRUMPS!!!

2010-10-04T04:13:00.000-07:00

We got a flyer in our letter box this week saying that trumps had gone missing. Trumps lives at 103 Denison Rd and is a speckled rabbit. There was a sweet photo of him, he was obviously being missed. I decided I would write to trump's family and let them know we would keep an eye out for him. I shared our hopeful story of Taj returning after 2 days galavanting around Denison road munching on herb gardens. Evie and I folded up our little pink letter and grabbed Josie for a stroll down denison road. We arrived at 103 and I noticed that this house didn't look like it had kids. I guess i had kind of assumed they would, I hesitated slightly, was I being a little too weird? Was this a bit like me talking to strangers on sydney transport?

We left it in the letter box and walked home.

That night we opened the door to our friends Matt & Al who were coming over for dinner and noticed a random stranger standing there too. Mike thought it was a marketing guy. But oh the joy when he said he was from #103! We had made a neighbourly connection! George, from Barcelona, had come to tell us that they had found trumps, and think he had been locked in the garage for 4 days... whoops!! He joined us for a drink and then refused to stay for dinner but happily took a takeaway. How fun! Mike showed off he two spanish phrases, i taught George some English- speckled and freckles and he flirted with the idea of cooking us a paella!

Cheers to trumps!

Thankfulness

2010-09-12T23:24:00.000-07:00

'Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations'

This verse reminds me to be thankful to God for who he is and what he is like. I find myself giving thanks much more often for the smaller things in life. I think i need to lift my gaze and appreciate the greatness of him who made me and sustains me and all things!

I also know that we can come to God with the small stuff and thank God for the small stuff too. This small stuff can mean a great deal to me!

Todays offers of thanks included-

* an uneventful grocery shop- no baby crying or toddler complaining, and all things purchased that were needed. Grocery shopping is a potential meltdown moment for us 3 girls... not that its happened...yet.

*I was also thankful that Evie had a sleep this afternoon, and that I can pretty much guarantee an arvo sleep now if we go for a drive around 2. This makes days much more pleasant and enjoyable for Evie and I. Though it does mean I have a lively toddler at 9pm each night too :) But we don't mind.

Other things I am really thankful for at the moment are;

*the 2 bible studies I get to be a part of- one is all women, one is all teenagers, I love them both,

*God giving me a much easier baby to care for this time around- Yay God! Yay Josie!

* The ongoing fellowship of christian brothers and sisters- meals, chats, gatherings, reflections * spending more time then usual with my extended family this year and getting to know new additions! I also feel like I am getting to know my own siblings much better- very awesome to get to do this parenting thing together!

*getting to know my neighbours (the new trampoline has been a winner for this! We had our very first impromptu playdate with a neighbour- hooray!!!!) and

* our house, it makes hospitality so much easier and our backyard is so good for playing and sustaining good mental health! What a blessing to have the tenancy passed onto us from our christian brother and sister.

Yep, its good to stop and be thankful.

From the mouth of babes...

2010-06-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

Since about 20 months old, Evie's vocab has just exploded, and becoming a new sister has coincided with new words and sentences. I want to record some to highlight what makes up a 2 year olds mind & life...

vomit was her first new word after Josie's birth, current favs are 'chocolate milkshake please?' to the cafe waitress, 'where are you koko, come here koko' to the neighbours cat who she then carries around the yard, 'cup of tea mummy? cup of tea ants? cup of tea koko? ' sadly we all get offered the same cup to drink from- argh..., & 'keep it on please' everytime we want her to get changed. Evie rarely says 'no' to a request, instead she says 'not yet mummy'... trying to keep me hopeful I guess.

We can now have nice little conversations over lunch too, and with the beautiful warm weather lately we have been eating on the verandah, so we can talk about the view quite well including, ' Where is Daddy's car- the nimbus" "Noisy birdies mum" "bats!" "where are the tomatoes?" " Throw it to the birdies?' and critiquing food "yummylicious" "lovely" "very tasty" and ofcourse "yuk". She tends to speak in sentences now and loves to lean new words, so it is very fun communicating! Last weeks new word was 'conjunctivitis'- which she has now passed on to Josie :(

We are delighted whenever Evie decides to say grace, it always includes 'Dear Jesus' and Amen, but the rest is spoken in mumbled whisper... neither Mike or I seem to have the gift of interpretation, but it brings joy all the same!

Josie Natasha

2010-05-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

She has arrived! Our beautiful baby girl, Josie, was born on May 3rd, 10:37pm, weighing 3.56kg and very healthy! She arrived 1 week early and we were thankful for the short and efficient labour that brought her into the world- Josie arrived 20 minutes after we arrived at the birth centre! This was an answer to our prayers, with the hypnobirthing classes also contributing to a calm (most of the time... ) and smooth delivery! Mike, again, proved that he is a 'match-day' man, helping me maintain confidence that God had indeed designed my body for labour and helping me stay in 'the zone'. He even supported me in the hypnosis, though I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I heard his voice talk about the rainbows and mist and the more hippy side of things :)

Mike, Josie and I stayed the night in our birth suite and went home the following morning, feeling excited about the latest addition to our little family! Evie has been a wonderful big sister, wanting to help Josie out and give her lots of cuddles and kisses and the odd eye poke! Our families, church and christian brothers and sisters have all made settling into life with 2 little ones so much smoother with their cooked meals, prayers, Evie outings, encouragement and joy!

Josie has been very gracious to her mummy by sleeping well through the nights (so far...) and this makes day to day life so much easier- hooray! Her strawberry hair, little dimple, and baby noises are all very cute and she is a wonderful hot water bottle to snuggles up to on the couch!

I have managed to shower each day!!, do the grocery shopping, attend bible study and visit family and friends, so this counts as a successful transition to life with two beautiful girls! I even managed getting them in and out of the car in the rain without losing my temper at our car capsule which keeps getting stuck!

Welcome to the world Josie!

Life Update and countdown...

2010-04-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

10 o'clock is Evie's current bedtime!

9 o'clock would be much more reasonable!

8 lots of chocolate cake for dessert tonight!

7 close friends and their kidlets over for dinner this evening- lovely!

6 days until we head off to Kyck with our favourite bunch of teens!

5 weeks to go until the official due date of Stevie!

4 weeks of hypnobirthing classes just finished!

3 pregnant women in the family!

2 nd Lord of the rings currently playing on our TV (boring....)

1 day to go at work!

Meeting Ruby!!!

2010-03-04T14:57:00.001-08:00

My little niece, Ruby, was born on Monday 1st March 2010 to my brother Matt and his beautiful Bek. Yesterday we went and visited gorgeous Ruby, we met at Lithgow hospital and then escorted her on her first outing to the park! Her big brother, Rhys, and Evie enjoyed the playground while little Ruby enjoyed more milk!

She is so tiny and precious, I has forgotten just how little they are! It was very lovely to see mum and baby doing so well! Congratulations Matt, Bek and Rhys! Welcome to the world little Ruby!

Home help

2010-01-22T21:55:00.000-08:00

I've discovered that the more you are home the more mess you make and therefore the more housework you have! And seeing that I spend a bit of time at home these days I am thankful that Evie is learning to pull her weight... her chores to date are...
* Helping hang the washing out- this requires a steady approach of picking items out of the basket and passing them to me so that I do not need to bend- 9/10 (the occassional T-shirt gets taken into her cubby)
*Carrying items to the bin when Mum and Dad are feeling too exhausted to get off the couch again- 9/10- Evie is a reliable garbage collector and disposer, although still learning to distinguish between those items that are recyclable and those that aren't.
* Finding and delivering shoes of a morning... 10/10... Evie's shoe antics the previous evening hold her in perfect position to know where to locate all the shoes the following morning!

Just imagine all the time I will have on my hands once she masters the laundry and washing up!

Hooray for Visiting friends!!!

2010-01-04T20:19:00.000-08:00

Evie decided she wanted to visit Taj in his cage, fortunately for Taj he was off in the bathroom while I cleaned out his cage. Evie was determined to lock herself in there and content to just sit there for as long as I let her, funny girl!

Jo and Victor have arrived from Guatemala for their Happy party and to visit family and friends, the happy party was very happy indeed! So nice to be able to play with these two again- yay!

Mollie the 6 month old Cockerspaniel is visiting with us for a week or two, she is a very playful puppy who, unlike any Dog my family has ever owned, is actually able to follow commands- now that is very novel! Evie and Mollie have a special friendship where Evie likes to express her affection through cuddles, kisses, licks and the odd eye poke of Mollie- very patient puppy!

Christmas brought along my brother, sister in law, sister, brother in law, and mum and her hubby for fun sleepovers and bonding between cousins as pictured above! Mum enjoyed being able to celebrate the all of her children are expecting babies in 2010! Yep it has been tops having all these lovely visitors in our lives!

Evie and Stevie

2009-12-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

So just in case you haven't heard, baby Dicker number 2 is on its way! We saw proof yesterday when we spyed on the wee one with the help of a sonographer! It all looks good so far- praise God! So come May next year we hope to be in another frenzied celebration of new life infused with happy hormones, sleeplessness, joy, and many moments of complete dependence on God for strength and wisdom! For now though, it's the simple joy of watching my belly grow and trying to keep up with Evie the energiser bunny!

SALT camp photos

2009-12-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of photos from Salt camp this year. This was Evie's second camp, last year she was only 4 weeks old- this year I think we both enjoyed it alot more! Evie could run around with all the youth group, indulge in the attention lavished upon her, enjoy the soccer and even play the maracas with the band. It was great to see the way the youth group loved and cared for her, and amazing to have 40 babysitters on hand! Salt camp is kind of old news but these photos are some of the more recent ones we have, so enjoy!

14 month learning curve...

2009-11-21T20:08:00.000-08:00

It seems that Evie has learnt lots of new things in the last month or two, here's a few things that pop to mind;
- You get the last remnants of milk out of your breakfast bowl by slurping it not using your spoon!
- Meals are more fun when you feed yourself, and more effective when you hold the spoon up the right way.
- Cherry seeds get spat out you don't swallow them.
- Drawing on paper is fun, and also the kitchen cupboards when mum isn't looking...
- Bikes are called Bikes, and the motorbike variety looks good but is too scary to sit on.
-Dogs go woof woof and so do all living animals except birds that go ' AARrrkkk'
- Shoes are good to wear and I can put on mum and Dad's but not my own yet.
- I can say, 'hat, Hi Daddy, more books, ta, bird, bike, nahh, taj' and occassionally 'mum.'
- If you are planning a getaway keep checking over your shoulder, if an adult begins to move in your direction- RUN!
- I climb out of the big bed on my own in the morning and make my way out to mum and dad, I now know to go backwards and not to try and go head first!
- I can 'read' books out loud and turn the pages myself while sitiing on my little couch...

Yep, thats an Evie update for now. I should upload some photos soon!

Kioloa Goodness

2009-11-20T02:19:00.000-08:00

Just got home from 5 lovely days at Kioloa Beach! Sadly, we forgot the camera so the memories will be preserved here instead. There would have been some lovely shots, like of Evie's tiny footprints in the sand, her croc footprints next to Daddy's croc footprints, Evie having breakfast with 10 lorikeets and a dozen ducks, a mob of roos racing off at the sight of Evie running towards them (half their size!).

It was so nice to just be among the bush and wildlife instead of the hussle and bussle of wonderful inner west life. Evie met all the neighbours and their dogs and always had her eyes open for the next person to walk past so that she could charm them with her wave and enthusiatic 'Hi', it is so much easier to get to know the other campers with a little one in your life!

Other good bits included roadside cherries from young, having your dinner cooked for you on the BBQ every night, our new annex on the camperoo, beating Mike in Carcassone by 1 point, boggle, finding blue clawed crabs in the rockpools and having lovely family time without the interuption of any TV! Oh, I almost forgot to mention- Evie slept in her own cot each night, all night, without any tears- amazing! and even went to bed before 9pm each night... now to see if we can bring that golden goodness back to real life!

Family goodness....

2009-10-30T04:04:00.000-07:00

I have had lots of extended family time lately, not for extended periods but with my extended family!

Mum's wedding kicked things off with a great party of all the family members celebrating her marriage to Dougie, she is now Mrs Oldfield and thoroughly enjoying it from all reports! Mum was a gorgeous bride dressed in a lovely purple dress strolling through the park behind her gorgeous grandkids! It was a great day and absolutely wonderful to have cousins entertaining Evie for the day too, not to mention yummy food, a very happy mum, the company of my siblings and the rest of the gang! Unfortunately my Camera died and i don't have a photo to post yet- but hopefully later!

This lovely occassion marked the second of two major events in my family this year- the first being the birth of Alexander Ian Gregory Graham- my new little brother, born to my Dad and Cathy earlier this year. Gosh he made Evie look big! And to think that Evie now has another Uncle- we went shopping for her uncle, not aftershave but a cute little '000' outfit!

Yes, so family stuff continues to happen and we continue to embrace it. There have also been many less significant but mightly joyful family moments including coming home last week to a clean home and freshly cooked casserole courtesy of Julie, my servant hearted mother in law!
Today's fish and chip lunch with my grandparents followed by dinner with aunts, uncles and cousins just adds to the goodness of having family. My family is a huge blessing.

Progress?

2009-10-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

Last night Evie came a step closer to saying mum, exciting seeing that she has been saying Daddy for months. She has even been saying Taj for several weeks (the bunny!), so some intensive work at the dinner table led to Evie pointing at me and finally saying... "Bum". So now she can point at Daddy, bubba, Taj and Bum. She did make me laugh with silliness!

She can do stuff!

2009-10-07T03:36:00.000-07:00

This eerily quiet blog needs an Evie update for those of you reading from afar! Our little girl is growing up, this weekend she started to walk! She can now wander from room to room and even shake her maracas as she goes! It is so very cute to watch her little legs carry her around the house. Again, this significant milestone was reached in the company of her cousin Rhys, also 12 months old, who has been showing her how to walk since he was 9 months! (Rhys also taught Evie how to crawl- he is a clever boy!)

Evie has also discovered other important skills like how to lick yummy food off her fingers and how to open and empty mum's wallet. She has learnt her first animal noise and 'woof woofs' at all dogs (including the Kleenex dog in the toilet paper aisle at Coles) and other animals that catch her attention!

Evie' s favourite words are Hi and Bye and are accompanied by a generous wave and hearty smile, it's a nice way to leave for work in the mornings.

She is a real joy!

poisoned...

2009-09-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

Had a horrendously gross and intense bout of food poisoning on the weekend- nothing like that to help you appreciate good health again! I can't be sure, but can I suggest avoiding the butter chicken at Summer Hill Indian Home Diner. Feeling 100% again now- hooray!

Cheaper than Jetstar!

2009-08-24T23:05:00.000-07:00

Mike and I went off to Lakemba today for lunch, a bit of a random idea after hearing rave reviews about a lebanese restaurant, 'Jasmine's', during bible study this morning. Mike had the arvo off today so we all popped into Maisy mazda looking forward to a mixed plate of goodies. Sadly, Jasmine's was shut.

On the up side, it felt like a cheap airfare to another country really- I was very excited about the strong cultural differences there, the dress, the signage, the facial expressions, the tone of voice, the food, the butchers... oh and the strong presence of Canterbury bulldogs jerseys!

We ended up having yummy Adana kebabs for lunch and coming home with Kafta and lamb Souvlaki for the BBQ. Mike didn't seem to share the same level of excitement, well atleast not until he spotted the Campo's coffee.

Lunch break!

2009-08-18T04:32:00.000-07:00

First day back at work has come and gone- hello to John, farewell to Evie, clean clothes, big hugs, new clients, lunch break, phone calls, still clean clothes, and a 45 minute early mark! It was joyfully familiar, a real blessing to be able to return to such a warm, respectful and creative work place. My office still looks the same- a shame really, it needed some interior decorating, but I will soon be downsizing to a smaller office to fit my smaller hours- 2 days a week, so no ongoing issues there!

The joy of returning to work was closely accompanied by the mixed feelings of leaving little Evie at home. Evie's feelings didn't seem so mixed- she was very happy about being looked after by grandpa. As I held back the tears as I waved her good bye, she was in full swing waving me off excitedly through the front security door with a huge smile across her gorgeous face- and this seemed to be the theme of her day! Praise God for such a smooth transition and for retired Grandpa's who know how to entertain!

4 questions...

2009-06-23T04:58:00.000-07:00

Whose biography have you read that you have enjoyed and would recommend?
If you were going to meet up with friends, but not over a meal, what would you currently choose to do?
If you wanted new curtains how would you go about it?
Anyone keen to answer a question or 4?

celebrations?

2009-06-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

OKay so perhaps 5:20AM is not the best time to write about celebrating, unless of course you have been up all night doing just that. Instead I have been listening to little Evie cry in her cot while we try and give her the 'confidence' that she can in fact put herself back to sleep. So in the midst of cries, tears and coughing (just by Evie so far...) I am stopping to thank God for Evie- for her health, cheerful nature, gorgeous smile, cuddles, laughs and lessons on patience and other person centredness!

Here's to a celebration of the little people in our family! (The crying has ceased for the moment after 45 minutes- hooray! Now... to peek or not to peek...??)

The good life...

2009-05-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

I heard a Christian vox pop this week that asked 'What makes for a good life?' people said 'good friends', 'success', 'happiness' and the planted christians said 'bringing glory to God' and 'knowing Jesus died for me' . I was left thinking about what I would say... the Christian responses just sounded a bit textbooky, or perhaps they were just 'thin' answers that need a bit more filling out to hit home for me.
The good life for me brings to mind relationship, community, purpose, hopefulness, encouragement, peace and having practical needs met like food, shelter and safety. How good is it that in God's Kingdom I have all of this, and out of God's generousity he has lavished this upon me. I know sin gets in the way of this being perfect- my relationships often experience brokenness, I lose track of my purpose, Satan tries to steal away my peace from God, and many around the world suffer without food, safety or shelter because of greed and conflict, but to know that one day all God's children will be part of the perfect good life forever is a great encouragement.
So... I think i might begin a series of 'celebratory' blogs on the good life...
wanna join in the celebrations??

Should I buy a lotto ticket?

2009-05-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

Mike and I are on a winning streak this week... Firstly Mike wins a free whooper.... then I win a runners up prize at the baby expo for baby photography (Okay it might just be a ploy for business but they said 'congratulations, you've won...") and then today I receive a voucher in the mail for a free krispy creme and coffee. Yep, we are rolling in it, our hard work of footy tipping and mothers day competitions is finally paying dividends...

So Mike and I might head out on a date soon, a whopper followed by a 5 star dessert somewhere near sydney airport...

10 big elephants balancing....

2009-05-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

Oh it is hard to get the balance right in life sometimes, there are big things and the little things to balance... tonight I am again torn between whether to stay up and make the most of Evie-free time or go to bed and make the most of sleep... Evie-free time wins everytime, yet the battle continues.

Bonko....

2009-05-11T00:41:00.000-07:00

...It's another word for a head butt, originating from the youth of my older sister... and often just said moments before head butting someone else. Unfortunately Evie gave the CD tower a bonko yesterday and the CD tower won, poor little one, her first bruise and smack bang in the middle of her forehead! I say who needs CD towers these days anyway- so outdated, off with the tower!
In other Evie news, she seems to have developed a taste for food now, after a couple of months of showing no interest- she even had some avocado and tuna sushi today! Other winners are sweet potato and cous cous, beef and vegie casserole and pear... thats my girl!!

stimulating...

2009-05-03T23:34:00.000-07:00

Bought a natural gas heater today with rudd dollars... a sound investment for the winter I say, hoping it will make it easier to get out of bed for Evie... this wonderful house gets soooo cold! It was a stimulating purchase, Mike and I took a seat at Binglee to consider the options, only to find that we were sitting on the most wonderful massage chairs in the world! Of course this meant it took much longer to make the decision as we both experienced the full demo versions on the different styles... I feel like I just went to the Day spa! What will I need to buy from bing lee next week??
It is nice becoming familiar again with the comforts of winter, including doonas on the lounge and Mike's chicken soup for the sick and weary!

Park Playing

2009-04-16T02:58:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Mike!

2009-04-14T01:46:00.000-07:00

Mike doesn't read my blog, so he won't know I have even acknowledged it in blogland... Mike doesn't really 'get' birthdays nor does he really like to celebrate his. I thought it was only old grumpy men who didn't like celebrating birthdays... and 29 doesn't count as old... I think there can be lots of goodness in a birthday, a day to celebrate the unique difference this person makes in your life, the lovely giftings they carry with them, the things you enjoy about hanging out with them... it's also a chance to remember their mum and be thankful to her for bringing them into the world (thanks Julie!), and I find it a great reminder to make time to catch up with friends and family, and a time to thank God for this person! I shared this with Mike today, i think he just went 'hmm' (flat tone), not 'hmmmmm'(rising intonation).

So in an Ode to Mike, I am thankful for his warm, constant, genuine care, his spiritual encouragement and convictions, his clear thinking, his creative expression, his handyman skills, his patience and perseverance, his laughability, his emotional stability, and his honest, open, and gentle communication. I also love how much he loves Evie... awwww... what a great Daddy!

Backyard Bliss

2009-04-13T04:14:00.000-07:00

chilli vanilli

2009-04-06T03:48:00.000-07:00

Cooler weather means....
I bought a fleecy jumper with a fleecy hood that Evie likes to suck...
I opened my recipe books to find good soup recipes and then decided on Jo's awesome pumpkin soup recipe that lives in my head...
Evie now has a pink soft cosy sleeping bag to kick around in during the night without freezing...
I am wearing socks (normally all the socks in the wash are Mike's) ...
I am enjoying cups of tea even more, and toast and....
I am beginning to mourn the loss of my favourite season, and all the wonderful things summer brings, like how easy it is to get out of bed- boy Evie, I hope you start sleeping through soon!

There is a theme...

2009-03-10T03:31:00.000-07:00

I seem to be a magnet for everything contagious at the moment. In the last two weeks I have done battle with nits (yes at age 28!), conjunctivitis and a cold. This afternoon I had it pointed out to me that the right hand side of my face is swollen too, are wisdom teeth contagious?

There has been some positive come out of the nit scenario- I have been exposed to the wealth of knowledge and the sense of comradery mothers have in doing battle with these sneeky species. I have felt very supported in my annihilation of these blood sucking bugs and have implemented the following suggestions-
Cover your hair and scalp in olive oil before bed and sleep like that- drown the bugs!
Buy cheap conditioner and squirt it through your hair, leave it there as long as you want then with the nit comb (metal ofcourse!) comb through- suffocate them!
Rub tea tree oil through your hair, massage the scalp, wait and comb- stun them?
I have also used insecticide of some sort to kill and destroy... the combination of the above seemed to have worked until... this morning...THEIR BACK! Sneeky little buggers...

gunk...

2009-03-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

It's gross, I have conjunctivitis. I am going into quarantine today and the next few days too I guess. Evie doesn't have it yet, though apparently it hides itself for the first few days and then- KAPOW! your eye turns into a pus factory. Try waking up at 4am to feed you baby only to find that your eyelids are glued together... that's a motivation to keep the bedroom floor clean!
Bit sad about missing out on playgroup today and mum's group tomorrow morning... and we were planning to head to sideways for it, oh the tragedy!
On a more thankful note- I did get to go to women's bible study yesterday where evie experienced creche for the first time- yay!and I got to hang out and pray with others!- sadly for all the other mum's, I may have also shared the congunktivitis... oops.

twilight moment...

2009-03-02T01:37:00.000-08:00

Evie has grown her first 2 fangs, they are lovely and sharp and thankfully have not drawn blood! Way to go Evie!

paddle pop season...

2009-03-02T01:32:00.000-08:00

I am afraid it is almost over, with the arrival of autumn and the imminent arrival of cooler weather the paddle pop season may be at risk of coming to a slow halt. In view of this, a pack of 10 were purchased to share this weekend, and Mike and I just finished them.

A newish year

2009-02-26T00:43:00.000-08:00

My first blog for the year and it's almost March...time flies, in fact it flies so fast that today Mike and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary, I think we are well and truly in the swing of things now. I watched first year Uni students wander towards broadway today having had their fill of O-week and thought- gosh they look young for uni students... Mike put a different spin on things suggesting something about the fact that maybe we are just getting old...maybe... but man they were young!
We celebrated with a late lunch out at the fairtrade Cafe on Glebe point road, their chocolate brownie is so yummy! And the greatest gift today was Evie sleeping for 2 hours from noon, such an improvement on the recent half hour stints- Go EVIE!!! followed by her going to bed now- 7:30pm... I had heard rumours that babies were meant to go to sleep around this time!

In other news, we are now living in our new house (renting) and enjoying the many benefits of having more room to play- space is so wonderful. These are the things I am thankful for here:
* The exercise I get walking to the clothes line and being able to stand in the sun and hang it out!
* Getting to leave the pegs on the line...
* Having an internal laundry- a can wash anytime of day or night and not worry about spiderwebs or strangers lurking about.
* Being able to have friends and family stay the night without them having to feel awkward about having to walk through our bedroom to get to the toilet at night.
* Having enough room for toddlers to not go stir crazy within 5 minutes of arriving
* Having 2 outdoor undercover areas to eat in...
* The avocado tree, macadamia tree and strawberry patch that has no strawberries...
*Having room for a big dining table to have feast around with family and friends...

We have already been taking advantage of all the above wonders, if you haven't been part of it yet, I hope you are soon! Come visit!

Ending the year well...

2008-12-29T22:52:00.000-08:00

We squeezed so much into the last few weeks of the year! They have been great weeks though- lots of hanging out with friends and celebrating Jesus' birth, lots of events and organising... i like December- carols, carcassone, baking, wrapping, leftovers, night walks, reunions, hugs, pudding, reflections....

Evie is relishing in the opportunity to rest today- in fact i think she has only managed to be awake for 4 hours today- and its 6pm... she keeps wanting to go back to bed for 2 hours... i like her style! While Evie and I rest, Mike is off building a garden shed followed by helping good friends of ours move house... hmmm.

Soon we are going for a family holiday at Austinmer, thanks to a very generous friend who has offered their home. it will be so lovely to have Mike around during the days, and he thoughtfully bought me a book for holiday reading to read while he is looking after Evie- hooray!

Ikea eat your heart out...

2008-12-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

AT lunch today someone asked me if we had put our Christmas tree up yet. I replied that Mike hadn't printed it off the computer yet...and it wasn't til I said it out loud and saw their response that I realised how novel an idea it is. This was Mike's creative solution to having a house that doesn't have space for a Christmas tree, print it off and blu tack it to the wall. It's rather nice, Mike designed it a couple of years ago- it's 4 x A4 pages that come together to form 1 tree...
easy to store all year round, and you don't need an allen key to put it together! I wonder if Evie will be satisfied with a 2d tree in the future?...

debriefing rant...

2008-12-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

crappy system update... system reveals it can actually get crappier... somehow my 'pleading not guilty' fax didn't 'get through' and the judge went ahead and found me guilty instead of setting a date for hearing... so now I have to go to court to reverse that judgement and then go to court again to have the hearing... this is when I wonder if it is worth following it up... but the more energy you put in the more you feel you need to follow through otherwise you have been wasting all your time so far... hmmm... kinda like waiting at the bus stop so long that you want to give up, but then you think well I have waitied this long it must be going to be here soon... so I guess it depends how desperate you are for the destination... I would generally prefer to pay $185 then spend 2 days at court with a bub, but 'it's the principle...'
anyway, I cried when they told me all this on the phone this morning and I think the court lady didn't know how to respond, after all it is only a parking fine, so she put me through to her boss who said she will waiver the $72 cost to appeal the judgement- how nice... but how stupid they were going to charge me $72 to appeal a lost fax... by golly.
In other news, I just had a lovely Christmas lunch with the women's bible study from church, which made me feel much better...

Fi's fine...& a crappy system...

2008-11-27T23:05:00.000-08:00

off to legal aid last night for some tips on going to court for appealing a stupid parking fine... i am at a stage where i am tempted to just pay the $185 instead of dragging a 3 month old breastfeeding baby to court for a whole day- but 'it's the principle of the matter' has been my catch cry. How much revenue do councils receive just because it's too hard to appeal incorrectly issued fines- blah! i was fined for parking in a 'no stopping' zone that council has since confirmed isn't actually a no stopping zone... but red tape and miscommunication at Parramatta council has wasted hours of my time and lots of my mobile phone credit... so one then thinks- well God can use bad stuff for good, so what about this dodgy journey...? One reflection is the difficulty more vulnerable people in society must have in speaking up for themselves, when I am a white, proficient at English, university educated, well supported woman struggling to be heard and struggling to negotiate the system. Mike and I have also struggled with the Centrelink system who lost all our details (twice) in the process of trying to claim baby bonus and FTB. In fact, had I not called them yesterday they wouldn't have noticed they put $500 in someone elses account instead of ours. This makes me happy that I am a social worker. The system is still so mean and hard to navigate for those who don't have the confidence or perhaps skills to stand up to government departments.... rah...

Making friends

2008-11-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

It is harder to make new friends as you get older don't you reckon, which is probably good because it can be hard enough keeping up with your good old faithful friends already. But having a baby brings on a whole new onslaught of potential friends.'Mother's group' has been an easy way to meet new people, and because it is initially set up by the early childhood nurse there is no awkwardness about when to make the first step of 'Do you wanna come play at my house?' or whatever the social eqivalent is for a woman my age... kids have better social skills then us sometimes... or me sometimes.... but yes, i like mother's group, apart from its name... it is so lovely to have morning tea in other women's houses and go to the movies together and talk babies, and see babies chiilin' out with each other, Evie decided to start sucking the elbow of the baby she was lying next to for a photo this week- very funny!

foto frenzy

2008-11-16T20:46:00.000-08:00

Evie self portrait

swinging in the breeze

alpha female

post-bath Evie

Gracious Evie...

2008-11-06T03:12:00.001-08:00

Here are some more pics of little Evie, she is 2 months old now, and it is amazing how much they change in a matter of weeks. She smiles now and makes very cute cooing noises, especially as she falls asleep! She also enjoys her new bouncer which makes soothing cicada noises... who would have thought?

We have been to the movies together twice, though she seems to have my bad habit of falling asleep soon into the movie!

She is sleeping in Mike's arms next to me at the moment looking very relaxed, perhaps exhausted from tonight's crying!

Time flies...

2008-10-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

...when you're having fun... and also when the days run into nights that run into days! I can't believe Evie is 4 weeks old today- a month old tomorrow. I've decided that I enjoy being a mum more and more as time goes on and as I spend more and more time with Evie. I was wondering if I felt that instant connection with Evie when she was born, like some mums talk about, and I think I did, but it still seemed liked being introduced for the first time... after carrying her around for 9 months this was the first time you see her and hold her- and wonder where all that hair came from?? So now, after spending much more time together we are getting to know each other more and the joy keeps growing... I love how she wakes up and stretches and yawns and makes funny noises (just like us...) and how she looks at us with such curiousity and intensity that it makes us laugh, I love how little her toes, hands, ears and mouth are, and how beautifully full her thighs are!

Evie Grace 6/9/08

2008-09-13T22:28:00.000-07:00

Evie is our little delight. She is beautiful and brings us so much joy. We love her and can't stop telling her that! It is so amazing to think that she is ours, what a precious gift! She is 9 days old now, and seems well settled into her new home. We are taking one day at a time and a thankful for every good nights sleep we get- she is doing a good job at showing off her genetic ability to sleep well!

Her first outing was to vote, and we responsibly voted for a night time noodle market in Marrickville (among other things!), she enjoyed her first cafe experience on Saturday at Sweet Balem and her first Pub experience at the Newington, Petersham for Sunday lunch after church. I think she has been introduced to local community well!

We are so thankful for the beautiful support of our family and friends, and have been reminded of the African proverb 'It takes a village to raise a child'. God has given us so many people to be thankful for, people we can celebrate with, and who have been an encouragement to us during this very special time. Thanks to all of you.

Introducing Guate...

2008-08-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is our colourful friend called Guate, he has travelled all the way from Chichicaztenango markets in Guatemala to meet his new owner, baby Dicker. I think he is very attractive! and so does Taj! This is their first meeting and it had to be heavily supervised, Taj sniffed Guate's bottom and then kissed his ear and then decided he still prefers the ugg boots as his friend- which is just as well, because i don't think baby Dicker and Taj should really share the same friends just yet! Thanks Jo for sending Guate to Australia, I think he is really enjoying it here!

Doing time...

2008-08-10T04:19:00.000-07:00

The baby is coming close to finishing it's 9 months inside. I'm 35 weeks which, in theory, means a bit over a month to go... not long now! The baby is growing and so is my belly, which has caused a rather unique style of walking. This is my last week at work before I take 12 months maternity leave, and this seems to be taking up more mind space than the pregnancy at the moment. After 5 years at the same workplace I seem to have collected so much unnecessary stuff, and there is so many unfinished bits and pieces to thread together! SO it's a big week ahead, followed by either a celebration or big long sleep once it is all over!! Here is a photo from a week or two ago...

I did it...

2008-07-22T21:32:00.000-07:00

I cycled, and cycled well, it must have been the busy streets of the inner west that have been holding me back. Byron's flat streets and cycle paths make it very easy to ride around without the usual torment of crazy traffic and severe quad pain! I think the babe in the belly enjoyed it too, who says an 8 months pregnant woman can't cycle! (Even if only for 5kms...) I will upload a photo later!

it vanished....

2008-07-15T00:36:00.000-07:00

The slipperyness of productivity, yesterday I had it, today I don't.

ebay purchase #5

2008-07-09T02:26:00.000-07:00

First an Army Men playstation game, then sofa bed, tank bag, airport express and now a cot. We drove north last night on an adventure to collect a cot, and we got it. The most memorable part of the trip was a stop off in Dee Why for Pizza, we ate in and were kept mesmorised by the conflict and constant mistakes occurring among the staff, every table order was incorrect, in fact the only part of our meal they got right was the garlic bread, somehow though they still had heaps of business. We couldn't help but imagine what would happen if Gordon Ramsey came in! Though the F word was already being exchanged between staff!
This story is boring me now, perhaps it's a good place to stop.
Mike put together the cot in the lounge room when we got home, then we realised it didn't fit through the bedroom door, no wories though, we just took off the door, now we have a great cot in the bedroom. Don't tell the landlords!

Babymoon

2008-07-09T02:13:00.000-07:00

Apparently thats what you call the trend to have a holiday before your baby is due. Thats what we are planning to do, it's an indulgence we are looking forward to! The idea is a bit of a road trip to Byron Bay, with a stopover at Coffs to hangout with Katie and Gez on their new property with Mowgli, Mr Darcy, Fairey, Jack and Becky Jane (the farmyard friends!) I haven't been to Byron before, anyone recommend anything up there? The place we are renting has 2 bikes to ride, but apparently this won't agree with a pregnant women's centre of balance- I like the idea though...
In other news... I can't understand how I managed to stay awake for most of the Tour de France last year, the excitement just isn't there this year, even with an Aussie favourite, maybe it will kick in in the later stages.... or maybe I'm just tired, but I don't think so.

Those were the days...

2008-07-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine crawling like I am in that photo there...

Country life....

2008-06-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Mike and I had a lovely extra long weekend out at Wellington, staying with my mum. I remembered that I enjoy nice, spacious views. In Petersham here I can see out 10m to the block of units next door, at Mums house we look 500m across the back paddock to the river, I also enjoyed the gorgeous night sky, home cooked meals, chatting over hot tea, pizza runners razorback pizza, home made baklava, sharing pregnant belly stories with Bek and Nat ( we are all due within 4 weeks of each other), having lots of animals to pat/watch/listen to, and being able to just be...

Furniture Tetris

2008-06-05T02:41:00.000-07:00

Our home is a lovely 1 bedroom unit, a great kitchen, new floorboards, lots of natural light, a balcony for us and Taj the rabbit, an authentic 70's bathroom, and even a 'dimmable' light in the bedroom (though this feature disappears when one chooses to use environmentally friendly bulbs). The only challenge with our lovely home is its size, and even this only becomes a challenge when you decide to try and fit and third person in- even if they are really, really little.

Mike and I have been up for the challenge though, and so far we are coming out winners! A highlight has been incorporating a TV and computer into one! Now we don't need a desk, which means we can have a cot instead- yay! Apparently this is a rather important piece of furniture for little ones... It also means we can get a small chest of drawers to put the little ones bits and pieces into... Mike and I were told the drawers we cleared out (3 little ones) weren't going to be quite adequate... but back to the teleputer... one of the best bits of this process was the length of time it took to get the TV up and running... this meant we had about 4 weeks without a TV- which was fantastic! (cause sometimes I think the telly just creeps in and distracts you away from more enjoyable, useful, fun things...)

This is the stage where I am meant to tell you all the fun stuff we have been doing instead, but I am not exactly sure what we did- lots of little things I think...out for coffee after dinner more, listened to more music, probably cleaned a bit more, read more, talked more, blogged more... it was just nice to not be tempted to be lulled into hypnotic world of TV.

home cooking

2008-05-26T06:29:00.000-07:00

Lately we have enjoyed some good home cooked meals, yesterday i cooked Chicken Biriyani, as taught to me by a young client I work with- yum! it's spicy and ricey and chickeny... Mike has been making yummy banana bread that features on his website, we indulged in scones and tonight's rare highlight- meat pies with mash and vegies, went down a treat! I worry that I spend too much time thinking about food, and if i am not thinking about it, I am eating, buying, planning or cooking it... How blessed are we to have so much good food! Wouldn't it be good to be able to share it with the whole world!

In other news, Mike and I just got home from watching Indiana Jones- it was stupid, and corny and silly and entertaining, proven by the fact that I managed not to fall asleep! Well done me. Though now it is bed time....

the bump...

2008-05-19T03:26:00.000-07:00

Here is my 'belly photo'- for those far away. It has grown a bit in the past couple of weeks, before then it just looked like i had eaten too many hot chips (which was also true!)So now that I look pregnant, my interactions in the world are beginning to change- more strangers start talking to me and share their own stories of being pregnant years ago, mums with babies give me a secret circle nod and smile, portuguese friends kiss my tummy ( apparently this is what you do..) and those who push in front of me tend to say sorry more often. All in all, I am really enjoying this special part of my life. I am 23 weeks now, past half way and still feel like I am in the comfortable part of pregnancy, I am a bit perplexed at how women keep putting their socks on as they get bigger though- it's already becoming challenging!

bus running....

2008-05-19T03:05:00.000-07:00

I like watching people run for the bus, living in the inner west I get to see it alot. I love watching people run like crazy in their corporate outfits, arms waving crazily and the extra enthusiastic who also call out to the bus to wait... I only like the happy endings though and always feel a bit sad when someone's efforts don't pay off. I often feel a bit torn about whether to speak up for my fellow bus runners and point them out to the bus driver or whether to let STA nature just run its course... when I do speak up it tends to just be a mumble that no-one understands anyway.

I don't catch buses much these days, but when I was at uni, it was routine to run after the 413 as it approached Lewisham station, lucky for me hunter street was downhill and lewisham traffic so bad at 8:45 am that I usually won he running race... it takes humility to chase a bus, or atleast desperation... i like to think that STA is plaing it's part in keeping us that little bit more humble. It's weird to see adults run these days, it reminds me of the story of the prodigal son and the loving father, who runs to greet his son even though running is not the thing for a man in those days to do...

Homeless cats...

2008-04-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

Today I drove some cats to the Cat Protection society as they were homeless, I put them in the boot in a big cardboard box, with sticky tape and a towel over the top. i thought it was a bit risky putting 3 cats in the brand new car... and i was right...by the time i reached Newtown from Telopea the kittens had escaped and pooed and vomitted in the car- yukko- safe to say the new car smell was nowhere to be found! What makes it worse it how much they charge to clean your boot!... and prego women aren't allowed to hang out with cat poo so...

pushed for time...

2008-04-10T03:17:00.000-07:00

There's a long waiting list for seeing an obstetrician at RPA, thankfully i booked in on time, so i got to have my appointment this morning, i think 'appointment' might be an over statement, it lasted about 90 seconds and all the obstetrician said is "Why are you here?" " that noise is the heartbeat- so your baby is still alive" followed by a mumbiled "do you have any questions?" I felt a bit ripped off and was glad i hadn't had to wait hours for my brief encounter ... to the obstetricians defense- i did hear him say that he has a patient pushing in labour at the moment- so from that woman's pespective, I am glad he rushed....

grow grows

2008-04-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

Our Tuesday night bible study is called grow. Tonight we grew. Now we are bigger and also a little bit more like Jesus.

A silent social worker....

2008-03-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

Thats what I was at work this week, no question asking, no spoken reflections, no sharing of curiousities.... just silence in the company of others. Our team went to Jamberoo Abbey for a spiritual retreat of sorts- a time to reflect of what our hopes are in our work in the community, and to consider what future directions might be pleasing to God and helpful to our community. It was also a time to be still, and quiet. It was much easier to get into the groove of then I imagined, but that was probably because we still spoke, well whispered, when we wanted to- except ofcourse over meals, where silence is strongly encouraged. Silent meals were a little weird for me, at first I had that year 7 struggle come flooding back, of holding back giggles that want to be expressed and tend to grow stronger the more you want them to go away, then I settled in. Jamberoo is so beautiful, the views and greenery just help you to relax, and listening to the sisters sing the psalms was almost hypnotic- I experienced such a strong sense of stillness and contentment during my time there, that I hope travels with me a little longer...

Our easter bunny sucks....

2008-03-17T23:07:00.000-07:00

Taj and I have been having relationship difficulties lately, actually they have be going on for some time... the problem seems to be around my expectations that he should let me pick him up and hold him. He doesn't agree, and just deals with it through avoidance (which often involves speeding off under the chair or hutch...) and the times when I do pick him up he becomes physically violent and has left scratches on my arm and tummy. I'm not sure what to do. it's hard to let go of the hope that if I just keep picking him up he will get use to it and eventually enjoy it.

and I am not sure who is being more abusive- me or Taj?

Mike reckons I should become more content with just patting him, he does like that... perhaps my expectations are too high... yep so it's a difficult time for me and my bunny this easter...

Sheer shed happiness

2008-03-10T04:48:00.000-07:00

So yep- it's been a while since my last blog which kinda ups the pressure on writing something worthwhile when you actually do make the effort... well today I have a beauty, I just got to have dinner in a shed- yep how cool is that. And the best thing about the shed is that it is right here in Petersham, in our friends backyard... even though they live in a unit... and if I am excited about hanging out in a shed you can imagine just how happy and content Mike was tonight as we sat around the shed eating a delicious roast off the webber... oh the joy of shed hospitality! I wish I had photos to share with you... but I don't so I will try and paint you a picture instead... the shed comes with a rustic table, a couch, some chairs, a bar fridge, a coffee roaster and ofcourse the webber mentioned earlier... there were tool benches and stuff too to add to the authentic atmosphere....it was just lovely...

Identity Change!

2008-01-17T15:55:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my beautiful sister in law, Mel, and her husband, Larry, today I became an Aunty for the first time! Aunty Fi, hopefully having a 1 syllable name will give me a shot at being one of her first words!
Today, very early this morning, Adelaide Lin was born, it was a long and tiring birth, so tiring for Adelaide that she apparently kept falling asleep during labour and had to be woken up, and slept solidly again when she was born... I think she might have Aunty Fi and Uncle Mike's genetics coming through there... we are both rather gifted sleepers!(which is perfect for living in an apartment or when we share rooms with large groups of teenagers!)
So a new life has come, created in the image of our wonderful God! Welcome Adelaide!

You wouldn't guess I'm back at work...

2008-01-08T02:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight has been a lovely evening- really relaxing and yet we have done stuff, It's been really great losing our routine for a while- more time to do little things that wouldn't normally be thought of.
Tonight we went for a walk for paddle pop O'clock, an important part of our day these days, so much so that we have become friends with the guy at the petrol station- very cool. We also went for a walk to Marrickville croquet club- a cute, weatherboard verandered building (more verandah than building) and now we've just had a BBQ and Mike has drawn a story board for a video, and I have read recipe books to inspire some baking this weekend.... these just feel like things that feed the soul... mmmm.....

Nigella Inspires...

2008-01-03T21:02:00.000-08:00

Nigella Lawson was a name I hadn't heard of until about 2 weeks ago, and it's been popping up everywhere ever since!
If you haven't heard of her, she is a voluptuous ( and somewhat suggestive... according to my brother in law...) TV cook from the UK. Mel and Larry bought me her cookbook for Christmas and I have stumbled across her on Foxtel (we have it up here in Coffs on holidays...) and watched her make some incredibly yummy and full of fat recipes! A friend at work has also mentioned her- something about how her husband has suddenly taken an interest in a cooking show...
Anyway, the inspiration has come now that today's weather is cyclonic- well almost, and the idea of the beach isn't so appealing. So what does one do instead? Cook in the kitchen... and watch bits of the cricket... with your sister! We've created vietnamese spring rolls, basil pesto ( even better then that popular chunky dip thats doing the rounds at the moment!) and a family heirloom recipe- spinach slice! Oh and home made Chai...
I actually think Nigella would be dissappointed with our choices though- not enough calories, fat or sugar... I'll work on that next time the weather tries to knock over our house!

Up getting...

2007-12-20T23:49:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else find it so hard to get up on a work day and then find yourself flinging out of bed on your day off? To be honest I find it hard most days, but this morning was one of those fling days... I wish it happened more often, then I could do things like have breakfast before I go to work! And I wouldn't have to risk the praying / driving combination... which often ends with a thought like 'gosh I can't remember driving the last 5 kms...' I have been trying to find a 'getting up earlier' solution for around 15 years now... I seem to only be able to do it when I must and not when it's only an option... I wonder if it's just the whole nightowl or morning person thing, or perhaps a chronic case of morning laziness. Perhaps I should just embrace my morning routine as it is, I mean whats wrong with getting up late each morning, if by the end of the day I have still fitted everything in... maybe this is the first step in attacking the stigma society has against people who sleep in because they can! Hmmm.....

Goodbyes...

2007-12-08T22:56:00.000-08:00

This month has had more than it's usual share of goodbyes. The first Goodbye was to Jo. It was a sad one, but a very exciting one too, cause she is off to Guatemala to do stuff that God has called and equipped her for.

The second goodbye was to my Uncle Len who passed away this week. We went out to Dubbo for his funeral, such a small funeral. Partly because he chose to live a very isolated life, and partly because those he did connect with were often wanderers in society- young people kicked out of home or moved from town to town at the whim of their parents. I am really suprised at how little I honoured the way he cared for young people on the fringe, I remember thinking it was a bit gross how he let stinky and dirty people into his home, and especially how he cared for a boy in my year, Peter Dukeson, who none of us cared for or respected. I think Len treated these people the way Jesus wants us to. I wonder if his example has impacted the work I do and value now? I reckon ... Today when I went grocery shopping I decided to buy orange chocolate in memory of Uncle Len, he gave this to us every Christmas with a $20 note tucked in. He was so generous with the little he had. I'd like to be more like him.

Today brings the third Goodbye, though not nearly as significant as the last. I just got off the phone from my mum to the sad news that her little (very, very little) dog was just killed by our next door neighbours very big dog. Pooki was a tiny pomeranian and was good, cheerful company, so she will be missed too.

Thats enough Goodbyes for now, it's so exhausting for the soul...

TWO FAT OLIVES...

2007-12-04T02:43:00.000-08:00

Thats the name of the pizza place we went for dinner tonight- A good friend of ours, Artie, has just opened it with his mate George. It was nice to catch up with him and to eat his pizza! Its in Eastlakes / Roseberry if you are interested! They reckon they look like 2 fat olives when they are dressed in their black aprons and bandanas, hence the name... and I think they're right...
It would be cool to own your own business, but those long hours sound yukky...

bending it...

2007-12-03T03:17:00.000-08:00

Played soccer tonight- it's been 3 years of Monday night soccer now and I am not sure if I am getting any better... not that I am bad- though I did miss a shocker tonight... but i think it's time to consider trying to improve. So my first goal is to get a more powerful kick- Mike reckons its got something to do with swinging from the hip...?? and then perhaps I will move on to learning how to head the ball without feeling like my brain has had a collision with my skull!
I think I've scored 5 goals this season- not bad huh. I like soccer.

Dumb movie?

2007-11-24T22:25:00.000-08:00

I hired a DVD the other night to keep myself from distracting Mike while he was at home writing his sermon. I just find it so hard to have him in the same room as me and not talk to him, what am I meant to do with a days worth of stories, questions about how to fix things, ideas popping into my head, etc,etc... so I dropped into the dvd store on the way back from ESL on Friday night and hired 'The lady in the water'. I had decided it looked silly from the preview we saw, but friends at work recommended it so i gave it go. It is silly. And it is very predictable.
But.... It has this theme of community- people in a block of units, coming together with different skills to work out the dilema which faced them... I like that... I'd like to live more communally than we are now, I'd like to have a relationship with all the different people who live in our units- we'd hear so many different stories, be able to help each other out more, wouldn't have to eat dinner on our own, people would have more company and be more connected.
I do enjoy the little things that already happen here...
An older lady who lives upstairs often collects our mail and brings it to our door, our neighbours across the hall let us know when our washing machine goes crazy and floods our laundry (ahhh what a waste of water!), Mike fixes stuff for older woman in the apartments, John #1 keeps an eye out for our safety and lets us know if weird stuff is happening.... and sometimes we chat together in the stairwells or car park....it's a start isn't it. The highlight has been going out for dinner with our lovely neighbours across the hall once- that was cool- but rare... perhaps Christmas will create new opportunities...

Vox popped

2007-11-18T03:19:00.000-08:00

Today Baz and I tried our hand at recording a 'vox pop' in preparation for Petersham Christmas Carols... I'm suprised we are still alive! At first I was thinking that all the knock backs were just a reflection of people not wanting to be recorded for the big screen- I know i prefer being the filmer not the filmee... but then it became obvious that this was also another example of how people persecute Jesus... one fella was so degrading and aggressive when we introduced where we were from... and became verbally abusive. It makes me wonder whether God is still tempted these days to strike down people with lightning... Obviously he is much more gracious and patient than me! Anyway when I get home Mike decides to share the helpful tips he has from previous vox pops, namely, go to Sydney Uni or some other place where people just loiter.... (i'm still to convince Mike I did more than just loiter at Uni...)
Baz and I wanted to hear a range of opinions and ideas about Christmas today- but it was hard work... we are really thankful to a bloke called John who graciously shared his ideas on camera... now we just need a few more...

on a lighter note...

2007-11-13T03:19:00.000-08:00

Mike and I have committed to trialling a new healthy way of eating (some might call it a diet). This is our first ever attempt and so far we have lasted a whole 4 days (except for the taste test of christmas pudding at newtown festival- YUM!) Our hope is to lose a kilo or two of the many kilos that have joined us since getting married... the problem is we don't own scales, so we aren't sure how to measure any achievements- well Mike reckons we should just look in the mirror every few days and see what we think.... maybe....

Click Clack front and back

2007-11-13T02:39:00.000-08:00

I have had two conversations today about being safe as Christians- not like how to cross the road according to the bible- but more like what does it mean when the bible says God will keep us safe and protect us forever? (like in Psalm 12:7)
One conversation was with a woman who told me that 'knowing Jesus keeps me safe, is what keeps me going' The striking thing is that this woman has had so many horrible things happen to her, things that would cause most people to ask the question 'Where was God when this was happening?' or atleast cause them to doubt God's ability to keep them safe. So this made me curious, and I asked her more about this 'safeness'. She explained that it was a spiritual safeness that comes with knowing that God is always with you no matter what happens- its got to do with knowing you are never facing problems on your own, and it brings assurance. These ideas were brought up again at our young adults bible study tonight and we were encouraged by the idea that our sense of safety can't be completely destroyed by those around us, they can attack it and try and weaken it, but ultimately, God is keeping us safe... this is a newish idea to me... and has me wondering more about what we can expect safeness to look like in our lives? Any ideas??

my turn...

2007-11-11T03:34:00.000-08:00

I thought maybe it's time for me to try blogging... which means I have come a long way from the day I first heard about blogging- Jem's brother, Ryan, was the first person I knew who blogged and that was probably about 5 years ago- i thought the idea of keeping some sort of diary for the whole world to see was very brave. Perhaps that was because i thought it was risky to let people know your ideas and reflections. I don't think that anymore- I have come to really delight in the sharing of life stories through blogging (though i haven't come to delight in the term 'blogging' yet- can we start calling it something else?)
I like how blogging seems to create a forum for celebrating the little things in life- things that otherwise may have gone unnoticed. I like how it can open up discussions, I like how it invites in moments of reflection, and I like how it seems to keep people more connected... yeah i think I really like it!
So thanks to those whose blogs I have been reading- you have helped me value this simple idea... oh yeah, and you have often made me laugh...