A Basket Of Flowers

Just a Picture...

2011-06-16T13:50:00.000+10:00

Of me and my adorable niece!

The Royal Wedding Weekend

2011-05-20T15:35:00.000+10:00

I'm so sorry it's been a while since I last posted!

My cousins came up a few weeks ago, which also happened to be the weeekend of the royal wedding. Every autumn we like to visit Mount Wilson for a little touch of England...

We went a bit later this year so the autumn colours were just finishing, but it was still beautiful!

Mum found an old Union Jack at the op-shop so we took it with us and draped it on the fence...

and enjoyed high tea and cucumber sandwiches...

then we all had a wonderful time snuggling down to watch the wedding on TV!

Hope you all enjoyed it too!

A Walk Around the Waterfalls...

2011-04-06T14:45:00.004+10:00

On Amelia's birthday we went for a walk around our local waterfalls...

We spotted this cute little fellow on the way...

For her birthday Amelia got a Nikon digital SLR, and some of these photos were taken on it...

We saw this brightly coloured yabby in a pool underneath one of the waterfalls...

It was a lovely day out!

Amelia

2011-03-24T09:48:00.001+11:00

Happy 18th Birthday Amelia!

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way.

The Lord be with you..."

2 Thessalonians 3:6

Elisabeth

2011-03-10T17:09:00.001+11:00

Happy 14th Birthday Elisabeth!

"The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

A Saturday Working Bee...

2011-03-02T10:56:00.000+11:00

Over the holidays we all worked together to put a new little concrete path in to the washing line, to save it from washing away every time it rains.

The formwork...

Even Milly wanted to help, by guarding the sand pile!

All finished...

Crocheted Baby Blanket

2011-02-07T19:54:00.000+11:00

I am very sorry that I haven't posted in so long, it has been a very busy time for us! I just thought I would post a few photos of the blanket I recently finished crocheting for little Abigail...

A New Little Blessing

2010-11-30T17:24:00.005+11:00

Early this morning the Lord blessed Joel and Taryn with a little girl named Abigail! She weighed 7lbs 10oz, and we had the privilege of visiting her today at just a few hours old.

Wearing the new little hat I crocheted for her, using this pattern...

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

The fruit of the womb is a reward."

Psalm 127:3

Preparing for Winter ... a little bit early!

2010-11-29T17:52:00.000+11:00

The Lord has been very good to provide us with firewood every year, and this year our neighbours on both sides and across the road have offered us their dead trees and old pieces of timber. We all worked together to get it cut and stacked ready for next winter.

Having fun in between loads!

I opted out of this ride!

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

-Philippians 4:19

A Rosy Bouquet of Shoes

2010-11-11T14:50:00.000+11:00

[ Cath Kidston style shoes on sale at K-mart! :-) ]

A Sweet Treat for Afternoon Tea...

2010-11-02T08:07:00.000+11:00

...Homemade Chocolate Macaroons.

Queensland Holiday Part Three...

2010-10-26T18:42:00.002+11:00

The rain had cleared by Wednesday, and Thursday was lovely and sunny so we went to a nice little surf beach on Bribie Island for the day...

Dad and we girls had fun in the water...

...and afterwards Mum, Matthew and I enjoyed a walk along the beach...

Some interesting crabs we found...

We got to see this man land his parachute on the beach quite close to us (at first we thought Daniel had forgotten to brake! :) )

On Thursday night our cousins took us for walk around the neighbourhood, where we saw some bats, a big kangaroo, a frog, and some cane toads...

On Friday we drove out to Old Petrie Town, where we enjoyed looking through the museum and some other old buildings...

The huge roots of a Moreton Bay Fig Tree...

On the way home on Saturday we stopped in Coffs Harbour for lunch, and made the mistake of feeding a couple of seagulls :) ...

Matthew didn't help by throwing bits of food above our heads! :)

We saw the Big Banana, but as it was on the other side of the road we didn't get a picture in front of it this time :)

We were very thankful to the Lord for a wonderful time away and for safe travel!

Queensland Holiday Part Two...

2010-10-21T20:43:00.001+11:00

After we stopped at the Big Pineapple we continued on to Montville, where we enjoyed looking through all the gorgeous little shops! It is a lovely little town, with a lot of beautiful old buildings like this lovely Village Hall and Church...

The lovely clock shop...

In the search for somewhere dry to eat our lunch, Uncle James found this lovely old blacksmith shed that was no longer being used...

"Six inches deep in mud, I'm absolutely certain!"

I found this lovely wasp's nest hanging in the old shed, and (after making sure that it was empty!) got it down to take home with us...

On the Wednesday we drove up to the Eumundi Markets, and on the way back we stopped at Australia Zoo (we didn't go inside, but just took photos from the carpark!)...

We also took a tourist drive and saw the Glasshouse Mountains...

We stopped at a little picnic area for lunch, where I got to hand feed this wild bush turkey!

We also saw this water dragon sunning itself...

After we got back to our holiday house, we went for a walk around the neighbourhood, where we saw some of the effects of all that flooding...

...and also saw this lovely peacock on the road!

Once again, I'll share more about our trip over the next few days...

Our Holiday to Queensland...

2010-10-20T20:12:00.002+11:00

Recently we went up to ~~sunny~~ rainy Queensland for a family holiday and to visit our cousins. It was the first time we children had been out of the state...

On the Saturday my aunt and uncle took us on the rivercat into the city of Brisbane.

The Brisbane River...

After a picnic lunch on the shore we visited the museum, which had this wonderful display of insects (which I loved!)...

and it also had lots of other interesting displays...

On our way back we came across this clever busking mime who was frozen like a statue, and when we put money in his little case he did a graceful bow and changed position.

We enjoyed a hot chocolate at a little cafe overlooking the markets...

On the Sunday afternoon my aunt and uncle took us for a drive around Deception Bay, and on the way we saw this shipwreck...

Our cousin Daniel was showing us his new kite, but as the weather was wet and windy, it took all his strength to fly it - he even got air-borne a couple of times!

He was getting blown over towards the main road, so my uncle was chasing after him and telling him to brake... (this particular model of kite has brakes on it)

Poor Daniel got slammed to the ground many times too, but he didn't seem to mind!

On the Monday we were heading north to a lovely little town called Montville, which has lots of little craft shops, but it was raining even heavier and all the roads were starting to flood...

We managed to cross this one (after much encouragement from my uncle!)...

But thought we'd better not try this one...

Everywhere we went the water was starting to rise...

But we managed to get through okay.

On the way we stopped at the Big Pineapple, but my uncle thought it would be quicker to cross the six lane highway on foot rather than use the pedestrian over-bridge! Here he is stranded in the middle...we beat him of course!

Of course we had to get a photo in front of the Big Pineapple...

I'll share more about our trip in the coming days...

Taryn's Baby Shower

2010-10-05T13:29:00.002+11:00

We had the privilege of hosting a Baby Shower for Taryn on Saturday! Amelia made these little booklets which had the games in them ...

We set up the back verandah with pink and blue lanterns and bunting ...

and used a little bit extra to hang out in the front garden ...

One of the games we played was the memory game, where you have a tray of different baby-related items, and after looking at it for 15 seconds, it is covered over and everybody has to write down as many things as they can remember ... (it's harder than it sounds!)

The "thank you for coming" gift bags ...

I made these little onesie cookies, using the same recipe as here ...

Our dear neighbours sent over this beautiful Black Forest Cake for the special afternoon tea ...

We thought we would try out the "panorama" setting on my new camera (it's funny how it makes the house look curved!)

Joel was able to spend some time with Matthew during the afternoon, but came to help Taryn open the lovely gifts ...

We're so excited about the new baby, and can't wait until the end of next month!

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is His reward."

-Psalm 127:3

Happy 20th Birthday Matthew!

2010-08-14T13:04:00.000+10:00

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way."

Psalm 38:23

Laura

2010-07-28T07:59:00.001+10:00

Happy 15th Birthday Laura!

"...May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus...perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you."

1 Peter 5:10

We Love You!

(Posted with love by her family!)

A Sunday Afternoon Walk

2010-06-22T17:40:00.000+10:00

It was such a beautiful day on Sunday, we decided to go for a walk in the afternoon ...

Matthew took his mini vortex with him, and although he knew how to throw it to get it to whistle, Amelia, Elisabeth and I took a while to get the hang of it!

Playing piggy-in-the-middle ...

Fun with the camera and shadows ...

The sun setting through the trees on the way home ...

More Holiday Fun...

2010-04-22T12:36:00.006+10:00

During the holidays it was lovely to have the time to bake these cookies, which I found on Cake Journal. The cookie dough is a great recipe as when it is baked it holds its shape, unlike normal cookie recipes that spread when baked. First I cut out the templates from cardboard, mixed up the dough, rolled it flat, then cut out each shape.

After they cooled I piped an icing outline...

...then began flooding them with watered down icing...

...and introduced some bright colours.

Then I had lots of fun decorating them!

(and they tasted yummy too! ~ Laura's Mum ~)

An Excursion to the War Memorial

2010-04-21T16:26:00.010+10:00

Yesterday we met up with our cousins and went on an excursion to the War Memorial in Canberra. It was very interesting to see many of the uniforms, medals, and photos of the soldiers who fought for our country, and I learned a lot!

We loved this crocheted blanket, and loved the story of how it was made even more!

There was also a special exhibition called "of Love and War", which featured beautiful wedding gowns, love letters, photos and the stories of the war brides...

Because luxury items were in short supply in war times, brides-to-be often had to "make do" with what was available. This lovely wedding dress was made from a cheap lining fabric (resembling silk) and upholstery piping!

These two sisters pooled their ration cards to buy one dress between them to wear on their respective wedding days!

Embroidered silk cards with messages of love ...

Sunset on the trip home ...

Some embroidered silk cards similar to the ones at the War Memorial sent by my Great Grandfather to his mother during his time of service in the First World War ...

Working Bee...

2010-03-25T18:10:00.006+11:00

Sadly, this lovely Spruce tree at my my Grandparent's house had to be taken down, so my Uncle Andrew had the brave job of cutting it down, and we all helped clear and drag the branches away.

Uncle Andrew getting ready to start...

The top comes off...

...and the limbs come off one by one...

Enjoying the view from up there! :)

The trunk starts to come down...

...and the sad remains!

Amelia

2010-03-24T07:00:00.001+11:00

Happy 17th Birthday Amelia!

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised."
-Proverbs 31:30

An Excursion to Bathurst

2010-03-23T17:14:00.015+11:00

Yesterday we drove out to Bathurst to visit the Fossil Museum and Begonia House. We had never been to the Fossil Museum before, and we had a lovely time! It was housed in the beautiful old primary school building built in 1876. It was amazing seeing the evidence of God's flood in the fossils, and His creativity in all the beautiful rocks and minerals!

We enjoyed walking through this beautiful park to get to the Begonia House...

It was a beautiful day for our excursion, and we all enjoyed it very much!

Elisabeth

2010-03-10T06:30:00.001+11:00

Happy 13th Birthday Elisabeth!

"The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail."

-Isaiah 58:11

A Saturday Bushwalk...

2010-03-02T12:20:00.005+11:00

Amazing evidence of God's Creation and the Flood...

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help?

My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth."

Psalm 121:1,2

The Last Blooms of Summer...

2010-02-20T10:33:00.013+11:00

(The climbing rose at the front of our house)

And the first blooms of Autumn...

(Japanese windflowers, which usually flower in late March)

"The LORD will guide you continually,

And satisfy your soul in drought,

And strengthen your bones;

You shall be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail"

Isaiah 58:11

A Family Wedding

2010-02-10T15:12:00.020+11:00

It was so wonderful to see Joel and Taryn united as one at their wedding on Saturday, and to see the joy on their faces! In spite of the rain, we are so thankful to the Lord for all the blessing He showed throughout the day...

The wedding car ...

Signing the register ...

The Happy Couple ...

Matthew, Elisabeth, Amelia and I had the privilege of being in the wedding party ...

Matthew and I ...

Cutting the cake ...

Taryn and Amelia ...

Preparing to leave ...

Us three sisters fetching the supplies to "wreck" the getaway car ...

Willing cousins to help "wreck" it!

Sadly, the rain washed most of it off before the Bride & Groom got to see it!

"Farewell..."

A special thank you to Aunty Elizabeth, Romana, and Abbie T. for the use of your photos!

A Trip to Canberra...

2010-01-27T19:29:00.015+11:00

This past Monday we drove to Canberra to meet up with some friends of ours, and we had a lovely time!

On the way there we stopped at Eagle Hill and we found some yummy blackberries growing along a fence...

...we also drove past the very bare and dry Lake George...

We met up with our friends in a park and we had a lovely picnic lunch beside a lake. There were more than forty swans on the lake, and it was so nice to be able to watch them and feed them little bits of food! :-)

After lunch we went to the art gallery, where there are currently original paintings from Paris. It was very exciting to see so many famous paintings, as I've only ever seen reprints of them!

We weren't able to take pictures inside the gallery, but I was able to find pictures on the internet of some of the paintings we saw...

"Woman with a Sunshade" by Claude Monet

"Waterlily Pond" by Claude Monet

"Grande Nature Morte" by Pablo Picasso

"Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh

A wonderful day out!

Holiday Fun...

2009-12-23T16:19:00.003+11:00

Baking cupcakes!

Remember these?

2009-12-10T12:48:00.005+11:00

What a difference Spring makes!

Thought for Today...

2009-11-25T15:48:00.005+11:00

"The modern challenge to motherhood is the eternal challenge — that of being a godly woman. The very phrase sounds strange in our ears. We never hear it now. We hear about every other kind of women — beautiful women, smart women, sophisticated women, career woman, talented women, divorced women, but so seldom do we hear of a godly woman — or of a godly man either, for that matter.

I believe women come nearer fulfilling their God-given function in the home than anywhere else. It is a much nobler thing to be a good wife than to be Miss America. It is a greater achievement to establish a Christian home than it is to produce a second-rate novel filled with filth. It is a far, far better thing in the realm of morals to be old-fashioned than to be ultramodern. The world has enough women who know how to hold their cocktails, who have lost all their illusions and their faith. The world has enough women who know how to be smart.

It needs women who are willing to be simple. The world has enough women who know how to be brilliant. It needs some who will be brave. The world has enough women who are popular. It needs more who are pure. We need women, and men, too, who would rather be morally right that socially correct"

~Peter Marshall, 1950

"The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things - that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."

~Titus 2:4,5

Joel's New House

2009-11-16T17:05:00.003+11:00

Recently Joel was able to purchase a new home ready for next year when he gets married. Here we are visiting the house on settlement day!

Joel opening the door for the first time...

the lounge/dining area...

and what was Joel's favourite part of the new place??

The climbing tree in the back garden! =)

"Hey...let me see what you're writing about me..."

2009-11-12T11:37:00.006+11:00

A Family Day Out

2009-11-03T10:22:00.007+11:00

On Saturday we had a family day out visiting the Mayfield Gardens in Oberon, and I just thought I would share some of the pictures with you!

The long driveway leading up to the gardens

A cute little door leading out from the walled garden

Looking out from the huge cascade...

They are only fairly new gardens, but we can imagine what these archways will look like when the roses are in full bloom!

The chicken houses... ( Dad was glad that our chickens couldn't see how fancy these houses were! =)

...the amphitheatre...

...and the front of the main house...

After we had been around the gardens we stopped at Hampton Forest for afternoon tea...

...and then in Lithgow at Hassan's Wall Lookout...

Overall it was quite an amazing day out!

Isn't he cute...?

2009-10-27T17:03:00.005+11:00

A few weeks ago Joel brought home this cute little baby turtle from work, and we have very much been enjoying looking after him! Where Joel works most of the baby turtles die on their way to the water, so we were very thankful that he brought this one home for us! =)

Checking out some plastic toy playmates...

Engaged...

2009-10-27T12:10:00.006+11:00

We are so excited to announce the engagement of Joel and Taryn!

We are praying for God's blessing upon them both.

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the Lord." -Proverbs 18:22

A Weekend Away...

2009-10-06T18:23:00.018+11:00

We went to visit some friends in Yass for the weekend, and we had a lovely time! On Monday we went to the Floriade and then to some look outs, so I thought I would share some of the pictures with you all!

~Charis and I~

~Elisabeth and Sophie~

Looking at some kangaroos =)

Elisabeth, myself, Amelia, Abbie, Charis, Grace, Mercy and Sophie at one of the look outs...

We were all laughing because the sun was so bright =)

Parliament House...

Playing 'Spoons' when we got back =)

Thank you so much to the Tammes for having us, we had a lovely weekend!=)

I hope you are all having a pleasant day!

Guess who set themselves on fire in welding class today...?

2009-09-29T18:02:00.002+10:00

Storms

2009-09-24T14:46:00.006+10:00

We had a lovely thunderstorm on Tuesday night! We didn't get a huge amount of rain but there was a lot of lightning around. I was able to catch some of it on camera... and the kookaburras kept laughing in this video! =)

"His lightnings light the world; The earth sees and trembles..." -Psalm 97:4

The rain continued throughout the night, and then early on Wednesday morning we were hit with a massive dust storm! It swept throughout almost all of New South Wales and then continued up to Queensland... leaving everything very red and dirty! There are some news articles about it here and here.

I found some pictures on the internet of the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the Anzac Bridge, and Luna Park during the storm...

It was all very exciting, though I'm glad it's over now =)

I hope you have all had a wonderful week!

Thought for Today...

2009-09-17T15:00:00.003+10:00

God hath not promised skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know

Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear

Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,

Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain rocky and steep,

Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,

Rest for the labour, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above,

Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

~Annie Johnson Flint, 1919

Joel

2009-09-12T07:30:00.004+10:00

Happy 22nd Birthday Joel!

"He who heeds the word wisely will find good,

And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he."

~Proverbs 16:20

Saturday Fun with a Wheelbarrow...

2009-09-06T17:36:00.009+10:00

A sunny spring day. An empty wheelbarrow. Three bored sisters.

I think Milly was wondering when her go would be! =)

The Rocks

2009-09-04T12:57:00.013+10:00

We went for an excursion to The Rocks in Sydney with another homeschooling family on Wednesday, and we saw some beautiful old buildings and learnt quite a few things that we didn't know before! Here are some of the pictures from our day...

We thought this police station was very cute... especially with it's two red doors! =)

We had a tour of these little houses in Susannah Place, which were set up to look like they would have in the 1840's (except for the kitchen, which was set in the 1940's)...

The parlor...

...the kitchen...

...and the bedroom...

The front of one the houses was set up as a little shop (which it was in 1844), so there were a lot of cute things for sale!

After the tour, we went and had lunch at Circular Quay. We had a wonderful view of the Opera House from where we were sitting!

On the way back to the train station we came across this Aboriginal man playing the didgeridoo...

I hope you have all had a wonderful week!

Spring!

2009-08-28T17:03:00.004+10:00

"For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of singing has come..."

~Song of Solomon 2:11,12

An Interesting Discovery...

2009-08-20T09:41:00.004+10:00

We went for a drive yesterday to investigate this...

...but were highly amused to discover this!!...

The plume of smoke turned out to be a small scrub fire in our neighbourhood...

...and we still don't know what a tee-pee was doing set up behind our local shops in the Blue Mountains of Australia!!

(There's something new for your local history book Grandma!:)

Matthew

2009-08-14T06:30:00.002+10:00

Happy 19th Birthday Matthew!

"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding..."
-Proverbs 3:13

Thought for Today...

2009-08-09T13:01:00.007+10:00

"We are often hindered from giving up our treasures to the Lord out of fear for their safety. This is especially true when those treasures are loved relatives and friends. But we need have no such fears. Our Lord came not to destroy but to save. Everything is safe which we commit to Him, and nothing is really safe which is not so committed." - A.W. Tozer, 'The Pursuit of God'.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." -Proverbs 3:5,6

A Crocheted Camera Case...

2009-08-01T16:25:00.011+10:00

Last Tuesday was my 14th birthday, and one of the lovely things I received was a new camera!(I have been using Mum's or Elisabeth's camera up until now). To keep it safe, I needed a camera case, so we decided I should crochet one!

I began with around 11 or 12 chains and crocheted an oval that was big enough to cover the end of the camera, and then continued in single crochet until the sides were tall enough to cover the whole camera. At the top I just went back and forth until the flap was the right size!

I added a single crochet edging and a vintage button...

And it fits perfectly! I'm looking forward to making more of these in the future and experimenting with different colours and different edgings!

I hope you have all had a wonderful week!

Psalm 100:4,5

2009-07-23T16:15:00.003+10:00

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

A Trip to Kiama

2009-07-19T15:18:00.010+10:00

Joel and Matthew both had a day off on Friday, so we decided to go on a trip to the beach! It was freezing cold and extremely windy at times, but we all enjoyed the day!

The first stop was the Blowhole, which blew pretty high a few times!

The five of us children in front of the lighthouse...

After we left the Blowhole we went to some rock pools hoping to find some shells and creatures, only to find that the tide was coming in!

We did spend a little while there though, and we found a few treasures!

After we had driven around Kiama and had an ice cream from the ice creamery, we went on to the beach for a little while...

There were lots of different patterns in the sand, and there were some cute little sea gull footprints!

The rest of these pictures were taken from the car on the way home, of the beautiful countryside just outside of Kiama itself...

I hope you have all had a wonderful week and a blessed Sunday!

Baking and Crochet...

2009-07-14T11:33:00.009+10:00

Now that we're on school holidays for two weeks, I have a lot more time to try out some of the recipes and projects that I've been wanting to do! On Saturday I tried these French Cinnamon Muffins from Aspiring Homemaker, and they turned out well, although I didn't realise quite how large they would be!

These are a great afternoon snack for a cinnamon lover like me! :-)

I've also been doing quite a bit of crocheting lately, and last night I made two flower hair ties using this pattern...

The pattern for the leaves didn't really work for me, so I made up my own pattern:

" Ch 4, sl st in first ch from hook, sc in next ch, 2 hdc in next ch, 1 hdc in next ch. Working on the opposite side, 1 hdc in first ch, 2 hdc in next ch, sc in next ch, sl st in last ch (originally the first chain). Fasten off and weave in ends on the back of the leaf. "

Then I just sewed on the leaves and sewed the whole flower onto a hair elastic!

I hope you have all had a blessed week!

Bedroom Re-do...

2009-07-09T14:57:00.007+10:00

...as promised back in June :)

I had a bit of trouble finding a good 'before' picture, and this one still isn't very good, but at least you can see the previous wall colour and the brown floor!

Clearing everything out of the bedroom...

Mum putting on the first coat of paint! (It was a similar colour to the previous one, just a shade or two darker)

The walls all finished...

And now for the floorboards!

Elisabeth and I helping :)

Getting painted...

And with the new beds, new quilt covers, new curtains, a new colour on the walls, and a new floor...

...the finished bedroom!

We're now just waiting for the boards to split so that they look more like floorboards; but for now, we're very happy with our room! :)

I hope you have all had a pleasant day!

Master Love...

2009-07-06T09:15:00.003+10:00

"No! Please don't go to work! Stay and play with me!"

Sydney...

2009-07-04T18:52:00.013+10:00

Mum, Amelia, Elisabeth and I went into Sydney yesterday for one of our cousin's 4th birthday party, so I thought I would share some of the pictures from our day! (Some of the pictures were taken by Elisabeth and some were taken by me)

St. Mary's Cathedral

A tall, tall building!

Centrepoint Tower

Another Cathedral...(not sure of the name of this one!)

The lovely Botanic Gardens...

A tree full of bats! (click on the picture to enlarge it)

The lovely window and roof top of the gift shop...

Sydney Harbour...

And the famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House!

I hope you have all had a wonderful weekend!

Cheerfulness...

2009-06-26T16:27:00.006+10:00

"A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance..." -Proverbs 15:13

I hope you have all had a blessed week!

Homemade Chocolates...

2009-06-24T14:57:00.010+10:00

I am so sorry for not posting in so long, and thank you all for your patience with me! We had some guests staying with us for a couple of days, so on Monday morning I made some chocolates for afternoon tea. I thought I would share the recipe with all of you, courtesy of my cousin Naomi!

The ingredients you will need are:

375 grams of chocolate melts
35 grams of copha
3/4 cup of crushed nuts (peanuts)
3/4 cup of rice bubbles
nutella (or any other chocolate hazelnut spread)
hazelnuts

(sorry the crushed nuts aren't in the photo!)

Melt the chocolate melts and the copha in the microwave for about 1 minute on high (or until they are completely melted).

Mix in the crushed nuts and the rice bubbles.

Spoon about 1/2 a teaspoon of this chocolate mixture into each compartment of one or two ice cube trays (depending on how many compartments they have).

Then put about 1/2 a teaspoon of nutella in the centre of each one, making sure that the nutella doesn't touch any of the sides (this can be a little tricky).

Next put one hazelnut in the middle of each compartment (on top of the nutella) and fill up each one with the rest of the chocolate mix. Freeze for about 20 minutes or until they are set. Then just pop them out of the ice cube trays and enjoy! Usually this recipe makes at least 24 chocolates (though ours made about 32!)

I hope you have all had a blessed day!

Redeemed!

2009-06-14T14:58:00.003+10:00

"I think of my blessèd Redeemer,

I think of Him all the day long:

I sing, for I cannot be silent;

His love is the theme of my song!"

Words~Fanny Crosby, Painting~John Appleton Brown

The Beginnings of Trees...

2009-06-12T14:52:00.009+10:00

Recently I planted some acorns in disposable cups, and after watering and waiting, they finally sprouted!

"...which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." -Matthew 13:32

Update...

2009-06-10T17:20:00.010+10:00

I can't believe that it's been nearly two weeks since my last post! I'm so sorry (once again) for my absence from the blogging world, though I can honestly say that we've been very busy!
Last week we had a big family gathering to celebrate my aunty's 50th and my grandma's 80th birthday, so we had been busy planning for some time! We've also recently been floor boarding the bedrooms, and repainting some of the rooms (I'll try to post pictures of our bedroom re-do soon!), other than that we've mostly been kept busy with regular house-keeping and schoolwork etc.
Winter has come around very quickly and we certainly felt it today! It's been around 2 or 3 degrees (Celsius) all day! All the jonquils have just started to flower and there's an abundance of violets all through the garden! We've been trying to keep warm in front of the fire with marshmallows and hot drinks :-) I'll leave you now with a few pictures of the vanilla cupcakes I made this afternoon, topped with icing flowers made by my aunty :-)

I hope you have all had a lovely week!
God Bless!

Psalm 146:1,2

2009-05-29T16:49:00.003+10:00

"Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being."

Giveaway Winners!

2009-05-23T13:27:00.010+10:00

We shuffled all the names...

...the first name we picked out was...

:: Sarah Grace ::

from "Girls of Grace"

...and the second was...

:: Stephanie ::

from "princessesindisguise"

Congratulations to you both!

I also have a small gift to thank everyone who entered the giveaway

so if you would all like to send me your address in an email to

lauramurphy@exemail.com.au, I can get them in the mail!

( If you don't like to give out your address, a P.O. Box is fine)

Thank you all so much for entering the giveaway, and congratulations to Sarah Grace and Stephanie!

May God bless each of you!

A Cozy Day...

2009-05-15T15:08:00.005+10:00

Thank you to all who have entered the giveaway so far and I hope you have all had a pleasant day!

Three blind mice...

2009-05-10T10:11:00.007+10:00

.... found in Joel's bird aviary.

50th Post Giveaway!

2009-05-09T17:00:00.009+10:00

In honour of the blog's 50th post, I've decided to host it's first ever giveaway!
There will be two winners; one will win the pink set and one will win the blue set.

In each set there are:

A pack of three blank cards...

... A crocheted flower that you could pin onto a bag or hat, or make into a brooch...

... A set of five magnets...

... and a floral head covering!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post, and to be entered twice, post about the giveaway on your blog or tell one of your friends about it, and please let me know in your comment that you have done so.

After all the names have been shuffled, the first person's name I pick out may choose which set they would like, and the second person will win the remaining set.

The giveaway will end on Saturday, May 23, and I hope to announce the winners soon after that!

I hope you have all had a blessed week!

God bless!

Cake Decorating Magazines...

2009-05-07T09:34:00.004+10:00

Just look what Taryn lent me when she came for dinner on Friday! (I'm so sorry for taking so long to post about them!) I'm going to have -and have already had- so much fun looking through these!

I hope you have all had a blessed week and thank you all for your sweet comments on Joel and Taryn's courtship!

Blessings!

A Courtship...

2009-04-27T15:36:00.014+10:00

We are all very excited for our eldest brother Joel as he recently began courting a lovely young lady named Taryn! We are praying for God's blessing on them both as they seek the Lord's guidance for their lives.

Laura's Cake

2009-04-23T17:46:00.010+10:00

Laura decided to make a chocolate cake
today and I think it turned out really
well! She's very good at cake decorating!
( Sorry that the pics are so yellow! )

This is the finished product!

These are some of the border experiments Laura tried.

"ALL DONE" is written in left over icing!

I'm so blessed to have such a talented
sister!

I Hope your all having a wonderful week!

Cheeky dog

2009-04-16T14:57:00.007+10:00

Look who I caught trying to squeeze
through the fence after being told she
wasn't allowed out.

Monday...

2009-04-14T10:52:00.014+10:00

It was pouring rain on Monday morning, and it sounded so lovely on the tin roof! We had some friends come for lunch, and as the rain had stopped we decided to go for a bush walk and see some of the waterfalls.

The waterfalls were just lovely! There was a lot of water from the rain, and some of the picnic areas were flooded!

Joel and some of the others caught some yabbies in the water. We played with them for a little while and then let them go. Some of them were so cute!

Joel caught the yabbie or the yabbie caught Joel? :-)

A lovely old bridge... (or old-looking bridge :-)

Amelia spotted this funny lizard sitting on a tree; it didn't move a muscle the whole time we were watching it until someone poked it's tail with a stick!

A very funny-looking slug!

Amelia took the close-up of the yabby and I think Joel took the photo of the lizard.

Over all it was a very pleasant day and nobody got bitten by leeches (although a couple of us found one on the outside of our shoes!)

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and have a lovely week ahead!

Autumn Leaves in the Window

2009-04-12T15:58:00.003+10:00

Psalm 5:3

2009-04-08T17:01:00.004+10:00

"My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;

In the morning I will direct it to You,

And I will look up. "

This past week...

2009-04-05T13:05:00.013+10:00

I am so sorry for the lack of posting this past week... thank you all for your patience with me! Well, I can truly say we've had a very busy week, though it's been a lot of fun as well! Our cousins came up on Tuesday to stay with our Grandma & Grandpa, so on Friday and Saturday while the Mothers and older cousins were out op-shopping and garage-saleing, Elisabeth and I had a lot of fun playing with our young cousins. Here are just some of the things we did!

We drew pictures in Grandma's long driveway with pavement chalk...

Played on the swing...

Played quoits...

Played tennis in the front yard...

Jumped on the trampoline...

Made mud pies...

And lit a "campfire" to roast marshmallows...

A very fun couple of days!

I hope that you all have a wonderful week and I will try post more faithfully during it! :)

Have you ever had a yellow watermelon?

2009-03-26T20:13:00.004+11:00

Joel grew this yellow watermelon at work and he brought it home the other week. It was really yummy!

I hope you are all having a blessed week!

New Driver...

2009-03-24T13:59:00.007+11:00

Guess who went for their driving test today and passed with flying colours?

A very happy, sixteen-year-old Amelia :)

I hope you've all had a lovely day!

Amelia...

2009-03-24T07:15:00.000+11:00

Happy 16th Birthday Amelia!

"Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!"

~ 1 Chronicles 16:10

{ Amelia's blog is Sweet Simple Joys }

Roasting Marshmallows

2009-03-23T17:07:00.003+11:00

Although it is a little early to have a fire, we thought we'd light one the other day and roast some marshmallows on it.

There's just nothing like toasty marshmallows on a cold day :)

Hope you are all having a blessed week!

Psalm 5:11

2009-03-22T11:13:00.009+11:00

"But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name be joyful in You."

Autumn...

2009-03-21T20:04:00.002+11:00

Saturday Happenings...

2009-03-17T08:49:00.005+11:00

On Saturday Matthew put some taps in for us down at the end of the yard.

First the trench had to be dug...

Milly thought this was a nice place to have a nap!

Then the posts went in...

Next all the pipes...

Welding the copper...

...and the finished tap!

Now Joel doesn't have to cart watering cans down from the house to water his plants!

Hope you all had a blessed weekend!

Ten random facts about me...

2009-03-13T17:02:00.010+11:00

I have the same birthday as Beatrix Potter.

I hate going to movie cinemas.

My favourite book of the Bible is James.

I have a ptosis (one eye looks bigger than the other).

My hair is 36 inches (91 cm) long.

I like to play the guitar and piano.

I can't click my fingers.

I love mint chocolate.

I don't really like fast food or eating out.

I used to have a pet funnel-web spider.

So there you go, ten random facts about me!

I hope you have all had a blessed week!

Cath Kidston

2009-03-11T16:32:00.004+11:00

Can you tell what the majority of of my desk is

made up of? :)

Elisabeth Grace...

2009-03-10T08:12:00.015+11:00

Happy Birthday

Elisabeth!

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"-Philippians 4:4

Psalm 150:6

2009-03-06T15:25:00.000+11:00

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"

Sisters...

2009-03-04T16:00:00.000+11:00

"Sisters are blossoms in the garden of life." ~Author Unknown

Thank you, Lord, for sisters!

Music

2009-03-02T08:54:00.000+11:00

Almost every day I pick up my guitar and practice
one hymn or another. I love music. (sigh)

The Gentle Arts

2009-02-26T18:32:00.000+11:00

I simply love the gentle arts!

One of my favourite books on the subject, and very appropriately named, is...

..."The Gentle Arts"! It's a bit old, but it has a lot of lovely pictures of all the gentle arts!

Here are a few of the things I love doing...

:: Crochet ::

I taught myself to crochet a few days ago (with the help of a little instruction a year or two ago and some crochet books) and I really love it!

I tried my hand at making an edging this afternoon and I'm happy with how it turned out, although it is very simple!

:: Embroidery ::

I have been doing embroidery for some time now and I was very excited when we found the "old fashioned hoops"! :)

These are some of my favourite embroidery books.

:: Miniatures ::

Both Elisabeth and I enjoy making miniature cakes for our "Dollhouse Bakery", mostly out of polymer clay.

:: Letter Writing ::

I don't know if this is really considered one of the gentle arts, but I think it is really lovely and it's in danger of becoming a lost art with so many new methods of communication!

:: Watercolour ::

I don't think painting is really one my gifts, but I do enjoy using watercolours. I'm afraid the above pictures weren't done completely free-hand; I actually looked at another picture and tried to draw something similar, but I'm pleased with how they turned out anyway.

Amelia made the lovely pouch for all my pencils and gave it to me as a gift.

:: Card Making ::

Once again not really one of the gentle arts but something I really enjoy!

Hope you are all having a blessed week!

Giveaways!

2009-02-23T19:26:00.000+11:00

Jasmine Baucham is holding a wonderful giveaway here on her blog! The entries close on Friday, 27th February so you'd better head over to her blog and enter your name!

Miss Jen at Blessed Femina is also having a giveaway! Her's ends on March 1st so you'd better hurry!