My blessings yesterday: ~ my daughter vaccumed out the car ~ we got our fruit and vegetable delivery ~ the smell and look of my roses, some of them are huge, a lovely year for roses ~ continuing blessing of listening to Josh Turner's South Carolina (why can I relate to it, I don't know but it is very soothing)
Yesterday's theme was color (remember I am a day ahead in Australia). That is fantastic because I am posting about the sun coming out tomorrow, and was thinking about the long fogs we have in the winter time. Usually I wait for Karla's post, but my post yesterday was full already. I am pretty sure during hard times I thought of this song. Back when we had a corporate workplace closing down in our hometown.
My roses are colourful and I remember how long our spring/winter seemed, then all of a sudden the sky turned bright. This is our first week of hotter weather. It is very pretty in Australia with the light and the plants until Christmas time. We have a red bottlebrush (callistemon) in flower over the road.
~ Hamper King sent some presents (some companies do that, that is one of the reasons I love them, truly) and the calendars
~ Hamper King also sent a list of things I bought which will help with menu planning. I did keep a ripped out page or two from the catalogue but found I couldn't record multiples of things very well, I ticked off things when I did my menu recently
~ the freezer came home just at the right time. The kids have been enjoying freezer their water bottles
~ I am thankful the freezer made it home in one piece
~ I finished my novel by Sandra Dallas. Sandra Dallas can be hard reading for a Christian. I was reading New Mercies, and got near to the end (actually page 254) and realised what the title meant, when one of the characters mentioned new mercies. I have this theme going on my blog of Grace and the scripture because of the previous novel I read Tender Grace by Jackina Stark. Isn't like God to have me read this new novel, totally unplanned. From Jackina Stark's website:
"Desperately needing healing, she embarks on a journey to a place Tom had always meant to take her. As she travels from Springfield, Missouri, to Coronado Island off the shore of Southern California, she discovers along the way, through shared experiences with friends, old and new, the “tender graces” God provides each day for those who are willing to see."
"From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16 NIV
I wrote this on my other blog:
"...a novel I think I finished last night. It is called Tender Grace by Jackina Stark. It is her first novel. It is about a 50ish woman who lost her husband to a heart attack. She has her house paid for, her two children, a boy and a girl are grown up. She has two grandchildren. She watches 10 hours of TV a day. She feels dead but alive, I think but don't quote me.
I like the way it was written, as a journal on her computer. She was easy to relate to...
Basically the woman learned to see the tender graces as she called them of each day.
Break, break, break
At the foot of thy crags, O Sea!
But the tender grace of a day that is dead
Will never come back to me. ~ Tennyson
She went on a roadtrip and basically got some perspective on her memories I think. And gave herself an opportunity to see people that she wouldn't have had in front of the TV."
I didn't learn this stuff in church. I find it amazing. I am blessed to have been able to find online the idea of counting blessings, not sure where it started, then to have been able to participate in Thankful Thursday.
Lamentations 3:22-23 "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions (mercies) never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him."
Every day I know that something special may happen when there is no reason it should. Like the things I am posting for each day for 30 Days of Thanksgiving. Also in the novel, when this subject came up, it was to cheer up the main character. It was not about special surprises, but about small things that make each day tick over. So in the end her life did just that. She was also at peace again after a heartbreak.
My blessings on Day 8 ~ having clean floors ~ another visit from a cute blue-tongued lizard or skink ~ my husband went to the tip to get a wheel for the mower. He needed back wheels. There was only one mower there that was damaged by the front end loader? The back wheel where still OK!
Karla's post today is about something she heard at church this past weekend, well today where she lives. I liked her thoughts:
"Some people seem to be more broken than others. Maybe the abuse was more painful. The vessel more fragile. The wound deeper."
Interesting.
Anyway it is something I have been thinking about a little, so it is nice to read things on this subject. At middle age do you find you are going over things again. Is it a good idea? Good to remember before all those things are too hard to recall properly. Do they come back to bite you if you don't go over them again, and then you become ill? Is it good to have a new memory trigger so you remember things that you previously didn't call to mind?
We were asked on a meme this Saturday? about broken hearts. In Australia I don't think we know the common meanings for these phrases as much as in the US. Karla is talking about broken and healed hearts today.
Wiki: A broken heart(or heartbreak) is a common metaphor used to describe the intense emotial pain or suffering one feels after losing a loved one, through death, divorce breakup, moving, being rejected, or other means. It is an extremely old and widespread metaphor, dating to at least the Indian Ramayana writings (400 BC - 200 AD).
Heartbreak is usually associated with losing a spouse or loved one, though losing a parent, child, pet, or close friend can also "break one's heart". The phrase refers to the physical pain one may feel in the chest as a result of the loss. Although "heartbreak" is usually a metaphor, there is a condition -- appropriately known as Broken Heart Syndrome -- where a traumatizing incident triggers the brain to distribute chemicals that weaken heart tissue.
I don't think I mentioned any heart breaks the other day because I don't think of things in that light. I have had quite a few things happen, but nothing that has broken my heart I don't think. I am very blessed though, I still have my husband and children. So I stand corrected Bud, I have had my life changed at barely 13 when my parents started going out with another family, and a year later they split up, and we left the farm. I was sad when I realised I was a couple months older than my middle daughter. I also suffered through my husband's divorce after they were separated for some time, that was the time I came along. I also found it hard moving house, the farm took 15 years to recover from. I didn't see my Dad much and he has now passed away. I am going over it, but not to wallow in it, just to appreciate it now that it holds nothing over me, though I do feel slightly rejected, though not from my father, I have had a long time to get over that. Please visit Karla for more on this subject and a very positive post. If you want lots of old memories to resurface visit Youtube!
Belinda is celebrating over a year of Back to Basics!
Sowing seed or Planting
I was tempted to buy one of those giant punnets of petunias, but didn't. Very tempting. We did put those lavenders we potted up into the ground. The digging was very hard. My husband hasn't finished the whole bed yet. He did bring the soaker hose so maybe this weekend he will dig some more. This will be the third attempt apart from spot places for plants he planted in the winter. It is nice to see the soils mixed, wish we had gypsum, but think it will be the perfect garden bed. The first bed that took two years to get to this stage makes a huge difference to the place which looked like it had a spare block that no one wanted and was just waiting to sell it off.
The artichokes I mentioned in June here and here I forgot to mention, one day we decided to weed the bed we made for them. We had given up on them, thought we planted them too early and they rotted. Amongst the weeds there they were! There weeds were not too bad. One had been chewed, but it was salvagable as they were small and the heart was still there just the leaves chewed. I haven't had them since the 80s and 90s. We made soup and pickles with them, and I think possibly roasted them?
Planning for The Future
Planning on using up the silverbeet we grew. I also did an involved menu (actually I got as far as doing 2 1/2 fortnightly menus) to use the Christmas hampers that are coming starting this week. We also brought the freezer back to this house after defrosting it another day, for this event!
I have been looking at I think new recipes for sumac, since I like it so much. I have also read through the catalogues for next year's hampers and like the ones with brussels sprouts (Hamper King) but may not order much, I need to keep some money aside for uni for my son. We had to put a security deposit down this week even though he hasn't a place yet, but that is another story.
Working for the Future
My daughter made a lychee and mango sorbet (Belinda's post made me think of mentioning it), a microwave Turkish delight (she left out the pistachios, I bought them but she wasn't game, I think they were stale anyway) and she cooked a chicken holkein noodle dish as well. It was for school homework, she found the recipes in food magazines. My husband loved the turkish delight and we both loved the sorbet, though I had trouble buying canned mango which is strange.
My husband went to the tip and got a wheel from a lawn mower. It turned out the wheels were better than the original as they had old-fashioned metal bearings. It saved some money, it costs nothing to go there and look. He also got an urn that was very carefully placed so someone could take it home. He actually needed the wheel so saved himself some money, he went there especially to find one.
The girls have gotten all interested in berries. My daughter potted up some raspberries and blackberries (wild ones) and brought them to this house. Not sure why yet. Their hanging strawberries are doing well, though we had a near miss with the watering lately.
We have been mulching as we have been going along with our late weeding. We used up the last of the free straw and also use our grass clippings which we have a lot of at the newer house. It was a bit hard going mowing my husband said after the wheel went. It is fixed now.
We have caught up on the washing of bedding from mould at the new house, and mice, and feel nearly ready to have another go at sleeping there after we finish painting the ceiling. I bought a painting for the main bedroom, either for me or to help sell it. Hope that turns out to be a good use of money. (You can see it here if you scroll down.)
My Mum and I discussed my son's uni and what he needed and she organised some cutlery, something I had done but we are using it. Her solution was better than mine anyway. It was something that worked well for our first son when he was at uni. We also got a tray to put them in, as I don't think they actually have a drawer.
We got some pond plants from a paddock pond (I hope it wasn't an escaped plant originally) it seemed to be one that you can buy, red that looks like ferns with the roots hanging down.
Building Community
I dropped my daughter in another town, and went to the op-shop while I was there with my other two girls. We were delighted that the op-shop was still open as there were plans for the council to close it. I met my daughter's boyfriends' Mum and we had a good chat.
~ I met my eldest daughter's boyfriend's Mum and we had a good chat, we have a fair bit in common ~ the birds outside our door, we are so lucky to have them
The theme for today is light. Click on the graphic to take you there.
I did a composite subject for the first year, Intergrated Studies. We did needlework, home economics, typing as we got older, and I added shorthand. We did a business class one year, PE, maths, then I did the hardest maths. English, social studies, and different rotated sciences, we went from room to room every so many weeks. We did photography in science and I also did art and we did soldering once. It doesn't sound like much. In the last two years I did accounting, law, economics, statistics stuff like that. I have fond memories of all of them. I particularly liked developing the photos.
2. Do you watch reality shows? Which ones?
I am sure there are heaps. I used to watch Big Brother, then stopped. I missed the classic first season of Australian Idol (read Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll) and was sorry. So despite not wanting to watch sometimes, I always do. I like Wife Swap USA much better than the UK one, and haven't seen the Australian one. I don't know if all the Wife Swap USAs are good or not.
I like UK Changing Rooms. I liked Frontier House, Outback House, (the sheep reminded me of my childhood). Love, love Supernanny particularly Supernanny USA. Sometimes I watch something like What Not to Wear. Selling Houses Australia, Mary Queen of Shops, and I like things like Wa$ted.
3. What's your favorite all time reality show? So far Supernanny.
4. Do you feel "reality" shows are real or are they faked? I am a bit sus about Australian Idol.
5. What did you look like when you were a teenager? Part of the time I was long and lanky. Twice I got permed hair that I didn't really want.
6. Whose advice do you listen to? I suppose my husbands.
7. How often are you sick? I get tired, but not so much sick. Though each spring I seem to get a chest infection or something, in the last couple.
8. Do you like or dislike change? Things change all the time around here. It is a little hard for me to change environments.
9. How many times in your life have you had a broken heart? I think none?
~ that the guy who handles the food noticed I had been given the wrong date for my hamper delivery and we organised a time that is suitable ~ we helped our son apply for a casual job, and got it all done online ~ we had a nice meal of homemade lamb & prosciutto burgers
The theme for today is peace.
Karla wrote this verse:
Philippians 4:6...
Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God. And the PEACE of GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Supplication with thanksgiving? That sounds like our kids "begging" for something. Next time I mention to my husband about what the kids do or do not take for granted I will consider if I do that myself with my heavenly Father. I complain too that they don't trust us to give the things they need, I am sure, I should consider that too.
Amazing, we must end up being as peaceful as a child. My childhood was very carefree, or I remember it that way. Endless summer days. Interesting thought.
I need that peace of God as we move into Christmas and a big time in our family as our son finishes high school, again. We have two houses and are anxious to be able to support our son when he goes to university. Like Karla says:
"God doesn't want us to worry... He wants to give us peace. But I can pray and walk away and still not have peace. So can you. But I have learned, through this verse, that the key to receiving and walking in God's peace... the part we tend to read right over.. is with THANKSGIVING!"
Next time I wonder if I am being silly leaving it all to God, I will make sure I think about the thanksgiving aspect of it.
Photo taken today, Saturday, it was like an endless summer driving out there listening to Joel Turner.
Welcome. I am Linda, who found herself in a small isolated town at the age of 40, an accidental treechange. Five years later, with two grown children we are still in this part of Victoria, Australia. My husband of 24 years and my kids son 18, and daughters 16, 12 and 7 try to renovate our possibly next home, in a village. I am a stay at home Mum. Our eldest is working in the city.
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