Finding joy in the everyday

I thought I would end the year with these peaceful photos of Nara Peace Park in Canberra. Canberra and the city of Nara in Japan are sister cities and the kind residents of Nara raised money to create this park to remember our links. The city constructed and shipped the stone lantern (in the distances of the top photo) to Australia to be a feature of the park.  It really did have a very peaceful feel to this park as I wandered about taking photos.  The doves looked so peaceful on top of the gazebo watching out over the park.  The year has reached its end . . . and quickly reflecting back, it has been a year full of joy. My husband and I had the joy of watching our son marry the love of his life and start of new chapter together. We finally saw our youngest grow up (just a little) and get himself a job and some independences. I had the wonderful pleasure of spending time with my brother and his wife from the USA when they visited in September.  A...

If you have teenagers (in particular boys) you might relate to (all or some) of this! When my son comes to visit, the first thing he does is check out the fridge, I have leftovers and he wants to eat them!! He thinks my leftovers are always better than his. I do have to say that my sons never trashed the house, it wasn't worth it!!  I don't tolerating trashing and they knew it!!!  And they were also quite good at cleaning - once again, when mum says to clean, mum means it. Yes, I was always tough with my kids when it came to helping with the cleaning. No mess in my house:))))  Have a wonderful weekend.

When I climbed into bed last night I thought to myself " that was a beautiful Christmas ".  Everything went smoothly, we all had a lovely time with lots of laughter, chatter and joy.  It was also a special delight to share this Christmas with my son and his gorgeous wife. We ate far too much food with ham, baked potatoes and salad for lunch followed by a mocha cheesecake (full of calories) and in the evening my DH barbecued the turkey which we had with roasted vegetables baked in lemon, butter and garlic (no room for plum pudding!).   There was also plenty of food to hand out to the sons so they could take home and share the leftovers.  We all received wonderful gifts and felt very spoilt.  It wasn't necessarily the most expensive gifts that brought the most fun. My youngest son loved his "watermelon" coloured socks and my eldest son and his wife loved the " how to be a perfect husband/wife " books I bought them (written in the 1950s) an...

To my dear fellow bloggers May you all have a heaps of wonderful fun with your family and friends thi s festive season. We all need to " hang on tight " to those we love. What do you think of this "tree" ( sourced from Facebook) ? You just need to include a dip.

I think this is gorgeous and very true! May you all have a wonderful weekend with your families.

This is my 1000th blog post. I can hardly believe it. It has been a complete joy, even though at times I have struggled to think of things to write!!  I have enjoyed our many conversations, even if we haven't always agreed . . . I do enjoy a good debate!  I don't really fit the "typical" blogger demographic of my readers . . . I didn't homeschool my children, I work outside the home and I can't sew or knit or crocket (but I do grow my own vegetables and love to cook) but I do hope I have convinced you, that even though God has given me other plans that are different to your, I share the same Christian values as you do and truly love being the keeper of my home ( and I hope that enthusiasm has come through in my blogs ).   I have covered many topics in the last 1000 blog posts and I pray (God willing) that I can cover many other topics in the coming year. I have no plans to hang up my "pen" as I just loved having a chat with you a...

I think its time to write about something close to my heart . . . books and get away from topics that make me mad!! Are you the sort of person, who, once you have started a book, must finish it (otherwise you are letting down the author) or do you just give up and never pick up the book again. I’m the first — I try my hardest to read the book (and almost always get through) otherwise I feel like I am giving up on the author.  Silly really! I asked my colleagues this same question, a couple said life was short and couldn’t be bother trying to read a book they didn’t really like, the other half were like me and persevered!!   A new book arrived in the post today - " Around the world in 80 dishes " - another book to read in bed and mark all those I want to make with post-it notes. It's not that I needed it, but it was going very cheap and it looks interesting!!! *** Got to dash, time to water the vegetables now that the sun is setting. The zucchinis are d...

Google imagines I spent today wondering what I would write in my blog this evening. I have a piece on guns but that just made me so cross I have decided not to write about it.  But to put it simply - no one needs a semi-automatic gun in their home. But that is not going to happen is it?  Sad for the 20 children who died, it could have been their legacy. Who has the courage to stand up and change the law - approximately 31 000 people each year in the USA as a result of guns. Does anyone care? Then I thought about write a piece on mental health, but that is both complex and difficult to write about - so I won't go there tonight.   So instead I thought I would write on something else . . . teachers. They often get a bad wrap in blog-land. I find this sad. Whilst not every teacher is perfect and some probably should never be teachers, there are many fine and dedicated teachers doing a wonderful job. I had some of these when I was school and so did my children an...

 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed ; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10 *** In remembrance for the tragic loss of 20 young lives at the Sandy Hook Primary School in Connecticut and to the adults who would have tried so hard to protect these children.  Dear Heavenly Father, give all those that have suffered the strength and comfort that is needed at a time like this. Its a very sad world. ~ To all those suffering, in my prayers ~ *** A bide with me; fast falls the eventide; the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me. Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day; earth's joys grow dim; its glories pass away; change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me.  I need thy presence every passing hour....

"Blue Poles" by Jackson Pollack - when Australia bought this painting in 1973 for $1.3 million it caused an outcry. It was considered a complete waste of money. Now, it is considered one of Pollack's best paintings and worth somewhere between $20-100 million.  It is large and powerful and I will admit I really like it. I have done an art segment for the last three or so years without a break.  At times it has been be very hard to think up ideas that will interest others and most are time consuming to put together. As you would have noticed I have tried to share a variety of art forms and included both modern and the more traditional art. For the next few weeks I am taking a break (a much needed break!) . . . this will give me time to prepare some for the new year which I hope you will enjoy.  A picture is worth a thousand words Napoleon  Bonaparte Just after Christmas, my husband and I are off to see the Henri Toulouse-Lautrec exhibi...

How are you feeling today? Full of aches and pains. Sadness Unhappiness Depressed Lacking in joy Cross Overworked Or like this lady, dancing through life with a smile on your face. Pop on your dancing shoes and lets go! REJOICE in the Lord,  we have NOTHING to fear.

The dark one is 12 months old. Twelve months ago I made my own vanilla extract - one bottle of vodka and 10 beans (cut down the to expose the seeds) and keep in a dark cupboard.  Most recipes say that it is ready in 6 to 12 weeks. I have to disagree. By 6 months it had almost lost the vodka smell/taste and by 12 months it was perfect. The longer it is left the better. I have started to use mine and it smells wonderful. And unlike the bought variety, mine has little seeds floating about and contains no sugar.  Just made Here is the bottle I have just started for my son - it really is worth doing. The initial cost can be expensive depending on the vodka you buy and where you source your pods (I bought mine online via eBay) but it does make a lot of extract.  I also added a few more vanilla pods to mine, from memory I think I now have around 15! At the end of next year I will start another bottle for myself.

Three weeks to the end of the year, where has the year gone? 2013 is fast approaching. Who goes into a new year with grand plans? I don't . . . not anymore, I think I am just getting too old!! Perhaps because the children are all grown up, I no longer have anyone to organise or plan for. Anyway . . .  may you all have a good week ahead of you. For those in Australia, I pray that you don't melt with the summer heat, or for those who need rain, that you get some soon. And I will leave you with this quote from my Amish proverbs book: The real secret of happiness is not what you give or what you receive it's what you share.

Stripy deck chairs by Lynette Amelia Summery days The sun is shinning and the weather is glorious, I love this sort of weather!  Its the sort of weather I want to put on a brightly coloured summery dress and sit under the shade of a tree sipping something yummy and reading.  The other thing I love about summery weather is having a barbecue in the evening and watching the day fade away. Here are paintings that reflect those summery days.  Summer days by Greg Jorgensen Sunshine by Jack Vettriano - I love the shoes the ladies are wearing as they walk along the sand!! Walking in the sunshine by Vladimir Volegov Splashes of sunlight by Jenny MacNaughton Restful days by Jenny NacNaughton Teddy bears picnic by Janet Kruskamp Welcome to my garden by Janet Kruskamp Study of a figure by Monet - I believe this is his wife Sea of dreams by Mark Shasha Shadow in the shallows by Mark Shasha Rose land End by Mark Shasha - one of ...