Happenings update


I took this whilst my husband and I were waiting for our pizza order to be ready (Friday night treat). The colours over the lake were beautiful.
Life plods on much the same - no major dramas or exciting happenings to report, but that is what life is usually like!! Yesterday (Monday) was the Queens birthday public holiday which meant a day at home (a long weekend) where I could put up my feet and relax (and find a little time to write this blog story). No work, except for a few chores that needed to be done.

What have you been reading lately, I have been reading the following:

  • Enough to make a cat laugh by Deric Longden - I have been reading this at work during my lunch break, very funny with lots of laughing, to the point my colleagues asked me what I was reading. 
  • Remember me, Mrs V? by Tom Valenta is the story of Tom's wife Marie, who at the age of 54 was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  Tom cares for his wife until he has no choice but to place her into a nursing home. Its a sad read but a reminder to enjoy each day as it comes as we do not know what the future holds. 
  • Growing your faith by Jerry Bridges - I really enjoy books by Jerry Bridges, clear message on what is important in a Christian's life. 

On Saturday I decided to do some rearranging in the lounge room (something I really enjoy doing) in preparation for the new fish tank (and for DH to paint the wall where the tank will go). This meant moving a large book case and our DVD' collection and yes, it created quite a mess all over the floor. But it was a good opportunity to go through our collection and toss out what I no longer wanted (my son was eager to take a pile).  Next part of the project - go and buy a fish tank as we now know the size of the space to put it in. 

Its completely up to you how much colour you add to your life. Photography by Joluise

Some interesting stuff:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22751415 - I just loved this story on the Finnish babies and what they receive when they are born. It is a wonderful story that sadly would be criticised in the US as being too communist and not liked in Australia. It is simple, practical and achieved its outcome, it saved lived.

http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/tv-show-recipes/spice-trip-recipes/nutmeg-roast-chicken-with-squash-and-spinach-recipe - I made this recipe on Saturday "Roasted chicken with nutmeg", it was delicious.


And finally, for those who homeschool (Clara, thinking of you with this one!) - it you are not familiar with the story of the two spices nutmeg (the seed) and mace (the red coating, see below), do check it out.  Its amazing. It takes a nutmeg tree 20 years to reach full potential so you can't be in a hurry! Once upon-a-time nutmeg was one of the most valuable spices in the world.




Comments

  1. I thought the Finnish *cardboard box* idea was brilliant. Saw it first on FB & was impressed. Seeing our indigenous population has a higher death rate it might be worthwhile considering it....

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    1. It would be perfect. Far better than the baby bonus. It reduced the infant mortality in Finland so no reason why is wouldn't work here.

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  2. Wow, what an interesting post, Jo! :)
    The article about the Finnish baby box was fascinating - going to have to pass that one on as I know some of my friends will find it interesting too! :)

    How bad is infant mortality here, Jo? I think the problem with the baby bonus is that some people don't know how to use money wisely - if a mother is a drug addict, for example, that money is perfect to feed her addiction. :( The baby box is so practical and helpful - especially first-time mothers who don't have a clue what baby will need. Love the fact they stopped giving bottles and disposable nappies - fantastic way to encourage breastfeeding and sustainability... However not so sure about discouraging co-sleeping; I think there are a lot of benefits with having baby in bed with (responsible) mothers...

    I have read about nutmeg and mace before - it is very amazing - and has an incredible history too. The children don't really know anything about it yet - we'll have to study it together some time! :)

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    1. The box is so practical which is why it works, it would be excellent in the Indigenous communities where infant mortality is way too high ( see below). The baby bonus is a lot of money and probably not spent wisely on the baby as it was meant to. Co-sleeping can be dangerous resulting in deaths so I can understand why they would discourage it.

      All births: 3.4 per 1000 live births
      Indigenous births: 7.2 per 1000 live births

      I'm sure the children will find the story of nutmeg very interesting. The story of spice is fascinating! It has had such an impact on much of our history!

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  3. Enjoyed this post. The lake photo is beautiful! What a lovely place to eat. :-) The black and white with the bit of color is a very interesting idea also. Good job.

    I want to read the article about the Finnish baby boxes too at some point. The chicken recipe looks good! I may try it.

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