Finding joy in the everyday

What is a "strong" woman? I keep hearing about the need for women to be strong — and I have been wondering what it  really means, both in the worldly sense and from the Christian perspective.  I decided to google “strong woman” and see what I found — here is some of the phases I came across , I wonder if you can pick up the common theme that runs through them all?  * Being a strong woman means asking for what you deserve, even though you'll be called selfish and impatient.  * It means fighting for the right to exercise a basic freedom, while your male counterparts chastise you for it.  * It means wearing a short skirt and a low-cut top because you want to regardless of what others think.  * It means refusing to apologize for having a voice and using it, even though you know you'll be called cold, cruel or a bitch.  * Being a strong woman means loving yourself regardless of what others think.  * It means defining your o...

Art Friday: The seaside As summer draws to an end in Australia, I thought I would share some seaside photos I took back in January when I visited my family in South Australia. Whilst we have had some very nasty hot days, on this particular day it was quite cool and the wind made it a little brisk. Far too cool for swimming, which is why the beaches are empty of people — a rare sight in the middle of summer. I hope you enjoy these sunny imagines. Happy Friday to you all. Might have been cool, but it was nice to wet my feet in the sea. Not what one expects at the beach - organisers were settle up tables for a seaside dinner for the "Tour Down Under" cycling event. Normanville Beach, South Australia My brothers hat went flying off his head and landed in the water, this young lass went off to felt it for him. 

I LOVE mushrooms and so do my family. But I do know people who don't like them and I find this very strange!! Life without mushrooms sounds rather dull to me. As you know, I love facts and figures so I couldn't go past some information on the humble mushroom ( source ):  * A 100g serving of mushrooms contains more dietary fibre (2.5g) than 100g of celery (1.8g) or a slice of whole-wheat bread (2.0g). * Mushrooms contain more protein than most vegetables.They are excellent for vegetarians and vegans (which is why I buy them for my son). * Mushrooms are low in kilojoules: 100g of raw mushrooms contains just 100 kilojoules. * Ancient Egyptians believed that mushrooms grew by magic, because of the way they could appear overnight. * Mushrooms are one of the few natural sources of vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones and teeth. Amazing fungi! * Mushrooms are a great source of B-vitamins: it contains Thiamin (which controls the release of en...

I'm hopeless at organising frames on the wall and wish I had Pinterest 20 years ago to inspire me. A quick look found many great ideas that will help ladies who are struggling to think of creative ways of organising their family photos. Frames can be expensive, why not go second-hand and see what your local charity store has. Mine often has some very good quality ones (almost new) that are cheap or they have the vintage style frames with lots of character.  Never thought of doing this, but it would save a lot of pain and errors down the track!! This is another great way of displaying family photos without the hassle of nails in the wall. I like this as you can change the photos when ever you want and add or take away the number of frames depending on your mood. 

I LOVE clothes (like most women) and need to exercise a lot of self-control to not buy too much. My wardrobes (yes two) are full to over flowing with clothes and I feel very guilty at times when I spend money on clothes I don't really need. We now live in an age of the "disposable wardrobe" — wear something for a season and toss it out when the next "in" look arrives. Young girls in particular, are spending $$$$ on clothes which they only wear a few times before they want to spend more $$$$ on the next fad. We are not content with what we have and continue to want more and more, influenced by what we see on TV, in the magazines, social media and from our peers.  Our lack of contentment (and control) across all facets of our lives is causing such pain to many — restlessness, unhappiness, lack of money, debt, envy, hoarding — we all need clothes, but we don't need as much as we have. (note to self!!) We need to learn to live with less and b...

A Boy And His Dog. Norman Percevel Rockwell  Art Friday: A boy and his dog A few weeks ago I did a Art Friday called "Girls and Cats" and one young man was a little sad and requested I do one all about boys and their dogs. This is for you David.  You will notice that most of these paintings are either by Norman Rockwell or Jim Daly — they both have a large and beautiful collection of paintings of boys and their dogs going off on fabulous adventures and getting up to all sorts of mischief. At the end of the day, both dog and his best friend need a long rest.  Happy Friday:) Jim Daly Jim Daly Jim Daly Jim Daly Jim Daly  Norman Rockwell Norman Rockwell Norman Rockwell Jim Daly Henry Hintermeister Charlotte Becker - feeding baby

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. (Ecclesiastes 6:9) If you have visited a thrift store (charity/second-hand store) lately you would have notice the amount of stuff they have in these stores. Our local charity stores have asked for no more donations in the short term because they received so much following Christmas. We are a throw-away society wanting to replace old with new at an ever increasing rate. We are never content with what we have and strive for the latest on the market. Sadly we have passed this trait onto our children who also like to have lots of news things rather than enjoying what they. When young people marry they tend to want to buy new, rather than doing what previous generations have done— enjoy the hand-me-downs until they can afford to upgrade. source I am amazed at people who replace their kitchens every 5 or so years to make sure it is "up-to-date" with th...