• Tuesday, June 24, 2008 - My new blog
• Monday, June 23, 2008 - Around the House ~ Everything Pink
It is raining here today as you can see by the spots on the leaves. I thought the light was good for taking a photo and walked out into cold rain. I wonder if it is snowing somewhere. We had a cold day yesterday, then by evening it got warmer, hence the rain.
I got warm at ballet, prior to that I was cold and had fried eggs for lunch. Ballet was open day yesterday, and my daughter has blossomed in ballet, she seems to really enjoy it and do all the right things. Yesterday she wore pink. I got a mixed bag of American ballet clothes and sometimes change things around a bit. Some have joined on skirts or long sleeves.
Today our son has rediscovered his Dad's trumpet. He scares everyone that comes to the door. |
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• Sunday, June 22, 2008 - Simple Woman's Daybook ~ June 23
FOR TODAY Sunday...
Outside My Window... it is getting dark, yesterday was the shortest day of the year
I am thinking... that I have to go through my menu and choose something for tea
I am thankful for... the wood we are able to collect for our heater
From the kitchen... nearly burnt white toast, Anchovette, cheddar cheese, marg.
I am wearing... polar fleece top, skivvy, jeans, socks & scuffs
I am creating... getting things ready for guests
I am going... Just taking the kids around town during the week
I am reading... Pearl by Lauraine Snelling
I am hoping... I don't forget anything I have to do this week
I am hearing... Jedd Hughes Website
Around the house... One daughter is coming home soon from her friend's house, she has been away overnight, the other two are watching TV and playing together with the cat
One of my favorite things... Fantales (lollies)
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Seeing our eldest & his girlfriend
Here is picture thought I am sharing...
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• Saturday, June 21, 2008 - I Remember Laura ~ Books & Music
Week four will be about sharing books and music. Laura had a great love of books and music. Books were a rare treat in Laura's young life and she devoured them when she could get them. Music was a part of her every day life be it Ma humming as she worked, Pa's fiddle playing in the evenings, the family singing together, or Mary's organ music. What songs and books are special to you. Do you have a favorite memory that you associate with a book or song? Link up this week and share it. Also, tell why you love the Little House books and any memories you have associated with them.
I am going to start with the music in my life as a girl. At eight I learnt to play piano for a few years. I think the piano was going cheap in the next village to ours. I lived on a farm then. Every week my Mum drove me about 16 miles to go to my lessons. After I started High School I was able to get off the bus there. Mum brought along a snack for me after the lessons finished. My uncle gave me a guitar to use, a very nice one and I was able to get lessons at the next village I mentioned. I still have all my music books. Our house had an old grammophone and sometimes I played it. Sometimes I hear music that reminds me of those heavy records. Sometimes we played, the children I played with, an organ that was in a church that wasn't used. Eventually the church was decommissioned.
My uncle taught dancing in our village. He taught various styles.
When I got married, just before this I had bought a pedal organ and it was the first piece of furniture I bought for our new life together. My husband's family have one as well. My Nana had a keyboard that I played when I was a girl. Also a piano. She loved to play A Bicycle Built for Two. My Grandpa liked to whistle along to any songs I played on the organ/keyboard. He actually played mouth organ and I think fiddle. My Nana's parents liked to play piano, both enjoyed entertaining people at dances I think.
After the organ, my husband and I bought a piano. It turned out not to be a good one, so we tried again. The children also received a modern keyboard for Christmas. At the moment there are no piano lessons available here, but my 11 year old daughter is learning clarinet and she really enjoys it. She plays in the Junior School Band.
After my Dad died recently I was contacted by a childhood friend. I remembered how much fun she and her sisters had playing a detailed version of chopsticks and things like that. They had a guitar and button accordion at their home that I used to visit. I also at one time had a Jews Harp.
I think the most fun we had with music a few years ago was related to ballet. The first concert my eldest daughters were involved in included Morning Mood. My husband happened to have that music in our house. I love ballet music.
There are more music memories than I imagined. My eldest son learnt piano for awhile. When the lessons got hard to manage moneywise I let it drop. I vowed never to do that again. So when my second one started I continued on for many years. When he was 12 he got a very high mark in an exam in Melbourne. Prior to this before we moved there, (to the outskirts of Melbourne in the country) he was involved in an Anglican choir. He was either at practise or church three days a week. He didn't enjoy piano in the end, which was sad for me. My eldest daughter learnt piano, clarinet and even though she doesn't learn at the moment she will often play the piano when she feels like it.
I must mention my step-son as well. He learnt the snare drum and played in the Highland band, and also learnt to sing at the choir. This was also something that I organised.
My husband learnt a lot of hymns when he was young and has a good singing voice. He still likes 60s music but I must say I am just about over Queen. It is funny though, that song was worked into a dance performance too. It was Red Riding Hood and there were a lot of boy dancers who were the wolves, so this was the song they came in on. My daughter was on the stage as a ballerina, and the boys were suppose to ruin their dance. Then the girls went into rap, and my daughter did the worm in her tutu. I was very happy lately at her gym class witnessing her skill doing this, she is still very good at it. So dance flowed on to gym.
My husband also has a trumpet and our second son also was very good at playing those sorts of instruments.
We didn't have a CD player in the car until mid 2004, and I thought I didn't need one, but it is a great joy to me, especially since I sometimes have to drive reasonably long distances. Well actually regularly 50 minutes and other times 1 1/2 hours, occasionally over 2 hours. Also to our new house. I like country music if I can get some that is not too non-child friendly. Some of the music reminds me of the dance music that I danced to as a teenager as the country had a lot of old time dances that all ages attended, it also included New Years Eve dances etc. Lee Kernaghan in particular is good for this. I couldn't believe when I watched CMC Rocks the Snowys in some ways how much good dance music seems to go to waste.
My Dad liked country music, but I haven't remembered which songs yet, usually I know when I hear them.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder books are very calming, that is why I read them. These have led on to reading Janette Oke and recently made me aware that I love all kinds of authors in the Historical Christian fiction genre. It has also opened up the Janette Oke movies to me through the internet and great libraries.
I haven't read the two outside books, but the Lauraine Snelling books are excellent. I still love hearing about Dakota.
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• Saturday, June 21, 2008 - Skywatch Friday ~ June 27
I tried an experiment this week and took my camera on my shopping trip. I saw some lovely potential shots. It had been raining and the first attempt at stopping made a big noise. It is a narrow road. I found out later it was water in my brakes. So a little disappointed I didn't try to stop and take the shots. This is a photo I took the week before.
Next week Skywatch will be coming from my new blog. |
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• Saturday, June 21, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ June 19
The biggest thing I am thankful for this week is that my daughters got to go to some church activities. The first one was called Spotlight. Usually the church holds Spotlight on Christmas, and sometimes an Easter one, this one was random and a bright highlight to a winter's day. The link shows Spotlight on Christmas in another Uniting Church.
Another highlight was the tutu that arrived and put a smile on my face. I was thinking if anything else had been in the box, it probably wouldn't have brought a smile like that to my face. It was a blessing because it was in an op-shop miles away from here, a relative happened to see it and thought of my middle daughter, and yes, it fits!
On Thursday I got a lot of catchup clothes washing done and put away eventually.
On Saturday we had some left overs, which is a special event for us.
Sunday was nice, we weeded the front garden, it was warm, and our little girl helped her Dad. He also helped her make some coconut biscuits (cookies).
These are my blessings for Monday:
~ hugs from dd11
~ help with how to go to youth group so the girls can go again this week if they like to
~ warm afternoon
~ pretty moon scenes
~ hearing about another person's joy
~ hearing about how my little girl has blossomed
and Tuesday:
~ the dog wanting to play a game with me
~ finding another nice easy pork mince recipe (our shop has limited meats, nice but always the same, which is good really)
~ getting my car vaccumed
~ pleasant enough weather outside in the afternoon
~ nice things to read
On Wednesday our eldest son rang, and we organised a trip home for him and for his girlfriend to visit. It is pretty straight forward, except some driving around midnight, but our little girls will get to see them.
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• Friday, June 20, 2008 - Menu Plan Monday ~ June 30
• Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - An Update
Today I had a nice surprise. I heard the delivery lady put something on the front verandah. I usually have an idea she is here. I was expecting a small package from Oztion, and it sounded a bit heavy. At lunchtime hubby and second son came in joking about how the parcel looked like a bomb package. I asked him to open it then lol. Then you wouldn't believe it, he pulled out a tutu! The tutu is gorgeous and was found at the op-shop and the sender thought of our second daughter. One of her friends couldn't believe it. It arrived on a good day as she took it to ballet. You never know when something really special might happen.
Today was the day that there wasn't any hot water left for my shower. But I am happy now, and no one "killed" anyone while I was in there. I did get a phone call, but that wasn't too much trouble.
The sultanas I especially bought the other day were put to good use, in a 5 cup cake from Belinda Moore's blog, and the packet is empty now.
I took my son to a place where you go to find jobs and part time work etc. I got mixed up on the times and it had just closed. We went there at 2pm. I thought it was "don't go there at lunchtime i.e. 1-2" but it was more like don't go there after 2. Oh well, it is very much a case of try try again around here. Maybe I need some sort of diary with people's hours in it. Sure, I should be able to remember, but I don't seem to.
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• Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June 2008
May Dreams Gardens is the host of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day. It is a little past the 15th June, but I have taken some photos of my garden this week and I would love to join in. Of course, I apologise that my flowers are a little out of synch with North America. It is the first month of winter in Australia.
I have posted some of these photos before, but next month I will be more organised.
These are probably nearly finished now. They are nerines.
A little over a week ago I visited the house we are renovating and these flowers were still out. They are pineapple sage.
Back here again, I love what dh did with this rock, and the French lavenders are amazingly flowering in the winter.
The roses are basically finished, but I love the way they are facing the sun. They are Apricot Nectar.
I also have an Iceland Poppy I think they are called, also a white one.
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• Monday, June 16, 2008 - Skywatch Friday ~ June 20
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