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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Sunday, June 8, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ June 12

This week's Theme:  His Word. Here are some things I genuinely appreciated on Saturday.   ~ I was lying on the lawn, a great blessing in itself and saw cobwebs strung out along the grass, all silver ~ my daughter was very interested in the green olive shaped balls on those large trees that turn yellow ~ the chicken that walked past the gate, our dog was looking the other way, the chicken made a sound twice, and the second time he heard it and turned to see the chicken ~ a little red toadstool in the garden ~ in winter being able to sit on a block of wood in the garden and feel the sun on my face. Please visit Iris at Sting My Heart.

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Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ June 5

Tuesday: I was really thankful that I decided to take the 2 1/4 hour drive to my hometown to get my teeth cleaned.  I understand now what the hygienist is trying to do, and it is achievable it I stick to her advice.  Otherwise, I will have to be referred on, and I don't want that.  I suppose since in is near a crown maybe that was the start of the problem.  I took my two oldest girls with me, it was a day off school.  My eldest stayed home without incident.  My youngest went on a bus for a 1 1/2 hour drive to a party and that went well and hubby was able to take her to the drop off and pick up point OK even though he was working.  I got home in time to get the middle daughter ready for her play tonight, hubby organised an early tea of pies, gravy, chips & peas.  I was thankful that I finally got to Medicare and hubby was able to find receipts.  We don't have a Medicare office here.  It didn't go perfectly but was good practise.  I was thankful that I got home without incident.  I also enjoyed some mud scones from Baker's Delight, something I would not have bought normally but the saleslady suggested it, and after two tries with different things I gave in.  They were really special.  I found a magazine that I always bought, that hasn't been printed for over a year, so that was special too.  I had some lovely service from an EB shop (Electronics Boutique).  I was very very lucky or blessed to see for a long period of time two sambar deer while driving along.  We didn't get a good shot though as I left the camera at home.  They nearly stood a few times, then ran away very fast.  Other days:  I am thankful for the unexpected sunny days we have been having here, during our first month of winter, on Friday it was warm at our new house I am thankful for my new CD, though we plan to take the good songs from both the CDs so we can edit out the songs that are not suitable for listening to in the car with the children I am thankful for a group of books I got from ebay.  They will keep me in books for quite awhile. I am thankful my hubby was able to come home early so we could have early tea so our daughter could perform in her play for three nights.  I am thankful I have been able to have hot showers, I think only one cool one

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Thursday, May 29, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ May 29

This week I have really enjoyed blogging.  I am very thankful that I have been tagged by Bel and added to the blogroll at Gracious Hospitality.  I thank you both so much, and for all the lovely visits I've had at my blog.  I  have been visiting some lovely blogs and was happy to see a new Blog-a-Thon called I Remember Laura.  See it all here. My week started out with grocery shopping and dropping in to the Post Office.  Both times I received lovely service by the staff, it was very nice.  The next day I was sitting inside and looked out the window into the garden and noticed a white jonquil in flower.  It is a few days off winter here, so I was very impressed as I am assuming it will stay out now through to spring.  Saturday is was nice outside and you could still smell flowers in the garden even though it is wintery.  Hubby planted some polyanthus at our new house and I look forward to them flowering.  We found that our fish were still alive, he and our second son put some water into a pool and eventually we saw the fish. Sunday our eleven year old daughter and her friend and little sister made a lovely little girly corner in the second living area.  I really love seeing it.  Her older sister cooked for our guest and made her welcome.  Our eldest daughter had a lovely time watching The Little Mermaid so it made for a nice atmosphere.  I had a lovely book to read. Hubby and second son took some lovely photos, got supplies for our new dishwasher and used a gift card to buy uniform for our eleven year old daughter which has been very handy and very warm.  On Monday I really enjoyed the late afternoon sun streaming in the window.  I also enjoyed the parsley hubby cut up to put into feta meatballs.  I enjoy rissoles anytime.  Tuesday I enjoyed picking in the washing with the dog.  Wednesday was another nice afternoon.  I have been reading yet another great Gilbert Morris book from the library.  I enjoyed a little country music by catching the last few minutes of CMC Rocks The Snowys.  I found this great video about being thankful today.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ May 22

On Thursday the dog got some hay, I was worried about it, so I am thankful he has it because it is cold.  I had a good run on my menu planning that day, I was happy about that as well as it had been a more stressful than usual week. On Friday I was very happy to get a full load of washing out on the line.  I brought it inside to air, and the small things were put away, also the summer things, so a little bit of organising done.  My eldest son mentioned a study program our second son could attend to help with upcoming exams.  It was great because the course is on Sunday, if he had mentioned it later he could have missed out.  We have the tickets now, and it should be an exciting day. On Saturday we were really thankful both for the rain, and that it cleared in time for dh and ds to cut some wood for our heating.  The weather held off for dd to play netball as well.  It was a very cold day.  Same on Sunday, for working on the house.  It is ready to put the cladding up. Monday we got a special surprise.  dd11 surprised us with a penguin waffle maker she found at the op-shop with a few coins I think.  I had found where the maple syrup was in the shop and bought some the week before, they were hiding it on the bottom shelf lol.  The penguins have a little dip in their tummies for the syrup.  It was great because there were left overs for school snacks which is always challenging.  Just the right size.

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Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ 15th May

I once owned this flower and have wanted to have them again.  I remember (it was a long time ago) reading about this flower used by Australian garden designer of the 1930s Edna Walling. I was walking to the bank this morning (Monday), walked to the place to cross the road.  Though I would look from a distance at the flowers offered for sale at the craft shop and saw it there.  They charge a small amount for their plants as they are grown at home and I think it helps the ladies have a little extra money for themselves.  They all have a turn to serve in the shop. So I am grateful for my new plant.  Today I got a delivery of flowers (Tuesday).  I have never had a delivery of flowers at this house before.  I think they came with the V-line bus, and were in a box, padded around the base of the container.  Then they put paper over the top with the florist's printed paper stuck on that.  The florist was 2 hours away.  That is remote living for you I suppose, I have a lot to learn about it still. Last Thursday I got to see inside a tea room, you can see it pictured on my blog.  I enjoyed that.  I had bought my groceries, and spent exactly what I wanted to spend on them.  I also stopped at a roadside stop in the bush that I hadn't stopped at before.  It is a lovely place if you have to stop, they have soap, and paper to dry your hands, and the sound of a waterfall or rushing creek. On Friday I loved to see how happy dd6 was to get something ready for Mother's Day with the help of the school, school parents and her sister.  On the weekend dh got lots done on the new house and I got to go and have a nice time in the sun.  I was very blessed because it was warm and we made some herb tea.  Recipe on pineapple sage post.  On Monday I had a nice chat at ballet and I was really happy about that. This week my back stayed strong and I have been well, with no colds etc.  Please click the top photo to see other entries in Thankful Thursday. Windflower image by shazzy63

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Thursday, May 8, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ May 8

This week dd14 had her first game of netball and she enjoys it.  I had a little tour of the garden this last weekend and enjoyed seeing at least some berries on the holly that is over our back fence. On Sunday I got to see the snow on the mountains.  I had forgotten, and looked up and saw it on our way home.  There was sun on Sunday, and I sat in a deck chair and was warm for a little while.  I watched the kids play in the pond and the waterfall. On Tuesday we were finished our pantry challenge.  The girls were home from school and we were delayed going to the shops.  Fortunately when we got there and only had two items in our trolley, there was a blackout, and we were asked to leave the shop.  I was really pleased the girls made a salad for lunch and also one daughter used the money we had to buy hot potato gems, so we were warm and happy until the power came back on.  On Wednesday I had a nice sleep in ready for my big shopping day today.  These were some of the blessings I wrote out: ~ the meal I was worried about turned out to be delicious and enough for everybody, it was kumara & tuna patties from www.taste.com.au ~ we got my tubes planted that I bought from ebay via a nursery ~ got some painting done, it was just undercoated and outside ~ saw a man riding a horse, haven't seen much of that since I was a child, so always exciting that men still ride horses ~ got my curtains hung and they fit ~ the girls got to buy some lollies/candy ~ the kids enjoyed playing in the waterfall/pond in the backyard We also got news of a bonus from work so will be able to catch up a little, which is wonderful.

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Tuesday, April 29, 2008 - Thankful Thursday ~ 1st May

National Day of Thanksgiving in Australia is on the 10th May.  Today I found an interesting site called Gratefulness.org you might find it interesting. Also Grateful Friday. 100 things I am grateful for printout. Have a listen to this song I think I found on the Country Music Channel.  Count Your Blessings by Karl Broadie and Dianna Corcoran. A simple living thanksgiving. These are some of the things I have been grateful this week, these were taken from the two days that I stopped to write down my blessings.  ~ lovely soup for tea ~ lovely clean entry ~ broken light fixed ~ ds has some homework handed in ~ lovely books from the library ~ Piglet movie to watch and listen to ~ decluttering done and a nice serene effect Today I am thankful that I found what I needed at the op-shop.  A new netball team has started up.  They suggested that there were lots of netball skirts at the op-shop.  When I got there there were lots, one or two in the right colour, so I am pleased I got something and that it fits dd14 and I like it.  Also today I was looking at the roses, thinking they would be all finished for winter soon, and noticed a beautiful spray of roses on the climbing rose.  Well another day on and I am still finishing this post.  I am so glad to be involved in Thankful Thursdays again.  It hasn't been an easy week.  I have had two or more phone calls about my Dad who is very sick.  Also my pantry challenge is just that, challenging, I think I am just a little distracted with Dad.  And compared to last week, it is COLD.  Brrr.  I think this week I am very grateful for the new places and people I have met online through memes and being involved with some Australian bloggers and new people on my board, and a visitor to my blog.  I hope to soak it all in in time.  Like I say I am very distracted.  Yesterday though I got a delivery of plants.  I am grateful for them, especially the pink salvia, I was happy just to see its leaves, like an old friend.

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Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - Thankful Thursday ~ May 31

Blessings May 24 to May 30 ~ walking in a mountain field that is home to lots of kangaroos in the brisk air ~ a nice fast checkout, I love those, not a common thing where I live ~ a lovely plant nursery to visit, very talented owners ~ one of my costume items arriving in the mail ~ having a parcel on my doorstep when I came home ~ nice arugula/rocket salad ~ the children enjoying their afternoon tea ~ a cheap bag of onions, looks great in the kitchen 10kg ~ dd having her shawl washed and ready to take to school for her costume  ~ I am grateful that Australians now celebrate Thanksgiving ~ another load of wood ~ homemade chocolate chip cookies and the girls enjoying making them together ~ getting a bag of clothes off to goodwill/op-shop ~ putting away some winter clothes ~ getting to watch part of Follow The River on TV ~ getting dd5s fancy stitching off her skirt and everything packed for school ~ finishing up half a melon and making it into chutney with golden syrup and chillis ~ ds19 getting to watch a real AFL game of football ~ seeing dd in her costume, and firstly finding the top and that it still fit ~ nice kitchen smells ~ the girls playing outside ~ dd5 enjoying miso soup ~ bread and butter ~ nice mail ~ a lovely movie to watch, I only missed a tiny bit ~ rain ~ our power came on so we could cook tea ~ a nice doll for the girls to play with and share ~ a good nights sleep ~ miso soup while watching TV, a nice break ~ making scone dough ~ dd10s beautiful school photos ~ finding the name of stir fry beef so we can cut it ourselves ~ a sunny afternoon ~ interesting mail ~ getting the basin cleaned ~ reading about Mary Ingles (Follow The River) ~ The Waltons, always great to watch

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Thursday, May 24, 2007 - Thankful Thursday ~ May 24

Blessings ~ 17th to 23rd May ~ the first camellia flower for the year in our yard ~ pretty autumn leaves ~ nice ham sandwich for lunch ~ lots of rain ~ lots of books to read ~ a little nap ~ first jonquil of the season ~ first violet ~ our paving was cleaned ~ nice growth on our lawn daisies ~ car cleaned ~ nice chocolate cake and freckles ~ gorgeous inspiring cake ~ using up a pumpkin ~ ideas of where to do my shopping next time ~ pretty coloured leaves on my baby tree ~ getting a costume worked out for dd5, I think it was a minor miracle ~ homemade golden syrup dumplings ~ lovely rice dish for tea ~ not so cold today ~ getting the shopping list nearly finished ~ finding a nice cake recipe ~ getting the fruit order done without too much fuss ~ seeing how well the school photo family portrait turned out ~ lunch with dh ~ dry towels from the line

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Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - Thankful Thursday ~ May 17

Hi and welcome to my second attempt at Thankful Thursday.  I was a late starter last week, you can read the entry here.  Thank you very much to Iris at Sting My Heart for getting me on track for this week.  Blessings 10-16th May 10th:  ~ safe travel ~ finding some cheap meat ~ having help unpacking the food purchases ~ remembering to buy the snacks ~ getting everything for dd's cooking project ~ dd13 making tea for us ~ delicious tea ~ being able to buy all the meat I needed ~ finding the tandoori paste ~ having a good list to work from ~ glorious morning, pretty to look at the country outside town ~ a little break after school ~ because I was following a log truck I was able to get a good look at the bush and reminisce about being in the bush when I was little 11th:  Last week in my late TT, I mentioned the lovely bag of biscuits my daughter brought home from school on Friday.  I thought it was lovely.  There were three left in there and my husband and I had them for afternoon tea.  They were called yo-yos.  Yo-yos are a kind of filled cookie or two cookies sandwiched together. 12th:  ~ a lovely row of white mushroom like toadstools under a beautiful purple michaelmas daisy ~ getting the jam melon cut up for lemon and pie melon jam ~ we enjoyed our new recipe of pork mince and brussels sprouts, a new family favourite ~ the pretty wrapping paper dd10 made for her friend's present ~ hearing dh and dd5 talk about the great story they read together ~ dd13's white origami tulips 13th:  ~ soft boiled eggs and toast and cup of tea and toast served in bed ~ my new nightie and cute pink card ~ a load of wood for the wood heater ~ getting the jam melon and lemon jam finished and it worked well 14th:  ~ cutting a special gifted pumpkin and seeing inside which wasn't as expected, and realising we could grow our own from the seeds, a gift indeed! ~ getting lots of jobs done around the house ~ finding buds on my favourite bush ~ finding tiny bulb plants I had forgotten about ~ wearing my old shoes, much more comfortable, like heaven compared to the ones I threw out ~ exercise ~ a tidy loungeroom ~ ds's trip to the other uni library 15th:  ~ using up our brown rice, a much needed thing ~ finding two lovely novels waiting for me at the library and a preserves book and a lovely DVD for dd5 ~ dh having extra time to help ds with his homework ~ a light sprinkling of rain ~ a lovely old diary to read that I found on the net, that is local with an American start ~ finding that our jam tastes like jam and is a success ~ finding ideas for some chutney ~ seeing a catalogue with a Janette Oke DVD advertised in it, I enjoyed the photo ~ learning more things to do with computing

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Sunday, May 13, 2007 - Thankful Thursday

Hi everyone and welcome to my first Thankful Thursday entry.  I have sometimes been known to type daily entries called Blessings on other sites and regret not doing so as much lately.  I was thinking today how I didn't record anywhere the lovely bag of biscuits my daughter brought home from school at the end of last week.  I thought it was lovely.  There were three left in there and my husband and I had them for afternoon tea.  They were called yo-yos.  Yo-yos are a kind of filled cookie or two cookies sandwiched together. Blessings 3rd to 9th May ~ dd finding a gorgeous cottage playhouse with four chimneys at the op-shop.  They had a lovely time colouring the inside ~ dh being able to get my computer going again ~ a beautiful large unusual shaped grey pumpkin that was given to us, it looks a little like a giant winter squash, not that we usually have those in Australia ~ things going smoothly for ds19 ~ novels to read ~ pretty garden to look out on ~ the smell of chai tea ~ ds got an interview for a lovely part time job

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