Monday, April 19, 2010


this picture sums up what i am experiencing at this moment
a light at the end of a tunnel
an end to a way of life that as been
"the norm" for almost 2 years!

this tunnel has been filled with
many incredible learning experiences
kids and colleagues who made my journey all the more worthwhile
and some who didn't
support from my muma and hubby that can never be repaid
or fully understood

this time that is drawing to a close
comes with much excitement
looking ahead into the year that is to come
wondering what it will hold
and looking forward with anticipation to see how things will unfold

God has taken us on quite the journey
one that has held many lessons
and has turned our focus to concentrate
on what really matters

and now...as the light
at the end of this tunnel gets brighter
i need to stay focused on the task
at hand and give 100% of what i have

not letting myself get too far ahead
and embracing the light as it slowly approaches
i doubt that these next 5 weeks
will afford me much time to blog

what it will allow however
{something i am no longer will to compromise}
is not losing sight of what's really important


my family and the time we cherish
being together


Thursday, April 15, 2010

{latest creation}

so...as i mentioned, i've been trying to keep us all rather busy lately.
i was snooping around my craft room the other day and came upon 3 unused canvases
and thinking they're not doing anybody any good just sitting there,
i thought i'd put them to use...

having absolutely NO idea what to do with them,
i'm pretty happy with how they turned out...

whatchya think??





a great reminder, at all times
but especially for me during these solo-days.

*blessings...

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

{while daddy's away...}

us girls will play!!

so...given that jim's been out of work since october (!!) when the opportunity came up for him to get a few weeks of work...we actually had to think about it (seriously!)
only because the work that was being offered to him is not here! nope...it's up north! and i'm not! so, in attempts to keep all things sane and keep me distracted, i've been keeping us rather busy!
but God is faithful...and jim and i have been managing quite well - as have the girls!

this morning we headed out for a stroll along the beach with a good friend, which obviously ended in a scrumptious coffee and muffin...and after that...the rest of our day continued on full-boar...

{and while avery's asleep...}

{we will PAINT!!!}


{i've tried MANY times to correct that grip...no luck!}

{finished product = 3 bird houses and 2 beach rocks}
unfortunately i didn't have the camera out for the 5 mintues avery lasted putting her touch on these creations!

after cleaning up the mess (yes, jim, i cleaned it up!!) we headed down to the beach for a picnic lunch

{our view}

{our feast - minus that knife!}

{mmmm...}

{only you...avery...only you}

{our treats}



{beach fun...in April!}

{a yummy "girl" meal}
meaning it's mostly made of things we enjoy...and daddy would simply consume
but one thing is for sure, meals are, for some reason, not a priority without jim here - so this meal was my guilty-creation, knowing that i could not skip out on another dinner. but it turned out very yummy - i call it "pasta-a-la-me" - it's chicken, peppers, onions, spinach and peas in a light cream sauce over spaghetti...mmmmm!

and then, after a walk to the mail, we ended the night on a bright note...heehee! i pulled out the glo-sticks and the girls went crazy!


can you see her eye??

and hers??

to wrap up the evening, i read another chapter in our novel and the girls we off to dream-land...glowing blanket and all! yes, avery's glo-stick broke open and glo-juice dripped all over her beloved "ni-night"...only morning will tell whether it was a good idea to let her sleep with her illuminated covers!

all in all, it was a great day...and mummy is tuckered out! tomorrow is fitting to be equally busy, and after a good night's sleep, we'll all be raring to go!

*blessings...

{crafty creations}


i've been able to take full advantage of this chunk of "off-time" i've had in between sessions of work this time around...
just thought i'd post some pictures of my most recent creations
(which will be a "repeat" for any of my Facebook friends/lurkers here)

{shoulder bag}



{burp cloths}



{lined change pad}



{hooded bath towel}

{funky apron}



that's about it...for now.
work starts back up again next week, but this time, it's for the LAST time:)

{Easter - re-cap}

whoa, Easter seems like a life-time ago...but here are some cute shots from our day/weekend.

we had a great time with our little family on Friday and then headed back into town on the Saturday for a big family celebration in honour of Jim's Oma and Opa's 60th wedding anniversary...and, as usual, I didn't capture any shots of that day...but suffice it to say, we ate good food in good company!

{can you find all the eggs??}


{oh boy, that Easter Bunny is good!}

{ready...set...GO!!}

{that silly Bunny}

{success!!}

Easter Sunday was a nice morning with the traditions of my childhood being carried into theirs. The girls had fun discovering their baskets and then getting ready for church, to come home and have a little hunt around the house and then head to Gram's for Easter dinner and yet...another Easter egg hunt!!

{the bounty}

{mmmm...}

{my sweet baby...in her Easter best}

{my darling eldest...in her Easter best}

overall, it was an enjoyable weekend...



Sunday, April 4, 2010

{he is risen}


Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!"
John 20:27

Easter isn't just for Christians; it's for skeptics too. Easter was for skeptical people in the first century. The Bible tells us, "Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen" (Mark 16:14).

These disciples, hearing of the risen Lord appearing to Mary, did not believe. The most vocal of the bunch was Thomas. He said, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side" (John 20:25).

Eight days later, when the disciples (including Thomas) were meeting behind locked doors, Jesus showed up. And He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" (verse 27). To Thomas' credit, he declared, "My Lord and my God!" (verse 28). That day,
Thomas the skeptic became Thomas the believer.

God can take a skeptical person and turn him or her into a believer. How do I know? Because He did it for
me. There was no person more skeptical than me. After all that I had seen and been exposed to, I was very skeptical when I first heard the promises and claims of Christ. But He has done and continues to do everything He promised. And He will do the same for you.

The skeptic thinks, Show me, and I will believe. But I say
"believe, and He will show you!" The one who is willing to take that step of faith and believe will be amazed at what God will do. He can change skeptics—if they will come to Him.
~Greg Laurie

Thursday, April 1, 2010

the day is done
they say goodnight
and somebody
turns out the light

the moon is high
the sea is deep
they rock, and rock,
and rock to sleep

we've had a tough couple of days - days that have drained us emotionally, but days that have caused true reflection and true thankfulness for the life we are blessed to live...so it's been good too, but i am tired and i need some rest...so off i go to catch some serious shut-eye.