Just for fun

I stumbled across this on some random blog and felt very blessed to be compared. Loves it!

Here's the site:
http://www.strangegirl.com/emma/quiz.php

Flashback Friday

This was our view from our place in Windsor.
I really loved living in Windsor and sometimes I fool myself into thinking that we could go back and live there one day but with the Aussie dollar falling the way it is we will be lucky to ever get across there again one day. I was looking at a friends photos on facebook and her daughters are the same age as mine and they are all dressed up in big puffy jackets and books and scarves, so cute. I even bought a scarf and gloves and beanie for Princess the other day mostly just to play dress ups. Dressing up in warm clothes is just something we won't be doing in Brisbane, even in the winter. In winter we wear a jumper and that's about it.
Sigh...There is something comforting dressing up in a jumper, jacket, scarf and hat.
This was a sleigh ride in Austria. Don't I look cute in my big furry hat- I don't think I even put it in my bag leaving the UK.

Oh wow, toys we haven't played with in a long time.

Lets get them all out.

Then we can sort them.

Just like a banquet fit for the Queen.

Even pretend ice-creams.

Don't forget that I'm here too Mummy.

And I only get a carrot.

But my sister isn't happy with me even having a carrot.

So I'm not happy either.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

I felt I needed to change the name, for honesty reasons;)

This girl and water are a dangerous mix.
Not because she tries to get away from it.
Not because she doesn't enjoy it.
But because she can't get enough of it.

Old photos but its a new dilemma for us.

Flashback Friday

On Sunday as I said it was my brother's birthday- 33. Well for his thirtieth we went on a weekend away to Kirra. This was Princess then.
This is Princess now.

Three year apart, that time seem to have flown by so very fast and because on the 9th March she was 3 and a half I think that I should be allowed to do a post about her as just one a year doesn't seem enough.

So let me indulge myself and tell you about my Princess.
My Princess is such a girl- give her a choice and it has to be pink, give her a choice and it has to be a dress or skirt, give her a choice and it has to be sitting inside and reading a book.

My Princess loves to love. I can't tell you how many times a day that she needs to tell me something and just what is that something 'I love you Mummy'. But it extends even further when every night when she says her prayers that everybody we know needs to be added to our prayers and Noah and his Ark too.

My Princess is very cautious. While her friends, cousins and even little sister plunge straight in she waits and watched first. She considers every possible danger involved and she sees everyone enjoying the fun and she still decides it is not a good idea.

My Princess has lots of 'good ideas' which usually are doing something fun with Mummy, conveniently or not conveniently when Mummy is doing the housework.

My Princess loves to play with 'that woman who must not be named' barbie but when they go inside the house no one is allowed to wear clothes. This of course has no reflection upon our house as we always wear clothes here.

My Princess is such a loving sister who helps Sweetness to find a toy to play with when she has just taken off her another toy. And when Mummy is trying to fix dinner and can't pick up Sweetness, Princess gives her a cuddle and tells her 'it's alright' and then encourages her sister from the kitchen into another room. Princess also uses her Sweetness as a means of getting a cuddle when she has been naughty and mummy won't 'make nice' until she has repented.

My Princess is such a lovely little lady who is strong, intelligent, loving, considerate, cautious and who loves lollies.
She's our Princess!

Wordless Wednesday- Wedding cakes

This was mine (and hubby's too) I can't remember it too much and this was one of the only photos of it. It was actually made by one of the guest's sister, it was our present.

This one is from my cousins wedding on Saturday.

Can you remember what yours looked like?

Please pray for

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25198720-421,00.html

As the article says we (Australians) have only had 9 soldiers die there where as the US now has numbers in the thousands but this now has moved to the forefront of my mind as I now know someone personally there.

For those of you who know the Evans I know that they too would ask for your prayers as their son Samuel is now doing a tour in Afghanistan, this in itself is scary enough. Unfortunately Sam has moved away from the church and is in a less wholesome environment, this makes me think that his life is in much need of preserving, as he needs to get his relationship right with God once more.

Please pray for his safety and his family for their comfort and also their ability to minister to him.

What a weekend!

Well as you can guess it was a big weekend for us. On Saturday Gorgeous Husband had some much needed play time with the girls while I did some much needed housework. The girls were then picked up by their Grammy to stay the night as we had a wedding to go to.

It was my cousin who was getting married but the truth was that besides a few short notes on facebook, I hadn't seen him since my own wedding back in 2000. He was there with his new wife and she actually caught my bouquet ( I guess that means that that old wives tale is not true). And because it had been a while it did make it seem strange to be there as I didn't really know them and yet there we were sharing their most special day with them. It is funny how we can not see someone for so long and then we go to their wedding and then go back to not seeing them again. One cousin made the comment that they felt they should come to his wedding even though he too hadn't seen him in a while because the next thing you know is your meeting up with them again at a funeral instead.
I just found it all very strange but both my cousin and I both agreed that we didn't want to wait so long again to get together as we are family and family is important.
The wedding itself started off in a cathedral in the city, a traditional ceremony.


And then we moved on to the reception venue where they had the Iranian ceremony. I must say it was interesting to watch, there is so much joy and noise involved. They ask the groom if he takes the bride to be his wife and he says 'yes' and then they ask the bride and she says 'no' so then the bride's mother has to talk her into it and then she says 'yes'. The wedding is really dominated by the women of the family. Then they present the bride with jewelry, not just a few trinkets but some serious jewelry.

At the reception they had a belly dancer perform and she was amazing, she could shimmy and shake like you wouldn't believe. And with the cake cutting all of the young female relatives 'tease' the groom with the knife, they dance (quite suggestively) and he has to bribe them with money, in the end the bride is given the knife.


It was just an amazing wedding to watch for me but I must admit I understood when my cousin and husband were talking and saying that it is a most intimidating customs for the men as they has just been married and there is a lot of women then dancing suggestively around them for the rest of the evening.



On the Sunday we met up with our gorgeous girls at church and then had lunch with some of our church family and sibling family. Then we had dinner with all of my mum's side family from the wedding- cousins, aunts and uncles and celebrated my brother's 33rd birthday. Happy Birthday!

Whew, I am happy for a day at home where I can relax, clean, feed, entertain, wash, fold, hang and blog.

Flashback Friday

So here is a little quiz for you just like the last flashback, easy for some and a little hard for others, clearly easier if you have been there, even easier if you were there with me.

Question: What city or at least country is this?
















As I said, even easier if you were with me, tiptoeing through the tulips or whatever flowers these are.
One more clue for all of you who weren't there- that's no lake- it's a loch.

Wordless Wednesday

The words aren't mine anyway.

Allow me to serve

Recently one topic that has been on my mind lately is serving others.

It seems in this world we all go through stages in our life where we are in the situation where we can be of service to those around us, and there are other times when we need others to serve us. The question put to us last Wednesday night was- which is harder serving or being served?

Looking at the different aspects I really think that for many people being served is a difficult thing to do and accept graciously. I think a reason for this, especially in the case of those of us who have always been able to cope with things themselves, is that it is difficult to admit we need help.

I can think of two different cases where the two people involved have lead very giving lives. They were the 'servers' as such. Where they could be of service they would always be some of the first people to put there hand up in order to help others. Now they are going through different stages of life where it is difficult for them for various reasons. And now it is time for others to step up and serve them but does it happen, not really because people just don't realise that these people need that extra support because it is so hard for them to ask for it.

It is frustrating to me to see 'those that make the loudest noise receive the greatest attention'. I am not suggesting that we don't help those people but I think that it is our duty to look out for those that need our help but don't have the courage to ask.

There is so many stupid saying along the line of 'if you don't ask, you don't get' but this is not true in God's plans. Yes many people went directly to Jesus and asked for his help but many people were also sort out by him because he was able to see that they needed help. A good example is the woman who touched Jesus as he walked by. She could have called out like many of the people did but she tried to keep her need quiet. I understand her for this- if I were continually bleeding with menstrual issues I would rather not broadcast it to the world but Jesus didn't draw attention to her act as a means of embarrassing her. He applauded her for her faith and made it clear that there was no problem that could not be brought to others attention when someone was in need of help.

Yes, often times we suffer from things that others don't particularly like to hear about and because of that we don't want to seek out the help that we need. Sometimes people do such a good job of hiding their troubles or needs that they don't give us the opportunity to serve them but here is the challenge- we need to be intimate with our family, friends, church family so that we can see their needs.

Yes I definitely believe that being served is a difficult thing to accept but I hope that others will watch me closely enough that they will know when I need some help because I will most certainly be watching you:

Flashback on Friday

I know I have been slack all week and left no posting but it is hard work trying to organise my life as well as my housework. There has been a few new scheduling items so now I need to reorganise so here is a quick easy post today.

Can you tell who is who? No prizes for winners but just the satisfaction of knowing you are right.

Eyes are a bit of a give away. And look at those chubby cheeks, I had no idea at the time just how chubby Princess was.





If you are unsure it goes Sweetness, Princess, Sweetness, Princess.