Travelling

Hi all,

After a busy day at netball and work today, I think I'm ready for our trip tomorrow. It was quite a bit easier than I thought actually. Netball went really well, my team won by quite a bit and they all played very well. I stayed at the club for tea with Robbie, as he was rostered on to help with dishes. The teenagers are all rostered on once or twice a year to help with dishes and clean up.

So now I'm home and the packing was surprisingly easy. I got the washing up to date last night so that made it easier. I have checked Pink's bag (which is twice the size of mine) and I'm going to have to get her to re think that tomorrow morning. Being a school trip the kids are all expected to wear school uniform. Pink has packed one pair of school pants, two school jumpers and two school shirts. She has also packed about 6 changes of casual clothes. I'm pretty sure she will need more than one pair of school pants for a whole week, and more than two shirts. I'm also pretty sure that she doesn't need 4 pairs of jeans, countless jumpers and casual t shirts and several sets of pyjamas. She has no socks either, and it could be just me, but I thought they were pretty necessary!

I was going to post a photo blog tonight about my day. I did remember to take some photo's this morning at work, and a couple around the garden but once I got to the football/netball I forgot all about it. Memory span of a gnat. So that will have to wait for another day.

Pink will have her camera with her during the next week so hopefully I will have some photo's to show everyone when we get back.

So, now I'm pretty tired and thinking I should turn in, since I have a 6 hour drive ahead of me tomorrow. I won't be posting for a whole week (how will I cope?!).

Dear Lord, please grant us safe travel tomorrow and a good nights rest for me tonight. I pray that the coming trip will be beneficial and enjoyable for Pink. Please watch over Robbie and Fisherman as they are left at home together.

Careers Trip

Pink's school has had a long held tradition of sending the year 10 class each year on a "Career Observation Trip". This tradition has been going so long that both Fisherman and I remember our trips fondly.

This year it's Pink's turn. On Sunday we will drive to Adelaide (about 6 hours drive) with my friend Sharon and her son who is in Pink's class. Sharon and I were also in the same class, and went on Careers Trip together. Then next week the kids have lots of visits to workplaces, uni's and TAFE colleges to give them some sort of idea of what they would like to do with themselves when they leave school. They had choices and got to have input into the places they visit and Pink is pretty pleased with her options.

She will visit the SA Health Education Centre on Monday morning to find out about courses and careers in massage and natural therapies, and then the Adelaide Zoo in the afternoon. She loves animals but isn't really interested in a career around them, she just thought she'd like to go to the zoo! On Tuesday morning she will visit Clip Joint which is a hair dressing academy, and the Australian Institute of fitness in the afternoon. The Australian Institute of fitness looks at careers in personal training, nutrition and sports massage. On Wednesday morning she will visit the Australian College of Natural Therapies where she will see Acupuncture in action and learn about careers in Homeopathy, Naturopathy and Chinese Medicine. Wednesday afternoon the whole class will tour the Law Courts followed by shopping and a movie. On Thursday we are off to an architect who also does interior design and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the afternoon to look at medical careers. Friday we will all drive home after a bit of shopping in the morning.

Pink's interests at the moment centre around Natural therapies and massage so she has chosen really well there, and will see a wide variety of careers in action.

I am completely disorganised at the moment with regard to getting ready for this trip. I have just discovered that it is my turn to work tomorrow (Saturday) morning and then I have football and netball commitments in the afternoon. Looks like the tumble dryer will be getting a workout tonight! I have to get all of Pinks school uniform washed and dried ready to pack Saturday night.

Robbie will be staying home with Fisherman, and he goes on school camp on Wednesday next week, so I also have to think about making sure everything he needs is ready. I think I'd better make myself a list!

A day in the Life.....

I've been meaning to do a post like this for a while now, so this is how my day panned out yesterday. I've skipped over what I do at work as it's not really very interesting to anyone else!

5.15am - Fisherman gets up and goes out to work. I sense it more than anything. He knows better than to speak to me at that hour, I am not a morning person!


5:20am - Fisherman lets Boris the cat in. He licks my nose and snuggles under the covers, purring loudly. I adore this cat which explains how he gets away with this behaviour. Like I said, I'm not a morning person!

6.45am - My alarm goes off. I listen to the weather report (no rain), then talk myself into moving. I drag myself out of bed, disrupting Boris in the process, he glares at me as he stretches. Cats can frown you know.

7am - Head for the shower, waking Pink and Robbie on my way past. I have to turn Pink's light on to have any hope of getting her to stay awake. Takes after her mother.

7:25am - Emerge from the shower, almost human now. Wake Pink again, and again, and one more time before she actually moves. Help Robbie find socks.

7:30am - Prepare kids lunches and breakfast simultaneously (this is where I miss Fisherman, when he isn't so busy he helps with this bit). Referee argument over who has stolen who's socks.

7:55am - we all head out the door. Drive Robbie 10km to bus stop to be taken to his primary school. Pink stays with me as her school is walking distance from my work.

8:30am - Arrive at work. Turn on computer and make coffee. Check my emails, blog and list of tasks to be done today.

8:45am - Pink leaves for school, only to return two minutes later. She wants me to drive her so she doesn't get mud on her shoes (or Robbie's socks). Praise the Lord. We have mud.

9am - Start processing machinery forward orders for 2009. Apparently there is a worldwide tractor shortage and we have to guesstimate how many tractors we will sell in 2009. Spend time liasing between salesmen and management to get a quota everyone is happy with.

12noon - Lunchtime. Buy lunch at the bakery because I was too lazy to pack my own this morning. Head to my friend Sharon's (yes, she is a Sharon too) house for lunch and enjoy a cuppa and catch up with her. We plan what time we will leave on Sunday for the school trip we are going on with our two eldest.

1pm - Back to work and those tractor orders. After a couple of breaks for coffee, email and blog catchups they are all finished and ready to be emailed to CASE IH in the morning. We will order 65 tractors and hope and pray we have got it right.

6pm - Head home, stopping on the way to grab some milk and a DVD for Robbie (he rang, begged, whined, I caved).

6:30pm - Arrive home, light the fire and prepare dinner. Help Robbie with his homework (does anybody remember how to multiply fractions? Hmmm) while dinner is cooking. Monitor Pink's internet usage while she is chatting to friends on Myspace.

7pm - Sit down to dinner with the kids. Fisherman doesn't eat with us at thes time of year since he won't be home til after midnight. Put his dinner in the microwave for him to re-heat and eat when he gets home. Spend time chatting with the kids over dinner, catching up on their day.

7:30pm - Clean kitchen then sit down to do some cross stitch. I'm working on a new one, it's a beautiful picture of a sheep dog pup sitting inside a farmers boot. Cute. Could take me several years!

9pm - Send Robbie to bed, after telling him 15-20 times (ok, maybe 3) to clean his teeth. Pink goes to her room to practice guitar and the song she is singing in an upcoming variety concert. I enjoy the peace and quiet while continuing with my cross stitch. I mean to get up and spend some time reading my bible before heading to bed but before I know it it's 11pm and I'm still stitching. Cross stitch is addictive you know.

11.15pm - Put a load of washing in the dryer, put the cats outside (they are frowning again) and turn in.

2am - Fisherman comes to bed. We briefly chat about I'm not sure what but I try to sound awake and interested.

Sowing

Sowing is in full swing for us. This year we will be sowing wheat, barley, oats and lupins. With two years of drought behind us, and rising fuel and fertiliser prices we considered reducing our cropping program, but have decided against that. I hope and pray we have made the right decision.


We are one of the lucky farmers in our district. While we don't enjoy the regular rainfall that others do, I am so thankful that my husband is a wise farmer. We have managed to maintain quality machinery and not go too far backwards so far. But we can only continue this for so long, at some stage you have to make a profit. We have had to go further into debt this year to put the crop in, so please pray that this drought will well and truly be broken.


At the moment Fisherman is driving the four wheel drive tractor which pulls the seeding unit. His brother drives the smaller tractor with the boomspray and tries to stay a few hours ahead of him so the chemical has time to settle. This means that Fisherman starts work at around 6am, and works until he has sown all the ground that his brother has sprayed (usually he comes home around 2am), and his brother gets up at 3am to have enough ground prepared for Fisherman to start sowing. So, effectively they are working around the clock.

I worry about the hours they work and the size of the machinery they operate on such little sleep.

Please pray for our crop to go in this year with no mishaps. Also pray for continued rain to sustain it and develop strong root systems.

Dear Lord, I pray that as the boys continue to work hard and long hours that you will watch over them and protect them. I pray also for widespread rain across our land to sustain the crops we are sowing and give hope to our community.

Gone Home

Pink's homegroup teacher from last year died yesterday. Pink's class were her last, as she left halfway through the year when she became ill.

She will be remembered forever for the compassion, care and love she showed her students. Pink's relationship with this teacher was at times rocky, due to them both standing up for what they believed in, but there was an underlying mutual respect.

So, Jane, we will remember a life that blessed us. Your choices, your character and your love and obedience to the Lord will live on forever. I pray that the Lords spirit will continue to give guidance and hope to all who watched you live out your calling. You have been covered with the blood of the lamb, and have been cleansed from all sin. Now that you have been called home the model of your life will be more than a memory; it will leave an indelible mark on the hearts and lives of all who loved you.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

See you there.

Teachers

Teachers are on my heart today.

At the moment one of Pink's teachers is living her last hours. I'm not actually sure if she made it through the night last night. She is a wonderful, caring, God loving woman with a husband and three young children. DH went to school with her and her husband (who is also a teacher) we have known them almost all our lives. Currently she is losing the battle with a very aggresive form of breast cancer. She was diagnosed six months ago, three weeks ago she was looking really well. A week ago she was flown to Adelaide in a critical condition, unable to eat, walk or communicate. She is home again now and yesterday they doubled her morphine. She will be missed and grieved over by all the students that she taught. She is one of those rare teachers who really cares. Sometimes she cared too much, and got too emotionally involved and was hurt in the process. People said (and I was one of them) that she took what the kids said to her too personally but that was because she cared so much.

Teachers are such an important group of people. They touch and influence many. They can make or break a child with a single word. Robbie had one such teacher, last term we were struggling to get him to school. It was a fight every day. His report card showed that he was marking time, not moving ahead or learning. That teacher has emotional, mental and a drinking problem and has since been removed from the school. Robbie now has a wonderful, caring, creative teacher and the change in his approach and attitude is marked.

Today I would like to pray for all our teachers.

Father, I would like to pray for those in our church family and the wider community who have children or teenagers in their care as teachers. Raise up Christian teachers for our young people. Help our teachers serve and teach as they are gifted by the Spirit. Help them instruct and genuinely care for the students whom they are responsible.

May our teachers set an example for all the kids they teach through the lives they are living, may they always speak Your truth and not be carried away by or promote the ideas and opinions of men.

May others who have responsibilities over our young people, such as coaches, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders and others who supervise them, never grow tired of doing what's right, for You will not forget their work or the love they show our kids. Keep our teachers strong in the Lord and may Your word live in them.

May our teachers devote themselves to teaching, giving themselves fully to it as the work You have given them to do.

And a special prayer for Pink's teacher, her husband and their children Lord. I pray that she will have peace and rest with you soon Lord, and that her husband and the children can trust in you and look to your for comfort in their grief. I pray that their families can remain strong and support each other in this difficult time. And if there is something I can do to ease the burden, then please show it to me Lord. I also pray for Jane's students. This will be the first brush with death for many. Support and counsel them Lord and show them Your love.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Come as you are

Come as you are is a line from a great worship song called Broken and Beautiful by Mark Schulz.

It's been rattling around in my head for quite some time now, and the whole idea of "coming as you are" has been an idea that I have struggled with. So here are my thoughts on "come as you are".

I have struggled for a long time with feelings of unworthiness. I felt unworthy of being called a child of God, unworthy of being a member of my church and unworthy of calling a lot of wonderful people in my life my friends.

I let these feelings stop me from going to church on a regular basis. I told myself that I would commit to regular attendance when I got it right, when I felt worthy of being there. I would go for a couple of weeks then I would mess up again, and instead of asking for and accepting the Lord's forgiveness, I would tell myself there was no point, I just can't do this Christianity thing, I'm just not capable of being good enough, and I would give up again. I kept this going for a couple of years, going to church, then stopping, then going again. How much do you think Satan was enjoying this rollercoaster ride?

Thankfully with the Lord's help and with some much appreciated support and guidance from wonderful friends I have come to realise that I am never going to be worthy. The Lord doesn't expect me to get it right before I come before Him. He knows that isn't possible, He wants us all to come as we are. We are all broken but the Lord still loves us, still calls us His children, wants more than anything for us to repent and keep coming back to Him.

So, don't try to be worthy, you can't. Just come as you are.

Lord, I thank you that you are always there waiting for me to come back to you, and that you are patient with me as I take such a long time to learn your lessons for me. I pray that I can continue to grow in faith and knowledge of you, and that I can serve you with all my heart and soul.

Not much happening

I've had a pretty quiet weekend, which I suspect is just what I need.

Yesterday I worked in the morning and then came home to tackle the weekend washing, cleaning and baking. My back was still giving me a bit of grief so I took it slowly and even found time for a Nana nap.

Today I went to church which was nice. Caught up with some friends and enjoyed the service. I was a bit surprised about that as the person preaching today is someone I have struggled to forgive and show grace to. But the sermon was interesting and mildly thought provoking, and I didn't at any time during the service feel the urge to hit him over the head with something, which is an urge I have had many times in the past.

It was a bit of a battle to get myself to church today. I didn't really want to go, I felt headachey and my back is still giving me trouble. Also in the back of my mind was who was preaching. I'm glad I went though. I think I've made progress there, and while I'm not quite ready to sit down and have a deep and meaningful with this person, at least I no longer feel tempted to throw something at him. So perhaps I am learning.

Since coming home I've made a batch of pumpkin soup, which I'm not sure I like. I tried a new recipe which has cumin in it. I don't think I like cumin. But I ate it anyway. As you do.

Now I'm thinking I need another nap. I just feel really flat. Still got that headache and back pain. Although yesterday I didn't get to sleep til really late because sleeping during the day really affects me like that. Perhaps I will just snooze in my chair while watching the footy.

Speaking of snoozing, I'm hoping I haven't put you to sleep with the inane details of my riveting weekend!

Rain, pain and other ramblings

Today it is raining. Praise the Lord! The forecast is for the rain to continue right through the weekend, which is fine by me! I will happily stoke up the fire and watch!

Please help us out over here in Oz by continuing to pray for this drought to be well and truly broken. Pray for rain to refresh our land and the Lord to refresh our souls!

In other news.... it seems that 18 holes of golf did not agree with me. Well at least thats what I'm assuming is causing my back pain as it's the only thing I've done different in the past week or so. I went to see my dear friend and physio yesterday and that seems to have made it worse! Which is often the case when your muscles are stretched out and worked, they get worse before they get better. I'm not in heaps of pain at all, just a bit of a niggle, but it meant I had to stand out of netball training last night which bothered me.

I have a busy day ahead at work so I'd better get on with it. Of course it won't stop me from checking in now and again so feel free to say hello!

Blessings to you all,
Sharon.

Superwoman

Joanie called me a "super woman" the other day and asked how I manage to run a household and work full time.

That prompted me to think about how this really does happen. I'm certainly not doing it on my own, this would be impossible. Here is how it happens.

My husband deserves a medal. Every morning he wakes the kids up, wakes them up again, and again (they are teenagers remember) while I have a shower. By the time I have finished my shower he is in the kitchen, starting to pack lunches and helping move the breakfast along by putting people's toast in the toaster, putting the kettle on etc. This morning I was running a bit late so he made my breakfast for me and handed it to me as I headed out the door.

Then he runs the kids to the bus stop (about 10km away) while I get to drive to work in calm, peace and quiet. When he has time he even does dishes and tidies the kitchen in the morning.

Fisherman meets the bus after school and feeds the hungry hoards before going back out to work.

On the weekend the housework is done properly and this is a joint effort. Everyone in the family has their job, and although it still sometimes takes a fair amount of prompting, they do manage to do their chores most weeks.

If Fisherman has time during the week he will put a few loads of washing through, sweep floors and just do a general tidy up. We are very lucky that farming is so flexible. It is a wonderful way of life, I can't imagine any other job where the father can be so hands on with his children. Of course in the busy periods of the year (seeding, harvesting and shearing) we don't see him for days on end. That is when I really appreciate all that he does for us!

So there you go. I am no super woman, I am a very lucky one!

Times are a changin

Today I spent the day in my new office. I've only moved across the building but it's a whole different perspective. I will be spending three days per week in my new office, and two days covering reception, which is where I've spent the past 7 years.

It was nice, but it felt a bit odd. People didn't come and ask me questions (partly because they didn't know where I was I'm guessing!), the phone rang but it wasn't my responsibility to answer it. When my phone rang, it was actually for me! I was amazed by how much I achieved by taking reception duties out of the equation. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. While sometimes I resent customers ringing and coming to my counter, mostly I enjoy the interraction. Being a small town I know them all by name and it's nice to catch up with what's happening in people's lives. Now that I'm on the other side of the building people don't pass by my desk on their way to the spare parts or service departments. I only see people who specifically come to see me, which I thought I would love. I have to say it was a bit lonely! And the kitchen with my beloved coffee is quite a bit further away now!

I haven't really got my teeth into my new role at work yet, but I'm thinking the positives will outweigh the negatives. After 7 years in the same job I was thinking it was time for a new job as I had become bored and at times unproductive. I thought it was time to move on, but the Lord had the answer in creating a new role with the existing company that I work for. Which is great, they are fantastic employers and I get along with each and every member of staff.

Lord, thankyou that you always know what is best for me. I pray that I can enjoy the challenge of learning new skills and that I am up to that challenge.

Mother Hen

What kind of mother hen are you?

I'm a ......

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

Stupid Game

Yes, it is a stupid game isn't it. You would think walking around whacking a ball with a stick would be a pretty simple process, nothing too complicated there. But no. There are so many silly little rules about when you can move the ball and when you can't, when you can use someone elses stick and when you can't, and there are lots more but I stopped listening!

The walk itself was quite pleasant. Beautiful day, pleasant scenery. The golf course that we played at runs along the coast so we had ocean views the whole day. But the issue of hitting the ball with a stick, now that was an exercise in frustration. I didn't play too badly really, I just like to do things well, and if I can't then I'd rather not do it at all. Golf definately falls into the "rather not do it at all" category.

I was impressed with the amount of walking involved, great exercise. I wore my pedometre and walked over 10 kilometres! And Robbie gave me a really pretty bright pink ball to use, which was great until I lost it in some bushes.

So, all in all, it wasn't an entirely unpleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I enjoyed the company and we had some really funny moments (mostly at my expense!).

Hope everyone had a lovely mothers day.

Netball frustration

Netball today was a bit of an exercise in frustration for me. My girls played two and a half great quarters. At three quarter time they were on a roll, playing great netball, but then they couldn't keep in going in the last quarter and we lost by two measely goals.

It doesn't help that I was frustrated with Pink. She had a great third quarter but then let her emotions get the better of her and dropped her bundle a bit in the final quarter. She even had a bit of a tantrum which did NOT impress me. I was quite cross with her, and a little embarrased that my daughter behaved in that manner. I didn't get a chance to speak to her after the game because she disappeared really quickly (being a sore loser is another thing she really needs to work on!) but I'm planning on broaching the subject tomorrow. She is staying at a friends house tonight so I won't see her til then. Hopefully by then I will have come up with the right words to say. It's hard getting through to her sometimes because she takes things so personally and is very talented at twisting your words and deliberately misunderstanding you. Sigh.

I have to admit that I wasn't the most well behaved netballer in my teen years. I was so competitive and when things weren't going my way I generally let people know. I was even warned by an umpire once, and she was (and still is) a friend of mine so I must have been behaving pretty badly. I guess I can take heart in the fact that I did grow out of it, so she should too. So, considering I once suffered quite badly from the affliction known as "white line fever" (for those of you who aren't familiar it refers to a person who turns into a bit of a monster once they cross that white line and enter a sports field) I guess it was inevitable that one of my children would inherit the same temperment. Emphasis on the temper!

Robbie has no such issues. He is frustrating in a whole other way. He has the skill, but not the care factor. When it comes to football he is only doing it because that's what his mates do, he doesn't like the game at all. His father was the same. Fisherman was an extremely talented footballer who is still fit enough to be playing now, but chooses not to. He says that just because you happen to be good at something doesn't mean you have to do it. Excuse me? I would have given anything to have his talent, any victories I had with sport were hard fought and never came easy to me. But that's the way it goes sometimes. It would have been nice to get at least one child with Fishermans talent and my try but it wasn't to be.

Tomorrow is my day at golf. Both Robbie and Fisherman are talented and keen golfers. I, like Pink, do not have the temperment for golf. I am likely to break something. I will enjoy it if I can relax and just enjoy the walk. We shall see.

She is for sale again!

Or possibly I could pay someone to take her away...please? Any takers? No?

Honestly, the attitude drives me mad sometimes. I don't need to be driven mad, I can get there perfectly well on my own!

Princess Pink has just been to see me at work, thought she might do an hours work, which is fine. She often comes in and helps out with the filing and gets paid for it. She checked her timesheet and saw that I had paid her earlier this week. She wasn't happy because I put it straight into her bank account (evil Mother that I am). Then she wanted to know how long she could work for which was a little over an hour since she came in at 4.15pm and I work til 5.30pm. Well, she didn't like that either, she thought she could get paid for an hour and a half since she almost got here at 4pm. So with that she spat the dummy (seems to be a trait in our family of late!) and left again. But not before she had complained about the amount she gets paid, the position she has to play on the netball court tomorrow, the fact that she is rostered to time keep at a junior grade of netball tomorrow, the fact that the sky is blue, you name it, she complained about it.

She can be so sweet and considerate, such good company sometimes. I get really frustrated with this demanding, selfish side of her. And when she gets like this she makes everyone pay. She is awful to everyone in the family, and especially awful to her poor, patient and ever tolerant boyfriend.

So, we shall see what the dinner conversation is like tonight! I'm sure it will be entertaining in hindsight!

The Pain!

Last night I did the fitness training component of our netball training. We ran, and then we ran again, and then we ran some more. And then we did sit ups, elbow dips and various other exercises which were really just a different way of running.

During our time spent practising court play, my team needed an extra because Pink's knees were sore so I jumped at the chance to get back on my beloved netball court. Now I hate to admit it, but I have to say that the time spent actually playing the game hurt more than all the running that we had already done.

I got home and had a nice warm bath which isn't the correct thing to do because my knee was swelling and really needed ice but at that stage I was cold and a warm bath was very inviting. Then it was off to bed.

This morning I am walking with a slight limp. It's not so much painful as it feels completely seized and that is because of the fluid floating around in there.

I'm so disappointed that 5 minutes of my favourite game in the world has caused such an immediate and painful reaction in my knee. I know the lesson here is that two knee reconstructions is enough, and the reason for the swelling is that I have no cartlidge left so my knee is grinding bone on bone so dodging, twisting and jumping is out of the question. But I so don't want to learn that lesson! I think I will just stay in denial for a little while longer. Not selling the netball uniform yet! Stamps foot (good leg!).

Bruised and Battered.

Miss Pink played rugby today. She competed in a team of other year 10 girls against teams from other high schools around Eyre Peninsula.

I picked her up after her guitar lesson and she couldn't wait to show me her wounds. Rugby is so rough! And when girls play they play just as rough as the boys!
Here are Pinks bruised and battered knees, you can already see the bruising coming out now, imagine how they will look tomorrow!

She had a great time though, and is already looking forward to next year's tournament. We don't usually play rugby here in country South Australia, this is just a fun tournament that is arranged by the schools once per year. I'd hate to see her injuries if they were taking it seriously! Her knee is quite swollen tonight and we have been icing it on and off during the evening. She is stressing now about being able to play netball on the weekend.

Luckily tomorrow she has work experience with a physio! She might be able to get a free consultation! I was planning to get to the school in my lunch hour and watch for a while, by the looks of this I'm glad I wasn't there to see it!

Robbie of course says it's "nothing", and I guess compared to his run in's with motorbikes and football players it probably isn't too serious. I'm just not accustomed to my little girl coming home all bruised and battered!

Hmmmm. Just a thought, what kind of mother drags their daughter out of bed, makes them hitch up their pyjama pants and then takes a photo of their bumps and bruises for her blog? She was happy enough to comply but the look she gave me said "Mum, I think you've lost the plot!"

Still Unequally Yoked but.......

Stuff has been happening in the past six months.

Once last month I had my WHOLE family in church with me. I was worship leading at the time so didn't get to sit with them but they were there! And then, a couple of weeks later Pink came along to church, with no prompting from me, she just decided to come. She asked at the time if next time I'm worship leading can she choose the songs. I said of course she could, and I'd love her to lead them too. She thought that was a good idea. We will see what she thinks in July when I'm back worship leading. My challenge there is to ask her if she wants to and then leave it to the Lord.

The communication lines about church and the Lord have been slowly but surely opening up between Fisherman and I. He says that he believes in God! I think I always knew that, but it was so wonderful to actually hear him say it. It gives me so much hope. The developements in our family have been wonderful and such an answer to prayer.

I guess what I need to do now is not drop the ball. Satan would love us to get complacent now wouldn't he. So I will continue to pray and pray and pray. And try my very hardest to lead by example.

Lord, thankyou so much for the movement toward you that I have seen occuring in my family. I pray that my husband can come to terms with what it is that makes him feel uncomfortable in church and come to look forward to the joy of worshipping you. I pray that we can talk openly and honestly with each other about our beliefs. I pray that I can be transparent in my faith and others can see how wonderful being saved by grace is through me.

It's REALLY Pink!

Princess Pink needs a new guitar. Her guitar teacher tells me that her old guitar (it belongs to her grandfather) just won't stay in tune, he's getting to the stage where he doesn't want to tighten the strings anymore for fear of the dreaded "ping!".

So, I was browsing Ebay the other day when I came across this.

Now Pink being such a Pink girl I couldn't resist. I consulted her teacher first to check it out and see if it is worth pursuing and he was quite positive. These guitars are made for girls, it's 7/8 size and the neck is narrower for smaller hands. So I bought it. And it will arrive tomorrow but now I'm having second thoughts. Is it a bit too pink do you think? Have I gone a bit overboard here? I don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't like it! It's not like I can hand it on to her brother! So, now I'm plagued with self doubt and second thoughts! I will let you all know what the verdict is.

I guess if Pink decides its a bit too much I can always give it to Lightening! Do you play guitar Lightening? But I hope it won't come to that. I just love it and I hope she will too!

Storm in a teacup or not?

My teenage daughter was chatting to a friend on MSN over the weekend. The friend was telling her about getting drunk over the weekend (said friend is 13).

Now, I know this friend pretty well, and my gut feeling is that it is all talk, that she is just trying to appear cool (I know that's not a cool word anymore but it's all I can come up with!). She has emotional issues, abandonment issues, and a fair helping of teenage angst and attitude.

My question is this, should I tell her Mum? Does this fall under the category of stirring up trouble since it may not have happened? She has said this kind of thing to Pink before, and we have later found it to be untrue. I'm loathe to put more on her Mum's plate, she has so much already and she is a dear friend. But what if it is happening? Wouldn't she want to know? And how would I feel if down the track I find that there is a problem and I didn't say anything?

Of course Pink doesn't want me to tell. She doesn't want to betray a confidence. The way I see it she (the friend, not Pink) is either lying or drinking. Neither is great but I don't want to be one of those finger pointing parents. Especially since I know how much stress this will cause her Mum. And I love her Mum, she has been through so much and I'm not sure how much more she can take.

I can't help but wonder why. My friend is a wonderful person. She loves the Lord, she loves her kids, she has dealt with more than her fair share of problems. I have sinned, I have a train wreck of a past, why does she have so much more heartbreak in her life? Why am I so blessed when she deserves it so much more?

Lord, I pray that I can make the right decision and if I decide to tell, then let me do it with tact and love. I pray that my friend and her daughter can find peace, and that they can lean on you and let you help them. If there is anything I can do to help, please show it to me and help me allow you to work through me.

Sunday

I'm in two minds about Sunday. I never have to work (well, not the kind that you get paid for), I get to go to church where I can worship my Lord amoung people who genuinely like me (still struggling to get my head around that sometimes), I get to sleep in.

But Sunday has a down side too. Sometimes there is conflict on Sunday because I push too hard to "encourage" (that would be nag, bribe, threaten) my kids to come to church with me. In the past Fisherman has actively opposed me going, although this I'm pleased to say hasn't happened in quite some time now (thankyou Lord). Sometimes I still feel jealous, then guilty, then jealous again of those sitting in church with their husbands and children by their side. Someone pointed out to me the other day (0r was that week?) that I may be mistaking this envy for a longing, but no, I'm pretty sure it's envy. And I get so mad at myself for it.

Then there is Sunday afternoon. I come home, all refreshed and looking forward to spending some time with the Lord in prayer and his word to be greeted with a mountain of washing, dirty dishes and an empty house. Sigh. So I do the dishes while listening to praise music, which helps make it not such a chore, and I'm working my way through the washing. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm feeling a bit discontented with my lot, which is yet another thing to feel guilty about.

I think the bottom line here is that I'm tired. Stuff bothers me when I'm tired. And the prospect of another busy week at work followed by Saturday at sport, followed by Sunday at church and then home to do that housework again isn't exactly filling me with joy. And it should shouldn't it. There are plenty of people who would give anything to lead the blessed life that I am complaining about.

So, I'm thinking it's time I sat down with a cuppa and spent some time with the Lord. Which means that I have to get off the computer....but rest assured I will be back!

Dear Lord, help me to find contentment in the life I have and not dwell on the negatives. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family and dear friends and for that I am grateful Lord. Help me find peace as I spend some quiet time in your word this afternoon, help me to hear and understand any message you have for me.

Bad Parent :(

Yep, that's me!

Yesterday, after two weeks of complaining I finally took Princess Pink to the doctor. She has been battling with a cold over the past two weeks. First it was her throat, then her head, then her sinuses, then she got better and then it started all over again.

So, I finally took her to the doctor. He said she has a "siginifican" (while looking at me with one eyebrow raised) sinus infection and it is going to take serious anti biotics to kill it. Oops. Perhaps I should have taken her last week, but she really didn't seem that bad.

My mum was a nurse, and when I was growing up if you were still breathing and had all your limbs attached, you were well enough to go to school. I guess I've carried on in her vein!

Pink is tucked up in bed today, watching daytime tv and eating chocolate. She's not keen on taking antibiotics, and neither am I but sometimes it is necessary. It doesn't help that the tablets are HUGE! She has to break them in half to swallow them. She is hoping that they will take effect really quickly so that she is well enough for netball tomorrow. As her coach, I'm hoping that too!