Small Successes.

Pop over to Faith and Family for other small successes.

My three:

1. This past weekend, we got to Mass a half hour early so that we could all go to confession. It is great to go and then receive communion.

2. I did our curriculum plan for the whole term and it is going well so far.

3. We need to check both Tom and Christopher's blood sugar level now. I have always been pretty bad at keeping Tom's diary up to date and often will have to go back a week into the history. This week though I have kept up a diary for both Tom and Christopher.

Worried about the Swine Flu?

Go and read this article by Dr. Mecola

Type One Diabetes.

I belong to a yahoo group which is a support group for parents with children with type one diabetes. We were talking recently about all the myths that people believe about diabetes. I know when Tom was first diagnosed, I believed a lot of myths and it is only through educating myself that I have become aware.

I have decided I want to educate more so that people can know more about the differences. I am going to do a series of posts on diabetes and the treatments.

Tonight I have this short video:

Works for me Wednesday.

Abbey from Abbey Road posted a while ago about WD 40.

This would have to be one of the best inventions. Here is a list of things that WD 40 can do:

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.
2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.
3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.
4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.
5. Keeps flies off cows.
6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.
7. Removes lipstick stains.
8. Loosens stubborn zippers.
9. Untangles jewelry chains.
10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.
12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.
13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.
14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.
15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
16. Keeps scissors working smoothly.
17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.
18. It removes black scuff marks from t he kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.
19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!
20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.
21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers.
22. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.
23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open.
24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.
25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers.
26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.
27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans.
28. Lubricates wheel sprocket s on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.
29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.
30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.
31. Removes splattered grease on stove.
32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.
34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
35. Removes all traces of duct tape.
36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.
37. Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.
38. The favorite use in the state of New York, WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.
39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.
40. Use it for fire ant bites. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.
41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.
42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, saturate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!
43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.


Go and buy a tin of this and use it to clean. I don't think I have come across something that cleans and does so many things.

Some photos from Christopher.

I finally got my camera to upload to the computer tonight and found a heap of photos that Christopher has taken. I thought they were worth sharing.

Sometimes the lens cover doesn't open completely and this is what happens:

This is a picture of Tom's diary that I keep his bsl in.

I am not sure who took this next photo. It must have been Tom or Amelia since it is a photo of Christopher.


The corner of our table by Christopher:


Great abstract photo by Christopher:

A simple Womens Daybook.

Outside my window... it looks like the day will be nice today. The sky is clear and blue but I think it will be another cold one.

I am thinking... that it is good to know that we need to watch Christopher's sugar levels.

From the learning rooms... we will make our Anzac biscuits today.

I am thankful for... our heater that we will soon need to put on.

From the kitchen... we are drinking lots of soup.

I am wearing... grey track pants and my favourite red jumper.

I am reading... Just finished Gangland to Promised land.

I am hoping... Christopher will cope with the changes he is about to go through.

I am creating... a new mothers rule after re reading the book.

I am praying... for Christopher especially.

Around the house... Tom woke early and has the TV on. Steve and Daniel are talking in the kitchen and I can hear the water running.

One of my favorite things... Nights at home with all the family.

A few plans for the rest of the week... finish off the shopping bags, reading the book the Weight of a Mass, paying the bills on payday, cooking some snack foods to freeze.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Christpher playing the wii.

Test results.

Tonight I spoke with Tom's endocrinologist and the blood test results for Christopher are positive.

At the moment he still produces some insulin. Probably in the next couple of years he will stop all production though.

The positives are that we know it is coming and his sugars will be relatively easier to manage while he is still producing his own insulin. He also won't get ketoacidosis since we are aware and watching his blood sugar level.

We will be doing bsl in the morning and at night for the moment. He won't need any insulin shots yet.

Please pray for Christopher. He was very unhappy tonight when we had to check his sugar level.

Therese.

Back into school.

We start our second term today. Some of the things we are doing this week in home school are:

Making some Anzac biscuits and learning about Anzac day.

Reading The Weight of a Mass to start Tom's preparation to receive his First Eucharist.

We will do a science experiment with growing mold.

I will take our car up to be fixed this morning. We are hoping it won't take too long.

Have a good week.

Therese

Praise God.

Visit Jennifer for other praises.

1. Praise God for the wonderful holiday we have just had.

2. Praise God for the return to routine tomorrow with school starting.

3. Praise God for the chance to prepare Tom for his First Eucharist this year.

4. Praise God for my children.

5. Praise God for all my friends that encourage me in my faith.

Sunday Silence.

H/T Australia Incognita

The Priests are coming to Australia.

Bathroom progress photo.

Tom

Tom chops up the tiles. He did a great job helping Steve.

I have a heap more photos but my camera is being temperamental so I cannot upload them at the moment.

I will upload them as soon as I work out what is wrong with the camera.

Quick 7.

1

Car service.

On Wednesday we had our car serviced. While it was in the workshop, the door got badly damaged. The service took about a hour longer because when they first damaged the car, they couldn't get the door shut. We drove home with a door that whistled.

2.

Car Door repair.

The service place that damaged our car is paying for the damage (obviously since they are responsible for it) and we will have to take it in on Monday. I have no idea how long we will be without a car but it will be painful. I am taking it down to the crash repairer on Monday morning.

3.

Home school.

On Monday it is back to the grind here in South Australia. We start term 2. Tom will be receiving his First Holy Communion in June so we will be preparing him for that and reading lots of books about the Eucharist.

4.

Sleeping bag.

I started sewing a new sleeping bag for my niece who was born on New Years Eve. I wasn't able to finish it off because I didn't have a open ended zip which it needed. I was going to get the zip in Adelaide and finish it off and send it to my sister. I realized in Adelaide that I had cut the front and back out the wrong way. All the animals on it are upside down. I think I will have to cut another front and back out and replace them.

5.

Plastic bags.

Starting on the 4th of May, shops in South Australia are not allowed to use any plastic bags. For years all shops have supplied us with bags for all our shopping. This is suppose to be in the interests of looking after our environment. I have bought a couple of the recycle bags from the shops but so many of them have broken that I am not happy to keep on paying for them. I have decided I will make a couple up myself.

6.

Christopher.

A couple of weeks ago, Tom tested Christopher's sugar level when he was doing his own. He told me that Christopher was 11.0. (198). I thought well maybe his hands had a bit of sugar or something on them. I decided to do another fasting test for him and it came out at 7.9 (144) which is a bit high for a fasting bsl.

Tom's endo did a hba1c which came back at 5.8. Even though this is in the normal range, she thought it was a bit high for a 4 year old so we have had a blood test done. We will know in a week if Christopher is a type one diabetic too. Please pray for him.

7.

Marilena.

My blogging friend Marilena's mother is very ill. You can read about her here. Please pray for Marilena and her mother.

Therese.

Pop over to Jens for other quick 7

John Pridmore.

Last year at WYD Steve listened to a guy called John Pridmore talk and bought his book Gangland to Promised land.

I found it while I was cleaning out the storeroom and have started reading it.

John Pridmore is an ex London gangster turn Christian. (His own words). I have found his story very gripping and a wonderful testimony to the faithfulness of God. When I read stories like this, I know that nothing is impossible for God.

John also keeps a blog which can be found Here

Therese

NFP.

Have you seen these videos before? There are 4 made by a group of seminarians and they are all great. I watched them when they first came out nearly two years ago. I thought it was time to revisit them again.



Steve and I learnt the sympto thermal method when we were engaged. At that stage though, I didn't really realize how bad for a marriage contraception was. It was in our first year that Steve started to look into joining the church and I had a reversion to the faith. At that stage I thought to follow everything the church taught was being legalistic and very impractical for most people.

I was pregnant with Daniel within the first 3 months of us getting married so I didn't really think about nfp or contraception when we first came back to the church. For the first 11 years of our marriage, it wasn't a great concern to me to get pregnant many times so I was happy to use nfp when we thought we needed too but I did this because another pregnancy wasn't a huge issue for me and the level of abstinence was pretty low.

the first time I thought we really needed to think seriously about avoiding pregnancy for some time was just after Amelia was born. That year was full of challenges for us. First we moved away from family and friends for Steve's work. Then Tom was diagnosed with diabetes. A new baby, 5 other children under 10 and learning how to cope with a chronic illness away from family and friends made me feel like I was in over my head. I knew by now though that when the church said something was bad, it really was bad. I knew without a doubt that I couldn't use contraception with a clear conscience and that I had to trust that the church taught this for our own good, not because she wanted to spoil all our fun.

While I was breast feeding Amelia, Steve and I were both so committed to avoiding a pregnancy that we agreed that total abstinence was the only way we could be certain. It was because of that total abstinence that my understanding of marriage and the sacrament was changed. I saw our marriage grow a lot. Steve and I prayed a lot together that year and we also told each other things we hadn't really been prepared to tell each other before. Steve really became my best friend that year and our marriage changed. It is hard to put into words what changed that year but I know that our love for each other and for our children was different. I didn't feel as vulnerable with Steve and felt more certainty about his love for me as I really am.

Because of the experience we had we knew that the church really did teach this for a reason. Without the wisdom of the church to guide us, we may have used contraception and our marriage would not have grown the way it did then.

I am so grateful to the church that she guides us and tells us what is right and wrong. It helps us in our journey to heaven.

Cheeseburger soup recipe.

Here is the recipe I use for Cheeseburger soup.

500 gms (half a pound) mince meat. (ground beef)

500 gms potatoes diced.

3 carrots.

3 celery sticks.

1 medium size onion.

1 red capsicum.

4 cups chicken broth.

1 carton sour cream.

250 gms grated cheese.

cook the onion until transperent and add the mince meat. When the meat is browned add in the remaining vegetables and broth. Bring to the boil and simmer for a half hour. Just before serving add the cream and cheese.

Simple Women's daybook.

Outside my window... it is late and dark. I am waiting to see if Tom's bsl will come down. It has been high most of the day.

I am thinking... about all the things I need to do tomorrow. We are getting the car serviced so I need to be up early.

From the learning rooms... another week off.

I am thankful for... my friends and family.

From the kitchen...not much after my oamc.

I am wearing... white capri's and a striped T Shirt.

I am reading... A mothers rule of life.

I am hoping... Tom will have a good check up this Thursday.

I am creating... a new sleeping bag for my niece.

I am praying... for our new Bishop.

Around the house... It is very quiet since it is so late.

One of my favorite things...Soaking in a bath.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Car service, Tom's check up, shopping for the bathroom renovation.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


No picture to share since I am not on my computer.

Visit Peggy for other simple womens daybooks.

Have a great day everyone.
Therese

5mart Martha Monday.

My 5 from last week.


I did pretty well.

1. Sleeping bag is 95% done. I would have finished it but I didn't have a zip for the hood. I will get a zip this week and finish it of.

2. Curriculum plan is half done. I will finish it of this week. The oamc is just about complete. Here are the meals I did today.



Here is the mess I made.


The store room is getting cleaner. I will probably finish it off this week.

We didn't have a family outing this week.

I did pray each morning and sit in silence.

This week my plans are:

Sewing:

Cut out some shopping bags.

Homeschool and household:

Finish of the curriculum plan and continue with our storeroom.

Health:

Drink lots of water and no soft drinks.

Family:

I am hoping Steve and I will be able to get out for tea one night before school starts next week.

Spiritual:

Start writing in my prayer journal again. I have neglected it a lot.

Do you have anything you want to get done? Let me know in the comments section and I will add a link to your blog.

Therese

Praise God.

Time to thank God for all the good things he gives us.

This week I

Praise God for the beautiful weather we have had and will have today.

Praise God for Tom's diabetes team that help me look after his needs.

Praise God for the holidays and the chance to refresh oursleves.

Praise God for my darling husband that is doing our new bathroom.

Praise God for my older boys that are so willing to help out.

Do you have something to Praise God for?

Pop over to Jennifer's and add your list.

Therese

Are you Dawn or Dusk?

You Are Dusk

You are a naturally idealistic and creative person. You look forward to nights where everything is possible. You spend most of your energy on play. Work is okay, but the true you emerges after the work day is done. You're an offbeat type that doesn't like rules or schedules. Life's too short to waste at a desk in a cube. Whether you spend your night socializing or working on side projects, you like that your time is yours.

Are You Dusk or Dawn?

H/T Elena

Divine Mercy Sunday.

Today is the Feast of Divine Mercy.

You can read more about it here

Have a great Sunday.

Therese

Day two of my oamc.

Today I started the cooking and preparing food for freezing.

The first thing I do is cook the meat. Last night I cooked the chickens and made the stock. Usually I would cook the mince too but since the Kangaroo meat shop was shut when I got there, I had to wait till the morning to buy it.



I cook 4 kg at a time and that is enough meat for about 3 lots of 2 different meals. This lot of meat is doing my spaghetti sauce and the cheeseburger soup.

Once the meat is cooked, I make the spaghetti sauce.



This sauce will do three meals.



Here it is in the containers ready for the freezer.

While the sauce was cooking, I cut up all the vegetables for the pumpkin soup. I forgot to photograph the soup prep.

After the pumpkin soup I did the cheeseburger soup.



Here is Christopher helping me cut up vegetables for the cheeseburger soup. After the soup I did the chicken schnitzels.



Here is the cheeseburger soup we had for tea tonight.



To make the chicken schnitzels, I put the fillets in flour, egg and milk and breadcrumbs.



I then wrap them in alfoil lined with baking paper.



Here are all the meals ready for the freezer. I have three spaghetti sauces, three serves of chicken schnitzels, three serves of pumpkin soup and two serves of cheeseburger soup (it would have been three but we ate one for tea.

Tomorrow I will have a break since it is Sunday, On Monday I will make:

Hamburgers, chicken and corn soup, mushroom pasta, stew and meat loaf.

Day one of my oamc.

Today I started my oamc for our main meals.

I was going to write out a post about all the things I do, but I think it will be easier if I write it day by day.

I usually take 4 days to cook all our meals but since we are on holidays, I am doing it over three this month.

Day one I do the following:

1- choose the meals.
2- Write a shopping list.
3- Go shopping.
4- cook any meat the needs to be cooked ahead.
5- cut up vegetables.

1. Choose the meals:

I choose 10 main meals and we have them three times each month.

My 10 to cook this month are:

poppy seed chicken.

hamburgers.

stew.

chicken schnitzels.

pumpkin soup.

Spaghetti Boglanaise.

Mushroom spaghetti.

meatloaf.

cheeseburger soup.

Each month, one meal will not be prepared ahead but will be a meal I can do fairly quickly on the day we have it.

My main meal that isn't being prepared ahead this month is Easy Oven Cooked Fried Rice. We have it without the meat usually since this is one of my meatless dishes.

2- shopping list and 3- go shopping:

I write down all the ingredients we need for all the meals and then go through the pantry before I shop to see what we have from the list. Anything we have, I cross off. I then do the shopping.

When I come home from shopping, I sought all the ingredients for each meal into a bag except for the things that need to be refrigerated.

4- cook meat ahead and 5- cut up vegetables:

I put all the chickens into a big saucepan to make chicken stock and cook the chickens.

I usually also cook the mince. I buy the mince from a kangaroo meat factory. Tonight I didn't get there before they closed so I hope they will be open tomorrow morning. Otherwise I will have to buy the mince from the supermarket.

tonight I will cut up the vegetables for the meals I am doing tomorrow. I usually keep these in the fridge in containers that we freeze the meals in in.

Tomorrow I will write about day two and post some photos.

Bless The Child.

Tonight Steve and I watched Bless the Child I was a bit wary about getting this movie from the description but I am so glad we did.

I give the movie 5/5.

Some parts are a bit scary but overall it is a great movie.

Demographic Winter.

Yesterday in the post we got our copy of Demographic winter. I am so happy we bought it.

At first I found it a bit hard to follow because they switch from expert to expert but the show is stock full of statistics.

I highly recommend this movie. We are certainly glad to have a copy of it and will be sharing it with lots of people.

We have a new Bishop.

In June 2007, our Bishop was sent to The Diocese in Darwin. Last night after nearly two years without a Bishop Bishop Greg O'Kelly was announced as our new Bishop.

I am glad we finally have a new Bishop.

We started our bathroom.

We are converting our laundry into a new bathroom. The children's bathroom is between the room we will turn into a family room and the kitchen and I wanted to knock the bathroom out so that we had a big family room/home schooling room coming off the kitchen so we had to find a place to put a new bathroom.

We decided the laundry would be a great place for the new bathroom since it is already a wet area but then came the problem of where do we put the laundry? The laundry will probably end up being in our current carport but at the moment it is on our back verandah (attached to the garden hose lol)

When we have finished the bathroom and family room, Steve will put some hardy planks on the carport to enclose it and make it into a laundry.

Here are some photos of the now empty laundry.

this is just before Steve pulled out the wall between the laundry and toilet:





wall completely removed:

This is where we had our trough.

Wacky Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!

I saw this on Jill Stanek

I would love it so much if something like this happened when I was in a railway station.

Burnt Finger.

Last Friday we had no bread left by lunch time. I decided we would have pasta for lunch rather than go and buy some.

Christopher got up to help me when the pasta was just cooked and put his hand on the hotplate that I had just taken the pasta off.

I acted quickly and got his hand under cold water pretty fast. He was quite hysterical for about a half hour after but because we had been so quick getting his hand in the water he only had a small blister on his middle finger.

I was holding Christopher for the first 5 minutes or so that we had his hand under the water and then Steve lifted him onto the edge of the sink.

Since my hands were empty and I saw a blog post opportunity I went and got my camera and took some photos.

Here Christopher is when Steve lifted him out of my arms onto the edge of the sink.




He decided that just having his hand in the water wasn't good enough so got into the sink, clothes and all.

A simple Womens Daybook.

For today... 14th April 2009.

Outside my window... it is another beautiful autumn day.

I am thinking... about all the things I want to get done in the holidays.

From the learning rooms... I am preparing for next term.

I am thankful for... Easter. I am also thankful that Steve and I have been able to get to Mass today and yesterday.

From the kitchen... we are getting ready for our big cook this weekend.

I am wearing... 3/4 denim pants, a white tshirt and my favourite slip on sandals.

I am reading... The screwtape letters.

I am hoping... our renovations will be good.

I am creating... a sleeping bag for my niece.

I am praying... for a cure for diabetes.

Around the house... Steve is getting the laundry ready to change into the bathroom, I am organising the home school/family room, the children are sleeping in since it is the holidays.

One of my favorite things... ice chocolate from the Arid lands cafe.

A few plans for the rest of the week...finish Tom and Amelia's curriculum, clean out the storeroom, cook our main meals.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


Sam's room is finally tidy. We had to take a photo because a tidy room for Sam is rare.

5mart Martha Monday.

Here is my list from last week.

I had another good week.

Here is Tom's new shirt.

Holy week was great. We took all the children to all the masses and I spoke with Tom, Amelia and Christopher about Holy week in our religion lessons.

I cleaned out two shelves in the store room and made good progress.

I drank water everyday and ate pretty well too.

Yesterday we had fun hiding some éclairs and having an Easter hunt.

I didn't sit every morning in Silence but I did have a time each day that I did it. I am finding it very beneficial to my prayer time.
Steve and I were also able to stay after Holy Thursday Mass for Adoration. Daniel took everyone home and we stayed for one hour. It was great to sit in silence for that time and be with Jesus.


So my 5 for this week:

Sewing:

I have cut out a sleeping bag to make for my niece. She was born on New Years Eve so it is a bit late but the cold weather won't start for another couple of weeks. I want to sew it this week.

Home school and housework;

We are on holidays this week. I am doing our curriculum plan for next term though. Today I cleaned out the home school room and I started writing my plan for the next term.

I will also continue cleaning out the storeroom.

Health:

I will be doing the oamc this weekend and getting everything frozen.

Family:

Since we are on holidays, I am hoping we will have a family day and go out together. We will see what we can do.

Spiritual:

Sitting in silence and I want to start using my prayer journal more. I have neglected it for a while but I know it is helpful for me to have and look back.

If you have a list of challenges, feel free to put them on your blog or in the comment section.

An email I received.

Can you answer this riddle?

Here is a pretty neat little thing from Paul Harvey, a radio personality. See if you can guess the riddle at the end.

Paul Harvey Writes:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.
I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.
I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.
And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.


It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in..

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbour's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

Send this to all of your friends. We secure our friends, not by accepting favours, but by doing them!!

Paul Harvey RIDDLE:

When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford University seniors.

What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?

Tagged. 8 things meme.

Coleen tagged me for this fun meme.

8 Things I am Looking Forward To:


1) the holidays which started with Easter.
2) meeting Mary and seeing Ali again next Tuesday.
3) doing our new bathroom
4) renovating our family room.
5) seeing our friends Larry and Maria when they come up for Tom's first Eucharist.
6) Tom receiving his first Eucharist.
7) spring. We haven't even started winter yet but I hate it so much that before it even starts I look forward to spring starting.
8) seeing my friends in Adelaide next week.

8 Things I Did Yesterday:

1) went to the Easter Vigil.
2) stayed after mass for supper with other parishioner's
3) sewed Tom's shirt.
4) cleaned the kitchen.
5) read blogs I read regularly.
6) went food shopping.
7) picked Sam up from work.
8) Took Sam to the shops for his Easter shopping.

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:

1) travel the world and meet all my dcf friends and blogging friends.
2) learn to crochet.
3) learn to play piano.
4) Meet the Pope.
5) have a weekend away with just Steve.
6) be more organised.
7) loose weight and eat well.
8) live more simply.

8 Shows I Watch:


I don't watch 8 shows.
I watch the biggest loser and that is it.

8 People I Tag:

Suzy from sailing by starlight

Chez from Chez Ouiz

Shelly from The Keeper of the Keys

Corrine from Struggling Towards Heaven

Jennifer from Conversion Diary

Homeschooling mum from Homeschooling4Christ

And finally Therese from The Musings of a Mom

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!

A lady opened her refrigerator and saw a rabbit sitting on one of the shelves.

"What are you doing in there?"

She asked.



The rabbit replied:

"This is a Westinghouse, isn't it?",
To which the lady replied

"Yes."

"Well," the rabbit said,

"I'm westing."

Easter Vigil.

He is Risen. Alleluia

Good Friday

Hot Cross Buns.

I love Hot Cross Buns.

I have been buying them all lent but really would like to try making my own.

Last year I tried a couple of different recipes. One was okay, the other was a disaster. I thought I would ask here and see if any of you have a favourite recipe for them.

Therese

Holy Thursday

Nearly Wordless Wednesday.

I got my new usb connection so I am going to be uploading lots of photos over the next few weeks.

I was a bit disappointed that some of the photos I had on my camera have been deleted by some unknown person.

Anyway, here are a couple of shots of Tom, Amelia and Christopher.

Yesterday was Christophers last day in occasional care. He was presented with a certificate and I took a photo of him with his coordinator.



On Sunday we had soccer presentation. Here is Tom and Amelia with their trophy's and their coach.




I don't know why the pictures are so blurry. I cleaned the lens before taking them. I may need to take a closer look at it.

Therese

5mart Martha Monday.

click here to read my list from last Monday

I did pretty well last week.

I cut out Tom's shirt, took the children to the Chrism Mass, counted all calories for the day, drank 8 glasses of water each day and I sat in silence for 10 minutes every morning when I first woke up. My mind did wander a lot onto my day and what I needed to do but I did always bring myself back to being in God's presence. It is a hard thing to do but something I want to persist with so I will be doing it again this week.

We didn't get to the pool for a picnic and swim unfortunately.

So this week my goals are:

sewing: Finish sewing Tom's shirt.

Housework and home school: Learning all about Holy week and the days in Jesus time leading up to his crucifixion. I am also cleaning out our store room.

Health: continue eating well and drinking water.

Family: Easter will be at home this year so we will attend all the different Easter services at our church. We will probably go to the Easter Vigil. This is my favourite mass for the whole year. On Sunday morning we will have pancakes for breakfast and follow up with an Easter Egg hunt. Last year we hid so many that we couldn't remember where we had put them all. Our dog ended up finding a lot and eating them.

Spiritual: I am going to continue my sitting in silence and being in God's presence. I am going to try for 15 minutes this week.

Do you have a list of things you want to do this week?

Leave your 5 in the comment box or on your blog and let me know. I will add a link to your blog.

Therese

A change in plans.

My break didn't last long did it?

I have prayed and spoken with Steve about some of the comments left in my last thread and decided that I will post a couple of times over this week.

First, I want to thank Alexandra for this comment:


Don't forget the blessings of friendship that your time bestows. If you make your blogging a ministry of service to others, then I think you are serving God. There is so much negative in this world, it's nice to see God's love working through others.

This comment was the main reason I decided I should still post on here this week.

I will still keep my computer time limited so may not make it to read your blog.

At the beginning of easter we have a two week holiday break from school so I will have plenty of time to catch up I hope.

Since Thursday night I have been keeping myself busy with prayer and family. On Friday I took our younger 4 to Whyalla again for clothes for the boys. In Whyalla there is a bigger target and shopping centre than we have here.

I have a few outfits to sew but the children are pretty well all set for winter. We have had a couple of cold nights and mornings. The children are getting up with their blankets wrapped around them.

Yesterday the older boys and Steve went to Port Pirie for Paint Ball Skirmish. We didn't do much at home. I organised Tom, Amelia and Christopher's room and did some cooking. The boys got home in time for evening mass so we went and then had pizza and watched Narnia with the children. It is such a great movie.

Last night we wound our clocks back one hour for the end of daylight savings. I really love the first week after the end. It is so easy to get up early and get the day organised.

Yesterday afternoon, I went and caught up with a few blogs. One of the comments left in my post about Tom was a link to Dr. Oz talking with Michael J Fox and Oprah about escr.

Go and watch the video here

Taking a break.

I watched this video last night:



It was a bit of a wake up to me.

It started me thinking, what am I prepared to do for the gospel? I realized that I am not really prepared to do very much at all. I feel quite comfortable in my life. I am happy but I also have a lot.

I started thinking about what I have and what would happen if I was forced to give it up? I think my faith is strong enough that if God took everything I held dear away, I would still believe in him. I may feel hurt and like he owes me something and wonder what the heck I had done wrong to deserve this.

Remember when I hurt my finger, I said to Steve, I am so bad at offering sacrifices. that I only offer them when I have too like a sore finger. I don't think God asks us to go around hurting ourselves but I know he wants us to offer things freely, not because circumstances dictate it.

There are many little sacrifices that I can offer. I can spend less time on computer. I can get up earlier and pray each morning. At the beginning of lent, I decided I wanted to cut my computer time back. I was going to spend a maximum of 1 hour a day reading blogs. It wasn't long and that 1 hour turned into 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour at night. Not long after that I started catching up with other blogs at lunch time and not getting off till it was time to get the school children. I just cannot do small. I have to have all or nothing. So I have decided to have nothing. I am going to give up the computer except for checking email in the evenings once the children are in bed.

I hope everyone has a blessed Holy Week and that everyone knows the joy that the Resurrection brings.

Therese

Thankful Thursday.

Today I give thanks for Tom. I am thankful that in spite of diabetes he still leads a relatively healthy and happy life.

I am thankful that he can have insulin and that we have ways of knowing his blood sugar levels. I am thankful for his pump and that we can provide him with all his needs for a healthy life.

I give thanks especially for his health care providers. They have been a great support to us over the last 8 years.

I nearly forgot.

Yesterday was 8 years since Tom was diagnosed with diabetes.

I think I will just link back to the post I did last year, rather than report all that happened at that time here.

Click here to read all about Tom's diagnosis and what life is like living with diabetes.

We are praying everyday for a cure for diabetes. Dr Faustman has done a lot of research looking for a cure. Since she doesn't research with embryonic stem cells, we support her research.