Friday, December 28, 2012

After the clean out.

We are finding it much easier to keep everything neat and tidy.  Yesterday, Steve put our new television up on the wall and this has cleared out our cabinet as well.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

2012

This photo was taken by my mother in law the weekend Steve and I were away. It is all 8 of our children with their three cousins and our dog pepper. .

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas from Aussie Coffee Shop.


Remember that Jesus is the reason for the season and enjoy the blessings the day brings. We had a very blessed and relaxing Christmas here. We don't see extended family till January but it was nice to have a relaxing day.

Thanks to all the people that comment here regularly and still follow along in spite of me dropping off on posting. I hope that I will be able to blog more in 2013.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Let the clearing begin.

Today is the first official day of holidays (when you don't include the weekend).

We had an early start but not as early as we hoped. Madeline, Brigette and I have joined Curves. We had our first workout this morning. We were suppose to meet the trainer there at 7.30 but I slept in and woke up at 7.40. We got there at 8.00 and went around the circuit. It usually takes about 30 minutes but we took a bit longer today because we were been shown how to use the machines. We will go back tomorrow and Wednesday but won't be able to on Thursday due to other commitments. Friday we will go for the last time this year because they shut down for the Christmas new year break. After that, I am going to try and go every Monday - Friday.

As I mentioned last week, we are in the process of changing rooms. Steve and I decided we would go through the entire house and have a complete clean out. We rang a mini skip company today and we are going to have one delivered here on Friday. We started our cleaning today and have a nice pile ready to put in the skip when it gets here on Friday. It will be here for 3 days and we are pretty sure we will be able to go through everything by then and have a clutter free home.

Once my house is had it's clean out and we have finished our Christmas celebrations, I am going to do a heap of sewing.



I have been looking for a dress pattern to wear to mass for a while and haven't really come across one that I am really  happy with. Yesterday, I came across Bebe.


 It is just the kind of pattern I have been looking for so bought it last night. Because it is coming for Texas, I will have to be patient. I have the cleaning out this week and lots of sewing I need to do for the boys too.

Enjoy the last week before Christmas. We are getting excited about Christmas here now.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Changes.

This week is the last week of school before we start our Summer holidays. It is the end of an era for us. Next year there are lots of changes taking place in our house.

Sam is talking about going to Adelaide to study Audio Engineering so our second child is leaving the nest. Madeline will go into year 12 at PASS and Brigette and Tom will join her there too. Brigette has been at our local Catholic school up until now but has decided to finish of her schooling at PASS because they have more subject choices. Amelia and Christopher will be going to the local primary school around the corner and Joseph will be home with me.

We will be changing the bedroom set up too. This week we will have a temporary change and when Sam moves out, we will have the permanent change. . Madeline and Amelia have been sharing a room and Brigette has had her own room for the last few years. Since Madeline will be in year 12 next year, we thought she needed her own room so Brigette will move in with Amelia and Madeline will move into Brigette's bedroom.

When Sam moves to Adelaide, we will put Tom and Christopher into Sam's bedroom and Amelia will move into the bedroom next to ours with Joseph. Everyone moving rooms will be a good opportunity for us to have a dejunk as well. We moved house 3 times in 3 years back in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Since then, I have become much more discerning about what we keep and what we don't when we go through our stuff. I have tried to go through rooms and things each year since. This will be the perfect opportunity for us to do it this year.

With all these changes, I am expecting to have more time for blogging. I really want to keep my blog going and keep all the memories of the things our children do and say here for us to look back on. Hopefully when school is finished, I will get more time for it and you will all here from me a bit more often.

Therese.

Thursday, December 06, 2012

A blast from the past.

I put this you tube video on my blog back in 2007. It is one of my favourite ones. I just watched it and decided to post again for those that haven't seen it. 


I hope you enjoy it. 

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

World Diabetes Day.

Today is world awareness diabetes day.

Having two boys with type one diabetes, has had a huge impact on our lives. My day is full of blood sugar  tests, pump changes and alarms.

Type one diabetes is an autoimmune disease. This simply means that the bodies own immune system attacks the body and kills of cells. In type one diabetes, the immune system attacks the pancreas and kills of the insulin producing islets.

At this stage there is no known cure for type one diabetes. A person with it has to inject insulin every day. They are dependent on insulin to live. Even though they don't have any cure, there are advances been made to finding better ways to treat and live with diabetes.

Blood glucose monitoring is possible. We check the boys blood sugar level around 8-10 times a day. We can give insulin as needed through the pump. We can check if the boys have ketones in their blood. When Tom was diagnosed and in intensive care, they sent someone from the lab to collect blood to see what level ketones were at. It took time for them to tell us what level the ketones were. Now I put  a strip in the blood meter and know within 10 seconds if either of my boys have ketones.

There is also continuous blood glucose monitoring and an artificial pancreas. We don't have these yet but they have changed the whole lifestyle of people living with type one diabetes.





These advances are great but still we pray for a cure for both our boys and all the other children (and adults) that suffer from type one diabetes. One of my hopes is to say one day, my boys use to have type one diabetes but  now they have been cured. I will not support any organisation or group though that puts funds into embryonic stem cell research. This is immoral and has not shown any promise at all. I really don't believe we can get a cure with ESC. Adult stem cells have shown much more promise anyway.

You can read a few posts I have written against embryonic stem cell research at the following links:

Why I am against Embryonic stem cell research.

No President Obama!!!!!!!!!!!

Lies about embryonic stem cells. 

Media fails to report accurately on Embryonic Stem cells.



Thursday, November 08, 2012

Pizza wheels

These have become a family staple. On Sunday I made 48 and there were none left after school on Monday. 

Ingredients:
3 cups sr flour
1 cup lemonaide
1 cup cream.

Mix together to made dough.

Filling:
1 capsicum grated
2 small zucchinis grated
Shredded ham
Pizza sauce
Cheese.

Preheat oven to 220.
Break dough into 4 equal portions and roll out in long rectangle.













Put pizza sauce on and spread over dough.













Put shredded ham, grated capsicum, zucchini and cheese in centre.














Roll up dough and enclose pizza fillings
Cut into 12 pieces and place in muffin trays






Cook in oven for about 15 minutes until golden brown. Place on cooling tray. Can be eaten hot or cold.


Thursday, November 01, 2012

Thankful Thursday.

Today is the feast of All Saints. Our parish church is All Saints so it is our feast day today. We had mass tonight followed by a shared BBQ. It was a great night with good food and good company. I am thankful to God for the fellowship we all had.

I am also thankful for all the saints and the example they are to us in living  the gospel message.

I am also thankful for all my friends and family that encourage me in living for God and a life of faith.

Therese.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Daily Decalogue of Pope John XXIII

I found this last night when I was going through my mothers rule lists. I have printed it out and will be reading it each morning and then reflecting each night on how well I did with it.


  1. Only for today, I will seek to live the livelong day positively without wishing to solve the problems of my life all at once.
  2. Only for today, I will take the greatest care of my appearance: I will dress modestly; I will not raise my voice; I will be courteous in my behavior; I will not criticize anyone; I will not claim to improve or to discipline anyone except myself.
  3. Only for today, I will be happy in the certainty that I was created to be happy, not only in the other world but also in this one.
  4. Only for today, I will adapt to circumstances, without requiring all circumstances to be adapted to my own wishes.
  5. Only for today, I will devote ten minutes of my time to some good reading, remembering that just as food is necessary to the life of the body, so good reading is necessary to the life of the soul.
  6. Only for today, I will do one good deed and not tell anyone about it.
  7. Only for today, I will do at least one thing I do not like doing; and it my feelings are hurt, I will make sure no one notices.
  8. Only for today, I will make a plan for myself: I may not follow it to the letter, but I will make it. And I will be on guard against two evils: hastiness and indecision.
  9. Only for today, I will firmly believe, despite appearances, that the good Providence of God cares for me as no one else who exists in this world.
  10. Only for today, I will have no fears. In particular, I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful and to believe in goodness. Indeed, for twelve hours I can certainly do what might cause me consternation were I to believe I had to do it all my life.

Friday, October 26, 2012

A mothers rule of life.

I have lots of posts on here about the book, A Mothers rule of life. If you are interested, you can read them here.

We have had three weeks of term 4 here so far and school has been mediocre at its best. I start out well on Mondays and we get a lot done. As the week goes on I start  to not put in as much effort. 

Up until today, I kept going to church for a prayer hour each Friday morning and when I thought about my week and what I wasn't happy with from it, I always thought, I haven't put as much effort into home school as I should have. 

This morning Sam wasn't home to look after Christopher and Joseph so I went and had my prayer hour last night. I had a conviction. Since making the decision to send Christopher to school next year, I haven't been as dedicated and have lacked in motivation to give him a good education. I believe God wants me to continue home schooling right up until the end of the year so I have to do it with the dedication that I was before we decided to send him back. I decided that I need to get a new mothers rule written up and put it into action. 

This weekend, I am going to prioritize and work out what is important and what isn't. Right up the top, I have diabetes care, speech therapy for Christopher and physiotherapy for Joseph. Speech therapy has been neglected all term and needs to become a higher priority.  This week was the first week that I took Joseph to do his exercises everyday. I think the physio is what is going to make a big difference to him in the long run so that needs to be a high priority. 

Next week, I will let you all know how I have gone with our first week of a new rule. 

Therese. 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Catching up.

The first weekend of the holidays, we had convoy for kids in Port Augusta. Novita is an organisation that supports Joseph and provides services for him with his left hemiplegia. They invited Joseph to come to ride in a big semi trailer. We took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph all along for the day. Here is an article our local paper had on it.

Convoy for Kids.
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Three weeks ago now, Steve and I had a night away in Quorn. We went to Endilloe Lodge. Here is a video of it.


It was great to spend the time alone. I just wish we went for two nights instead. We are thinking about going back in January for our anniversary and if we do it will definitely be for two nights.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While we were there, we watched October baby.



What a great movie this is. It was a bit slow to begin with but the twists and surprises as the movie played made it one of the best movies I have ever seen. If you have the oportunity to see it, do it. You will  not be disappointed. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our local pool opened a couple of weeks ago. Tonight I took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph for the first time.  


Joseph loved the pool again. It took him a bit longer to get in than it did last year. He seems to dislike the cold a bit more this year but still had lots of fun. He really enjoyed splashing me too. 


Tuesday, October 02, 2012

St Therese

46 years ago, I was due to be born on the 3rd of October. My mother and father chose the name Therese Angela as the feast of St Therese was on the 3rd and the feast of the Guardian Angels on the 2nd. I was born on the 1st and years after I was born, the feast of St. Therese was changed to the 1st. Since my parents named me after St. Therese, I did have a small devotion to her and asked her often to intercede for me but I didn't really realise just how holy her life was.

A couple of times, I started reading her autobiography but  found it hard to read and just a bit too fluffy.  

In 2001, we moved away from family and friends for a job that Steve got with Catholic Education. The year was really tough on us. We were adjusting to living away from family and friends, Tom got type one diabetes, Amelia was born and Steve found teaching very difficult. It was a year full of challenges for us.

I was feeling quite annoyed with God and kept on asking him why we were dealing with so much. I cannot remember how I came across St. Therese's autobiography but I remember thinking that I should try and read it one more time and that maybe I could get something out of it.

The story touched me profoundly. I realised just how holy St. Therese was and that her little way was indeed something that could help me live a full life. I knew that been named after such a holy person was a real gift. I also realised just how rich the Catholic church was with patron saints to give us good examples in living the faith. They are just like big brothers and sisters encouraging us and leading us by example.

Thank you St. Therese for your little way and for being such a good example in living a life for God Thank you also for your intercession for my family and me.

Therese.

Sunday, September 30, 2012

I'm back.

Well tomorrow it will be three weeks since I posted and took my break. This week we have been on holidays so I have broken my hiatus a bit and been on facebook and playing wwf.

Over the last three weeks, I didn't get any sewing done at all until Thursday when Steve, Madeline, Brigette and Tom went on a hiking trip and I was left with just Sam, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph at home. When they left, I had a big clean out of our bedroom and sewing area and then prepared one pattern. I will get more done this week though and my time off social networks has been rewarded with a much more organised house.

This week is the second week of holidays. My plan is to get term 4 curriculum ready for Christopher, do some sewing and relax. This will be Christopher's last term of home school. Next year, he will be going to our local primary school around the corner. I will be at home with just Joseph and my life will be very different I think. I do think that it is the right time to finish of our home schooling though. Christopher can manage his diabetes a little bit more now and the school will support us in caring for him too.

Last Monday, Steve and I had a day trip to Adelaide to get our car serviced. We left all the children home and had a great day out by ourselves. The car had a few extra things that need to be done so we may be going back this week for another day if the parts arrive in time. If they don't, it will probably be the Christmas holidays before we can get it done. I really hope they arrive and we can get it done this week though

We have also booked a weekend away for next weekend. We are going to Endilloe lodge in Quorn. We will just have the one night away but I am looking forward to having more time alone with Steve. This is one of the things I love about having older children and young children. We have plenty of baby sitters to help out and I am going to take full advantage of it.

I also have a little prayer request for you all. Last night, we got to church early and I was going to pray the rosary. Joseph ended up been a typical 2 year old so I decided to sit with him rather than pray the rosary. I thought I put my rosary in my handbag but this morning when I went to get it out, it wasn't there. We looked at church and out in the car park and around the house but it still hasn't shown up. This rosary was made for us by a friend and they have great sentimental value to me. I really hope I find them so if you could all say a prayer and hopefully I will find them.

Thanks
Therese.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Hiatus.

Going to get some summer sewing done and a few other priorities in order. Going to stay off social networks for three weeks except for Sundays. Will keep up with blogs in my reader each weekend but probably won't leave any comments. Anyone that visits here will be in my prayers.

See you all when I get back.

Therese.

Sunday, September 09, 2012

What we have in the freezer now.

I have managed to get 21 meals in our freezer this weekend. Tomorrow I will finish off the other 6. 

Here is what I have done so far. 

Moroccan meatballs. 

chicken schnitzels. 

cooked the meat for the Singapore noodles.

Tuna patties.

Eggplant Parmesan

spaghetti bolognaise.  

I have also made some chicken stock for the meatballs. 

Tomorrow I will finish off by cooking the mushroom pasta and preparing the meat for the Warm Chicken Noodle Salad. 

I was going to do a run down of what I do for each meal in my prep and what I do when it is time to prepare each meal but really need an early night and to do a few other things so I will just go through one meal. .

I will post more about it this week. 

First on the list was the Moroccan meatballs.

I mixed up the meatballs, rolled them together and laid them out on trays. I put the trays in the freezer for about 2 hours and then put the meatballs into freezer bags. 

I will get the meatballs out of the freezer the day before we have them and let them defrost in the fridge. On the day we cook them, I will put them in my slow cooker and then add pasta sauce, diced tomatoes and onions. They will be served with pasta and vegetables. 




Friday, September 07, 2012

OAMC

Today I started getting ready for our big cook for the next 4 weeks.

I have done my menu plan, shopping lists and been through our cupboard to see what we already have.

I have been cooking our meals ahead off and on for a long time now. Over the years I have learnt many things and I am much more efficient at it now.

I start off picking out the recipes I will be doing. I do 9 different meals 3 times each and on the last night, we either get take away or just have some leftovers.

This month we have:

Moroccan meatballs.
Singapore noodles
Teriyaki chicken noodle salad
Tuna patties
Chicken fried rice
Schnitzels
Eggplant Parmesan
Spaghetti bolognaise
Mushroom pasta.

Once I have chosen the meals I put them in a calender and print it off. This way I know what we are having and we spread the meals out.

After the menu plan, I do my list. I put a 3x3 table on a word document and each section has a meal. I then put all the ingredients we need for the meals for each one.

I then go through my list and work out what I need for our cooking day and what we will need to buy each week. I highlight the things we need for our cooking day and then put them into a shopping list. Many things are doubled up but I simply put amounts next to them rather than write the item twice.

Next is the weekly shopping list. I work out what fresh items we will need and put them in a list. For instance, when we have the schnitzels, I want to have salads to go with them. I generally buy this when I do the weekly shop rather than ahead.

Once all the lists are made, I go to my cupboards and see what we have already and cross them off the list.

Then I do my shopping.

Tomorrow I will go into details with my meal prep on the cooking day and how I freeze them.

If any one wants to see my lists, I have put them in google doc's and you can find them here:

Menu list and ingredients.

Weekly menu plan. 

Weekly shopping list for week 4.

Thursday, September 06, 2012

This is what I need.

Watch "Robomaid RM-770 Robot Vacuum Cleaner" on YouTube

At the moment, Sam mops our kitchen floor. Next year though, he is probably moving to Adelaide for study.  I need a robot to sweep :he tiles and then mop them. I will have to show this to Steve.

Sunday, September 02, 2012

The end of the weekend.

Spring has sprung here and the weekend has been great. Steve and I went for a walk yesterday and today. We are going to be walking in two weeks in the City to Bay run/walk. We are doing the 6km walk with Brigette and Daniel is running the 12km. I am pretty confident we will be able to walk the 6 km in one hour.

This week is going to be pretty busy. Tomorrow morning Joseph has his final physio session for a while. They give the children a break so that they still enjoy coming along. On Tuesday, Christopher will have speech therapy and then on Wednesday I am taking Tom to Adelaide to get his new pump.

This weekend is our oamc. I want to get a post up here for Nancy since she is going to start doing this for her family. 

Now that we are in spring and summer is not far away, I am going to start doing some different meals. In winter we have a lot of crock pot meals and soups. In summer, I tend to do salads and meals that don't need a lot of heating and make the house hot.

These are the meals I have decided so far are going to be on our list this month:

Teriyaki Chicken noodle salad.

Singapore noodles.

Moroccan meatballs.

Chicken Fried Rice.

Tuna Patties.

I will choose another 5 later this week.

So the weekend is just about finished. I will roll our fruit buns out soon and then head to bed. I hope you all have a great week. I will probably be scarce on blogging since the week is going to be so busy.




Wednesday, August 29, 2012

I missed my blogaversary.

I knew it was in August but I thought it was this week. Just as well I am not married to my blog. It would have been mad that I forgot and didn't do something significant.

So 6 years ago last Thursday, I opened Aussie Coffee Shop with this post.

http://aussiecoffeeshop.blogspot.com.au/2006/08/introduction.html

It has been a great place for me to make friends and keep memories of our family growing up. Over the last 6 years I have posted 1674 posts here. That is just mind blowing to me.

Every Friday morning I have a prayer hour at our local church and one of my prayers is for all who read my blog and for me to be guided by the Holy Spirit in anything I share about my faith.

Thanks for all the support you have been to me. I hope you all continue to enjoy coming here and hearing about our family.

Therese.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

August.

Well it is three weeks since I last updated my blog. I have had a few ideas of things to post about but just really didn't want to blog.

I also had a think about just giving up blogging for good but after praying about it and talking with Steve I have decided it is something I want to continue doing.

So what has been happening in our house in August.

At the beginning of August, Brigette picked up some bug. She was feeling unwell for a few days and I decided to do a fasting blood sugar level. When we tested her, it was high for fasting so I took her down to be tested for type one diabetes antibodies. I prayed and hoped that it would come back negative and it did. I was so relieved.

Christopher has started a second block of speech therapy this month too. We have had three sessions and will continue till the end of school term. Next term he will have a third block. It will be the last one at our community health centre since in 2013 Christopher will be starting school. DECS will probably provide some support for him at school with his speech therapy so it won't be the end of it by any means.

Joseph has been doing physio also during August. His block was suppose to finish at the end of July but the physio decided to continue since the botox has warn off. We will have our last session next week and then he will have a break from the sessions but I will continue doing exercises with him each day. He is getting a new AFO since his leg has grown. I have been looking around for long socks to put under it in summer. I suspect that one of the reasons he hated wearing it when he first had it was because it made him so hot. I need to find him some cotton or silk socks to wear under it.

I finally finished of our bedroom curtains this month. Now I am getting excited about doing some sewing for summer. We have had some beautiful sunny days here and I am hoping the weather will really warm up soon.

Next week I will be taking Tom to Adelaide to get a new pump. He will be getting the Medtronic Veo. This is the same as the one he already has but has more features. Christopher is already on the Veo so I know all the features. This week, I received a new meter for Christopher from Medtronic that communicates with the veo. Tomorrow we will get the strips for it and I will set up his pump and meter to communicate with each other. I am looking forward to having this. It will mean I won't have to go looking around his bed each night for his pump to enter the information myself.


Saturday, August 04, 2012

Hello.

Tonight I am making fruit  scrolls. I though while I was waiting for them to bake in the oven, I would post here since I haven't posted for a while.

Joseph has had his glasses for nearly 2 weeks now and he wears them everyday. He occasionally takes them off and puts them on the ground but will usually put them back on when we ask him too. His leg muscles are tightening up again probably because he has had a growth spurt so we have some more physio sessions for him this month and Steve and I are spending a bit of time getting him to kick balls with his left leg. I also take him to the foreshore most mornings. While we are there, I get him to walk across this low stepping bridge with his left leg first and to climb the stairs to the slippery dip with left leg first too. 

Earlier this week, we had solar panels put on our roof. We had 21 panels put up and we are hoping this will be enough that we don't pay for electricity again or that we pay very little for it. With 9 people living in our house, our electricity bill is huge so this seemed like a really good investment for us. 

Also this week, I watched this youtube video for the first time. I loved it and have watched it several times since.


I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have. 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Joseph's new glasses.

Today we got these glasses for Joseph. They are Mira-Flex brand. Mira-Flex are designed especially for young children. I hope we can keep these one's on a bit better than the last pair.
He has kept them on most of the time today so we are hopeful.

Monday, July 23, 2012

What is the Source of Human Dignity?

The source of human dignity is the reality of our being made in the image and likeness of our loving God. Because of this likeness each of us searches for what is true and good. The gift of faith allows us to see what is truly good for us and gives us the courage to follow God's truth in our daily lives.

However, because of sin this not easy. Satan is constantly at work through lies, trying to lead us away from the living and true God in order to turn towards idols.

Sin does no eliminate our dignity and turn us totally away from God. There always remains within us the desire to know the truth and to do what is right and good. This desire for truth and goodness is our longing for God.

We never totally turn away from asking the ultimate religious question: what is the meaning of my life? It is only God who can fully answer these questions. It is only God's answers which can bring us peace.

A Guide for the Study of Veritatis Splendor by William F. Maestri

Friday, July 20, 2012

7 Quick Takes.

-1-

This week, term three started. On day 2, Christopher and I had our first power struggle. Mum was the winner. Day 3, 4 and 5 were proof of that. 

-2-

It is a month tomorrow since Joseph had his botox  injections. It seems to have been effective but his physio thinks they didn't give him a strong enough dose. We are seeing the Rehabilitation specialist on Monday so will see what he thinks about the progress. 

-3-

One of the reasons, Christopher and I had a power struggle on Tuesday was because I have started a new spelling program for him. This one is testing each day and once he has them all correct twice, we move on to a new group of words. This was the best spelling program I had for Tom and Amelia and the one that they retained what they had learnt. That is really the main goal of spelling so I decided to change over to this for Christopher. I will let  you know in a few weeks if it is working. 

-4

Tonight Steve and I had a night out for tea. We went to Cafe Primo. It is a bit loud there but I have always enjoyed the food there. Steve loves Indian so maybe next time, we will go to the Indian restaurant.

-5-

Since our night away to hear Jill Stanek, Steve and I have decided we will try and get away every school holidays for one night on our own. There are quite a few bed and breakfast places close by to us so hopefully we will be able to do this each holiday. The next school holidays will be from September 21st till October 7th. 

-6-

On Monday night, Christopher was out riding his bike. His pump was in his pocket and fell out. He rode his bike over it. He showed me and explained what had happened but I didn't really pay much attention to it. I could see that he had scratched the side of the pump but didn't realise he had broken it completely. When we went to give him insulin with is tea, I realised it wasn't working so we put him on his backup health care plan. We spoke with an Endocrinologist that night and then rang Medtronic on Tuesday morning. We had a new pump for Christopher by Wednesday afternoon. 

-7-

On a positive note, the boys diabetes has been going really well this week. I like it when I know what has caused a high bsl or a low one and just  about all of them, I have known this week. I am conscious that a lot of the time that I write about diabetes and the boys on here, that I am writing negative things about it. I want to write about the good weeks too. 

Don't forget to drop over to Jen at Conversion Diary for more 7 quick takes. 

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

An evening with Jill Stanek.

Last night, Steve and I had a night away on our own. We went to Adelaide and listened to Jill Stanek speak. It was a great night. After the talk and question time, Steve and I went with Jill and some others for coffee at the Playford. Steve took this photo of Jill and I there.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Weekend wrap up.

We are now halfway through the holidays and we are having a great time. Saturday morning Tom, Amelia and Joseph  came to mass with us and straight after, Amelia, Joseph and I went shopping and Steve and Tom went and did some work for St. Vinnies. I spent the day preparing meals for the week. We had a visit from some friends from Adelaide in the afternoon. They came to Saturday vigil mass with us. After mass,  Steve and i went to a friends 50th birthday party. It was nice to get out on our own.
Today we had the morning at home.  In the afternoon, Steve, Brigette and I went to a talk on human trafficking. It was quite eye opening to hear about how people are abused and manipulated into being slaves to others. I didn't realize this is happening in Australia but it is.
Here is a photo I snapped today that I wanted to share. This is one of the things I love about having 8 children. My older children help out a lot with the younger ones and it makes life much easier.

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Holidays.

We are having a great holiday. We have caught up with family and had lots of time together. We have about a week and a half left and I have lots of plans for them. 

I have a few sewing projects. 

- finish our curtains for our bedroom. 
- sew a couple of pairs of leggings for me. 
- Do a couple more overalls for Joseph.

I am going to get our  term 3 home school program all written up. Last holidays I didn't really prepare for the term and it made home school much more difficult. It wasn't a good term to be so disorganised with all the extra therapies we had happening. 

Next week, I am going to be getting a heap of main meals and snacks cooked and in the freezer. 

I hope everyone else that is on  holidays is having fun. 

Therese. 

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Catching up.

So for the last two days, I have read lots of blogs and caught up on news in general. I have read everything in my reader for the last couple of days and left a few comments too.

When I decided to cut back blogging to three times a week, I decided that I would try and find the time to reply to all the comments that were left here. It was something I saw Vicky, Sue and Victor all do and liked that they took the time to reply. I keep on missing replies though. I am hoping that will be one thing that will change now that I have a tablet and internet is much faster and accessible.

Tom's confirmation was a lovely night. Daniel, my mum and Daniel's girlfriend Cassie all came down on the Thursday and stayed until the Sunday. On Saturday, Tom's God parents came as well. I managed to sew Tom's pants and most of his shirt but we had a disaster with the sleeve. I was having trouble getting button holes in the cuff so after unpicking two bad button holes, I decided to put some studs in. I put the first one in the wrong way and realised straight away. I knew we wouldn't be able to fix it in time so we went to Target and got him a new shirt to wear instead. I still don't really know how to get the press stud out so think I will cut a new cuff and remove the other one. I will hopefully get it done during the holidays. My dress was really easy and I managed to finish it off while I was waiting for Daniel, Cassie and Mum to arrive. Photos will come soon. 


Joseph had the botox injections a week ago today. The Rehab specialist said it would take about a week for us to notice much difference. I took him for a physio session the next day and we could already see a marked change. I am really confident now that this treatment was just right for him and that we are going to see improvements in his walking and stance. 


Tomorrow is the last day of term 2 and we have two weeks of holidays. I am looking forward to having time with everyone. Daniel will be coming during the middle weekend and we have a few outings planned. 


Therese. 

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Hello

I am back in the blogsphere. I have been absent due to life being very busy. Two weeks ago, I was busy getting ready for Tom's confirmation and last week, I was busy getting ready for our day trip to Adelaide for Joseph to have his botox injections. Finally this week I am feeling like life is easy again. I am hoping to get back into reading blogs and posting here too.

I have a new Android tablet and I am going to be using it for most of my blog pisting. This post is a bit of a trial run to see how ell the tablet handles it and how easily I can share posts on facebok, twitter and plurk. Looking forward to catching up with all your blogs.

Therese.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Botox tomorrow.

This is Joseph's leg. See how he kinks his knee right back?
Tomorrow we will go to Adelaide and Joseph will have botox injections into his leg. This will paralysis his strong muscle so that he is forced to use his weak one.
I wanted to get this photo to see if we can notice a difference down the track with his leg.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

Nearly Wordless Wednesday; show and tell.

Since I am so busy getting ready for Tom's confirmation, I have to do a few quick posts this week. These are the fabrics I have for Tom's outfit and my press.

Sunday, June 03, 2012

Weekend Wrap up.

We have had a busy weekend here. Friday night, the children were invited to a birthday party so since they were gone from 6.00 till 8.00, Steve and I went out for tea. We went to the Golden Pearl Chinese Restaurant. I had garlic prawn, Steve had beef curry and we shared a large special fried rice. The food was great and we enjoyed our time alone. 

Saturday, I took Madeline, Brigette and Tom to Whyalla to get fabric for Tom's confirmation. I will post photos when all the sewing is done. For now, I have the patterns to share that I will be making for Tom and I. 

Tom's shirt: Kwik sew 2974. I have a red, white and black check and we will do the long sleeve one. 



Tom's pants: Kwik sew 2544. I have black corduroy for this. I will do view b. 


Tom's jacket: Kwik sew 3136. This will also be done in black corduroy. 


My dress: kwik sew 3559. I will make it a bit longer than they have it in this though. I have white velvet for it :


Today I have been busy getting patterns traced ready for cutting out. I have two weeks to get these all done. 

I also bought fabric to make Christopher and Joseph shirts but I really doubt I will be able to get them done by Tom's confirmation.  Maybe by the end of June I can have theirs done. 

I hope you all had a great weekend. 

Therese. 



Thursday, May 31, 2012

Confirmation.


During May, Tom started his confirmation preparation with our parish priest. Tom and I have been for lessons for the last three Thursdays. We are working our way through the book Sacrament of Confirmation Catechetics by Fr. Peter Murphy. It is a great program and is preparing Tom for the sacrament really well.

Today we also watched this video:



For his saint, Tom has chosen St. Dominic Salvio.

This weekend, Tom and I will go to Whyalla to buy fabric for some new pants, a good shirt and jacket to wear. Maybe just this once, I can finish them before the day he is confirmed. It has become tradition for me to be putting finishing touches on outfits just a couple of hours before they are due at the church.

He will be confirmed on the 16th of June by Bishop O'Kelly. Between now and then, we will be praying this prayer each day for Tom.

I have also added the Prayer to the Holy Spirit to my sidebar.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

What has happened at our house in May?

Life has been busy busy busy during May for us and I have been reliant on my diary more so than any other time in my life. June is shaping up to be just as busy but I am feeling pretty confident with my diary usage been much better than it has been at any other time, that it will be manageable.

In May, Amelia turned 11. We had a Saturday afternoon party. She had about 10 friends over. It was a great afternoon.

Brigette also had a birthday. She turned 15. She decided she didn't want to have a party this year because she wants to have a 16th. I hope she doesn't want anything too big.

Joseph has been doing lots of therapy for his leg. We had a trip to Adelaide for him to see the Rehab specialist. Joseph is going to have botox treatment for his left hemiplegia in June. We are having another block of physio with a couple of physio students this month on Fridays.

Christopher has also started speech therapy. There is still a lot of sounds that he doesn't seem to be able to say clearly. At the sessions, it is really obvious that he is progressing well but I still have to remind him often at home when he doesn't say words correctly. If he has a second shot at them, he can usually say them very well.

I have meet a couple of home school families in Port Augusta. We have started to get together fortnightly for the children to socialise and the mums to have a chat. It is great to have some other families here for support. Sometimes home schooling can seem like you are all alone in the world so this group has been a gift from God for me.

Thanks for visiting.

Therese.


Sunday, May 27, 2012

I'm back.

Hi Everyone,

Been away for just over a month. I wanted to take a break and pray about social networks and where they all fit into my life.

I love blogging and keeping up with other people's blogs. I think that since Joseph was born though, life just seemed to busy to keep up with all the blogs I was before and I felt a bit torn between not posting enough or not reading other people's blogs enough.

Since I love it so much though, I do want to continue doing it. I also want to have more contact with friends that I have made through blogging and keep up with their news too.

After a month away, I have decided to try and post three times a week. This is not too big a commitment and gives me time to still keep up with other blogs.

I have also started a facebook page for my blog here:

http://www.facebook.com/AussieCoffeeShop

I will post links to all my posts and write updates about our family too.

Therese.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Tasty Tuesday: Fruit buns.

This is a recipe I use often. The children and Steve love them and they are pretty easy to make. This recipe is a hot cross bun recipe I just don't put the crosses or glaze on and call them fruit buns.

Ingredients:

1.5 cups milk
7grms yeast
1 tspn caster sugar
1 egg
60grms butter melted
4 cups flour
1.5 cups mixed fruit.
1 tbspn all spice
1/2 tspn salt
2 tbspns caster sugar (extra)

Method:

Heat milk in microwave for about 50 seconds.
Add yeast and 1 tspn of caster sugar
put to the side until foaming.

Put flour, mixed fruit, spice, salt and extra sugar in bowl.

When milk has foamed, add melted butter and lightly beaten egg.

Mix dough together and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

Knead dough for about 20 minutes. put into a greased bowl and leave in a drought free space for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Put oven onto 200 Celsius when dough has doubled. Turned dough out onto a floured surface again and punch down then knead again. Break dough into 16 even pieces and put into square tin. Put aside for 20 minutes till they are 2 cm higher than before.

Place in oven for 10 minutes and then turn temperature back to 180 c. Cook for a further 20 minutes until buns sound hollow when tapped.

Serve hot or cold. These taste great with butter.

I have also made the dough in our bread maker but the dough comes out stickier and needs more flour added before you punch the dough down.
Therese.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Joseph's new overalls.

He made it hard to get a good shot with all the running around so I took one while he slept.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Thankful Thursday.

Yesterday it was Steve's 20th anniversary of being a Catholic. He was baptised, confirmed and received Holy Communion for the first time at the Easter vigil in 1992.

Over those 20 years, Steve's and my faith have both grown. We have come to appreciate so many good things about the church and all she teaches.

When Steve first joined the church, I knew faith was something I wanted to pass onto our children, but I think I was more motivated by the culture that I had been brought up in than a commitment to God.

One of the things I love about Steve is when he takes on something new, he takes it on 150%. He did this with his new found faith. For a long time before I meet him, he had been reading the bible. He didn't really know if it was true in  his head but he hoped it was. He was waiting for someone to prove to him that it was true.

Hearing about apparitions and hearing about some of the saints that have had miraculous things happen was the proof he needed. He took on following God and the teachings of the church with the same zeal that he took all other things on.

At first I was worried. I didn't want to be to committed to God. It was okay to believe in him and go to church each week but to take on everything the church taught was just too legalistic and extreme.

Steve was a great example to me though. I realised over time, just how much happier he was within himself and how he was a better husband because of his faith and his commitment to God.

So today I give thanks for Steve and his faith in God. I give thanks that he took on the teachings of the church with such zeal and encouraged me too as well. I give thanks for all the church teaches and that she tells us what is right and what is wrong.

Happy anniversary Steve.

Therese.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Joseph in new bed.

He looks naked but I'd does have a nappy on.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

On my list last week, I had do Christopher's home school curriculum and to cut out Joseph's overalls.

I cut out Joseph's overalls today but forgot about doing the home school curriculum. I guess I will have to get it done this week since school starts next week.

So this week I am going to do Christopher's home school curriculum and also give Amelia a few sewing lessons.

I hope you all have a great week.

Therese.


Thursday, April 12, 2012

Thankful Thursday.

It is Thursday again and time to stop and give thanks for the good things in our lives.

This week we are on school holidays. I am thankful for the extra time with the family. I am thankful that Daniel is here with us and that he bought two of our nephews up to visit.

I am thankful for the extra time to do sewing and baking. Today I made hot cross buns and meat pies. I also sewed some leggings for me.

What are you thankful for today?

Therese.

Monday, April 09, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

On my list last week, I had to pray the Stations of the Cross each day and to trace some patterns for winter.

I prayed the Stations of the Cross every morning up till Friday

I have traced this kwik sew pattern for Joseph. Going to make him a few denim pairs and if I get the time, may try to get one sewn in corduroy for mass.

I want to get this pattern for him too to go under the corduroy overalls:



 On my list this week, I am going to prepare Christopher's home school program for term two and cut out Joseph's denim overalls. I really hope I will be able to get them sewn too but I don't want to put it on my list incase I run out of time.

I hope you all have a great week.

Therese.

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Weekend Wrap Up with the Triduum.

Alleluia. Jesus has indeed risen. 

We have had a wonderful and holy Triduum. 

Thursday night, Steve and I went to Holy Thursday Mass. We took Tom with us but the other children stayed home. Tom processed in with the Chrism oil since he is going to be confirmed this year. 

After mass, I took Tom home and then went back to the church for Adoration. I stayed until 11.00 and it was great to sit in the quiet and be with Jesus. 

Friday morning we were up for Stations of the Cross at 10.00 and then back for the 3.00 service. Catholic's do not celebrate mass on Good Friday. We have the readings, veneration of the cross and communion. The hosts are consecrated at Holy Thursday mass. 

I spent Saturday doing house work and cooking. We made coconut ice and chocolate crackles. 

Today we went to Sunday mass and celebrated the Resurrection. Tom and I did some more cooking in the afternoon and made some pound cakes for the Asylum seekers that are living here in Port Augusta. 

We have two weeks of holidays now and I am looking forward to having some relaxation time. 

I hope you all had a great weekend. 

Therese. 

Saturday, April 07, 2012

How to make hot cross buns

How to make hot cross buns: Learn how to master the technique of making hot cross buns for Easter or anytime through the year.

Going to have a go at these buns. I have made them before but this recipe has more spices and fruit in the last one we did.

Thursday, April 05, 2012

Holy Thursday.

Can you stay awake just one hour?

Holy Thursday. The day Jesus gave us the Holy Eucharist and was betrayed by Judas. I really love Holy Thursday mass and adoration after.



I hope you all have a blessed Triduum.

Monday, April 02, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

My list last week was to get a control journal together.

I have started one on our computer. I really want to get a folder together sometime though that has all our routines and lists that I have written in to it.

This week I am going to start working on winter sewing. I have an overall pattern for Joseph and some simple knit patterns for Amelia. I want to get them all traced. Amelia is nearly 11 and I haven't really given her any clothes sewing lessons. We have sewn cushions, pillow cases and pencil cases. These holidays I am going to give her a few lessons so I want to get the patterns traced this week.

Since it is Holy Week, I am also going to try and get up early and pray the stations of the cross each morning.

I hope you all have a great week.

Therese.

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Weekend Wrap up.

This weekend daylight savings finished so today we had a bit of a sleep in. It was a good weekend to have it. The weather was perfect. It was nice and sunny and not too hot so I got a lot of washing done.

Last night we had a birthday party for Madeline. The day was spent getting ready and doing shopping. Because we had the party, we went to Sunday mass. We usually go on Saturday night so it was a bit of a change to our weekend to go this morning.

This weekend was also 11 years since we started living with type one diabetes. It is time for us to give a donation again to The Faustman Lab to help them in finding a cure for this. Over this week,

There is a lot of differences between type 1 diabetes and type 2.

This link has a lot of information on the differences.

I am hoping to get some posts up this week on the differences and myths that a lot of people believe about diabetes.

This week is Holy Week and the last week of term. I am looking forward to only having 4 days of school and spending extra time at church. I hope you all have a great week.

Therese.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Thankful Thursday

Today I give thanks for Madeline and the blessing she has been to our family for the last 17 years. Happy birthday Madeline. We love you.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

On my list last week, I had to get  more schedules written up and make my morning routine a hard to break habit.

I did write schedules for morning, school day and evening. I only did  morning routine on Monday and Tuesday since I wasn't well for the rest of the week.

One thing I was thinking about last week, while I was doing my schedules, is Fly lady's control journal.

Even though I have taken on many of fly ladies recommendations, I have never had a control journal. I really need one for me to get everything done that I need to do.

So on my list this week, I am going to start putting together a control journal. Since I have my daily routines written, I am going to start with each different room and what needs to be done in each one.

I hope you all have a good week.

Therese.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Thankful Thursday.

For the last two days, I have had flu symptoms. I didn't sleep that well last night so decided to have a day off today and try and get over it.
My friend Ellie came and picked up Christopher and took him out for the morning.
I jumped into bed with Joseph. I didn't really expect him to sleep but he did so I did too. By 1.00 I was feeling much better but still stayed in bed. I got up at 3.00 when Madeline needed to be picked up from school. After coffee with Steve I was feeling like I could cope with everything again. Steve and I went to pick up Joseph's glasses and then I cgot the children cleaning up while I cooked tea.
So today I am thankful that Christopher had a morning out and for Ellie taking him. I am thankful that Joseph had a sleep and that I did too. I am thankful for Joseph's new glasses and that so far he seems to like wearing them.
What are you thankful for today?
Therese.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Feast of St Joseph

I was actually going to post about Joseph's feast day yesterday but was way too tired last night so I have left it till now.

On Monday, it was the Feast of St. Joseph. St. Joseph has been one of my favourite saints to go to for prayers. I am always asking him to pray for us. I believe it was through his intercession that we found our house and Steve got his job here.

I think every time I was pregnant, I suggested Joseph for a boy. When  I was pregnant with Joseph and we found out he was a boy, I said straight away to Steve that I wanted to call him Joseph Benedict. I kept on calling him Joseph all through the pregnancy and was pretty confident that by the end of it, Steve would agree.

When my waters broke and we were driving to the hospital, Steve said, he wanted to have James for the middle name. I said that was fine. I just wanted my Joseph.

So for Joseph's feast day, we started with Mass. There was morning tea after and then on Monday night, Fr. Paul came around for tea. I baked Vanilla and Cream Cheese Pound Cakes for the feast. It was a great day.

Happy Feast day Joseph.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

Last week, I had on my list to be in bed by 9.30 and up by 5.30. I was in bed every night by 9.30 except for Thursday since I needed to get Sam from work at 10.00 and I got up every morning at 5.30 except for Thursday also. I had been up a lot over night checking bsl for the boys and just could not get up on Thursday morning.

This week, I want to get more schedules written up and work on making my morning routine a habit that is hard to break.

I hope you all have a good week.
Therese.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Weekend Wrap Up.

Our weekends during lent have started with Stations of the Cross before mass on Friday nights. It has been great to reflect on what Jesus went through as he was tried and carried his cross through the streets of Jerusalem.

From it I have also been reflecting on how hard it must have been for Mary to stand by and see her son treated so badly. I know as a mother, it is really hard to watch your child suffer. Mary knew that this was why Jesus came into the world but I am know that knowing this, would not have made it any easier.

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day. Every Saturday, Steve and I start the day with Mass and Adoration at 8.30. I didn't want to get out of bed at first on Saturday morning but I was glad I did after we had been.

Saturday afternoon was busy with menu planning, food shopping and getting the house clean. Saturday night we went to the vigil mass.

Today was another beautiful day. We took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph to the foreshore to ride their bikes and have a play.

I have started writing up some new household schedules also. I really hate schedules but I also realise they are a tool that are very useful with so many things to get done.

I have done two this weekend. I have written up menu plans with shopping lists and a schedule for Sam to clean both our bathrooms. He tends to leave them both until I tell him that they are both getting into quite a mess. From  now on with a schedule, he will either get them done or receive a pretty hefty fine each week.

I also did a bsl chart for Tom. I really want him to be a bit more independent of me in checking his sugars and giving insulin as needed. We have written up a chart for him  to be ticked off each day that he does what is needed at school and when he is out and about. If he can get 80%, he will get a treat at the end of the week.

I hope you all had a great weekend.

Therese.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Thankful Thursday.

Well it is Thursday again and time to give thanks to God for all the blessings in our lives.

Today I give thanks for daily mass. It has been such a blessing to me to be able to go each day and take the boys.

I am thankful for our air conditioner. This week we have had temperatures in the 30's and it has made the house more comfortable.

I am thankful for Sunday. Steve and I were able to get out together and our older children looked after the younger ones.

I am thankful for the long weekend we had. Daniel was able to come down for a visit.

What are you thankful for today?

Therese.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

I got a CD with photos of Christopher and Joseph from the play group we went to last year this weekend. I love the picture of Joseph. He really loves riding bikes.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Christopher Classics.

When Christopher saw a game of cricket been played, he said to us, I hope the white team wins.

Last year construction was started on an empty site. We saw a big hole been dug and everyone was wondering what they were doing at this construction site.

One day Christopher announced that he knew what they were doing there. So we asked him what they were building and he said, a pokemon stadium. (We found out later, the council was putting in a water recycler for central oval.

Today we were driving in the car and I was saying something about Fr. Ben. Christopher says, do you call him Fr. Ben. I said yes. Thought about it and then said, what do you call him? He said, Fr. Benjamin. When I told him he could still call him that, he said, no I am going to call him Fr. Ben. It is quicker you know.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

I didn't do a smart Martha post last week. I cannot remember why. It must have been a busy day around here and I just didn't get to my blog.

On my list from the week before, I had to pray each day with Steve and to get to adoration on Thursday. 

I remember that Thursday was pretty busy so I wasn't able to get out to adoration but I did go on Friday morning since Sam and Madeline were both home. I was only able to stay for 45 minutes though. 

Steve and I missed prayer everyday but I do remember at least two occasions that we were able to. 

This week, I want to try and get back into a good sleeping pattern. I want to be in bed each night by 9.30 and up by 5.30. Steve has been getting up at 5.00 each morning and I find if I am in bed by 9.30, I can get up at 5.30 too. 

I hope you all have a good week. 

Thursday, March 08, 2012

Thankful Thursday.

During lent, I have been listening to XT3's Lenten reflections. This morning it was on thankfulness. I realised while I was watching the video that I don't give enough thanks for all the blessings I have in my life so I want to start doing a weekly post on thankfulness.

This week, the eye specialist that is seeing Brigette and Joseph got in touch with me. Since seeing his MRI, she wants him to have glasses.

I am thankful that we have found this out early. I am thankful for all the support we have had with him also from all the different specialists.

I am also thankful for Steve and our children.

Thankful for our extended family.

Thankful for the internet.

Therese.


Sunday, March 04, 2012

Weekend wrap up.

It has been a busy weekend here.

Our children have been dumping all our linen in my storeroom without sorting for such a long time, we couldn't see the floor. I decided yesterday to get in there and clean it out.

I have cleaned out the floor, and cleared out one side of shelves. Over this week, I will go through the other side. It will probably go on my Smart Martha list of things to get done.

I hope you all had a great weekend too.

Saturday, March 03, 2012

Swing time.


Tonight we are without power so I decided to post this video from my phone. I love this one of Christopher and Joseph.

Thursday, March 01, 2012

Write Hope on your hand.

A friend of mine from facebook has asked people to write hope on their hand today for those suffering from type one diabetes.


I wanted to post it here too.

I am very hopeful that there will be a cure one day for Tom and Christopher. This week has been a difficult week. On Monday night, we couldn't get Tom's bsl down below 20 (360). He had insulin at 6.00pm, 8.00pm, 10.00pm, 12.30am and 3.30am. At 7.30 he was still up at 17(306) so we gave him some breakfast and insulin to cover carbs and high sugar level. By 9.40 he was low at 2.1(37). After treating the hypo, everything seemed good for the rest of the day fortunately.

When we have days like yesterday, I think we need a cure now. I don't want to wait for a cure. I want to have it now. I guess I just need to learn patience.

I also need to remember that we now have the means to  keep the boys diabetes under much better control now. We have glucometers to check blood sugar levels.  Thanks to Frederick Banting, we have insulin to give and now we also have insulin pumps to deliver them. Insulin pumps are a much easier way to manage type one diabetes. Before Tom was on the pump, he had regular trips to hospital. I think since he has had the pump, we have had two stays in hospital.

Every day, treatments are improving and we are getting closer to a cure. Every day we have Tom and Christopher here is a gift. I give thanks that we have the means and treatment today that we do. I also hope for a cure in the future.

Therese.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

At the foreshore.

This tree has been cut down into a chair. Today was the first time we have been at the foreshore since it was finished so Christopher and Joseph had to have a seat and try it out.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

Last week, I had take Joseph to Adelaide for a MRI and to make the boys some backpacks for their pump consumables.  The MRI went well although we don't know what they saw or what they found from it. I suppose in this case, no news is good news. 

I cut out one backpack so should be able to finish it off this week. 

This week I also want to pray each day with Steve and get to adoration for one hour on Thursday.

I hope you all have a good week. 

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Shrove Tuesday and the start of Lent.

Today after mass, Christopher, Joseph and I stayed for pancakes with our parish priests and parishioners. We also had pancakes for afternoon tea since some Tom and Amelia had some friends over after school.

For lent, I am giving up sugar in my coffee. Daniel said I should give up coffee instead of sugar in it. I don't think he would be suggesting that if he lived here. I may try and have a few coffee free days. Will see how it goes.

What are your plans for lent?

Therese.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Smart Martha Monday.

My list last week was to get Lenten activities planned and be a bit more vigilant in looking after the boys sugars. I did both. I also took the week of facebook.

This week I have to take Joseph to Adelaide to have an MRI. I am also going to make the boys some backpacks for their diabetes consumables.

I hope you all have a great week.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Happy Birthday Christopher.



Yesterday, Christopher turned 7. He had a great birthday. 

In the morning, after Brigette had been dropped at school, Christopher had his first ride in the front seat of the car. 

We went to the church to say some prayers and Fr. Paul was there. He gave Christopher a blessing for his birthday.

Last night we had birthday cake with Fr. Paul and today we went to Hungry Jacks with 8 friends to celebrate. The video above, is everyone singing happy birthday to him. Editing because my computer is not cooperating with me and I cannot get the video up yet. I will have a go at getting it up tomorrow morning. 

Happy Birthday Christopher. We love you very much and are so happy God blessed us with your life. May you have many more happy and blessed birthdays. 

Mum and Dad. 

Please pray for a cure for Type One Diabetes

Please pray for a cure for Type One Diabetes
Our sons Tom and Christopher and our daughter Amelia are type one diabetics. We pray everyday for a cure. We do not want one by illicit means though so don't support any organisation that contributes to Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Click on the photo of Tom and Christopher to read about why I am against using Embryonic Stem cells for a cure.

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Tom's and Christopher's insulin pump

New book: Faith Quilt.

New book: Faith Quilt.
All proceeds from sales of "FAITH QUILT" going to "Casa de Amor Children's Homes in Bolivia" and "Sarah's Covenant Homes in India" Two truly extraordinary organisations that take in the most needy children and give them a place of love and security to call home.