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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Wordless Wednesday: Joseph in new bed.

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

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.

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.

Wordless Wednesday. Having fun with the cousins.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

My favourite type one diabetes videos.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

Push UPS.

Steve has been doing push-ups every night. Tonight Joseph thought it would be good for Steve to do them with a bit of extra weight.

Smart Martha Monday.

I had two things on my list last week. I did them both. I was in bed each night by 10 but I didn't turn the light out till around 11.00 on Friday night and Saturday night too. I did our meal preparation and we have them all worked out for this week. I still have to cook our meat pie filling but should get it done tomorrow morning.

This week, I want to put caring for the boys diabetes on a higher responsibility. We had a couple of good weeks with them both and I have become complacent about caring for it. I haven't been checking sugars as much and haven't been checking up on Tom's care at school. I want to be a bit more vigilant in what I am doing. 

I also want to get some more planning done for lent and some activities we can do together as a family. 

I am also going to give up facebook for the week. I will still play words with friends but I am not going to be going and reading or posting status updates. 

I hope you all have a good week. 

Therese.

Weekend Wrap up.

We had a great weekend here. My mother and Daniel came from Adelaide for a visit. It was great to have them here.

I sewed a couple of tops for my girlfriends daughter so that Daniel could take them back.

Daniel, Sam and Madeline all went to a vocations afternoon at the church yesterday. I think they all thought it was worthwhile.

Last night we all went to mass early so that we could get to reconciliation before. Today I spent a fair bit of time preparing main meals for the month. I made chicken schnitzels and apricot chicken. Tomorrow I will make some spaghetti sauce and meat pie filling.

It was pretty busy here but productive. I hope you all had a great weekend.

Therese.

Happy Birthday Joseph

2 years old today.

Here is the post that I announced he was on his way.

Here is the post Steve did when Joseph was born.

First Birthday celebration and some cute photos and a video from his first birthday.


Happy Birthday Joseph.

Smart Martha Monday.

last week, I only had two things on my list.

To get up and pray early each morning before the children got up and to make some new tops for my friends daughter.

I got up early every morning except Wednesday and Friday. I didn't finish the tops for my friends daughter though. I think I should be able to get them finished this week though.

This week, I want to be in bed every night before 10.00. I am also having my big cook this weekend for our main meals.

I hope you all have a great week.
Therese.

7 Quick Takes.

Thanks so much to Hallie from Betty Beguiles for hosting 7 quick takes for the next few weeks while Jen finishes of her book.  

-1-

This week was the first week of school term 1. We had a good start on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were hard days but today seemed better again. I am glad it is the weekend and we can sit and relax a bit again. 

-2-

Next Tuesday, Joseph turns 2. I cannot believe how fast it has gone.

Here are the first photos Steve put up of him the day after he arrived.

Here is the video I did on his first birthday.

-3-

On the 11th of February, Christopher will have been on the pump for 1 year. He is going really well with it. Whenever the boys have a significant event to do with their diabetes, I give a donation to The Faustman Lab.

-4-

Tonight the children are watching The Sound of Music. It is on the top of my list of favourite movies from my childhood. One of my most memorable birthday presents was the soundtrack from the movie.

-5-

I decided tonight to change the colour of my blog. I may change it again when lent starts.

-6-

Only two and a bit weeks till lent starts. I am starting to prepare activities for the children to do at home. Catholic mom has some great ideas for lent.

-7-

Next weekend, Daniel and my mother are coming for a visit. We are looking forward to seeing them both.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Therese.  

Smart Martha Monday.

On my list last week I had, 

Get to mass each day and to finish working on Christopher's curriculum. 

I did both things. I did end up ordering some RE resources last night from St. Paul's so they won't be here for a while but I have all our lessons plans and timetable worked out. 

This week I want to get some tops made for my friends daughter. I also want to get up early each morning and pray before the children get up. I managed it this morning so hopefully will be able to all week. 

I hope you all have a great week. 

Therese. 

7 Quick Takes.

-1- 

Yesterday Steve and I celebrated 21 years of marriage. To celebrate, we went out for lunch to the Flinder's Hotel. It was a great day. We also asked all the children to come to Mass with us and they all did. I am so grateful to God for all our children and our faith which has made our marriage strong.

-2-

Today I took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph over to Booleroo Centre to visit Linda and Bill.  We picked up Christopher's spelling and maths curriculum and shared lunch. It was good to catch up with them both.

-3-

Tonight Steve and I are watching The Kings Speech. I have read a few reviews on this movie and I am looking forward to seeing it.

-4-

School starts on Monday and I am looking forward to getting back into routine again. This year, I am limiting our children to one extra curricula activity. Last year, many of them had two and life was just too busy. This is one of the actions I decided on since my word for the year is simplicity.

-5-

Another thing I want to do this year to keep it a bit more simple, is baking muffins and snacks and freezing them.

On my list of things to bake is:

Zucchini bread.

Pumpkin bread.

Date muffins.

-6-

My girlfriend's daughter has just been fitted with a halo devise. This is needed as she has Torticollis. I am going to make her some new tops that don't go over her head over the weekend. Please keep my friend Di and her family in your prayers. Especially Nicole.  


-7-


Joseph now has his date for his MRI. I will be taking him to Adelaide on the 24th of February for it. 


His walking is really improving with the AFO. When we first got it, he didn't like it at all and was even hiding it from me. We can see a great improvement though from persevering through with it. He even asks sometimes to have it on. 


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


Have a great weekend. 


Therese. 

Wordless Wednesday: Islet transplants.

I believe islet transplants or some other adult stem cell will be the cure my boys need.

Smart Martha Monday.

Once again, it is a whole week since I posted on my blog.

I did everything on my list but I changed my mind. I sewed this top instead of a dress. I will hopefully get a dress done this week.

On my list this week is to prepare for school next week. I have all of Christopher's curriculum worked out but need to go through and fine tune some things.

I also want to get to mass each day. It may be a challenge once Steve is back at work. He starts work on Wednesday.

I hope you all have a great week.

Smart Martha Monday

On my list last week, I wanted to clean out the clutter from the boys room. I changed my plan though and decided instead to get the younger children's sewing finished. We are going to  my brother's 50th birthday this weekend and I wanted them to all have a good outfit made by me so I decided to focus on that. Now that they all have an outfit (except for Christopher's shirt, I can start on a couple of outfits for me.

So my to do list this week is to sew Christopher's shirt and a dress for me. I also want to start putting a spiritual thing on my must do list each week so this week it will be to get back into spending one prayer hour at church in front of the blessed sacrament. I haven't been for the last two weeks and want to keep on doing it regularly.

Amelia's new outfit.

Finish today. Now all 4 younger children have something sewn by me for summer. I just need to do a bigger shirt for Christopher since his is a bit too small. He must have had a growth spurt.

Weekend Wrap up.

Yesterday Tom turned 12. He got Skylanders from us for his birthday. We also have Harry Potter DVD set coming for him. It was a busy day since I had to drive to Melrose to pick up Madeline.

Madeline and Brigette have been at the National YCS Conference which is in Melrose this year. It is on till next Tuesday but Madeline wasn't feeling too well so decided to come home.

I wanted to do another oamc this weekend. We haven't done many since Joseph was born but thought with the trip to Melrose I wouldn't have much time to do this. I was able to get 3 spaghetti sauces and 9 chicken meals in the freezer though over the weekend. I will do a few more this week too so that we have enough for the next month's main meals.

There is only two weeks of school holidays left. I have a list as long as my arm that I want to get done in the next two weeks. I hope I will be able to get most of it done. If I can make myself go to bed early and get up early, I am quietly confident I can.

I hope you all have a great week.
Therese.

Wordless Wednesday: How our garden grows, continued.

Wordless Wednesday: How our garden grows.

Smart Martha Monday.

On my list last week, I had to work on the big rocks in my life.

I have worked out a few lists to make my life more simple for meal plans, home school and looking after the boys diabetes.

This week, I am going to start going through each room and getting rid of all the clutter. My room to concentrate on is the boys bedroom. It is probably one of the easier rooms to do.

Hope you all have a great week.

Therese.

7 quick takes.

Thanks so much to Jennifer for hosting 7 quick takes each week.

-1-

I thought I would post a bit about making my life more simple for 7 quick takes. Our household is very obviously busy with 9 people living in this house and at times to have a simple life can just about seem impossible for us. It isn't though. It just takes a lot of planning and scheduling. 

-2-

With that in mind, I am going to schedule everything this year. Fly lady tells us it take 23 days to make something a routine. I am going to focus on this at the beginning of term. 

-3-

Before school goes back, I am going to start off making menu plans, Religious Ed plans and home school plans. I am also going to get into a good routine with my prayer time. 

-4-

This year, I want to have more focus on my own personal prayer time. I have been praying much more the last couple of weeks and realise just what a difference it makes to my day. 

Steve and I have been getting to mass everyday and often go in early to pray. I have stayed on my own a couple of times after mass too. 

When School goes back, I am hoping I will be able to go in early for prayer time before mass each day too. It will mean leaving for school by 8.10. I have already told the children that if they want a lift to school, they will have to be ready by then. 

-5-

I found some great idea's for menu planning via pinterest. 

From Mama and Baby love, freezer cooking for the slow cooker. 

This week we are going to try the BBQ chicken casserole. 

I am going to do a mixture of baked ahead meals and meal preparations. . 

-6-

One of the biggest things I really need to get more organised with is carbohydrate counting for Tom and Christopher. I know the carb ratio for most fruits and vegetables but when it comes to home cooked meals, I spend a lot of time weighing food and working out what % is carbohydrate. 

I am going to get a food diary to help with this. I am going to write all our main meals carb ratio for different meals and refer back to. I also want to get better and guessing the weight of different foods by looking at portion size. Sometimes we don't have scales available to work these things out and I need to be a bit more confident at guessing them. 

-7-

For Religious Ed, I have lots of plans for this year. 

Tom will be confirmed this year so I am going to find a program for him to work through at home. 

I am going to focus on the liturgical year more and try teaching our children what the different times in the church year are all about. There are so many good resources online to help with this. 

Thrifty Thursday.

Last year, I got two metres of this fabric to make Joseph some overalls. The plan was to make 2 or 3 winter ones.
I didn't get around to making them so decided on a summer pair and some pajamas. For a total of $7.00, I have one pair of overalls and a pair of pajamas with a spare pair of pants.
I use to think that sewing didn't save me much money but this project has saved me quite a few $.

Wordless Wednesday: Joseph's new pajamas.

A word for this year.

Last year when I wrote my new year resolutions, I changed it to things I hoped would happen rather than what I could change myself. 

It also came up in the comment section about choosing a word for the year to live by. My word for last year was hope. I probably could have spent a bit more time reflecting on this through the year. I think I do try to be a person of hope and see the glass as half full rather than half empty. That is what I think being a person of hope is all about.

This year my word is going to be simplicity. I want my life to be more simple and less cluttered. Last year there were a lot of times that I felt over committed and stressed at all that was happening in our lives. This year I want to live more simply and get back to basics. I am going to write a bit about this regularly so that I can focus on it more than I focused on hope being my word for last year.

Joseph's new shirt.

Even though I have done many of these kind of shirts for the boys, I haven't ever done such a small one. It was slow going to get it finished but overall, I am really happy with the way it looks.

Smart Martha Monday.

I cannot believe my last post on blog was last Monday for my Smart Martha post. We had a busy week. On Saturday, we had a day trip to Adelaide to take my mother out shopping and for lunch. We then went to Steve's sister's place for Daniel's new years eve party.

On New years day, Daniel turned 20. We are so proud of him and all that he has achieved.

I did everything on my list last week except the oamc menu and since we were in Adelaide on Saturday, I didn't get to  mass that day. I did every other day though. I also haven't finished Tom's shirt but I have finished Christopher's and Joseph's. Joseph's was quite fiddly  so it took quite a bit longer than I anticipated.

This week I am going to be doing some reviewing of my time management. Back in 2008, I wrote this post. 

It has always stuck with me and I often pray about my time management and putting all my rocks in first. Go here to read the story of the rocks. 

Since we have been on holidays, I  have had a lot more time to pray and go to church. I know that I feel happier and less stressed when prayer has a priority in my life. I really want to take on this year being more prayerful. I want to make it a higher priority than I have been.

To do this, I really need to put my big rocks in first and then fit in the pebbles, sand and water around it.

I hope you all have a great week.

Smart Martha Monday.

From my list last week. 

Sew boys new shirts and shorts: Shorts done. Shirts all cut out and waiting still.

Christmas shopping for our children. Done.

Go to mass each day. Done except for Friday.

This week:

I want to go to mass every day.

I want to finish the boys shirts.

I also want to work out a menu plan for oamc again.

I hope you all have a great week.
Therese.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday.

Today has been really productive. I have made a pair of shorts for Tom, Christopher and Joseph. Here are Tom and Christopher. Joseph would not stand with them to have a photo  taken.

Sent from my HTC

National Evangelisation Team

Our son Daniel wants to work for the National Evangelisation Team for a year. This is a volunteer position and he needs to raise $5500 to support himself for the year. I have added a paypal button on the right hand side to give him a hand.

If you can help at all, I am sure he will appreciate it very much.

Thanks
Therese.

Smart Martha Monday.

I had a pretty good week last week and did most of what I had on my list. I have 90% of Christopher's curriculum worked out and we have done all our Christmas shopping for everyone except our children. We really need to do that last minute though. Our children tend to snoop around looking for gifts and want to know what they have.

This week:

Sew boys new shirts and shorts.

Christmas shopping for our children.

Go to mass each day.

I hope you all have a good week too.

7 Quick Takes.

=1-

Today was the last day of school for everyone. We have 6 weeks summer holidays now. I am going to spend a lot of time sewing over the next few weeks. 

-2-

It is a while since I have done a big monthly cook. I am going to get back into it these holidays. 

-3-

Joseph will be going to Adelaide soon to have a MRI. He needs to be put under a general anaesthetic for this so they are going to take bloods for some other tests. I asked the Doctor that is in charge of the MRI if they could also take blood to test for type one diabetes since Tom and Christopher both have it. I really hope he isn't positive but if he is, it is better for us to know that it is coming. 

-4-

Joseph has had an AFO for about 4 weeks now. We are noticing a difference but he still has a long way to go with it. When he first had it, he hated having it on so much that he was hiding it from us. We also had a big fight with him to get it on his leg. Now he doesn't mind it being on and cooperates when we need to put it on. 

-5-

Tom has been on daily injections for a couple of weeks now. His pump malfunctioned and because he has had it for 4 years, it isn't under warranty any longer. Every 4 years, our health insurance pays for one so as soon as we can get everything organised for it, Tom will be back on the pump. 

-6-

This weekend we will be going to Carols by candlelight in Gladstone Square. We haven't been for the last couple of years and I am really looking forward to it. 

-7-

I cannot think of anything else so for number 7, I am just going to remind you to pop over to Jennifer's for more 7 quick takes. 

Smart Martha Monday.

I didn't really have much on my list last week except to stay calm and collected through all the end of year/Christmas shows.

We made it through the week without too much trouble. On Wednesday, I intended to go to mass on my own but woke up with a temperature of 39.6. I felt pretty rotten to say the least so spent the day in bed. Madeline took care of Christopher and Joseph for me. After 24 hours of taking panadol and resting, I felt much much better. I was even able to go to Tom and Amelia's school's family night and not feel too exhausted from it.

This week I am going to write my curriculum for Christopher for 1st term next year. I want to get it done before Christmas so that I can have a full month of nothing to do from Christmas to school starting next year.

I am also going to finish of Christmas shopping.

I hope you all have a great week.

Therese.

Jane Elizabeth.

Jane Elizabeth was the name Steve and I choose for Joseph just in case the ultrasound tech had his sex wrong.

It is also the name I haven given to this doll. I won her on The Handmaden's blog.

She is just gorgeous. Amelia asked me if she could have her and I said no. Jane is going to sit right on my sewing table and keep me company while I sit sewing.

Thanks so much Kelly for this lovely doll and your blog giveaway.

Pop over and see Kelly and all her beautiful home made goods. Also visit her Etsy Shop.

Therese

Smart Martha Monday.

My list from last week was big. I wanted to reorganise our kitchen. I have done just about all our pantries at this stage. Still have to go through all my cupboards to see what is lurking in the back. We had a super cheap weekly shop this week because I based our meals around what we had in the cupboard.

This week, I was going to still go through the kitchen but we have lots of different Christmas  and school break ups to go to. I need to make food to take along to these places and stay up with all my other general household duties.

My plan is to stay calm and controlled through the week and not try and do too many things.

I hope you all have a great week.

Therese.

An inspiring video.

A friend posted this on the Catholic Type One Yahoo Group.



I have always believed that if you look for something good in your situation, you will find something good. If you look for something bad, you will find something bad. This video just confirms it for me.

RIP Dad.

Two years ago today, my father passed away. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's for 13 years and while we were greatly saddened to loose him, we were glad that he was at peace.

I have written several blog posts about my dad and how he was a great example for me in living our Catholic faith. You can read them all here. 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Smart Martha Monday.

On my list last week, I had do a heap of sewing. 

I have traced all the patterns I wanted to, pinned the boys shirts and made two leggings for myself. I did want to get everything cut out but didn't get around to it. 

This week, I am staying of all social networks. I am going to use my internet time to re organise the kitchen. This job is huge. All my cupboards are really disorganised. I am spending a lot of time looking for ingredients when I want to cook because they have become so disorganised. I am making a list tonight and working out where everything should be kept. 

I hope you all have a great week.

Therese. 

Weekend Wrap up.

Yesterday was the last day in the liturgical year. We start a new one today with the start of Advent.

The children have been asking all weekend when we can put up the Christmas tree. I decided we should have a Jesse Tree for Advent though and I think we will decorate it with purple tinsel. I was able to print off all the Jesse Tree symbols from King of Peace website. 

I had a very productive day yesterday and felt really good about everything I was able to get done.

Steve and I took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph to Mass and Adoration in the morning. I then did food shopping, put the shopping away and cooked. I cooked the chicken for Chicken fried rice and made the Satay Chicken pie filling.

I spent the afternoon sewing and then we went to Mass in the evening.

Last night Steve and I watched Toy Soldiers. I really enjoyed it. It was very different though to what I expected. If you want to see a trailer for it, go here.

Today has been quieter than yesterday was. I did a bit more sewing, took the children to the pool and went to the church to pray for a while since I missed my usual prayer hour on Thursday this week.

I hope you all had a great weekend too.

Therese.

Smart Martha Monday.

After Joseph's fall last week and a few dramas the week before, I didn't end up doing my Smart Martha post.

I didn't do anything I had on my list. I wasn't feeling well for a lot of the time and was just too low on energy.

Tomorrow is another day so I am determined to turn it around again.

The most important thing on my list from two weeks ago was to get some summer clothes sewn for myself. I also need to get some done for the boys. I will hopefully get all the patterns traced and everything cut out this week.

I also want to get a Christmas cake baked and put it away.

I hope you all have a great week.

DISC personality test

DISC personality test

My results:

You are tenacious and determined to follow a course of action - to achieve objectives.
You are a clear thinker. You have an inner need to be objective and analytical. You like to pursue a definite course of action. You respond to logic rather than emotion.
You are likely to be particularly good at handling challenging technical assignments.

Not sure if this is me or not. Would love to hear your results.

Therese.

Monday.

We had a pretty dramatic day here today but all has turned out all okay.
This morning while I was in the shower, Steve came in and said quick, get out, the baby has fallen over and passed out.
I jumped out and when I was dressed came out to see what was going on. Joseph had fallen of the table and then had a convulsion from the fall. We took him down to the hospital and they kept him there for observation.

It gave us a big fright but I was grateful that I could get on Facebook and dcf forums to ask people to pray for us and for Joseph's recovery. He looks fine now and we wouldn't even know that it happened.  Hopefully he won't climb as much now.

Joseph: Swimming in the pool.

The last couple of times we have gone to the pool, Joseph has been too scared to get in the water. He would just put his feet on the steps. Today he had the courage to get in.

Smart Martha Monday.

It is time to report again on how my week went and what I got done.

My list from last week is pretty well complete.

I started our walk in robe. It is a much bigger job than I anticipated so I haven't finished it yet. I think I will have to work on a few things at a time.

I couldn't take Joseph to be fitted for his AFO because the Physio rang and cancelled the appointment. We are going tomorrow morning instead.

I did a holy hour on Thursday.

I kept up with washing.

I didn't clean out a kitchen draw.

On my list this week:

1) Read blogs that are updated each day in my reader. I have been neglecting reading and catching up with many of the blogs that I have in my reader. If I look at it each night, I can usually read them all within a hour. If there is more than one hours reading, I tend to pick and choose a bit more about what I will read.

2) Clean out a kitchen cupboard.

3) Do a couple of posts on diabetes. November is Diabetes awareness month. It is so important that those of us that live with this everyday educate people on what it is like to live with.

4) Go through  my clothes and throw out anything that I haven't worn for a long time.

5) sew some summer clothes for me.

I hope you all have a great week.

Weekend Wrap up.

The warm weather is here in Port Augusta so we went to the pool both yesterday and today.

Steve worked hard and started putting an extension onto our carport. We want to have a carport for two cars for when we get the new one.

 I was going to sew yesterday but decided instead to have a clean out of my sewing area. I still need to go through my fabrics and work out what I am going to use this summer and if we need to give any away.

One end of my sewing table is used by everyone in this house as a dumping spot. This is what fly lady would call a fire spot. It gets out of control pretty quickly and ends up spilling along the entire table. I really hope this sign at least makes them stop and think before they put something there.

Oh and if you cannot read what I have written on this it says:

This space is NOT a dumping spot for your things.

Please put clothes or music away in the cupboards they belong in.

If there is something you want to put here because you don't know where it goes please ask Mum/Therese where it does go.

I hope you all had a good weekend too.

7 Quick Takes.

Thanks so much to Jen from Conversion Diary for hosting 7 quick takes each week. You can go and read other people's quick takes here. 

-1-

This week has been Sam's first week of exams. He had Physics and Maths studies. Next week he has Chemistry and Specialist Maths. Next Friday will be his last one and then he has finished school for the year. Next year, he is going back and doing 4 more year 12 subjects. He has decided he wants to get into sound engineering and needs to have studied music for this. He was originally going to try and get into Mechanical engineering and so did all maths subjects to get into this. 

-2-

Joseph is starting to talk and imitate us a lot now. He says his name and just about anything we say. I really like it when he calls Sam. He can say this quite plainly. 

-3-

This weekend I am hoping to do a lot of summer sewing. I desperately need some summer clothes for myself. I am hoping to get a couple of new tops and some leggings sewn. 

-4-

Joseph didn't end up getting measured for his AFO's this week. The appointment was cancelled. I hope it isn't too long till we get another one. 

He also needs to go to Adelaide sometime for a MRI. I was hoping to avoid this but his Paediatrician has asked me to take him down to have it so I will. 

-5-

The book, A Special Mother is Born has been published. I have written one of the chapters in this book about being the mother of two children with type one diabetes. 

The book can be purchased from Westbrow Press. 

I am going to get my own copy but I am thinking about buying a couple of extra ones to pass around for people to read.

It has all kinds of mothers stories in it and I am really confident it will be a huge success and help save many babies that may be aborted because of their disability. 

-6-

Today Sam bought a present for the family. We now have Mario Kart Wii. It is a great game. I haven't had a go yet but I will tomorrow. 

-7-

For my last quick take I want to ask you all to keep an online friend of mine in your prayers. 

Kalona from Knocking Everywhere has cancer. She can be treated but it is going to be a long road for her to travel. You can read about the treatment plan here. Please keep her in your prayers. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Wordless Wednesday.

Joseph and Christopher at the foreshore today.