Prints with Kids

Using an apple

Pretty necklace print

Miss Pants did a few "moons"

Foam flower prints

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday

Bye for now, K

Spotty McSpot Spot

What a strange few weeks we've had.  First there was the gastro bug that seemed to go through most of the town, then the flu, and now we have a confirmed case of Chicken Pox in our house.  (Probably with one more to come.)  It is certainly one of those ocassions where I wish I could take it on for him myself.  I know I'd be miserable & itchy too, but it would be easier than seeing him go through it :(

I was absolutely blown away yesterday though.  We received an offer from people at church to make a few meals for us. Oh my, how nice was that!!  I said no though. I'm not the sick one.  It was pointed out to me that I may not be sick but people understand how hard it can be with sick children to get things done & they just want to do something nice for us.  I understand that, so I said that if Little h gets it (which is likely since he & Mr Magoo share a room & Mr Magoo usually holds Little h in the bath) then I would accept a few meals because Little h will be miserable & not understand why I'm putting him down to cook meals & carry on with my daily tasks as a wife & mum of four.

How absolutely amazing is it to have people in your life that are willing to do that?!  (Yes, I know, I too have my name on the roster to provide meals for others but it's such a strange & wonderful feeling to be on the receiving end of such generosity.

So this morning I took H to school & left Mr Magoo (aka Spotty McSpot Spot) home (with ph numbers & the neighbours home next door) & when I got home I found hin reading this...

and listening to this

I quite like this CD.  We borrowed it from a friend but I think we may just need to pop into the local Christian Bookstore where I got that book from & order it in.  We borrowed two CD's but this is our favourite. 

Well, better head off to the shop and find something soft for dinner.  Spotty Mc Spot Spot has pox in his mouth & throat so it's making things really difficult for him.  He suggested beef strog but I pointed out it'd be pretty hard to swallow.

Bye for now, K

Why Me, Why Now God??

If there is one thing I am beginning to REALLY despise hearing it is the excuse used for things that are hard in our lives at the moment. That excuse being "it's just where you're up to in life" or "everybody goes through a stage like that". Now without sharing specific examples (because they are just too close to my heart & too difficult to share right now), I can safely say "What a load of BS!!" Is it really necessary to provide an "excuse" for a particularly difficult time in life? Is that not like trying to explain away a completely unexpected illness?

Well I don't really know where that came from but it has made me think about some of the sermons we've heard in the past few weeks, from Philippians. Part of Philippians tells of how Paul was locked up, in chains and still he rejoiced in Christ!

Yes, I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.       Philippians 2:19

I'm pretty sure I couldn't rejoice if I was locked up like that...

I read a blog post recently that was on this very topic.  This self pitying questioning faith topic. You can find it here.  It references a verse from Jeremiah. 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

It basically says to me that God will use what you have been through to make you a better, stronger person, even if that sometimes means dealing with things you'd rather not deal with.  I actually find comfort in that. Paul managed to rejoice in his difficulty.  I can not, but I will move forward regardless and I will do it with Christ leading the way. (If you interested, read on & find out what he says in verses 12 & 13.)

Remember the old saying "Ask & ye shall receive".  I wonder where that came from.

This song has been with me this week.

Bye for now, K

Fancy a Shave Anyone?

Last weekend, Mr C was away for the day abseiling, we'd been for a bike ride/walk to the shop & the weather was still warm for Autumn so I decided to set up some outside messy fun for the kids.

Start with a large plastic container (from under the kids bed) fill it with shaving foam

Add some paint

Let them at it!!

Tip for me: Don't get too close with the camera

Miss Pants was really getting into it!

Then she actually DID fall into it!  Shower number one.

It's not very clear from this picture, but shower number 2 was next & NO, the paint didn't wash out of that white shirt.  WHAT WAS I THINKING??

They had a ball!!  They want to do it again.  It does feel pretty cool in your fingers.

Bye for now, K

Pear & Cinnamon Muffins

While I had a little time one morning before school I thought I'd whip up some muffins I'd seen on another blog.  Unfortunately the page wouldn't load so I pretty much made it up as I went.

They went something like this.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup plain flour
1 cup almond meal
about 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
about 1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg & 1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup lite milk
2/3 cup or less olive oil
1 1/2 pears, grated

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180 deg C.  Place a muffin case in each hole of a 12 hole muffin pan.

Put ALL ingedients in a bowl.  Mix gently with a wooden spoon until until just combined. 

Divide evenly amongst the holes.  Bake for at least 25 minutes.

Grating the pear.  Sorry, but this is the only pic I took.  I'm sure you know what muffins look like though.

I'm thinking this was probably not quite long enough or perhaps not hot enough. They were SUPER moist & stuck to the cases badly.  VERY tasty though :)

Bye for now, K

Rippy Strippy

We made windmills or pinwheels last week. 

Carefully cutting along the lines I marked out for her. 

She got a bit carried away with her "careful cutting".  See the pile of pink paper on the left.

This little mess is what she calls Rippy Strippy.  Not sure whether it's come from pre-school or something she's come up with all by herself.

We thought we'd do it again on the weekend while the older boys were home and this was what they came up with instead.

Mr Magoo had a windmill in his picture at least.

H's plane.

More rippy strippy from Miss Pants.

Bye for now, K

Finally another WIP to share

I didn't say anything was finished but that's OK because this is Work In Progress, NOT Work Completed.  Ha ha ha, my little sneaky escape.

I'm pretty sure I've shown you this before, while it was just pinned in place.  Well, I got it all sewn on.  I haven't put the back on yet though, so not finished.  Lots more to do but should have another few hours this Sunday to work on things. WooHoo!!

The Perfect Woman

I went to a Christian Women's Conference on 12 May.

The topic was Proverbs 31.

Hmmm, this is a little harder than I thought.  Perhaps I'll just start and then see what comes out.

Well, this was my first CWC.  It was pretty darn good.  I have to be honest though, I thought it would get me thinking more deeply about my role as wife and mother.  Or perhaps give me a longer list of ideas as to how I can improve in these areas, but it didn't.  Maybe it is because I have been thinking about these things for quite some time anyway. 

I came away with some Bible references that I still want to read though.  It has certainly increased my WANT to spend time reading the Word more often.  Just prior to attending I was getting pretty good anyway (and yet just of late I've been slack again, Grrr). I also strengthened a few friendships (well I think so anyway).

If you've read Proverbs 31 you'll know that this woman has achieved perfection, so to speak...

One thing I'm sure all husbands would appreciate from the day was that everyone was told, (probably AGAIN for many women) that the best way to show husbands that you love them is to have sex. Yep, SEX!!  Men are so completely NOT like women in this aspect.  We need so many other things before we feel loved, which can lead to sex, but men just need sex.  THEN they feel loved. Sigh...  It would be soo much simpler if we needed the same things.  There might be a little less falling asleep on the lounge, then being wide awake when they drag themselves into bed, and a little more "let me clear away after dinner for you & give you a massage with no strings attached" type activities.  Yeah I know, I'm dreaming.  LOL.

Anway, there were a couple of talks, then a time for small groups to have a bit of a chat and to put on paper any questions we had for the panel.  (Yes, the sex thing came up again in question time.)  I had spent the day sitting in the "breastfeeding section" so was speaking with other young Mums.  I think it would have been nice to listen to what some older womens opinions were too though.  That sounds awful.  I don't mean OLD, I just mean older than me.  At a different stage of life I guess.  How do they see themselves comparing to this version of perfection.  Do they strive for it?  Did they ever try to get there? What advice or wisdom could they impart on me??

I spoke to a few women the following day about the Conference but didn't really get onto this.

So I know I have mentioned that I crave time with the Lord and with His word but I feel like I need more.  A friend suggested that perhaps I need to approach the ministers wife and ask if she or someone else within the congregation could act as mentor for me.  After attending the CWC I felt so inspired and uplifted that there were so many Christian Women out there.  I can't imagine the turnout if I were to go to one in Sydney.  It really was encouraging!  

I haven't done it. Yet. Still.  The finding-a-mentor I mean.  I don't want to be a burden on anyone.  I don't know how to ask.  I'm confused.  I think my kids know more about the Scriptures than I do.  I guess I'm a bit embaressed.  Everytime I come close to asking I chicken out, or it doesn't seem appropriate, or I feel I've already used up too much of valuable time (of whoever I'm speaking with).  I guess I will get to it one day.  In the mean time, I'll keep reading His word for myself.  Might even pinch all the kids bibles off them & start there.

Bye for now, K

Oven Baked Sausage & Tomato Risotto

I was talking to a friend on the phone the other day that I speak to maybe once every 3 months.  When we talk it's like we never skipped a beat.  We've been like it for years.  We certainly don't always see eye to eye on things but we're OK with that.  Anyway, last time we chatted she was making risotto. I've made a vegetable risotto before but it got me thinking about making something different for a change so google & Taste.com were visited.

This is what I came up with...

INGREDIENTS
1 tblspn oil (if you need it)
725g italian sausages
1 brown onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 celery stalks, sliced
400g can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, to serve

METHOD
1.  Preheat oven to 180deg C.  Heat oil in a 12 cup flame proof casserole or ovenproof saucepan (such as my new Como Advanced Saute Pan from The Chefs Toolbox) over medium heat. Fry sausages for 10 minutes, turning until browned and almost cooked. Remove from pan.

2.  Add onion to saucepan, and more oil if you needed.  Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until soft.

3.  Slice sausages into bite-sized pieces.

4.  Add rice and celery to saucepan.  Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring.  Add sausages, tomatoes, stock and water.  Stir.  Remove from heat. Cover with lid or foil.

5.  Transfer dish to the oven & cook for 30 to 35 minutes or untilalmost all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, but firm to the bite.  Serve sprinkled with parsley.

I left mine in a little too long so I sprinkled each plate with water before serving it up.

It turned out we're not huge fans of italian sausage. Lol.  It was still pretty good though.  Even after two had two lunches from the left overs there was still PLENTY left too.  I think we could almost half the recipe next time.  I'd like to try it with extra lean pork sausages I think.

Do you have a favourite risotto recipe you'd care to share??

Bye for now, K

Rice Rice Rice

I recently decided that 3 yr old Miss Pants (short for Cranky Pants) needed to improve her behaviour.  Actually I've known that for some time but I had no idea how to do that.  She is number three in the family but I have no idea how to "manage" her. I've been in contact with a couple of people lately that don't actually have TV's in their houses and I know a friend of mine limits the time their children watch TV to before 9am & after 5pm (sometimes recording shows outside that time bracket) so I decided that perhaps Miss Pants could do with LESS TV time & more Mummy/imaginative play time.

After school drop off on the first morning of limiting TV time, I gave her half a cup of rice to play with in a plastic bowl & some of the toys from the bath.

It was a HIT!!

From there I decided to make coloured rice to play with.  Years ago, when I did Child Care at TAFE, I had made some for a music themed task.  I couldn't remember how to do it though so I googled.  I found this which provided a few different ideas.

We took a little walk to the local supermarket, purchased a cheap 2kg bag of rice & some food colouring & came home to get colouring.

I grabbed a couple of baking trays.  Lined them with foil.  Grabbed an aluminium mixing bowl, a measuring cup and a spoon then gathered what I needed... Rice, White Vinegar and Food Colouring

This was SUPER easy to do.

I put 1/4 cup of vinegar in the bowl, added the food colouring, then added 1/2 cup of uncooked rice.  Now, the amount of food colouring varied but I had been reading that some people used about 8 drops.  I'm guessing it may depend on the brand you use but I ended up using 20 - 30 drops depending on the colour we were trying to achieve.  Miss Pants chose the colours we used this time.

So we added the rice and gave it a stir for a few minutes.  Seriously, it wouldn't have been any longer than about 5 minutes. (Be very careful not to make a mess because it'll be difficult to remove.  It probably won't come out of clothing either.)

Carefully drain the water off (or use a fine strainer if you have one) then spread the rice out on the prepared tray to dry.  We went with the leave-it-in-the-sun-to-dry option and ducked off to pre school with a book order while we waited for it to dry.  When we got back I gave it a bit of a stir and found it almost dry, so we had lunch while we waited and then she was off to play!

I should really just add though that if you are anal about keeping your carpet clean, do NOT let this be an indoor activity.  I though, realise that our carpet could not only do with cleaning, but also replacing, so I'm pretty cool with it.

Seriously, this has entertained her for HOURS over the week.  Even Mr Magoo & H have enjoyed playing with it.  Over the week the bag has reduced slightly in size though.  Some of it has been vacuumed up because try as we might it is really hard to pick it all up off the carpet.  Her tea set & cooking utensils have been used to play too.  We made some little shakers with leftover plastic eggs from Easter as well.  Rice really does make some pretty cool sounds.

Now, I need to come up with something else for her to do.  Any ideas????

We might make some windmill/pinwheel thingies this week...

Bye for now, K

An update on REST TIME

Just quickly I thought I'd let you know how things are going with Miss Pants.  Although I didn't receive any help on ideas for dealing with Miss Pants (except from Mario's wife.  you know who you are), I did follow through with minimising her TV hours & MAN does it make a difference!!

I had no idea how much of a difference it would make to her general behaviour!  True, I have had to play more of an active role in parenting, but that in itself is FANTASTIC I have to say.

One day I did let her watch an episode of Play School but it was on my iPad so I knew we wouldn't be tempted to watch anything else or leave the tele on "just because".  Instead of having the TV for background noise we've been listening to music.  Predominantly new Christian CD's I've bought or borrowed, but still some mainstream stuff too.  Kids and adults music.

Oh & I let her watch Toy Story 3 today because she is sick.  She missed out on Pre-school yesterday AND Pip Squeaks today, so I thought she could have a little rest this afternoon and watch one of her favourite movies.  She fell asleep before it was time to do the school pick up.  I knew she needed some rest. Lol.  She'll miss swimming tomorrow too.  I can't wait to deal with that little let down, but it shouldn't be as bad as todays.

Perhaps in my next post I'll share something that has been taking up LOADS of time, INSTEAD of the TV :)

Bye for now, K

Stuff I know...

• I took some pic's of the Autumn leaves in our local streets.  Still to share...
• Kids made a few pics with some leaves they collected.
• Everyone in our family has been sick in the past week/two weeks.  Mr C is the latest.  He came home from work sick (which NEVER happens).
• I NEED to finish the Mothers Day projects I began as a semi non-guilty treat to myself, by making something for our Mums.
• I REALLY NEED to get my cushion orders done!!
• I took the youngest two kids foot prints recently.  I'd like to share them with you some time.
• My plan to keep a blog to help keep myself accountable hasn't worked too well.  I haven't had my hair trimmed this month, my weightloss is non existant, and even my coffee outing have eased off.  Grrrr....
• I am CLEARLY having a bad day.  Perhaps feeling a little rejected.  Not sure, but I'm struggling to find positives to share.

• I am grateful that my children are over the sickness we shared.
• I am grateful that my parents were able to enjoy a lovely weekend down the coast with my Mothers siblings and their cousins.  They have been trying to organise thise for years.  Only 1 wasn't able to make it and she lives in Cairns.  About 3000km's away.  Next year they will organise it for QLD school holidays so she can get away from work.
• I am liking my new CD's from Compliments of Gus 
• Our little man is still growing well and thriving on breast milk alone.  He's 5 months now & 8kg's.  (I tried solids twice in the past week and he's HATED it.  He's developed a couple of spots of ezcema. Wondering if it's related.)
• I went to Cubs last night with Mr Magoo.  Mum's were invited along as a Mother's Day celebration.  It was fun!  I enjoyed getting my heart rate up.  Mum's beat the Cubs 4 -1. WooHoo!!  Go Mums!!
• My kids have been making Mothers Day gifts at Joeys/Cubs and pre-school.  Looking forward to seeing what they've come up with :)
• I love my family!!

Bye for now, K

REAL Christians, REAL Women, REAL Mums

I was sharing with a Mum from church recently, via email, that I've been quite tired with the return to school routine & too often quick with what comes out of my mouth & I'm not liking what I'm hearing. She shared this with me.

Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check...

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness ... no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3)

I felt some relief from this. Knowing that no one is perfect. But it is still something I can pray on. Finding wiser words to share, rather than those that roll off the tongue easily and inflict pain. But these words also made me think of those people I'd been to church with all those years ago.

Tomorrow I will go to my Women's Bible Study (unprepared unless I get my butt off here and do some reading), but it will inspire me to keep on keeping on.  It is nice to be involved with women in a church who have real issues and actually share them with you.  I realise that at this stage they aren't really sharing with me but with the other pre-existing members of the bible study group, but the fact they are still willing to share with me there means more to me than they could ever realise. 

As I said, I've never spoken to women from a church that have so openly shared problems I could relate to.  You know, issues with kids, real problems that real mothers have with real kids.  Finding time to spend with their husbands in a meaningful (non sexual) way, but with no "husband bashing" to be heard of.  Not like the families that pretend everything is just rosy, or those women that not only forget the importance of Ephesians 5:22-33, but those that blatantly ignore it.  I find my short amount of time on a Thursday morning with these women more beneficial than they could imagine. I really felt like reaching my arms around them all last week in a giant embrace and whispering thank you over and over again.

I'm looking forward to Saturday!.!.!.! Proverbs 31 Christian Womens Conference.

Bye for now, K

 

Rest Time

Oh how I miss Miss Pants having rest time in the afternoons.  Actually, I didn't intend this post to be about her but it was the first thing that appeared on the screen.  After such a big break from the blog I had so much I wanted to get out but she is closest to my heart at the moment and it is taking its toll.  The blog title is kind of double sided too.  Sometimes I really find myself needing a rest from her.

She is number three child in our family but Lordy Loo she presses my buttons like no other.  I often wonder if it is because she is so much like me.  I have made the comment to my Dad that the stubbornness has gotten stronger with each generation and it has certainly peaked with this child.  Me being stubborn and pig headed myself find it quite difficult to deal with her, but there MUST be a way!  Even my mother in law has trouble with her & she is kind of like the child whisperer.  Lol.

You know, people keep saying how cute she is but in all honesty I could just cry sometimes. I really could.  I almost feel like screaming sometimes.  I feel as though she is wearing a mask that only I can see through. 

Some people say she has a wonderful imagination which is a gift but I mostly see that she has become a liar.  At THREE she can stand there and straight-facedly tell a lie.  Not just making up a story, but actually lie.  YES, she does make up any number of stories in a day, but it really does go beyond that.

What makes this all even worse for me is that she is my daughter...  My only daughter...  I wish I had a better relationship with her...  I pray that I may find the strength and ability to cope with her strong will and see the good in it everyday rather than the opposite (YES, there are tears blurring my vision right now)...  I pray that she will learn to put her strength to fabulous use in her later years but that she may learn to use it appropriately (with lots of help from Mr C I think, 'cause I haven't mastered this by a long shot!!).  I have asked my mother if my memory of my childhood is all wrong, because I was sure I was NEVER that bad.  She agreed with me.  She's never met a child like her either.  I'm starting to wonder whether there is more to it.  Perhaps I should ask for an assessment at pre-school.  Perhaps I'm just over thinking things AGAIN.  I DO have a tendency to do that after all.

I'm thinking I may have to take a leaf out of my friends book and limit her TV time.  I'm not sure what my friend limmits her kids TV time too exactly but she is certain it has changed her children/s behaviour for the better.  Off course in doing so it will mean I'll have to spend time with her more.  Much more I imagine.  It would be good and bad off course.  Perhaps it would make me appreciate the time I have alone, or at least to myself, more.  I honestly don't know, but it has GOT to be worth a try!!

If anyone has suggestions or ideas for me PLEASE share!!  Leave a comment or email me if you know my address.  I need help with this one guys.  PLEASE...

I know I've probably been scarily honest but that's me!  You know it.  I know it.  It just doesn't normally come out with such emotion.  I guess if you read this and thought I seemed upset you'd be right.  I don't often show emotion, but I ALWAYS try my hardest to be honest (even when I do get distracted half way through telling you something to fill you in on another strain of the story).

So that's it, I'm gonna hit publish in a second, and then I'm going to try & come up with a much happier positive post to share.  I'm not gonna proof read, because I'll probably delete too much that has really come from my stretched, tired heart.

Bye for now, K

That strange feeling again...

Hmmm, how do I say this? Where do I begin?

Perhaps at the beginning. 

Feeling and Craving
A few months back I started "feeling" that I needed to go to Bible Study.  Then I started going to church too.  Not the same church as that which holds the bible study, but a smaller church which seems to fulfill my needs and the needs of my children wonderfully.  I have felt my faith being reaffirmed and renewed.  I don't share as much on my blog about this journey as I could/should.  I'm guessing it is because it is a bit scary to me.  My renewed faith still feels quite raw and if you know much about Christianity you'll know there is one question you should ALWAYS be prepared to answer and I'm just not quite sure what I say in response to that question.  I have an answer in me, I just don't know how to articulate it.

Anyway, once again, I have been feeling myself pulled, or perhaps pushed, toward other Christians. But there is more to it than that.  I feel that I have been rather slack in my personal study of the Word and in my prayers.  I'm craving MORE.  As a side note, years ago when I went to church I found the sermons rather uninteresting & boring to be honest, but I think it is because I didn't listen to what was being shared with me.  The prayers we said in church didn't seem to touch me much either.  These days however, I have a different feeling.  I guess back then I was touched more by singing God's praises and these days I can hear them in a multitude of ways.  Perhaps it's maturity, perhaps it's just a choice.

If someone had told me then that I'd receive daily devotionals by email that I would read each day I'd have looked at them strangely, wondering why I'd feel the need to fill more of my time with technology, but I do (& I actually procrastinate on it now too).  I CRAVE information about Jesus our wonderful Saviour, God our Creator.  (I wonder at times whether God played a sneaky little card when it came to me naming my blog.  It seems as though I was back on His path before I knew I was.)

Now Then
Miss Pants, Little H and I attend Pip Squeaks and one Sunday morning at church the call went out for more helpers at Pip Squeaks because one of the Leaders has just had a baby & another is due to have twins within weeks.  It was worded in the weekly notes in such a way that I thought I couldn't possibly do what was asked.  I think it said something along the lines of providing Ministry to the wider community.  I thought to myself, Geez, I have enough trouble with it myself.  I can't help others with their walk.  One of the other Mum's & I chatted about it one morning & neither of us felt up to it, for varying reasons.

Then during the week I was having these little thoughts sneaking in.  Perhaps that's what He intends.  I'm supposed to help, in turn learning more myself, then being able to share with others as He deems appropriate.  I had opened my bible for the first time in a couple of weeks and found a note I'd written on bright green paper.
 
Moses said to the Lord "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue".  The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth?  Who makes him deaf or mute?  Who gives him sight or makes him blind?  Is it not I, the Lord?  Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." (Exodus 4:10-12)

I was a day away from sharing this with the people that organise Pip Squeaks.  A day away from sticking my hand up.  That evening it began...

The Vomit Factor
... H started vomiting.  He is rather weak of stomach and has been hospitalised before when he got some sort of stomach bug which resulted in him vomiting for days.  Even after he was discharged from hospital he vomited at least daily for a week.

Luckily this time it wasn't that bad.  We did take him to hospital though because there really is nothing of him.  He can't afford to be sick, so to speak.  We wondered whether it was a bug or just something he'd eaten.  We didn't go to church that day because I didn't want to risk myself or the other kids passing on the bug to one of the other kids, or worse, a little baby or pregnant Mummy.

I kept H home from school on Monday, and he seemed fine all day.  Got all the sheets washed and dried, beds made again (he's on the top bunk so the bottom bunk needed washing too).  After I'd gone to bed that night I heard that call again "Muuummm"  I leapt up, a bit disorientated and ran down the hall.  He'd done it again.  He had a bucket with him, but made even more mess than the previous night.  He moved to the lounge for the evening and stayed home from school for another day.

I was tricked into a false sense of safety then.  I thought we made it through relatively unscathed.  We kept H home from Joey's.  I picked Mr Magoo up from Cubs as normal and when I arrived home I opened the back door to find the lounge two thirds covered in VOMIT!!  This time it was Miss Pants.  Mr C had just put her in the shower.  (Our lounge suite is now having it's first ever professional clean. Booked in for Monday.)

I'm waiting to see if any more of us come down with whatever it was and praying that we, as a family, recover quickly.

What to do??
So I never got to church to let them know I'd like to help & now I'm wondering if God was really letting me know that I should help or if I was just misinterpretting my own thoughts... Perhaps God is really telling me to spend more time at home with my children and to stop venturing out as much, to stop wanting or trying to help & please others as much and focus on my own walk with Him.  Ha ha, I was going to say "Who knows?" but I know the answer to that.

This verse is really talking to me this week.  To me it has a couple of meanings.  It is scary & exciting & I'm not sure how I came across it but I did.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

I wish I could actually remember some of these verses for appropriate times.  (Still, I think it's pretty cool that I found Exodus 4:10-12 that had clearly touched me enough on another ocassion recently that I'd written it out already.)

So I guess I'm saying, after all that, that I'm a little up in the air at the moment.  Craving more of Him, and not quite knowing how to go about it without getting myself all confused and over stretched.


Bye for now, K