It's been way too long since the last blog. I apologise for the big gap between then, and now. Lots of water has gone under the bridge along with any other cliches which might be added here.
No pics this time, but hopefully there will be more next month.
The poor tub gardens served their purpose, went seedy and look very scraggly. We will be travelling over the summer, so there was no point to setting up gardens again. Poor hubs is in the midst of trying to prepare for our trip, mow down as much tall grass as he can with a whipper-snipper (five acres of grass including firebreaks, which must be mowed right down to the ground), and continue preaching and teaching and handling the management of our church until we leave.
On the positive side, the family is still growing! God has blessed us with 17 grandchildren, 2 step-grandsons, and one baby-in-waiting. Our children and grandkids are all truly amazing, wonderful individuals whom we dote on and adore.
On the negative side, with the passing years comes wear-and-tear which must be attended to so the old machinery doesn't just quit--and I'm not talking about cars, mowers or tools here! Hubs and I are doing our bit to contribute to the incomes of our doctors and dentists by giving them something to do.
Our cars are officially senior citizens as well. My little 2005 Getz is now nearing the 200,000 km mark. The poor old Ford is even older.
I think the problem is too many kms.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Geese Bathing
After taking the pics of the geese coming out into the enclosure, they were treated to a kiddie pool drink-and-bathe! They enjoyed spending a fair bit of time preening their feathers and stretching their wings out in the sun to dry...
GEESE Pics!!
It's March. Where did that last month go? Oh, yes, we had a bunch of birthdays (still not quite finished with the Feb/March group), school started for the year, and we got the geese...
OK, the fenced enclosure is finished now and the geese can go out to play. They look lots happier out stretching their wings in the sunshine than they are when they have to stay "inside"! They are quite tame, though very wary of human visitors. Learning the "goose girl" or "goose herder" game: walking behind them, lift your right arm if you want them to go left, and raise your left arm to make them go right. They stay in formation most of the time, and look particularly cute coming out of the pen in a straight line! I didn't quite catch the line coming out but I'll try to do that in future posts-it's just classic.
The kids will love these--I can't wait for them to come to visit again!
Cheers for now!
OK, the fenced enclosure is finished now and the geese can go out to play. They look lots happier out stretching their wings in the sunshine than they are when they have to stay "inside"! They are quite tame, though very wary of human visitors. Learning the "goose girl" or "goose herder" game: walking behind them, lift your right arm if you want them to go left, and raise your left arm to make them go right. They stay in formation most of the time, and look particularly cute coming out of the pen in a straight line! I didn't quite catch the line coming out but I'll try to do that in future posts-it's just classic.
The kids will love these--I can't wait for them to come to visit again!
Cheers for now!
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Different Kind of Crop
Today I want to share some photos of some very wonderful people. The months of February and March bring with them very special occasions: BIRTHDAYS. Beginning with the 12th Feb (just before Valentine's Day)--one granddaughter and one grandson's birthdays, then through that month, a daughter, husband and another daughter's birthday. In March, a son, another grandson, and a beloved sister's birthday. In honor of as many birthdays as we could fit in, our Australian contingent met at an Italian restaurant/cafe for lunch the day before Valentine's Day. This is becoming a tradition for a combined birthday for our family!
Underlying our joy and celebration was a sort of sadness, as several of those birthday boys and girls are living far, far away. They were fondly remembered on the day, and we all look forward to being together again someday.
Underlying our joy and celebration was a sort of sadness, as several of those birthday boys and girls are living far, far away. They were fondly remembered on the day, and we all look forward to being together again someday.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
New Developments on "The Farm"
It's Birthday Month for our family. We weren't all born in February/March, but quite a few of us were! With family overseas and here celebrating a number of birthdays, it's a very happy time.
The lazy hens are still not laying, but we have added three British Giant rabbits to our menagerie. They are only 8 weeks old but are the size of a "normal" rabbit already. They should reach a length of about a metre (3 feet more or less) when fully grown. We hope to "grow" them to full size, then sell them and possibly breed them.
I am adding pics to show how much the gardens have grown. The weather over the past couple of weeks has been ideal, so some of the tubs are overflowing in spite of harvesting regularly. We'll soon have enough strawberries for a pie!
The lazy hens are still not laying, but we have added three British Giant rabbits to our menagerie. They are only 8 weeks old but are the size of a "normal" rabbit already. They should reach a length of about a metre (3 feet more or less) when fully grown. We hope to "grow" them to full size, then sell them and possibly breed them.
I am adding pics to show how much the gardens have grown. The weather over the past couple of weeks has been ideal, so some of the tubs are overflowing in spite of harvesting regularly. We'll soon have enough strawberries for a pie!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Tub Gardens Revisited
We've enjoyed several salads now from the gardens, with the purple basil adding a fragrant and delicious taste. The flavor of the greens is far superior to anything from the supermarket! Even after some harvesting, it's easy to see how the gardens have grown. The in-ground plants are also doing well, after a windbreak was constructed to stop the hot breezes from baking the leaves...
Monday, January 11, 2010
Some Pics of the Tub Gardens
OK, I now have some pictures of the new gardens in our back yard (scroll down to see pics). We have no lawn--but right now the tubs are residing on paving which will eventually be our back patio. Hubby also cleverly designed some hanging pots with upside-down crops (think Disney World) planted through a hole at the bottom, and rightside-up crops in the same buckets, hanging from rafters near the back door of the house!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
It's a Brand New Year!
This blog has been severely neglected. It started out as an experiment, but now (almost two years after my last post) maybe I'm ready to start posting again.
The last two years have been eventful...it would be a real challenge for my memory to outline everything that has happened since early 2008, but there have been some life-changing happenings and natural developments which might go well in this new post.
2008 was my second year as Director of Music in a K-12 private Christian school. A new Music office and some new ensemble rooms at the school brightened the year, along with the addition of a new Middle School Music teacher to help with the teaching load. The year started out rather brightly with a good number of students in each Music class, and some new ideas for a Primary Band beginning to bubble up.
2008 was also Youngest Son's last year of High School. He needed to take an overload in order to graduate, and most of the overload consisted of Music courses. He began (and completed) a Certificate III in Music that year, and also an endorsed Music program which gave him credit for all his Band work, rehearsals and practical activities such as performances and preparations for them. It was an uphill battle for him, but well worth the effort because he was able to graduate in December 2008.
For me, 2008 was full of ups and downs (mostly ups!) with the birth of two new grandchildren, planning and saving for a trip to the US to visit our two moms, hubby's family and our oldest daughter and family, and to meet our new granddaughter for the first time. The trip was a good catch-up time with extended family members (particularly some cousins of hubby's) in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana, and some sightseeing in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin during the snowy season.
If you have never moved between a Southern continent summer to a Northern continent winter, you have never lived. There is no way to describe how the physical body, acclimatised to temperatures ranging from 80 to 100F degrees "plus" feels when hopping off an airplane to a freezing, snowy Indiana winter! The return trip is also a shocker, as you are feeling fairly accustomed to the wintertime temps and must quickly re-adjust to those hot temps again. We survived, and enjoyed it! One of the funniest but surprisingly enjoyable moments was the sensation of slipping, falling backwards onto a thick layer of freshly fallen snow, and feeling as if I had fallen onto a soft mattress--what else to do but create a snow angel? Youngest Son, meanwhile, was laughing his head off (of course). It would have made a great photo moment, but I feel blessed that YS didn't think of that!
2009 was a year of mixed blessings. The ideas for a Primary Band came to fruition as a new Band Scholarship program was begun partway through the year. We invited a specific number of students from Year 5 to join the Band program: five each on flute, clarinet, saxophone and trumpet, 3 on trombones and one on euphonium. The students were given free lessons and band rehearsals. Later in the year we added on another flute and saxophone, and dropped the euphonium--so we had a Primary Band of 25 players by the end of the year. One of the brightest points about teaching and directing the Music program for the year was seeing and hearing those 25 children playing two lively pieces of music very well at the Primary graduation. The program will continue in 2010 with a new batch of Year 5 students beginning free lessons and Year 6 students continuing in Primary band rehearsals.
Rather early in the year (March-April), we were "victims" of two accidents. First, I was walking along a paved area in front of the Music office at school, and tripped over something small (most likely a fruit pit). This area is a favorite of students for eating their lunches and socializing during recess. I fell full-length and banged my right forehead/brow area on the concrete. Classes were in session so not many students knew about the accident--but it resulted in a trip to the hospital in an ambulance, one week off school while the humungous black eye/forehead/cheekbone faded a bit, and a few more weeks of recovery! The worst of that experience was definitely the discoloration, but I had a headache off and on for weeks.
Just as I was beginning to feel (and look) better, hubby had an accident. He had been out on a motorbike ride and had come into contact with a big kangaroo, head-on, in the bush. This is a constant danger when driving around dusk and early evening in bushy areas. He had flown right over the handlebars and landed in an awkward position. The first I knew of it was when I answered the phone and heard his calm but slightly shaky voice telling me about the accident. He sounded so "good" over the phone that I wasn't too worried. He said to wait until he called again because he would be taken to the hospital via ambulance.
By the time I visited (the next day), I was immediately sorry I hadn't driven to the hospital right after the accident. His injuries were more severe than he had known at the time, and over the course of the next 9-10 months, he had operations to repair the injuries and spent a lot of time recuperating. We were blessed by God in that there were no head injuries or internal injuries, although one shoulder and an ankle were very badly injured and there were lots of abrasions and extensive bruising.
The last few months hubby has kept himself pleasantly occupied by ordering and replacing parts which were destroyed or badly damaged on the motorbike, and he has recently begun riding again for short periods of time. Now he is only riding in the daytime in those areas, so the chances of meeting up with another 'roo are very slight.
Also in 2009, Youngest Son spent some time at university working on a uni-prep course, then decided he would apply to study at a school of audio engineering, and found two part-time jobs. For us as parents, this was a difficult year because we have officially become "empty-nesters". Because our location is a 45-60 minute drive from places YS needs to be on a daily basis, he has been staying with Youngest Daughter and her family most weekdays. On the upside, we now have two fairly unused rooms, one which is outfitted as a guest room and the other, which would make an ideal study/work space and extra guest room for when family or friends visit.
Our latest venture has been the establishment of "Pot Gardens"...or "Tub Gardens" which is probably a less controversial way of saying it. Because we have 5 sloping acres of clayish soil and a need to conserve water, we decided not to try to plant lots of vegies and flowers into the ground to see the water leach away. Our huge water tank has proven to keep us in rainwater through our long, dry summers, but we would never have had enough from that alone to water an extensive in-ground garden.
We have started with 10 large tubs and have planted them with salad vegies, greens, peppers of various varieties, strawberries, herbs and some flowering shrubs in smaller pots. Hubby has cleverly designed and built a watering system which waters each pot individually via a tiny fountain in the middle of each tub. These are connected and set with a timer to water them for 4 minutes every 6 hours on dry, hot days. They will be set for 2 minutes on cooler, moister days. We have planted zucchini, watermelon and may try some sprouted sweet potatoes straight in the ground nearby; and we have a mini lemon tree in an extra-large tub. Plans for the next month or two include adding a Pink Lady apple mini tree and other fruit and nut trees; possibly some snap peas and green beans on some latticework or fencing so they can climb. I hope to be able to put some photos on the blog very soon!
We will also soon be gathering eggs! Hubby built a chicken coop which is now awaiting the arrival of its occupants...
2009 also brought with it the birth of another grandson, and two expectant daughters who are due early in 2010 with granddaughters. God has so richly blessed us with wonderful children and now grandchildren! He has brought us through the last two years with their highs and lows, and we praise Him for His amazing grace.
The last two years have been eventful...it would be a real challenge for my memory to outline everything that has happened since early 2008, but there have been some life-changing happenings and natural developments which might go well in this new post.
2008 was my second year as Director of Music in a K-12 private Christian school. A new Music office and some new ensemble rooms at the school brightened the year, along with the addition of a new Middle School Music teacher to help with the teaching load. The year started out rather brightly with a good number of students in each Music class, and some new ideas for a Primary Band beginning to bubble up.
2008 was also Youngest Son's last year of High School. He needed to take an overload in order to graduate, and most of the overload consisted of Music courses. He began (and completed) a Certificate III in Music that year, and also an endorsed Music program which gave him credit for all his Band work, rehearsals and practical activities such as performances and preparations for them. It was an uphill battle for him, but well worth the effort because he was able to graduate in December 2008.
For me, 2008 was full of ups and downs (mostly ups!) with the birth of two new grandchildren, planning and saving for a trip to the US to visit our two moms, hubby's family and our oldest daughter and family, and to meet our new granddaughter for the first time. The trip was a good catch-up time with extended family members (particularly some cousins of hubby's) in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana, and some sightseeing in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin during the snowy season.
If you have never moved between a Southern continent summer to a Northern continent winter, you have never lived. There is no way to describe how the physical body, acclimatised to temperatures ranging from 80 to 100F degrees "plus" feels when hopping off an airplane to a freezing, snowy Indiana winter! The return trip is also a shocker, as you are feeling fairly accustomed to the wintertime temps and must quickly re-adjust to those hot temps again. We survived, and enjoyed it! One of the funniest but surprisingly enjoyable moments was the sensation of slipping, falling backwards onto a thick layer of freshly fallen snow, and feeling as if I had fallen onto a soft mattress--what else to do but create a snow angel? Youngest Son, meanwhile, was laughing his head off (of course). It would have made a great photo moment, but I feel blessed that YS didn't think of that!
2009 was a year of mixed blessings. The ideas for a Primary Band came to fruition as a new Band Scholarship program was begun partway through the year. We invited a specific number of students from Year 5 to join the Band program: five each on flute, clarinet, saxophone and trumpet, 3 on trombones and one on euphonium. The students were given free lessons and band rehearsals. Later in the year we added on another flute and saxophone, and dropped the euphonium--so we had a Primary Band of 25 players by the end of the year. One of the brightest points about teaching and directing the Music program for the year was seeing and hearing those 25 children playing two lively pieces of music very well at the Primary graduation. The program will continue in 2010 with a new batch of Year 5 students beginning free lessons and Year 6 students continuing in Primary band rehearsals.
Rather early in the year (March-April), we were "victims" of two accidents. First, I was walking along a paved area in front of the Music office at school, and tripped over something small (most likely a fruit pit). This area is a favorite of students for eating their lunches and socializing during recess. I fell full-length and banged my right forehead/brow area on the concrete. Classes were in session so not many students knew about the accident--but it resulted in a trip to the hospital in an ambulance, one week off school while the humungous black eye/forehead/cheekbone faded a bit, and a few more weeks of recovery! The worst of that experience was definitely the discoloration, but I had a headache off and on for weeks.
Just as I was beginning to feel (and look) better, hubby had an accident. He had been out on a motorbike ride and had come into contact with a big kangaroo, head-on, in the bush. This is a constant danger when driving around dusk and early evening in bushy areas. He had flown right over the handlebars and landed in an awkward position. The first I knew of it was when I answered the phone and heard his calm but slightly shaky voice telling me about the accident. He sounded so "good" over the phone that I wasn't too worried. He said to wait until he called again because he would be taken to the hospital via ambulance.
By the time I visited (the next day), I was immediately sorry I hadn't driven to the hospital right after the accident. His injuries were more severe than he had known at the time, and over the course of the next 9-10 months, he had operations to repair the injuries and spent a lot of time recuperating. We were blessed by God in that there were no head injuries or internal injuries, although one shoulder and an ankle were very badly injured and there were lots of abrasions and extensive bruising.
The last few months hubby has kept himself pleasantly occupied by ordering and replacing parts which were destroyed or badly damaged on the motorbike, and he has recently begun riding again for short periods of time. Now he is only riding in the daytime in those areas, so the chances of meeting up with another 'roo are very slight.
Also in 2009, Youngest Son spent some time at university working on a uni-prep course, then decided he would apply to study at a school of audio engineering, and found two part-time jobs. For us as parents, this was a difficult year because we have officially become "empty-nesters". Because our location is a 45-60 minute drive from places YS needs to be on a daily basis, he has been staying with Youngest Daughter and her family most weekdays. On the upside, we now have two fairly unused rooms, one which is outfitted as a guest room and the other, which would make an ideal study/work space and extra guest room for when family or friends visit.
Our latest venture has been the establishment of "Pot Gardens"...or "Tub Gardens" which is probably a less controversial way of saying it. Because we have 5 sloping acres of clayish soil and a need to conserve water, we decided not to try to plant lots of vegies and flowers into the ground to see the water leach away. Our huge water tank has proven to keep us in rainwater through our long, dry summers, but we would never have had enough from that alone to water an extensive in-ground garden.
We have started with 10 large tubs and have planted them with salad vegies, greens, peppers of various varieties, strawberries, herbs and some flowering shrubs in smaller pots. Hubby has cleverly designed and built a watering system which waters each pot individually via a tiny fountain in the middle of each tub. These are connected and set with a timer to water them for 4 minutes every 6 hours on dry, hot days. They will be set for 2 minutes on cooler, moister days. We have planted zucchini, watermelon and may try some sprouted sweet potatoes straight in the ground nearby; and we have a mini lemon tree in an extra-large tub. Plans for the next month or two include adding a Pink Lady apple mini tree and other fruit and nut trees; possibly some snap peas and green beans on some latticework or fencing so they can climb. I hope to be able to put some photos on the blog very soon!
We will also soon be gathering eggs! Hubby built a chicken coop which is now awaiting the arrival of its occupants...
2009 also brought with it the birth of another grandson, and two expectant daughters who are due early in 2010 with granddaughters. God has so richly blessed us with wonderful children and now grandchildren! He has brought us through the last two years with their highs and lows, and we praise Him for His amazing grace.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
I Have Nothing to Say
It's true--I literally have nothing to say! But here are some photos, taken at J's house a few days after his birthday. He bought the house a few months ago and it is not too far from the beach in the northern suburbs of Perth. Below: The Birthday "Boy"
Jess
Han and James
Deb is at that last-few-weeks-feeling-totally-exhausted stage.
Mae enjoying J's garden. The kids had a great time mixing the bark mulch with the quartz pieces, filling up the bird bath with the mixture, then separating it all out again. It kept them occupied for quite a long time.
Mae and Gracie
Still hard at work--
Jess
Han and James
Deb is at that last-few-weeks-feeling-totally-exhausted stage.
Mae enjoying J's garden. The kids had a great time mixing the bark mulch with the quartz pieces, filling up the bird bath with the mixture, then separating it all out again. It kept them occupied for quite a long time.
Mae and Gracie
Still hard at work--
Jonathan
After these, the batteries in the camera fizzled out--so there are a few people missing. We all had a good time eating pizzas, salads, and chocolate cake! Happy Birthday, J!!
Monday, February 4, 2008
School Has Begun
Well, the First Day of the New School Year draws to a close. I am tired, in spite of the fact that I only had to teach three periods out of 7! Might have something to do with getting up at "school year" time instead of "holiday" time...and the fact that it was go, go, go all day. Even with a full-timer helping out, there are so many duties to be done in a music department.
Dear year 12 son seems very settled and happy with his new classes and teachers. That is half the battle! We had a nice lunch today, from my freezer stash--bean, cheese and salsa burritos (homemade) and chocolate chip multi-grain muffins (also homemade). We're trying to avoid McD's stopovers on the way home....tomorrow will be Quiche Day for us. It's a vegie/bacon/cheese delight!
Part of the fun today was having to sit on stage with the other heads-of-learning-areas during the Principal's Assembly, and hoping the students in the front row weren't looking up the teachers' skirts. I was very fortunate to have gotten there early enough to sit in the back row!
Another fun thing was seeing how clean, neat and shiny everyone looked for Day One. Quite a contrast to the Last Week of School, 2007.
Classes were fun, too. The senior music students all looked and acted eager to learn, and also to find out what is expected of them this term. Young minds are like clean slates, as the old saying goes. According to the middle-school teacher, the year eights were also on their best behavior. 'Course, the middle-school teacher is a DRUM MACHINE, young, bouncy and irrepressible. That might have something to do with it.
The new music rooms are fantastic. They have almost nothing in them, but that is part of the charm. All I require at this time of the year is an air conditioner, and they are well-supplied with good split systems!!
Tomorrow will be slightly busier--I will have four periods to teach and administrative duties the rest of the day. With two new ensemble rooms plus a new office and music tutor lounge area to order furniture for, some of the duties are actually kinda fun. You know.
God bless you and I hope you had a good day, too!
Dear year 12 son seems very settled and happy with his new classes and teachers. That is half the battle! We had a nice lunch today, from my freezer stash--bean, cheese and salsa burritos (homemade) and chocolate chip multi-grain muffins (also homemade). We're trying to avoid McD's stopovers on the way home....tomorrow will be Quiche Day for us. It's a vegie/bacon/cheese delight!
Part of the fun today was having to sit on stage with the other heads-of-learning-areas during the Principal's Assembly, and hoping the students in the front row weren't looking up the teachers' skirts. I was very fortunate to have gotten there early enough to sit in the back row!
Another fun thing was seeing how clean, neat and shiny everyone looked for Day One. Quite a contrast to the Last Week of School, 2007.
Classes were fun, too. The senior music students all looked and acted eager to learn, and also to find out what is expected of them this term. Young minds are like clean slates, as the old saying goes. According to the middle-school teacher, the year eights were also on their best behavior. 'Course, the middle-school teacher is a DRUM MACHINE, young, bouncy and irrepressible. That might have something to do with it.
The new music rooms are fantastic. They have almost nothing in them, but that is part of the charm. All I require at this time of the year is an air conditioner, and they are well-supplied with good split systems!!
Tomorrow will be slightly busier--I will have four periods to teach and administrative duties the rest of the day. With two new ensemble rooms plus a new office and music tutor lounge area to order furniture for, some of the duties are actually kinda fun. You know.
God bless you and I hope you had a good day, too!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Ups and Downs
I have no photos (again). How embarrassing. I wanted to get a good close shot of the old granddaddy kangaroo who was camping out down by our pond--but not long after he was given a bale of hay to munch on, he moved on. Since then, I have had no inspiration for photos. Sorry.
Instead, today's blog consists of a comparative list of "Ups" and "Downs" over the past few weeks, starting with "Downs"...
DOWNS
1. Having a respiratory virus for four days last week, thus rendering all my good intentions for the week quite useless
2. Very hot weather and some extremely windy days, which resulted in a lot of sand blowing off our foundations and exposing the footings around our house
3. Lack of energy, partially due to the virus
4. Being informed that our next phone bill will be humungous, due to the efforts of teenage son keeping up with girlfriend long distance
5. Holiday time giving more time to miss overseas family
6. Petrol prices near $1.45 per liter, which makes us think twice about going anywhere in the car
7. Holiday almost over, meetings starting on Friday and preparations all next week, school starting on Feb 4th
UPS
1. Lived through the virus and hopefully gained some immunity for the beginning of the school year
2. The addition of 3 air conditioners to our house made it livable through the hot days
3. Beginning to feel like doing things again
4. Prayer times are longer and I haven't been forgetting prayer and Bible study
5. Received email from an old high school friend whom I hadn't heard from since 1967
6. Haven't really had to go out much and have enjoyed being at home
7. Have been able to do extra cooking to put in the deep freeze for school breakfasts and lunches
8. School hired a second full-time music teacher, which gives me additional help and relief
9. School has built 2 new music classrooms, a new office and teacher prep area for music, which also gives additional help and relief
10. Was able to attend a seminar which will really help in teaching the year 12 music this year
11. Our family is alive, well and thriving
12. We are more than halfway through summer
13. Things are really going well at our church both spiritually and materially
As you can see, the ups have definitely outweighed the downs over the past few weeks.
Isn't God gracious and loving!
Instead, today's blog consists of a comparative list of "Ups" and "Downs" over the past few weeks, starting with "Downs"...
DOWNS
1. Having a respiratory virus for four days last week, thus rendering all my good intentions for the week quite useless
2. Very hot weather and some extremely windy days, which resulted in a lot of sand blowing off our foundations and exposing the footings around our house
3. Lack of energy, partially due to the virus
4. Being informed that our next phone bill will be humungous, due to the efforts of teenage son keeping up with girlfriend long distance
5. Holiday time giving more time to miss overseas family
6. Petrol prices near $1.45 per liter, which makes us think twice about going anywhere in the car
7. Holiday almost over, meetings starting on Friday and preparations all next week, school starting on Feb 4th
UPS
1. Lived through the virus and hopefully gained some immunity for the beginning of the school year
2. The addition of 3 air conditioners to our house made it livable through the hot days
3. Beginning to feel like doing things again
4. Prayer times are longer and I haven't been forgetting prayer and Bible study
5. Received email from an old high school friend whom I hadn't heard from since 1967
6. Haven't really had to go out much and have enjoyed being at home
7. Have been able to do extra cooking to put in the deep freeze for school breakfasts and lunches
8. School hired a second full-time music teacher, which gives me additional help and relief
9. School has built 2 new music classrooms, a new office and teacher prep area for music, which also gives additional help and relief
10. Was able to attend a seminar which will really help in teaching the year 12 music this year
11. Our family is alive, well and thriving
12. We are more than halfway through summer
13. Things are really going well at our church both spiritually and materially
As you can see, the ups have definitely outweighed the downs over the past few weeks.
Isn't God gracious and loving!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
A New Year's Resolution
It's just a little late to be posting New Year's Resolutions, but if I have one wish for 2008 it is to spend more time in the Word. 2007 was a difficult year, adjusting to a new job and trying to juggle the keeping of the home and care of its inhabitants with a demanding work schedule.
Why do spiritual things take a back seat to the everyday demands on our time? Oh, I didn't miss church meetings, and I prayed every day; but somehow it wasn't the same as spending quality time each day reading God's Word and praying and drawing closer to Him.
The work schedule this year will be more difficult than in 2007. How will I fit in the spiritual feeding which should be the most important thing in my life? Or should I be thinking this way? "Fitting in" the time somehow doesn't seem right. Shouldn't it be "my spiritual life comes FIRST, then I fit other things around it"?
Our spiritual lives have been compared to our daily bread. Most people's lives are centered on earning money to acquire their day-by-day necessities, or perhaps on supporting the person who acquires them. Their lives put JOB first, with other activities "fitting in" around that job. Others may put ENTERTAINMENT first, with jobs and other activities "fitting in" around it.
When Jesus was on the earth, He put His Father's will first. He taught his disciples to do the same, and made that clear to them when He asked them to leave everything behind and to follow Him.
When I look back over 2007, I can see that I put my job first--however reluctantly. I got up in the morning with "just enough time" to get ready for work. Most mornings, this meant getting up quite early and waking my teenage son, having breakfast and preparing for the work day, then a 45-minute drive to school. Oh, yes, I prayed. But the prayer time was usually either when I first woke and as I was getting ready, or later as I was driving to school. At my school, teachers and staff have a half-hour devotion and prayer time once each week. If I remembered to, I might also pray at bedtime. In other words, I was "multi-tasking" with prayer! Can you imagine Jesus doing that?
When I thought about it, I realized that this is not what God wants, or expects from His children.
There may be times when it is necessary to pray when other things are going on around us, or even when we are busy. But even in a busy household, good parents will try to spend quality time with each child. Married couples who love each other seek to spend time together.
My goal for 2008 is to spend real quality time daily--not shared with anything or anyone else-- with the Lord. How will I do it? This requires putting my priorities right and putting Him first, then "fitting in" everything else. Will it be easy? I don't think so.
Perhaps in later posts there will be updates on this Resolution for 2008.
God bless you!
Why do spiritual things take a back seat to the everyday demands on our time? Oh, I didn't miss church meetings, and I prayed every day; but somehow it wasn't the same as spending quality time each day reading God's Word and praying and drawing closer to Him.
The work schedule this year will be more difficult than in 2007. How will I fit in the spiritual feeding which should be the most important thing in my life? Or should I be thinking this way? "Fitting in" the time somehow doesn't seem right. Shouldn't it be "my spiritual life comes FIRST, then I fit other things around it"?
Our spiritual lives have been compared to our daily bread. Most people's lives are centered on earning money to acquire their day-by-day necessities, or perhaps on supporting the person who acquires them. Their lives put JOB first, with other activities "fitting in" around that job. Others may put ENTERTAINMENT first, with jobs and other activities "fitting in" around it.
When Jesus was on the earth, He put His Father's will first. He taught his disciples to do the same, and made that clear to them when He asked them to leave everything behind and to follow Him.
When I look back over 2007, I can see that I put my job first--however reluctantly. I got up in the morning with "just enough time" to get ready for work. Most mornings, this meant getting up quite early and waking my teenage son, having breakfast and preparing for the work day, then a 45-minute drive to school. Oh, yes, I prayed. But the prayer time was usually either when I first woke and as I was getting ready, or later as I was driving to school. At my school, teachers and staff have a half-hour devotion and prayer time once each week. If I remembered to, I might also pray at bedtime. In other words, I was "multi-tasking" with prayer! Can you imagine Jesus doing that?
When I thought about it, I realized that this is not what God wants, or expects from His children.
There may be times when it is necessary to pray when other things are going on around us, or even when we are busy. But even in a busy household, good parents will try to spend quality time with each child. Married couples who love each other seek to spend time together.
My goal for 2008 is to spend real quality time daily--not shared with anything or anyone else-- with the Lord. How will I do it? This requires putting my priorities right and putting Him first, then "fitting in" everything else. Will it be easy? I don't think so.
Perhaps in later posts there will be updates on this Resolution for 2008.
God bless you!
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