Peacefulness...

Yesterday I gratted about temporarily living in a "full house" at the moment and all that I am learning from this experience.

Right now though as my parents-in-laws and husband have all gone off to work, uncle and his guests (who are in adjoining house) are not around today and my two eldest children are having a sleep over at my parent's house; it's just my 11 month old son and myself here.

As much as I love the chatter and bustle of activity, my grat this morning is for the peace, the stillness, the cute small noises coming from my little one as he plays, the soft music in the background, the space to have my thoughts uninterrupted, the prospect of getting some grocery shopping and other small jobs done and the inviting sunny day that awaits. And now to get off this computer and make the most of it LOL.

Andie

The simple things

I got up and made my usual breaksfats this morning- coffee and toast, and I sit outside on my back porch as I have it. Today I am grateful for the simple things. My mum visited me a week or so ago and made some strawberry jam for me. How clever she is and how yummy it tastes! I feel like she's poured a cup of love into it too! As I sit here on the porch, some of my potted flowers have grown- they are beautiful big pink flowers (ahh I'm not I green thumb so don't ask me what they are ok!). Funny how two simple things have brought me joy this morning admist all the up and downs of life. To think that God made these flowers for our pleasure- how cool He is. :) Tam

Full House

By living in a house that is not mine, I am learning more about myself. I am slowly getting used to functioning in a small community of people (outside our immediate family of 5) that comes and goes and changes day by day. I am having opportunities to experience things I would not usually have to as well as think through scenarios different to those I had in my "own" space.

I am grateful for all these experiences that will help me to become a person who can be more flexible, tolerant and look at situations from a different perspective than just my own.

I am also appreciative that my children are having a different 'life' experience too. They are enjoying having the extra people around them and have settled in to this temporary home really well. I am definitely thankful for that!

Watching the clock

I am grateful that my hubby works so close to home - more specifically, in our office!!! (Can't get any closer LOL) It is such a treat to have lunch together, have him home at 5pm pretty much every night and be able to pop in and have a chat when I need to catch some adult conversation! I find this especially helpful in times when the kids are sick and I am housebound like today. And even when there is more work to be done after the kids go to bed, I love that we can sit next to each other on our big long desk and type side by side sipping hot drinks. Sweeeet!

(Mel)

Crawling Around

My littlest is finally crawling! I am grateful that he can now move himself to where he wants to go without the hassle of going backwards, rolling over, shimmying, shuffling, rolling again, sitting, bum dragging and so on. He can now spot his target... head in the right direction... and catch his prey!! It's so lovely to watch children reach their different milestones.

Outdoors Grat

Like a few other people, I am grateful for the days of beautiful spring weather. With the warmth from the sun beating down, it's hard to feel grumpy about anything. It's been so wonderful having the last week or so at my in-laws (we're living here until January). The back yard here is so big and exciting for the children to explore and it's been lovely to watch how they are experiencing new things and using up so much energy.

There's been mini-beasts to collect, puddles to jump in, different things to climb, open spaces to run and hide as well as countless laps to ride on their bikes. What valuable learning they are doing. Roll on the warmer weather and more time to play outdoors!

Teary Grat

I am grateful for a nice warm Chai latte and some friendly faces and words today after I got teary in class today! Public crying is one of my least favourite experiences so it was a big challenge for me to come to terms with the fact that I had done so and very good to have some nice warmth inside and out! Also a bit of a lesson in humility for me, haha. (Meke)

SHINE

I feel like crying with gratitude simply writing this grat! Yesterday, despite being unwell, my mother-in-law came over and cleaned my house from top to bottom. She literally spent hours and hours 'White Kinging' everything, from floors and skirting boards, to the bathrooms, toilet and mirrors. Every single thing sparkles brighter than it ever has before!! For anybody who knows us, life for the past 15 months has been simply full on. From my difficult pregnany, to my hubbys work injury, to unemployment, the birth of our second child, starting our own business, growing our business form scratch, me working from home while being a fulltime mum...has all merged into a big ball of joy and craziness! Between the cars, our garage, our garden and the cleanliness of our house - we have been unable to keep up let alone 'get on top' of it all. Well last week I think I may have gratted about our garage getting a makeover...well this weekend our house has found its sparkle again with the much needed help of our Mum. God really answered our prayers on this one. I feel so relieved, so grateful and so overwhelmed to be living in a clean house.

(Mel)

Lots and lots

I am thankful for some lovely weather and the joy of painting toenails outside in the sunshine with my preschooler.

I am thankful that my bub is getting better every day after a nasty viral infection.

I am grateful for the book I am reading at the moment "5 Love languages of children" which is challenging AND inspiring me in my role as a mum.

I am uber grateful for our business... which is making great progress! It is so exciting to be a part of the things that happen every day in it.

Finally I am grateful that my Hubby completed and sent off a massive project last night...which means our new website can now be started to be worked on and should be ready in 12 weeks YAHOOOOOOO!

(Mel)

Beautiful Day

The weather in Queensland is amazing at the moment and I am just so grateful for the beautiful clear skies, warm breeze and spring sun. We took a drive to the beach yesterday and it just reminded me how grateful I am to live where I live and to have the freedom to just drive to the beach on a whim. I am also grateful for a touch of sun on my uber white winter skin! (Meke)

Special Date.

I had a lovely date with two little friends today. My 2 and a half year old daughter and my 10 and a half month old son and I went out for a coffee/ babycino this morning. Sometimes getting coffee out is more hassle than it's worth (well that's not all true...it's always worth it LOL) but this morning I hadn't had my morning coffee and so after the kinder drop-off I was really hanging out for one. I would've been happy to grab one on the run but both little people were happy for a sit down and relax while drinking their babycinos so I relaxed too. What a lovely opportunity to chat and enjoy their beautiful personalities and feel so proud to have them at my table. It's nice when you catch a glimpse of people staring at you in a nice way and not a, "I wish they'd hurry up and leave" kind of way as we do occasionally get!

Yay for a lovely morning out.

Handiwork

For about 2 years now, I have had half-finished curtains in my little girls room. They were not only unhemmed because I couldn't figure out how to make them more interesting BUT they also kept falling off the little ring things they were on. It drove me a little batty but I just kept putting in the "too hard basket". Well I am here to happily report that as of this evening they have been officially made their way out of this nasty basket thanks to my talented mother-in-law!!! Us four girls all took a trip to spotlight yesterday and managed to grab some really gorgeous material...Ma then proceeded to turn this sheet of material into a piece of art!!!!!! The rooms look AWSOME! My baby's room already had bunting in it and I really wanted to keep it, so we got this candy-stripe material that incredibly matched PERFECTLY!! My Big Girl who is about to turn 3, has a really sweet print with funky strawberries and rainbows and apples and flowers etc etc and it looks a bit like something from a storybook. The colours are bright and vivacious and I am inspired to be able to add some finishing touches of my own now! I am so very grateful that Ma spent 2 days of her holidays hanging out with us and happily created a lovely piece of art in each of the girls rooms. Plus I am extra grateful for the friendship we have...I really had such a lovely time hanging out with her and I feel very blessed.

Cleaning Up

I am grateful for the small crowd of people gathering at our old house tonight for a "clean-a-thon". It's a really humbling experience to have people offering to come and clean your house (and a bit embarrassing- but I'm getting over that!)

I'm thinking it could actually be a bit of fun tonight. How often do you have a team of people there to help you with such a mundane task?

My upcoming grat will be for the completion of this huge job and the chance to properly settle in to our temporary 'home' before our big move in January.

Lazy morning

I am grateful that my husband offered to take my son to kinder today. We just moved house (which is further from his kinder) and it takes a bit more effort to get out the door in the mornings (plus I'm still unpacking our belongings so it's been a treasure hunt trying to locate everything we need).

This morning after a night of disturbed sleep (my 10 month old is teething) I slept in until 7am which made it seem nearly impossible to get myself and all 3 children ready and out the door in an hour.

Just as I started feeling overwhelmed, my lovely husband put himself out to make my day easier. This meant I got to stay in my pajamas for another couple of hours and do some more sorting and unpacking. Yay. It's starting to feel like "home"

3 BIG grats

I am super grateful to finally have wedding accommodation booked for all of the family leading up to our wedding. It felt like a giant puzzle to fit everyone in at the right price in a close enough place! I would have to say this is the first part of wedding planning that I have found stressful (and even a wee bit upsetting!) so glad to have it all organised. The plus side is everyone is getting a good price, no one is left out and I think we have organised it so there is no awkwardness in the room sharing, yay! This is something I am very grateful to have done and dusted! On to the more fun and exciting bits...

I am grateful for some great bargains I picked up at the shops yesterday. I had about 15 minutes to kill at DFO while I waited for a friend to arrive at the airport so I popped in to see what they had and found a really awesome sale! I picked up three light dresses and a scarf for next winter for $35 total! I am really grateful for these bargains I seem to find at the end of each season which carry me through the next year so that i rarely have to pay full price but can still feel nice about having something new to wear! Yay!

---

I am grateful for a fairly productive day at uni today, with classes, appointments and the chance to catch up on some files. I feel like my 'to-do' list is slowly being ticked off...and at least slightly faster than I'm adding new things to it! Also had some really great sessions with clients today which was great!

Shhhhhhh

I am thankful that both my children are asleep and my house is quiet!!

I mean I desperately love them...but I am still feeling like I have not caught my breath from doing the 42 hours I worked last week while caring my girls fulltime with no break!!!  As a result, my housework has spiralled out of control and the simple things have been seriously neglected, plus my girls have had to put up with a stressed out mummy which is no fun whatsoever for anyone. So here I am, enjoying the peace and quiet and the opportunity for my brain to listen to the thoughts in my head and regaining my all-so-important sanity!!!!

Mel

What did you say?!

Did you ever have that moment when you take a deep breath out and think you have finished something, only to abruptly realise about 2 hours later that you haven't?! Well this happened to me this morning and man did I feel discouraged! Having finished my massive submission to WW's corporate in the wee hours of the morning, I finally felt as if I could focus on cleaning my house and regaining some normality and composure to the chaos that is currently our house. BUT ALAS as I opened my emails this afternoon I saw it. Yes there it was, the email that said "Have you remembered your submission to Big W...it is also due now!!" Nooooooooooo how could I have forgotten this? There is 2 submissions, every qtr, and yet the first one was so massive and intense this qtr, that once it was done I had totally put the other out of my mind!!!!! 

So after taking a few deep breaths, I decided to suck it up and get it done, rather than put it off until tonight. And so, now it is finished and snaps for Mel, I have actually managed to regain that order in the house along the way!!! And so girls that is tonights gratitude...that IT IS DONE ... OVER... FINITO and now I have the bright prospect of a fun and productive week without the strain and stress of the past few weeks!!! (Insert happy sigh here)

SPRING

I am grateful for this new season... SPRING!!! Spring excites me because it’s not only a new season, but we begin to see rays of sunshine and the cold slowly starting to disappear, people going to parks, flowers, colour, for some reason people seem happier in Spring! Recently God reminded me that just as the natural seasons change, so do our seasons in life. Quite often we go through seasons in life where we are waiting on answers or change or things to occur and can easily find it difficult to believe that the season we are in will never change. God makes a promise - 1 Chronicles 5:20 “He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.”

I just wanted to take this opportunity to inspire a new sense of HOPE just as God has done for me and which I am forever grateful for. If you are feeling like your spiritual life is cold and dragging or you are going through things at the moment and you are just waiting for things to come to an end or for answers, then i want to encourage you... just as Spring has entered, so is your new season!! The key is to believe it will come no matter what your circumstance is!! :)

Coffee, coffee and more coffee...

Need I say more?

They've been getting stronger, sweeter and consumed a little more frequently than usual!

I am grateful for my cappuccino machine. It has not let me down the past few weeks and I really appreciate that (and probably so does everyone around me... otherwise I'd be tired and grumpy- well, more tired and grumpy anyway!)

Oh sweet beans. Yum!

Recent Grats

My husband, children and I are moving to Thailand in 4 months. Here's some things I am grateful for that I sent in a recent email:

Cheap airfares!

We are booked to leave on January 14th 2010. Unbelievably we got $99 tickets to Kuala Lumpur! All up we will get the 5 of us to Chiang Mai for around $1000!! YAY!

Renting our house-

At the end of this term, a beautiful Christian couple (whom we've known since youth group days) will begin renting our house with their four children. Praise God we didn't even have to go through an agent or advertise. This was a complete blessing. We "officially" move ourselves out this weekend and then the cleaning begins!!

Our first visitors "booked"-

For my birthday in August, my parents called me to say that they'd booked tickets to come and stay with us in March next year! This is really exciting.

Packing up-

I admit, I have found it difficult trying to pack up the house on top of the normal busyness of life.

It's also been overwhelming at times realising how much there is to get done before January but God is so faithful.

He continues to go before us and make the way so I know it will all be okay.

Our 2 beautiful mothers have been so helpful as always. My mum has been working day and night to help me pack the house up in a very short amount of time and Dave's mum, cooking us meals and minding Tobi and Eli so that there were some quieter moments to get jobs done. I would not have been able to function without their advice, direction, assistance and thoughtfulness.

Storage-

My husband's parents are not only housing us for 4 months until we leave, but are also able to store our remaining furniture and belongings for as long as we need. We are so grateful for their flexibility and their provision in this area.

Health/Immunisations-

A GP has offered to assist our family both with consultation and cost. in preparation (health-wise) for the move, This is a huge load off our minds.

Provision-

• It seems that every week we are meeting new people who share our passion to raise awareness and stop human trafficking. We have received money to help support us going to Thailand.
  
• We've also had offers to keep our family in their prayers (we really need this).
• Our couch sold (without having to advertise).
• We were introduced to a young lady Rachael, from Sydney, who feels called to raise money for ZOE and could turn out to be a great 'Australian' administrative support person one day.

Our friends-

Their words of encouragement help to keep us 'going'. We serve a wonderful God. Without His strength, we would not be doing this but He often uses our family and friends, to prop us up during the tougher days.

(We are heading over to ZOE Children's Homes)

Toddler Tanty

There is something to be said for friends who are in the same stage of life as you!!! My gratitude today is for the fact that I have great friends who battle the same daily battles with their toddlers as I do! I know it might sound a bit weird, but it's amazing how satisfying it is seeing another toddler have a tantrum for their Mum!!! Today my grat is for the fact that I was able to reassure my friend that this was totally normal and that I in fact also face these challenges, despite my child 'appearing' angelic whilst in her company! Well t'was only about 2 minutes after we had parted I that I was treated to my very own personal toddler tantrum...LUCKY ME!

Mel:-)

Take a deep breath

There are some weeks that seem harder than others. Some weeks that are filled with emotions, physical exhaustion and just so many demands on your time that it just seems the hours are blurring into the next with barely a chance to catch your breath. (SIGH) Yes, this has been one of these weeks, but I am reminded in so many different ways that I have a big God who is there for me with a listening ear, a compassionate heart and I am grateful for all the small but significant ways he communicates this to me. I dare not think how I would cope without this reassurance and strength...Mel