Festival of Mission Blessings....

This week I attended all the night meetings at the festival of mission at the Watson Park Camp grounds... it was absolutely AWESOME!! I loved it so much that now that its over, Im suffering a bit of a let down!

but anyway, on Friday night, I got there nice and early to get a seat in the middle near the front to take a couple of photos. Two Papua New Guinea ladies came and sat in the two spare seats next to me. We exchanged smiles, and sang in praise together. Towards the end of the program, we had communion, and I mentioned that it was cold that night. They both told me that they had been so cold at night all week, that they had swollen legs and feet, and did not sleep well at all due to the cold. I said 'dont they have blankets for you"? and they said that they were only allocated 2 blankets each, and they were woollen. I said "I wish I had known, I would've brought you some from my home, perhaps I could get some for you tonight?" They agreed, and so straight after the meeting, they followed me to the van, and we got in, having a little giggle! What an adventure!

Their names are Cecile, and Rosina, and they told me a little about their homeland, Rosina has 2 girls, and had lost her husband about 5-6 years ago due to a car accident.
When we got to the house, they were going to wait in the car, and I said 'no!! come up and meet my husband, he will make you a hot drink while I get some blankets!' So we giggled again, and came upstairs.
Hubby was a little taken back but quickly understood when I explained how we needed to supply blankets! So while they sipped hot cups of milo, I gathered our winter doona, a feather doona, and 4 woollen blankets and some of the kids blankets too, and bundled them up into one of our suitcases. I said to them, share them with your friends, so that they are not cold too! So off we went back to the camp ground and they guided me to where their tent was. I went inside, and found that they were just living on grass, which made the tent really cold inside, so I got our picnic blanket out of the back and put it down on the floor so that they had something to stand on when they got dressed.
Remember, just because they are from PNG doesnt mean they live in a grass hut, they lived in houses too! So to know someone is cold, is a really uncomfortable thing to suffer!

Cecile said to me, I have a 'meri blouse, and a lap lap back in my tent, we are going to wear ours tommorrow for Sabbath, will you wear it with us?' and of course I said 'really? of course I will, but its not necessary for you to give me anything!' She insisted that she had been waiting to meet someone that week of mission to give this outfit to a friend that she had made. So it was an honour to accept it.

So I drove home, and tried it on in front of hubby and also looked in the mirror... well, I looked like a big Mamma, 9 months pregnant, and very fluffy.
I said 'oh man, this is going to be kinda embarrassing to wear this tommorrow, because I look so big in it, but I said Id do it, so I will. Its important.' I wore normal clothes to Sabbath school the next morning, and said to my friends how embarrassed I was to have to get changed into the outfit for church over at the camp ground. They looked a little embarrassed for me and had a bit of a giggle at how I looked.
I went to the big tent and started to look for my new friends, I could not see them, but what I did notice is that other Islanders were looking at me and smiling!
At first I thought it was because I was holding Eden and they were smiling at how fair she was, some even took photos which I found a little.... not comical, not strange, but 'new'.
Eventually I found my friends, and showed them my new clothes with humble pride which could have been tinted with a little embarrassment, but they did not see that. We exchanged addresses, and phone numbers, emails, and kisses and it was kind of sad that there was only Sabbath to see them. They took their seats inside and I remained outside with the family. And still, the growing realisation of all the Islanders, and there were heaps of them, looking at me and smiling and waving, and saying to me they liked my outfit and I looked nice. Slowly, my western world embarrassment diminished and dissappeared and was replaced with humble pride! So many beautiful dark people recognising me as their friend, because I had befriended one of their own. We were all one! no barriers, no westerner embarrassment, but a growing satfisfaction of belonging to them, and they to me. It is hard to describe - it was such a beautiful lesson, and a beautiful blessing from my beautiful God.

Groan...

I know I should be thankful for every little bit of 'stuff' that the kids bring home, but sometimes I just groan inside... they want to keep it.. and I just go... 'where?'.
Im getting really good at throwing things away, and cleaning up around the place, Im throwing out anything broken, and Im also keeping up with cleaning out sizes that have been grown out of... Im even keeping our room tidier!!! So when these beauties come home, I do cringe a little. Im not talking about artwork, bring that on, but the little peices that are made out of cartons, paper, - junk. See Im mixed in my feelings, because if they stopped bringing them home, then I would want them to bring more, but because they are, I cringe... I think its because there is so much. And this will tripple once my youngest is in Kindy!! It also makes me think of how our society has become so disposable in its way of living. We have packaged everything! We throw out things that 2 weeks later we need again, so we buy it again only to throw out again a little later.... Our re-cycle bin fills up more then our normal bin some weeks, and I say they should collect our re-cycle bin every week! Its a little bit funny, we went to Kombarcho last week, an environment festival at our local council, & they were giving out so many leaflets of different information representing different organisations that I really noticed the irony of it - arent we meant to be saving our trees??? Your giving them out on paper. Then the kids had to have all the leaflets... all will end up in the bin... or hang on, I might send them to school with my son, and they can get rid of them!!! Then there is the balloons from the shopping centre, they love carrying it, and getting in the car with it, and then when we get home, they either drop them on the floor, or carry them for 5 more minutes and then leave them laying around!! sheeeeeesh!
I am keeping their art work, and I know there is heaps of it, but what Im going to do is photograph it. I know this is not an original concept, but this also will take time to do... I have to make sure I know who did what too! My little ones are growing up so quickly, and Im finding that I dont want to just throw it out, I want the memory! Im so torn! aaarhhhhh!

Thermomix

I love to cook, I love to save money where we can by cooking for the school lunches, making our own jam etc etc... its endless. Ive notice of late, that my mix master (kenwood chef) is starting to make a few sounds, and its motor just doesnt work as hard as it used to... after all, it is nearly 19 years old!! How's that for a good run! My smaller little hand held mixing device has karked it, so I had to throw that out last week... my braun mini processor is wearing thin, the bowl has cracked, the whipper has broken, and we've repaired it a few times, but its wearing out too.

Anyway.....

I realllllly want a Thermomix... a few friends have purchased one, and are raving about them... I looked it up, and wow... it could really open up a lot of cooking possibilities for us, and save money! Thats always a good thing right? Let me tell you a little about them...

It will:

Mills, Grinds, Pulverises & Grates All Grains eg. wheat, barley, buckwheat, oats, rice Coffee Beans Chocolate Parmesan & other hard cheeses Sugar into icing sugar All Seeds eg. linseed, sesame, poppy, sunflower (make LSA) All Nuts eg. almond, walnuts, hazelnuts (make Dukkah) All Spices eg. peppercorns, cinnamon, lemon zest, nutmeg, vanilla (make Garam Masala) Breadcrumbs Kneads All Breads, Pizza, Foccacia and Brioche Pasta Dough Pastries including Choux Minces All meat including chicken & fish Chops Fruit Vegetables Onion, Garlic, Ginger & Chillies Herbs

Prepares Drinks eg. juices, lemonades, cocktails & milkshakes Pâtés, Dips, Pesto & Tapenades Salads Dressings including Mayonnaise Ice creams, Sorbets & Desserts Cakes & Pavlovas Jams, Marmalade, Preserves & Spreads (eg. peanut butter, hazelnut) Cappuccino, Caffè Latte & Ice Coffee Yoghurt Cooks Soups Sauces & Pastes eg. tomato, seafood, hollandaise, curry Curries, Stews & Casseroles Pasta Risotto Custard Baby food Whips Egg whites Cake frosting & fillings Cream Butter Crushes Ice Steams Fish & other seafood Vegetables Meat & chicken Dumplings & buns

And, the best thing of all is, it washes itself!!

How good is that? Its German, so very good quality, and basically we'd be able to minimise our kitchen appliances to just 2-3 appliances instead of 6-7.. and by the time these other things need replacing, well, that starts getting expensive hey. I have decided I am going to save up for one. They are about $1800 - I know - GULP. But I will do it... I will save up. We would even be able to make our own Soy Milk if we get one. My girlfriend said that she has made her own soy milk and it tastes similar to Soy Good. We drink about a litre of soy a day - having it on cereal, and my youngest drinks it as her milk drink.
I just have to try and sell it to my husband.... wish me luck!!

Cats

You know, I love cats, but I cant eat a whole one... hahaha.
Actually, my liking of cats has diminished somewhat. Cats have their place in the world... they do.. they are quite comical to watch, they like other pets, have their own personalities, and although they are one of the more selfish pets, it is nice to have one sit on your lap on a cold night.... having said that, after having kids, our cat has taken the back seat to everything in the family! She has gone from sleeping on our bed to getting put away in an aviary cage each night, with her own bedding, food and water. Keeps our house a whole lot cleaner, she's happier, and she doesnt rule our household. Its true, cats always want whats greener on the other side of the door!!
However, this is not about our cat, this is about owners not taking care of their own cats. It has driven me crazy the years, the number of cats that have come to our house to spray. Then I get cranky with whatever owner has let them out at night because they are too lazy to look after them properly. We had next door neighbours who had a cat who used to spray on our front door, when I told her she didnt believe me, I had to say well, I actually saw him doing it while I was breastfeeding my daughter in the middle of the night. He got hit by a car. I sound cruel, but there is nothing more offensive then the smell of cat urine on your door, washing, furniture. etc We have just caught another cat last night... I just dont care about it anymore. All I care about is that we need to get rid of the problem, it puts me in too bad of a mood... I need to live in harmony in this neighbourhood and if that means catching cats that are left to wander around - then so be it. They have one chance. If they get them out of the pound and they come back, well there's a lake about 100 metres down the path.... over and out!.

My Sister Carol

Its the anniversary of the death of my sister Carol on the 16th August. She died as a result of having MS... a horrible debilitating disease that for her, started with double vision and dizziness. She first got it when I was about 4-5years old, when mum and dad had gone overseas to Africa for 6 weeks. It really hit her badly then, I remember visiting her when she was in the San at Sydney having tests a month or so later. How awful it must have been for her, and also for mum and dad to see their daughters' life (everyones life) turned upside down, with no cure in sight.
I try not to allow myself to think too deeply on her journey, it really cuts to the core, and is a hard place to be... I remember her once saying to me when she could talk, how scared she was, that she did not want to die... I never knew what to say.. just a hug and a squeeze of her hand seemed to be the only thing to do.

She was a loving person, a great sister, I remember when I went to college, I felt absolutely lost, and it didnt help that mum was sending me there, or that I didnt have a room-mate. That first night was horrible, and I remember waking up in middle of the night to Carol pulling up my blankets, and quietly crying over my bed. At home on the farm she always had a stash of caramello chocolate in the fridge which she sometimes shared with me... I felt very special to be her sister. She loved the dress she is wearing in the first pic, and she absolutely LOVED cats!! The cat in the pic with her was named kitty, and she hid him in her room at college for 2 weeks before coming home with him! hehe.
I remember her laugh, it was a cackle, like a chook! She was always feminine in her dress sense, always had her long hair, took such care of her makeup - I remember looking on, watching her apply the different things wishing I could be grown up like her! I cant wait to see her again in heaven, she'll have a new energetic body and be her new bubbly self again! xx

my precious girl

My little girl is turning 5 on Thursday... 5!! I remember the night I went into labour with her, I was so excited because I actually naturally went into the process of bringing a little person into the world... we got to the hospital 2am or something, and we were settled into the birthing room, the midwife broke my waters and then we waited, waited... contractions every 3 minutes or so, and basically it remained that way for hours.. the doctor, the registra came in and said the baby doesnt seem to be that happy in the fact that she is not moving, and seems very sleepy.. you could go on like this for another 12 hours, and in the end still require a caesarian, or you could make a decision now. She said she would be back in 5-10 minutes to see what we came up with. I said to M, well, I prayed in the hallway, that if anything was wrong, that the doctors would be inspired to tell me if something was wrong. So, we decided to have a caesar. (I know that in the end you get the baby, and all lives are safe, but I still wouldve like to have known what it was like to have a vaginal delivery.) It was so different to my son, he was an emergency caesar and I thought I was going to die... with her, it was so peaceful, and happy, and although they were serious in their work, there was no urgency. So I remember an Asian doctor delivered her, she was the doctor I had seen a couple of days before, and I really liked her, felt very comfortable. When they pulled her out, she was so small, and petite, and fine.. just precious. She also had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice, once quite tightly. The whole medical staff said it was a good call to have a caesar as it could have gone so horribly wrong. I couldnt stop looking at her, she was a beautiful little newborn. Usually I think they are only ok, and quite alien like, but this little one, she was mine, and she was a girl! I didnt quite know what to do, sounds strange but true. My son was very straight forward. When I could get out of bed the next day, we walked along the hallways of the hospital to where we could see the Ekka, and the fireworks were going off! So every year, when Ekka comes around, and my girl has her birthday, I remember the special time with her looking out the window at the fireworks of the Ekka.
She has moved in leaps and bounds, turning over early, crawling at 5 months, walking at 8 1/2 months, she seemed to leave being a baby behind really quickly. Nothings changed, she still wants to grow up quickly! She trained herself to go to the toilet, we were having conversations with her by 18months, dressing herself, writing her name, counting, colouring etc.
And now, she is turning 5! so excited to be going to school next year, loving life, loving the people around her, confident, determined!
Good on you my daughter!
Happy Birthday Precious!
Love you so much and am so proud to be your mum. xxxx

potlucks!

I find going to potlucks a bit amusing... while everyone is in church listening, the ladies are over in the kitchen hurridly warming food, spreading tableclothes, setting out ladels and serving spoons and hotplates. Meanwhile everyone in church can smell the aromas of the kitchen wafting through the building, stomachs start to sing, people look at their watches, becoming shifty in their seats.
Finally the last song is sung, prayers said and the church empties with anticipation of whats awaiting them over in the hall. Deaconesses guard their clad tables shooing the kids away, saying wait wait.... a whistle to quieten everyone down, grace, and then

woooooof!
Its fight for ya food time!!!

There's polite pushing, gentle grabbing of the last serve of someones lasagne... people moving along the line in slow shuffle to see whats next on the table... plates are piled high of mainly carbs, kids sneak in and out, and then there are the few nobles that have actually stood back and waited patiently for the throngs to disperse. They pick through the leftovers.
Then about 20 minutes later you see every child waiting, eyeing, oogling the desserts that start to adorn the table... there are far less plates of these beautys so one has to time it right, stand in the right position as to what your going to target first...
Its not just our church either, Ive witnessed this at many a church! I wonder what that says... ponder ponder... people no matter where, are all the same?
anyway,
Know who made the food you've chosen... it may have been a coincidence, but when I was pregnant with either my first or second, I actually got food poisoning from one of these events... and you think about it... did the person who prepared this food wash their hands? did they cough? sneeze even? eeew.

Reminds me of birthday cakes... we all blow out the candles dont we... a nice spread of germs and slobber left in a twinkling layer on top of the cake.... eeew.

So when your attending your next potluck... spare a thought for my little blog... you'll see!