making lemon drink

The girls and I had our dear friends over tonight for pizza.

We have never had them here for dinner, they always have us.

It was so nice having them, having a house big enough to host their number 5 family.

The girls are lovely friends with Anya.  They always have fun when they are together.  

Tonight was no different.  


Lemons were picked, bitten in half and poured into a container.


Sugar was added (thankfully) and the taste was bliss (surprisingly).  One lucky adult got an ant included in their drink.

Karen and Hugh, Anya and Micki are leaving for England very soon.  Anjali is staying in NZ for another year.  We will miss you, pizza night at your place, laughs, the enduring encouragement of being friends with you.  I have not met anyone like you before and I have been changed and blessed by your companionship.  I am glad that saying goodbye is not forever, and I'm glad it's highly likely we will visit you in the near future, for pizza and chats.


Love you dear friends, love drinking tarty lemon drinks with you.
(thank you Anjali for the photos)

Thanksgiving day and the next

I do these crazy things.  I think up wee party ideas and invite people and then think, "oh what on earth will i do to theme it?" or "what food will we eat"?  All these thoughts are happening usually on the day or during the during the lead up to the party but this week has been hectic, so the thoughts came in the two hours before the party started!  It's amazing what you can do with a few moments.


But before the party info, i want to write about the thing I'm most thankful for and most humbled by, this week.  Kathy this is for you my beautiful friend.


After our final Religious Education session this morning, my partner in crime (Kathy Kathy) and I sat down to eat from the Lindt chocy box we'd been given and to read the long notes we'd been gifted.  Some of the comments are as follows, some of these bought tears to my eyes ......  It's all worth it.  The gospel (the good news of God) is so worth sharing.


 ...'The best thing about you guys teaching us in RE is ..... uh hm EVERYTHING!  You turn stories from the bible into fun and exciting things.  Since you read the story of Moses you inspired me to get a bible and read it for myself and I love it. I read it every night' .


...'I learned that God is with you wherever you are'


...'I've learned lots of things about the Lord and the stories and if you trust God he'll help you through bad times'


...'Thank you for being the X factor RE teachers of our room.  


....'It was really easy getting up on a Friday morning.  I learnt to trust God even when things are bad.'


....'I have learnt a lot of prayers from the Bible at RE.  My favourite one is the Lords prayer. It really got stuck in my head after that fun X-factor game you organised for us'....


....'I have learnt about god and Jesus more.  Thanks to Kathy i have started to go to church.  And Sarah, you make me laugh with your funny props'.


...'What I liked is that you taught us about God and I loved it.  I liked it when you were teaching me about God.  Now i can pray'. 


...'I really liked learning about the story of Moses because it taught us that everyone can be amazing and you don't have to do everything perfectly'.


I am humbled by the fact that little old us could share about God and that we get to see the fruit of that - kids lives being changed by the amazing truth of God - He cares, he answers prayers, He is with us. Some of the kids that wrote these letters, come from pain and heartache.  
Thanks Kathy for the fun ride we have together every Friday.  Thank you for being yourself and sharing the amazing gift you have, with us.  I learn heaps from you, I love working with you.  I love being your friend.


Thanksgiving evening was simple and fun - a few friends, we ate yummy things and read each others thanksgiving notes.  Loved it.  Hoping for some pumpkin pie next year maybe. Apparantly it tastes yummy.

Taking a moment to be thankful, with friends.

This week-ish

Just got a bike. so excited.  It looks like an old fashioned one with big lollipy handle bars (just needs a basket) but it's gold and modern in other ways. very cool for biking with my babes.  They used to bike to the corner and wait for me to get there on my feet.  only thing i'm worried about is the need to wear one of those ugly helmets.

Praying, hoping and looking for work for next year.  Love to be more independent that way but it needs to be a stable job for me. Relieving at the last minute hasn't been lots of fun for my control-freak nature.

Looking forward to heading to the Gold Coast for Chrissy.  We are loving the thought of going to spend Christmas with our family.  Big bro and wifey have kindly paid big bucks for us to head over there.  What a gift!

I've got some more preaching lined up for next year.  It's been such an honour being asked to join a team of people (all men) to plan our stuff for next year.  I feel slightly 'stupid' around them but they obviously appreciate my input.  I'm quite excited about being asked which 'slot' i'd like to take throughout the year.

Need to do exercise.  hoping the bike-riding will help.

Gotta wee trip with my girli friends coming up too - a trip to the Capital for a night, staying in a hotel and hanging with my beautiful friends, straight after the gold coast trip. oh me oh my.  What a delight to stay with Waikanae girls, Singapore girl and Palmy girl (myself).  Together again, bliss.

Planning a wee birthday shin dig, mine is close to chrissy and it feels annoying to plan something but I always encourage others too so I MUST TOO!!

I'm reading a few 'dad' books at the mo.  My feelings of abandonment have been showing up recently and so i'm wanting to face it.  I've ordered a few new release books on 'fatherless generations' and am hoping to be encouraged and challenge myself as well as how i can help my own kids and others.  Letting my pain turn to something great is the big picture here for me.

I've gone to the same cafe now for three years, just about every day.  That's a lot of coffee money and a lot of time.  The relational side of me saw more than just getting good coffee.  It saw a great opportunity to input into others lives, even by just being friendly.  One of the fellas (barista) text me the other day asking if I could come and visit himself and his wife as they wanted to go to church.  I was humbled as i visited their home, heard their story and their need for God.  They want to hang some more (i've mostly only seen them at the cafe during work hours) and talk about God, they have expressed genuine interest for us to be involved in their lives.  Little old us with Big old God.  This was a magical experience.  A thrilling one.

My darling Hannah friend made us a garden with corn, tomatoes, more lettuce, capsicum, corgette and more.  It's so cute and lovely looking.  But you'll note that my first lot of lettuces are carefully placed on the BBQ due to the frequent visitor on our property.  The bunny.  The bunny is cute but if it eats my new plot of pleasure, I've told the girls I'm gonna have to shoot Mr B.  Never shot one before but desperate times may call for the gun (or the spade!).  We all laugh when i talk about it, even when i tell the bunny.  I'm not sure what i'll do if it truly does bust a move on the g-den.

Last thing:  I sent a text out on Sunday inviting some precious poppets round to my 'thanksgiving' du.  It's a 'finger-food' event (due to the short notice i've given) this Thurs, with only one task:  'please bring a note with something (or multiples) that you're thankful for.'  Could be on scrappy paper, just the content is what is important.  We'll share the notes round and read them out at some stage during the evening.  Hoping it's gonna be a fun time. 

Hope you're doing celebrating this month and next as you head towards Christmas again, remembering the season reason.  


Oh yeah - my K babe has been doing really well, she seems much happier.  We've been praying each night re the angry thoughts in her head and although she doesn't say much, she doesn't complain. She is bouncy, friendly, polite (all of these most of the times) and I'm proud of her.  I've been speaking words of confidence into her wee mind - We're not going anywhere, your feelings are really important, we don't run away from stuff, God heal our hurt where it's still lurking ....... ah the journey.

hello, it's me again. long time i know .....

Amidst shifting house, a lot has happened.

Like for example the time when i was in a cafe (last week) and the whole street went quiet as some diplomat cars pulled up, body guards and important people got out.  I live in small-ish Palmy, NZ and it's not often we see the famous.  Anyway when the famous got out of the car, to come to the same cafe i attend, i didn't recognise him.  Yes, I did ask someone and they didn't know.  And Yes i did the thing i wished i hadn't - i asked the body guard.  In disdain he answered: He's the governor General of NZ.
Of course he is.  Good times.

Birthday parties.  We love those.  And we are always glad when they are over.

Tantrums in the couldersack.  I thought i was moving into this place to hopefully be a blessing to those around this area, who were in need.  But on Monday morning, just before school, as I chased my daughter down the couldersack (as she was running from home with her toys, two fav books and pocket money jar), whilst having a diabetic hypo, I realised i was the one in desperate need of help.  Funny now. Not funny AT ALL on that day.  Tears from all three of us, despair and worry.  I spent the day in shock as i felt like the whole neighbourhood had witness the explosion from our place.

This same wee lady has confessed today to me, whilst bike riding to our local fish'n'chip shop, she has had angry thoughts whizzing around her head lately.  So glad to hear that coming out of her mouth.  Now we can do something with that.  Not sure what, but God knows.


Little lady - she has had some beautiful thoughts lately as she's contemplated life again, without daddy.  She can hardly believe the truth of the fact he is not coming home.  But she did think he could pop home for a week and help me get pregnant and then leave again, as she'd quite like a baby around the place.  Nice thing that we've had random bunny rabbits turn up at our house frequently these last few weeks.  Hoping they will suffice the baby-craving!

This little lady said she had asked God for a husband for me (I am smiling about her kind thoughts) and she told me tonight that after she prayed in bed, God answered and said Yes He would provide a husband for the mother ("how did God say that to you?"  "Oh he just did mum!").

It's been ages since i've written and i've known i've wanted too for quite sometime.   Christmas is looming and i have bought no presents really. slacker, crazy, ridiculous. I feel this silly pressure coming on me, like there's just far too much stuff on and i'd rather lie down under a wee tree sipping some nice refreshment.  But that is life.

It has been a full-on few weeks but i'm so glad we moved now and not just before Christmas!  This new place is peaceful and very pleasant.  I've already had two good loads of firewood dropped off for us! I've had moments where i've felt exhausted and moments that i've laughed and loved.  I feel this place represents something new for us but i'm glad to take some of the tradition, ideas, funstuff with us to help us journey on.  If you're thinking of us, please pray esp for K.  I am hoping for breakthrough with her so she doesn't have to carry  sadness around in the form of anger.  Praying that I'll be able to be wise and helpful too, whilst not losing my mind!  No more fireworks from her or anyone would be much appreciated! ta, always xx