The Sunshine in Life

Well, it's been such a long time since I posted last...... I don't post because I feel I have nothing to say that anybody would be interested in. I think it comes from low self esteem, I should work on that. I should be chanting to myself 21 times a day 'I'm great! I'm amazing! I'm worth it!'. Maybe then my attitude would change about myself..............apparently it takes 21 times to change the 'old message'.

I am at work and should be working, however, motivation evades me. Pathetic excuse isn't it? My left shoulder is aching terribly (my back is severly out), my eyes are sore (because I am tired as I have been having trouble sleeping) and I am annoyed that my coffee doesn't taste as good as it should (someone different to my usual girl made it). But do you know what? Today is a wonderful day! The sun is shining! How I have missed the sun over the past few weeks when the dreariness of winter envelopes every day. And although it is quite chilly, it is still a beautiful day out there! Yes, it surely is a wonderful day to be alive!

 

This is my eldest son. Isn't he handsome? I love him so very much. Tomorrow will be his 16th birthday. We bought him a new bed for his birthday. A double size. He has been sleeping peacefully in it for a few weeks now. So, as the present thing has already been attended to, for his birthday, I am taking him to the Roads and Traffic Authority in Dubbo so he can sit his Driver Knowledge Test and hopefully obtain his Learners Driving Permit. I also promised him that if he passed, I would let him drive from Dubbo back to his school. He has been studying furiously and doing the online tests. He can pass every time now, but he wants to achieve 100% because his best friend and another friend did this when they got their 'L's'. I certainly don't feel old enough to have a child that is old enough to drive a car.....even if I will be sitting in the passenger seat. The years have gone so very quickly and it makes me kind of sad that I didn't take more time/notice/pay attention in the earlier more innocent years. I was too worried about making sure the bills were paid, there was food on the table, the kids were clothed and alot of other things that distracted me from these precious moments that I can now hardly remember. Oh well, there is no use being sad about all that now, it's not like I can change it.

So, I've shared a bit of the Sunshine in my life, and whereever you are and whatever you are doing today, I do hope you have a Sunshiney day!

Floriade Spectacular

I have wanted to attend Floriade for as long as I can remember, and last weekend I finally got to go.  What a wonderful event hosted by our capital. The pictures are beautiful, but they still do not capture the real beauty the creator so masterfully applied to each little flower. This years theme was 'Imagination', and boy, did they do a great job.

The above and below shots are of a plot of tulips dedicated to individuals who have given life to another individual by way of transplant of some organ, bone marrow etc..... a lovely tribute to the many people and families who so selflessly give of themselves, alive and deceased.

We took a ride on the Ferris Wheel to really see how the flowers look as a 'picture'. You have trouble seeing it from the ground, but you can certainly see it from above.

We went into a pavilion and there was a display of art that had been made into these sculptures to show how our rubbish can still be used as a thing of beauty. I thought it was very clever!

There was a scultpture of the old parliament house as well, made out of sand. It was incredible! It even had this minature coat of arms scuplted on it! Some people are just too clever!

I must say that this last picture totally intrigued me. The delicate detail of the frayed edges of these petals was just mind blowing!

There are many more pictures on my facebook page of our visit to Floriade. If you ever get the opportunity to go along and have a look, it is definately worth the trip. Have a happy day.

Exhausting Events in the Backyard

We had the most gorgeous day at our house yesterday, so Brent and I decided it was time to weed and tidy the yard up.  After all the rain we have had the weeds and grasses had taken over the whole front yard! I have to tell you though that both our boys came out with us and got stuck in and helped too, we didn't even ask them to come out and help..... I was very chuffed!  I think the idea of 'sawing' and 'chopping' things down was the motivator.

This took Luke so long to chop down. He would chop for a while, then go inside and have a rest for a while, in and out of the house he kept going,  but he persisted and finally won!

 Isaac was trying to 'crobar leverage' a stump out and was lucky enough to hit the stormwater pipe.

Lucky dad's had lots of experience fixing them up.

Even the dogs were getting in on the excitment of the day!

some of the plants in my front garden. First is 'Hebe', then 'dwarf polygala', and lastly 'lavendar'. Unfortunately after the lavendar finishes flowering it will be pulled out as the plant has gone quite yucky and horrible. 

The find of the day though goes to Isaac...... this is what he found when he started chopping down a large bush in the back yard.....

I don't know what kind of bird this is, but she had some babies she was determined to look after. So, we have left the bush and will get rid of it after her babies are grown and have flown away.  We thought it was a pretty awesome find.

Can you see the mess in the front yard? Well that is all tidied up now and the back yard as a few more bushes removed. 

Although it was exhausting work, it will be well worth it once we have finished doing what we plan.  I'll keep you posted on the goings on of our 'freshen up'.

Home

I live in a small farming community of approx. 3000 people in the middle of NSW, Australia. It's looking really pretty at the moment as we have had so much rain over the winter, almost too much.  But we are so very blessed to be able to say that we are officially out of the drought that has lain upon us for the past 10 years.  
Our environment is looking so green & lush.  I drive 35klms to work each day and the road is dead straight west of my home.  At the moment, the fields are filled with all sorts of different colours.  The canola is in flower at present, and the wheat and oats are still growing, so there are seas upon seas of yellow and different shades of green. 

The dams are so full and we have had so much rain that there are weeds and grass growing right down to the water of the dams.  It truly is weird to see that sight, as for so long now, the dams have just had a ring of dirt around the top of them, and then more dirt for as far as you could see with a few scraps of weeds and brown grass spotted around the paddocks. 
 
The Pattersons Curse will soon be in bloom, oh what a delightful display this noxious weed creates, and depending on the time of day, when the sunlight hits it, you swear you can see shiny sparkles on the plant.  
 

So there is a little bit of info about where I live. The lifestyle is very laid back and relaxed. It is a wonderful place to bring up children, and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to raise my two here. The only bad thing I have to say about Narromine is that it is a long way away from ANYTHING, hence our vehicle that we have only had for 15 months has already done 45000Klms.....

Stop and look around your environment, and notice the little blessings there each day. 

Christmas Is Coming.....and fast!

Sorry to point it out to you all, but.... it is you know....  

This week, I went to the church hall to help decorate shoe boxes for the Samaritans Purse 'Operation Christmas Child' we as a church are participating in. Our little Christian School did lots of happy christmas paintings on big pieces of paper and we are using that paper to wrap the shoe boxes one of the ladies got from the shop 'Rivers'. We still have plenty to get wrapped, so we are meeting again one evening next week. 

Lots of items have been purchased by everyone to go towards filling the boxes. Once they are filled, they are sent away to some third world country and children that don't have a traditional christmas are given a shoebox filled with goodies.  

I must say that I had the most splendid time shopping for them. I bought lots of T/shirts, caps, shorts, beanies, pencils, sharpeners, thongs and I think some other things that I have forgotten. Other items that have been donated are yo-yo's, tennis balls, barbie style dolls, cuddly toys, pencil cases, face washers, soap, toothbrushes, combs, hair ties and clips, stickers, exercise books, erasers, small toy cars.... and the list seems to go on and on. 

It really is wonderful to think that at christmas time, some little person out there in the big world that has had a struggle during their short life and really has nothing, will open up a shoe box and find brand new lovely items that they will be able to use and cherish, that I was fortunate enough to be able to buy for them and hopefully they will also feel a little loved by it. 

I truly love doing things for other people, it really makes my heart feel happy, and it doesn't matter how small the act is. 

Christmas is now only 16 weeks and one day away! So ya better get your thinking caps on and start getting ready to spread the joy! Ho ho ho!

Hello World - Here I am!

Ok, so I have been toying with the idea of creating a blog for quite a while and kept putting it off because first I told myself I wouldn't have time for it, and I also told myself that I am way too boring for anyone to want to read about my life and it's happenings, but I thought 'what the hey', so here I am. 

I follow a few different blogs and it really is a wonderful way to 'catch up' with family and friends and what has been going on in their lives.  I am isolated from my own immediate family, and I have found it a wonderful way to feel connected to them, even though we don't speak on the phone very often, or see each other much for that fact. I do hope you enjoy 'catching up' with me now and again......