That Wish....

Back in May 2002 we had a magical experience.

The Make a Wish Foundation granted our Taylor ( who was then 6 years old and had already been through 4 years of a hard journey) her wish.

It was a very long time in the deciding ( 2 years ). It had to be her idea and anything at all  that she wanted......it was a long time before we could get her to think beyond colouring pencils!

Travel wasn't really an option for Taylor and it would have been over in a whirlwind....we wanted something that she could share and have for a very long time.

When we finally did decide, we had chosen something that hadn't been done before and had to be discussed carefully. We had spent a lot of time at The Prince of Wales hospital in Sydney and they had a beautiful fairy garden in the centre of the hospital. It was a beautiful place to hang out with the girls and was the inspiration for our wish.

So once the team at The Make a Wish heard the idea they were very excited and ran with it.

Our very own Fairy Garden at home. 

So the team bought in a landscaping "A team" who just went to town on our whole yard!

We had to sign off on the design which I did with my eyes half closed so that it was a surprise for us all. 

It took three full days  and a big team of very buff landscapers who were seen some days to  be wearing fairy wings while they worked.

We moved out on day two and returned when it was done. 

On the late afternoon of the third day we came home and a party had been organised. All the girls in Taylor's class along with family were invited....Ronald McDonald made an appearance and bought dinner and our local Wendy's provided ice cream cake .The fairy shop provided beautiful dresses for both the girls.

It really was a very special time and gift for us as a family. Taylor spent weeks showing visitors around her new garden.

  

My most favourite photo...it was a total surprise reveal for her and she didn't hide her excitement...such a great response for The Make a Wish team to see.
 

The finished garden as it was in 2002.....
 

The weeping Mulberry then....

Our beautiful Fairy Garden as it is today........

The weeping Mulberry now.....
 

We were totally spoilt with the decision for the Foundation to gran this wish....Taylor enjoyed that garden for the next 2 1/2 years and we have continued to enjoy and share it with many friends over the last 11 years without her.

So again it is really special now to have the time and opportunity to give a little back in a very small way  to 
The Make a Wish Foundation.

Summer rains

It is still hot!

But the heavens broke today and we were doused in a heavy shower of rain.

Didn't cool the day down but the gardens almost groaned with delight at the drenching it received...

 Now the night skies are filled with lightening.

Oh Summer.

Butterfly Invasion {thankful list}

What better way to bring back to life to my very neglected Grateful/Thankful list than with the wonder and excitement of our garden being filled with more butterflies than I have ever seen in one place. They just filled the air.

We are in the middle of a heat wave...hot , hot , hot....we have communities 1 hour south of us who are in the middle of a fire storm. We are fortunate just to have the heat not the fire.

I ventured outside today briefly and was surprised as I moved about to discover that our garden was alive with butterflies....it was so magical...

So I am thankful for the magic and beauty of God's creation right in our backyard. Placed there to give us hope in some tricky days.

# 1145

Smelling the roses

A sneaky little outing was organised to surprise my sister for her birthday.
We headed up into the foothills and visited the Masonmill Gardens for afternoon tea.

It was a lovely girlie afternoon and especially beautiful to enjoy the surroundings
The roses were in plenty as were the everlasting flowers

We enjoyed rose infused lemonade and delicious sweet treats

Always lovely to hang with my girl and extra special---my beautiful sisters...

Gotta  love surprises.

Waiting or as you are going?

It was one of those perfect and most glorious days yesterday.

After spending the morning with my beautiful playgroup families I was treated to a picnic lunch made by a friend.

As we sat and enjoyed a simple and delicious lunch we gushed over the beauty of the day. We also shared our hearts, listened to each others concerns and what was weighing down our hearts. we also encouraged each other in the waiting game...waiting for that revelation of where we are headed.

But as we chatted I got to thinking about that waiting that we say we are doing....waiting infers stillness, stagnant even...should we be waiting or is it in the going that things are revealed?

As I crawled into bed last night and reflected on my day...I knew that the family with the new baby felt loved by my team at playgroup, that my friend was encouraged by our time together (as I was)...even the time we took as a family to go and see a movie last night has impacted our thinking.
All these events are part of the going...the moving towards the revealing of our journey
Make sense?

I think it is in the going that we are being prepared for what lies ahead. Our family is in a state of change ,our circumstances are never what they have been before. we are being prepared for more change but I don't think God wants us to stay still and just wait.....wait till the house is finished, wait till we are on our last dollar...no keep going and keep appreciating and being grateful for the events of each day.

So we will keep going...love the moments in the day and as we go, we will see the plans for us as a family come to fruition....

and continue to make the most of these most perfect days.