Thankful Thursday

* Completing our third, very successful yearly holiday camp

* The coming together of over thirty volunteers and 74 excitable kids

* Watching people step out of their comfort zone and go full out to embrace the fun

* Seeing kids make new friends on day one

* A new international visitor that has become a friend

* The energy that you get from others

* A husband at home in the evening to prepare the refuel food

* Seeing the brave try new outrageous things

* No-one worried about being a fool

* Big and small people hanging out and loving on each other

* The impact of loving kids for a whole week- transforming lives

* The team spirit to have each others backs when hitting the wall was inevitable

* Waking up each morning and pushing through the exhaustion and aches

* Learning a whole bunch of dance moves and songs to sing

* The sun that shone bright and warm all week

* Teens forming bonds that are so tight

* Worshiping and praying with the team every day

* The provision of donated yummy food to feed us all week

* Evenings hanging with new friends

* Cameras loaded with hundreds of pics to remember the fun

* Flash mob fun

* Watching my girl impact the lives of the little girls she shepherded all week.

* All the months of planning coming together in spectacular success

* Very early morning airport farewells

* The sigh of relief that being on holidays now brings

#966 Packing up our mobile accommodation and preparing for a week of nothingness

My Thankful List

3/52

Him: There was so much fun to be had at our intensive holiday programme...the water slide was a huge hit.

Her: She made an awesome team leader and mentor to lots of little people...so proud of her.

My 52 weeks project

Joining with Jodi's project 

5-11/365

#5 What a very cool square pop up card made by my sister for my birthday..

 

 

#6 Round rockmelon for a bunch of hungry kids....

#7 Currently reading....these great books....one has really impacted me particularly this week.

 #8 Never tire of stopping and seeing the landscape when the wind is up and the kite surfing is hot....

#9 Patterns seen every day for two weeks at the local pool...

#10 Picking tomatoes from the garden I happened upon an little creature that I am sure just wanted to say hello....
 

#11 I see through the doors a whole lot of fun happening here in the week to come...holiday programme time for us.

My photo a day project.

2/52

Him: Two weeks of daily swimming lessons at the local pool...and it still wasn't enough water for him

Her: It is such a treat to see the adoration of a little girl and the big girl.

My 52 weeks project

Joining in with Jodi's project

Ten on Ten - January

Ten Photos over Ten hours on the Tenth of the Month

 

* We have an international visitor staying with us ....so breakfast the Aussie way...outside in our superb weather.

* Street cricket

* Learning the art of setting up our holiday accommodation

* It comes with everything.

* It really is magic and we are going to have the coolest getaway in just over a week.

* After the mammoth morning of setting up and packing away...a family function called us....the first chance to sit and relax all day.

* Boys and trees just go together.

* A change of turf...beach cricket....that Englishman staying with us is cricket mad

* The weather turned on a show for us today and the beach joined it.

* We finished a very hectic and busy day with hosting a BBQ to bring together a whole bunch of young people.

{Wow we are only on the first day of a very full and busy week ahead and I am spent....finding it tough to keep up with those much younger than I}

Joining in with Rebekah and all the other sharing peeps here.

Thankful Thursday

* Lazy Days

* Warm days for the swimming lessons

* Impromptu sleepovers at cousins

* Creative peeps who can make ideas come to life

* Willing helpers to do the smallest tasks

* Simple summer meals 

* A working teen who can then have a spending spree -  spending her money

* Hot balmy nights perfect for a beach dinner

* Friends who look out for you

* A long range forecast that will suit our holiday programme next week

* The time to finishing an inspiring read

* Fresh catch of crabs

* The nature of chickens that two can go on without hesitation when their mate disappears

#940 Sunset to love

Counting my way to 1000......so much to be thankful for .

1-4/365

I thought a new year a new challenge....

I love my camera and capturing moments.....I don't use it to it's full capacity and I have much to learn about taking photos...

So the best way to improve and become even better friends with my camera is to use it even more....

So I am going to attempt to take a pic a day joining many of my favourite daily reads.

I am going to use the prompts from Fat Mum Slim but not being on any other social media this will be the only place I share them....so here goes...

1. The first sunset SKY of the New Year. 

 

2. Fresh YELLOW lemons in abundance from our backyard. Loving hot lemon water each morning.

3. OK who doesn't have a "selfie stick" in their house? I just had to have a go and snap a pic of ME

4.I HEAR our deep sounding chimes at the slightest breeze...we love them hope the neighbours do too...

So that is the first week of this year down....

These hot days...

When the temperature climbs...there is only one thing to do..... 

Head to the pool for swimming lessons and fun with the cousins

Find a shady spot under the trees and wait it out until it is time to head home to the air conditioning...

 

Then when it is safe to do so head out for dinner at the beach under the cover of dark.....

..... Summer days.
(unfortunately the slow days are over...two of us head back to work tomorrow)

1/52 ( 2015)

Him: Cooking up the haul of crabs he caught with his dad.

Her: She and I ducked down to capture the first sunset of the year. ( too nice to change to B&W)

My darling subjects are willing to go another year of me capturing their lives and showing all who wish to see.....my dilemma was whether too or not....so much is said about parading our children on the net...I figure when I have so much to celebrate with them then sharing is OK.

So while all are in agreement we will continue....2015 here we come.

Joining in again with Jodi

2014 reading list

My reading list for 2014 wasn't as comprehensive as past years...but I did read a couple of books out of my normal genre.....

 

So I am recording my list here for future reference....

 

Before I start at least two new ones that I was gifted for Christmas.

 

• The Art of Baking Blind - Sarah Vaughan
• Atlas Girl - Emily Wierenga
• Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult
• The Vintage Teacup Club - Vanessa Greene
• Girl 43 - Maree Giles
• Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
• Safe with Me -Ann Hatvany
• The Life List - Lori Nelson Spielman
• Flight Behaviour - Barbara Kingsolver
• Crash the Chatterbox - Steven Furtick
• The Rice Mother - Rani Manicka
• Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
• Undaunted - Christine Caine
• One Good Friend Deserves Another - Lisa Verge Higgins
• The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship - Lisa Verge Higgins
• Heart Like Mine - Amy Hatvany
• Nice Girls Don't Change The World- Lynne Hybels
• The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
• Derailed - Netta and David Jackson
• The sky Beneath My Feet - Lisa Samson

Thankful catch up

* Fresh seafood cooked to perfection

* Family gatherings

* Carol singing nights and the nativity story told

* Plastic plates in a house with no dishwasher

* Still balmy Christmas days

* Neighbourhood Christmas light displays

* BBQ nights

* Goodies placed out for Santa

* Hampers delivered secretly for a family in need

* Cousins hanging out in harmony

* Older Cousins enjoying some freedom to choose

* Thoughtful gifts received with gratitude

* Photo books made to celebrate past holidays

* The excitement of unwrapping a ticket to the cricket

* The excitement of then finding out all your best buddies are going too.

* The days between Christmas and New Year

* Slow lazy days that demand nothing

* Two weeks of very inexpensive vacation swimming lessons for the kids

* Hanging at the pools every day with my sisters and their kids

* Birthday lunches with those same sisters

* Celebrating two birthdays in two days....Happy Birthday sis

* Secret squirrel birthday gift buying

* Seeing a family movie on my birthday

* Texts and messages from lots of family and friends with birthday wishes

* Cup of tea catch ups with my dad

* New books to lay on the couch with

* Holidays booked- little adventure awaits us

*Op shops that are full of treasures to be discovered

* A New party dress found at those treasure shops 

 

* Quiet New years eve's hanging together

* Not feeling the pressure to stay up way to late to watch the clock tick over

 #927 A brand new year with brand new opportunities

I was hoping to make the 1000 before the end of 2014...just short....oh well there will be plenty of more things coming my way to be thankful for so I will just keep counting and recording them here.

My list grows

 

Goodbye 2014

Goodbye 2014......it was nice doing life with you.....

But the time has come to say goodbye and make way for 2015......

Happy New Year from us to you.... 

Thanks for the birthday wishes.....can't believe I wait all year and she comes and goes just like that....watching another disappear with  the ticking over of another years end.

Christmas 2014

We shopped, we cooked, we wrapped , we decorated, we tidied, we waited, we "churched", we opened our doors.

We celebrated and shared our thankfulness as a family for the gift of Jesus. 

We shed that tear ( or in my case ,more than I knew what to do with) for those we love and that are not here.

There was laughter, merriment, excitement, surprise and a little bit of stress and weirdness....

They came....most of them........and we gave....

Memories have been made...filed away....

And that was Christmas...... 

But can I make a confession.....

What I love even more than any of that is these days between Christmas and New year....

The expectations have gone, the stress has dissipated ( a little) . We give ourselves permission to relax, hang out, do what ever you like or do nothing at all, there is no office needing our attention, the new years resolutions are not needing to be set just yet and there are plenty of treats hiding in the cupboards ........

It may even contain a birthday as well....

It is a period of time to breathe....

I feel like I haven't had a chance to breathe deep in a while....

How about you..these days sweet for you too?