1958 Dresses

Here are Mum's 'going away' and a special honeymoon party dresses. Aren't they gorgeous and still in perfect condition. I've forgotten the name of the lady who sewed them, she was an older lady in Bendigo.

Sorry, it's been a hard week :o(

I've been away all week, my dear mother has had a stroke. She is still in hospital.
Praying for you Mum. Know that God is actively working by His spirit in you each day, you are not forgotten but precious to Him. I do pray that we might have you a bit longer here, basically because we are selfish and love you. We; Dad, Simon and I, Wess and grandchildren want to talk to you and hold your hand a bit longer.

2 Corinthians 4

¹⁶Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 5

Our Heavenly Dwelling

 ¹Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ²Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, ³because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. ⁶Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.⁷We live by faith, not by sight. ⁸We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

It takes time!

This self sufficiency gig is SLOW! It is so easy to read books and think that it can happen quickly but honestly I have to say from our experience life gets in the way!

I just updated a garden bed post that we started back in May. It's now October and there hasn't been a huge advancement, well, really I there has been work but I still can't plant in it. But we had to get it welded, gather rocks, get the pipe etc, it just takes time and money and if you don't have it, which is most normal families, we just have to be patient.

Changing habits takes time. Convincing the rest of the family of a good change takes time! Weaning children from screen time, takes time!

This is our southern orchard, it has been planted for 5 years but we only learnt how to prune properly this year and  finally it looks like we might get more than one or two pieces of fruit.

If you are a normal family with normal time, money and health constraints please be encouraged IT TAKES TIME! For all of us, it's one step at a time.

Retro patterns. Op shop fun!

I had a great find at my favourite op shop last week. I have no idea if I'll get anything made up, so I'll store them as little package of future hope ;o)

The man is on a roll! Scarf Display and Holder

On top of fly screens (post below), Pooh has cleaned off the most gorgeous old ladder, I think it was his grandfathers (just over 100 years old) for me to hang my scarves and wraps on. How delicious is this! Handy too, I forget what I have when they are in a drawer.

I should add I've got a talented family, the painting was by Mum, it's the church of St John the Baptist, 1846 in Tasmania and the candle holder was via blacksmithing son, also the blacksmithed shelf holder and eldest son thicknessed and shaped the timber shelf.

I've married a genius! Fly screens at last!

We moved into our home 8 years ago and it was a dump. It was a garage with very few windows and dearest Pooh has slaved away with his bodgy eye and made me an Eden! Today after many summers of mosquitos he made fly screens! I'm stoked and can now have the window open into the evenings (Well I hope I can, yet to be tested I suppose!)

This wall was brick, no window at all. He cut the brick, put in a lintel, made the chunky timber surrounds out of a fallen tree on the property and added recycled windows we pulled out of an old house about to be demolished. Today he came up with sliding fly screens!

Anti bacterial wipes -homemade

When I'm out at the shops or else where and we are having lunch, whether bought or brought, I like to use wipes for our hands before eating. I used to buy them but it added up even though they are a few dollars, so here's a homemade job. If I can't take a bottle, I can just damped a cloth and put it in a ziplock bag :o) 

Anti bacterial wipes: 

100ml white vinegar 
20 drops lavender 
20 drops eucalyptus oil 
10 drops tea tree oil 
Blend and store in spray bottle with some cloth squares (or paper towel if throwing away) Ziplock bags to carry cloths or dirties to wash at home.