Months have turn into over a year!!!

A number of blogs I keep up with have had "time off" for a while.  Life's happenings happen...and before you know it, time has flown.

Since I last posted we had two months away travelling across the world - USA, London, Paris, Malta, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Petra and the Philippines.  Christmas 2011 was spent in the US and we celebrated our daughter's 13th birthday at Disney World, Florida. 

July 2012 spent two weeks in India.  While my husband was preaching and teaching at Pastors and Deacons meetings and in villages, my daughter and I experienced true village life in Kotagiri.  Walked the streets with hundreds of people, animals and vehicles!!!  Spent time in the home of many and prayed with and for many, including police on duty at a tourist destination.

October 2012 my husband and son went to Fiji for two weeks. Us "girls" stayed home this time.  Upshot of the Fiji trip is that our son has met a lovely Christian girl, and they have kept in contact since.

January 2013 already had three weeks in Mwanza, Tanzania. Again ministry amongst the pastors, deacons, leaders and their wives, plus children's ministry.  All very rewarding and a great blessing. We also had two days in the Serengeti National Park, experiencing all the wonderful native African animals up close.  Including many lions and cubs, elephants walking around the vehicle, giraffes, buffalo, leopard and her cub in a tree and much more.

In amongst it all, I worked full-time as a chaplain in three schools. Then the normal home duties and local church ministry.  I didn't get a lot of crafting done, which I really felt, as it is definitely my way of relaxing and having quiet time to think, plan and be in a state of contentment.

So this year? I have finished working as chaplain in the first school I started at, which will save me a lot of travel time. I'll be working three days a week in my own town instead.  Hopefully from this I can get some crafting time again.  I need to get back into my "Dear Jane" quilt and a few other things like that.

Feeding lambs

I was asked about our lambs, so I've posted a couple of photo's.

I think we need to change the song "Mary had a little lamb....." to "Justine had a little lamb...." and "Everywhere that Justine went...the lamb was sure to go"!!!

Another lamb was rejected overnight, so we're now bottle feeding a second lamb.

Even a "lamb kiss"!!!

It's been a while!!

Time, that is "days and months" have disappeared rather rapidly. Even my daughter is worried at the pace of time.

Family changes have been happening this year - Our son has moved out into his own unit. This was a big thing and hard for me as his time with us seemed so short, considering his first 6 years were in an orphanage. During the past school holidays hubby and son were driving together, to go walking on Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges, and had a car accident on the way. The car was a write-off, but they walked away no injuries, but a big lesson for our son, yes, he was driving, still on his "L's".


For us the ornamtental cherry blossom is once again covering the trees; the ewes are having lambs; and we're bottle feeding one lamb, rejected by it's mother; we're starting to get warmer days, which I love as you feel the warmth right into your bones.



My crafting days have been limited with my part-time chaplaincy work. So I've not been as productive as I once was. However, I participated in a CQ Asian Challenge on the yahoo gruop CQ4Newbies. I was excited to tie for first place with this block.







Gerry on "Block Talk" has done a very helpful critique on my block, and so I will be working on it to make some changes.

I can't guarantee when I'll post again. But I can tell you we will be away on holidays at the end of the year, visiting Bali, Paris, America, London, Malta, Cyprus, Egpyt, Israel and the Philippines. This trip is to take our daughter back to her birth country for a visit.

Cyclones....!!!!!

The cyclone that travelled down the coast of Western Australia, stayed out to sea and slowed down, it then hit the colder waters which downgraded it as it crossed over land, into a rain depression. Which we're all thankful for.

However, Queensland is really struggling. Not only with flooding since December, with nearly 2/3 of the state under water, about 3 times the size of Texas, which did go into New South Wales, then Victoria. Then they were hit with two cyclones. With the worst one last night, a category 5 cyclone, Yasi.

It's ladies like Jenny of ELEFANTZ I'm concerned for.

With all the flooding both in north WA, in the eastern states and the cyclones, the food bowl of Australia is severely descimated.

Rare Cyclone Alert for SW Australia

The last time a cyclone managed to get further down the coast was Cyclone Alby in the 1970's.

It looks like we might be in for a bit of a rough ride over the weekend if the cyclone travels according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast maps.
You can view it at http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDW60281.shtml

So to be on alert, from Jurien Bay to Albany, with possible effects felt on Sunday, is indeed, amazing.

Also there are two others off the coast of Queensland, so they are wtching and waiting also.

First 2011 project

I have completed my first project for 2011. A x-stitch bookmark I received as a Christmas gift. It was "very me"!!! I love roses and pink with cream and green!!

Also end of last year I completed Kaaren's Huswif Needlecase, that she had as one of her First Friday Freebie patterns. The following is the stitchery completed,

Now sewn together with outer fabric, binding and button.

Inside the Huswif Needlecase. I altered Kaaren's last image changing it to a pineapple (from another of Kaaren's FFF's) and my own words "Heart given to hospitality." My home has been that in the last week and a half, with 14 guests either to a meal or staying with us.

Finally a picture of the lastest chickens my daughter is loving to death!!! This is a picture she took on the back verandah, where she plays with them for hours.

"Give Thanks" Free BOM from Jenny

Jenny of ELEFANTZ has a new BOM with a slight difference. The following is what she shared of her thinking behind this BOM.

"Over the last couple of years there have been many challenges facing our nations, our world, our neighbours, family, friends, and our own lives. When struggles occur it is far easier to focus on the sorrows and trials than on the continuing goodness that still exists in our lives.

This BOM is my small attempt to have our hearts and thoughts dwell on those good things for which we can give thanks.

This month, January, we shall make the wall hanging part of the BOM. Then from February 1st – December 1st I’ll share a small stitched verse of thankful inspiration, made up into a mini hanging that you can display in the blank centre section of the wallhanging."