The Drew Patch

iSonto #25

2012-02-12T08:30:00.000+11:00

Elnathan was eager to complete a puzzle he called "the quite hard one" at every opportunity.

Mercy was amazingly happy during her "room time", playing for half an hour or more on her own. I would take a peek and she would be happily examining her toys.

From garden to tummies . . .

Here we are eating pizza with our tomatoes, basil, and zucchini on top. The chooks were eager to have some and Daisy (the boldest one) even hopped up on us.

This week we are thankful for the thriving basil crop, and the climbing beans that were stunted and stopped growing but have now recovered and begun to produce.

The sunflower poking above the corn has delighted us.

Nate said the sunflower was big and beautiful and "you made the sunflower for my birthday, didn't you?"

I have also been very thankful for Mercy's predictable afternoon naps of an hour or more. After a year of challenges, this is lovely!

A book we enjoyed together was "You are Brave", a sweet story about the ways you can be brave. We have now borrowed "You are Friendly" and "You are Helpful" as well.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Are you happy?

One funny moment was Nate dancing with a little friend. She glided around the room with ballet-like flowing motions. He jumped up and down vigorously, providing a funny contrast!

iSonto #24

2012-02-04T16:23:00.000+11:00

Elnathan was happy with his playdough! We were amazed when he began to show some real creativity, adding a spare tyre to the car that Mum made for him.

Mercy was saying "Buuum Buuum" a lot, which is her version of "Yum Yum". This is a big improvement upon squeals of desperation.

From garden to tummies . . .

Unsure of what to do with the lemon after grating the rind? I often find myself in this position, and hate to waste homegrown lemon! Well, this time I fed it to the children and they devoured it! They kept asking for more. "Buumy, Buumy" said Mercy!

A book we enjoyed together was The Blue Lotus, one of Dave's Tintin collection. Nate is fascinated with them. I read them out to him trying to miss out all the bits about killing people that are included in the adventures! These are designed for adults, so it is extra fun for me to read them, but they appeal to children due to the illustrations.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from the Stellenbosch Community Development Association website. What a pleasure it was to read about the good work they are doing in a township near to where Dave attended university! This is one more idea for how we can remember the poor as God tells us to do, even when we live a world away.

This week we are thankful for a fun and successful zucchini pickling night! Too many zucchinis? Try a triple batch of zucchini pickle! Our neighbour and a friend from church joined us. We made 12 jars in all.

Another big thing to be thankful for was Dave doing the washing up while I took my friend home :). We are also one step closer to our new kitchen with dishwasher, having chosen a joinery company. Praise God for that!

iSonto #23

2012-01-29T20:35:00.001+11:00

Elnathan was so sweet this morning when he hugged Mercy and said "Do I love my sister?" Here he is intently doing a puzzle that would have been too hard for him a few months ago. I have enjoyed precious moments this week watching the two of them focus their tiny hands on puzzle pieces.

Natey's memory verse was "All Scripture was given by inspiration of God".

Mercy was delighted to pull apart a rose on the front porch.

This week we are thankful for the . . .

* Lovely abundance of corn and pumpkins and gem squash and climbing beans all together at the back corner of the garden, and the marigolds at the front entrance

* Happy days with cousins on holiday. Esther came one day, Jeriah another. Esther is an excellent play mate and shows the little ones how to use their toys.

* Curls on the back of Mercy's head

* A great time at the beach this morning, with Mercy loving the water with Daddy

* A picnic with friends at the beach this evening.

* Mercy is walking beautifully, which is an absolute delight to me and my sore back as I don't have to pick up and carry her much anymore. It is also just very cute, and she took off boldly up the beach this morning, with great determination to go who knows where!

* God slowly showing me what meekness is

* The stillness sleep brings to active bodies and curious eyes

* Shells to decorate a sand tortoise

* Songs for Saplings ABC CD teaching us God's word as we do our work or play

From garden to tummies . . .

We have had lots of butter beans, which Nate likes to eat raw. I had them all in a bowl and Mercy tipped them out, and it was so cute when she obeyed us and started packing them away again.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, a deep and vibrant call to a life of thanksgiving.

One funny moment was when Dave came in and said to Nate "Is that my boy" and Nate replied "I'm not a boy, I'm a car". He has started contradicting most things we say. This presents a new training challenge, but also brings some comedy.

iSonto #22

2012-01-21T16:48:00.002+11:00

This week we are thankful for . . .

Harvesting baby beets and carrots
Bright colours of marigolds in the evening light
A few great nights of sleep
An evening to do some sewing
A date
Laughter

Mercy was incredibly cute and made us laugh lots playing peek-a-boo behind curtains and chairs.

Boo!

Bye bye Mum!

Lets do it again!

Some of her outfits are especially cute for toddling, such as the one above.

Elnathan was delighted with the cooking set and tea set we purchased for the children with some money given by his great aunt. They are perfect for making a mess while practicing pouring!

We have started a regular colouring time after morning tea, which will hopefully in time allow me to do some household admin while the children are colouring. In the background you can see Mercy going off with her own paper and crayon.

From garden to tummies . . .

Right now Dave is making basil pesto using our fresh basil and garlic.

A book we enjoyed together was Cinderella. This was Nate's request before most of his naps this week.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Maybe This Year, a blog post that reminded me to "ask God to dissolve all our hopes (however good they may be!) into a single hope: to know Christ and to be found in Him."

One funny moment was when Mum told me that Elnathan informed her that Grandad and Uncle Aidan were married.

iSonto #21

2012-01-15T09:00:00.002+11:00

Mercy loved watching the chooks this week.

This created some excellent photo opportunities for her great aunts when they were here yesterday! Here is the twosome posing for their aunties.

This week we are thankful for . . .

* The arrival of Sherrin's two brothers from Canada and Queensland respectively.

* Three aunts and a cousin also joining us from mainland Australia.

* Sherrin's parents wedding 40th wedding anniversary, which is the occcasion of them joining us to celebrate.

* The Occupational Therapy home visit Sherrin had that gave us good ideas about how to improve our home to make it more back pain friendly!

* The children can do more together all of a sudden. With Mercy walking, Nate going to the potty, and being able to even put them at a little table together to do puzzles with me for a while, I am beginning to see a new stage of parenting emerge.

Here they are at the piano.

Mercy has even been watching a little Playschool with Elnathan.

Elnathan was developing his imagination. One day he was a dog, the next a bee. The rest of the family similarly morphed. It seems to provide a way to work through things that happen. For example, "The boy bee pushed over the car, that wasn't good, the Mummy bee was shocked because the boy bee pushed the baby bee and hurt her". Here he is in his "tent".

Natey's memory verse was Matthew 22: 27 - 28, Jesus said to him "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment".

From garden to tummies . . .

We had lots of basil and oregano on our pizza.

A book we enjoyed together was The Cobra in the Barn: Great Stories of Automotive Archaeology by Tom Cotter. Dave borrowed it from the library and Nate has been "reading" it several times a day. "I'll just finish reading my book about cars" has been a frequent response to my statement that we would be going outside or doing something else!

One funny moment was when Nate was told his Aunty Jen skied in Canada. He immediately said "Aunty Jen went in a rocket to the moon, didn't you". Hmm. . . it seems "Charlie Bear", a character on a show he watches on iview, both skies and pretended to go to the moon.

iSonto #21

2012-01-07T16:52:00.001+11:00

This week we are thankful for . . .

Mercy and Nate playing together with less supervision necessary and more enjoyment!

Only one lot of cloth nappies now, due to one person graduating from them . . . yay!

Elnathan was taking leaps and bounds in his comprehension. He has got the concept of going to the potty and become very interested in why Mum and Dad are allowed to say no to him but he is not allowed to say no to our instructions.

Here he is putting grass into his wheelbarrow to help Dad. All the rubble is the remains of a BBQ structure that we could never work out how to use. Dave has also dismantled the free standing deck during his break, and we are loving the extra space becoming more child friendly and useful to us. I am praising God for Dave's industry and initiative in serving us in this way.

Mercy was incredibly sweet toddling around on her two tiny feet.

Here she is going to see Nate in his "cubby".

From garden to tummies . . .

Beets roasted with other vegetables and chicken breasts for a delicious dinner.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Knowing God free audiobook which I downloaded from Christianaudio.

One funny moment was Mercy collapsing onto Nate in his cubby and them both laughing together.

iSonto #20

2011-12-18T19:43:00.001+11:00

Elnathan was practicing jumping a lot this week. There are few sweeter things than watching a child delight in something so ordinary. He was also a cute but wayward sheep in our church's nativity.

Natey's memory verse was "The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits" from James 3: 17.

Mercy was happy to "help" Daddy with podding the broad beans.

Mercy has also been delighting us with her smiles, standing on her own, walking when we hold her hand, and affectionate way of coming up to us and saying "hello".

From garden to tummies . . .

Turnips were delicious with a roast last night. I have discovered that God has packed lots of vitamin C and other nutrients into turnips. Our zucchini has produced its first fruit, but they are all female. Without any male flowers they will just die. So we decided to harvest them with their flowers and eat them fried with eggs for breakfast. Yum! I just found out that they are a source of potassium and folates.

A book we enjoyed together was "The Jesus Storybook Bible".

We are thankful for the roses and silverbirches outside our window, the memories of how God has provided for us in the past, the prospect of getting a new kitchen with a dishwasher which will help my back pain, our Advent calendar, and opportunities to talk about Jesus.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #19

2011-12-11T21:05:00.000+11:00

Mercy was happy to play in the sand when we went out for dinner to celebrate Dave's promotion to permanent employment.

We thought it might be warm enough to eat outside but soon enough that Tassie biting wind caused us to go inside!

Before dinner we had a lovely play on the beach.

Elnathan was very cute playing cubbies under a blanket with the toys. We had fun practicing our greetings as the toys knocked on the door and "met" the other toys! It is lovely that the he is old enough to begin to pretend like this.

Natey's memory verse was Proverbs 25:28 "Whoever has no control over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls", perfect for small boys (and Mummies) who have trouble controlling their emotions!

From garden to tummies . . .

We enjoyed fresh snap peas often this week, the sweet fruit of perseverance as I had to plant them multiple times to get this crop. They were killed in various ways and I had to replant.

A book we enjoyed together was "Frank the Farmer", which was asked for again and again.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Enjoying the Simplicity of Staying Home, an antidote to feeling guilty about not going here and there. There is so much good to be done out and about . . . but often the "good works" God has called us to do right now are simply in front of us at home.

We are thankful for the rosellas who visited neighbouring trees,a neater yard with Dave's new brush cutter, a lovely big bookshelf for Nate's room, the piano moved to the living room so we can enjoy it more, and a chance to plant seeds.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #18

2011-12-04T21:31:00.001+11:00

Elnathan was interested and helpful when it was time to decorate the tree on the first day of Advent.

We decorate mainly with angels and stars. It has been fun to tell him about the different angels and what they are made of, as well as where we purchased them or who gave them to us. He is also learning about the ways angels and stars feature in the Bible story.

We have also started our Jesse tree devotions and decorations. This is great as Elnathan can begin to understand the stories.So far we have covered Bible history from creation through to Abraham.

Mercy was happy playing with broad beans while I podded them.

From garden to tummies . . .

Did I mention broad beans?! You can eat them in soup, double podded for salad, steamed to have with spaghetti bolognese, and in risotto, to name just four ways we have tried in the past week.

A book we enjoyed together was Tasmania: Australia's Island State, a touristy publication I bought years ago because I liked the pictures. We have had lots of conversations with Nate about this book this week, as he has taken a great interest in the pictures and saying "I've seen" or " I haven't seen" about them!

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Romans 5: 4- 5, a helpful reminder to persevere even when there are disappointments. Perseverance will result in a hope that will not disappoint.

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We are thankful for the permanent work Dave has been offered at CSIRO, trusting God that this means he has a plan for us to be here for at least a couple more years. We are also grateful for Christmas lights, and for the many things that are more precious when there are little people about. It is great to be with them as they discover the world. A few times this week Nate has said "We made a Christmas tree, and it is a beautiful Christmas tree" as well as things like "there is a glass angel, and a bead angel, and a wood angel, and a paper angel".

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Mercy is one!

2011-11-29T14:32:00.000+11:00

Mercy's birthday was a delightful time to celebrate the joy she has been to us for the last year. Mercy had a teddy bear cake as she has been exclaiming over teddy bears and trying to say the word.

We had a little party with some of Mercy's cousins, a friend who was staying with them, and people from our church lifegroup. We prayed for her life, praising God for her health, love for her brother, smiles, and blessing she is to us. We pray that she will be a blessing to many throughout her life. God's mercy to us is clear to us over the first year of her life and we have a little book to record our thankfulness each birthday.

iSonto #17

2011-11-13T15:16:00.000+11:00

Elnathan was thrilled to take a trip with Daddy to Queensland to see Uncle Woo and his family. Dave had an interview in QLD to see if he continue with his present projects down here, or if the end of his contract on November 30 will be the end of his employment with CSIRO.

Natey's memory verse was "Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good" from Ps. 118:1.

Mercy was a rapid and determined climber.

From garden to tummies . . .

Spinach quiche was made with our own fresh spinach. I washed the spinach from three plants (which took at least 20 minutes), steamed it, and it added up to about 210 grams. I am sure this recipe would be super quick with bought spinach and pastry. It certainly takes a lot of spinach to make your own equivalent. I made our own pastry, partly wholemeal, courtesy of Tammy's recipes. I usually blind bake, but skipped it this time and it turned out beautifully none the less.We also revisited double peeled broad beans which were delicious along with our best ever fresh lettuce.

A book we enjoyed together was First Picture Word Book. "Please read words" was a frequent request.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from I was wrong . . . "a moving documentary of women affected by abortion".

We are thankful for the two new chooks we purchased a few weeks back. They Highlines and are great layers so far, and also have a generally gentle disposition. They let us pat and hold them! We did have one nasty incident where they pecked Mercy Joy, but it has not been repeated and we are careful to only let them out in the evening. With a total of four chooks, we now have heaps of eggs.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #16

2011-11-06T21:11:00.001+11:00

Elnathan was happy to help with the watering. I was happy to see that the water ended up on a plant! These are our new bush bean seedlings. We have enjoyed great germination. It is lovely the way bean seedlings unfurl and pop out of the soil.

Natey's memory verse was Matthew 19:14, Jesus said, "let the little children come to me". It did us good to see him sitting on the floor saying this to himself after only a couple of practices. It was a reminder to me of the worth of putting in that little bit of effort!

Mercy was happy to begin to push the block walker we gave Elnathan for his first birthday only 18 months ago today! Now we have an all new, unique person to practice walking with it.

From garden to tummies . . .

Broad beans have been enjoyed in soup and risotto.

A book we enjoyed together was Faster, Faster Little Red Train, a delightful book with illustrations that can be talked about for a long time. At the library this week I realised our little boy's interests have diversified since I first brought him six months ago, and I am no longer searching only for books about cars..

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson. This is a treasure trove of information and ideas. I can't wait to order the all new and expanded version for next year. I last read this when I was breastfeeding Elnathan, and now I am re-reading it while feeding Mercy. It is fun to now have ideas of real life application as Elnathan will become a preschooler next year.

We are thankful for the lovely first birthday party we attended for a little friend born one week earlier than Mercy. These two babies had the same due date.

It was a delightful Tasmanian day.

We have a beautiful flower corner in our veggie garden this year.

The garlic are looking brilliant, with thick stems.

I am also extra grateful for Dave after having him away for a couple of days. As well, I've been reflecting on how grateful I am that I used the "extra" quiet time when Elnathan was a baby well. It disappeared this year!

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #15

2011-10-30T20:17:00.001+11:00

Elnathan was thrilled with his new stack-a-peg, but he had to deal with some serious competition.

Natey's memory verse was still Psalm 23.

Mercy was adorable while eating spinach or silverbeet (swiss chard). We have lots of both. She likes it steamed warm or cold, chopped for her to pick up and shovel into her mouth!

From garden to tummies . . .

Our last two mini-cauliflowers were delicious with white sauce. The children love cauliflower, and so do we.

A book we enjoyed together was Streaky to the Rescue: A Tasmanian Story by Joanna Stronach. This library book was read and re-read this week! It is the story of a fairy penguin who, with the aid of a dog, alerts a man to rescue two boys who are holding onto their capsized boat for dear life.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Teaching Our Girls to Cry . . . about the right things, the things that grieve God as well. It is a comfort to know that it is OK, even right, to cry over things like oppression, injustice, apathy and death.

We are thankful for. . .

* fewer disturbed nights as some teeth have emerged
* savings in the bank and no debts as we face employment uncertainty
* the promises of God, which we need to learn to hold onto better
* a new favourite song, "Shoot Him up an Arrow Prayer"
* the fact that our children are continually excited about each other!
* I am thankful for a new daily plan that schedules in time to research education. Even 15 minutes a day can be inspiring and allows me to plan little "lessons".

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Abandoned baby found in Willow Avenue

2011-10-24T07:19:00.000+11:00

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:13

On Monday Dave arrived home from work and said that the police had cordoned off a local area of bush. He wondered if they had found a body. I said it was unlikely. The next day we heard that a dead newborn baby had been found there. Nothing was known of the mother or her situation. I had two immediate thoughts.

1) I want to be involved in my local community, and to know people in need! I aim for this through involvement at the community center and greeting people as I walk. This area is a real mix of economic and social backgrounds. I need to keep praying and investing! Who knows if I may be able to make a small difference in the lives of a woman in need of support. The least I can do is meet people, learn their names, and pray for them.

2) We do need to look into fostering babies so that we could welcome a needy baby from a troubled situation into our home. I just wish I could have welcomed this tiny girl and given her the love she needed. Our real heart is to adopt but maybe we should do the only thing we can do in our present time and place?

The verse "Mercy triumphs over judgment" comes to mind because our reaction to human need can be one of these two. Will we judge the mother as worse than ourselves, or will we ask how we can respond with mercy? Sadly, the reaction is often "how could she do that". Mercy looks for ways to alleviate human misery and desperation, rather than condemning others.

On Wednesday, a policeman came to our door asking if we had any information about the abandonment. I was reminded of another recent contact with the police force. A group I am involved with was asked not to hand out fliers next to the abortion clinic. We were told that we had to be on the other side of the road or we were a "nuisance" to the clinic, even though we were not obstructing anyone's entry.

On one hand, the police are scouring our neighbourhood in search of details about the fate of one woman and her baby. On the other hand, we are inhibited from displaying concern about women and their babies who are being led toward abortion, with all of its tragic consequences. There is a widespread devaluing of unborn children in our society, as compared to newborns, and this is reflected in the law and policing. The SLED test helpfully explains why unborn children are just as valuable as those who have been born.

As we think about our society, it is helpful to remember Titus 3.

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We are not better than the woman who left her baby abandoned in a plastic bag in a park, or the women who will walk into the abortion clinic this Friday. The difference is simply that we know the undeserved, transforming mercy of God. His mercy should make us merciful.

iSonto #14

2011-10-23T20:29:00.001+11:00

Elnathan was cute in his summer bananas in pajamas! Nate has moved bedrooms this week. He is pictured in his old room, which is now Mercy's room. We kept thinking they were going to go in together, but we will have to wait on that as Mercy keeps crying a lot at night. Right now she will be better off in the darker, quieter room especially for naps.

Mercy was happy to play with the hose and get very wet as well as dirty.

Mercy also loved to try to stand.

From garden to tummies . . .

It was fun to try out lemon puddings from Heidi's blog. We halved the recipe and used one of our lovely fresh lemons.

A book we enjoyed together was "Eating" by Gwenyth Swain. This book is full of pictures of people from across the world eating and preparing food. We have also loved "Celebrating" in the same series.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Proverbs 31: 8 "Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die."

We are thankful for the lovely sunny weather that allowed us to start Nate on some outdoor nappy free time, helping him learn about the potty.

We have also been loving water fun in the clam.

Dave surprised me by creating a fun slide for the children out of some plastic we had, and the water from the hose. What a fun daddy they have!

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

Thirtieth Birthday Party

2011-10-16T20:09:00.000+11:00

Dave organised a thirtieth birthday party for me at my parents' house on the weekend.

It was meant to be a picnic brunch, and we were glad the weather cleared intermittently at least so we could be outside most of the time. Dave did a great job of hosting.

Guests brought donations for iThemba Lethu transition home for abandoned babies in South Africa, to go with our family birthday gift to that wonderful place!

Several babies came to the party, and they were very cute together! These three tiny ones are only weeks apart in age.

Mercy loved the baloons. She also got incredibly dirty!

Two munchkins were cute singing twinkle twinkle together.

Often after a party you feel a bit deflated, but not with this one! Dave had organised a surprise box for me where guests put their favourite Scriptures plus something about what they appreciate in their friendship with me. This was a treasure trove to explore in the afternoon following the party, and I look forward to reading it again soon.

iSonto #13

2011-10-16T15:30:00.002+11:00

Elnathan had fun with the box in the backyard.

In this picture the "house" is about to topple over.

Natey's memory verse was Psalm 23, along with other children at church.

Mercy was posed for a picture on her great Grandad's grave in Sydney on the weekend, when she and I went up for a wedding. He would have loved her!

Here she is at the wedding.

From garden to tummies . . .

Heaps of silverbeet in a "Chickpeas and chard" slowcooker dish, and pies.Mercy loves silverbeet, so I just fish it out of whatever we are eating and chop it up for her.

A book we enjoyed together was Grow It Eat It, which an aunt gave us while we were away. It was fun to read it with Natey when we got back. It is always exciting to receive lovely books to read together!

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Ps. 23. At a difficult moment I was reminded that yes, I am in the right place because I am with the good Shepherd who gently leads those who are with young. That is the most important thing!

We are thankful for . . .

Dave's great time with Elnathan while I was away on the weekend.

Nate's quiet reading time coming in very handy when I needed to be in public and he needed to be quiet.

Nate packing up all his toys by himself - the fruit of lots of hard work beginning to be seen :)! That is one job I don't have to do at the moment!

Beetroot seedlings are popping up despite a toddler trampling on them!

Our beautiful new coat hook that Dave made, which is now up on the wall and in use.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

2011-10-09T15:06:00.003+11:00

Mercy was crawling fast and exploring the house, much to her brother's delight as he loves it when she crawls to his room or down the hall looking for him. "Please Mercy come" is a common call around here!

Elnathan has been learning how to respond when his sister comes crawling toward the books and toys he is playing with.

From garden to tummies . . .

Lots of silverbeet for a chicken casserole in the stove top to oven roasting pan Dave gave me for my birthday.

A book we enjoyed together was Little House in the Big Woods which Dave and I have nearly finished.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from J. Hudson Taylor: A Man in Christ by Roger Steer. I am finding my Book List to be one of the best things I have done this year. Reading is the perfect hobby for busy Mummies because you only have to get out the book! I have traveled the world and explored ideas along the way, and have been richly blessed.

We are thankful for

~ the great opportunity to pray outside a nearby abortion clinic and the positive responses

~ a wonderful 30th birthday for me which included enthusiastic singing, a hand crafted coat hook by Dave, a pretty apron from Mum, heaps of messages from friends, a shopping trip with Dave and new dresses, a visit to the museum's "reading room" exhibit, babysitting from a generous neighbour, and dinner out at the "revolving restaurant" with views of Hobart. Sorry, no pictures!

~ sweet turnip seedlings popping up in the garden

~ finally sending off our family newsletter. It is so hard to summarise a year, but we trust it gives a glimpse of what God has done for us. Let us know if you'd like one!

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #11

2011-10-02T11:19:00.001+11:00

We are thankful for the signs of Spring all around us . . .

Blossoms, irises, new lily and rose foliage . . .

Fuchsia in bloom . .

. . . and the lemon tree looking like we originally imagine it would, with lots of yummy yellow lemons.

Elnathan completed one of his harder puzzles all by himself and proclaimed "I know my zoo". As a mother I was thrilled to see this as it is another sign of Nate moving toward being able to do little projects independently. Previously we had only done it together, and often he didn't display much interest.

Natey's memory verse was "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good" Ps. 118:1.

Mercy was a crawler and happy about it!

Her crawling creates great excitement in her brother, and some extra training challenges in their relationship. It so sweet when she began crawling, we were all so thrilled and Elnathan started saying "Yay, look, Mercy is crawling".

Mercy is now ten months and has been upset with teething, although there are no new teeth.

From garden to tummies . . .

It was fun to walk out in the garden with Elnathan and fetch a lemon to put into our pumpkin pie. This was a new recipe and turned out beautifully for an in-house date night with Dave. The extra dough was used to make each family member's initial. This was a rare foray into unnecessary baking when the sink was still full of dishes to wash!

A book we enjoyed together was Baby Sitter, which has been read many time since we borrowed it from the library. Nate now knows off by heart and tells it to himself.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Tending Your Garden.

Reading little sections of this book, a compilation of Denise's articles, has been a much needed reminder of my calling as a Christian wife.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #10

2011-09-18T20:58:00.000+10:00

Elnathan was the person who came to mind when I read this quote:

"Not many sounds in life, and I include all urban and all rural sounds, exceed in interest a knock at the door." Charles Lamb 1775 - 1834

Our tiny boy would agree with that, although lots of sounds interest him and "what is that sound" is a frequent question here. Mercy is also beginning to become excited when she hears a knock on the door.

Natey's memory verse was "Jesus said to them, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" John 14: 6. What a wonderful statement that is to be remembering from your earliest days. Isn't it the main thing we need to know? Natey keeps saying Exodus 20:12 all the time "Honour your father and your mother". Maybe it is just the right length for his age!

Mercy was absolutely delightful out on the veranda one day. I took her outside because she wouldn't stop crying inside, and she was happy straight away! Thank you God for sunshine and fresh air!

Mercy is not crawling but she has developed the skill of moving from lying position into sitting position.

Her photo shoot ended when she decided it was time to head for Mummy's interesting camera!

From garden to tummies . . .

Lettuce for hamburgers and sandwiches. It was fun this week to begin teaching Elnathan the names of herbs.

A book we enjoyed together was "A Hole in the Road" by Philip Ardagh.

This is the perfect book for a tiny boy who loves machines, and it has been a frequent request this week.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from "The Daily Light", a devotional that provides a collection of Scriptures on a topic for each morning and evening. It is a lovely way to simply digest scripture in a topical way. I was given a copy on a trip to see friends in Texas in 2003, and we have returned to it after a few years for our daily devotions. Previously we were reading through books of the Bible.

We are thankful for the fact that we are loved, and we have children who run to greet us and laugh and are happy to see us.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #9

2011-08-21T20:50:00.002+10:00

This week we celebrated our wedding anniversary with a whole week of festivities! Dave took the week off and we have enjoyed outings as a family for breakfast, time at home, outings to the beach and pool, museums, and more! Here we are at Franklin, the town where we met in 2005 and where Sherrin was born in 1981. On our anniversary we exchanged gifts.

We got out the wedding album and DVD slide show. There are so many wonderful memories of God's goodness to relive!

Elnathan was determined that at least one of the presents for our Family Celebration must be a car . . . the bell he is holding here was enjoyed but quickly discarded as he searched for cars. Thankfully there were some cars from Gran Gran, brought over in 2009 and being carefully given in small numbers as he gets old enough for them.

Here are the cars.

Natey's memory verse was "Honour your father and your mother" Exodus 20:12

Mercy was good at rolling a ball while on her tummy. She also thrilled us many times when she said "Bye bye" and waved!

From garden to tummies . . .

Our first delicious cauliflower for lunch on our anniversary, along with roast chicken and other vegetables, and cheese sauce.

A book we enjoyed together was The Natural History Book which we purchased last year and kept especially for Family Celebration.

We are thankful for the opportunity to relax and enjoy each other, the generally lovely behaviour of the children, and the many ways we see God at work in bringing us together and giving us four wonderful years of marriage. It is an amazing blessing to have a beautiful beginning to our family which we can now celebrate each year.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #8

2011-08-14T21:59:00.000+10:00

We created a car from a box.

Elnathan was very excited to go on a walk to the community centre, and I was as well after a week of rain.We had a lovely walk and I considered it a privilege to have a little companion who informed me of things like "I can hear the sound of a bird Mummy"!! God is so good to give us a world where creatures sing.

Natey's memory verses have hit a snag with confusion between two with the word "world" in them . . . we have been learning songs though and talking about "In the beginning God created the world" while chalking!

Mercy impressed us with perfecting her skills at saying "da da da" and "car". She has also begun to shuffle when lying down and on her bottom. There is a tiny bit of moving from place to place happening.

From garden to tummies . . .

Our very own lemon to add to Moroccan Lentil Soup.

A book we enjoyed together was "Spot's Baby Sister" at playgroup at the community center.

We are thankful for a warm home, being part of a church, the fruit we are beginning to see in the lives of our children, the encouragement of God's word, and the opportunity to celebrate our anniversary this coming week. We have had four blessed years!!

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #7

2011-08-07T12:00:00.000+10:00

Elnathan was excited about putting Daddy's hat on during a skype call with Gran Gran, and on Mercy Joy and on Mummy.

Natey's memory verse was "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 15:16.

Mercy was happy to sit for half hours at a time pulling toys out of her basket. So sweet and peaceful! You can spy her behind Elnathan here. Natey is doing his first ever finger painting here! Last time I got it out he tried to eat it, but this time it was planes and boats and circles and diamonds and squiggles.

From garden to tummies . . .

Kale and silverbeet on pizza.

A book we enjoyed together was Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Dave and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this aloud together, and finished it this week. Any suggestions for what we should have next?

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from a page of John Wesley Quotes.

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

We are thankful for the teaching we have received over the years about home and family life.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #6

2011-07-31T15:38:00.001+10:00

Boxes were turned into a house.

Playing together is just beginning.

Elnathan was genuinely helpful with putting nappies into the washing machine - and he finds it exciting!

We got out his set of farm animals which can be strung onto a thread. No threading happened, but he did line them up and said they were going on a walk to the community center!

Mercy was kept busy while we attempted to start a quiet reading time after lunch.

From garden to tummies . . .

Kale is one of the few veggies that have thrived in our winter garden. All the seeds came up in summer so we had plenty to transplant, and it has grown well. Our silverbeet has been picked within an inch of its life, so kale is being substituted for it in some recipes. This week I made spinach pies and substituted kale for some of the spinach/silverbeet. There are lots of health benefits to eating kale. In this picture you can see our silverbeet in the foreground and kale behind.

A book we enjoyed together was Spot Goes to a Party. This book has been read and re-read and quoted at the dinner table.

It has also been acted out with little pretend letters from Helen appearing in our house. Elnathan is a great fan of parties!

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Heart-tenderizing words. Having personal pity parties is one of things I am aiming to overcome, so this was a welcome additional reminder.

We are thankful for the fact that Dave has Saturdays off paid work so he can work in our garden.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put ou
t each Sunday.

iSonto #5

2011-07-17T11:46:00.001+10:00

Elnathan was happy to do some sticking with Mummy, decorating "Even a child is known by His deeds" with lots of lovely pictures of children!

Natey's memory verse was "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" John 3: 16

Mercy Joy was the blessed recipient of her first ever parcel from South Africa, as friends sent her name made from beads and wire - a beautiful reminder of the art work we have often enjoyed while visiting!

From garden to tummies . . .

Lemons have ripened so we have been enjoying them with pancakes - or in Natey's case, just chewed on skin and all!

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Ministries of Mercy. This a truly brilliant and encouraging book - so far! I can't wait for my reading moments to receive more insight to pray over.

We are thankful for the many moments of child training encouragement, when we see that although there is lots of work to do some of it is paying off already!

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #4

2011-07-10T10:53:00.001+10:00

Mt Wellington, as this view from our home shows, has been covered with snow. We even had some snow flakes falling here this morning.

Elnathan made us laugh a lot. He has a sense of humour and a dimple when he laughs, saying "Natey funny" or "I'm funny". One funny comment this week was "I want to go to school on a bus with a bag full of food". One day we are going to have to break it to him that he is going to go to school at home!!

Natey's memory verse was "Even a child is known by his deeds" Proverbs 20:11.

Mercy was so sweet as she sat up much better on her own, although still well protected against falls. Mercy can now roll from back to front. She also seems to say "Da Da Da" about her Daddy.

Mercy likes to play games with balls, letting them go and and loving it when they are returned for her to let them go again.

Here she is in a grown-up looking coat an aunt gave, on the quilt top I finished piecing together for her this week.

From garden to tummies . . .

Silverbeet leaves were yummy when steamed to eat with fried eggs, mixed in with scrambled eggs, and included in a beetroot risotto.

A book we enjoyed together was Fred the Firefighter.We have been making use of the local library and this was one of our finds.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from the Barnabas Fund's housing projects. It is so exciting to think that we may be able to provide a home for a Christian family for as little as $1,000.

We are thankful for. . .

* A delightful date to the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra .

* Memories of the love and friendship that surrounded us on our wedding day, as we sorted through cards for recycling. Dave's Melbourne church, work at Monash, friends from South Africa and America, family, Crossroads church, and more!

* The children's conjunctivitis has cleared up!

* The ministry of Creation Ministries International, and the visit of some excellent speakers. We are encouraged and challenged.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #3

2011-07-03T15:44:00.000+10:00

Elnathan was thrilled when I got the easel out. He has drawn more than ever before. He often begs us to draw something as well. What a difference four or five months makes! When I last had this out he just tried to climb into the middle of it!

Natey's memory verse was "Do all things without complaining or disputing" Philippians 2: 14. We didn't have to work very hard on this as we have been saying it for a long time now!!

Mercy was very pretty in a dress her great grandma Thelma knitted for Sherrin!

From garden to tummies . . .

When I wanted to pull the remaining broccoli off a plant in order to give the leaves to the chooks, I found Natey's little bowl handy. I filled it up. He soon found it and said "Natey have lunch" and proceeded to eat lots of raw broccoli!!

A book we enjoyed together was Blessings Every Day: 365 Simple Devotions for the Very Young. Elnathan had a great interest in the illustrations of children doing lots of different things, especially the picture of a boy playing hide and seek with his tummy showing. "Please look at boy got a tummy" was a frequent request, and this book was carried from room to room!

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from The Valley of Vision: a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. Here is an excerpt from "The Convicting Spirit".

Make me willing to be saved in this way,
perceiving nothing in myself, but all in Jusus:
Help me not only to receive him but
to walk in him,
depend on him,
commune with him,
be conformed to him,
follow him,
imperfect, but still pressing forward,
not complaining of labour, but valuing rest,
not murmuring under trials, but thankful for my state.
Give me that faith which is the means of salvation,
and th eprinciple and medium of all godliness;
May I be saved by grace through faith,
live by faith,
feel the joy of faith,
do the work of faith,
Perceiving nothing in myself, may I find in Christ
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption.

We are thankful for the privilege of caring for our own little plot of land and our children.

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday.

iSonto #2

2011-06-26T09:56:00.000+10:00

Elnathan was cute sitting in his bed for his morning Bible time. When he gets up we ask him to sit and look at his books and listen to music or a Bible CD while we have our own quiet times. He is happy to do this as long as he has dummy and blankie! When this photo was taken he was listening to our new "Songs for Saplings" CD "God and Creation", catechism put to music.

Elnathan has also become genuinely helpful at using his wheelbarrow, provided he is given lots of supervision and direction! We have been cleaning up leaves in our backyard.

Natey's memory verse was "Children obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord" Colossians 3:20.

Mercy was happy to grab at loquats and try to put them in her mouth, but remained hesitant to eat from a spoon. She was seven months on the 21st!

A little friend who is one week older than Mercy came to visit with her parents. Mercy cannot sit up for long yet. In this picture she is about to collapse!

From garden to tummies . . .

Our last cherry tomatoes were delicious in a salad. We had tomatoes from January to June, and there are still some sauces in the freezer!

A book we enjoyed together was Letterland ABC from Grandma, which is full of fun letter characters! It was cute to hear Elnathan say to Dave "Please Natey learn" while requesting this book.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from Motherhood as a Mission Field.

We are thankful for my successful first ever trip to the library and shops with both children. Yes, I had never attempted this before!

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday. So far keeping the same template has made it a very quick way to blog.

iSonto #1

2011-06-19T11:41:00.001+10:00

Isonto is a Zulu word for both week and Sunday, so Dave suggested it as the title of this little update I plan (God willing) to put out each Sunday. The intent is that following the same format will allow me to complete it in half an hour or less. So, this last week, this is what went on...

Elnathan was happy to do his alphabet puzzle. I bought this due to his increasing interest in letters. I have loved using the skills with teaching sounds that I learned as a teacher's aid.

Natey's memory verse was "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God" from Matthew 5:9.

Mercy thought her brother was the funniest person in her world.

From garden to tummies . . .

Garlic was one flavour of the week as we have all had infections of one type and another. We made some very potent garlic bread! We are still eating the 30+ bulbs we harvested in December. Now it is planting time again and we have been able to plant our own cloves! We put in about 25 on Saturday, although with Dave's job contract ending in August we don't know if we will be here for harvest.

A book we enjoyed together was My ABC Bible Memory Verses. Natey has been doing really well with the verses.

Encouragement, ideas and inspiration came from the sweet Charlotte Mason Companion I have been reading while feeding for the past several weeks. What a treasure of educational vision this is!

We are thankful for the washing machine that washes all those dirty nappies and vomited on clothes and sheets!

Pretty in Pink at six months

2011-05-26T20:41:00.000+10:00

Every day we are grateful for the gift of this tiny girl.

Mercy can't sit up on her own yet, which is all the more reason to sit and cuddle her.

Mercy's six month birthday

2011-05-26T20:35:00.000+10:00

Six months always seems like a big milestone to me! Mercy was six months on May 21st. She is faithfully living up to her second name and giving us lots of Joy! Her delight and smiles when we interact with her are incredibly sweet.

Dave's 34th birthday

2011-05-18T16:33:00.002+10:00

It was fun to make a chocolate beetroot cake for Dave's birthday on Saturday. I wanted to continue with the challenge of making a cake with ingredients from the garden, and we don't have much left at the moment! Thankfully Dave said the cake was deliciously decadent.

You can taste the beetroot a little, so this cake is only for those who like beets. I reduced the amount of sugar in the cake to about 180g, and replaced corn oil with sunflower. 300g beetroot is about 3 of medium size.

The icing was simple. Just melt a 200g block of dark chocolate with 1 cup of cream and pour some over the cake just before serving. Use the extra as a sauce.

Dave's birthday was cold with lots of snow on the mountain. Thankfully the next day was glorious and we spent lots of time outside. Mercy enjoyed her first swing.

The season is beautiful with glorious bright orange leaves on the tree at the front of our home. I am enjoying the reduced intensity of vegetable gardening in late autumn. In the picture above you can see cauliflower plants, lettuce, some lonely last tomato plants with fruit slowly ripening, and some kale. We have enjoyed harvesting broccoli as well as silverbeet, beetroot, carrots and spring onions planted in summer.The gem squash and pumpkin we harvested in April have been great as some of Mercy's first solid foods! We also have tiny seedlings of broad beans, peas, turnips, silverbeet, spinach and broccoli. Our chooks are still laying although a reduced amount.

Birthdays are a great time to reflect on God's providence in a person's life. Dave and I face uncertainties in the next few months as Dave's work contract is coming to an end. It is faith building to think about what God has done in Dave's life so far and the way he has provided for us.

Here are some things to be thankful for about Dave and his 34th year . . .

He is a loving and attentive Dad to a tiny boy who loves him and likes to "sit together" and "talk together" - often about the moon and sky.

Dave has been delighted with his baby girl and her baby ways, and patient with disturbances to sleep and schedules.

He does things with the children that I wouldn't do, like getting out the jolly jumper . . .

and pushing an excited boy high into the sky!

Dave is always an encourager as I seek to help him through keeping our home, caring for the children, and more! He takes pleasure in all the growth in the garden and in our family culture. He has been faithful to continue to pursue spiritual growth even when he doesn't feel like it. His gentleness yet firm conviction is anther admirable trait. He is not one for online love letters, so I'll leave it there, praising God for Dave's life!

Celebrating two years with family and friends

2011-05-10T21:37:00.001+10:00

On Saturday morning we had a little party for Natey with family and friends. I made him an aeroplane cake. Last year I used our own lemons to make his first birthday cake. I decided to continue with using something from the garden for the cake. This time we had carrots so I used those to try the carrot cake in Margaret Fulton's Encyclopedia of Food and Cookery. It turned out really well and it all got eaten! Here is the recipe:

3 cups flour
2 cups caster sugar (I used ordinary white sugar and reduced it to 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
1 cup undrained canned crushed pineapple (I used unsweetened)
2 cups grated carrot
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups salad oil ( I used sunflower oil)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts (since this was for little people, I substituted chopped sultanas)

Sift flour, suar, salt and bicarb together in a large mixing bowl. Add pineapple, carrot, eggs, oil and vanilla and beat until combined. Stir in chopped nuts or sultanas. Spoon into greased tins. The recipe recommends 20cm ring tins, but I used a loaf tin and a casserole dish to make the appropriate shapes. Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180 C or 350 F) for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

I made the cake earlier in the week and got it out the night before to ice, so that made it easier to shape as it was still partially frozen. The icing is cream cheese with vanilla essence and sugar (approximately 2Tbs sugar and 2 tsp vanilla to each 125g of softened cream cheese). We made the mistake of decorating with M & Ms the night before and the colouring all ran, so I had to do a big patch up job in the morning.

We are grateful for each person who came to celebrate with us. Here are some more things we are grateful for from Elnathan's second year of life . . .

* First prayers and songs (Happy birthday, Jesus love me, twinkle twinkle, Celebrate Jesus)
* Nate's ever expanding vocuabulary and surprising conversational abilities. He already talks in sentences and is starting to communicate his own ideas.
* Love of people and exitement when we have visitors or go out together
* Elnathan has become "company" for me during the day!
* We can point him to Jesus when he struggles to obey.
* Having a toddler has helped us enjoy Mercy's babyhood to the full.
* He has been so well, learnt to walk and climb easily, and has nearly all his teeth now.
* Positive spirit toward Mercy Joy.
* Helpfulness in picking up toys.

It is encouraging to reflect on all the blessings. I aim to praise Elnathan more than I correct him, and find that this helps me as well. It lifts my sprit as I also remind myself of all the progress and the good things that God is building into the little life in our care. Natey truly is a gift, as his name declares, and each day at nap time I say a prayer thanking God for this gift and blessing.

Elnathan's Birthday Morning

2011-05-10T14:13:00.000+10:00

We had a stack of pancakes for breakfast with two candles on top.

We had a very sweet little sister on her garden quilt.

We had a pleased little boy saying "zoom zoom" with his new duplo airplane.

A time to stop blogging regularly

2011-04-16T19:37:00.000+10:00

It is a comfort to know that God has created a time for everything, as Ecclesiastes 3 expresses so beautifully.

To everything there is a season,

      A time for every purpose under heaven:
       A time to be born,
And a time to die;
      A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
       A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
      A time to break down,
And a time to build up . . .
      A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing . . .
      A time to keep,
And a time to throw away . . .
      A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak . . .

Maybe God had busy mummies in mind when he inspired the writer of these verses! There is a time for everything, but not all at once. A couple of months ago, I realised that one person working full time and another person combining chronic pain and motherhood were going to have a hard time keeping up with two babies, a large vegetable garden and two lots of cloth nappies! The baskets of washing were mounting, and Dave doing a pile of dishes in the evening was becoming a regular occurrence (we don't have a dishwasher). It has been a huge blessing that God has provided a couple of teen girls who are willing to work cheerfully in our home. We employ each girl once a week after school for a couple of hours and it eases the workload.

Still, my opportunities to concentrate when I have two hands free are limited and unpredictable. There are many things I would love to do with that time. Often I will begin to imagine what I am going to do with these quiet moments (think sleep, Zulu, cross stitch, patchwork, scrapbooking, blog, emails, phone calls, volunteering for Choices of Life, tummy exercises, sorting papers, finding songs and activities to do as a family, and on it goes) then I'll hear a "WAAAAA" that cannot be ignored! At times I have been frustrated, self-pitying, and even angry. Writing praise points at the end of the day has been a great way to recharge my attitude. Often the praise list took up a page or more! This is much more motivating than writing a to-do list! I aim to love the little years, and part of that is being content with fewer quiet pursuits. This is not the time to blog regularly.

"The Drew Patch" will remain online and I will post our yearly September newsletter here, plus some birthday pictures over the course of the year. Our newsletters are written each year after our wedding anniversary, August 18. I have counted it a privilege to be part of the world of online encouragement, especially with this template designed by Hannah of Graceful Designs. I want out lives online to be a testimony to the abundant grace of God, so that anyone who drop by will see His work in our lives. It is God who has answered my mother's prayers in surprising ways, shown me his mercy in suffering, answered my prayers for a husband and given us the happiest of wedding days, revealed to us the gospel which is God's answer to racism and all other sin, made us passionate about avoiding a wasted life, and gives me the strength each day to keep trying to be a fearless mother.

As I have watched my babies grow, and the garden's summer beauty fade, I have felt sorry that Mercy's chubby hands will thin out and soon the corn plot will be empty. Part of me wants to hold onto the baby fat. God has reminded me that He gives in abundance. My tiny baby will grow up, but there will be other babies even if not my own. The tomatoes will die off, but there will be another year. I will not blog regularly right now, but there will be other opportunities to share and to write, and lots of wonderful blogs to read. Even when God does take all our earthly blessings, it is only to give us something better! Better than a baby's laughter, a sweet home grown corn cob, and the timely encouragement of a friend, yet somehow the fulfillment of all that is good here on earth. God first gives us Christ, and then He gives us all good gifts!

Thanks for reading, commenting, and praying!

Summer crops near their end

2011-04-02T22:03:00.002+11:00

This afternoon we were thrilled to still be harvesting some lovely heads of corn. Our staggered planting has worked well this year, giving us fresh corn for nearly two months. We ate these with guests tonight after cooking them in foil on the braii with some butter, salt and pepper. Delish!

Maybe Mercy Joy is thinking "Hmmm . . . should I start solid food?"

"What do you think?"

One of the challenges of autumn is deciding when to pull things out to make way for new crops. Today the patty pan below got pulled out, as it looked like it was coming to the end of its life. I am learning to be more ruthless.

It is always a challenge to find space for winter crops because summer plantings like squash, pumpkins, and tomatoes last well into autumn. The broccoli and beets pictured below were planted as seeds in January to replace spring crops of peas and broad beans. They will provide food in late autumn and winter.

Today we bought seedlings of parsley, coriander, celery and spinach, which we will need to find space for. I like to grow from seed, but it has been challenging this year due to lack of space in the garden and the many threats to seed pots from toddlers and chickens :)! There have been many successes (broccoli, kale, turnips, silverbeet) but some notable failures, particularly cauliflower! We are still getting heaps of tomatoes, and the vines pictured below will probably be taking up space in our garden for another month. Nate is enjoying a tomato in this picture. He is still learning to choose the red ones, a good lesson in colours!

Here is our bowl of food after wandering through the garden some more . . . chives for potato salad, our last patty pan for the braai, capsicum and radish for a green salad (and lettuce still to be picked). There are lots of tomatoes hidden away below there too - this week has been busy again working out how to use those! We have frozen some plain (peeled, diced and cooked), and others made into a sauce.

That is our garden in pictures for this week. How is your garden going? Are you nearing the end of summer/autumn crops like us or starting a fresh spring? I am so grateful to God that we can look forward to the seasons each year and the different crops they bring.

Four months old

2011-04-02T15:42:00.001+11:00

Mercy Joy is giving us lots of joy! Nothing beats baby smiles and laughter, chubby wrists, and watching new skills develop.

Praise Baby

2011-03-31T10:15:00.041+11:00

When Mercy Joy was born our pastor and his wife gave us a Praise Baby DVD. We quickly decided that this DVD was one of the best in our collection! We don't have TV, but we do give Elnathan about one hour of DVD time a day while I prepare dinner and feed Mercy. We have Playschool, Spot, Postman Pat, Bananas in Pyjamas and Colin Buchanan. The Praise Baby DVD became our favourite because it imparts spiritual truth and is so relaxing for parents as well as the child! We get to listen to lovely worship music while Elnathan watches images of nature, babies, and children playing. Some songs are modern, others are old hymns. Best of all, Nate loves it! Occasionally he has been known to throw tantrums while saying "Praise Baby, no Praise Baby, no Praise Baby" because we wouldn't let him watch it when it was not DVD time. Sometimes we find him clapping and saying "God, God, God". It has helped me to reinforce the truth that God created Nate to praise Him, and that even babies are meant to praise God. I have purchased more of the DVDs for Elnathan (there are four in the series) and have also started to give them away to other parents. In Australia, you can pick up Praise Baby DVDs at Koorong.

How to use up tomatoes

2011-03-26T21:27:00.000+11:00

Tomato is the flavour of the week here at The Drew Patch. As the piles have mounted on the bench I have often found myself thinking and praying . . . what will I do with all these tomatoes! So starting last Saturday, I will take you through some of the ideas I have come up with.

Saturday the 19th: Tomato-Basil Salad to take to a family birthday gathering. This was yummy with things, but would be too strong on its own.

Sunday: we enjoyed fried tomatoes along with zucchini and egg for breakfast, and added a few tomatoes to our baked beans for lunch.

Monday: I decided radical action was needed to address the mounting tomato piles! Fresh Tomato Sauce was the answer. Four kilos of tomato would not fit in the pan I chose, so I ended up making about 2 1/2 kg. We ate it with spiral pasta.

Tuesday: Dave loves macaroni cheese baked with tomatoes on the top, so that is what we had on Monday. Spy the tiny person keeping me company while I cooked . . .

What a pleasure it is to have tiny people around to smile up at me.Cooking can take twice as long with two bottoms to keep clean and dry at the same time, but it is worth the work!

Wednesday: We needed a break from pasta, so I decided to preserve some diced tomatoes to use in cooking later. I planned a freezer meal so I would have time to do this. I also needed a reasonably clean kitchen with a clear sink and benches. Here are all the washed tomatoes and the jars ready to go.

I used a wide variety of tomatoes:

I then diced them all (without peeling as I did not have time), and placed them in a giant saucepan that we received as a wedding gift.

Once they were cooked I heated the jars and poured them in using a soup ladle and my milk bottle funnel. I used the hot water bath method to preserve them for future use.

There was exactly the right amount for seven jars. You can also see my milk bottle funnel pictured!

Thursday: back to pasta! I used the remaining fresh tomato sauce along with some mince for lasagna, along with cherry tomatoes in a salad with lettuce, spring onion, and other garden veggies.

Friday: Pizza with lots of tomatoes . . .

Our latest fun idea is to top our homemade bases with garlic butter (made from our own garlic!) then layer on lots and lots of cherry and plum tomatoes. This picture is of our pizzas in progress. I placed lots of basil below the tomatoes.

Saturday: Dave made a delicious tomato and basil palilf, a rice dish we had not had before.

Do you have any more ideas for using up tomatoes . . . as you can see from the picture above we still have piles of them! Spy them behind the pizzas!

I plan to share this post via the Tuesday Garden Party.

100 Ways to Know God Loves Me!

2011-03-24T16:08:00.000+11:00

I have been looking for resources to help us to teach Elnathan the Bible. I have wanted to have readings and songs that fit together. Ideally I would put ideas and resources together in the evenings, but Mercy is often unsettled and so that is not possible right now. I have found the book 100 Ways to Know God Loves Me! a helpful resource to use. There are 100 double page spreads with pictures, a short reading, a Bible verse (NIV version) and a reference to the song for that lesson. The topics covered include God's love as shown in answering our prayers, giving us peace, disciplining us, and healing us. I was happy to see that "harder" topics like discipline were included as well as "nice" things like peace and joy. When we read this each morning I often find that it reminds me of God's truth as well. Elnathan enjoys recounting what we have learnt on prior days. The songs vary from hymns to modern tunes with lots of beat to them! I would have liked the book to include the words for each song, as sometimes they are hard to sing along with. However, we have still enjoyed the CD and learnt some of the songs. It has been handy and fun to learn from the songs, scriptures, pictures and stories each morning. In Australia, 100 Ways to Know God Loves Me! is available at Koorong.

Saturday's Backyard Bounty: A glimpse of autumn

2011-03-19T16:31:00.000+11:00

A bowl of squash and tomatoes is a glimpse of what autumn looks like for us. I had just been using the twine to tie up some of our wild tomato vines that were draped on the ground. It is hard work to keep up with those bushes, especially with a newborn, and we have not succeeded very well. Thankfully they are still producing, and whatever happens we will get more than if we had not bothered to plant at all! We have more tomato plants than ever before. This week we have used them in zucchini slice topped with thick tomato slices, roast tomato and vegetable sauce, toasted sandwiches, pasta with basil pesto and tomatoes, and just straight off the vine!

Activities to do with an 18 month to 2 year old

2011-03-17T11:02:00.000+11:00

Being a new Mum, I have found it a challenge to think of things to do with my little boy. 18 months to 2 years is a period when many activities are beyond their ability or require assistance. At times Elnathan does well on his own with cars, duplo and books. This is a little list I have made to jog my memory when I am trying to think of something to do with him. I have also made a box of activities so I can get one out for him.

Instruments - every morning we sing praise songs and use our instruments. On his own Elnathan quickly loses interest.
Balls - I want to start doing this daily to develop ball skills.
Stories - this is an obvious one that we do several times each day!
Puzzles - he loves simple wooden puzzles.
Crayons - Nate is only just starting to be able to use these on his own . . . but having said that, I caught him eating one this morning!
Playdough - definitely a supervised activity as it goes straight in the mouth.
Block towers and patterns - it is amazing what you can teach with blocks! For example, four small green square blocks make a big green square.
Memory Verses

I am aiming to enjoy this stage rather than wishing Nate would turn 3 when he will be able to do so much more on his own and with me.

What about you? Do you have any ideas for activities to do with babies aged between 18 months and 2 years?

Saturday's Backyard Bounty: Slow Cooker Zucchini Soup

2011-03-12T21:40:00.001+11:00

Zucchini Soup is a great way to use up those extra zucchinis. This soup is surprisingly tasty and quick, perfect for days like today when I had lots of preserving to do! We had a relaxing dinner on the deck after a busy day. To make this soup you will need:

6 Tbs butter ( approximately 120g or 4 3/8 oz)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 1/2 pounds zucchini, ends trimmed, and cut into chunks (I always end up using closer to 2 pounds of zucchini)
2 heaped tablespoons white rice
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup half-and-half (I use cream or, if we don't have any, sour cream)

Instructions:
1. Put butter, onion, curry powder and zucchini in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on HIGH to sweat the vegetables
2. Add the rice, basil, and broth, cover, and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours.
3. Puree with a handheld immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream. Cook on low until heated through, about 20 minutes.

Here are the results of our day of preserving my parents' fruit - 21 jars of plums to eat this winter!

This week I've been thinking about children and gardens. Remember my bean towers? Well, now that space has been transformed into a bed for some tiny cauliflower seedlings.

I loved the bean teepees, and put a lot of effort into them, but the beans came and went and had to be replaced. This reminds me of how quickly children grow. Like a garden, we've just mastered one area when everything changes and we have to plant something new! It can be frustrating. Sometimes I'd like them to be like a craft project that could be completed . . . but God has made them like a garden that constantly changes. Also, think of the fruit we preserved today. We had a short time to pick the plums or they would be gone. So it is with the little children in our lives. They will grow so quickly and NOW is our chance to invest our time in raising them. This time will not come again.

More snippets of our week in the garden . . .

We planted cauliflowers, peas, silverbeet, and cuttings of oregano and rosemary.

We ate chicken and vegetable pot pie including our patty pans, and pasta with a fresh tomato and basil sauce created by Dave, among other things!

Saturday's Backyard Bounty: Fresh Corn on the Cob

2011-03-05T21:37:00.000+11:00

Fresh corn on the cob has been the highlight of our garden bounty in the past week. There is nothing like fresh corn! It is not easy to grow corn successfully. In the midst of trying to give it enough fertiliser and water to be productive we sometimes wonder if we should give it a miss next year. Then we get our first cobs and we know that we have to try again! Our most common way of preparing corn is to steam it and eat it with a little butter. Tonight, though, Dave baked it in his Weber (a coal fired BBQ). He put butter, salt and pepper onto the cobs and wrapped them in foil. Wow! This is the most delicious way we have found to prepare corn on the cob. All our other vegetables for dinner were also from the garden excepting the onions: potatoes, carrot, patty pan squash, and garlic. This week we have also loved having an abundance of fresh tomatoes to eat in toasted sandwiches, fry for breakfast, and add to salads and sauces.

This week we planted cauliflower seedlings.

As I've walked through the garden this week I have been thinking about a couple of Scriptures. Firstly, God says that when the gospel (the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection to take the punishment for our sins and give us eternal life) is planted, He must make it grow. So it is with our plants - God makes them grow, we can only plant and water but God is in control. My failed cauliflower seeds make me think of this truth that applies both spiritually and physically. Secondly, there is a time for everything . . .a time to plant, and a time to reap. Now is our season of "planting" our family, a busy season where we have to concentrate on the essentials and cannot do all that we would like.

Knitting projects put to good use

2011-03-04T20:55:00.000+11:00

When I was a teen I did a lot of knitting, especially toys. I put away the toys for future use. Many children have played with them while visiting our home. Now it is a pleasure to see my own children enjoying things I made over ten years ago. Maybe I did do something useful with my teen years!

I made this jumper in my early twenties, and loved putting on our daughter for the first time this year. I originally gave it to one of my nieces but it made its way back to me and now I get to put it on our very own baby! I could not have imagined this when I was making it. I have not knitted for years, partly because it increases back pain, but I'm feeling tempted to get those needles out again.

Story time

2011-03-04T20:43:00.000+11:00

The children listening to one of our favourite books, "Stories Jesus Told".

Move to the big bed

2011-03-04T20:41:00.000+11:00

This week we moved Mercy from her bassinet to the cot. Elnathan transitioned really easily to his big bed in February, praise God. I love
putting Mercy to bed under her garden quilt, a reminder of God's love and providence.

Visiting Friends

2011-03-04T20:36:00.000+11:00

Last weekend we enjoyed visiting friends. It was our first visit to their home and market garden about 45 minutes from Hobart.

We thoroughly enjoyed out walk around their property and eating blackberries from the wild bushes.

I caught Elnathan just as he threw his arms up to the sky saying "moon and stars"!

Brother and sister

2011-03-04T20:29:00.000+11:00

Elnathan has been showing more interest in his sister lately. He talks to her and shows affection several times a day, whereas before he only paid attention to her occasionally.

His affection can be very enthusiastic or misplaced, such as when he tried to put one of his cars in Mercy's mouth!

Still, it is sweet to see them noticing one another more and we hope they will become good friends and playmates.

Being a Living Sacrifice as a Mother

2011-03-04T19:09:00.002+11:00

This guest post is from my mother Lorraine Ward. Mum wrote it recently to share with a mother's group, and I thought it would also be a blessing to those who read this blog. It certainly comes as a timely reminder to me as I have been struggling with a complaining spirit at times.

Lorraine at Christmas with her granddaughter Mercy Joy Lorraine.

Lately I have been rereading Helen Roseveare’s book Living Sacrifice. I have read this book several times! Since my children were little I have made it a life habit to read not only the Word of God, but also biographies and autobiographies of great Christians who sacrificed everything in their lives to share the gospel all over the world. We can learn so much about how to live the victorious Christian life from the struggles, suffering and triumphs of humble men and women of God.

Helen Roseveare worked as a medical missionary in the Congo for 20 years, a time when there was much bloodshed and suffering in that country. Her story is inspiring because she talks so openly about how God dealt with her proud heart through times of great stress and hardship. She shares about how the Lord revealed to her that it is a privilege to give up all to know Him and be used by Him. When she suffered brutality at the hands of rebel soldiers she struggled to stop herself blaming God and feeling abandoned by Him. The Lord showed her that He was offering her the privilege of sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings. God wanted to transform her life to be a usable tool in His hands for His purposes. Was she willing to do without, to let go of ambition and pride to learn death of self, to give up self-pity, self-defence and self-sufficiency?

Helen’s struggles with her heart have deeply touched me, because as a mother it is easy to give in to self-pity at times when you have no time to yourself and tasks and chores mount up because you are exhausted. As a mother I have wrestled with a complaining spirit and a desire to have my load lifted. I had to take stock of my sinful thinking patterns when things were difficult. Why me, Lord? Why do I have to bear this burden? The sweetest moments come after confession of sin, as the Lord gently shows you His Way. When I confessed this grumbling spirit to the Lord, He showed me that He has a greater purpose for me as a mother. He has given me the most important job in the world, to train my children for His purposes and to reveal His character through the death of my selfish complaining heart.

Let’s remember God’s promise in Ezek 36:26 “A new heart I will give you, and new spirit I will put within you…” When our children see our sweet spirit before the Lord, His Spirit speaks to their hearts and His transforming power is at work in them. Child training can seem to take forever and you may not be getting the results you desire straight away, but God Almighty is at work in your ministry and He will bring to fruition what He has begun in you and your family. Praise His Name!

Loving the Little Years: Motherhood in the Trenches

2011-02-24T13:55:00.000+11:00

I laid my 21 month old son down for his nap and hopped in bed for some shut eye myself. About five minute later I hear my three month old daughter stirring. She won't settle, although she is obviously tired and has only had forty five minutes sleep. Dummy gets rejected. I feed her and put her back to bed. Wow, she stays quiet. I go back to bed and doze. 15 minutes later I hear my son crying, a sure sign her hasn't had enough sleep. I lie down with him and sing, resting beside him until he sleeps as well. I observe the garden quilt on the wall and wonder how I ever had time to do that. Oh, that is right - I didn't have a newborn! Then I hear baby girl fussing again. Oh, maybe that is enough rest for one day? So even though she is quiet again I've given up on sleep myself and come out to share a book that may bless you if you are also in the midst of the "little years".

Loving the Little Years by Rachel Jankovic is a precious book for those of us in this season. It is suitably small, and has suitably short chapters! Rachel had five children five and under, including twins, so she has lots of experience with tiny people. She seems to loves a clean and tidy house, peaceful children, and time to do craft projects as much as I do, but also has lots of recommendations for how to thrive when things are not just as we would like. Loving the Little Years gets to the heart of what we need to focus on in these years. Here is a snippet that convicted me:

"Christian childrearing is a pastoral pursuit, not an organisational challenge . . . If you are focused on the upkeep of the house and the schedule, as long as your child is not interrupting, you don't worry about it. If you are being pastorally minded, you will stop whatever it is that you are doing to see how your daughter is up in her bedroom."

Children are precious. They are blessings from God. They are also, in their little years, a great deal of hard work. I am sure there are some people who find it easy to love being a mother in these years, just like there are some people who have pain-free childbirth. The rest of us will have to work at it. Almost every day, I ask myself "how can I love being a mother?" and "how can I be a joyful mother?". Often I look for organisational solutions. I spend my days wondering if I swapped DVD time with room time, or did more puzzles, my son would stop squealing at the dinner table. Or if I got Mercy up to feed her at 6 instead of 7, could I somehow manipulate her into sleeping when I want to nap and read in the afternoon? Hmmm . . . I'm gradually realizing that if I want to enjoy motherhood, my attitude matters much more than my schedule. I need to enjoy the baby when she won't sleep. I need to cherish cuddling up with my son on his bed while I put him back to sleep. I need to be ready to sit and read to my boy when nothing else will calm him. Slowly, I'm trying to learn to relax in the midst of the work rather than waiting and hoping for that elusive quiet evening that never comes because baby won't sleep until 9pm!

I will leave you with an encouraging quote from Loving the Little Years, as my babies are still quiet and I'm off to see if I can get some more shut eye.

". . . if you accept your lot and rejoice in your toil, God will give you the kind of overwhelming joy that cannot remember the details. Motherhood is hard work. It is repetitive and often times menial. Accept it. Rejoice in it. This is your toil. Right here. Those are their faces."

Loving the Little Years is available from Canon Press.

Saturday's Backyard Bounty: Giant Russian Sunflowers

2011-02-19T21:46:00.000+11:00

We are loving our sunflowers! Of the two varieties we chose to grow this year, Giant Russians are the favourite.

Giant Russian Sunflower seeds can be purchased from The Lost Seed company. Our packet has lasted us a couple of years already, and there are still seeds left. They are also easy to save as you can just dry a sunflower head, put the head in a plastic bag, tie the bag, shake it hard, and store the seeds that fall out of the head.

You can see our corn cobs in this picture. We are hoping to eat our first cob this week!

Today I learnt that slugs seem to be attracted to corn cob tassels. We went out after rain and we found slugs and snails all over them!

While we love our garden, it is also hard work to keep up with it when we have tiny children. Most days it is hard to get the laundry and washing up finished, let alone planting and harvesting. Still, we love getting out in the garden. This week we harvested lots of beans for blanching. We also love to eat them steamed with butter, salt and pepper. Sometimes we chuck a home grown carrot in the pot as well. Simple, quick and delicious!

12 weeks old

2011-02-19T21:12:00.000+11:00

These photos of twelve week old Mercy were taken last Sunday. She will be 13 weeks tomorrow!

Mercy has slept through the night since early in February, although her daily feed times and sleep times are still somewhat erratic!

Mercy gives us lots of smiles and loves to have little chats with us.

Pasta with Basil Pesto and Tomatoes

2011-02-12T20:49:00.000+11:00

This week we were happy to enjoy one of our summer meals, basil pesto and tomatoes with spiral pasta. Our basil is thriving now the slugs have stopped attacking it, and we finally had enough ipe baby tomatoes for this dish. To make pesto you will need:

1 1/2 cups of fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic (I got to pick a bulb off our garlic plait for this!)
1/4 cup or 100g pine nuts (we used cashews as that is what we had in the cupboard, and I have heard you can also use sunflower seeds)
5 Tbs oil
3/4 cup parmesan
salt and pepper

Combine 3 Tbs of the olive oil and all the other ingredients except the cheese in a blender or food processor. After processing to a fine pastse, stir through the cheese and remaining oil.

Stir the pesto through cooked spiral pasta. I am always unsue of how much pasta we'll need for two people, so I won't recommend an amount! I think I used 3 cups of dried pasta this time. We have whole baby tomatoes with it (at least 10 - 15). You can also put it on a bed of lettuce.

One of our favourite features of the garden this year is the set of been teepees at the entrance. We have grown our favourite beans, Purple Kings, on both sides. We enjoy these beans because they are generally tender, easy to see on the plants, hardy and pretty.

If I only had a metre of space had to choose between growing butter bush beans and purple king climbing beans, I would definitely choose the later! They are easier to pick and to control, plus they are moe attractive.

Spy the sunflower at the back. We have been amazed at how high it has grown over the corn.

This week we learnt that one of our chooks, Daffodil, has been finding her way under nets. She not only got into the garden (which is netted right around) but also under one of the smaller nets we use to deter birds. Naughty chicken! You have to be perseverant to be a gardener, with birds, slugs, grubs and chooks to contend with. We are thankful that we don't have possum and wallaby problems here in the suburbs.

Mr and Mrs Drew

2011-02-12T20:20:00.000+11:00

Silverbeet with poached eggs

2011-02-05T21:07:00.001+11:00

This morning we had a delicious breakfast. I copied some ideas from breakfast with friends a couple of weeks ago. I would not have thought of having silverbeet for breakfast but it was so delicious we decided it had to be replicated! This morning I steamed our few silverbeet leaves from our one plant (sliced finely), added some cream, salt, pepper and parmesan, and served it with poached eggs and toast. Surprisingly delicious, and Nate kept asking for more! In future years I hope to grow more silverbeet even in summer.

We poached eggs using a method a friend told me, where you break each egg into a separate dish before dropping them to the boiling water. This prevents the dripping egg from fixing to the pan like it does if you crack them against its side when it is hot. We may have poached eggs more often now since this makes washing up much easier!

The above picture is from last week when we had a yummy pie using garden vegetables (beans, carrots, potatoes) in a cheese sauce. The last two weeks have been busy with planting and welcoming guests, so I haven't had much time for Saturday's Backyard Bounty posts! Still, I hope you've enjoyed this short glimpse into just a couple of the things we've been able to do with our produce. In the past two weeks I have sowed seed for turnips, radish, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, kale, silverbeet and spring onion.

Mother and daughter

2011-02-05T20:55:00.000+11:00

It is a wonderful thing to be the mother of a little girl!

Terrific Toddlers by Mel Hayde

2011-02-03T22:06:00.000+11:00

Terrific Toddlers: or Tantrum Free Two's - Almost! was given to us when Elnathan was born. Since then I have read it twice! Mel Hayde gives guidance about postive parenting and putting together a flexible routine. The idea is to control the toddler's day to give minimal opportunity for misbehaviour. It is also important to have clean positive and negative consequences. There are two chapters on suggested toddler activities.

Since reading this book a second time I have made a lot of effort to encourage and build up my son. At first I wondered if "positive parenting", focusing on the positives in the child and praising him/her, had any biblical basis. Then I thought of the many Bible verses about encouraging one another. Surely these apply to parenting as well? Correction comes easily, but it is important to also praise progress.

Mel's style is simple and the chapters are short. The vision she presents of enjoying orderly days with your toddler is very encouraging. Every time I pick up this book I find inspiration to continue to pursue this goal, despite setbacks and challenges and tantrums! I want to enjoy these precious days with tiny ones !

You can purchase the book from the Terrific Toddlers websiste. While researching this blog post, I also discovered that Mel Hayde has a blog called Terrific Toddlers and other terrific bits.

Simple Curriculum Advice

2011-01-27T21:04:00.000+11:00

Victoria Botkin gives sound and inspiring advice in her Curriculum Advice CDs. Parents are encouraged to give their children a passion for all that God has made and all that God has done. Wow! That is a worthwhile vision. As parents, we are first of all to consider what God wants. He desires that we equip our children to be ambassadors for Him in theology, history, science, reading and writing.

The beauty of Victoria's advice to parents is its simplicity. Read a lot, and borrow most of the books from the library. Read history to your children rather than giving them simplified history books or text books. Choose a math curriculum (they used Saxon) and mark daily. Borrow lots of "real books" for science as well, and talk about them together. Equip your children to read and write with excellence as they are called to proclaim Christ and must be able to communicate effectively. Watch your own attitude, as you are their example.

As I have considered how to educate our children, I have often returned to the thoughts that Victoria shared. Homeschooling doesn't seem so daunting when I think of it as an extension of what I am already doing with our 20 month old. We talk about books and numbers and nature, and as he grows we will build and build on this knowledge. The Curriculum Advice CDs are available in Australia from Anselm Study House, where you can also find additional information about the content. In the USA they are available from Vision Forum.

Saturday's Backyard Bounty: Radish Eating Babies and more!

2011-01-22T21:41:00.000+11:00

We harvested radishes, lettuce, our first butter beans, parsley, chives, basil, oregano, rosemary, carrots, patty pan squash, zucchini and spring onions.

One of my most precious memories from the week is from yesterday afternoon, when I brought Nate into the garden with me to play nearby while I planted. First he had lots of fun feeding me lettuce! Next I showed him how to pull up some radishes and he immediately wanted to eat one, eating a lot of dirt in the process. I took it inside to wash and he ate narly the whole radish for afternoon tea! After finishing all but a segment he asked for the carrot that was on the bench, and proceeded to eat a lot of it. You can see the progress in these pictures. I was surprised and how much he ate of these raw vegetables.

We also had an impromptu lesson about how roots draw water from the soil, with the radish as our teaching tool!

More ways we used our backyard bounty . . .

Grated beetroot with mayonaisse. We still have beets in the fridge from last week's harvest.

Salad to take to dinner at a friends, with 100% our own vegetables

Baked potatoes harvested last week with topping of 500ml sour cream, grated beetroot, grated carrot, some lemon juice, and lots of chopped parsley. We have enjoyed this sour cream topping with other vegetables included in it, but this was the first time with beet. We like it!

Pizza with zucchini, carrot, parsley, spring onion and basil as some of the toppings (weird, I know . . . but we liked it!)

Eggs for breakfast a few mornings, boiled, fried and scrambled. This is the main way we eat the eggs from our chickens.

Potato salad and squash on the braai, like last week.

Bean salad with butter beans, fetta cheese, olives, olive oil, parsley and chives. This is a favourite from last year, and it was lovely to enjoy our first beans in this way tonight.

It was also fun to see the bean tendrils from our two teepees at the front of the garden finally meet in the middle of the string Dave put up between them over the entrance of the garden. You can see the chairs we sat on for an outdoor Bible and prayer time this evening . . . making precious memories! You can see the net which goes all the way around the garden and seves to keep out chickens.

This picture was too cute not to include! Dave put up the swing a few weeks ago.

We learnt that our snail bait may also have killed a worm. I found a dead worm on the soil near some bait. We are still using the bait though, as slugs have destroyed so many of our seedlings.

Thursday's Learning Spotlight: Imprisoned in Iran by Dan Baumann

2011-01-20T14:07:00.000+11:00

There are many educational resources and ideas that I would love to share. They whirl through my head but I rarely sit down and write about them. So I've decided that each Thursday (time permitting) I will briefly "spotlight" one resource or idea that may benefit others.

This week I am reading "Imprisoned In Iran: Love's Victory over Fear" by Dan Baumann (my Christmas gift from Dave). Dan Baumann was imprisoned in solitary confinement for nine weeks on false charges. Dan's account exposes his weakness and fear, and God's faithfulness and power.

Reading "Imprisoned in Iran" has felt like an encounter with God! I have been filled with awe at God's awesome love, what he is willing to do to save people, and the way he sets us free. I have prayed afresh that God will set us on fire for Him and cause us to trust Him with everything. I have been reminded of the suffering believers face in Muslim countries, and the desperate need to pray for the growth of the church in those places.

This book will definitely be kept on our shelf, in the hope of reading it to our children one day or including it as part of our studies. The book would not only be a wonderful way to teach children about who God is, it would also provide a useful point of discussion about geography, mission, people groups and culture. This is the fourth book in the International Adventures series that I have had the pleasure of reading. Every one of them has been a gripping account of God's work across the world.

8 weks old tomorrow

2011-01-15T21:44:00.000+11:00

Mercy Joy in the garden amongst the gem squash and the corn.

My how she has grown!

Mum, do I really have to have one more photo taken . . .

Saturday's Backyard Bounty

2011-01-15T20:18:00.001+11:00

Each week I am going to aim to post about what we have harvested from our garden, and how we have used our harvest. I will also aim to write about a couple of things we have learnt.

Our harvest . . .

Today Dave dug up two buckets of potatoes. Elnathan enjoyed transferring them from one bucket to another!

We also harvested beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radishes, zucchini, spring onions, parsley, chives, our first tomato for the season, and basil.

Food from the garden . . .

Salads with fresh lettuce, radish, spring onion, cooked (boiled) beet, grated raw beet, carrots, and our first tomato! We are enjoying salads much more since I devoted a couple of meters exclusively to salad crops and began growing a variety of lettuces.

Risotto with beetroot and zucchini. Beet risotto is one of our favourites, and adding some zucchini was an experiment. We liked it!

Pizza with zucchini and basil as two of the toppings.

Potato salad this evening with our new potatoes, fresh eggs plus chives and parsley - yum, yum!

We also harvested some patty pan squash and enjoyed them on the braai tonight.

We planted . . .

Seeds for carrots, turnips, spring onions and broccolini.

What we learnt . . .

Dave discovered that sunflowers are highly productive but susceptible to drought. They use water continually as they do not shut down their stomata. We must keep them well watered if we want them to be productive and produce seeds for our chickens. Our first sunflowers opened this week. They are behind the corn in a long row, so we hope it will look amazing soon.

I learnt to plait garlic and hung it on a hook near the back door.

Slugs have probably been responsible for the destruction of many of our seedlings. We laid snail bait and snared many. We thought grubs were cutting our seedlings off at the base but now think slugs may be responsible.

Giving thanks for the first six weeks

2011-01-08T20:42:00.000+11:00

Beyond birth . . . more reasons to praise God!

* I felt connected with the baby from the first day, with all those warm feelings you hope for, whereas I felt distant from Elnathan for some weeks until his precious first smile.
* Dave has four weeks of paid paternal leave – wow!
* God answered my prayers for no mastitis or thrush this time. While there were a few other breastfeeding problems, they were resolved in the second week of Mercy’s life.
* Mercy feeds more quickly. She can eat her fill in half an hour rather than an hour, something that I prayed for often.
* While feeding I have enjoyed using the little book of Scriptures and prayer points I prepared during pregnancy, and have learnt Colossians 3. Nancy Campbell's devotional book "100 Days of Blessing" has also helped me meditate on God's word.
* The nursing chair we purchased has helped me to have less back pain while feeding this time, and the pockets on the sides have been great for keeping books nearby.
* The routine I established for Elnathan has worked well, and he has mostly responded positively to his new sister.
* Mercy mainly sleeps well at night, only feeding once.
* My recovery has seemed easier.
* Like Natey, Mercy has gained weight rapidly and is the picture of health! When I took her for the six week check, the doctor said she was the strongest and most alert six week old she had seen for years. That is music to a mummy's ears!

Praising God for Mercy's birth

2011-01-07T10:53:00.000+11:00

There are so many things to be grateful for about Mercy's birth, including . . .

I prayed and prayed that the baby would be in a good position, and the reduced pain in contractions indicates that this prayer was answered!
Dave's wonderful support.
Few of the birth suites at the hospital have baths, and you are not allowed to bring in a birth pool. We were so grateful that a suite with a bath was available!
Having a lot of muscular pain during late pregnancy made me wonder if the contractions would be even more painful than last time. I wondered if muscular tension contributed to labour pain. I am grateful to realise that this is not the case!
I remembered the last labour and birth well, it being so recent, and I didn’t feel like doing it again. I had some fear to pray over as we approached this birth. God’s amazing goodness is shown in the fact that this birth was totally different! In away we didn’t “do it again”, we had something different to do! This is, for me, yet another reminder not to be anxious about the future.
The birth coming at a good time for us as a couple, even though it was late, because closer to the due date we felt more strained. We wondered about God's timing, as the extra week and a half was physically and emotionally difficult, but of course He knew best!
Being able to hire the same midwife we had at our first birth to assist us this time. Our midwife spoke kind, encouraging words to us and made extra effort to help.
Receiving good advice from our midwife about when to go to hospital, something we had been unsure about.
Even though I was panicking, God enabled me to get through the difficult final stage without speaking unkind words to anyone. At one point I was able to focus on Him saying “God is my help and strength, I will not be afraid”.

These are just some of the things I've been praising God for! He is so good to us!

These pictures were taken in hospital shortly before we left.

First Memory Verses

2011-01-04T15:22:00.000+11:00

Our desire is to teach Elnathan the Bible as early as possible. Little ones have such good memories, why not fill their minds with God's words? I have been reading Sally Clarkeson's book The Ministry of Motherhood and answering the study questions. One of the challenges was to write down five ideas for giving your children God's word. One idea I had was to illustrate memory verses and laminate them to review at mealtimes. The trouble was that I did not have much time to do this! I wrote this idea down before Mercy was born and now she was a month old.

Then I listened to Sono Harris' "A Joyful Mother of Children" talks on CD while breastfeeding. Sono encouraged mothers to really enjoy their children and include them in what they were doing. So I thought, why not try to include Natey in making his memory verses? It was a little challenging, but he enjoyed looking for pictures we needed in magazines and old diaries. He also enjoyed sticking the pictures to the paper after I put the glue onto them. We also used some of my scrapbook supplies to embelish our pages. The result was a little less perfect than it might have been if I'd done it on my own, but it does the job. I could have included pictures of a Bible and a light for Ps. 119: 105 if there had been more time.

Elnathan has clearly taken in some of these verses. We have reviewed them with him, pointing to the pictures so that he can say the word it represents (people, sheep and pasture for Ps. 100:3 and lamp, feet and light for Ps. 119:105). Now he is able to say the right word even when we just speak the verse to him without the pictures. Bear in mind that Natey's language development is progressing well for a 20 month old. He already has some three word phrases and often puts two words together. It would not be reasonable to expect this of all under two year olds, as some have few words. Nate has had to learn new words in order to learn these verses.

Since completing these verses I have also created a couple more to teach about obeying parents. These were easy to illustrate with pictures of our family. I am looking for more verses that can be illustrated with objects of interest to little ones. If you have any ideas, I'd be grateful to read about them. Have you started memory verses with your children? If so, how did you teach them?

The Birth of Mercy Joy

2011-01-04T15:01:00.001+11:00

Early labour lasted for most of Saturday November 20. In the afternoon Elnathan went to Grandma’s, happily waving goodbye. The contractions became increasingly regular and intense in the evening. In between contractions we looked at plants outside. Later Dave read to me. We have some lovely memories of the evening at home together. I had practiced breathing in through the nose to the count of four and out through the mouth to the count of six, and found this helpful throughout labour. I progressed to established labour (contractions that were more intense and I didn’t want to go through alone) at 9 or 9.30pm. We went to hospital at 10pm.

In hospital I spent most of the time labouring in the bath, as I was achy and tired. The water was restful between contractions. We asked the same people who were with us for Elnathan’s birth at home to come with us to the hospital, a private midwife (who also works at the hospital) and my sister. The contractions were less painful than last time, when I needed massage to get through them, and I only required Dave to talk me through. The pain was all at the front, none at the back. The bath was an ordinary sized one where you lie down, unlike the birth pool we had at home for our first labour. I kept wondering if I should be up upright to get things moving along faster. In my heart I knew that my body was opening up, but my head kept wondering if this was hard enough, or I was doing enough.

Sometime after midnight the waters broke. The next stage was short, but more painful. I was very panicky during it. I laboured on the bed. After I began pushing, she came with only a few pushes and was born at 1.30am on November 21st with only a minor tear. We praise God for an easier labour than first time around. With Elnathan’s birth established labour lasted seven hours and pushing took two hours. While I remained calm for most of the time, unlike this birth, afterwards I felt shocked. When I think about Mercy Joy’s birth, I feel happy and positive. As her head came out I said “it is a wonderful thing to give birth”. Now I can identify with people who say that labour and birth were not as bad as they expected, and that giving birth is a wonderful experience. We share this story with gratitude to God. Soon I hope to share some praise points from the birth and the first six weeks.

Growing, harvesting and drying garlic

2010-12-27T11:04:00.000+11:00

We planted garlic cloves in June - July from organic bulbs purchased at the Fruit Market. We planted a lot because we enjoyed our own fresh garlic so much last year! We found that organic garlic grew much better than the other cloves, so this year we only planted organic cloves. It was fun to pull all our garlic out of the soil last week!

Mercy Joy sat under the shade of the potatoes.

We harvested 26 garlic bulbs, plus at least another four earlier.

We placed these bulbs on the deck in the sun for a few days. They are now in the shed. We are hoping to dry them successfully in order to eat our own garlic year round and maybe even sow our own cloves in July next year.

Family Photo Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T10:35:00.000+11:00

I look forward to having a family picture taken each Christmas. This one was taken on Christmas Eve at our family gathering at my parents' house. Last Christmas we had no idea that we would be blessed with another little person in the picture this year! This year we didn't try very hard to get Elnathan to smile, we were just content to smile ourselves! We love this picture.

Double Peeled Broad Beans

2010-12-23T16:22:00.001+11:00

We have a good harvest of broad beans this year, from two successive seed plantings. We have enjoyed a new-to-us way of preparing them, from Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion. Double peeling broad beans is a great way to enjoy them in salads. As you can see from the picture, they have a beautiful bright green colour when prepared in this way.

1. Put water onto boil in a small saucepan

2. Pod the broad beans

3. Boil them for 30 seconds - 1 minute

4. Run them under cold water

5. Remove the outer covering of the bean. I find that giving them a squeeze causes the inner bean to come out well. I just eat the outer shell as I peel them, but if you are a bit fussier about your food you may prefer to compost these! They are not the yummiest things!

6. Add them to a salad and enjoy! We have enjoyed them with tomatoes, lettuce, spinach leaves, olives, and French dressing. I also prepared our own dressing of balsamic vinegar, parsley, chives, 1/2 a lemon and a crushed garlic clove.

Do you enjoy broad beans? How have you prepared them?

Mercy Joy in her butterfly dress

2010-12-16T17:04:00.000+11:00

I couldn't resist taking lots of pictures of Mercy in the butterfly dress a friend gave us.

Eyes open!

Impossible Quiche

2010-12-13T19:49:00.002+11:00

I obtained this recipe years ago from a mother of six, after enjoying it many times at their home. I enjoy making it because it is quick and you can use a variety of vegetables. I have often used fresh garden spinach. It has been even more fun to make it with our fresh eggs, which give it a lovely golden colour.

6 eggs

1 cup self-raising flour

3 cups milk

2 onions

Oil for frying onions

3 – 5 cups vegetables and/or meat (possible combinations: corn and mushroom, spinach and corn, mushroom and tomato).

2 cups cheese

Put onions on to fry until clear.
Combine the first three ingredients using a hand-held blender or a whisk.
Add the cheese, onions and vegetables. Mix well.
Pour into two greased dishes of suitable size.
Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour at 180-200 degrees Celsius.

Serve one quiche for dinner and put the other in the freezer!

Babies Don't Keep

2010-12-13T10:58:00.000+11:00

Babies don't keep, so it is important to spend lots of time doing things like trying to capture their tiny hands in photos!

Sitting with them just enjoying the soft skin on the back of their heads is also important . . .

and enjoying these fleeting days when they sit quietly for cuddles!

It is a precious thing to have a tiny baby in the house, and I am savouring it more second time around. We both feel like we are enjoying these early days more this time.

These pictures were taken on December 1st.

Pretty in pink Bumgenius

2010-12-10T19:18:00.000+11:00

It was fun to order our little girl some pink nappies! I have found that the new V4.0 Bumgenius with snaps fit a newborn just as well as the velcro version we had when Elnathan was born. Mercy has been wearing these since her umbilical cord stump fell off at about a week of age. It is great to be able to purchase one nappy that fits a newborn and a toddler. Elnathan is now wearing the same nappies he had as a newborn. They are only just beginning to show signs of wear and I need to replace the elastic in some. We have 13 Bumgenius pocket nappies for him and they receive almost constant use as I always choose them above the other nappies we own. Those Elnathan has been wearing would not fit Mercy as the elastic was too stretched around the legs. I will report back about whether the rescue operation with new elastic is a success!

Naming our baby girl

2010-11-30T21:04:00.000+11:00

Mercy - We chose this name because of the great mercy God has shown us. God has not only provided a way of salvation through Jesus Christ, he has also mercifully given us two children even though we had such little faith in Him for this at times. We hope that our little girl will grow to love God's mercy, and to show mercy to those who are poor, orphaned, or in need of the gospel.

Joy - Dave wanted a short second name that flowed on from the first name. We often call her Mercy Joy, although we chose not to hyphenate it. God has given us such joy through the gift of this child! From the moment I thought I might be pregnant, God gave me joy. Dave was also joyful when I told him the news. May our baby girl bring joy to many throughout her life.

Lorraine - God brought my mother Lorraine into relationship with Him in young adulthood. Most of Mum's family are not Christians. God has preserved Mum's faith through many trials and changes. Her faith has been the means through which God has revealed His mercy to me. I had often thought of calling our baby Lorraine, but we were not keen on three names. Then about a month before she was due I felt like God was speaking to my heart that adding this name would provide her with a reminder of what God has done for our family. I prayed that if this was from God, Dave would immediately agree. He did!

We hope that God will continue the work he has started in bringing Mum to faith in Him, through extending His mercy to many generations. We remember Exodus 20: 5 - 6 For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

A few days ago I realised how applicable Psalm 90: 14 is to our the name of our baby girl:

Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our
days!

This has become my prayer for Mercy Joy.

Advent

2010-11-30T20:14:00.001+11:00

It has been fun to begin our Advent celebrations. We have taken out our decorations and started our Jesse tree devotions. I have printed out all the Bible passages for these, after compiling them in full in a word document. This makes it easier for our family to do them, as we don't have to look up each passage in a different part of the Bible each evening. If anyone would like this document for the purposes of your own devotions, please email me (sherrindrewATgmail.com).

Elnathan was mainly interested in removing decorations from the tree, rather than putting them onto it.

The tree is now safely on our dining table. We love to decorate it with stars and angels, and some meaningful ornaments such as a handpainted wedding momento given to us by the hostess at the bed and breakfast where we spent our wedding night. We look forward to adding Jesse tree decorations as well, which will remind us of what God has done for us through many Biblical events.

Homecoming and introductions

2010-11-26T20:01:00.000+11:00

Mercy Joy Lorraine

2010-11-23T20:29:00.001+11:00

God blessed us with the natural birth of our second child, Mercy Joy Lorraine, on Sunday November 21st. Mercy was born at 1.34am, weighing 3.725kg (about eight pounds). She is 52.5cm long. We came home at midday the same day.

10 things that help me to feel good as a Mum

2010-11-16T21:21:00.002+11:00

A friend once asked me what makes me feel good as a Mum. Here are 10 of the things on my personal list.

1. Meditating on God's word and learning to rest in His favour, promises, and guidance. I am refreshed and uplifted as I focus on what God says. This evening as I meditated on Ps. 46 God spoke to my heart about the upcoming birth and early days of parenting two children. My heart was encouraged as I believed that "we will not fear" because God is with us! At the moment I tend to meditate on small segments of Scripture rather than following a plan and reading large chunks.

2. Being thankful for the abundance God has provided, and for the people in my life. The Revive Our Hearts ministry has a wonderful 30 day challenge that helped me grow in this area. I also recommend the husband encouragement challenge that made me enormously thankful for my husband! You can find these challenges here.

3. Making time to sit down and do something other than housework. I stop housework during Elnathan's morning room time and afternoon nap, and at 8pm in the evening. As we all know, housework never ends! I need time boundaries that make sure it does not take over every waking moment. This is a physical need in my case, due to chronic pain, but it also gives me special times to look forward to each day.

4. Pursuing peace in relationships. It is easy to become involved in pointless conflicts that sap our emotional energy and our time, distracting us from building God's kingdom. Minding our own business is one way we have found to avoid this. This is as important online as in "real life". There are many blogs that focus on conflicts or faults in particular people. I avoid these, particularly writers with razor keyboards.

5. Learning, particularly about topics that are not directly related to the day-to-day running of the household. Learning about diverse subjects will be of benefit to our family as we plan to home school. This year I have loved making progress with learning Zulu and teaching some words to our son. I set aside 10 - 15 minutes a day, and have been surprised at how much it is possible to learn with this small time commitment.

6. Having projects that can be completed. Reading books and completing quilts, scrapbook pages and educational aids all fit into this category.

7. Maintaining our home as a place of order, beauty , education and ministry. I am here most of the time, and it is important for my sense of well being that my home reflects God's beauty. Having pictures on the wall and places for most things is a wonderful help. I love knowing that my home is not just a physical place, it is also a place God can use to build His kingdom and reflect the things that are dear to His heart.

8. Feeding my family. This is a lot of work but it is also satisfying when I can put a yummy and nutritious meal or snack on the table. Lately I have loved giving Natey green smoothies. The process of growing food also gives me joy. There is nothing like being outside in the sun with your hands in the soil.

9. Discovering ministry opportunities that are within my capabilities and are appropriate for my season of life. I have written about some of these here. It is especially encouraging when I can include Elnathan in ministry opportunities.

10. Being content with what I am capable of doing in a day. Much of my frustration comes when I try to complete tasks that God has not given me the time or energy to complete! Often I have to be content with completing the most basic things, and the cobwebs have to wait. My days are happier when I choose contentment. Right now (5 days overdue and very sore) I am unable to do much except sit or lie down, and getting upset about that is of no use!

What about you? I'd love to hear from others about what lifts your spirits and helps you to live joyfully!

39 weeks and waiting

2010-11-09T19:52:00.001+11:00

We only have two days to go until the due date and have reached the waiting stage, with the continual question "will baby come today" on our minds. Everything is as ready as it can be with . . .

* pretty pink Bumgenius nappies on the change table
* lots of pink clothes in the cupboards and case
* a little scrapbook of prayers and scriptures compiled to read during feeds
* the garden almost completely planted out with corn, pumpkins, spinach, carrots, lettuce, beans, and much more
* 20 meals in the freezer
* presents for Nate wrapped in the cupboard
* just about every job I wanted to do completed, including sorting folders, organising bookcases, and baking banana cakes!

We can never be fully "ready" for the changes a baby brings to your life, but we can certainly prepare as much as possible in the nine months God gives. I felt like baby would come early, but it looks like I will be proved wrong! My pregnancy has been easy for the most part, except for back pain that I may have had anyway. The the last week has been more challenging. Right now walking causes a lot of pain, but we are learning to trust God with each day as it comes. Dave has been a great help. We are hoping for a natural birth again, in hospital this time, and that we will be able to draw near to God in the midst of it. I am hoping that second time around will be easier. We know that we cannot take this for granted, as smooth births are a gift from God.

Here is the first Drew munchkin . . .

He reminds us of the great blessings we can hope for with the gift of our new child.

Pumpkin and spinach risotto

2010-11-08T10:05:00.000+11:00

After making the spinach pie, we still had some silverbeet to eat. We often enjoy pumpkin and spinach risotto, so I used it to make this. I recommend this dish as a simple and easy dinner. We make many different risottos, sometimes just using whatever we have on hand. I will give you the basic risotto recipe and then the specific additions you would use to make pumpkin and spinach risotto.

Basic risotto ingredients:
1 brown onion, chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of alborio (short grained) rice, depending on how many people you want to feed!
3 1/2 cups simmering vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine (optional, add more stock if you don't want to use wine)
1/4 - 1/3 cup of parmesan cheese
2 tbs fresh herbs

1. Fry onion and garlic in the olive oil.

2. Add rice and stir to coat it with oil. Continue stirring until rice becomes transparent.

3. Pour in wine (or 1/2 cup of stock) and allow it to bubble, stirring. When absorbed, add 1/4 of stock. Stir until absorbed. Gradually add the rest of the stock, a ladle full at a time. Stir and wait for it to absorb before adding more.

4. Once rice is al dente (tender but firm) add parmesan and herbs. Cover pan and stand for 5 minutes before serving. If you let it stand for longer, that is also fine.

Additions for pumpkin and spinach risotto:

3 cups chopped pumpkin - you can add this, chopped finely, with the rice at step two or (like we do) steam it and add it towards the end when you have a few ladlefulls of stock to go.

10 or so spinach or silverbeet leaves (you can use more or less to taste, but remember that it does cook down so what looks like a lot will look like much less in the finished risotto). Add silverbeet when you have a few ladlefulls of stock to go, or spinach with the last of the stock. Silverbeet takes a little longer to cook.

1/2 cup cashews (optional)

Oregano is a great fresh herb to use for this dish

Risotto can sound complicated when you read about it, but once you have made a few they are easy and you won't even need a recipe. Enjoy!!

Spring at The Drew Patch

2010-11-03T09:21:00.001+11:00

We have some beautiful spring flowers here at The Drew Patch! Mrs Green Thumb Jean hosts an opportunity to share these "Blooming Tuesday", which I am participating in today. I am a little late, but it is still Tuesday in the USA! At our home we are thrilled with the progress the jasmine is making in covering our shed. The daffodils in the border are also coming along well after a slow start.

Out the front we loved the blossoms on our ornamental cherry.

I pruned back our azaleas and they are rewarding us with a lovelier show than ever before. We are also thrilled that our tiny apple tree (to the left) is producing masses of blossoms and tiny fruit.

There are lots of blossoms at our patch, the hope of fruit to come. The two espaliered apples we planted in July have blossoms and fruit! This is an unexpected blessing and we are looking forward to seeing what comes of it.

In the vegetable garden I planted sweet peas to grow up a tee-pee, and they look just as lovely I imagined (a rare outcome for me)!

The beauty of spring gives us so much to praise God for, and I'm learning to point out the beauties of God's creation to Elnathan. Visit the Blooming Tuesday post to view other gardens!

Spinach pie in abundance!

2010-10-29T09:57:00.000+11:00

Dave purchased a large pie dish and pie bird for my birthday. I had never seen a pie bird before. They are an old fashioned method of releasing steam from pies. The dish and bird are Austrlaian made and beautiful quality! Dave loves pies so I want to get better at making them.

First I pre-baked some shortcrust pastry and placed the bird on top. Then in went the filling . . .

I used the spinach and cheese pie filling and placed puff pastry over the top.I generally avoid ricotta and feta cheese during pregnancy but ensured this was fresh and well cooked. Here is the completed pie . . .

This pie used a huge amount of my silverbeet harvest. I doubled the recipe. As you can see, this is a large pie dish!! I often substitute silverbeet for spinach. It is good to remember to pre-wash garden vegetables at another time, rather than doing it as part of the dinner preparations. Garden vegetables tend to be dirtier than purchased counterparts. Washing all the silverbeet took a long time and made my back very sore as I did it immediately prior to making the pie. I would have liked to have a thicker, healthier, homemade crust for this pie. Do any of you have tips for homemade crusts? I like the idea of Tammy's recipe as it can be frozen ahead (a must for me as I would probably find it too much physically to make crust and filling on one day). I want to learn to make really excellent pies!! Any tips will be appreciated.

Spring silverbeet harvest

2010-10-26T14:28:00.000+11:00

We recently harvested the remaining leaves from six silverbeet plants, to make room for more crops. They were about to go to seed, and I am learning to be a bit more ruthless with older crops in order to make room for new ones. We ended up with a huge pile of silverbeet! I will share what we did with the silverbeet in subsequent posts.

Completed garden baby quilt

2010-10-25T13:02:00.000+11:00

Our little girl's garden quilt is up on the wall! It will stay there until she is big enough to move into the cot, and Natey will move into the bed. That will not be for at least four months, and it is lovely to enjoy it on the wall until then. I love the way quilts have multiple purposes. They are useful for warmth, make beds attractive, and can be used to decorate walls. Elnathan's room is now full of quilts on his cot, the bed, and the wall. It was fun to use up lots of scrap green fabrics for this quilt, as borders for the blocks. It was a challenge to make them stretch to complete the quilt, but in the end I only had to purchase 10cm of binding fabric! This seemed fitting for a quilt with a stewardship theme.

On the back I have written a special message to our second child:

We were full of joy when we found out about you! We felt like God was blessing us in abundance because he gave you to us so soon after Elnathan. At the same time we were harvesting a lot of food from the garden, and you would be born in Spring. A garden quilt seemed like the perfect way to celebrate God's goodness, and your life. Psalm 65:11 says of our Heavenly Father "You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance."

We believe that God wants us to take good care of His world. We are to share the physical and spiritual blessings He gives. We hope that you will join us in this! May God give you every spiritual blessing in Jesus as "in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which he made to abound toward us . . . " Eph. 1: 7 - 8.

I have found it a joy to be able to make a quilt for each child that is not just a decoration or covering but also represents their significance in God's eyes, His plan for their lives, and their place in our family.

Growing mini-cauliflowers

2010-10-20T09:35:00.000+11:00

We have enjoyed growing mini-cauliflowers for the last two years. I felt daunted when I considered trying to use a whole large head of cauliflower at once. These little cauliflowers are the perfect size for a small family to have as a vegetable with white sauce, or steamed with other vegetables as we enjoyed them last night. So far we have eaten seven or eight small cauliflowers this spring, and have more growing. The seeds are from the Erica Vale company.

It is important to harvest the cauliflowers as soon as possible after they form the head. If you leave them for long the florets separate. The plants require good soil and must be provided with extra fertiliser if their leaves look sickly, or they will not produce good heads. With a growing family I may also try growing full sized cauliflowers next year. Then we can try some cauliflower pie or soup. Planning what to do with garden produce is half the fun!

Tips for coping with pain and motherhood

2010-10-18T09:29:00.000+11:00

I have had chronic pain for over a decade now. A couple of months ago the How to Cope With Pain blog published my guest post Lessons From a Decade of Pain. I hope that it is a blessing to someone! There are many, many other posts on this blog from people in worse circumstances that may be encouraging to those who are suffering.

Another help in coping with pain is to remember that I can't control what people say to me, but I can aim to control my response to it (with God's help). In recent months I have found it difficult again to respond graciously and calmly to people's suggestions and comments about my pain, particularly in relation to being a mother and taking care of my home. My physical limitations mean that I need to mother differently from others.Other mummies may be able to carry their toddlers around on their hips and cart around heavy prams, but that won't be me! Many mothers talk about not sitting down all day, something that would be extraordinarily difficult for me.

I have found that over years of chronic pain it is necessary to re-evaluate in every stage of life, and to accept my limitations again. There are many benefits that God has brought out of having chronic pain and being a mother. I am sure he will continue to do so. I have recognised more deeply the need to be sensetive to others' situations and to avoid offering unsolicited advice (still working on that one)! My little son has developed lots of physical independence as he climbs into the car and pram himself, walks with me rather than being carried, and no longer has the side on his cot.

Birthday family picture

2010-10-18T09:19:00.000+11:00

This family picture was taken two weeks ago on my birthday outing to the historic town of Richmond. We had a wonderful day as a family. I am 34 weeks pregnant in this picture.

Easter Scripture Calendar

2010-10-08T09:25:00.000+11:00

In recent years I have thought more about using my time wisely to invest in things that will matter in eternity. How can this apply to my enjoyment of craft projects? I realised that I could use my enjoyment of paper crafts to make things for our family that would turn us to the Scriptures or record God's providence in our lives. These paper projects themselves are easily destroyed and probably won't be around in 100 years . . . but if they have been used to point us to the realities of God and His ways, their effect may last much longer.

Compose

I enjoyed creating a calendar to use for family devotions over Easter next year. I cut out lots of pictures of God's people across the world from aid publications (Compassion, Open Doors, Barnabas Fund), which would otherwise have been thrown away after reading.

I used the pictures to make little windows under which I placed a Scripture which can be folded out and read. The Scriptures relate to Jesus' death and resurrection. There are about 30 little windows over four pages. This project was made entirely from what I had on hand, including scraps of coloured paper and cardboard from packages of scrapbooking materials.

Voices of the True Woman Movement Winner

2010-09-30T12:02:00.000+10:00

I was expecting a few more entries in my giveaway, but I am grateful to be able to give this book to the only entrant - Jess, you are the winner! Please email me (sherrindrewATgmail.com) with your address, and I will send the book to you as soon as possible. This book has been a blessing to me, and I trust you will also be encouraged as you read of God's plan for women in many different stages of life.

The last broccolini for this year

2010-09-30T11:56:00.000+10:00

Giveaway: Voices of the True Woman Movement

2010-09-22T10:10:00.000+10:00

I was blessed with a free copy of Voices of the True Woman Movement to review. Now I would like to pass on my copy to a reader of The Drew Patch. The book is marked for the purposes of remembering key points (underlining, a few notes), but in good condition. Please leave a comment below by September 30 if you would like to win this book! The giveaway is limited to readers in the Southern Hemisphere (NZ, Australia, South Africa, etc). I am sure there are heaps more of these books in circulation in the USA and Canada than there are down south, and I'd like to keep mine at this end of the world!

Two eggs today!

2010-09-21T21:18:00.000+10:00

We feel like we are on the way to being self-sufficient in the area of eggs after finding two in our coop this morning! Now we are just waiting on one hen beginning to lay and we can hope for three eggs per day, plenty for three people. We will see what the next weeks bring! We are praising God for our happy, healthy-looking hens. I have retracted my prior statements about their stupidity after they got accidentally locked out one night and the laying hen still went back to the coop the next morning to lay her egg! That is one smart chook, I say! Our one concern is their flying ability . . . maybe we should have clipped their wings? As this photo shows, they could certainly get over the fence if they wanted to explore the neighbourhood. We think it will be OK, as apparently they are not inclined to stray away from a known area.

Se7en Ways to Be Salt and Light as a Homeschooling Family

2010-09-20T09:33:00.001+10:00

Today I have the privilege of sharing a guest post from the author of se7en: the life and times of a homeschooling mom of se7en + 1. Mrs Hood writes an encouraging and inspiring homeschooling blog that I especially enjoy because of its South African angle. On a previous homeschooling guest post I received a comment asking about being salt and light as a homeschooling family. Every family will have a different answer to this, and I wanted to get others' perspectives. What a blessing it is to receive some insights from the Hood family that may help us as we form our own family goals and practices. I hope you are blessed as well!

I was asked to write a guest post on "How to be Salt and Light as a Homeschool Family" and I just need to step back and consider where the whole salt and light idea comes from. In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus tells us that we are salt and light in the world:
Matthew 5:13-16 (New International Version)
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Now, not everyone is called to stand up and announce the Gospel to perfect strangers. Not everyone is comfortable with passing out Bible tracts - and that is okay because God made all sorts of people with all sorts of strengths and weaknesses. I do think that whatever your calling as a Christian family you should stand out in a crowd as a living witness.There are many ways for us to be salt and light in a non-Christian world and I am all for living our life, failings and all, for everyone to see!!!

I began by thinking about Se7en Ways that we meet and interact with people on a daily, or weekly basis. And it turns out that these are the opportunities for us to be salt and light in the world:

Haven: We like to be a haven for Christian friends and missionaries visiting Cape Town. A place where they can come, talk about their ministry, walk on the beach and have a feast and a rest away from the demands of their work. My kids all write to missionaries around the world and hopefully these missionaries are encouraged by the fact that they are being prayed for regularly - even if their prayer partner is really short!!!

Home from home: We like to open our home to students in our church and at a local college. They may not have grown up in a Christian home but want to see a living working Christian family. Just a place where they can come and hang out and mess around with my kids - often they have left their families and siblings far, far away and they just need some company and a meal that looks like something they would have eaten at home!!!

Helpful: In a country that is full of a wide variety and a lot of really poor people right on our doorstep, we have been blessed with plenty. I am big on decluttering, and those things that we don't need anymore we donate... books, toys, clothes whatever. My kids have always had clothes to wear and they have always had toys to play with, the amazing thing is that the more stuff we give away the more stuff we have to give away!!!

Humble: My kids bump into a wide variety of people on our day to day erranding... the post office guy, the laundry lady, the guy at the gas station. I don't expect them to talk about God with everyone they interact with but I do expect them to be polite, respectful and friendly.

Honorable: When my kids play with each other and interact at home or when they are out I expect them to behave in an honorable way. I am not quite crazy, my kids are regular kids, who behave like regular kids, but they know what I expect from them!!!

Hidden: Memorizing Bible verses and finding fun ways to teach our kids the Bible is a way to hide the word of God in our hearts. It is important that we all have the Bible written on our hearts

Habit: We make a big deal about keeping the Sabbath Holy. Church is a priority for our family and we may or may not visit friends... but generally our Sundays are Church, rest, and a bit more church for the older kids in the evening. Often times we have been asked why don't we have a break and take a Sunday off or why don't we attend birthday parties on a Sunday morning. We have been able to share quite often that for us attending Church is a privilege and certainly not something we need a break from.

And the Se7en + 1th Thing:

Hopeful: That our life and times will indeed reflect the saltiness of God's Word, and that our family will be a light shining in a dark world.

Getting back to the point of this post: Often we have been asked how do we as a homeschool family intend to be salt and light in the world, surely our kids could be making more of a difference if they were in school. I think our list speaks for itself, by teaching our children our ways and living according with what we believe in we can make a difference. I have a feeling when folk ask this question that they have this idea that homeschool children are "stuck at home" and not out in the world interacting. It all boils down to that same old question of "Will your home schooled child be socialized?" and in this instance: "Will they be socialized enough to make a difference?" I may be a bit biased, but as a homeschool mum I think my kids get ample opportunity to live their lives and meet new people and interact with new folk and friends. In fact, homeschool affords us the time necessary to open our home and be hospitable, time which we just wouldn't necessarily have if our kids were in school.

Our first egg!

2010-09-14T15:54:00.001+10:00

Our hens have grown gradually happier over the past few weeks, and they are now truly free range. When we first let them out after three or four weeks in their coop they were very hesitant and rushed back in when we came near. Now they are confident and even come up to the back door!

You can see them here amongst the broccoli and brussell sprouts. They like to peck at the leaves, which suits us as we don't eat that part. They have gradually realised that the small person in residence is not really a threat!

While the chooks have been looking entirely happy and content, we were still waiting for that elusive first egg! This morning Dave and Natey discovered the precious oval and we ate it for breakfast. The yoke was bright yellow and healthy-looking. We look forward to the time (God willing) when we will no longer need to purchase eggs. We close the coop door at night to make sure the hens continue to identify that as their home and the place to lay eggs.

Hobart Above Rubies Camp 2010

2010-09-10T21:40:00.000+10:00

Above Rubies is a ministry devoted to encouraging wives and mothers, with a free magazine that is always exciting to receive! I was happy to be able to go to the camp here in Hobart last weekend. I met lots of interesting and encouraging people, including the ladies pictured above. There was great diversity amongst both organisers and attenders, they certainly didn't fit any stereotypes that people may have of the magazine! This is testament to the fact that women from many walks of life want and need encouragement in their roles of wives and mothers. We may not all agree on education, day care, birth control, the gifts of the Spirit, or countless other issues, but we all want to grow as women of God. I felt that there was a spirit of freedom and love at the camp, and we were all encouraged to take away one thing we could put into action.

Nancy Campbell (pictured left) is the founder of Above Rubies. Originally from New Zealand, Nancy now lives in the USA. She had not visited Tasmania for 20 years prior to this camp. Nancy is pictured with Val Stares (Australian director) and Heather (NZ director). Nancy spoke about our vital building project - building our families. She explained many of the things that Satan can use to hinder us, including discouragement, "help" that undermines the family, self pity, fear, accusations, doubts, and false counsel. I am vulnerable in each of these areas and found the reminders helpful.

When I was seven months pregnant with Elnathan in March last year I was a bridesmaid and wore this dress. The dinner was a fun opportunity to wear it again . . . 7 months pregnant again! We were asked to come dressed to represent one of the seasons. I sat at the Spring table. There were tables for the other seasons as well, and they were all stunning. I was impressed with the work that had been put into the night. It was a treat to go away and be served! We also all received numerous gifts over the weekend, which were donated.

One of my favourite aspects of the camp was talking with other ladies and hearing/seeing what God was doing in their lives. I was affirmed in many of our convictions, and have a renewed sense of the importance of bearing and raising children. I am so grateful for my wonderful husband who cares about building the church, Christian education, welcoming children, having family devotions, etc. God is good! I came away desiring to grow in building our marriage, to look to God's word as our light, and to love being a mother.

Strategies for a toddler and baby

2010-09-06T09:56:00.000+10:00

Back in July I shared the first part of an interview with Lisa, preparing an older sibling for the new baby. Since then my blogging thoughts have been taken up with completing the True Woman review by September 1! Now I would like to share the second part of the interview. I was encouraged and convicted as I considered Lisa's thoughts, and I hope you will also be blessed. Please feel free to add any advice you have in relation to these questions! (The cute picture is from Wikimedia Commons).

What strategies did you put in place for the early days of having a second child at home?

We were blessed to be able to have Nathaniel take off time following Abigail’s birth. This helped a lot! In addition, we tried to make things simple…no fancy meals, paper dishes, low expectations for chores, etc. I had made a couple of make-ahead meals and we were blessed by our family and church with a few other meals. Having realistic expectations of what is NOT going to get done was helpful for me and allowed me to rest a bit more.

How did you ensure that the older child was content and happy during feeding times for the new baby?

Because my husband was home for the first week, this was an issue that we were able to ease into. Daddy helped teach Abraham some techniques for keeping Abigail awake during feeding time such as tickling toes and happy songs. Once Nathaniel was back to work, I would have Abraham help me with Abigail as he and Daddy had done the week before. I also told Abraham stories, instructed him, and interacted with him from my spot about toys and ideas for his playing. Lastly, we ensured that, to the level he needed, the house was safe for him to be in with less supervision than prior to new baby coming.

This is another area where I had to make sure that I had realistic expectations. Abraham was the only child before and was now one of two. I had to make sure that I helped him adjust with a lot of patience.

Do you have any tips for remaining in harmony with your husband and ensuring he remains a number 1 priority?

Communicating and planning allowed my husband and me to remain connected throughout our adjustment to having more than one child. Even now, we find that if communication or planning slip, it is far easier to tag-team parent/divide and conquer, which we do employ occasionally, but try to avoid. We eat dinner together each evening. We are teaching the children that there are times when Daddy and Mommy are talking that they may not interrupt. We make a point to spend time together after the children go to bed. We pray together each night, for our family, for each other, and for others. And we try to make the most of spontaneous moments of affection and enjoy each other’s company.

How did you continue to draw strength from God and his word during those busy early days?

Prayer was the primary element I used to draw on the Lord’s strength that I could not have done without. I found that this was easier than reading my Bible as I was able to do it with the lights out or pray out loud for the kids while I nursed and Abraham played. I asked for wisdom about how to pray and I would pray for God to bring memorized Scripture to mind. God is faithful when we cry to him and oh so gracious in providing strength for the tasks that he has called us to when we rely on him as the source of that energy.

Without really planning it, we ended up singing one specific hymn over and over during the early days of both Abraham and Abigail’s life (‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus and My Jesus I Love Thee, respectively). I believe that this was from the Lord, but I also plan to repeat it for any future babies. I love the rich words of hymns and the snippets of Scripture throughout the songs.

I also tried to take advantage of short moments of time in the Word. It was very difficult and still is today to use my time wisely and to make that choice to read the Word rather than to do something domestic with a short block of time, but I would ask God to help me prioritize it and use the few lines in my day to make me more like Him—even if it didn’t meet my expectation for what “time in the Word” should or had previously looked like.

In hindsight after going through the stage of having a toddler and a new baby, is there anything you would do differently or wish you had done?

I wish that I had just rested and enjoyed our family in all its newness. I put too much pressure on myself to have this “new” become “normal” too quickly. Huge changes are allowed to take a little bit of time. I didn’t need to show off to anyone how quickly I was able to resume my prior activity level, but I had a bit of that in my motivation.

Thankfully, the Lord’s mercies are new every morning. I’m still learning how to be the mother to two children and I think I’ll always be learning as a parent—it’s hard not to when things change so quickly. I’m learning a lot about being content in what God has called me to in being a mother and I’m grateful that He doesn’t leave me to my own devices, but provides support, encouragement, and strength to me in my precious role as Mommy to Abraham and Abigail.

A call to die

2010-09-01T09:39:00.000+10:00

The call to the counter-revolution is essentially a call to die. Nancy Leigh DeMoss reminds us that if we are to fulfill God's purposes in the world we must die "to ourselves, to our own plans, to our own desires".

"Our generation has an unprecedented opportunity and responsibility to invest our lives into God's kingdom. The question is, are we willing to go against the flow, to lay down our personal convenience and dreams and take up the cross of Christ."

This "call to the counter-revolution" explained in the ninth chapter of Voices of the True Woman Movement is the opposite of the feminist call to self-fulfillment. I have found that it is necessary to "die" even to our own ideas of how we want to serve God. There have been many times when I have wanted to do something good that God did not allow me to do. It is easy, at these times, to hold onto my own plans and resent the intrusion of the circumstances God has appointed!

One example is our desire to adopt children. Yes, even though we have one baby and one-on-the-way our desire is also to adopt orphaned or abandoned children! Yet for the next couple of years at least our location and life circumstances make this impossible. We continue to pray that we will have an opportunity to adopt, but given the great difficulties involved we know it will be an act of God. My desire has often been to plan out a way to do it, and there have been several times where laying these down has been both necessary and painful.

Another example is hospitality. I'd love to get to know everyone in our small church, and have each family or individual over for a meal. However, many people are simply too busy to come! I have had to die to my desire to tick off everyone in the church directory. I've faced the ugliness of my own heart as I've reacted badly when hospitality is just plain hard. God is in control. If many of the people in our church remain "strangers" in our knowledge of their hearts and lives, despite our best efforts, I need to accept that and be content with the opportunities we do have.

It has been surprising to me to discover that God expects us to "die" not only to sinful desires, but also to our own plans for serving Him. There are countless opportunities to serve God before each one of us - but they are sometimes not those we dream of and plan towards. I have found greater peace and freedom as I've sought to embrace the opportunities we do have to build God's kingdom, while praying and trusting God for other opportunities in future. What about you? Have you had to die to some of your plans for serving God?

Prayer: your legacy

2010-08-30T10:36:00.000+10:00

Fern Nichols writes that "even with so many things to be busy about - most of them good things- the absolute best thing you can do is to pray."

"You cannot give a greater gift to those you love."

I don't live like I believe this. I agree with Fern's statements, but too often my life and feelings don't match up with these truths. I am more eager to complete my unborn baby's quilt than I am to pray for her future. At times I grow frustrated and despondent when I can't do what I want physically, or cannot pursue various learning opportunities, even though I can still do the best thing.

While a clean house, good meals and creative gifts bless my family, even the best of these things are temporary. In contrast, "Long after we're gone and our lives are but a memory, God will still be responding to the faithful, fervent prayers we've offered on behalf of our dear ones." Our prayers are powerful not just in the present, but into the future and eternity.

The eighth chapter of Voices of the True Woman Movement, "leaving a lasting legacy through prayer", has provided me with fresh inspiration and determination in my prayer life. In less than three months I will once again be spending hours feeding a tiny baby. I will be making leaps and bounds in living the truth about prayer if instead of being frustrated and bored, I can invest time in prayer and feel that I have done something worthwhile.