Two Blog Awards

Thank you so much to the two lovely ladies who blessed me with blog awards over the last few weeks.  You brought a smile to my heart. 

13 October 2011

Chelle from Last in Line presented me with a One Lovely Blog Award.  I love visiting Chelle firstly because in my heart I'm from New Zealand and her blog has some interesting things from home.  Secondly Chelle loves great books and shares her treasures with others. I am inspired in my home school journey when I read her blog.  She has generously shared / made pages to use with Notebooks and I aim to add this aspect to my home schooling with Sir N. Thank you for the window into your home school it encourages me.  Keep blogging. 

Here are the rules which I’ll tweak:

Snag the picture off my blog to use in your post, tell 7 things about yourself and then pass it on to 15 other bloggers. (I daren’t gift this on to 15 other blogs – wow, that’s a lot - that I follow since I’ve already hassled, umm – I mean invited, my blog pals to participate in a meme just last month.)

1. I was born in South Africa
2. I migrated / immigrated to New Zealand in 1997
3. I naturalised and became a New Zealand citizen on 12 September 2001.
4. I have lived on a game farm near Trackers (have a look at some photo's of the area at this web site) in South Africa for 5 years where I had giraffe, ostrich, hippo, etc for neighbours.
5. I lived at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in New Zealand for 3 years.
6. I will be celebrating my 20th wedding anniversary next month.
7. I love to cross stitch, scrapbook, build websites (Trackers is one of them)and blog.

 I’ll just choose 4 newer to blogging friends (who are welcome to reinvent the rules to suit themselves or decline - I've chosen to say "No thanks" a time or two when invited to participate in pass-it-forward awards - life just gets crunchy sometimes)

Alecat from Serenades and Solace
Amy from Raising Arrows
Belinda from Live Life with your Kids
Renelle from Dove's Rest

15 October 2011

Vicky from Creating with Wisdom and Victoria Leach - Portrait Art presented me with a Stylish blogger Award. I really enjoy Vicky's gentle heart and touch.  Her art touches me and I wish I could put pencil to paper this way and capture moments.  I settle for my camera. Vicky's blog is full of encouraging posts.  Thank you Vicky for sharing your heart your gentleness inspires me daily. Keep blogging and sharing.

First of all, I need to say seven things about myself - so, here goes:

1. I love great fellowship and encouraging teaching.
2. I love the Lord Jesus and pray my arrows will shoot true and straight from the Masters hand.
3. I have three children and would love to have some more.
4. I used to volunteer at 0800HUNGRY and wish that this concept could be implemented world wide.
5. I am a full time Stay At Home Mother (SAHM)
6. I am going to South Africa next year for a 10 year family reunion and my parents - in law's 50th Wedding Anniversary.
7. I LOVE international travel and if I had the finance I would take my children and travel North America, Canada, Europe, Hawaii, Mauritius and a few other islands as well as Namibia, Botswana, Egypt and Australia.

Now, The six people I'd like to pass the award to are: (I need to bend the rules here sorry ladies)

Michelle from HomeSchooling Downunder.

Nadene from Practical Pages
Susan from Kerugma (Home Grown Kids)

 I pray you all have a great week ahead.

Blessings

Treasured Moments 8

Do you find yourself falling into a pattern of daily grind, skipping the 'fun' activities because you don't have time or lack energy?Do creative arts, nature walks, drama, read aloud or spontaneous acts seem only a distant dream in your life?
Yet these Treasured Moments shared with loved ones uplift us, nurture our soul, remind us of the beauty and joy in our lives.
We want Treasured Moments for ourselves, for our children, for our families but how can we make it happen?
... Commitment ... Encouragement ... Support ... Ideas ... Plans.

I invite you to join us every Saturday and share your plans and ideas, your targets and goals and your stories ... your 'Treasured Moments'. In this way we may inspire one another, encourage ourselves and start achieving our dreams. Hosted by Erin at Seven Little Australians and Counting

My Treasured Moments this week are:

1. Seeing Sir N make progress in his swimming lessons.
2. Meeting a new home school mom who inspired me with her enthusiasm.
3. Receiving two blog awards.  (Thank you Chelle from Last In Line and Vicky from Creating with Wisdom )
4. Enjoying my first week at home in the evenings after a year of working as a Store Recovery Associate at Big W.

To join in you are welcome to add your post on Seven Little Australians and Counting (Treasured Moments 30) using the Mr. Linky form (please link to the individual post) and include a link back to Erins post. If you haven't a blog we would still love to hear your voice, just leave your stories in the comments.

Blessings

A Mother's Basket of Books.

I was over at Creating with Wisdom a few weeks ago and came across Vicky's Book Meme and really liked the idea of listing some of my favourite books.

Some of my book shelves.

These three bookshelves hold some extra special memories for me. I love books and op shopping for them is one of my favourite things to do. One of my biggest gripes has been that bookshelves waist space and they really aren't made well enough to hold books the shelves always seem to bow under the weight.  When we moved to Australia my Dad lovingly made these three for me and I LOVE the fact that they are custom to what I wanted. 

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Book Meme

It hasn't been long since the last homeschooling meme. But if you are a book loving mother and would like to join in with another... Read on...

There is something very special about introducing someone to a favourite book. I wonder: Will she like it as much as I do? Will I discover we are kindred spirit book lovers?

All this talk of books made me think: What would I put in my basket of favourite novels?  Perhaps I might include some of the following children's and adults books:

Favourite books of my childhood
Two from Galilee The Story of Mary & Joseph- Marjorie Holmes
Christians Journey - Christopher Wright
Christiana's Journey - Christopher Wright

(I was not an avid reader till I was in my teens so don't remember that many books. )

Favourite books I have enjoyed reading aloud to my children
Doctor Doolittle - Hugh Lofting
Mountain Born -Elizabeth Yates
The Wheel on the School - Meindert de Jong
Strawberry Girl - Lois Lenski
Charlottes Webb - E.B. White
The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Elizabeth George Speare
Target Earth - Christopher Wright
Christians Journey - Christopher Wright
Christiana's Journey - Christopher Wright
The Cat of Bubastes - G.A. Henty
The House of Sixty Fathers - Meindert de Jong
Kildee House - Rutherford George Montgomery
A Basket of Flowers - Christoph von Schmid
The Phantom Tollbooth - Jules Feiffer
Black Horses for the King - Anne McCaffrey
The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth George Speare
Katie and the Mona Lisa  - James Mayhew
Carry on Mr Bowditch - Jean Lee Latham

Books I am reading aloud at the moment
A hive of busy Bees

Favourite Teaching  books **
The Hope Chest a legacy of love - Rebekah Wilson
Charlotte Mason Companion - Karen Andreola
Things We Wish We'd Known - Compiled by Bill and Diana Waring
Beyond Survival -  Diana Warring
Reaping the Harvest - Diana Warring
Raising a Modern Day Knight -
Honey for a Child's Heart - Gladys Hunt
What the Bible says about Healthy Living - Rex Russel
Passion and Purity - Elizabeth Elliot
Disappointment with God - Philip yancey
Where is God when it hurts ? - Philip Yancey
Silent Grief - Hinton
Power of a Praying Parent - Stormie O'Martin
Power of a Praying Wife - Stormie O'Martin
Captivating - John and Staci Eldridge
A Full Quiver - Rick and Jan Hess 
The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman
The Five Languages of Appology - Gary Chapman
Personality Plus - Florence Littaeur
Silver Boxes - Florence Littaeur
Prayer of Jabez -
A Life God Rewards - Bruce Wilkinson
Educating the WholeHearted Child - Clay and Sally Clarkson
Hairy Maclary - Lynley Dodd and any books by her.

Favourite True Stories **
I Dared to call Him Father - Sheikh
Ten Fingers for God the life and work of Dr Paul Brand - 
Alias Jungle Doctor - 
Jungle Calls - Ron Snell
Life is a Jungle- Ron Snell
There's a Jungle out there - Ron Snell
Life in spite of me - Kristen Jane Anderson

Favourite novels I’ve read
A voice in the Wind - Francine Rivers
An Echo in the Darkness - Francine Rivers
As sure as the Dawn - Francine Rivers
The Scarlet Thread - Francine Rivers
Moses - Ellen Gunderson Traylor
Joshua - Ellen Gunderson Traylor
This Present Darkness - Frank Peretti
Piercing the Darkness - Frank Peretti
The Left Behind Serries - Tim LaHaye and Jeffrey Jenkins

Authors I enjoy **
Wilbur Smith
Jeffrey Archer
Bryce Courtney
John Grisham
Clive Cussler
Francine Rivers
Ellen Gunderson Traylor

Novels I have recently enjoyed
False Impression - Jeffrey Archer
Cain and Able - Jeffrey Archer
Not a Penny more Not a penny less - Jeffrey Archer


Novels I am currently reading

No novels at present but I am reading:
GIFTS from the Hearth by Elizabeth R. Skoglund
For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaefer-McCauley
The Ministry of Motherhood - Sally Clarkson

(Although I enjoyed all these books and another mother might too, some of the books on my list are not suitable for children.)

There are so many other books I could include on my lists. This is only a sample. I wonder if you will find some of your old favourites here. Perhaps you will find something new you’d like to read.

Or perhaps you’d like to write your own lists and I will come and visit and share. Perhaps we will discover we are kindred spirits book lovers.

I hope the following people will share their favourite books.

Alecat from Serenades and Solace
Chelle from Last in Line
Erin from Seven Little Australians.  Found she has done hers already : My Book Love
Michelle from Homeschooling Downunder
And anyone else who'd like to share, please post your link in the comments section so I can come over and be inspired.

In Anticipation of reading more book Meme's
Blessings

P.S. I have added a few extra questions in as it better suited my list and made for easier listing. I have marked them with **

To make it easier to post your Meme here are the questions:

Book Meme
It hasn't been long since the last homeschooling meme. But if you are a book loving mother and would like to join in with another... Read on...

There is something very special about introducing someone to a favourite book. I wonder: Will she like it as much as I do? Will I discover we are kindred spirit book lovers?

All this talk of books made me think: What would I put in my basket of favourite novels?  Perhaps I might include some of the following children's and adults books:

Favourite books of my childhood
Favourite books I have enjoyed reading
Favourite books I have enjoyed reading aloud to my children
Books I am reading aloud at the moment
Favourite Teaching  books **
Favourite True Stories **
Favourite novels I’ve read
Authors I enjoy **
Novels I have recently enjoyed
Novels I am currently reading

(Although I enjoyed all these books and another mother might too, some of the books on my list are not suitable for children.)

There are so many other books I could include on my lists. This is only a sample. I wonder if you will find some of your old favourites here. Perhaps you will find something new you’d like to read.

Or perhaps you’d like to write your own lists and I will come and visit and share. Perhaps we will discover we are kindred spirits book lovers.

I hope the following people will share their favourite books