~Fin~

Finally, Blogtober has come to a close.

I kind of dropped the ball there towards the end in real life and it reflected through my blogging. I'm blaming my bout of pimples. Yup, the usual hormones are back, and so is my acne. Gut.ted. I miss my pregnancy skin.

Anyway. You may think I'm rambling about something unrelated but I'm really not. You see, acne comes back, Sophie feels bummed. Sophie feels tired. Sophie doesn't do the house work. House gets messy. Sophie gets more bummed. Sophie looses her eftpos card and Camillas Well Child book and drops her phone down the toilet. Sophie feels like she should be doing housework instead of blogging. Sophie doesn't blog. See? It's totally related.

Well, I have a new borrowed replacement phone (even though the one that died was a borrowed replacement). Today ASB called and said my eftpos card had been handed in, and I managed to track down Camillas Well-Child book (It was at A & E). I cleaned the house this weekend and nearly did everything on the "to clean" list (still the bathroom and duchess to go. Oh, and sorting out all my old clothes.) I also had my hair cut by the ever amazing Dawn (if you're in CHCH. Bargain!) And today I bought a new facewash and exfoliant for my dreadful skin.

So, just as Blogtober ends I manage to get my blogging mojo back. If you're here from Blogtober, what did you think?

Here's to a Happy November with lots happening - Guy Fawkes, my birthday, a weekend trip to Akaroa, A bloggy meet up (my first!! Eeee! Nerves!) and preparation for a big Stitch Africa sale!

~Fin~

About Catherine

Holy Moley.

Please go and visit my friend Catherine over on her Wordpress.

I use the term "friend" loosely. Really, I hardly know her, but I caught one of her links she posted on Facebook to her blog and I am HOOKED, now I wish I knew her much much better (claim to fame?). She's an artist with raw talent. Her whole blog is a collection of poetry and lyrics and it is beautiful. I could read and read and read all day long.

Seriously, why are you still reading my blog? Get over there now.

A Vlog

On Friday I spent the whole day trying to get a smile out of Camilla. Somehow, seeing her smile lets me know that everything is okay. Well, she didn't smile, which led me to believe that she spent the whole day being grumpy. Not so. Cue Graeme getting home at 5pm and her face lit up into the biggest smile ever! She had been saving them all for him. Tricky little girl!

That pretty much set the scene for the whole weekend, she was Daddy's little girl. He spent the whole weekend having little coo'ing conversations with her while we picnicked, enjoyed sunshine and the company of great friends.

Here's a little video of us tonight.

Post Script - That may or may not be Harry Potter starting in the background...

Bangle Revelio

Specialis Revelio!

I used up the very last of my verigated cotton that I used on my booties and jar cover. A special little puffy bangle! I saw it here, along with a tutorial! Simple and satisfying.

Speaking of the jar cover that I did in this post, check out this earlier post from a year ago here! Fate!? (I never ended up making them originally. I tried and failed miserably.)

x

Scchleeep

I left Graeme and Camilla alone for a few minutes and came back to find them both fast asleep cuddled up together

About a month ago I put the call out to the world for some advice on getting a baby to sleep. At the time I had realised that we had been trying to rock her to sleep then putting her in her basinet, which she would then wake up during and start to cry. I thought this meant she didn't want to sleep in her basinet so she started to sleep in bed with us more and more and often on top of us, and because they were there, I started to nurse her to sleep. Silly me. I took a step back, realised what I had done, and set about to change it because it just wasn't working for me.

Most of the advice I received was helpful and most of it I put into practice.

We instantly took on a night time routine (of which we had none previously) which we did every single night for about 2 weeks. I fed her, Graeme bathed her while I heated up her basinet mattress. We read to her, prayed for her, pulled her musical toy and layed her down to sleep. These are probably my favourite moments of the day because they feel like real family time when we take our time and dont rush things. Then, she would cry. Cry cry cry. We checked on her every 5-10 minutes and would pick her up, try and burp her and resettle her. Mostly she would stop crying as soon as we picked her up. It took her about 3 days to realise that this time was sleep time and she began to get better and better at going to sleep. The same resettling was done during her day time naps too. I also tried sleeping her on her side and propped up (because of the reflux) which didn't seem to make any difference so she's still sleeping on her back as per Ministry Of Health recommendations. A dummy helps a lot, and an extra feed after bath time does wonders.

Every day she got better and better and cried less and less. After a few days of this I cut out the wheat bag and now we don't bath her every night. Some nights we can't because we are doing other things - but that's okay. At this stage its important to me to keep things reasonably flexible so she gets used to breaking the norm, but it is also important to me to have a norm to revert to.

A few times we have declined going to someones house for dinner or an event so that we could keep her routine. Some times that bugs me, but in the long run I think it was important to establish her sleeping skills.

Most nights she sleeps in a block of 4 hours, feed, 3 hours, feed, 3 hours. It means I'm always up during the night and sometimes I feel as if I haven't even slept, but other nights its more than enough. Generally when she feeds she resettles quite well, but every other night she'll have a feed during the night and the reflux will kick in and she will be so unsettled. Then I need to spend more time with her, and usually after that she ends up in bed with me again because I'm too tired to keep perservering. That's okay because I know its not every night and some times its quite nice to have a baby sized cuddle buddy :) One night last week she had a 6 hour sleep block at night. It was amazing, however, I was awake the whole time because we had people over so I didn't get to take advantage of it and catch up myself. Such is life.

This week in the middle of the night when I'm feeding her she will look up and me, pull away and give me the hugest smiles. Its so adorable and melts my heart! It feels like our special time, when we are alone together, bonding.

Now when people ask me how she sleeps, I respond the same every time: Good! At least I think so, I have nothing else to compare her to, but I'm happy.

I realised after all this, having a plan makes such a difference. When you're up in the middle of the night with a screaming baby and you are recovering from giving birth and you are having to rock and walk her around for hours on end (when everything 'down there' just wants to lay down) and your husband needs to go to work in a few hours it can all seem a bit unmanageable and a bit "is it going to be like this forever!!??" Well, no, it wont be. And when you have a plan, its even more "It's okay, we're working on it". Even though some days the plan doesn't work, and some times we don't even 'do' the plan, and other days no matter how much we do do the plan it makes no difference. At least we've tried something.

Lastly, I have realised that everyday is different. Just because today has been amazing and happy and smiley and perfect doesn't mean tomorrow will be. And, just because yesterday was unsettled and tiring, doesn't mean today will be.

She is a baby. A really little baby who is having to learn every single thing for the first time. I don't expect miracles, and I don't expect her to sleep through the night (although I wouldn't complain), so I'm not being Hitler trying to get her into a routine. Mostly, I'm just trying to learn her sleep signals a little better.

Thank you all for you help, advice and years of experience. I feel like I can tick this off my list as a job well done.

Sweet Dreams

Dear Baby and 8 Week Update

Camilla has grown in leaps and bounds in the last 4 weeks.

6 weeks really was the magic number as everyone had told me about. It was as if she was a whole different baby when she hit that milestone (some professionals refer to the first 6 weeks of their lives at the "4th trimester" and I totally agree). Every book, DVD and website will refer to "Surviving" until the six week point. Well, we made it! Once that hit she learnt to fall asleep on her own, smile, coo, be super baby at tummy time and stopped fitting her 'newborn 0000' clothes. She is so full of personality now and everyday seems to present something new. I really can't believe she has been in our lives for 2 months already. The weeks have flashed by! I feel as if spend my whole day communicating in 'baby talk' and trying to make her smile or coo - I'm so looking forward to hearing her giggle! She's such a sweet wee girl.

She's getting her [6 week] immunisations tomorrow (I know, we're a bit late). We decided to go for it because thats what felt best inside which is generally how I make most decisions. I'll be honest, I don't even know what they are immunising against so I don't know anything about them. I know a few of my readers aren't vax'ers so feel free to tell me about it.

She had a really big case of hormone spots which are apparently because of the hormones during labour. I wonder if she had a big case of them because my labour was so quick and full on?

Last update I mentioned that Camilla's Jaundice had completely gone, well, it hadn't. We have had a blood test done to see what's up with her liver and are waiting for the results. She also has a bit of reflux which I will be mentioning to the doctor tomorrow. I don't think its severe at all, but occasionally it really bothers her, and that bothers me.

We've given her a dummy which I always told myself I would never do, but as soon as we put it in her mouth for the first time and she sucked it back it was like pure relief.

This month Camilla has been learning to sleep and I think she is doing so well at it! She has regular naps throughout the day and is becoming predictable. I think I'm learning to read her tired signs better and giving her the opportunity to fall asleep by herself. I'm very thankful to all of my lovely Mama blog readers who gave me so many pearls of wisdom towards her sleep schedule and I think I may do a separate post about this later on in the week.

People ask me if I like being a mum and I wonder if they are just seeking reassurance that parenthood is a blessing. It definitely is. I feel so richly blessed with all the good that is in my life. Camilla is a joy to the both of us and we are so thankful for her.

Dearest Camilla,

You are growing up so quickly! You are such a smiley happy little girl with the biggest gummy grin I have ever seen! I love early morning smiles and cuddles with you when you are so content after a big sleep. I spend most of my days trying to entertain you and see you smile. Mostly I just need to know that in your short life you have had thrilling moments of joy and knowing you are happy ultimately brings me the most joy. Your real baby tears break my heart.

You love to stare at our series of black and white paintings of Jesus in our lounge and when you go to church you stare at the big writing on the wall. You are transfixed and can't take your eyes off them!

Your Dad is trying to teach you to poke your tongue out and you smile at him whenever he tries. Some times you actually do it as if you know what you're doing.

You are growing and turning into such a little lady, I'm so proud of you. I think you are just the sweetest, strongest little babe there ever was and I am trying to savour every day because they go by far too quickly.

I hope you are happy, little one, and I hope I am doing a good job of being your Mama. I really love you.

Peace and love always, x

You can read her 4 week update here

You're, Whats It Called? Shoe Revelio

Specialis Revelio

If you're following me along with Blogtober you may have been wondering where I was yesterday (or not.)? Well, I spent every single nap minute in our spare bedroom turned office turned sewing room.

I whipped up these babies amongst much fury at my geriatric sewing machine. If I work it too hard it gives up and does all these loose stitches, so I turn it off, give it a break, and then it works fine again (until..) By the end I was over it and just finished them off, so you can see the sole is so rough and the stitching is coming apart. But, not bad for a first attempt. 

Next time I'll do it well, promise. 

Cute huh?

When we were tucked up in bed hubby said "You're good at all that"

"All what?"

"You know, sewing, knitting, stuff. What do you call that?"

"Crafty stuff?"

"Yeah."

Holy Heck - biggest compliment the husband has ever paid me. It's still making me grin.

Seriously, whats wrong with my machine (or me?)?

Follow Along

[This is for all of my facebook followers who aren't exactly 'blog friendly']

I've really been enjoying blogging lately and I think that is mostly due to Blogtoberfest, and also due to the fact that I haven't been linking my posts to my facebook so that every man and his dog can read them. Sure, it's meaning I am getting less daily views, but I find my blogging is much more honest and fun when I forget about who is reading it.

For the most part I will no longer be linking my Facebook to my Blog (except for maybe all of the monumental Camilla updates so my family can see them) so if you are one of those readers who I never expected to read my blog but you often tell me how much you love it, you will need to do one of three things.

How can you follow my blog?

1) If you use blogger yourself you can hit the "Join this site" button on the right hand side bar. This will put all of my new posts into your Google Reader as I post them. If you have no idea what Google Reader is then this option isn't for you.

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2) You can enter your email address in the "Follow By Email" button on the right hand side bar. This will email you to the maximum of once a day if I post to my blog. For example, if I do 5 posts in one day, you will get one email with all of the posts in it. If I don't post anything, you wont get an email that day. This may be the best option for you. If you want to comment, you can click on the links in the email and it will bring you to my blog. If you do this option just make sure the emails aren't going to your spam folder.

3) You could just stop reading my blog. (No, really, you want to do option 1 or 2)

How can you comment on my blog?

At the end of each post you will see "comments (2)", for example. You can click that and it will either take you to a new page or open a box in a new window. You can write your comment in the box, and underneath choose "google profile" if you have a gmail account and have a profile set up OR "anonymous" if you dont want to be named OR "name / URL" which you then type in your name and your website (if you have one). If you choose the last 2 options be sure to include your email address in your comment because I like to reply to all the comments via email. Then, hit submit and your comment will be visible after I have approved it and replied to you.

Simple Pimple! I hope to see you following along in the blogosphere :)

She Couldn't Cook Baked Beans!

Graeme will deny it, but when we very first got together he [lied] told me he could cook. I know he said it, because I remember telling one of my best friends "AND! HE CAN COOK!!" Seriously, I thought I had hit the jackpot, especially because I couldn't even string a stir fry together.

Months went by and I never saw any of this cooking talent he apparently possessed. One night while we were hanging out at his flat and after eating months of take out I asked him why he had never cooked for me. Well, it turns out he -couldn't- cook. WHAT!?? That night he made me packet mac n cheese in the microwave while I cried. What had I gotten myself into?

After we married and I moved in with him I was faced with the reality of running a home. We needed to eat. I was forced to learn my way around a kitchen or else we would be going hungry. One of the first meals I made was a lasagne for 8 people. I forgot to add the sauce. Disaster.

Years later I feel reasonably confident in the kitchen and cook dinner most nights - unless we have the occasional take out or go to someones for dinner. I know. I have come a long way. Graeme, however, has not. His time in the kitchen is still limited (or non existant).

One of our chef (and all-round awesome) friends came over a few weeks ago with bags of ingredients and took Graeme into the kitchen while I sat on the couch. It was a first and it. was. bliss. Is that what Heaven will be like??! Sign me up!

He taught Graeme about cutting onions, pasta portions, cookings times, the works! I dont know how much of it Graeme has remembered (perhaps I need to let him loose again to refresh his memory) but that night I felt like the luckiest lady around.

I'm thankful for good [talented and willing] friends who think about others, and for my husband to be willing to step into un-mastered territory.

Wise Woman

I have been discharged from my midwifes care for over a week now and she has been missed. 

Janine from Midwives on Barrington, Christchurch

What a wonderful woman.

If you are in Christchurch and in need of a midwife, mine comes highly recommended by me. She is so full of love and passion and you can tell that she finds real joy in her profession. Everything she does is with the utmost care and precision. She was fantastic at my home birth and I really couldn't have wished for better care. (Full midwifery care is provided free of charge by the NZ government to NZ citizens)

If you have a good one, its very easy to get attached to them after forming a bond over a 9 month period - a few of those months you see each other every single week. Some times I saw her more often than my own friends. After the birth she came to my home every single day for a few weeks, then a few times a week and finally it slowed down to every week until I was discharged. 

It almost makes me wish I was pregnant so I could see her again. But no. Not yet. I hope we both stay in Christchurch so she can be at my future labours. 

^^ Look how huge that newborn nappy looks on Camilla!! She doesn't even fit them now!! My little baby is growing into a big girl!

The Elderly Like Leeks

When I was in my last stages of pregnancy I went grocery shopping alone. If you know me, I have a very tight budget to stick to and I do whatever it takes to do that. I write out my lunch and meal plans for the week, write out the ingredients I need, estimate how much it will cost and then I go shopping. As I put things in my trolley I add up the price on my phone and if it doesn't work out I have back up options to go to (different dinner options, ingredients etc). We're young, I don't get paid and Graeme isn't exactly a millionaire (yet. Hah). But I'm okay with that. I know that as time progresses so will our budget (hopefully) and one day I will be able to put whatever I like in the trolley.

So there I was, heavily pregnant and alone on a Friday night with my list and my calculator open on my phone doing our weekly shop.

An old man hobbled past me. He had grey whispy hair and an old woolen jersey and he was alone. He had leeks in his trolley. That's all. We were already halfway through the supermarket. I glanced at his list that was written on scrap paper with pencil. The writing was wiggly and messy, and it had a lot of items listed on it with prices next to half of the items. The old man was going around the supermarket finding out the prices of everything before he put them in his trolley. Leeks obviously made the cut.

My heart burst - and so did the floodgates of my tears. I started bawling my eyes out in the middle of the aisle, and continued to cry as I finished my shopping and loaded my groceries into the car. Hormones much?

Sure, our budget's tight, but his? Did he really need to go around the supermarket and find out the price, then go back and do it all over again? He was alone (so was I), did he have a wife at home? A wife in hospital? A wife at all? Did he have children? Friends? Anyone?

Really, his situation was similar to mine - we were both alone, had a tight budget, had a walking impairment (old vs. heavily pregnant). However, I know that that is my situation now and we have the rest of our lives to change it. I like to think that by the time we are his age we will have a few earthly comforts to help us enjoy life.

I hope that when I am older I am in good health, surrounded by lovely people, with enough resources to not have to do my shopping twice over. I hope to be filled with joy, not bitter by a lifetime of hurts. I hope to still have my husband by my side, loading the groceries into the car. I hope that I like leeks in my older ages. I hope I can stay in touch with the worlds developments and I be able to work todays equivalent to a laptop, the internet, etc. I hope that life is happy :)

Totally aware this whole post is a big hormonal ramble. 

Moby Wrap

Thanks to my wonderful Sissy I am the proud owner of a Moby Wrap!

I heard about the brand from a friend and after seeing it in action I was sold! I wanted one!

I've only had mine for a week now and been out on 2 shopping excursions but let me tell you its already paid for itself (not that I paid for it (thanks Sissy)). I chose the pacific colour and its a bit darker than I was expecting but still a lovely shade. It was shipped from America and came with a full instruction booklet on safety and the different wrapping positions. The Moby can be changed as your baby grows! In this photo I have Camilla nestled in the newborn position. She is so comfy and snug in there and loved it instantly. When we arrived at the mall she was crying and as soon as I put her in the wrap she was asleep! It must be really lovely for them being all snug up against our chest, hearing our heartbeat and feeling our voices vibrate. 

While I have the babe in the wrap I cant help but feel overwhelmed with the love drug, oxytocin. So really its just as lovely for me to have her wrapped up. Let me tell you, oxytocin is real people. 

Also, because you can only see her little head sticking out the top you get so many 'ooohss' and 'awwwwhs' from strangers as they pass by. Everyone loves a baby. 

The Moby has also been admired by 3 new mums in the last week (one was carrying her bubba, the other two had prams) who each stopped to ask me what the name of the wrap was, if it was comfortable and where they could get it.

Well, its a Moby Wrap, it is super comfortable (but it does cover up your whole top half so fashion goes out of the window) (and it keeps you really warm), and you can get one from this website. 

Your welcome.

Moby didn't ask me to write this review (I wish), I'm telling you all of this because I love it.

Moving Camilla

(3.5 weeks old)

I just used this tutorial by Make It Love It to create this animated picture! HOW EXCITING!!

The tutorial was super easy to follow. Next time I will use photos that I have taken specifically for it (so the camera stays in the same place and Camilla doesn't magically jump around)

Isn't she handsy?

I love learning new things. Makes me feel a little bit alive.

Work Visits

I took a Sabbath day from blogging yesterday and it was wonderful! So good to have Graeme back, even though I felt like I hardly saw him until Sunday night but when I did, boy oh boy it was great. He had a really amazing weekend I think he is so darn blessed to have been given the all expenses paid "Bloke Fest" opportunity! What a great church we belong to  :)

Today Camilla and I went to visit Graeme on his lunch break and introduced her to all of the Workboys. He's just got a new computer at work so we snapped a few photos while we were there.

Ehehehhehe I love them all. Did you know that these are probably the third photos we've had taken together? We got 2 photos together in her first week of life, and these are the only others since then. My Mum is coming over this week, I'll have to get her to take some nice ones of us.

Then we took a trip to the mall, used the parents room for the first time (woo!) and Camilla snoozed in the new Moby Wrap while I hands free shopped (more on that later).

I hope your day is going well so far. Love to all! x

P.s - Has anyone been into Glassons lately? I think they have been reading Jessica's What I Wore blog - Colour blocking galore!

Gossip Girl

The other day I was chatting to someone and they mentioned a detail about my life that they shouldn't know. Sure, it wasn't a secret, but its something I've certainly never mentioned before and really, I can see no reason why it would come up in a usual conversation with me or with anyone. Obviously this person had been speaking to someone else about me - and for some reason they had gone into details about my life and this happened to be the topic of the conversation. And then they mentioned it in our conversation (so they obviously weren't aware of the fact that there was no need for them to know such details).

Days later and without a huge amount of company this weekend its been on my mind and I can't get it out. So now i'm going to have a rant on my blog and tell you (and me) that we gossip far too much (because its my blog and I do what I want).

In this instance it wasn't bad, it wasn't a secret, it didn't hurt me and it wasn't untrue... I was just shocked that they had obviously been speaking about me in that way and sharing details of my life with each other which I had not spoken to either of them about. And for what reason?

I always thought that as long as I wasn't being cruel or malicious I wasn't gossiping. Now I realise its so much more than that. Where do the lines of interesting conversation and gossip cross? The line is blurry, however, there must be a line because I certainly felt like they had crossed one.

This has made me realise that what I consider "interesting conversation" might actually fall in the category of "personal details" in someone else's life. Who are we to share details about other peoples lives? And if we do, what do we gain from it? Gossip gives us nothing in return except perhaps a fleeting moment of excitement and a few extra minutes on conversation. Gossip takes away our integrity, relationships and trust. It makes us poorer, not richer. It steals away our goodness.

I am certainly guilty of this, as are [probably] you.

The tongue should be tamed, like anything else that requires training and intentional effort. I really believe that who we are comes through our mouths. Lovely joyful people speak life and sad malicious people speak death. I think gossip falls into the latter and I certainly dont want to be that sort of person. As with most things, to make a change first you need to realise what needs to be changed. I am so grateful for this revelation and want to pick things up and be a person who has real interesting conversations full of life.

If we have a conversation and you think I'm being a hypocrite and a gossip please pull me up on it. Do I have permission to do the same with you? Why not give your friends permission now. Lets hold each other accountable for our words.

...And because I have an abundance of cute photos to share, here is your Camilla fix for the day ;)

#HappyCup

My husband is away for the night on a boys trip in the beautiful Coromandel. All expenses paid - hunting, boating, diving, eating, shooting. Being men.

I got to use our car today and do whatever I wanted. I went to the mall and a friends house for lunch. It felt like beautiful freedom. (And I was rescued by my skilled mechanic father when the car wouldn't start in the parking lot. Phew.)

Camilla has gone to sleep almost straight away for the last 3 nights in a row.

I was graced with the presence of two beautiful and lovely ladies tonight.

We watched Glee. I painted my nails. I cooked my first whole dinner since baby (it was delicious). We ate chocolate.

Now I am going to sleep with my #HappyCup overflowing.

Be.Lessed.

Learning Joy

Learning Joy 

source

Joy reaches beyond circumstances and fleeting emotions to be our strength in a time of need. Joy is not happiness because it cannot be diminished by a temporary situation. Sometimes I can be sad and still joyful.

I was watching Glee Project this week and the judge of the competition to find Glee's next guest star told one of the final 4 contestants that he thought he was at a disadvantage because he hadn't seen him breakdown yet. This guy was joyful and he held himself together and didn't succumb to the pressure or dramatics of the situation. What made him different? He was a Jesus Freak. The joy of the lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). and its what sets us apart and sustains us for this journey.

Without joy where would we be?

Having a heart and spirit of Joy is something that I pray for most. If I could eternally have anything in the world, it would be that. Joy.

Thank you Lord for your everlasting Joy that sustains us and keeps us strong. Thank you that you are in all and through all things and there is always a reason to be joyful. Amongst the darkest days I pray your light would shine in our lives and we would be joyful people and ever thankful. 

Mini Paper Bunting

Am I a real blogger now?

Bath Time!

I shared these photos on Facebook yesterday and wanted to share them here. Seriously, isn't she sooo cute?! Ah! I just want to wake her up and cuddle her when I look at these photos!!

This week we have been intentionally working on Camillas routine and sleep habits. We're putting her down to sleep when she's getting drowsy and getting out of the habit of rocking her to sleep and we have installed a night time routine so she will start to learn that night and day are different (so I'm not still rocking her at 1am!!!)

At night I feed her, Graeme baths and dresses her and then we both read her a poem from the bible and pray for her. We pull her musical toy as we fix the sheets in her basinet and then kiss her goodnight. We've only been doing it a few nights now but it feels SO good already now that we have a 'plan of action' rather that just everything being so unknown. Issues tend to be mamoth when you don't know how to deal with them. Sleep time now seems so much more managable with a plan!

Thank you to everyones comments and tweets in the last week full of advice and encouragement :)

x

Learning Love

Learning Love

source


Genuine love is sincere - it comes from deep within and is really meant. It is not merely a word or a phrase and it cannot be said without an action or gift. Love evokes goodness, devotion and pure selflessness. It is perfect.

Often I struggle to completely love but it is something I am learning to do.

Love is a result of knowing God. It grows naturally as your relationship with God grows. It cannot be forced because real love is sincere. As we push into God we learn more of His love for us, our love for Him and our love for others. We cannot impress God with how good we can love because we love because he first loved us.

Psalm 51 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me."

Thank you Lord for your salvation that covers all of my wrongs. Please restore me to that place of joy when I first met you and everything was fresh and exciting. Fill me with more of your Spirit so that I could know you better. Sustain me with your goodness and teach me to Love.

My Love Affair With Christchurch

Although the ground may shake, blooming bulbs spring forth from the ground. I love the new growth and the changing seasons, often four in a day. No one else understands the power of a 'nor wester' or 'snow on the hills'.

I love a frosty morning where icicles shape the blades of grass and warm breath turns to steam. Bleary eyed Cantabrians are awakened and their senses tingle.

This is my home where my family 'made it'. Homes were bought, businesses started and high schoolers graduated in my family. 'A better life' was on offer here. This is where I made my friends, found my Church and grew. This is my home where I met my husband, had our first child and started to build a life together. This is my home where I see myself living for the next many years, taking photos in Hagley Park, eating ice-creams in The Square and having a Dimitri's souvlaki down Cashel Street (hopefully).

The dust and rubble reminds me of the strength of our city, not its weakness, and I look forward to the future with hope.

Blogtoberfest 2011!

Happy Blogtober everyone!

That's right, I'm joining in with my first ever blog linky up thingy ma jig and celebrating Blogtober with you!

Click on the picture to be taken to its origins (and to find other awesome blogs) but the whole dealio is that I blog for a whole month, every. single. day. If you think thats spamming and mental you can unfollow if you like, and facebook followers - I probably wont be linking up there every single time so if you want you can enter your email address in the box to the right to get my blog emailed to you (maximum of one email per day). --->

Why? Well, I realised that Camilla has taken over my blog. She's easy to blog about but I really miss more inspiring posts about God, life, my ideas and crafts. I figured that by intentionally blogging I will have to get a bit more creative and express myself in different ways :)

Anyway, I really hope you are having a great Saturday and take the opportunity to do something different or special. We took Camilla for her newborn hearing test today (perfecto), did some banking and groceries and now one of my bridesmaids is coming to visit (who has been living overseas for a year!).

Peace and Love!