Saturday, September 15, 2007
Loving Spring :-D
We live on a 1/4 acre and it's a lot of yard to mow. Mark had been borrowing a ride on last summer and I don't know what was worse spending all morning pushing a push mower around, or driving to collect a ride on, do the yard & take it back? So the other week we were sitting on the patio looking at a yard that about to explode with growth after a weeks rain and Mark said, we need a ride on. I thought about it and I said "I know you want one, but it's not a necessity so go for it if you can get what you want for under $1000" For those of you who knows ride ons, I pretty much gave him an impossible task. Mark has high standards when it comes to mechanical things and he wasn't going to buy junk. He looked at me and said "I'll never find a good one for that money!" I responded with "Well let's pray for one, God can do it". So I did, I prayed for a mower. The next week, I get a phone call from Mark on his way back from inspections and he says "I'm just popping into the mower place, just for a look". Half an hour later he rings back and says "Can you transfer $720 for me?" I quized him about the mower and he assured me it was a good one, needed some work, but the motor was great he knew the problem was in the deck. So he paid the money and waited for the guy to deliver it the following Tuesday.
That day Mark was out on inspections and the guy dropped it round. The kids and I felt bad that he didn't get it on Father's Day and it wasn't much of a surprise because he chooses his own presents. So we got to scheming. I cleared out the shed to make room for it & put it away. Mark had asked that I just get it put on the patio. All day Mark would ring and ask if it had arrived and I said "No". So just before I hid it, I got all the kids on it and took a photo. I then loaded it onto the computer as a screen saver. So Mark gets home and has to cross the patio to get in the back door. No mower. The kids and I are chatting to him and they even say, "Sorry it didn't come today Dad" I then tell him I took some nice photos of the kids today & bring up the wallpaper on the computer & there is the big photo of 5 silly kids sitting on a mower. He just beamed!!! and said "I was hoping you were teasing me on the phone, but when I got home and saw it wasn't on the patio I thought, nup, it really didn't come!" So we surprised him after all :-D That night he started working on it & again it rained all week & by the first sunny day he had it fixed. It only cost him $5 in parts too! He's now got a renewed passion for working on a project, we're now praying that God brings us a cheap ski boat to fix up :-D Mark and the boys can tinker & we can all get healthy doing a sport we all love :-D
The September Newsletter of Scrap of Faith is out!! Read it here :-D
I saw this on Becky's blog & thought I'd see where I've been & am going too :-D
20 years ago I . . .
1. I was 11 and living a carefree childhood in Cardwell, North Queensland.
2. I lived at home with my family.
3. My parents owned a Newsagents & general store & our house was on top.
10 years ago I . . .
1. I was 21!.
2. Mark and I had been together for 1 year.
3. We had our own place at Joyner.
5 years ago I . . .
1. I had 2 little girls.
2. Mark bought a motorbike
3. We had our own business doing QS reports for a couple of years
3 years ago I . . .
1. I had 3 kids & was pregnant with our 4th.
2. We had just moved to the house we are in now.
3. I started on a slippery slope of letting the enemy in and God out.
1 year ago I . . .
1. I had 4 kids and was pregnant with the 5th!!! (when will it end LOL).
2. Was well on the path back to God.
3. Started Scrap of Faith.
So far this year I . . .
1. Have had God be a real part of our life as a family.
2. Started a Newsletter for Scrap of Faith
3. Started writing articles about Christianity for women :-D
Yesterday I . . .
1. Did some work.
2. Did some scrapping.
3. Had my SIL and her kids over.
Today I . . .
1. Slept in
2. Went grocery shopping
3. Made banana muffins.
Tomorrow I. . .
1. will have family day & rest day.
2. Go to the park to have a picnic & spot eels & turtles.
3. Visit my Grandma.
In the next year I shall . . .
1. Keep saving for a house.
2. Hopefully have some builders as clients.
3. Keep growing in the Lord :-D
It's late & DH is lying here beside me with his head under a pillow trying to sleep LOL.
So I will finish with 5 things I'm grateful for.
1. The Lord always providing no matter how trivial
2. Happy healthy family
3. A DH who can fix things
4. A DH who's my Prince & I'm his Princess :-D
5. Spring :-D
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
A face lift or a faith lift????
So we've had a face lift how about you come visit and get a Faith Lift :D
AND it's our Birthday!!! YEHAHH!!! Perferct pressie for our first birthday, nice new happy colours!!
In November we are having a charity crop day to raise money for Mercy Ministries. They help young women who are struggling find hope and a future. The next two weeks I'll be busy securing sponsors for this event.
So far though the entry is $20 and you get a calico bag full of goodies and LOTS of giveaways on the day. Check out the info HERE
Plus we finally got the August Newsletter out. Grab a cuppa & have a read
Not much going on in the Clifford house except school, work & Scrap of Faith. July to October is a bit full on with those things for us. Makes the Summer Holidays all the more blisfull! Oh the "highlight" if you call it that would be getting my wisdom teeth out!! My confession is "It has been 14 years since I have seen a dentist!" I had LOTS of opperations in my mouth as a 10 year old then braces from 11 to 13. By 17 I was SO over dentitsts. Well my top wisdom teeth came through and they were so far back and awkward I couldn't brush them properly and they were starting to hurt. Silly old me would rather face the pain then go visit a dentist. Finally I gave in and Mark & I prayed before I went in and I prayed whilst getting the needles. & I can't belive I'm saying this, but, It was actually great! Troy the dentist is really easy going and puts you at ease & I actually walked out of there laughing. If you live in Brisbane & want a good dentist, visit TROY here. If you want a wonder cure for getting over the fear of needles, check out God :D
Well that's it for now, just a quick one :-) Stay safe & happy.
Things I'm thankful for right now:
1. God
2. The newsletter is out
3. The beautiful SoF DT who work hard every month
4. The rain we had
5. My husband
6. Friends with great sponsorship advice.
7. Getting my teeth out
8. Life :-)
9. All our provisions are met
10. SCRAP OF FAITH IS ONE!!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
I'm still alive!!! Really I am!!
Friday, January 26, 2007
Blown Away!!!!
The basket was full of such awesome little goodies; A book I wanted, is a hardback with 3 editions in it: The power of a praying woman, The Power of a Praying Wife & The Power of a Praying Parent, can't wait to read it :) A gift voucher to a beauty salon, Massage here I come!!! Lots of clothes and bubby stuff & scrapping goodies!!! And of course the beautiful tags that I will be making a special home for!!!
Also I was spoilt with more meals from my Sister & Kylie G one of the beautiful girls from my close circle of Brissy friends :) That took us to 3 weeks of not having to Grocery Shop!!! How wonderful is our Lord in providing this huge support network for us :)
Yesterday Nat & I took the kids on the train into the museum & art gallery. We all had a fantastic day & it is great that the cultural centre is free!!! I can see so many more trips into the city in our future. The kids love it, such an adventure for them!!
We went up the beach the other day to visit Karen & Steve again & to see Mark's family. Aunty Marg gave the kids an awesome bubble blowing kit. One of the "blowers" is awesome with each swish I swear we get 100 bubbles out of it!!! So we have been having a lot of fun running around the yard with it. Even the dog loves it. I have never seen a dog go so crazy about chasing bubbles. He totally wears himself out!!! So now when I don't want to take the dog for a walk, just swish some bubbles about LOL.
Monday, January 15, 2007
What's going on!!!???
Monday, January 08, 2007
WoW Time Flies!!!!
Well This Saturday 6th Jan at 6:36am after 3hrs of Labour little Cowper Mark Clifford entered the world! I'll share the birth story at the end of the post so those who get a bit EWWW about these things don't have to go there LOL. We are all doing great and just so blessed to have another little one in our life. I just forget each time how much I love that newborn smell and how utterly devoted and in love you and this little person can be with each other right from the first second. Oh and Cowper it's pronounced Cooper, it's a family name and is Old English.
- Got through 1 year of Home schooling with great results. The kids and I are loving the work we do together. Both girls got really good reports from the work we submitted and are really excited that this year they are Grade 1 & 2.
- Both Holly & Hannah were awarded all their badges for Girls Brigade and the two of them are just flourishing so much for us having Pine Rivers Uniting Church in our lives. The friendships they have made from Sunday School and Girls brigade have been so good for them & the enthusiasm for God has just blossomed. Mitchell just loves the creche there too.
- Scrap of Faith has just grown into the most beautiful little community of Christian Scrappers. It is just so inspiring to see so many people supporting each other, praying for each other & seeing how God is working in their lives all the time. Also the friends that it has bought into my life are just the most wonderful gifts from our Lord.
- Our business has been going well. At times I would get frustrated that it took me away from being a Mum, but this year because of home schooling we really got our lives structured and Mark has really blossomed by taking on more of the workload I now look at ADS as a blessing not a burden as it allows us to support our family financially and both be at home for our children.
- My Dad retired and he and Mum just today arrived home from a 7 week holiday in the UK. First time overseas for the two of them!!! My Sister & her family are living in the UK till July and are having a great time there so was great for Mum and Dad to see them and tour around. I can't wait to hear all the stories. So much better in person than via emails
- Mum also had a Melanoma scare just 2 weeks before they were due to leave!! She had the op within the week of leaving. A Few worried days there but in a fairly simple op all of the melanoma was removed and they were able to go on the trip as planed. So no more Melanoma but one hell of a talking point on her leg!!
- We had a fantastic summer holiday at the end of the year. We had a week at Maroochydore and then a few days at Mark's Brother's place at Gympie. They have just moved out to 120acres and the kids just love the wide open spaces. We took Mum & Dad's dachshund with us and he was the best "Farm Dog" out of them all. While at the beach the weather was perfect and was wonderful to have the time together as just us without a care in the world.