Sea Drift

I write this amidst stacks of books, bits, bags for the salvos and boxes...ugh..never before have I seen so much cardboard!

We are on the move, this little family of mine. I wouldn't exactly call it a sea change, although I could, but we have a lovely slab of ocean just down the road (which I shall miss so dearly) But if you were to stand at said lovely spot and gaze southward, slightly west, beyond the horizon you would find our new place. We are in for a sea drift.
Dunsborough to be exact, slap bang in the heart of the Margaret River Wine Region, an absolutely spectacular piece of this fine earth and sea.
Aside from the excitement of a new chapter, the current one has to end. I can't believe we are leaving this first family home of ours. The 2 bed, 1 bath, 60's beach cottage we extended and renovated. Where I married him, raised our three children up to their ages now of 12, 10 & 6. We've held many celebrations here, killed the grass at least 3 times, nursed babies, seen broken limbs and the odd broken heart...usually mine for one silly reason or another.
I shall miss my studio (the shed hubby built and I stole), the cubby he also built allowing an estimate cost of $300 but ended up closer to $1000. The blue picket fence lovingly licked in the colour of 'Hippy Dippy', the canopy of trees, the timber ceiling I lime-washed and the door frames i'm meant to be scrubbing right now.
My heart will always be tethered to here, this first home, along with our church home, our family and friendships that distance cannot separate. Home is where the heart is.
But home is also where 'they' are. My lot. It's wherever we exist together. Home is where we make it.
This new chapter is full of excitement, adventure, inspiration, probably a little regret in someway or another, definitely lots of love, and complete and utter craziness... but that's just kind of how we do things.

And so we drift.

Farewell little fave, you will be missed.

Come by the new place for a visit and a glass of red. (when i've unpacked the wine glasses of course;)

xxx

beauty is power

We are in for a storm here…a big one. Another one.

The candles are on standby for the blackouts, I’m about to cook up a few things in the event of losing our electricity again so we aren’t limited with meals. It’s due to hit sometime tonight, tornados and all!

Driving alongside our wind-tossed sea, Little Miss Delight pipes up and says “Mummy, what if this day ends up beautiful?”

Who ever said it wasn’t?!

So I point out across our ocean and show her the soft, shadowy mist and rain that is now covering things that we know are out there. Things that are easy to spot on a fine day, like big rocks and islands and far off southern cities. Right now, they don’t exist, not visible at all, it’s like the grey sky has been smudged in with the grey ocean. We take note of all the green things looking much greener, the trees, the grass, it seems everything is saturated with the colour of wet.

So I tell her, ‘See baby, it’s already beautiful.”       Oh how I love seeing the beauty in everything! 

then I add,

“but beautiful can be dangerous.”

Being 6, of course she asks, 

“How?”

So we drive a little more, finding evidence of how that rain and wind caused havoc just days ago, when the last storm hit. We see the danger of fallen trees, roofs torn off broken houses, and boats washed ashore, and for now that’s all I show her.

But my mind goes further,

Yes, 

Beautiful can be dangerous.

How can I tell her that it can be a weapon used wrongly by her and others?

That both men and women alike can and often will use it against her out of their own insecurities, jealousy, comparison, competition and selfish ambition. That even projections of a beautiful life may cause her or others to stumble, to go off-course and distract her from where and how she is called to live her truest beautiful life.

That, like a fierce storm, Beauty is Power.

And depending on how it is harnessed can be used for good, or for evil.

I will tell her we can be beautiful people with beautiful power. That the Maker of all this wind and rain is also the giver of power within us that we can all possess. To be blessed with outer beauty and to constantly cultivate keeping it is one thing….but it is just that… one thing, there’s so much more! We don’t have to be a shell on the outside, but a powerhouse of inner beauty. We’ve heard all the quotes, ‘Beauty is Skin Deep’, ‘It’s in the eye of the beholder’ etc and it’s true.

'Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle kind that God delights in.' -1 Peter 3:4 The Message

Beautiful can be dangerous to darkness when we’re not just a pretty face. When we are in constant check of any underlying ugly that may show up rearing it’s wretchedness. Beauty’s danger to evil comes when we stand up for the downcast, when we speak words that are true, necessary and kind, when we rejoice in the success of others, when we step aside and let others shine. When we go without so that others don’t have to, when we surrender our heart to The One with the most Beautiful Power of all.

Let Him switch a light on in you, one that doesn’t go out in a storm. Be dangerously beautiful, as I believe you already are,

Who ever said you weren’t?!

Oh Snap!

Been a busy little happy snapper lately..

here's a little dolly by the name of Peyton I recently had come past my place.

Ain't she sweet!

Reel Fun

Howdie!

Today was sunny and quite lovely, so I celebrated by getting out a paintbrush and my camera. 

Yep, I did a little DIY,

I'm able to do that kind of thing a bit more these days.

Being in the electrical industry, Mr Hubby Bright Spark has left the odd empty wooden cable reels lying around after he's finished with them for work. I've often looked at them thinking it's such a shame to have them just go to waste, one day i'll have to use one for something creative.

so that one day came today..

and after a lick of paint we now have a handy little table - YAY!

We're all going on a summer holiday.

Yippee!!!
The kidlets and I have happily welcomed the arrival of our Summer Holidays!
Which means all the pent-up creative urges within are finally allowed out coz there's actually a little bit more time to do them.. Yay!
Given the season we are in, our crafty bits and pieces all have a festive slant.
Starting with our easy-peasy paper pocket Advent Calendar.

We've called it our 'Find The Fat Guy' Game, where every pocket holds a clue as to where they might find our cute little Santa toy. When he has been found, he either has a treat or activity with him.


A recent activity was this Gingerbread Playdough

Complete with red and green for all the trimmings of course! (hehe you can tell i didn't take this pic on my phone like the other ones huh?! Love my DSLR.)Anyway...it smells absolutely amazing, looks like gingerbread, but tastes like playdough....yep...I actually ate some!
Recipe was found here:-) Although I slightly altered it and made it in the Whizz Bang (Thermomix)...yes...got one of those too! Aren't I a lucky duck!


Speaking of Gingerbread, I made some mini houses to go on mugs for this year's teachers' gifts. 

I am also planning on whipping up another batch (in the Whizz Bang again) to make more of these little delights for our Christmas Day Dinner.... perfect for supper with a cup of cocoa I thought. Got the idea here

Very excited for Christmas in our little neck of the Woods, 

Hope it's all coming together nicely for you too! After all, that's what it's all about really isn't it?.... coming together!

Enjoy it where you are and for why we have it,

HIM!

Celebrating with you this season,

Peach xx

{We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.} 1Chronicles 29:15

So what are you waiting for? 
None of the surface stuff really matters
after all, God doesn't really care for it.
He wants our true selves.
Hearts uncluttered 
yet focused.


We are sojourners,
pilgrims,
just passing through.


Make it fun.
Make it count.
Leave a legacy.

'tis the season to be jolly

Hello lovely Blogland,
I just dropped by to tell you I am still in the land of the living
and boy, am I living!
My studies have virtually consumed me these days and I'm having a love/hate relationship with it coz it's oh so fun at times but it's also keeping me from other creative endeavours such as this. And nearing the end of the year (can you believe that?!) means lots of deadlines are due etc The pressures are mounting!
Oh...I sometimes think that

Motherhood + Study = THE stupidest idea ever!!!

Not always a great combination, but thanks to a revelation I had on the very first day back in February, it doesn't need to be a struggle, just an endurance...and so far I think I am enduring fairly well!


I'm loving #8 on the latest Hillsong album God Is Able. You know how some songs just 'do it' for you during certain times? Well, "You Are More" is for me right now,


"I will see the season through, I will fix my eyes on You, Only You."


So far, my 'season' consists of
tea...in copious amounts of course.
hours and hours of standing in the darkroom processing and printing black and white film.
and Yellow - the colour of the season,
and rightly so, for all the cheerfulness that comes with it.

I am in a state of disbelief that the month of November is already upon us, but I am so excited that that means in my house the festive season has begun! Of course by now I had hoped to have had all my Christmas shopping sorted and my Christmas crafting projects well underway (had some great doily craft ideas last Christmas that are still in the pipeline for this year perhaps) but i'm not holding my breath - I only finish college 9 days before Christmas Day...and I've finally come to realise I am not in fact Superwoman as I had once hoped I might become, the cape just doesn't seem to fit?!!

No, I'm just me,

busy,

run off my feet,

happy,

challenged (vertically, mentally, spiritually!...but in a good way - the kind that keeps me on my toes;-)

perhaps a little too trusting

and a little too surrendered

but it's all to Him so it's all good.

It's been great stopping by,

I'll try not to leave it so long next time.

Love Peachy xxx