I am a Canadian but I call Australia my home.
I love writing and photography and I want to share some of my stories and photography and encouragement, too!
Hello all, It has been a busy year, particularly the last 3 months with my starting a new job (this is it for a very long time....perhaps forever until retirement) lol. So, I'll try and write more soon to update you on what's happening in the Grimes' family, but for now, we'd like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year!
Peter and Brenda are celebrating Christmas with Peter's mum Bethie in Gladstone and Chase with be with her mum and family in Mackay. Jessie and Jake are being well taken care of by a wonderful friend and they are enjoying the good life on a property (while we are are away). Love from Brenda, Peter & Chase, too (& yep, Jessie and Jake as well) It is almost Christmas as I type this....so I'm going to go settle my brain for a winter's nap.....ooopps...wrong continent....summer's nap. Boy has it been muggy! I can honestly say I miss the "cold" at the moment....yep, you read my right mom!
Hhhmmm......an interesting question? I have often thot when hearing bands of the 90's and now the 21st Century try to remake a classic song that you should have left it alone - that it the way the writer meant for it to be. At church this morning, one of my all time favourite worship songs "I Love You Lord" by Laurie Klein was altered and even thot very subtly, personally, it didn't work for me. So, I've since gone on YouTube and found some beautiful videos/slide shows for some beautiful arrangements of the song. I'll share them with you a bit later on - you might enjoy them, too. The writer Laurie Klein wrote that song in 1974 during a very depressed time - below is a link if you'd like to read the whole article, but a couple of highlights I thought were interesting:
"It was a very hopeless time, a very depressed time," she summarizes. "I felt the poverty of my own life keenly at that point, both emotionally and physically."
"That morning I was so empty," she says, recalling her time with the Lord. "I knew I didn't have anything to offer Him. I asked if He would like to hear me sing . . if He would just give me something He would be in the mood to hear."
Now 47 years old, Laurie Klein is more driven by a thirst for intimacy with God than ever.
"We must be prepared to meet Him no matter who we're talking to or what we're doing, whether we're worshiping in church or worshiping with all the tasks that make up our day."
Personally, I really appreciate the atmosphere which fosters an intimacy with God and Holy Spirit. If I can imagine only on a very small scale Laurie's feelings on that Autumn morning that God gave her this song, she was broken, dry and needing God desperately in a very quiet and solemn way - to fill her up totally in a way that we know only God can do.......sweetly, beautifully, gently, peacefully...........quietly drawing us by His Holy Spirit into His presence which in the end results in a sweet, sweet sound in His ears! Hence, why I really appreciated finding these videos and singing along with the music and adding the harmony line that I often sang back in the day. I hope you enjoy them, too.
And now, a couple of YouTube Links where you can enjoy the song, too:
And another good one that I really enjoyed is an arrangement from the WOW Worship 1999 CD Series - CD1
Number 11, sung by Kristina Hamilton.
I love all the pictures of candles and the comment on the youtube video says it beautifully:
"If you want to spend 3 minutes in candlelight and relaxation, please listen to this beautiful song, enjoy the pictures and feel the stress leave you! Let God fill you up with His peace - you wont regret!" And then an interesting comment made by a listener on youtube was very appropriate "I love the video it is very good at breaking down the walls and being in His presence."
Yes, I believe it is important that we have quiet worshipful moments as an individual, but how much more powerful when we have beautiful, quiet, spirit-filled times of corporate worship as demonstrated so awesomely in this video as Michael W Smith leads a massive filled auditorium in the song "Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty". Love the violin! Enjoy!
Hhhmmm......can I get back to you with an answer on that? No wait, that's procrastinating..........lol
I have a poster which I've had since I was much younger (lol) and it captures me to a "t".... I took a picture.
"I mean to work hard Lord, but I keep running across things that are more fun to do."
Interesting though, because we say that words have power.....so perhaps, was I solidifying the truth that I was a procrastinator by hanging it on my bedroom wall, even though it was really supposed to be just cute.
I like this quote I found which captures us procrastinators quite well, too, I reckon:
"To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing. ~Eva Young".
Food for thot I think.
Now, I had better stop getting distracted and get busy and do some of the stuff that I have been putting off all day.
Well, it has been an eventful 24 hours - both geographically and politically - and both earthquakes - shaking up the countries of Canada and Australia. Canada is not known as a common place to experience earthquakes. There have been some in the past but are so small that they are not felt; but on Wednesday, 23 June 2010 shortly before 1:45 pm ET, they experienced a moderate one - 5.0 on the Richter scale. The earthquake's location was the Ontario-Quebec Border Region and its epicenter was about 56 kilometres north-northeast of Ottawa. The primary location it was felt was Ottawa - the heart of Canadian Politics and in fact, a live news conference on Parliament Hill was shaken up quite a bit and and another politician being interviewed, Environment Minister Jim Prentice, was moved by the impact, but managed to keep his composure.
(Pictured Above - Parliament Hill)
A different kind of earthquake has been felt here in Australia, but I dare say, based on the interview that I just watched of Prime Minister Rudd, I reckon he has kept his dignity and composure, too - you should hold your head up high I say.
I am by far a political expert, but I have always tried to follow the goings on and vote regularly*. In fact, I can remember completing an assignment in High School in Geography where we covered a National Election and we interviewed the local candidate that was running for the Liberals (Canadian Liberals would be equivalent to the Australian Labors) at the time that Prime Minister Trudeau was up for re-election.
Politics - it is a topic that is sure to raise eyebrows, even make your blood boil and in our family, it can sure turn a everyday discussion into a heated debate! (We're up for it!) But at the end of the day, it is sad when people in politics lose their ability to see the need for unity even if everyone doesn't agree - particularly, within your own party! I believe that now, more than ever, we need stability in this country and bringing about a change in leadership isn't going to create that.
So, even if the players in this game reckon they have improved their chances of winning the next election by endorsing conflict within their own party by challenging their leader, I think they had better give their heads a shake and think again. If they cannot run their own party, how can they expect the Australian people to have confidence that they can run this country!
*spoken by an Australian Resident without voting privileges....maybe it is high time I became a citizen!
I have to admit - one of the things that I have so enjoyed about baking in Australia is the self-rising flour. Oh sure, you can probably buy it in Canada, but it is not as common - at least I never realised it if it was. So, the beauty is you just bake with self-rising flour and omit baking soda and baking powder. Well, I haven't encountered any problems thus far. For example, the recipe that I have recently discovered from Allrecipes for chewy chocolate chips was originally written for regular flour & add baking soda, but an Australian version is self-rising flour minus baking soda and voila - 'beautiful' (compliments of George & Gary from MasterChef) cookies!
Peter and I have been on vacation and have taken a few day trips which have been the 'ole - play it by ear deal. Well, the funniest thing yesterday was finding our adventure could have been dampened a bit by the 'ole "CLOSED" sign. Our first stop was to be at the Rustic Cabin.
But alas, God knew that we were meant to keep going and we ended up in Montville and enjoyed the most delicious Devonshire tea up in the mountains instead. It was lovely - sorry, no pictures. There was enough sun to keep us toasty and warm, too. We wandered through the shops...well, I did most of the wandering.....lol Peter took advantage of the "husband parking" offered on the main streets in a few locations - along with a few other boys, too, I might add.
He surprised me a few times by joining me in a couple of stores which was very nice.
As we are on vacation, we were not up with the roosters and hence, our get-away time was after brekky and hence, our Dev tea was enjoyed around noon hour. So, we continued fluffing a bit too late in the afternoon and alas, you guessed it! Sorry, the kitchen is closed....lunch is over and dinner has not yet started!
Too funny! Well, not really 'cause my boy was really needing "some food in his gut" (direct quote!). So, we both put our heads together and came up with a Plan B - I suggested fish and chips down the mountain - and he suggested we try Maleny - just a short detour from Montville and we found just the place! Captain Merv's Seafood Cafe fit the bill perfectly and we are bit partial to the name, too - Miss you Merv but we reckon you were smiling down upon us!
We had the best fish and chips in a while and it really hit the spot, too! God knows just what we need and when we need it!
What to write today? So many thoughts whirling around inside my head.
Yes, it is Mother's Day, Sunday, 9 May 2010 and it is interesting that this day is celebrated by Australia and Canada and the US (& probably other countries, continents, too); but yet, Father's Day is different...hhhmmm....I wonder why that is? Research for another day I think.
So, first, Happy Mother's Day to Moms, Mums, Mas, Mummys and Mothers and a special Happy Mother's Day to very special and beautiful Mom! My Mom! Luv ya xo My family in Canada celebrated another significant event last weekend - my mom's mom turned 90! Happy Birthday Grandma Mason. Although Peter and I weren't able to be present at the celebrations, we sent special greetings via YouTube and also participated via Skype - special mention to my brother John and cousin Daniel for coordinating the Skype call and showing our video greeting to Grandma.
Here's a view more photos of the celebrations including the family visiting Peter and I via skype and my immediate family photo (minus me!)..lol All the family took awesome photos and thank goodness for facebook! It is a great way to share the memories.... Back Row - John and his children, Allison, Daniel and Nicholas and Cathy Front Row - Mom, Grandma Mason, Dad and Bently (Cathy and Taylor's dog). Oh, wait...two pictures....one of the cousins.... and one of Aunt Barb and Grandma - you see she was also celebrating her birthday - 60th. She was born on her mom's birthday!
Cousins!
Beautiful table, gorgeous flowers, love the colours and the cake with the picture of Aunt Barb and Grandma - very nice!
Family and friends are, indeed, very important and I am thankful that technology allows me to stay in touch; in fact, an hour ago I just rang my brother on his mobile, to discover that he is with mom and dad enjoying a Salvation Army bank concert in Guelph!
I rang mom and dad, too and left a voice mail message for them and particularly to wish Mom a Happy Mother's Day and to invite them via the skype call for Sunday brekky/brunch.
In closing, to all my friends at Childnessnotbychoice praying for all of us today. We are thankful for our Mothers; altho we, ourselves, were not able to be mom's by choice, we rejoice with you (all moms across the world), but it is still hard. Friends, be kind to yourselves-some years are more challenging than others, but thank goodness, our Heavenly Father comforts us.
Allow me, if you will, to impart to new residents of this Country some wisdom that I have gained about pet ownership in this beautiful country.
When we (Peter, Chase and I) started our pursuit of a new family addition, we knew up front that the puppy would have to have permanent quarters outside of the house (not something I was very accustomed to, nor did I like); but as renters, we did not have the luxury of making this decision on our own - it was made for us, by the property management company on behalf of the owners of the home.
So, we were on the lookout for a hearty sort of puppy that could endure the elements of cooler evenings in the Winter (yes, I know that it doesn't get as cold as the snowy White North); but nonetheless, it does get quite chilly; in fact, in the Western Suburbs of Brisbane where we live, the temperature has been known to go down to freezing. Picture your feline family member having to sleep outside in their house, while you are cuddled up warm and toastie in your house. And of course, the outside elements of the scorching, hot and humid summers must be a consideration, too - this past summer the temperatures were in the 40's Celsius.
So, alas, we got ourselves an adorable tan coloured female kelpie-cattle cross puppy and called her Jessie.
She is gorgeous and she has provided a lot of great company to our family over the past 7 years - yes, she just had her 7th birthday, but alas, she is an outdoor dog. When we come home from work at night, she stays outside and that is where she lives. We used to occasionally let her come into the house and watch television with us (but that was before her brother arrived on the scene).
You see, spending all of the time that she did on her own outside, she got bored and started digging holes and barking a bit more (understandable, don't you think).
So, in our efforts to make her life more enjoyable, we did what we thought was the right thing to do at the time, and got her a baby brother - he, too, is a kelpie cattle cross. He was equally as cute, in his own way - resembling more of the cattle dog with his colouring. We called him Jake.
So, living in suburbia creates a problem with having these two gorgeous puppies. They are technically working dogs and help with rounding up of sheep and cattle and hence, have loud yippy like barks. Now, if I had done more research when initially deciding to get this breed, I probably would have thought twice. This is why I am imparting this knowledge to others considering this breed.
They are beautiful dogs and very faithful to their owners, very people oriented and although a bit heavy to have on one's lap, Jessie has grown particularly fond of just being loved and petted.
