About Me

My photo
I am a wife to my soul mate and best friend, mother of two awesome sons and teacher of children with special needs.I am a South African permanently living in the UK

Monday 28 May 2007

We shall remember them

As it is Memorial Day in USA I thought I'd include photos of my own hero.My Dad was captured during WW2 and I thought I'd put in these photos of him , one taken in the desert in Egypt, the other in a studio in Italy.His name was Harry Fincham Fred Reed born 11 July 1920 and died 26 May 2002. He lived a long and happy life and I will always remember the stories of War he told.I miss him so very much.I was fortunate that he came home safely, married my Mom and had a happy life. I dedicate this page to all heroes of war....

 

Saturday 26 May 2007

Mother

For those lucky to still be blessed with your Mom,
this is beautiful. For those of us who aren't, this is
even more beautiful.

For those who are moms, you'll love this.


My niece and her daughter,Jadelyn

 

The young mother set her foot on the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked.

And the guide said: "Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it.

But the end will be better than the beginning."

My Godmother and her daughter
But the young mother was happy, and she would not
believe that anything could be better than these years. So she
played with her children, and gathered flowers for
them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and
the sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried,
"Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."


Chris and I in the snow at Hogsback 1996

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was
dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the mother
drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said,
"Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come."


My friends son, Matt has autism and hydrocephalus

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and
the children climbed and grew weary, and the mother was weary.
But at all times she said to the children," A little patience and we are there."
So the children climbed, and when they reached the top
they said, "Mother, we would not have done it without you."

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up
at the stars and said, "This is a better day than the last, for my
children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness.

Yesterday I gave them courage Today,  I've given them strength."

My best friend Caroline,a mom who PRAYS! and baby Zane

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened
the earth, clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped
and stumbled, and the mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the light.

" And the children looked and saw above the clouds
an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the
darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for
I have shown my children God"


My Mom died 23 yrs ago-our last pic together!

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and
the years, and the mother grew old and she was little and bent.
But her children were tall and strong, and walked with
courage. And when the way was rough, they lifted her,
for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill,
and beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide And
mother said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end
is better than the beginning, for my children can
walk alone, and their children after them."


My boys and I

And the children said, "You will always walk with us,
Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates
closed afterher.Andthey said: "We cannot see her
but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She
is a living presence......."




Your Mother is always with you.... She's the whisper
of the leaves as you walk down the street; she's the smell of bleach
in your freshly laundered socks; she's the cool hand
on your brow when you're not well. Your Mother lives
inside your laughter. And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
She's the place you came from, your first home; and
she's the map you follow with every step you take. She's your first love
and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth can
separate you. Not time, not space... not even death!

I miss my Mom even 23 years later!But she is with me still...in the memories and the characteristics I inherited from her.Don't you just love the "mommy moment" photos I have? Love ya!!!

Wednesday 23 May 2007

Dressing up!

This is my youngest,Travis, dressing up with paper moustache and beard!!

Sir Travis!!

"Much more better"-says Captain Jack Sparrow!!

Captain Kid-Our church had a dress up day and the kids had to create a superhero (The theme was Jesus..our superhero)Travis won first prize!

 

Needless to say, my youngest has a future in movies.His brothers sometimes get rather irritated by him and they call him a "dramaQueen"(sometimes I do too :-) But I am glad he has confidence and I hope he keeps using his imagination for a while yet....we all lose it sooner or later...sadly!

I enjoy watching kids live themselves into roles as they play.As adults we escape the real world by reading a book or watching a movie....or writing a journal!!!!!!!!
Take care.....my (non-imaginary) friends!!!

Wash Day....

Wash Day....


 Now, this is really a cute one. . . .I've been thinking of all the unhappiness I've noticed creeping into Jland...Hope we all look at the following and then at ourselves....Let's make Jland a place to be ourselves and accept others.....LOVE YA


> Monday

Wash Day


 Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity, so I may serve
> you with perfect humility through the week ahead.


> Tuesday
>
> Ironing Day
> Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have
> collected though the years so that I may see the beauty in others.


> Wednesday
> Mending Day
> O God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others.


> Thursday
> Cleaning Day
> Lord Jesus, help me to dust out all the many faults I have been hiding
> in the secret corners of my heart.


> Friday
> Shopping Day
> O God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal
> happiness for myself and all others in need of love.


> Saturday
> Cooking Day
> Help me, my Saviour, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it
>
> with clean, sweet bread of human kindness.
>

 

 Sunday
>
> The Lord's Day
> O God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I
>
> may spend the day and the rest of my life in your presence.

Monday 21 May 2007

Showering protocol

LOL I just LOVE this.....funny how we humans can laugh at ourselves(well ...most of the time :-)

Shower Protocol

How To Shower Like a Woman

Take off clothes and place them sectioned in laundry basket according to
lights and darks.

Walk to bathroom wearing long dressing gown.

If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed areas.

Look at your womanly physique in the mirror - make mental note to do
more sit-ups/leg-lifts, etc.

Get in the shower.

Use face cloth, arm cloth, leg cloth, long loofah, wide loofah and
pumice stone.

Wash your hair once with cucumber and sage shampoo with 43 added
vitamins.

Wash your hair again to make sure it's clean.

Condition your hair with grapefruit mint conditioner enhanced.

Wash your face with crushed apricot facial scrub for 10 minutes until
red.

Wash entire rest of body with ginger nut and jaffa cake body wash.

Rinse conditioner off hair.

Shave armpits and legs.

Turn off shower.

Squeegee off all wet surfaces in shower.

Spray mould spots with Tile cleaner.

Get out of shower.

Dry with towel the size of a small country.

Wrap hair in super absorbent towel.

Return to bedroom wearing long dressing gown and towel on head.

If you see husband along the way, cover up any exposed  areas.


How To Shower Like a Man



Take off clothes while sitting on the edge of the bed and leave them in
a pile.

Walk naked to the bathroom.

If you see wife along the way, shake willy at her making the 'woo-woo'
sound.

Look at your manly physique in the mirror.

Admire the size of your willy and scratch your bum.

Get in the shower.

Wash your face.

Wash your armpits.

Blow your nose in your hands and let the water rinse them off.

Fart and laugh at how loud it sounds in the shower.

Spend majority of time washing privates and surrounding area.

Wash your bum, leaving those coarse bum hairs stuck on the soap.

Wash your hair.

Make a Shampoo Mohawk.

Wee.

Rinse off and get out of shower.

Partially dry off.

Fail to notice water on floor because curtain was hanging out of bath
the whole time.

Admire willy size in mirror again.

Leave shower curtain open, wet mat on floor, light and fan on.

Return to bedroom with towel around waist.

If you pass wife, pull off towel, shake willy at her and make the
'woo-woo' sound again.

Throw wet towel on bed.


I KNOW YOU'RE LAUGHING CAUSE MOST OF IT'S TRUE!!!!!!


Sunday 20 May 2007

Fishing trip

Nice bass!

My boys are avid fishermen so I thought I'd share some pics.Although they love catching the fish, they refuse to eat them,so we usually throw them back.

SPOT THE FISH!!!

 

Beautiful sunset!!!

Saturday 19 May 2007

wives....gotta love 'em

You might have seen this, but I find it sooo funny and TRUE!!!!

Words Women Use.. And What They Mean!


FINE

This is the word we use at the end of any argument that we feel we are right about but need to shut you up. NEVER use fine to describe how a woman looks. This will cause you to have one of those arguments.


FIVE MINUTES

This is half an hour. It is equivalent to the five minutes that your football game is going to last before you take out the trash, so I feel that it's an even trade.

NOTHING

This means something and you should be on your toes. "Nothing" is usually used to describe the feeling a woman has of wanting to turn you inside out, upside down, and backwards. "Nothing" usually signifies an argument that will last "Five Minutes" and end with the word "Fine".

GO AHEAD (with raised eyebrows)

This is a dare. One that will result in a woman getting upset over "Nothing" and will end with the word "Fine".

GO AHEAD (normal eyebrows)

This means "I give up" or "do what you want because I don't care". You will get a raised eyebrow "Go Ahead" in just a few minutes, followed by "Nothing" and "Fine" and she will talk to you in about "Five Minutes" when she cools off.

LOUD SIGH

This is not actually a word, but is still often a verbal statement very misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot at that moment and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing".

SOFT SIGH

Again, not a word, but a verbal statement. "Soft Sighs" are one of the few things that some men actually understand. She is content. Your best bet is to not move or breathe and she will stay content.

THAT'S OKAY

This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can say to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before paying you retributions for what ever it is that you have done. "That's Okay" is often used with the word "Fine" and used in conjunction with a raised eyebrow "Go Ahead". At some point in the near future when she has plotted and planned, you are going to be in some mighty big trouble.

PLEASE DO

This is not a statement, it is an offer. A woman is giving you the chance to come up with whatever excuse or reason you have for doing whatever it is that you have done. You have a fair chance to tell the truth, so be careful and you shouldn't get a "That's Okay".

THANKS

A woman is thanking you. Do not faint, just say you're welcome.

THANKS A LOT

This is much different than "Thanks". A woman will say, "Thanks A Lot" when she is really ticked off at you. It signifies that you have hurt her in some callous way, and will be followed by the "Loud Sigh". Be careful not to ask what is wrong after the "Loud Sigh", as she will only tell you "Nothing".

 

25 Secrets of Endless Love

1. We remember the moments in life, not the days.

2. Face-to-face conversations don't work by phone.

3. Gifts are not a substitute for caring.

4. People are not yo-yos. Drop them, and they may not return.

5. When kids are ready to talk, be ready to listen.

6. An ounce of love outweighs a pound of promises.

7. You can prepare your children for life, but you can't live it for them.

8. Uncles and aunts are the parents who didn't give birth to you.

9. A strong marriage is the union of two staunch individualists.

10. Turning your back and walking away ends more than just a conversation.

11. Marrying for money is a high price to pay.

12. Yell at your children and get the same in return.

13. If you take things for granted, you won't have them for very long.

14. Caring should be demonstrated 365 days a year, not just on holidays.

15. A well-fed child can still be starved for affection.

16. The most important things a child can inherit are fond memories.

17. Sharing an hour of memories with an elder is often better than a week's worth of medicine.

18. The two greatest time savers are saying, "I don't know" and "I was wrong."

19. Watch your children grow, and they will teach you what you've taught them.

20. Never go to bed before settling an argument.

21. There's a difference between nurturing your children and smothering them.

22. Relationships are built on the little things.

23. If we give our children everything, we deprive them of aspirations.

24. Celebrate holidays as a family.

25. Never stop courting your spouse.

Helpful hint for men!!

For all the husbands who need to hide from the missus......LOL

Thursday 17 May 2007

Friends-known and unknown


 

I just feel the need to express my love for the world and its people....my hubby would say its hormones LOL....But seriously,though....I feel this world is lacking so much.... I sometimes feel helpless and overwhelmed by it all.....hubby is right ?You think? :-))))






We May Not Always Realize 

We may not always realize 
That every thing we do, 
Affects not only our lives 
But touches others, too! 

For a little bit of thoughtfulness 
That shows someone you care, 
Creates a ray of sunshine 
For both of you to share. 

Yes, every time you offer 
Someone a helping hand ... 
Every time you show a friend 
You care and understand ... 

Every time you have 
A kind and gentle word to give ... 
You help someone find beauty 
In this precious life we live. 

For happiness brings happiness 
And loving ways bring love; 
And Giving is the treasure 
That contentment is made of. 

Author Unknown 

This poem said what I wanted to say (only better!)

LOVE YA





 


Click Here





 

My wish for you

 

I WISH YOU ENOUGH...

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. 
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. 
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. 
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. 
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. 
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. 
I wish enough 'Hello's' to get you through the final 'Good-bye.

Written by Bob Perks

I just love this poem and wish it for each of you with love!!!

Wednesday 16 May 2007

Photos are memories

Since its easy for me to post pics now(could never before!!!) I thought I'd talk about my OBSESSION with photos! I think when I got my first camera at age 10, I was hooked for life! It always amazed me that a moment or memory could be frozen in time for ages! I never knew my grandparents on either side, as I was by far the youngest in my whole family, and when I looked at photos of them I somehow felt "connected" to them.Below is a picture of my baptism.My grandpa(Oupa)died a few months later.That is my brother (19) and my sister (8)!!!!In South Africa we call that a "laatlammetjie" translated as late lamb!!

 

 

 

When my Mom died when I was sixteen, the photos I have of her became my absolute treasure.I wish I had a video of her to be able to hear her voice one more time. Since my children never met her, having photos of her to show them means  so much to me and they ask me to tell them about her when we look at the photos.Since my Dad has also died(five years ago) my boys also remember him when they look at his photos.

So as you can see photos mean so much to me... and of course I LOVE scrapbooking!!!!!!!!!(Thanks Caroline for introducing me )

Click away...capture memories and remember!!!!

Take care

Love is Greatest

I love this peom as it "speaks" to me especially concerning my own boys and my kiddies at school.You may have seen it before(I have) but today it really meant a lot-hope it does to you too.I have included a photo of my boys-they bring out the best(and the worst ) in me but my love for them is the GREATEST!! (THANK YOU AOL FOR MAKING PICS EASIER TO INSERT FINALLY YAY!)

LOVE IS Greatest

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I am a housekeeper . . . not a homemaker.

If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn of cleanliness . . . not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.
Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.
Love wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.
Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.
Love is present through the trials.
Love reprimands, reproves and is responsive.
Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, runs with the child, then stands aside to let the youthwalk into adulthood.
Love is the key that opens salvation's message to a child's heart.

Before I became a mother I took glory in my house of perfection.
Now I glory in God's perfection of my child.

As a mother, there is much I must teach my child . . . but the greatest of all is "LOVE."

Author Unknown

LOVE YA XXXXXXXX

Sunday 13 May 2007

Waiting

For those of you who are waiting for God to answer your question, I found this poem and thought I'd share it with you all.I know there are so very many of you that have serious illnesses and I pray this poem will bless you and make you realise you are NOT alone in your suffering.Love to you...

Wait...My Child

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried.
Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate,
And the Master so gently said, "Child, you must wait!"

"Wait?, you say, wait!" my indignant reply.
"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is Your hand shortened? Or have You not heard?
By faith I have asked, and am claiming Your Word."

"My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and You tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes,' a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign."

"And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask, as we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, "You must wait."
So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting...for what?"

He seemed then to kneel and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead, and cause mountains to run.
All you seek, I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want...but, you wouldn't know Me."

"You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint;
You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see."

"You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove;
You'd know that I give and I save ... (for a start),
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart."

The flow of My comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked
Of an infinite God, who makes what you have last."

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that 'My grace is sufficient for thee.'
Your dreams for your loved ones overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss! if I lost what I'm doing in you!"

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me
And though oft may My answers seem terribly late,
My wisest of answers is still but to wait"

Author Unknown
Praying that you will get to know Him better in your "waiting" period!

PS Hope you all had a blessed Mothers Day!!!!!

Wednesday 9 May 2007

Ice-cream is goooood

LOVE THIS ONE!!!

 

Thank God for Children Saying Grace...

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son
asked if  he could say grace.

As we bowed our heads he said, "God is good, God is great. Thank you
for the food, and I would even thank you more if Mom gets us ice cream for
dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby I heard a
woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids today don't even
know how to pray. Asking God for ice cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it
wrong? Is God mad at me?"

I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was
certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table.

He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that
was a great prayer.  "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart," the man
replied.

Then in a theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose
remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream.
A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son
stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of
my life.

He picked up his sundae and without a word, walked over and placed it
in front of the woman.  With a big smile he told her, "Here, this is for
you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes; and my soul is good
already."

THE END

I loved this story! Please keep it moving.  Sometimes we all need some
ice cream.

I hope God sends you some Ice Cream today!!!

Take care........and have some ice-cream for the soul :-)

Sunday 6 May 2007

Similies er...that are similar NOT!

Similies Found in NSW Year 12 English essays

Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it. 

She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli and he was room-temperature prime English beef.

She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.LOL!!!!!!! Pictured this student thinking up a bad example...wonder if the "whatever" was intended as the example????

He was as tall as a six-foot-three-inch tree.

The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM.

The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

McBride fell 12 stories, hittingthe pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup. what???

From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and “Sex in the City” comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.-actually the nose hair one is quite good HEEHEE

The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot oil. maggots are an Aussie tradition?????????

John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met. OH OH THIS IS TOO MUCH : :::::::) tears of laughter

Even in his last years, Grandad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame. Maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.: ::::::))))

The ballerina rose gracefully en pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.   Ballet will never be the same for me again

He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

She was as easy as the TV Guide crossword

She walked into my office like a centipede with 98 missing legs.

It hurt the way your tongue hurts after you accidentally staple it to the wall.

Hope you had a good 'ol laugh at these LOLOLOL The English language seems to be evolving(what is the opposite of evolve???????????)

Wednesday 2 May 2007

Silent treatment

Love this one-Hope u have a good laugh!! I sure did!

THE SILENT TREATMENT
> A man and his wife were having some problems at home
> and were giving each other
> the silent treatment.
> Suddenly the man realized that the next day he would
> need his wife to wake him
> at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
> Not wanting to be the first to break the silence
> (and LOSE), he wrote on a
> piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM .." He
> left it where he knew she
> would find it.
> The next morning the man woke up, only to discover
> it was 9:00 AM and he had
> missed his flight.
> Furious, he was about to go to see why his wife
> hadn't wakened him when he
> noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said,
> "It is 5:00 AM . Wake up."
> Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.
>
> GOD MAY HAVE CREATED MAN BEFORE WOMAN, BUT THERE IS
> ALWAYS A ROUGH DRAFT BEFORE
> THE MASTERPIECE.

HEEHEE
Take care!

>
>
>