For Helen

Here you go Helen a change of scenery lol ;-)

Take care

Cheers, Connie

Quick update & running away from home.

Hiya Everyone



Sorry it has been truly ages since I blogged. Life is one of those things that just goes haywire sometimes despite your plans to the contrary. I have tonnes of photos to post, we've had birthdays, fundays, normal life kinda stuff and also Harry being back in hospital. Its been a crappy winter for so many families with all the bugs and viruses floating around and I hope you are all doing ok ! To all the Mums out there, look after yourselves, make sure you get some TLC to re-charge your batteries. We Mums are the bolt that holds the family together usually and if we get snowed under then so does everyone else.



I will be back to update everything properly in a week or so, I am running away from home on Friday, yippeeeeeee! Pierra and I are being sent to Thailand for a weeks worth of R & R by our dear Husbands. The guys have taken a week off and are going to play stay at home Dad while we sit on the beach, try cocktails in every possible colour and shop til we drop... Ahhh Bliss.



Wishing you all the best in whatever your situation is at the moment.



God Bless

Cheers, The Couttses Liam and Molly picked me some flowers to cheer me up, they know that yellow is my favorite colour and couldn't wait to show me.

We had a party to celebrate Bruce's 14th and Molly's 3rd birthday, Molly couldn't wait to get stuck into her birthday 'cupcakes' and started while everyone was still singing.

These were 2 of Molly's favorite presents, a new dressing gown in her favorite colours ( pink & purple) and a toy vacum cleaner, She was out the very next morning playing with them.

Yep we are still alive and kicking

Hiya everyone

Just wanted to pop in here and say 'Hi' to everyone, it has been yonks since we blogged but I want to say thanks for the really nice emails and comments people have sent wondering if we are OK?

I has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride here over the last few months. Harry was/is still waking about 3 - 4 times a night and after sleep deprivation like that you become a little unglued LOL. We are trying to sleep train him ourselves or the next stop will be Ngala. His weight is average now and he loves his solids so there is not a real good reason for no sleeping !!!

I have got lots of photos and I will try and post them in the next week, for the rest of us , well all are doing fine. The kids are hanging out for school holidays, so is Murray cos he has 2 weeks booked off. The boys saw the new nail gun he has bought and are saying "Dad can we build Liam and Molly a cubby house?? how bout some vegie garden beds for Mum" funny how short 2 weeks can seem all of a sudden.

Also we are very grateful that Mum could come home from hospital today, she was there for a week and a half with gallstone trouble and then a dose of pancreatitis. We are so thankful that God cared for her and blessed the treatment and surgery she had. Welcome home Mum and take it easy hey !

Ok I think that's all I can muster right now, we have had the power out all day and I have come home to find I now have 2 freezers full of mush.... yuk !

Hope you are all doing well, Jen I just showed Murray your photos of Bali and it just makes us want to go back there. There is something about the place isn't there? glad you got back safe.

Anyhow g'night from all of us.

Bits and pieces & my favorite song at the moment.

Hiya Everyone

Thought I had better write a bit of a spiel to keep you all updated because its been so long, It has been a couple of really grey weeks here.

Kids have had colds, Harry got a sudden outbreak of mouth ulcers and we had an uphill battle to stop him going backwards, this poor little kid was so hungry but it just caused him so much pain to try and feed. We would dip his dummy in a local anaesthetic solution to try and numb his mouth. I have been becoming a little unglued ( to put it mildly) because the sheer lack of sleep and mopping up after a refluxy bub catches up with you , Harry still feeds every 2 -3 hours through the night and some days it is hard to keep up a wobbly smile. However I still have so much to be grateful for so that's the end of my little sook session.

I don't have time to put of photos at the moment but there is something I wanted to share with you all.

Stephen Curtis Chapman is one of the most popular Christian singers at the moment and his song 'Cinderella' is my favorite song. He explains the story behind it after the song and it is well worth listening to. We all rush through raising our children and sometimes don't stop enough to savour the moments and memories. This song is about slowing down to enjoy our childrens growning years because before we know it they are gone.

On Wednesday his little 5 year old daughter Maria Sue was killed in an accident. She was one of his daughters who gave him the idea and inspiration for the song.

I hope the link works and I hope you all enjoy the song as much as I do.


Hope you all have a great week

Cheers, Connie


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLYxtuC0oRk

Meet Sophia

Hi everyone

We would like to introduce you to 'Sophia', she is a little girl our family sponsors through ChildFund.

Sophia is 4 years old and live in the war torn african country of Angola. She and her 2 sisters live with their parents in a mud wall hut with a dirt floor and no sanitary facilities. The family has a borehole for water and kerosene lamp for lighting.

At the risk of sounding like Oprah, Sofia has been an eye opener to our family. With the comparative material wealth we have she helps us to always think of those in far less fortunate circumstances.

It makes for some great chats with the kids too ! digging up on a map ( google earth was great for this) to see where Sophia lives, sometimes one of us will just ponder out loud " I wonder what Sophia is doing today"

We pray that through us God blesses her and her family with health, food and faith.

Are you drinking from your saucer?

I love this poem, it is our human nature to see the hard side of life first, we can be prone to having a whinge about how hard life is, the constant work, illness etc etc. This is one about putting it into perspective. Hope you all like it as well.

Drinking From My Saucer

I've never made a fortune and it's probably too late now.But I don't worry about that much,I'm happy anyhow.

And as I go along life's way,I'm reaping better than I sowed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,'Cause my cup has overflowed.

I don't have a lot of riches,and sometimes the going's tough.But I've got loved ones around me,and that makes me rich enough.

I thank God for his blessings,and the mercies He's bestowed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,'cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,My faith wore somewhat thin.But all at once the dark clouds broke, and the sun peeped through again.

So God, help me not to gripe aboutthe tough rows that I've hoed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,'Cause my cup has overflowed.

If God gives me strength and courage,when the way grows steep and rough.I'll not ask for other blessings, I'm already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,to help others bear their loads.

Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,'Cause my cup has overflowed.

~ John Paul Moore ~

This morning when I was waiting for Murray and the boys to come home from church I was doing all the usual stuff, getting all the cups out for everyone's milo's, coffee & cake etc, this line of cups made me remember the poem because I had been having a really crappy weekend and left a pile of washing to face on monday and general mess everywhere but this long line of cups made me realise just how blessed I am with the family I have.

Hope you all had a great weekend.

Cheers, Connie

You'll need a cuppa and Tim Tam.......

........ cos its been a while since I updated so theres a fair bit to look at, perfect excuse to put the billy on first.

When kids get your camera..........................

Every now and then when I go through the camera to clean up photos, I find some very 'suss' ones of oddities. I have figured out that the culprits are the kids who like to take random shots and practise their skills. I promised them it would get a spot on the blog, so here goes.

Harry with his dorky hat Mum insisted he wear.

Jack who couldn't help but 'pose' when he saw his brother with Mum's camera, yes they confessed to this one under duress although I get a giggle out of it now because it is so typical of them.

Yup ten toes, dunno what this one was about. Abstract maybe?

Nothing like a close up shot huh Liam?