Bless the Lord, O my Soul

"Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord, my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds His chariot; who walketh upon the wings of the wind." Psalm 104:1-3

What is the Atmosphere in your Home?

What a beautiful cool day it is today! We even had a slight sprinkling of tiny little rain drops, just enough to freshen the air. "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord...let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." Psalm 33:5b/8

~~~

I realized I hadn't posted any photos of our family gathering from December...so I thought I'd put one up now. Sadly we forgot our camera at both the family gatherings, so I only have a photo of my family that Abbie passed on to me.

My Man and our son. Joshua was grinning at the Auntie taking the photo!

This was taken yesterday. Joshua had a lot of fun playing with the Pegs!

A typical moment in the life of Meisje... "Miaow, Miaow", - interpreted as 'please let me outside! I want to explore!' I let her outside for about 10 minutes a day, at the moment. I'm still careful as she is so little. The other day she became rather adventurous and escaped under the neighbour's fence. The only way to coax her back was with some food. Mmmm, naughty kitten!

Here is a thought to take away with you. "Everyone carries an atmosphere about him. It may be healthful and invigorating, or it may be unwholesome and depressing. It may make a little spot of the world a sweeter, better, safer place to live in; or it may make it harder for those to live worthily and beautifully who dwell within its circle." J.R. Miller
~ ~ ~

May we all consider carefully what atmosphere we bring to our homes. With Love, Beth

Regarding Riches and Worldly Wealth

"The bee may suck a little honey from the leaf, but put it in a barrel of honey and it dies. Christians must stave of the world so that it does not get into their heart (Psalm 62:10). Water is useful to the ship and helps it to sail better to the haven, but let the water get into the ship, if it is not pumped out, it drowns the ship. So riches are useful and convenient for our passage. We sail more comfortably with them through the troubles of this world; but if the water gets into the ship, if love of riches gets into the heart, then we are drowned by them (1 Timothy 6:9).

- The Puritan Pulpit - Thomas Watson

(Photo Courtesy of Abbie T.)

Birthday Surprises

Hello Friends,

It was my dear Mum who posted the previous post...she was very kind but she forgot to mention something! It was her birthday on the same day! Yes I was born on my mother's birthday and I think it is a Very Special thing.

We celebrated on the night before our Birthday and had a lovely dinner together with my family. Abbie made the most delicious cake for us and we were both given some delightful gifts.

The following day my dear husband arranged surprises for me! He surprised me by taking the day off work and drove me to Berrima and Bowral to go 'old book' buying. He then took me to Robertson Cheese Factory where he had organized for the five H. girls (lovely friends of ours) to hide with Abbie and Grace, and surprise me! It was wonderful to see them and so kind of them all to come.

Yes, Joel is wonderful to me and I am so grateful for him and all the many instances that he shows his love.

~ Joshua has his seventh and eighth teeth coming through; and is growing quickly. He is 10 months old today!

Baby is nearly 15 weeks along. I have my first midwife appointment in just over a week. We have the same Birth Centre midwife as we had for Joshua's birth. So that is nice!

Joel has been at his current job for a year now. It is amazing how quickly a year flies by! We are thankful for God's provision of this job. It is also good that Joel may be put in a
permanent rather than a contract position soon.

Thank you for the kind Birthday wishes! Love Beth

"The best way to do ourselves good is to be doing good to others; the best way to gather is to scatter." Thomas Brooks

(Photo of us three is a very windblown picture of me! But it was on my birthday so I thought I'd include it...)

A Little Girl turns 21yrs old Today!

We thank the Lord for blessing us with

our beautiful daughter and sister, Beth, 21 years ago today!

Beth has been (and continues to be) a blessing to her parents, her husband,

her six sisters, her brother in law, her nephews and friends.

We all hope you have a very special day today, Beth!

Happy 21 st Birthday!

We pray that the Lord will continue to bless you!

With love from your family.

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord He is God:

It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people,and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise:

Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting;

and His truth endureth to all generations."

Psalm 100

Please join us in saying Hi and Happy Birthday to Beth!

Yes, we seized her blog site for a short time today, while she is out with Joel and Joshua. :-)

Beth would be too shy to mention it is her Birthday!

Benefits from Illness

A week of being ill with a nasty head cold does bring its benefits. At the time, it seems so annoying to be unable to smell (runny/blocked nose); or see (watery eyes) or enjoy things (head aches too much) and so on but it does have it's moments of joy!

A few fun examples for instance:

1. Yesterday, Joel arrives home early from work - due to his chesty cough.

2. He arrives home, with a beautiful boxed flower arrangement; with an explanation of 'It's to help my sick wife get better!' (BTW - He is a wonderful doctor!)

3. When sick, one is unable to smell the odours of the dirty nappies. (It really is a bonus point!)

4. One saves money on a shopping bill - due to people eating less - due to their weakness from the head cold.



5. Instead of only 1 hanky a day, one is able to use several hankies!

6. One is able to try honey and lemon tea for the first time, and finds it does soothe a sore throat.



If anyone can think of other fun benefits of illness, please leave a comment and let us know!



In Christ, Beth

It's a Girl!

...I have a new kitten! She is so cute. She is 6.5 weeks old and already she has settled in well. We've named her MEISJE -(pronounced - 'may-sha') which is Dutch for 'girl'! She is an early Birthday present from Oma, Grandma, and Joel.

(Meisje likes to hide under the dining room chairs. She IS really that small!)

(Alert)

(An Attentive Kitten. Aren't her whiskers cute!)

(My Pussy)

Happy New Year! May the Lord continue to lead us all and draw us closer to Him, this year.

With Love, Beth