Virtually Finished...2010!

good morning!

kara on the beach with her best friend...



an exhausting day for a dog!

...and a good bit of sun exposure for everybody else.

in case you were wondering...

miss b got to canada ok,

she emailed and said she was super tired and super cold.

she is waking up at odd hours of the night

but apart from that is loving it, missing us just a little

and being spoiled by mr g's family!

make the most of 2010 today...

it's your last chance

to make an impression on this particular year,

before it becomes history!

it's been a year of ups and downs for us...

probably just like most years for most people.

not an 'annus horribilus' as the queen had a few years ago

but not without its challenges.

good stuff has happened too,

like having all the family around

for mr t and sharrie's wedding in april...

that was the best!

and meeting all of you!

that has been a great and unexpected pleasure...

thanks for your company

in 2010...

naturally Carol xox

Virtually Inactive!



have a good one!

naturally Carol  xox

An Almost Wordless Wednesday...

taking a break...



virtually here

'til the new year!

naturally Carol xox

Virtually at the Beach...

chilling out a while!

naturally Carol  xox

A Date with Canada!

exactly 24 hours ago

{after her dad and brother drove her

for an hour and a half, in the early hours of the morning, in pouring rain!}

miss b showed up at brisbane airport...

she had a very important appointment

with one of these particular birds...

in just over two hours

she'll be landing here...

in toronto...canada!

she'll be hitting the shops very soon

to find warm, woolly mittens and

underthings and overthings that people wear in frozen climates

to stop themselves freezing!

mr g was emailed a list as long as his arm...

of all those essentials that can't be transported

in 21 kilos of luggage...

including a hair straightener!

so canada

you've got my girl...

look after her please and

don't let her have too much maple syrup on her pancakes!

from australia with love...

naturally Carol xox

ps...thankyou for all those heartwarming Christmas greetings that have been left for me in the past few days...i have loved reading each one of them!

pps...this is my 100th post...unbelievable!!!

Glad Tidings of Great Joy ~ Christmas 2010...

we

wish you

a merry Christmas

2010

open your Christmas card...here

(sound on!)

have a wonderfully blessed and joyful Christmas day!

naturally Carol xxoxx

Christmas Eve...A Son Was Given...

amazing, wasn't it?

that God gave His Son to be on earth...

little and vulnerable

for us!





Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

to all bloggers everywhere!!!

may Joy and Peace join you

in celebrating this season of Love...

the Love of God giving His only Son to the world

as a baby...

that men should not die...but have eternal Life!!!

give generously...

receive graciously...

in the true spirit of Christmas!!

 

 

 

with love from me and my family

 

naturally Carol xox

O Christmas Tree!

nearly Christmas eve...

the tree!

the angel...



we wish you a merry Christmas!!!

red delight...

o Christmas tree at night!

and there was a little snowman....

with a little woolly hat...

and a little woolly scarf...

who stood by my computer...

changing colour!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

to all bloggers everywhere!!!

may Joy and Peace join you

in celebrating this season of Love...

the Love of God giving His only Son to the world

as a baby...

that men should not die...but have eternal Life!!!

give generously...

receive graciously...

in the true spirit of Christmas!!

with big hugs

naturally Carol xox



All Lovey Dovey!

last week,

very early one morning...

when the dew was still thick and white on the grass,

two doves were doing their moves...

on a nearly wordless wednesday!

i suspect these two are presently building nests

and preparing to raise a family...

who'd a' thought it at 5.30 am

on a sunny queensland morning!

....singing 'two turtle doves'...

now i'm off to find the partridge in a pear tree...

naturally Carol xox

Me Stylish?...LOL!

i was just about to write a new post on

the mating behaviour of native doves...

{i'm not kidding you all!!}

and decided to read a little comment by 'cate'

about my apron...posted yesterday and

she has nominated me for a

thank you cate of 'keep cate busy'...from the bottom of my heart.

cate pops in and leaves a comment on a fairly regular basis,

and i am always encouraged by her remarks!

she is courageous ~ driving back from adelaide with littlies in the pouring rain!

~ dealing with health crisis while on holiday!

~ and crafting and blogging while she has a young family!

pop in and say 'hello' to cate here!

ha..ha! it was easier to write 3 things about cate than 7 things about me!!

ho hum...what can i say?...here goes...

1. i am a new zealander that has adopted oz and have lived here for 33 years, married here, had all my children here...all 5 of them!
2. my mum is an aussie and my dad is a nzer...she did the same...met dad and went to live in nz from oz.
3. most of my life i was a stay at home mum...then trained in office work in my forties and did two and a half years paid work and am now back home...sorry to burst the bubble of all those who thought i was a professional at anything.
4. i have always loved dogs...but although i have had a couple of cats they really end up belonging to my kids more than me.
5. i love singing and music and have done some worship leading at church...not where i live at the moment...i've been a Christian since fourteen years old...i've seen many miracles in my life!
6. i never thought i'd ever be writing anything...'cos i always thought my sister and my daughter were good at that.
7. i am quite a serious thinking type person but also love a good laugh and love the simple things in life...i don't like to be overloaded with busy-ness...at heart i'm a quiet soul.

and one for the road...

8. my favourite thing is to have a coffee and a good chat!!

now to pass this on to 15 new {and newish} bloggers

1.  velvet moss
2. shabby in suburbia
3. kookaburra laugh
4. kjp designs
5. in the loop
6. harmony and rosie
7. acute designs
8. life in a red farm house
9. nero's post and patch
10. fishtail cottage
11. see kate sew
12. a gardner's cottage
13. shoregirl's creations
14. a day in the life of us
15. a girl in paradise

please feel free to go to any of these links and say 'hi' and encourage them in their journey, they are all worthy of their awards!

there are 4 duties to perform to accept the award

one....thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award

two...share 7 things about yourself

three...pay it forward to 15 recently discovered great bloggers

four...contact these bloggers and tell them about the award

now...i just have to tell these girls...

thanks cate once again!

naturally Carol xox

ps...a very merry Christmas and happy holidays to all those friends who are starting their break now...

and may love, laughter and lots of great surprises be yours!

Rainy Days and Mondays...

good afternoon...

you are probably thinking..what is it

with this girl and the weather?

if you were...today it's not re: weather at all!

well, not the real stuff...just pretend!!

i think all that rain we've been having may have had an effect though,

i made this apron out of 'rainy days and mondays' fabric...

pale pink ric rac, selvedge and one red button...

a little pink 'if' tag,

'cos the possibilities of our lives are endless...

 

did you check out the tiny shoes on the barbie ornament..

miss b gave it to me last night!

many thanks to miss woody the chair model...again!

...for her statuesque deportment.

this will be the last creative post before Christmas.

i have to pack the sewing machine away...

clear my little 'sewing' table off

to perform other duties...like being laden with Christmas goodness,

food and sparkle and stuff!!

i wonder if someone will make me one of these?

these are at lisbeth's house!

lisbeth's blog lives here ...clever lady!!

i wish i did live in one of these at the moment...

my house is crammed with miss b's belongings

that she and mr m and mr p drove up from brisbane yesterday.

they are piled in my front room...

spreading from there to the lounge..

and the dining room table...etc...and ..etc!!

this week will involve

lots of trips to 'vinnies' { a local 'op' shop}

and some 'private' giveaways

and lots and lots of sorting...i'm tired just thinking about it!

{on the other hand...i might think of it as a treasure hunt...there could be endless goodies

...just like Christmas!!}

be glad this monday...for all that you've got...even if it's not a lot

let love, joy and peace be your portion!

naturally Carol  xox

Grateful for Afternoon Storms!

hi!

weatherwise we're in a sunshine and storm cycle at the moment.

everyday

early morning is cool, sunshiney and delightful,

mid morning, i can cope but

humidity is building slowly,

the heat gradually becomes oppresive...

by mid afternoon

i've wilted, past my best by a long shot

a bit snippy with all and sundry...

just want to get my gear off...lol
{if you knew me...you'd laugh too!}

and dive into a bucket of ice!!

then as if on cue

fluffy white clouds morph into bigger grey ones

the skies darken

the wind chimes in with a verse or two

lightening flashes randomly

and the earth cools under big drops of reviving rain!

i am soooooo grateful for the rain,

for afternoon storms...

i sing my praises!!!!

naturally Carol xox

ps...i'm linking up with 'maxabella loves' saturday gratitude thingy...