Christmas...

Christmas. A happy, busy, stressful, joyful, crazy, lovely time of the year!
Christmas. before I moved to Australia..
I used to jump out of bed in the mornings and run to my window to look at my beautiful white Christmas, then quickly make my way the living room where out stockings full of candy hung and join in with who ever else was up in the trading. Mum's amazing breakfast comes next, then family worship (as always) and then opening presents! :) Then all the laughing, hugging, "Thanks you" 's and all that jazz. *sigh* I love my family.
Usually, a few days before Christmas day my mum's family would get together (the Coles) for a lovely feast, singing Christmas carols, pressys, laughing, and enjoying this big crazy bunch of people I love so much it hurts! Most of the time the day of Christmas -after we had had our family Christmas in the morning- we'd get together with my dad's dad's family (Blackwoods) for a late lunch, which is always great. The day after its my dad's mum's family (Wallace) we get to spend time with. You really can't beat family. And around that time we'd have a few other little ones with friends, church, adopted grandparents etc.
Christmas in Australia.
So, this is only my second Christmas here, and last year i did get my white Christmas (it hailed for 10 min in the morning), but this year it's suppose to be a little more sunny and warm, and we're planing on going on a picnic in the City. Starting new traditions here has been much harder then I thought. In my view Christmas with out all your family, isn't Christmas at all. And i must admit i sulked a fair bit this year- about not having my brothers, my extended family, the beautiful white Christmas I always remember waking up to etc.-, but i finally realised God has placed in our lives a surrogate family, and I'm happy. And hey, nothing compares to a white Christmas, but a picnic in a beautiful park, with my new family here, doesn't sound so bad ether. :)
So, Have a blessed Christmas. Now matter where you are. No matter how hot or cold it is. Enjoy it. Thank God for this time to spend giving, laughing, rejoicing in Christ- who is God- becoming a man and dieing for our sin, realising what's important to you, thanking our Redeemer for the life He's giving us and love it.
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Random fact about me you might not have know [before reading this post, I mean]

1. Sometimes the laugh gets stuck in my checks
2. When I am {attempting} to cook, i have to measure "a pinch" :P
3. I once ate half a mud pie with worm in it (my siblings made me!)
4. I can touch my nose with my tong
5. when I laugh hard I cry
6. I have walked through (and ordered) a Drive through.
7. I weed-whacked (for you Australians that's whipper-snipped) for the first time in my life two days ago... and almost killed myself!!
8. I have been proposed to by four different people ( 2 lil' boy, a guy my age, and one old gentleman old enough to be my great-great grandfather) in the past year.
9. I have walked 1/5 of the way across a frozen over lake when there was no only like 3 little patches of snow on the ground
10. I don't like coffee

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Family. I love 'um.. but that doesn't mean I always like them. :)

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Anyways, that's about it for now. So lovelys, I pray you have a
VERY beautiful Christmas, and a lovely New Year!
God bless
with love in my great Savior,
Tamara Rose

Onions make me cry...

Look at this people, I'm updating and it's only been like a few weeks! :)
Warning!
this is going to be a very random post, most likely.

Today I made dinner! *gasp* I know, I know! Don't worry, mum was helping a bit, and Maria was in the next room, so it was all under control. But I didn't do too bad, I don't reckon (ask my family if you want to know the real story :))

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As some of you know i work (Volunteer) at a nursing home, and yesterday i went and had a funny conversation with this dear lady ( i love all the people!.. most of the time :j):
Me: Hello Ruth.
Ruth: hello, love.
Ruth: why are you in here? You're much to young. Go live your life don't wast your time with lots of old people like me.
Me: But that's the cool bit of it, you all have lived so much longer then me, and its so neat. So you've got lots of stories are so much wiser.
Ruth: but still, you should be out in the world, living your life. Enjoying each moment you have.. Because, trust me dear, life goes by so quickly. And before you know it you're old like me, in here, and life is gone. SO enjoy it while you can.

:) I love the old dears dears. Even Bob who has asked me to marry him about 6 times ;) It's to much fun.


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Okay, i just had to share this as well (and yes, i know we're going from senior citations to 1st graders, but that's okay).
A first grade teacher had twenty-five students in her class and she, presented each child in her class the first half of a well known proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are first graders, 6-year-olds, because the last one is classic!
1. Don't change horses......until they stop running.
2. Strike while the......bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before......Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of..... termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but...... how?
6. Don't bite the hand that ...... looks dirty.
7. No news ......impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a......Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new......math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll......stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust......me.
12. The pen is mightier than the ...... pigs.
13. An idle mind is......the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's...... pollution.
15. Happy the bride who......gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is...... not much.
17. Two's company, three's......the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what...... you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and......you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as ......Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not...... spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed......get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you......see in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind lead the blind...... get out of the way.
25. Better late than......pregnant.
:-)
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Christmas is coming. Believe it or now, I'm actually sorta starting to get a bit excited about it. Pretty much when people ask me what I'm doing for Christmas i answer; "sitting at home and crying, how 'bout you?" :) The only real Christmas present i want to see under the tree at the moment, is a big box with my brothers inside.... I am having a laugh at all the e-mails going around between my family at the moment about 'Christmas lists' and Christmas presents. Okay, what ever happened to actually shopping at a store, not online!? Hehe, welcome to the life of a nerdy family (and one that is separated by 950,000 miles). Oh the joys..



It's heating up here.. i know.. summer and Christmas.. it's pretty much to weird to think about.. so just don't. ;) I just want school to be done with! Almost.. Lord willing, only like 1 or so more weeks for Ben and me (Maria and Charity are already done, and have been for two weeks!).

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Well.. I'm running our of randomness for now. So i might just end with this quote:



And if I stand...let me stand on the promise that You will pull me through and if I can't let me fall on the grace that first brought me to You.-Rich Mullins


Have a perfectly, glorious, bright life, lovelies! Live it to the fullest, laugh, don't wast time complaining. You don't know what's really important to you, till it's taken away from you.. And remember.. you're life is just a vapor!


x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o-x-o
Here are some Photos from our lovely weekend in Nhill. Go to Charity's blog for the whole story.
I love these guys! The farmers life is not an easy one.. It would be pretty hard living way out in the country like that. God bless 'um!

One Day the Night will never come...

Hello, fellow blog-mates! I wonder if anyone reads my blog anymore, considering I haven't updated in like years. If you really want to know what is going on in my life, I would advise you to read Charity's blog because she actually takes the time to record some of it for public viewing.

Yesterday, we had a lovely church picnic at Arthur's Seat. It was Melbourne Cup Day, which means everyone in Melbourne took the day off to watch a horse race. Pretty silly, if you ask me...but we didn't have to do school, so who can argue about that??

We had a wonderful time talking, laughing, kicking the footie around, BBQ-ing, walking, racing, looking at the beautiful view of the ocean, and, of course, posing for photos. I'll have to include some for your personal pleasure and enjoyment.

Many of you already know about the Patersons -- a Scottish family that came here 3 weeks ago to immigrate and help the ministry here. Sadly, they decided they didn't like Frankston and are now returning, after these short weeks, to the U.K. We are a bit in shock and sad to see them go, but we are praying for God's grace to be poured out on them as they seek to start over yet again in the U.K.

Also, a girl named Amanda (in the picture beside me, below) has been coming to our church semi-regularly for the past few months. She came with us yesterday but she was really not feeling like socializing as she was very upset due to an accident that killed one of her friends and seriously injured one of her best mates in Sari Lenka. She has immigrated here for uni and work and is planning to stay, even though her parents and brother and many good friends are still in her home country. Please pray with us for her, as this is a very rough time. And pray that we would know how to encourage and love her through this time and hopefully as she continues to attend church.

Even though we are very disappointed about the Patersons, we are overwhelmingly excited about the Blakstons who are, Lord willing, planning a move here to Frankston in early January. This will be such an encouragement and blessing to me and my church.

Please pray specifically that

• They would get their house finished and ready to rent out




• They would find a house here that is CLOSE!!!




• Jono would find a job here




• And God would make their transition very smooth and uncomplicated...and SPEEDY!!!
  

Well, hopefully I will now get into a pattern of updating a little more regularly. Sorry it's been so long. I would make excuses like, "I've been REALLLY busy", or "A lot's been going on"...which could be partly true. But I hate it when others use those excuses for me, so I won't.

Enjoy the life God has blessed you with. Breathe in the air He's given you, and live like you're trying to impress Him...not everyone else.

Friends walk in and out of your life...

..only good friends leave foot prints.

If I've learned one thing, it's this; you never know when God will send a friend to come knocking on your door.

(-: Elli- five weeks ago she was just a niece of a family i baby-sit for, coming from Germany out to Aus for 5 weeks holiday. Now, she is back in Germany and i have made a new best mate!
The past 5 weeks us girls have used every spare minute to spend time with Elli. We girls took her to the city on two occasions. She's had dinner with us it least 6 times. I went to with her, Walter and Gabriel (her uncle and aunt) and there four boys to the Great Ocean Road for a weekend why she was here. We girls have had a few sleepovers with Elli, watched a few movies, laughed till our sid's ached, and just all-a-round loved every minute we spent with our new friend.


at the Frankston train station before we went to Melbourne


Elli and i listend to our music one side..


and Charity and maria sat accross from us and listend to their music.


Flinders train station..


Starbucks..


La Porchetta!


to much fun..

I love you (ich liebe dich), Elli dear. Come back soon! I miss you already (ich vermiss dich)! And thank you God, for sending a friend...

Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And thew sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by hearty counsel

Song~ "Black Roses Red"- Alana Grace

Hope in the Lord....




Palm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 62:5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

My Incredible summer!

On June 14th we left for the United States of America... we where going home for 5 weeks and I wasn't planing on wasting a minute of it.

If I could sum up the whole trip in one word it would have to be.... Magical or Amazing... or wonderful, or beautiful.... hm, I actually don't think it can be summed up in one word. :) actually maybe GRAND :-D yup, that pretty much sums it all up!

Enjoy some of the pictures of our time. God bless you, lovely friends.

(these are all out of order but i hope you get the general drift)

now... I'm back in Australia.... sitting here in the cold... missing my summer, my friends, my old life... but knowing this is where God put me, right here and now, and this is where i am supposed to be.

live life, love it, know God is the only hope you have in it.

God bless.