Friday, April 29, 2011

Royal Wedding!!!!

Having a low key though patriotic celebration this evening at H Corner!!!! We are still just about a bit more British than Australian, so sporting Union Jack and Jill tshirts for watching the wedding build up. Unfortunately they'll be asleep most likely before the wedding is over. But they can watch it tomorrow!


I made 2 of the flag tshirts this afternoon - bottom middle and bottom right.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Children make Useful Tenants.

Maybe! Certainly I believe that they don't necessarily present a health hazard to a rental property in the way most agents and landlords would really like to be able to believe (and we so struggled getting accepted for a house this time - odds are, that was why!!!).



This house has had a terrible dirt patch problem the size of the space behind Little H#1 (above) since we moved in. The pavers were wrecked by the previous tenants (no children involved, just adults parking a car on pavers that weren't meant for it... and sinking the pavers very deeply - as we discovered after the boys, Daddy and Grandpa shovelled and moved all the potting mix stuff that was thrown over the hole after the pavers were removed).

It was an unsustainable situation for us. Had to be re-paved. We took the house "as is" I suppose, and knew it wasn't worth asking the Landlord to re-pave. Though he should have I am sure! Anyway, we got permission to put all the pavers back  - they were just piled up around the side of the backyard, so we didn't have a great deal of trouble with sourcing the bricks.

Grandpa is the experienced one among us so he knew what needed to be done, and set about with Matthew and the two eldest Little H's while I took the other 2 out for most of the day.

Little H#1 with the space to be paved behind him. Grandpa flattening the space. Matthew was involved but behind the camera for all these photos!!

Boys working with Grandpa!


Little H#1 shifted all of these himself for Grandpa and Daddy. The bricks also had to be cleaned before they could be relaid, and all old soil etc scraped off them. Another job the boys did very well.


Little H#2 laying his own pavers. He worked out the geometric pattern, and did a good deal himself. Fantastic for his age. 6!!! Well actually I think fantastic for any age!!


Little H#2 concentrating hard on laying the bricks in place.


Little H#3 was home in time to lay the final brick and hammer it in with the rubber mallet. So glad he got this job!


He looks pretty pleased with it himself! Sacrificial for the boys to let him do that too, I was proud of them for (amongst many other things) allowing him to do the last brick and finish "their" job.


Filling the gaps with sand / metal before coming in for tea. They wouldn't come in till they'd finished their work. Thankfully they worked so hard and the job was finished by 5pm!!!

A major day's work and a major achievement for our family, especially our boys. The hardest they have ever worked. Ever. No complaints, no problems, brilliant teamwork and totally dependable.

Whilst homeschooling probably can't take the credit, what I do know is that if it hadn't opened our minds to expecting more from children and what they are capable of, allowing them to do "real things" and teaching us - as well as them - that they can make a valuable contribution to Real Life, they probably wouldn't have done (or learned) half of what they did this Easter Saturday.

Just fantastic. :)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Psalms!


Today at church we had Sons of Korah lead worship. Pretty amazing, haven't a clue how we managed to arrange that. The above video is just the most beautiful song. Sons of Korah sing a musical journey through the psalms in a variety of styles - which of course the Psalms are - they represent a variety of moods and situations. There's something there for whatever we are going through.

Psalm 91 (above live clip) is Little Miss August 2009's special scripture. All of it! It was so special to us in the months before she was born, very appropriate and encouraging. Well today it was that again. If we had a day when we needed Psalm 91 - today's been the nearest for a while. And I can't think of a more beautiful way to enjoy it.

In church this morning they began leading our worship- usual songs led a little differently (!) and then went into what I imagine is a much abridged version of their live concert. They finished with Psalm 91 but earlier in the service they sang this:



Like I said - a variety of styles! Undoubtedly talented and Spirit inspired. We kept the children in the service this morning instead of sending them to Sunday School, and I am glad we did. We thought we might have fun experimenting with putting some Psalms to music with them in the coming weeks. They love the Psalms, it is often their 'book of choice' for our Bible time in the week. We have bought a few CDs so we can use them for meditation / reading the Psalms in a different  way. All of their songs are lifted straight from the text - a challenge if you've ever done that like we have - and only the occasional change to help the words fit around the setting.

I came home so grateful we can bring the Psalms alive like this in church - having "grown up" with the Oxford Psalter and plainsong chant (good for memorising scripture but I am not sure at the time we were singing them it meant a great deal to anyone certainly the 'usefulness' is limited). I feel like now I have found something that expresses far more what the original intention of the Psalms was. Some are dances, praise, joyful - others laments or balads. All expressing the heart of the writer. Will take that idea with the boys and talk about it some more. I'll also have it in mind as I try to use the Psalms more myself - something I've done far more of in the past year - praying the Psalms is amazing.