homelifeoct2000

Heartchange 8 - 14 October 2000

Dear Sisters,

I have always enjoyed rainy days. Rainy days motivate me.
The rain seems to be the deciding factor between doing
something in the house, or doing something in the garden.
Even though we are busy inside, I know that the Lord is busy
working miracles outside, and, in turn, cutting our workload
down. The plants are being watered, the ground is being
softened, making the pulling of weeds far easier. How He
supplies all that we need!

Here's what we did this week:

After our cleaning chores, we did a little pantry, fridge
and freezer maintenance. So often, when arriving home late
in the evening, having travelled 60km from town, we
endeavour to get all the frozen foods into the freezer, and
all the perishables into the fridge. The day before, the
fridge and pantry have usually been cleaned out, in
preparation for the fresher items. However, these new
groceries aren't always put in their allocated containers
and jars. That chore is included in the following day's
workload. It was so good to put our new stock into clean
containers, empty fridges and freezer.

Sarah and Sam have been sharing a bedroom up till now.
However, the time has come for them to be separated. Our
spare room will be used by my brother and his wife when they
arrive from South Africa, and the room we have recently made
into another bedroom will be used by their daughters. And
so - Emma has moved in with Sarah and Sam has moved into
Emma's room. Andre and I both felt a little twinge of sorrow
for Emma, seeing as she has had her own room for many years
now. The Lord is so good! He knows our hearts, hears our
thoughts - Emma was soon joking about her 'prison sentence',
by using the bottom bunk! We all laughed, and already the
girls have settled in well together. Make me wonder that we
sometimes underestimate a child's ability to just get on
with life. Accept the situation. Besides, many, many large
families have to squeeze many babies in one room. We have
abundance!

This week, we decided to surprise Andre by moving piles of
road base, which needs to be spread and compacted before the
cement floor to our proposed workshop extention is laid. I
am so blessed! The three of my children worked together so
well, - as if they were on a mission. I have found that by
explaining the situation to them, looking them in the eye,
speaking calmly and gently to them, works so well. My
husband was thrilled to come home and see all the work that
we had done!

My dad has discovered that he has celiac disease - just like
me. I knew that either he or my mom had it; the genes for
gluten sensitivity are inherited from a parent. If dad
hadn't of gone for blood tests for another ailment, he would
never have discovered this. I feel honoured that I will be
able to help my sweet dad, in his quest to change his whole
way of eating - his whole diet. I am so happy that he seems
intent and gung-ho to start!

We sorted through my gluten free flours, and I now keep all
the flours in the deep freeze. I have white and brown rice
flour, tapioca flour, potato flour, almond flour, soy flour,
buckwheat flour. What an abundance! All ready to start an
enormous baking session and work on bread samples.

I permed my mom's hair this week. She is by no means a fussy
woman, and is of the old school, but she loves the feel of
her hair when it is curly! I love to have my mom here. We
live 36km apart, so when we are at home and she decides to
visit, she catches the school bus which comes to our small
country town. (She sometimes takes the bus back to her town,
or else we will take her home) I cannot express the pleasure
I get from spoiling her. While I was busy with her hair, the
girls made her a snack and cups of tea. I often feel that I
want to do more for her, but, like many ladies of her
generation, she likes to do things for herself. "I can't
help it, Helen - it's the way I was brought up". A woman of
substance for sure! I honour her!! (Even as I think of her,
I want to cry with the love I have for her).

My girls have started singing at church. I am in awe how
lovely they sound! They harmonise so well. Makes my heart
want to go tearing out of my throat. As I type, they are
washing the dishes and singing "Tarry Here". I would have
never, ever thought that our family would ever reach this
level of blessings in abundance in so many things.

Thank you, Lord - for giving me so much!

Love,

Helen

Heartchange 15 - 22 October 2000

Dear Sisters

It has been a frustrating week. I say this, because there
was so much I wanted to do this week, in the way of
preparing for our extended family. But, alas, Tax Time is
with us, here in Australia. We have started a new tax
system.   Although I have attended two tax seminars, the
whole 'numbers game' is very laborious for me. Give me
history, geography and biology any day. Having said that, I
realise that this is the life the Lord has chosen for me.
Andre is the husband He chose for me; a husband to whom I
must continually help. I am perfect for Andre. Together,
we have the family we have and the life circumstances we
have. Together, we are perfect for the job we have to do -
for the Lord's pleasure. We are all here for His pleasure -
and yet, we aren't always very pleasing to Him, are we?
*smile*

For the most part of this week, I worked, ate and drank at
the computer. Oh, I am so grateful that our business books
are all computerised! This task of entering the past
quarter's transactions would have taken me so much longer,
had I of done them manually. For the first six years of our
small business, we did our bookwork manually. In which
time, we had two more babies. I find it awesome to look
back and see how the Lord has carried us through those times
we think of now as 'impossible'. They were possible. With
God's help, He showed us they were possible. He led us all
the way through those periods. And now - we are where we
are. We have attained! Praise God!

While I was at the computer, my children were such a
blessing to me. We would all make our beds and clean our
rooms each day. We would all do basic chores around the
kitchen. Then, as I headed to the schoolroom, my children
would continue with sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, tidying,
washing, hanging washing, scrubbing, wiping. Many a meal
has been made while I directed each of them with various
items of food - through the wall that separates the
schoolroom from our kitchen. (It isn't a full wall; it is a
three quarter wall, with a shelf, on which we store many
baskets, waiting to be plucked off for some use or other!).
I am so grateful for their help. I realise that we, as
parents, have to train them in all good ways; that it is our
duty. Nevertheless, I am grateful for even the smallest of
things they do. I always let them know that, too. As
adults, we love to be praised for our hard work. There's
nothing different with a child's desire to be praised,
either. Moreso, in fact. I have found It works wonders for
their will to do even better!

Earlier last week, I had printed off Christmas ideas from a
few favourite sites. Ideas on gifts and how to make them.
Also, ideas from a Christmas organising list. I had asked
Emma to go through the lists with Sarah and Sam. They all
sat around the kitchen table together - brainstorming! It
tickled me to hear their remarks, their suggestions. Just
like little business people! They made Christmas card
lists, started Christmas journals - even started writing out
a few of their Christmas cards. They made up lists of items
they would like to make, as well as lists of materials they
would need, in order to make them. They were having so much
fun! More importantly, though, it was a sheer delight to see
them work together, while I couldn't be with them.

Being the 'allergy' season here, I took Emma to the doctor,
who sent her for a 'scratch' test. This means that Emma had
her arm scratched with a tiny 'scratcher', then a variety of
allergens dropped on to each of the scratches. The nurse
who performed the test watched how each allergen reacted on
Emma's arm; whether the area would swell up, and if it did,
how much. The results were recorded, and we have a sheet of
Emma's allergies. Not only inhalants, but also food
allergies. Now the three of us - Andre, Emma and myself are
all on 'elimination diets'. We are trying to omit what the
doctor feels to be the offending allergen. The culprit to
our variety of little ailments! While Emma and I were
sitting in the consulting room with the nurse who performed
the tests, we were chatting about a variety of subjects -
relating to diet and health in general. The nurse gave me a
few tips about dry skin. I now use avocado oil each night
on my face, allowing it to soak into my thirsty skin while I
sleep. This has been a tremendous help, as since we have
had to use bore water, I have found that our skin has 'dried
up'. Ha!   I also have a tube of paw paw cream, which helps
with cold sores, as well as raw noses, - especially after a
session of sneezes! I couldn't find it at the time, but,
Godwilling, the next time we are in town, I hope to find
some marshmallow cream, as this is supposed to be a great
moisturiser. I'll let you know how it works....

Andre has been an absolute sweetheart! He has fussed over
me so much. He has often said "....if only I could take
away a bit of the allergy agony for you, doll......" Not
only has he fussed over my health, but also my birthday.
This Saturday, he took me into town - straight to the plant
nursery. He painstakingly walked around with me, while I
looked, pondered, selected, put back, picked up and grouped
together a variety of seedlings. Although he loves to see
the garden fill and grow, bloom and sprout, he doesn't have
a passion for it as I do. However, he never ceases to
encourage me. I have never before experienced this
encouragement in anything. Anytime. A true blessing! I am
convinced that passion is catching. After a while of
entertaining my husband at the nursery, I noticed him
disappear, and go off on his own good scout expedition. He
rejoined me and as we walked through the shade area, we
happened upon a group of fuchsia bushes. Now fuchsias are
truly beautiful, but I was intent on spending my 'birthday
money' on fruit/nut, vegetables or herbs. Useful plants.
"Helen, my Ouma loved these plants. I think we should get
one in her honour. What do you think?" he asks me. I am now
the joyful owner of one large plant, and three small fuchsia
seedlings. We are going to plant them near our front door.

As I type, it is my birthday night. Thankyou, Lord, for yet
another blessed year. I have had such a wonderful day. At
our church, it is customary that if anybody has a birthday
within the week past, or the one to come, they are to take
up the offering. There's no getting away with that when you
have children! What an honour to stand in front of the
church and be prayed for! After church, my mom & dad and
our family met with a few others in a local restaurant.
Birthday lunch. The others hadn't known it was my birthday,
until earlier that morning. As I was half way through my
meal, a group of waitresses crowded around and they, as well
as my family and our friends sang 'happy birthday' to me and
presented me with a huge, chocolate birthday cake. What a
surprise! I've never been one to be fussed on a birthday,
but I have learned to take it all graciously.....And thank
the Lord!

The day was perfectly capped, as my parents shared tea and
cake with us, back at our home. After tea, mom and I went
for a stroll in the garden. What a delight it was to see
all the young fruit on the trees. All this - within one
week. Truly amazing! After spending the week indoors, I
cannot express how wonderful it was to be outside - to see
the growth God has installed in all of those plants. We
have almonds, cherries, apples, plums, pears, quince,
nectarines, apricots, damsons and crab apples. Also, black
currant and red currant - underplanted with strawberries.
What a harvest this will be. Even better when the trees
reach their third and fourth year - next year!

Oh, the promise of the harvest to come......Sisters, we have
so much. We are so rich in the Lord. Let's take each day
and look for the blessing in it. No matter what is on our
plates for that day. Look for the good and pure and
lovely - seize it and make it your own. And above all -
praise God for it.

With love,
Helen

Heartchange 23 - 29 October 2000

Dear Sisters

Last week I told you about my week at the computer - doing
our small business's end of financial year tax returns.
Pretty exciting stuff, huh? hee hee..... Well, this week, I
managed to get everything updated. I cannot express the
sheer relief of getting that cloud off my head! Praise the
Lord! He helped me! I asked Him and He helped me. I look
back on the early days of learning the ropes of business
bookwork, and how huge the task seemed to me. How I thought
I would never be able to achieve what needed to be done. I
can now see how the Lord was carrying me along, tutoring me
all the way.

And talking of tutoring, I have been tutoring Emma, as well
as Sarah, in the administration side of our business. I
have started them both at the 'bottom'. Both girls were
filing our documents. They have learned about invoices,
statements, remittance advice's, they know how to write
cheques, do the banking, they understand receivables and
payables - not only manually, but computerised accounts.
Even having either of them sit next to me and call out the
data from the chequebooks and bankstatements, then ticking
them off, as I enter them onto the computer system is
teaching them. Monotonous? Yes. Informative? YES!!! They
started asking questions. I delightedly gave them the
answers....

This week we have had more days at home, which we all
appreciate. We managed to plant the seedlings from my
birthday treat. We planted sage, chrysanthemums, African
daisies, petunias, fuchsias, a lilac tree and a beautiful
flowering crab apple. From past experience, I find it most
important to get the plants into the soil as soon as
possible. We had previously prepared the beds by tilling
the soil with a very old, splinter infested, dilapidated
tiller, but oh, how well it worked with those weeds! Next,
we sprinkled cow manure over the beds. Then, we used the
fork and turned the manure into the soil. Finally, we
watered the whole lot! A nice, ready-made up bed. A place
for my new plants to settle and bloom. Aaaahhh!

My children asked me if they could do any 'extra' jobs for
me to earn money for Christmas. I have a box of cards,
compliments from SHE (Sidetracked Home Executives), with
every chore that needs doing in each room of our house
listed. Also on the cards, I have special notes. For
example ~ if I have found a specific cleaner to be better
than another, I have the name of it noted. These cards came
in handy as I compiled a list of chores for the children and
put it on the refrigerator. I told them that each chore had
a price. If they completed the chore within a reasonable
time frame (they can and do become distracted, and time
stands still for no-one *smile*), then I would double the
money! They all did their extra, money-earning chores with
great enthusiasm. Between now and Christmas, I will be
making lists for them each week.

One of the chores I got Emma to do was to pull our bed away
from the wall, and clean mould spots I 'spotted' there the
other day. We live in an old house, which has had a variety
of different 'parts' added to it. Different building
materials. During the erection, I doubt that ventilation
was ever thought of. Mould is sneaky. It creeps up without
notice. I have found the best cleaner to deal with mould is
bleach. Good old bleach. And so - to task she went. We
have a mosquito net over our bed. Emma took this down,
marched it off to the laundry and dunked it into the laundry
sink. With no other than - da dah - bleach! This did the
trick for sure! It thrills me to see her do a thorough job.
She is learning that one job almost always leads to another.

Sarah wiped down every door in our house. She cleaned the
front (glass) door, as well as the back sliding door (also
glass). She also wiped down the corridor walls. Sam wiped
my kitchen cupboard doors. As I watched them work (but
didn't let them see me watching them!), it impressed upon me
the importance of apprenticing our children to do what we
do. We are the best teachers for them.   Our homes are the
best environment in which to learn. While they did these
'extra' jobs, I did our normal chores. I know this may defy
the purpose, but I watch their hearts. And when all is said
and done, I know that I wouldn't be able to do all the extra
jobs, as well as the regular jobs. I only ask of them what
I am prepared to do myself. (Or can do myself!)

On the homeschooling front, we have been very laid-back. I
know that even now - at my age - that I am still learning, -
in fact each day, it seems, I learn something new. And if
that is true of me, then I know it must be moreso for my
children. When our lives became busy in past times, I would
feel very angst that my children were not doing formal
'schoolwork' when other items of daily living were handed to
us, as a family. This feeling would affect all areas of my
life. I couldn't seem to concentrate on anything. Nor be
motivated to do anything! What did I do? I took it to my
husband. I told him all that was on my mind and heart. He
would remind me that the very reason we chose to homeschool
our children was being put into practice. "So far, it's all
been theory, Helen. Now's the time you see the practicality
of having children at home, training them, teaching them,
carrying on with daily life, family business...." How true
his words are! My children were learning Real Life. Nitty
Gritty, as my sweet momma calls it. And all the time, in my
mind, I am preparing what we will be learning as soon as
have the opportunity to do the formalities again. I believe
the Lord is teaching me to think and plan ahead; ~ a great
feat for a past 'do it as it comes' girl like me!

My mom had given me some money for my birthday last week, so
we planned to go to the hairdresser in her small country
town together. What do you do with children while you are
at the hairdresser? Well, I don't have the answers for you
with small children; for each it would be different,
depending on your circumstances in life. For me, however, I
gave the children instruction to do my errands around town.
They would do one errand, return to the hairdressers, then
do another. They went to the bank, not only to do our usual
banking business, but also to open a new account and answer
any questions the teller may have had. They returned videos
and library books. They went to the Medicare office to hand
in receipts and collect payment for those receipts. They
shopped at K Mart for business stationery. They went to the
hunting shop to see if Sam's bow string had arrived. All
the time, on their travels, they were 'keeping their eye
out', as we say, for ideas for gifts. We hope to look for
ideas, then make the items ourselves (at least try!). They
did all this in the rain, but they weren't affected; they
were children on a mission! It's the small things like this
in life, for which I am so very grateful. If the Lord
hadn't changed my heart, as well as that of my husband,
through the salvation of His gospel, would we ever have
achieved this type of behaviour/attitude in our children?
Would we have even thought to instil this in our children?
Never! Not on your nellie! This is the very heartchange to
which I so often refer. To God be the glory!

This week, we hosted our church's youth group for the 13-16
year olds in our home. As the children arrived, they went
straight to the back garden and began their games. Andre
and I were on the deck, barbecuing the meat. It wasn't long
ago that we, too would have been on the lawn playing with
them. There was something in that moment of standing
together with my sweetheart, armed with forks and tongs, the
smoke smarting our eyes, and the wind blowing our hair, all
rugged up, (because as you get older, you get colder, don't
you know? *smile*), that was strangely romantic. There was
no other place on this Earth I would rather have been. In
the background, the children were laughing, rolling, pulling
and tugging each other. The dogs were barking and chasing
the balls, as children would dive after the dogs to retrieve
them. We later ate, drank, ate some more, then retired to
the lounge for a game of Bible charades. The evening was
perfect, and after we waved goodbye to all, there was the
feeling of satisfaction. And the mess? Sisters, sometimes
you just have to leave it all alone..... and go to bed! Hee
hee...After all, the next day was Saturday, and we had
nothing planned till the afternoon.

Andre managed to take the Saturday off this week. We have
marked on a calendar all that we have to do and when to do
it in order for our business to resume operation in our home
town, early next year. This week, he had to dig the holes
for the foundations. We hired a post-hole digger, which we
had chuckle at; the name on the 'arm' of the digger was
'Digger-Roo'. What a wonderful contraption it was. Within
the hour, 12 holes had been dug. This was a huge blessing
to my husband, as he had anticipated much strife, and many
hours hard labour. I had joined him with this mindset. It
taught us that we were yet again running on our own steam,
our own fuel, instead of leaning on the Main Power Source;
the Lord. Later that day, the girls and I drove into town
for a baptism, while Andre and Sam continued with cutting a
huge beam that will one day soon, Godwilling, be our crane.

While Andre has been in the midst of all the
responsibilities of running a business, as well as working
the business, I sent him this, as well as other verses to
his fax machine:

"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand
before kings; he shall not stand before mean men."

Proverbs 22:29- KJV AV1611

Shamefully, I have not always encouraged my husband. But,
you know - it's never too late.....

I told you that we are learning daily.......

Till later,
Love,
Helen