We Remember....

Today, we took some time out to remember our very special Dad, Grandfather, and Best Friend, who passed away seven years ago today.

Dad was someone who was so proud of his family, and yet, he remained the most humble man - and was always ready and willing with a smile and a helping hand for anyone who needed him. 

Terence was a brilliant musician, and I can still hear him thumping away on the piano - in all my life, I have never met anyone who could play as he did.  As a music teacher, he introduced so many people to the joys of music, including many of my own children. 

He was instrumental in my journey to the Catholic Church, and was always there when I needed someone to talk to, whether it be about raising children, business advice, religious questions, or whatever.  He also became my partner on card nights, and together, we took on that 'other team' - namely, his wife Jean and my dear hubby, Bill. 

His laughter and his smile could light up an entire room.  I can never put into words how much he is loved and how much we miss him.  He remains contstantly in our hearts, minds, and prayers.

Terence Patrick Maher, may you rest in peace.

Christmas 1998 - The Maher Family

 Linda.

Christmas 2012.

Well, Christmas 2012 has been a non-stop party!  We've had a marvellous time with friends and family, as we spent time visiting, had others stop by, and even managed our own family Christmas dinner.

After attending Mass on Chrismast eve, we headed home for a good night's sleep, and of course, everyone was up nice and early the next day to open their presents!  

Christmas Day itself was spent with friends, and we had a marvellous time with way too much food, a good deal of laughter, lots of chatting and a whole stack of fun with the nerf guns.  We finished up the day by heading home for a family movie - Ice Age 4 - y'know, something all mature and sensible, like!

 

Boxing day saw us heading out the door once more for the much anticapted viewing of 'The Hobbit'.  And we LOVED it!  You can read my review of it (no spoilers) here.

Since then, we've had others pop in, and today was spent with some of my family, who stopped by for a visit - two from up north, and two from down south.  While they were here, we were able to snap the 'Christmas 2012 family shot':  Of course, the day once again involved a rather large Christmas Dinner - with way too much food - again!

We certainly did miss our two oldest girls this year, as it was our first Christmas without them.  But I must say, it's a been a wonderful welcome to Grafton, and a beautiful way to celebrate our Lord's birthday - surrounded by friends and family - just the way it should be!

Linda.

Sorry, I Just Can't Help It!

Why, oh why, do I find this sort of thing so funny?   Had to share this one:

Sorry, I just can't help it!   The rumours are true - I really AM weird!

Linda.

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey

Note:  For those who have not yet seen the movie, have no fear - this review does not give away any of the plot, nor contain any spoilers!  

Today, our family went to the cinema to view the new movie, 'The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey'.  We're always a bit cautious viewing a movie that is based on a great work of literature, and have come to expect that parts will be left out or changed, and that the movie won't quite live up to expectations.  Sometimes, we find that actors grate on us, or scenes just don't look the same as they did when we read the book, or that the story line seems rushed to fit in with the screen time allocated for the film.  I also often find it difficult to sit through an enitre movie, preferring to get up and move around, so given that 'The Hobbit' is nearly three hours long, I knew this would be a challenge.

But we were pleasantly surprised.  Yes, the Hobbit 'purists' will find parts changed, stretched, or unnessarily presented in a different way to the book, but for the most part, the movie follows the story line very well.  The actors do a brilliant job - and I was stunned to see that the elves looked younger than they did in Lord of the Rings - even though they were the same actors, and obviously would have aged somewhat since the making of the last LOTR movie.  Given that The Hobbit is set before LOTR, the makeup artists and computer graphics personnel did a fantastic job!  And, I have to say, Cate Blanchett looks amazing!  The producers also made an excllent choice in selecting the actor who played the part of  Bilbo, and you could just imagine that this person was, in fact, a younger version of the hobbit we see in LOTR.  The scenery was spectacular, the filming was fabulous, and the special effects were simply superb.  I was glued to the screen from the moment it began until the end - with only a short 'lapse' in the middle as my mind wandered a little - but a dose of sugary malteezers soon fixed that! 

But what I loved most about the movie was that it did not feel, in any way, 'rushed'.  I remember being so disappointed with the Harry Potter movies, as so much was squeezed into those ninety-minute films.  You felt like you were simply jumping from scene to scene as they tried unsuccesfully to fit everything in.  Not so in this case.  It was a beautiful, relaxing film, where you could feel the tension building as Bilbo slowly crept through the cave, or that moment when Sting glowed blue, and you knew orcs were on the approach.  Some scenes we frighting, others were beautiful, and some were just plain funny!

I am glad that The Hobbit will be spread out over 2 or 3 films - Peter Jackson has done an excellent job, and we look forward to the next instalment, and following Bilbo on his adventure through Middle Earth.

Linda.

IEW's 12 Days of Christmas

Well, it's that time of year again!  It's time for:

IEW's 12 Days of Christmas Giving

And, it starts TODAY!

Just follow the link to the IEW site, sign up for the reminder emails, and get ready for 12 Days of free downloads and giveaways!

Have fun!

Linda.

It started out as a simple riddle......

It started out as a simple riddle:

Can you detect the Christmas Carol?

 
ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

It is a clever riddle, but see if you can figure it out.

It didn't take too long to work it out:



Hmm...  a letter is missing - the letter L



So, there's 'no L' -



'Noel'!


But, in true Maher style, it didn't stop there.  Before I knew it, every word we spoke had 'no L' - and the games began!

First, Lizzie entered the room to thank Daniel for cooking lunch, and wanted to know if she could have some leftovers:

'Daniel, what are the rest of the noodies in the pot for?' 

'Noodies?'  And we were gone.  The rest of the day we spent in giggles and hassling anyone who said a word containing the letter 'L'.

Margaret and Aimee's names were safe, but the rest of us became 'Inda', 'Danie", 'He_ena', 'Emi_y', and 'Izzie'.  And of course, Dad became 'Bi'.

Ah, that old Christmas Carol will never be the same again!

 Merry Christmas!

Inda.

Merry Christmas!

As I was walking
Down life's highway
Many years ago

I came upon a
Sign that read

Heavens Grocery Store..

When I got a
Little closer

The doors swung
Open wide

And when I came
To myself

I was standing
Inside..

I saw a host of
Angels.

They were
Standing everywhere

One handed me a
Basket

And said 'My
Child shop with care..'

Everything a
Human needed
Was in that
Grocery store

And what you
Could not carry
You could come
Back for more

First I got some
Patience.

Love was in that
Same row.

Further down was
Understanding,
You need that
Everywhere you go..

I got a box or
Two of Wisdom
And Faith a bag
Or two.

And Charity of
Course
I would need some
Of that too..

I couldn't miss
The Holy Ghost
It was all over
The place.

And then some
Strength
And Courage to
Help me run this race.

My basket was
Getting full
But I remembered
I needed Grace,

And then I chose
Salvation for
Salvation was for
Free

I tried to get
Enough of that to do
For you and me..

Then I started to
The counter
To pay my grocery
Bill,

For I thought I
Had everything
To do the Masters
Will.

As I went up the
Aisle
I saw Prayer and
Put that in ,

For I knew when I
Stepped outside
I would run into
Sin.

Peace and Joy
Were plentiful,
The last things
On the shelf.

Song and Praise
Were hanging near
So I just helped
Myself.

Then I said to
The angel

'Now how much do
I owe?'

He smiled and
Said

'Just take them
Everywhere you go.'

Again I asked
'Really now,

How much do I
Owe?'

'My child' he
Said , 'God paid your bill
A long long time
Ago.'

This poem has
Been sent to you
With love and Blessings.

May your Christmas be filled with joy, hope and peace, and may

the love of Jesus Christ fill your heart.

Linda.

Friday's Encouraging Expressions

God hears our hearts, our prayers and our thoughts.  Is there someone in your life that to whom you need to say the words, 'I love you'?  Is there someone around you who needs a smile, a hug, or a kind word? 

Brighten someone's day today.  Take some time out, and in, in whatever way you are able, let them know that they are loved.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Linda.

Games Night and a Party!

After we had arrived and unpacked most of our belongings, we made the exectutive decision that we would host a 'games night' at our house once per month, inviting the various people we meet along the way for some time out and some fun and games.

Our first such night was held last Saturday, and as it was our first, we decided to put on a combined party, making it a house warming, a games night, AND a birthday party for our girl Helena, who was turnining seventeen!  Wow  - seventeen.  How the years are flying by.  It's so hard to believe that her days as a homeschooled student are mostly over - although we do have a few things to finish up next year, most of her time will be spent at TAFE and at the Conservatorium of Music.  I've not yet grasped the fact that she'll be out and about as an independent young adult, but I'm sure the reality will hit come February.

Anyways, back to last Saturday.  As always, there's nothing like a stack of visitors arriving to inspire some extra cleaning, and by 6pm, we were ready!  Our living room / dining room at that point looked something like this:

with the poker table set up and ready to go!

Soon after, our guests began to arrive, and the games were well and truly underway.  Poker was, of course, very popular, as well as spoons and 'Billionaire'.  As well, there was plenty of time to sit and chat out on the patio, and the dads enjoyed relaxing by the river.

I think the count was around 28 guests, and it is good to know that 28 extra people can fit in our house without too much drama!

Later, it was time to cut the cake for Helena's birthday.  As always, the Mahers were in fine spirit, with Dad posing for a lovely photo with his beloved daughter:

And one of sisterly love:

.
All in all, it was a great night, and a wonderful welcome for us to our new home.  Thankyou to all who came along and made it such a special evening.  We hope you can join us again next time!


Linda.

I am blessed!

I've seen better days,

But I've also seen worse.

I don't have everything that I want,

But I do have all I need.

I woke up with some aches and pains,

But I woke up.

My life may not be perfect,

But I am blessed!*

To all my family and friends, just wanted to say:

I love you!

Have a great day,

Linda.



*From 'Riding the Waves of Life' Online.

Our Giveaway Winners!

Thankyou to everyone who entered into our 'Return of the Business Giveaway'!

Sorry for the late reply - I'm afraid with house warming parties and birthday celebrations, the time simply got away from me, but I get there, eventually!

Here our our winners:

Package #1 Goes to:  harvestingjoy (Missy)!

Package #2 Goes to:  The Handmaden!

Thanks so much for all the entries - please email me with your address, and I'll have them in the post to you asap!

Linda.

Friday's Encouraging Expressions

Have a wonderful Friday!


Linda.

You are Here to Serve

Over the course of the past few weeks, we have been busy settling in and setting up our new home on the North Coast of NSW.

As you may gather from previous posts, we feel that God has led our family to Grafton - we are not exactly sure why, but we all felt an undeniable pull towards this place.  Since our arrival, we have had many emotional swings between, 'Yay - we're here!', to 'What HAVE we done?'  Well, at least I have - some of us just seem to be on the 'Yay - we're here!' thing on a constant basis!

As I sat on the river praying a few days ago, I began asking God, 'Why?'.  'Why take us so far away from our lifelong home?  Couldn't we have found a place closer to family and to those we knew well?  Why Grafton?  Why here, and why now?'

And God asked me to kneel in prayer, and to listen to Him.  Despite the very real possibility that my neighbours may have been looking on (yup, still a bit hesitant in some areas!), I did kneel, and after a few moments, the answer came back, 'To Serve'. 

Of course, He was a little vague in the the 'who, what, when, why and how' area - He's often not one for giving away all the details - but the answer was loud and clear.  We are here to serve our God and our neighbour. 

After I shared my experience with my dear hubby, he simply smiled and agreed.  'Yep, that's it'.  He had been given the same message!  How cool is that?

As to the details of it all, only time will tell. We live as we all must - day by day, moment by moment.  But now, we have a base plan, a motto, or however you'd like to look at it.  We have been called to Grafton to serve, and we pray will serve Him in the very best way possible.

Have a wonderful day!

Linda.

Random Moment of the Week

After our son arrived on this afternoon’s plane (Yay!), we were sitting in our lounge room, just chatting away, when I suddenly said, ‘what’s that noise’? 

Daniel instantly stood up, looked out the door, and replied, ‘There seems to be some random people in our yard, patting the dog’.  So we wandered out, and sure enough, a young couple was standing in the back corner of our garden, lovingly stroking the dog, with huge smiles on their faces.

We of course said ‘Hi’, and the young lad explained that they were on their way back to the Gold Coast from Sydney, when they decided to stop and take some photos of the river.  They then spied our dog, and being a kelpie lover, he couldn’t help but say hello to our beloved pet.  We of course replied that it was fine, and they asked a few questions about her temperament, how old she was and whether or not she could do any tricks.  Daniel replied that she does know how to fetch, but quite obviously, she’s not a very good guard dog!  After a few seconds of silence, the young lady replied with, ‘Well, yeh – I mean - we could’ve been anyone!’.  At this point, Daniel looked sideways at me and raises his eyebrows, as he is thinking to himself, ‘Well yes, you are!’

But all was well – we had a lovely chat, they thanked us for ‘allowing’ them to pat the dog (?) and then they continued on their merry way up the highway towards home. Daniel and I were most amused, but we very much enjoyed having people drop in - even if it was only for a short time, and it was people we'll most likely never see again. 

This whole living on the highway business is reminding me of my in-laws – back in SA, they once lived on the main road leading into town, and would often have miscellaneous strangers call in for water, food, Christmas dinner or even somewhere to sleep – looks like we are keeping the tradition alive!  :)

Linda.

A Week of Funny Comments....

It's seems we've had a week of very funny comments in our home!  Here's just a sampling of the 'giggles' -


1.  My dear husband was installing some new lights, so had the fuse out for safety.  He wanders out to the power box to put the fuse back in, and mutters, 'Right, let's see if that works, or if the house will explode'.  I casually decide that now would be an excellent time for a walk, and instantly head outside.  Only after the lights come back on and I see that all is fine do I realise that while I may have been safely outside, I left all the children inside!  What DOES that mean?  That I totally trust in my husband's fixing abilities, or that maybe I really AM a terrible mother after all???


2.  I check on the progress of my teenager daughters' bedroom. My 15 year old proudly shows me her cupboard with all her sewing materials - all neatly laid out and organised.  I smile and praise her for the excellent job she's done - and how lovely it is to see such a beautifully organised cupboard.  I leave with a smile on my face, only to hear behind me my 16 year old whisper, 'Whew - she's gone!  Glad she didn't check MY cupboard!'. 


3.  So there I am, standing out the back of our house, looking over the river.  I comment to my husband (as I have often done in the past three weeks), 'What HAVE we done? Moving so far away from our home!'  This time, though, I add:  'And to think that I used to worry that one of our children would drown in that little creek when we visited Jamestown (our local town back home) - and NOW look at where we are!'.   At this, my 15 year old pipes up and says, 'It's fine, Mum.  Back then, we were toddlers, and would have drowned as helpless babies.  Now, we're older, and we can drown in spectacular style!'.   Yeh, thanks, Margaret - it really didn't help!


But the good news is, even with all the stress of moving - we're still having FUN!


Linda. 

An Anniversary!

Today, Bill and I celebrated our 23^rd wedding anniversary!  As it was our very first celebration in our new home, we decided to head out for some one-on-one time, and celebrate in style!  But where to go?  Having lived in such an isolated location for so long, we found ourselves with so many choices!  The movies?  The theatre?  Out to dinner?  In the end, we decided on the theatre, which was very appropriate, given that we first got to know each other through our local drama group back in SA.

The drama group here, the Criterion Theatre, had put together a fabulous version of ‘A Christmas Carol’, and we were treated with a wonderful night full of laughter and fun!  I haven’t laughed so much in months, and it was absolutely fantastic to sit back and just enjoy ourselves.  Afterwards, we of course made ourselves know to several of the performers, and yep, we’re booked in and ready for the auditions in February!  Next year, the group will be performing a musical, comedy version of Robin Hood, entitled ‘Rockin’ Robin’ – sounds just like our thing, don’t you think?  So we’ll be joining the group, and it will be wonderful to once again be in touch with some ‘show people’.

Afterwards, we headed home to spend some time with the children, and not long after we arrived, the entire town lost power.  Never ones to simply sit around in the dark, we made the most of it by heading outside and sitting on the highway to watch the speed camera just down from our house show up in the dark all the speeds of the passing vehicles.  It turned into quite a great party game, with the ‘winner’ being the one who could guess the correct speeds of the oncoming traffic.

But finally, it was time to get some sleep, and fortunately, the power was not out for long, and we had lights and fans before we climbed into bed.

It was a great way to celebrate our anniversary, and a wonderful evening.  Did I ever mention that I have the most wonderful husband and family?  I am very blessed!

Linda.

 

Friday's Encouraging Expressions

You never know what battle is raging in someone's heart.  Today, Smile!

Be God's light to them;  it can go so, so far towards offering healing and joy to those you meet.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Linda.

The Return of the Business Giveaway!

To celebrate the re-opening of Adnil Press, and to thank you all for your patience while we made our big move to NSW, we are hosting a giveaway! 

There are two prize packages to be won - one for the littlies in your life, and one for the older children.  We will select two winners - simply indicate whether you would like to be included in the draw for the 1st package, the 2nd package, or both!  We will use a random online generator to select the winner, so all entries have an even chance to win!

Each package is valued at around $80 RRP!


Here are the prizes:

Package No. 1:

Includes:

• 'The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading', 
• 'Great Science Adventures - The World of Plants', 
• 'Joseph the Canada Goose', and 
• 'Anzac Day Parade'. 

 

 Package No. 2:

Includes:

• 'Exploring Planet Earth', 
• 'Writing Strands - Creating Fiction',
• 'The Story of the Great Republic' (Guerber's Histories),
• 'Balance Benders', and
• 'Socrates Meets Jesus'.

Here's how it works:

1.  Be a follower of this Blog.

2. On your own blog or message board, put up a post linking back to this post.

3.  Leave a comment below, and include which draw you'd like to enter - remember, you can enter into either draw, or both! 


The random draw will take place on December 17th - so you should receive your goodies by Christmas!  Simply check back here on that date, and if you are the winner, email us with your address - we'll then send them out to you asap.

Good Luck!

Linda.

A Successful Week!

So much has happened since I last posted a week ago!  Normally, any one of the following events would entail a blog post on their own, but with limited time, let's squeeze in a heap of stuff into one, concise blog post:

1.  Our girl has her P-Plates!   Last week, our Jessica sat for her licence, and passed with flying colours!  Congratulations, Jessica - it's a wonderful relief to know you'll be able to head out to your various activities in your own car.

2.  The following day, Helena headed off for her audition at TAFE.  As she and the lecturer emerged from the audition room, they headed straight for the registration desk.  The receptionist asked if that would be for 'Certificate II, III or IV'?  The lecturer replied, 'Oh, Cert IV - with bells on!'  He then marched up to me and introduced himself - I definitely got the impression he was very impressed with our girl, and delighted to have her in his class next year.  Well done, Helena!

3.  Next, it was Daniel's turn for his audition.  This was conducted via phone as he is still in SA, but once again - no problem.  The lecturer was very impressed with Daniel's answers, and he was accepted into the course straight away.  While Helena will be studying 'Cert IV in Music', Daniel has opted for the 'Sound Production' course, which I must admit, sounds like a very interesting one.  Well done, Daniel!

4.  On Sunday, it was time to put our skills into action and perform at the Conservatorium's end of year concert.  Keep in mind that we'd only been to two practices, but nevertheless, concert, here we come!  And it was a great day - with Helena performing in five bands, and myself in two.  I am constantly amazed how well Helena can turn her hand to any type of music, and learn her pieces so fast!  But she does, and she performed each piece beautifully.

That's Helena and I on each end - don't you love the way we both were positioned at the front of the stage?  I was a little concerned that it may be so they could give us a 'shove' off the stage if we messed up, but fortunately, all was fine!

5.  And finally, today - We've just received the news that our son Daniel has also passed his P-Plate driver's test!  So now we have two with their licence - woohoo!   Congratulations, Daniel!  This is the reason our boy stayed behind in SA, so now with that test out the way, he can make preparations to join us in NSW very soon.

Not a bad week, eh?

Linda.