New seasons.

Change is in the air around the little old cottage. 

The days are growing longer, the sun beginning to show its face again (kinda) after what has been a cold and wet winter.  Its been lovely to have such a real winter after the fires, there is so much green about.  But the sun is also wonderful.

Our kitchen is going well, though not finished yet, it is mostly functional now.  We have the top cupboards still to hang, the tiling to do, woodwork and walls to finish painting, the electrician to finish off and the floor to give another paint.  We will lay oak coloured timber flooring when the back part of the house is repaired.  For now the painted floor will give us a clean, sealed surface. 



Even though the kitchen is not finished, it feels like total luxury!  Clean cupboards, solid benches, a sensible pantry to build up a stockpile again..  Finally I can unpack my kitchen properly, we can drag away the old van from the front of the house which is blocking the light into the lounge and get on with an ordinary life.  I'm cooking on the wood oven for now, until my old vintage oven is re-connected which I'm getting the hang of, though not ideal this winter as we have not got wood stacked, cut, organized and dry as we usually would seeing as we have been flat out trying to get the place liveable since moving here. 

As this semester commences we are entering a new chapter in our lives.  I have been offered a job through the Uniting Church Synod to help women and children recover after the devastating Pinery fires that came through our district at the end of last year.  I feel so very blessed to be able to do the work that's in my heart of hearts.  It is one day/week for 6 months.  I am also doing another subject at college, this time a 1st year bachelor subject which is a step up in study too as I continue to explore ministry.

I'm very excited about these doors that are opening, but also aware that a new door cannot open without an old door closing. 

So it seems I am quite possibly coming to the end of my season of being a full time Mama at home, I have loved this special chapter of my life.  Its been beautiful, hard, messy and challenging.  So if my blog is quiet I am here.  Refelcting on life, the changes and making the most of it all.  Foucusing on being present, on working out how to do what I need to do in the time I have and honouring it all, and myself as I learn a new rhythm for our family. 

I am ready for these changes, I am excited for them and feel blessed to have this work to do.  It is a new season, full of possibility, new experiences, people to meet.  But it is tinged with just a touch of sadness.  After all there is beauty in all seasons.  Each one important and precious.

As I was typing this Ecclesiates 3 came to mind....


A Time for Everything

1There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
 
So as I enter a new season of life, I'm not sure how much I will come to blog.  My mind has been blank recently.  Perhaps it was the busyness of school holidays, the distractions of a new job to find my feet in, A job I will need to forge my own path in.  Study and the reality of the new season I am entering.  Perhaps it has been that with the renovations life has not been simple.  Perhaps it is a combination of all of them. 

I will no doubt return to blogging with my heart full of passion for it with photos of the cottage and our simple living life to share.  Stories of the boys, the garden and my usual random thoughts and ponderings.  But for now, I feel I am entering a season of rest for this little blog.  As I work to find my calm place in amongst the changes in our lives.

Much love,
Emma
xx

school holiday bliss!

My goodness I love school holidays. 

No schedule to follow, free learning, wonderful, slow coffee dates with friends where the kids run wild. 


This is the life! 

We are off to a bush garden this morning, and then to a local café for lunch I'm told I will just love.  I saw dumplings on their photo - so I'm quite sure I will love it too.  It is an utterly prefect day for it!  The sun is shining, the air is crisp and cold. 

Ronnie loves to come for a run.






It makes me want to homeschool when times are like this.  We have been doing holidays projects and working on areas which the boys are a little behind in.  They are so enthusiastic and keen to learn.  Sounds are being practiced, and confidence grown. 

The kitchen is coming along quickly now! I love this part.  Today we started to move back into the kitchen after being in the caravan for about 7 weeks.  I already have more bench space in this little corner then I have for the entire time I lived here with the old kitchen.  It's AMAZING!  My fridge is actually in the same room as the kitchen now, as it was under the porch.  There is room to cook, to prep, to just be togeather.


Soon there will be the oven fitted and the pantry fitted also, then come top cupboards and tiles.  It's such a pleasure to cook while the fire in the wood oven crackles and pops away.


This little old cottage is slowly being transformed.  With love, effort, time and patience.


There has been much going on here, I will have to catch the blog up once school holidays are over.  But in the meantime we are still here, enjoying the time togeather.

Much love,
Emma
Xx

Slow and steady renovations.

We have had a few things that have stopped the renovations in the kitchen temporarily, which are all part of the cycle of life, we have been reminded of what's dear and precious.  These things have rightly taken priority.  I will most likely blog about it in the future no doubt, but for now we are picking up our tools and getting back to work.  

We are finally at the stage of putting the kitchen back togeather.  The ceiling is in, the bigger, new to us wood oven in place, (the old one was rusted out) the fireplace exposed, repaired and re-pointed, new wires ran, and plastering started.  There is still plenty of work to be done, but from this point forward it is all about putting things back togeather.  

Grants hoping to finish the plastering this week, ready to start painting on the weekend.  

Ceiling down.

Ceiling up.  Still needs flashing and flushing. 

Fireplace repaired, and we-pointed.  Still needs a final clean and the timber mantle put back on.  

Grants plastering around the beam is looking great.  The old jetty beam will remain exposed and in its natural state.  

Much love, 
Emma
Xx
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