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we always do this thing… when we have new people… well anytime really… its a great random icebreaker that has developed its own culture within our group
its the random housegroup get to know you questions.
it always starts the same.
name. what you do (occupation)
and then we add some more.
to get to know you.
we have usually 3-5 questions, because for some it can be novel, but for others it can be brief.
ahhh personality
and its amazing how even simple questions like “favourite colour” can reveal more than just whatever
sometimes we end up adding a few more and branching of onto tangents…
off track
but still getting to know you.
and its weird. its so become a THING. a good THING. a THING we look forward to.
here are some of the questions i’m thinking of for tonight:
* who is your hero
* what book are you reading right now
* dream holiday destination
* what did you want to be when you “grew up”
* fav person (apart from Jesus) in the bible
*
the other night we had our housegroup christmas party – complete with an oh so christian gift giving game. stealing allowed.
with my kids having the pox and other events going on i confess i wasn’t as planned as i usually am. i had to go to shops where i could safely leave the kids in the car, so they wouldn’t infect other kids.
so went to our local christian bookshop.
and found the perfect funniest christmas gift ever.
fruit of the spirit lip gloss.
yes.
fruit of the spirit lip gloss.
even funnier was what fruit it was.
you can get a flavour for each fruit but our local christian store only had apple flavour. which is funny in itself.
and the spiritual fruit it represented.
self control.
it was a real wmp moment.
so it went with the funky cup i had put away in my gift cupboard (for those just in case moments!)
and yes, we all laughed when it was opened by one of our young single guys!
still giggling about it….
tomorrow is the last day of school for my kids which means Christmas is like really nearly like here! yikes! we’ve had such a busy month, with relies over from oz, and then tony’s dad dying and evangeline having chicken pox then caleb having chicken pox worse that i am glad i had most of my christmas shopping done by mid november. there are still a few things to do and prepare but we’ll get there. so here is a bit of fun for the day, a christmas meme
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
both. I like gift bags, nice and easy, but paper is okay. i have kids so some shapes of my gifts can be fiddly. i’m not a perfectionist wrapper. i do like ribbons… and i do like NICE wrapper, not cheap ugly wrapper.. perhaps i’m a wrapper snob…
2. Real tree or artificial?
Fake. with 2 asthmatics in the family a real one is a danger. the new fake trees are so much cooler than the fake ones i grew up with…
3. When do you put up the tree?
usually sometime in the first week of december
4. When do you take the tree down?
the 10th January. i think. usually my parents wedding anniversary.
5. Do you like eggnog?
I’ve never tasted it. probably because we live in New Zealand and its summer time, not really a time to be drinking hot eggy drinks…
a quiet nap with my girl this arvo
finishing a good book
listening to a good preach
feeling the Holy Spirit breathe into me as i listen to worship
fresh strawberries
pikelets
this is my simple pleasure in the midst of the pox
not so simple pleasure – i just got a tweet to say i won a @LOrealParisNZ L’Oréal Paris NZ Gift Pack! a lovely friend nominated me by tweet earlier in the week #shesworthit – feeling really blest – i love unexpected things like this… they warm my heart and give me joy! a courier will be arriving sometime in the week with a bag of goodies for me! how exciting!
yes, here in New Zealand it is one month till christmas! not that our family have any grand plans or anything, most of our family doesn’t live where we live but i still love it. i love celebrating that The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. i love celebrating that my Saviour came and lived and won for me salvation. i love rejoicing with my family and eating good food. i love buying presents. i don’t so much love wrapping presents. i love family traditions and precious memories being created. i love strawberries and roast veges. i love giving and receiving. so one month to go!
my daughter has food allergies, so i am always on the hunt for easy to make and delish to eat dairy free goodies. and came across this the other day. today i was brave enough to make it. and i just tasted the first piece. wow. so recording it on here for my sake and sharing it on here to pass on such a fab recipe. oh also i didnt use nuts (we’re nut free too) and added another 1/2 cup of choc chips…
Time: 45 mins
Serves: 30 pieces
Cost per piece: $0.28 cents
Baked treats are rather rare at Nicola’s – she prefers her kids to enjoy fruit and vegetables as snacks – though if she does bake, it’s usually dairy-free and when this brownie appears from the oven, Noah’s face beams widely.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsweetened apple purée
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (dairy-free)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 26-cm x 20-cm slice tin.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the apple purée and add the nuts and chocolate chips. Stir the ingredients together gently. Pour into the prepared tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the centre feels set, yet fudgy. Allow to cool on a cake rack and dust with icing sugar before cutting into pieces and serving. Store in an airtight container.
so today was brows day. less than 2 minutes. seriously.
wham bam thank ya!
and also b12 injection day.
i had a blood test last week after having a rather spectacular faint.
results were uber low b12 and uber low iron. combined with low blood pressure ment i was feeling rather dizzy all week! and after using google to look up a bit more it explained some other weird stuff my body was doing. yeah okay, i confess, havent been making time to look after this body too well lately.
so back to that injection.
i’m not good with needles.
aka i have natural births so that i dont need any needles. pushing a baby out is preferable than having an injection.
so i was trying to be brave all day.
the nurse picked up on that.
she was really nice.
so she had me lie down on the bed.
comfy.
the kids leaned in for a look. only appt i could get for today was with the kids. good incentive to be braver!
i felt a wee prick. that wasnt too bad i said. not like how i had expected. or heard. thanks for everyone who told me their horror b12 stories.
well, said the nice nurse, its not the prick that hurts, but the… (as she pushes the thingy down)… stuff in the vial that makes it sting.
by golly.
and it still hurts.
my whole arm and shoulder and right side down my back really hurts.
ouchy.
looking forward to bed. with a wheat bag.
(oh if you want to read fully prepared 1 – HERE IT IS)
this week twitter took on a new role for me.
it brought me news, and reaction, to the Pike River mining disaster.
it was a way to connect and share what all of New Zealand, and then the world, felt.
i dont think i’ve tweeted so much, or read so many tweets, or RT so many times…
it was a way to process and share. ordinary new zealanders took to twitter in droves, as well as media. it was our way to have a voice.
these are some of the tweets that touched my heart regarding #pikeriver
Andy_Shudall Last thought as I fell asleep. First as I wake. God draw near to comfort as people, families, communities and this nation mourns. #pikeriver
noozeeland #pikeriver has now been etched somewhat unwanted into the minds of us all for many years to come. Aroha nui to all down there.
thought i’d give you a collection of my top 5 things… you’ll see how it goes as we flow
Top 5 worship songs:
1. You make me happy (spontaneous worship) by Bethel Worship (Brian and Jenn Johnson)
2. Let it rain by Michael W Smith
3. I Surrender by Kim Walker Smith
4. See His Love by Jesus Culture
5. Favourite One by Misty Edwards
Top 5 worship artists:
1. Jesus Culture
2. Bethel Worship
3. Rick Pino
4. Hillsong United
5. Cindy Ruakere
Top 5 tv shows:
1. LOST
2. Heroes
okay i only had 2 there…
Top 5 books i think people should read:
1. bible (okay that was obvious eh)
2. this present darkness by frank peritti
3. 100 days in the secret place by gene edwards
4. in the grip of grace by max lucado
5. praying hyde
top 5 authors:
1. gene edwards
2. ted dekker
3. david gemmell
4. diana galabadon
5. frank peritti
Top 5 movies:
1. Tristian and Isolde
2. Definace
3. Once
4. 7 Brides for 7 Brothers
5. Ever After
John Maxwell tells the story of how for more than 20 years, for no apparent reason, an attendant stood at the foot of the stairway leading to the House of Commons in England. Research was done as to the origins of the post and it was discovered the job had been held in the attendant’s family for three generations. It apparently originated when the stairs were painted and the current attendant’s grandfather was assigned the task of warning people not to step on the wet paint. The paint dried up, but the job continued.
In 1803 the British Civil Service posted a man to stand on the Cliffs of Dover with a telescope. He was instructed to ring a bell if he saw Napoleon and his army coming across the English Channel. That position was finally abolished in 1945 – 124 years after the death of Napoleon!
Within the British military there was a long standing tradition spanning several centuries of always assigning six men as gunners to each cannon or field gun. In recent years they could only find jobs for five men in a cannon gunner detail. Military historians researched their past and discovered the role of the sixth man was originally to hold the horse!
The Czar of Russia used to like walking across a particular field. One day in 1915 he noticed a sentry posted out in the middle of a field. The solider was there every day. The Czar ordered an investigation into this soldier’s role and where it all began. They discovered it dated back to the reign of the Empress Catherine II (aka Catherine the Great) who in 1776 had walked in this particular field and came across the first flower of Spring. She ordered a sentry be posted so as to stop someone stepping on the flower. Sentries were stationed on this spot from 1776 to 1915 but no one really knew why!
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