Life is a Precious Gift

Last post I had titled "Life", it captured my thankfulness of moments and specifically people in my life.  Today I'm going to write about life again. This time about my belief in the sanctity of life.  I am angry.  So very angry.  My home state of Tasmania is currently in the throes of decriminalising abortion.  The media has not reported on the silent vigil carried out by 400 people yesterday in Hobart.  This morning the local media did report that the Bill passed in the Lower House, complete with a picture of a cluster of cells.  The Bill started out giving women the right to abort without counselling up to 24 weeks, now it is 16 with the possibility of 20 weeks.  At either of these ages, the fetus is not a cluster of cells.
This same Bill also makes it punishable for a doctor to refuse to refer any request for an abortion.  Punishable to the tune of many thousands of dollars.  This Bill has many problems, and is being pushed through under the false premise that it is needlessly offending some people's sensibilities!  Killing babies offends my sensibilities,  and it should.  Yesterday we mourned three people killed in Boston.   Of course we did.  A complete tragedy with a needless loss of life.  Life is sacred.  Killing people is not ok.  Babies are people.  At what stage?  As for me, I believe from conception.  I know not all agree, but the Bill isn't even addressing this.
I do not condemn any women who have had an abortion, or the men involved.  I have complete compassion for them.  They have been robbed, and while some move on, many, many do not.  How much is fear playing a role in their decisions?  Fear that this will change their life, fear that something is wrong with their child, fear that they will shame their families, fear they wont be able to cope?
Please politicians, give women a real choice.  Educate them so they don't have the "problem" of an unwanted pregnancy.  Support the almost now unheard of option of adoption.  The conclusions this Bill has drawn is based on so much that has gone wrong with our society.  Please please stand up for the weakest, most vulnerable in our society.  Please.

Life

I am thankful for life.  For a husband who snuggles our littlest to sleep, with a soft kiss to his forehead.

For big kids who know and use their manners and can laugh with us at all that is funny in our house.

For tightly wound buns on the top of a much loved girl.  For our relative youth.  For elderly relatives that I know think and pray for us often (Nyah 1yo and Nan).

For sunshine, ever.

For joy in the small delights, and cheeky smiles.

For childmade bead necklaces.  For living in a time of technology that information is just a click away.  For soft touches. So thankful I get to live this one big, yet full of small life.

Chowder Basics

Mum often made large pot of chowder at the Sharlin house.  It was potato, bacon and corn, sometimes thickened with a flour and water slurry.  I just up my potato amount to make it thicker and skip the bacon usually.

Ingredients
1 Medium Onion, chopped finely
Olive Oil or Butter
Garlic, crushed
Celery, chopped finally
6 Potatoes, cubed
Salt and Pepper
Can of corn, undrained
Water/stock
Cream

Method
Saute onion until translucent in a touch of olive oil or butter (butter is tastier).  Add garlic and celery and continue until cooked through (you don't want it to brown).  Add your potatoes, cover them with your choice of liquid, the can of corn and season with salt pepper to taste.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add a touch of cream just before serving.

This is the basic recipe and you can add lots of different things to change your flavours.  Flaked fish, creamed corn, crispy bacon, chopped spring onions, fish stock, chicken stock are all yummy.

Missing and Giving

Summer is over.  There is still a little warmth in the sun, but nobody is jumping in the pool now.  There was snow at our local ski hill this week.  Snow!  Plus friends from home are posting beautiful Spring photos on facebook.  I miss Spring. Crocus peeping through the ground, crisp air, white legs making their first appearance in months.  That said, I love Fall here.                                                                                                    I miss my family.  I feel blessed to have seen so many of them this year, but I miss being close to them.  Maybe it is because I am attempting to shop for Christmas so I can get my parcel in the mail next month.  On that, any fabulous ideas for truly fabulous people who deserve thoughtful gifts? I try to think what I would like to receive to inspire me, but I would always request books or suggest a charity giving gift.  One year I sent my sister (who always manages to ignore my requests for gift ideas) this email.                                                                                                                                                                                     Please................................................................................. 

oh please, could you answer with 5 or 6 ideas, maybe a couple under $20 and as many others as you can.

Think of segments of your life:

Something for your home:

Something to help have an adventure:

Something for a hobby:

Something to bless you:

Something frivolous:

 Something to encourage you to dream:                                                                                                                                               Ok, copy and paste, just right what comes to mind, don't over think it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   And she did.  And it was awesome.  I would have never guessed she wanted her own fishing knife, because our Dad (the most generous man in the world) tended not to share his in the boat when fishing!  

 

Nyah is five

Five years ago, pink came into our lives.  I had heard via my husband that we were 60/40 expecting a girl.  I didn't believe him (or the ultrasound guy that told him while I was out of the room!). I took blue to the hospital. I was wrong, she is all girl.  Favourite colour is blue, her favourite tea is hot chips.  Favourite holiday is at the Bridport house. She wants to be a "parist parist" when she grows up just like Auntie Manda (that would be an occupational therapist).  Pretend friends still abound and play dates are much loved.  This year we decided to keep it small and just had a tea party with Olivia and Lisette, full of treats that we mainly melted rather than cooked due to how dangerous it is to have the oven on at the moment with Zeke climbing everything.

She thoroughly enjoyed her day, and had calls from home as well as Thailand and Wales.  I'm not sure I even knew anyone overseas when I was five.  We treasure our princess and are thankful for all she is.  Happy birthday Nyah.  We love you.

A heavenly birthday

7 years ago today Mum died. I wish she was still here. She didn't get to meet these two precious small children of mine. I'm sure she would have loved having a grand daughter. A fact I know to be true, as she bought two smocked dresses while she was sick, for WHEN one of us managed to have a daughter. A baby was always welcomed by Mum. She was a mothercraft nurse before she had me. She was a baby whisperer. She would have been down on the floor reading books to Zeke. Convincing him to sit still for just a little while. I miss her.

Day one, or a continuation or something

The photo is from Zeke's first day on this Earth. Today he is almost 9 months old. It has nothing to do with this post, but I just realised all my recent photos are on E's computer, so this will have to do.
Kids in Canada went back to school today. Yah. This allows us to re-establish the rhythm of full on schooling again. Due to having Zeke, summer holidays in Australia and now a second summer in Canada, school work has been, well, light. Not today though Zurg. Today we went hard. I. Am. Exhausted. I have calculated there are 70 days of school before we break for Christmas. 69 to go!