10 years and a fresh start............

So many memories...............Girls Day in the Country has allowed me to make so many wonderful friends..........mostly just thru blogging..........

can't believe it has been 10 years...........

Some faces have come and gone.........

but lots keep appearing year after year..........

bit sad some don't blog like they used to as this is how we met to start with............

I had to leave early in 2012 for family reasons and cried 1/2 the way home...........a very sad trip...........

but every year friendships are started or rekindled...........

groups photos always taken.............

smiles all round............memories made............

Like I said earlier GDITC is no longer..........and I was pretty sad about this.........immediately I was thinking how could we keep meeting..........where could we keep meeting........who would organise something...........

I would miss this so much not seeing all these girls again........

I sulked for a few weeks.......

&&&&

I've had a venue in mind for years...........just never sure what to do there..........how to do it..........I have organised other retreats and trips so knew i could make it happen.........

(I think I should have been one of those people who organise functions etc........not much call for it where I am)

It is hard to find venues for groups that don't cost a fortune and have the space required.......

(Finding The Vale for the Bathurst retreat was difficult)

Sonia was here a few weeks ago and together we checked out the new venue......she also organised retreats in the past...........

we made some bookings, organised a caterer........

BAM 2018 we have a plan..........

" Scrub Stitchin' "

emailed some friends who have been on various retreats with me.......they loved the idea....thankgoodness...

$$$ deps being paid........

beds are filling fast..........

&&&&

I'm so excited we will gather again.............

new and old friends will gather.........

new friendships made.........

old ones strengthened......

Catch you later......

Chookyblue..........

Swaps, Shopping, Prizes..........

GDITC always means a swap...........Make it, Bake it, Fake it Swap is great as everyone gets to join in......its a swap we do with our blog friends in our group...........if you don't have time to make something or bake something just fake it and buy a gift.......this way everyone can join in.......

I faked it this year and Janice received my gift.......no pic sorry.........

I received from Sandy and you may think she faked it but really she didn't as she designed and put the kit together for this gorgeous little pin cushion.........

This is what it will look like when I make it up.............

I'm sure Sandy won't mind me using her photo esp if I include the link so you can buy one for yourself......

you can find them @ Shiralee Stitches........

so tiny and cute........

&&&&&

GDITC always means some shopping.....both at the Cottage on the Hill and designer goodies on the day............

the kit for a baby quilt..........

Some of Anni Downs Hatched and Patched new fabric just in store Garden Whimsy..........so pretty............

A new bottle of Best Press

WARNING - has anyone else had the problem I had the squirty/spray on and while not using it in summer the whole bottle had somehow leaked out all over the ironing board..........thru the nozzle............so now I will never leave the screw top off when not in use................such a waste of a nearly full bottle...........

Some of Bonnie Sullivans new patterns..........and some cards  - quilty cards are always great...........

Now I must say I was not a huge fan of Bonnie's work before the workshop...........her things were a little more black and prim which is NOT me.......but I must say I LOVE all these new designs.............very happy with the project on the day.............and as Bonnie lies in the USA I had never met her before but she was soooooo lovely and we had a fabulous time...........

Bonnie is preprinting fabric........nothing like I have seen anyone else do......the pattern on the back ground is also preprinted.......the lines you can leave or stitch over..........add a bit of wool work and jobs done...........

the pre-printed christmas ornaments...........just add some wool and stitching....

I won these as I was one of the 4 ladies on the Saturday who had done the whole 10 years...........Me, Marcelle, Helen and Lea......Not sure if there was anyone on the Sunday............Lea I didn't know the first year but Marcelle and Helen we catch up every year since then just at GDITC...........Lea and I are good friends..........spending lots more retreats and sewing weekends together.........

Catch you later.......

Chookyblue.......

Keeping the love of blogging alive

So how did I go...........

So I think an update is due here as quiet a few of my online friends supported me during this challenge.....

I learnt things about myself......

pushed myself further and further as I raised more money.........

realised it is ok and essential to push yourself out of your comfort zone.......

I can do more then I thought I could do..........

found new friends connecting thru this walk...........

Goals                v                 Actual

93km (3kms/day)             reached 164km

$1971                               $5017

Best day 12.5kms

Best single walk/run 8kms

Best speed 8.05mins/km 

Started a walking group after work and that is continuing on........

about 6 of us now........

encouraged some of you to get moving.........

hope you are continuing on..........

thankyou for your support be that monetary, emails or comments.......it all added up to me doing something i never thought possible and raising great $$$$$ for the Cancer Council

please take care of yourself 

you are the one that makes the decisions for your health and future

mental health, physical health and gut health all make a difference as to how you feel and only you can want to make a difference.....

I've been working on "me" for a few years now

slow and steady making the difference........goodness me for the first 6 months or more I didn't even put joggers on to walk.........lets just say good joggers are the best investment ever.........my friend gave me a new pair.......she brought the wrong size and could not return them.........

I now eat better, feel better, exercise regularly..........

most importantly there is 25% less of me.......

I have crap knees but with all the extra exercises I have been doing (this year) albeit some modified to suit me it must have really made a difference to the muscles and they have behaved so well this month.........

And after this month I also realised life is better taking asthma puffers.......my allergies really hold me back...........

I didn't walk far to start..........

I didn't have time for exercise.......

i've fallen off the wagon a few times but picked myself up.........

brushed the dirt off and headed off again............

I know if you want it you can do it too........

every little change adds up over time........

Go for it!!!!!!

Catch you later............

Chookyblue..........

Keeping the love of blogging alive

Lucy Love.........

I am so behind with this post..............but it has been great to see some of the girls Lucy Boston quilts in progress........we often contact each other to see what we are up to or what do you think of this block.........

This is Sandy's.............She runs it as a BOM thru her shop online shop Shiralee Stitches........Sandy has also fussy cut the cross point blocks that make the 2in square (inside the grey) and they look great.........

the rest of us have done lots of her blocks but also made some of our own.........

It was great to see them together..........amazing the difference in the colour choices.................

Googy Girl is using blue.........looks so different........its the lovely french general blue..........

still amazes me how each block shows a different pattern........be it x or + some even the whole square........just by placement of fabric............

oh I love fussy cutting in Lucy.......

Here is an update on mine............6x2 so far.............we actually had mine and Sandy's on the bed together at GDITC and can you believe none of us took a pic............I was sure one of us had taken one........mine looked softer but in Sandy's the blocks popped out and showed off more............

Sonia didn't get to GDITC this year but I've caught up with her a few times since then and we had some great Lucy time.............we put these on the design board to see what they were going to look like............really liking the red too..........

Here is the stitching in the car on the Syd trip.............this one needed the extras around the edge but it is now sewn into the quilt............

I can't tell you how exciting it is now to have this coming together..............it sure is exciting to see those minutes, hours, days, weeks and months of stitching coming together...............oh I still have a long way to go but I can now see that this will come together and get finished............not tomorrow but it will happen...........

Hope you find some stitching time this easter weekend............

Catch you later...........

Chookyblue...........

From Special guest to waitress..........

What a few days.............we headed down to the Sydney Royal Easter Show.........had been wanting to go for years and the CWA that I am a member of won a grant and someone had to be there to receive the grant and give a speech........the speech bit i didn't get til I was well and truly locked in to going.........OMG I was so nervous about it but the ladies said it went well.....no one fell asleep and no one left so thats good........I had to drag out a dress and dust off the high heels - only have one pair.............

put my best manners on..........

they had some very special guests Linda Hurley the wife of the NSW Governor..........she is just delightful and so easy to chat with........

Sue Ryan (above) head of the Royal Agricultural Society Charity Brunch committee........this is a very small committee of 5 ladies (who I think are all RAS Councillors or wives) holding a fundraising brunch each year

Raising some serious funds from one morning brunch......

(Sophie Hansen, Natasha Maclaren-Jones, myself)

Sophie Hansen from Orange Australian Rural Woman of the year 2016 was the guest speaker. She is so passionate about social media and using this to tell your farm story, home cook, food writer.......visit her blog @ Local is Lovely

Natasha Maclaren-Jones is the first female whip in the state government.

It was such a lovely morning............they held a silent auction throughout the morning which also raise funds..........the food was fancy and lovely not what I can ever get in my home town..........I felt very spoilt.........it was an honor to represent my branch at this function and I can't wait til they start the project that we were funded for ...............

After a quick change of clothes to something much more practical and back into my RM boots I was off to the CWA tea rooms at the show.........these are so well known and very popular - there is pretty much a line up of people for tea and scones all day........people were very patient.....Fairy Girl and I worked out the front for the afternoon shift clearing and wiping down tables.....we never stopped..........I would definitely do it again......i'll make better plans for next year..........I just dropped in the afternoon before and asked if they needed help.........I tell you it is a hive of activity and everyone has there job to fill...........

Onto the crafts pavilion...........some of the quilts........

I found a Lucy Boston.........

this amazing cake was made from wood............it looked so real.........

recognised this quilt immediately as one of Carols @ Cherry Pie Designs patterns.....she actually knew the lady who entered it too..........

under 20yrs work...........

this circle blanket  was gorgeous...........nice to see one finished as I had seen a few of these growing online.............

We loved both these mini quilts..........the bottom one was about the size of a A4 sheet of paper..............

amazing flowers........

there is something for everyone at the show.............

I don't have any pics of the Man From Snowy River show but there was also camp drafting finals, Polocrosse, the above were motor bikes and utes doing crazy stuff...........

great fireworks display............

just got these on my phone..............

 the other thing for me that is a show tradition is the District exhibits.........made with produce from the areas..........

 it's been years since I went down but I can't wait to head down again next year..............Its still on until the 19th so go along.......the weather is great in Sydney this weekend.......

Catch you later............

Chookyblue............

Bible Verses for One Day/Glorious Day

There are many songs that I love to sing on Easter:  Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, Christ Arose, Because He Lives, and He Lives.  However, none of them are as strong on biblical content as One Day.  One Day was written in 1908 by John Wilbur Chapman with the music written by Charles H. Marsh.   It is written creatively and intelligently with a lot of scriptural connections.  

Unfortunately, the music is no longer in style (I love old songs, too, but few songs today are written in 9/4 time).  Thankfully, Michael Bleecker rewrote the music to the song in a nice updated form in 2008.  Mark Hall built off Bleecker's version, adding bridges and again rewriting the chorus.  While Michael Bleecker did an awesome job, Mark Hall's final version is even more powerful.  Even the newly-added bridges are packed with biblical truth, which is not very common these days.  My favorite part of the song is the chorus.

Here is the original One Day with the music written by Charles H. Marsh:

Here is the version by Michael Bleecker:

Here is Mark Hall's version performed by Casting Crowns:

Here is an interview with Mark Hall discussing his reworking of One Day into Glorious Day:

Glorious Day/One Day

by John Wilbur Chapman, Michael Bleecker, and Mark Hall

Verse 1:

One day when Heaven was filled with His praises

Daniel 7:13-14 �I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed."

One day when sin was as black as could be

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them.

Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin

Matthew 1:23 �Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear A Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,� which translated means, �God with us.�

Dwelt among men, my example is He

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus said in John 13:15 "For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you."

1 Timothy 1:16 Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. 

1 Peter 2:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

*Word became flesh and the light shined among us
His glory revealed

About Jesus in John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

About Jesus in John 1:4-5  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

About Jesus' incarnation in Isaiah 40:5 "Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.�

Refrain:
Living, He loved me

John 15:9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

Dying, He saved me

Hebrews 9:15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.

Buried, He carried my sins far away

Psalms 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Colossians 2:12-14 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Rising, He justified freely forever

Romans 4:25 He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.

One day He's coming

Oh glorious day, oh glorious day

John 14:3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

Verse 2:
One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain

About Jesus in Luke 23:33 (KJV) And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

One day they nailed Him to die on a tree

To the Jews about Jesus in Acts 2:23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

Suffering anguish, despised and rejected

About Jesus in Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He

Hebrews 9:28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

*Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

Matthew 4:23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. 

Jesus said in Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

About Jesus in Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 

Verse 3: (see below)**

Verse 4:
**One day the grave could conceal Him no longer

About Jesus in Acts 2:24 But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

One day the stone rolled away from the door

Matthew 28:2 And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

Then He arose, over death He had conquered

Luke 24:5-7 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, �Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.�

1 Corinthians 15:20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?� The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now is ascended, my Lord evermore

Acts 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

*Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him
From rising again

Romans 6:9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 

Verse 5:
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

One day the skies with His glories will shine

Jesus said of Himself in Luke 21:27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 

Wonderful day, my Beloved One bringing

1 Thessalonians 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!

Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

* Italicized text was added by Mark Hall

** The rewritten version does not include John Wilbur Chapman's third verse.  I personally think that was a good choice.  The writing is confusing and only the context explains that the verse is about Jesus being left in the grave ("In the garden," though technically accurate for the location of Jesus' burial, often references his time praying before the crucifixion).  Also, while angels came to move the stone from His tomb, the Bible never mentions them keeping vigil or guarding the tomb.  While it is possible for some to interpret the passage that way, I think it is unclear in the Scriptures.  The only part of the third verse that I love is the phrase "Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He!"  Here is the third verse for you to decide for yourself: 

One day they left Him alone in the garden, 

One day He rested, from suffering free;

Angels came down o�er His tomb to keep vigil;

Hope of the hopeless, my Savior is He!

A Review of What's In The Bible With Buck Denver

A Review of What's In The Bible With Buck Denver 

More than a year ago, I made an investment in teaching my children the Bible.  I'm always on the lookout for good resources for Bible education.  "The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12) and "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).  Why would you neglect such a powerful book when training your children? 

There are many children's Bible education resources today.  Lots of story Bibles, children's Bibles, songs, videos, apps, and books.  I have lots of resources and many ways to teach my children about God's Word.  I love all of the options available, but it's important to be discerning and involved in your child's Bible education.  Your children might learn about the Bible in Sunday School and you might provide books and videos, but the parent is ultimately responsible for making sure that their children understand the message that God is sharing with them.  All resources are a starting point for discussion.  It is important to teach children by example to evaluate everything that they hear and read against Scripture.  That's one reason that I love this series.

I had heard about What's In The Bible previously but hadn't thought too much about it.  When I saw a good sale on the entire set of DVDs, I decided to buy it for my children for some summer movie Bible education.  We had previously spent a summer learning the order of the books of the Bible, but I wanted to move deeper into what the Bible said.  So, we started Friday What's In The Bible movie nights where we watched the videos together and talked about them afterward.  

The series is educational, yet fun. It's quirky, yet funny. It focuses on the big picture, yet includes the most important details (educational theory encourages having a big picture on which to hang the details so that it all ties together).  It teaches the basic overall view of the Bible, yet even those with much Bible experience will probably learn something.  It takes all of the books of the Bible and tells their story without missing how it is part of the bigger story.  It teaches some deep theology including big words in a way that even my nine-year-old could understand.

What Is What's In The Bible With Buck Denver?

What's In The Bible With Buck Denver is a set of 13 DVDs that takes you through the entire Bible. It is made by Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer whose vision moved from sharing Bible stories with children to teaching them the whole Bible.  The first nine DVDs are about the Old Testament and the last four about the New Testament.  Each DVD contains two episodes that are approximately 30 minutes long.

The characters in the series are Phil Vischer and quite a few puppets.  They utilize humor, music, virtual flannel graph, popsicle stick theaters, and animations to both entertain and educate.  Besides giving overviews of all of the books of the Bible, they focus on some important stories and answer important questions.

What Is Great About It?

All of the different things thrown in to amuse and teach encourage both understanding what is in the Bible as well as how it all fits together.  The songs and visuals will help everyone remember what they are learning.  The series is enjoyable but will create a lasting panoramic impression.

All of the great songs, awesome visuals, and humor you loved from Veggie Tales adds to this overview of the Bible.  I agree with Phil Vischer that many children (and adults) today are biblically illiterate.  A synopsis of the Bible is a great place to start.  This survey will then provide a frame of reference for further Bible study and will keep the reader from being overwhelmed and confused as they study deeper.

What To Watch Out For?

There were a few times when I disagreed with the videos.  For example, when they discussed the inspiration of Scripture, they said that "God breathed these ideas into people, who then wrote the different books of the Bible.  God inspired them to write and they chose the words.  It's God's truth communicated through people's words."  I'm not sure if I'm understanding them correctly, but it seems that they are saying that the ideas come from God, but not the exact words (concept inspiration but not verbal inspiration).  I'm not intending to get into a doctrinal discussion here, but I felt that they were minimizing the importance of the exact wording in the Bible and giving room for the biblical authors to make mistakes.  However, Jesus believed that the Scripture is important down to each individual word (Matthew 22:41-46; John 10:34-36), the tense of the verbs (Matthew 22:29-32) and even each letter or part of a letter (Matthew 5:18).  

Anyway, there were a few times when I didn't agree with the videos or when I didn't feel that the videos explained something fully.  Sometimes I wished that they hadn't brought up certain controversial topics that I thought were unnecessary and other times I felt that they didn't fully answer questions to avoid controversy.  However, I do understand the difficulties for What's In The Bible and believe that they are well-intentioned and try to stay true to Scripture.  I believe that the issue of verbal inspiration mentioned above is the biggest issue that I saw.

So, what do we do when we didn't fully agree with the DVD?  We stopped the DVD and discussed why we didn't agree with the video.  Honestly, when my husband and I discussed it later we felt that it was good for the children to see us evaluate resources using the Bible.  It's important to measure everything against the truth of God's Word.  There is no magic substitute for teaching our children about the Bible, just tools that we can evaluate and use.  I felt that this tool was valuable for its educational value in spite of its errors.  In addition, I found values in its errors as a way to teach my children to examine a message using the Bible.

Who Is The Best Audience?

As mentioned, our whole family watched and appreciated What's In The Bible.  It is probably geared toward elementary aged children, but I'm sure preschoolers and middle school aged children will easily benefit from this as well.  As I said, watching this together as a family would be great so you can discuss what everyone is learning.

What's In The Bible can be purchased for home use.  I've seen it available in church libraries.  It can also be used as part of a homeschool, Sunday School, or small group curriculum.  You could have church movie nights (Group viewing licenses are available for reasonable prices).  I can easily picture an adult small group (if they have a sense of humor) watching this and learning a lot.  

If this is being used in a Sunday School or small group, I recommend the Church Edition because it turns the videos into a 52-week Sunday School curriculum which includes videos and activities designed for small groups of children in grades 1-4.  There are other optional volumes that would boost it to a 60-week curriculum.  There is also a more condensed version available for Vacation Bible School curriculum in both a Traditional VBS plan and a Family VBS plan which includes the adults in the learning.

Where and How is What's In The Bible Available?

You can buy these videos at What's In The Bible's online store.  They are available for purchase individually or as a complete set.  They are also available for purchase or rental (a great way to check it out) on iTunes, Amazon Instant, Google Play, and Vimeo.  You can also view them through a subscription to Jelly Telly which is a streaming service that includes videos from Veggie Tales, 321 Penguins, What's In The Bible, Owlegories, and more.

Are There Any Other Resources Available?

What's In The Bible has a great website with many resources.  There are more than 900 free printables including coloring pages, family activities, flash cards, popsicle stick theaters, and verses of the day.

In addition to these free resources, there are coloring books (both hard copies and digital downloads) available for purchase.  You can buy CDs of the music and sing-a-long DVDs.  There are also some activity packs available for some books or sections of the Bible.

Conclusion

I found What's In The Bible With Buck Denver videos to be a useful tool in teaching my children the Bible.  They enjoyed them and better understood the overall message of the Bible and how each book fit into that message.  I would recommend it for other families as well.

________________________________________________________

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