working in the lords vineyard

i had the best time today out in the kafarelas vineyard taking pictures of the ellenbrook sisters. these chicks are such a crack up and we laughed and laughed while we took them.

i had an idea a while back to get some pictures of them "working in the lords vineyard" and i was so pleased with how they ended up, even though it was so hot and sunny!

seriously can't you tell how fun they are from those faces?

clearly excited to get to work!

sister j is off to her new area tomorrow, we are going to miss her, but i am sure there are more wonderful adventures for her ahead in the lords vineyard ♥

release time

last night we got to be a part of something wonderful, as dominique was released honorably from her missionary service in the new zealand hamilton mission of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints. we have watched from afar as our girl has grown and changed, as she has tirelessly served her heavenly father each day and we are so, so proud of her and what she has achieved.

after a meeting with our stake president, family were invited to join in, as she was officially released! i know there are so many wonderful things ahead for her and can't wait to see where life takes her next.

besties reunited! ♥ 

sister kendall is home ❤️

our girl is f-i-n-a-l-l-y home! 18 months done and dusted and she is back home with us. dougs "little" sister dominique (aka sister kendall) arrived back from the hamilton new zealand mission and we are so so happy to have her home. it is all madeline has spoken about for weeks and she has taken great delight in crossing out each number on her "aunty is coming home" calendar. 

we all met at the airport and arrived a little while before she did, just in time for madeline to find herself a good spot to watch for aunty from... ready to rush into her arms when she came through the gate.

us kendall girls reunited again... we are so happy to have her home and cannot wait for the fun to begin! ♥

ellenbrook sisters ❤️

i love these girls... a few weeks back, sister aperaamo was transferred on, and i got a phone call asking if i could please snap a few pics before she departed.

i was only too happy to do so, and laughed with these awesome sisters as they messed about, said silly things and walked down a nearby alley way.

it has been such an immense pleasure having them in our ward and although i am sad to have said goodbye to sister a, i know she is needed elsewhere to continue to serve...

♥

♥

“The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” - Joseph Smith Jnr

happy birthday aunty!

aunty niques is still on her mission, but it was her birthday on saturday and that didn't stop her mother, who bought her a cake for us to enjoy earlier today at family home evening. the kids were completely delighted and couldn't believe that aunty got a cake when she wasn't even here hahaha

joseph was very happy to pose with the cake for me

and madeline couldn't wait to cut it and make a wish...

we all miss aunty very much and can't wait until she gets home, 2 months to go! ♥

photos for the sisters

it's monday today, transfers tomorrow and one of these gorgeous sisters is leaving us. these two beautiful sisters have loved their time together, worked so hard... and seen a lot of success for their efforts. i am sad to say goodbye to sister dishman, but thrilled that i got to spend some time with them today taking some snaps, so that they can remember the fun they've had together

for those of you who may happen to be browsing my blog that aren't members of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints... you can read more about our missionary efforts here ♥

church in bunno

church in bunbury was quite the event... with my children finally being used to morning church again, the trip just completely threw joseph as he was more than ready for a long nap before church even started. madeline was happy to sit with her dad and cuddle, which was ruined by him having to take joseph out and put him to sleep. oh kids...

we got to listen to one of the most amazing talks though, a girl i know had just returned from the jakarta, indonesia mission and by chance was giving her homecoming talk the day we happened to be in bunbury for the weekend and at her ward, even funnier as there are two to choose from.

it left such an impression on me, as she spoke of points relating to their mission theme that i even emailed her later that day to ask for the theme written down. she gave an incredible recount of her mission and some wonderful stories of great faith.

obedience is the price

faith is the power

work is the committment

love is the motive

the spirit is the key

christ is the reason

what a wonderful day to happen to attend her ward! i am so grateful constantly for the sacrifice made by the missionaries of our church, what wonderful blessings come to them and to their families from their service ♥

sister kendall has a birthday

this gorgeous girl is 26 today. she's far away and working hard serving her father in heaven. she has set aside 18 months of her life and has left her family for that time, so that others can be with theirs for eternity. she is my greatest friend in the world and i am so glad she has made such good choices, even though i have missed her every day she's been away and i feel like someone cut my right arm off the day she left... we love you sister kendall and hope you have the most amazing day! xxx

someone is having a birthday

someone is having a birthday! our sister missionary serving in the new zealand hamilton mission will be 26 next week and this big box full of wonderful things (makeup, clothes, cookies, pens, treats...) has just left perth to attempt to make it for her birthday. fingers crossed. we love you and miss you and hope your day is amazing! xxx

(update 20/08/2015 package was returned to us less than a week later, it made it to the east coast and then failed to clear customs, because i had put sparklers in there! how funny! they are not a big deal, or so i thought, you can buy them at the supermarket here for goodness sake... but they can't leave the country because they are considered explosives. toooooo funny. package arrived about a week late. she was still excited!)

missionary mail

monday brings missionary mail and photos from dominque in new zealand. she is currently serving in pukekohe with sister park from utah and by the looks of it, having the time of her life.

she hasn't changed one bit, seeing the pictures of her... and i know she has made the best decision she has ever made in her life - because by the time she is done, everything will be different!

she is a legend, i love her, i'm so proud and miss her every day. ♥

we are clean!

finally after a week, we have test results! there is no whooping cough here... thank goodness. we can leave the house again and be normal human beings haha.

first item on the agenda was leaving the house of course, so we all walked up to the local shops to post a package to sister kendall. all we really got out of  her on sunday was how cold she is, so we sent her a big jacket (which is now thirdhand sister missionary), a scarf, some more shoes, some treats, a painting from madeline... and some other bits and bobs. hopefully she will have it soon. it's not bad though, going airmail from perth, they have said it's only between 3-10 working days. not bad at all.

now to wash all the linen in the house seeing as he is finally feeling better. a mothers work is never done.

mothers day 2015

another mothers day has come and gone... and i have to admit, it was not the best... joseph hasn't been well for a few weeks, although as it was originally just a very runny nose, we hadn't taken him to the doctor. on tuesday morning he woke up and coughed and coughed and coughed, so i bundled him off to the doctor, only to have them test him for whooping cough! personally i don't think that's what it is, he isn't terribly ill, even now... but as there has been a few cases in perth recently, they had to check for it. i am feeling pretty blessed that he has been immunised, so if by some crazy chance he has contracted it, it would be an extremely mild case and not potentially dangerous! anyway... because of that, we are on house arrest. :( he can't go anywhere until the results are back - which won't be until tuesday, blergggg. he seems okay and is on antibiotics, so fingers crossed.

so, no church for us today, although doug went (he had a speaking assignment...) which meant i missed out on hearing him speak and hearing my primary children sing, they had practiced and practiced for weeks to sing "i often go walking" to their mums. devastated. 

there was good parts of my day though... i got a gorgeous white cardigan and some lollies from the kidlets...

 i got to facetime with my mum in France, where she is living it up with dad and my brothers family... i am so grateful for her and every little thing she has done for me over the years. some people are insulted when they are told they are turning into their mother... i however take it as a compliment, there is no one i would rather be. she is loving, generous, compassionate, christlike and so so so talented. she is an amazing cook, can sew anything, makes beautiful creations out of old junk and is one heck of a snappy dresser.

mama you are the queen of my heart!

the highlight of my day though, was talking to doug's beautiful sister, serving in the new zealand hamilton mission. she has been been out just 17 days and in the field just 5 days, but as it was mothers day she was entitled to a call home. it was so nice to hear from her and actually get to see her face! i already miss her so much and it was the best to see her!

all in all though, my mothers day was okay... because i got to share it with these two adorable monkeys that i get to call me "mum". how grateful i am to be their mum and for every single day i have already had to spend with them and every one i'm yet to have. even the hard ones when someone is in tears most of the day (and yes, that someone is sometimes me!) i love my babies - and i am so glad to be 

a mum

sister kendall is off!

well it's official, we have a missionary in the family. niques was set apart last night in samoa "with a healthy body and a sharp mind" ready to serve the lord in the hamilton, new zealand mission. she has worked so hard, for so long and is finally there - and we could not be prouder if we tried. 

return with honour my little sister. it has been a joy watching you grow and i know you will be a fine missionary 

♥

niques is going on a mission!

oh. my. gosh. it is finally happening!! after over a year of preparing and trying her butt off to get there, niques got her mission call today!

dear sister kendall... you are hereby called to serve as a missionary for the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints, labouring in the hamilton, new zealand mission, reporting to the auckland missionary training centre, april 23rd 2015.

new zealand! how exciting. we are stoked, she is excited... and it's all go go go.

good things come to those who do!

sister kendall

dominique and i have a joint pinterest board - called sister kendall, which is mostly inspiration for mission clothing. the description for the board says, "i refuse to look like an idiot..." and she is doing well to ensure she doesn't. seeing as her papers will be going in soon... today she had a trial run of packing, ensuring that everything she packed could be worn with multiple other items... so it was a fashion show in my bedroom.

she has certainly done well though... with the cheapest sister missionary wardrobe the world has ever seen... between random things she has, hand me downs, things from my closet (mostly also from the opshop and hand me downs) and opshop finds

from top left...

1. cardigan a hand me down from a past sister missionary to me, dress from the local op-shop

2. dress and cardi from the op-shop

3. cheap $3 cardigan from supre, op-shop dress (worn as a shirt) and restyled skirt (bit of running in on the sewing machine, really not bad for a first attempt)

4. dress from 3, cardi from 2

5. dress from 1, worn as a skirt, shirt $10 from valleygirl, hand me down scarf from a friend of mine

6. cardi from 1, shirt from 5, $10 maxi skirt from dotti at harbourtown

i can't wait to see what else she comes up with... but there'll be 18 months worth of opportunities! 

sister kendall here she comes!