Happy Happy Birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday Sweetheart! You're One in a MILLION!
And I'm so glad you are mine! Love Love Love you!!!

Three Years

Happy Anniversary to my sweet sweet husband! What an adventure these first three years have been! Looking forward to the many many many more years and adventures we have together! I love you!

On this Thanksgiving day

I am so thankful for these guys! We may be spread across the world this Thanksgiving, but I am truly grateful for the love, laughter, friendship, example, support, and closeness we share as a family! Don't know what I would do without them and sure don't want to find out that's for sure! Thanks mom and dad for raising us as a tight knit family and for teaching us wrong from right. We sure love and appreciate you and the fine example you have set for us all. Thanks brother for loving and teasing (to tears at times) us girls even if you thought we were the favorites! And thank you sister for your love and friendship. To my sister and brother in law...thank you for making our family more complete and for putting up with the Joneses quirkiness! To Sweet Tart, Tootsie Roll, GMan, Davey, Cutie 2 Shoes, and Bridge I love being your auntie and love you like my own kids! And lastly, to my dear sweet hubby...thank you for loving me and sharing in my crazy adventures! I am truly blessed to call you family! Love you all! Hope you all had a wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy happy joy joy

Ben and Jerry's has arrived in Australia!!! Oh can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about this, as Aussie ice cream is less than desirable! Their first "scoop shop" opened in Sydney this weekend, however, tubs of their glorious ice cream are being sold at selective stores here in Victoria, mostly in and around Melbourne, which is a good thing, so I won't just run out and buy it all the time. Another good thing about them being in Melbourne, is they are selling for $12 a carton, yep the same size that you can get over in the States for $4.50. They also only have four flavors to choose from so far, Chunky Monkey, Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Double Chocolate Brownie. So until Everything But The, or Phish Food starts beings sold, a carton of Ben and Jerry's will have to be a special treat! But still, Costco and Ben and Jerry's in Oz all in the same year...that makes me happy happy! :)

Annual Footy Grand Final Party

So remember how I mentioned that the past couple months have been crazy busy? As I write this, I am still amazed that it is already November! Wow!!! Anyway...back at the end of September (when my parents were visiting - and yes, I know I haven't posted any pictures about that yet....still waiting for my mom to send me some photos *hint hint*) we hosted our annual Footy Grand Final party. As in years past, I was in charge of keeping the kids entertained. However this year I didn't have to worry so much about it, as the kids loved playing footy out in the back yard in the rain and mud. What fun that was! However I was able to snap these fun photos with the kids using an old picture frame.

Isac, Cassie, Michael, Jonah, Tyler

Michael
(don't you just love his muddy pants?)


McKenzie

Sisters: India and McKenzie

Cassie
(one of my basketball girls)

India
(she turned 7 the next day)

Hannah, Cassie and Lacey

Tyler

(a mad Saints fan)

Hannah

(basketball girl)

Isac
(a Swan's fan and brother to India and McKenzie)

Overall we had a great time, except for the rain, but then again the kids loved it out there in the mud! We had about 40 people there, lots of good food and although the team I was cheering for didn't win it was a great day! Such fun when friends come to play! Looking forward to the next party, hopefully we won't have to wait until September!

A history lesson

Hello Students, today's history lesson is on the small Victorian country town of Archies Creek, where I currently reside in the great country of Australia. I came across a book about Archies Creek that Darran had in his collection, and I was so fascinated by it, I thought I would share a brief history on this little quite town that I have learned to call home. I will keep it brief, as I wouldn't want to bore any of you, or make you feel like you have reverted back into your Jr. High school history classes. :) Otay students (said like my Jr. High Vice Principle) let's begin.

Much of the area where we live was developed due to the discovery of coal in 1825. But it was more than just coal that caused the area to grow into the booming metropolis that it is today. (hehe) Many early settlers (pioneers) realized the potential of the land and begun clearing it for cattle and sheep long before the coal began being mined in 1859. Archies Creek was one of those towns that began long before the mines opened. Archies Creek was know for it's butter factory, which was the life blood of this town, and there are records that the factory existed in the late 1800's but didn't start to officially be used until 1902. As a result of that factory, the town of Archies Creek got it's place on the map!

There was a school in Archies Creek. School 3135. It began in 1889, there were eight or nine children of school age in the immediate area, with more moving in due to their parents getting work at the butter factory and the saw mill. So in 1891 a school was started. The residents of Archies Creek cleared the land and build a weather board school house. The Department of education agreed to lease the building for 7 pounds ($11 US) a year, and the school opened in October 1891. The school was not set in an ideal place, and quickly became uncared for rundown and unpainted. The school was then moved to the town of Ryanston and remained open until 1909.
There was also a church in Archies Creek. It opened in 1933. and was called the Archies Creek Church of England. The church was transported by bullock wagon from West Creek to Archies Creek, it was dedicated on June 10 1933. It operated until 1967, then was closed and demolished. We do have a church here in Archies Creek, called the happy clapper church, okay so that is what Darran and I call it, but there is no official church building here, they meet in one of the old butter factory buildings.

No community would be complete without a regular meeting place, and Archies Creek was no exception. The Archies Creek Hall was built and paid for by the towns people who bought shares into the building. It was completed on December 24, 1903. But they decided that it was too short, so they lengthened the building and on January 1, 1904, a ball was held as the opening function for the hall. Tickets (like the one shown above) were sold that admitted two ladies and one gentlemen into the ball for a cost of 5 shillings.

Outside the Archies Creek Hall after a ball

The hall saw many a ball, dance, gathering place to celebrate the servicemen returning from WWI, parties, town meetings and weddings. The hall is still standing today, and now serves as a place for weddings, get togethers and is highly used for 18 and 21st birthday celebrations.

As I mentioned earlier, the life blood of Archies Creek until 1957 was the butter factory. It provided employment for over 200 people at the peak of its operation and was at the forefront of dairy factory development in Australia. The factory was privately owned until 1903 when the Wonthaggi Dairy Produce Company purchased it for 800 Pounds. ($1257 US) It was run as a Co op with local dairy farmers on the Board who controlled operations and built up a world wide reputation for quality butter and other dairy products.

The Official Butter Factory Seal

This is the Butter Factory when it was in is glory day. I have heard many a school tour was given through the butter factory. (think Wonder Bread or Albertson's bakery tours when you were in 2nd grade). I often drive and walk by the butter factory now, which is used mostly just for storage and try to imagine our sleepy little town in it's hey day when the butter factory was in operation and just how cool it would be to take a tour of it now!
This is what Archies Creek looked like 106 years ago. This is the famous Archies Creek
Royal Mail Pub and hotel(okay famous to those of us who live here, or those of you that have visited) pictured in 1903. The pub opened in 1902 and has provided the area a meeting place to "swap a yarn and enjoy a drink." Why Royal Mail you ask? Well, this is where the locals would come and pick up their mail. The first mail service came from Grantville (which is a 20 minute car drive), mail was delivered on Tuesday and Saturday. The pub/hotel was used for butter factory meetings, the doctors service was here when the doctor visited, and was often used as the funeral home and surgical unit. The original hotel was burned down in 1920, and while they rebuilt the pub, business was carried out in the stables found at the rear of the pub. The bar still remains the same today as it did back then. Blokes on one side and Shelia's on the other...no mixing company at the bar, if you wanted to do that, it was out in the beer gardens or in the hotel. Today our neighbor John owns the license to operate the Pub and the restaurant is run by our friend Chris and his lovely wife. It's full of old age charm and character, and each time I go in, I can only imagine the stories the walls have heard!


So there you are, the history lesson for today students. I hope you have enjoyed learning a little more about the history of this quaint little town that I call home.

Grateful

Today I am grateful for many things...I am grateful for my wonderful counselors and secretary! How I love these ladies! This Is Tafale (on left) and Jarne (middle). Tafale is my secretary and Jarne my 2nd counselor. It's been quite a week for these two ladies! Tafale sprained her ankle and is on crutches, and not able to do much (oh how I know the feeling) - but yet she made platters of finger sandwiches for our RS activity. And Jarne, is in hospital right now having just suffered her 4th heart attack at the ripe ole age of 30. She's healthy, takes care of herself, it's just a genetic heart problem that the doctors can't seem to understand the cause. She went into hospital on Thursday afternoon, after taking care of her 3 small children, visiting an elderly couple in the ward and helping them with their house work, visiting a sister who had just finished radiation for cancer and finished getting the last minute details organized for our RS activity that we had today. As I sat there at the activity today, a day to celebrate and pamper ourselves, I was brought to tears as I thought of these sweet sisters and all that they had done to make the day special for the ladies in our ward and for the love and the support they give me. Marlene, my 1st counselor was there today to help out and brought that bit of laughter, spunk and support and I couldn't have done it without her! I am so grateful and blessed with a wonderful presidency!

I am grateful for these darling darlings, who brighten my day everyday! I may be living on the other side of the world from them right now, but oh how I love them! All I have to do is look at a picture, or pick up the phone to hear their voices and I know that I am loved. What an amazing feeling it is to be loved by the cutest nieces and nephews on the planet (at least on my planet)!

I am grateful for the beautiful area where I currently live. What a blessing it is to live in Australia at this time! I love that I live in a place that has incredible sunsets, beaches, rainbows and beauty everywhere you turn. I am grateful for the peace I get when I take the time to enjoy the beauty of a sunset.

I am grateful for my parents!!! How lucky I am to have been born of goodly parents! What a great strength, support and friends they are to me! I'm grateful for their examples, for their love, for the lessons that they continue to teach me and for loving my hubby like they do! (mom, you glad I finally updated my blog? ) :)

And lastly, but certainly not least. I am grateful for the love of my life! For the never ending adventures, laughs, and support. I am grateful that he is my best friend and loves me and accepts me despite all my many flaws. I am grateful for the constant joy and (at times) frustration that he is in my life! Can't imagine what I would ever do without him!

So these are just a few things that I am grateful for today. What are you grateful for? Have you taken a minute to even think about it? If not, I hope you do! We all need to take the time to be recognize the things we are grateful for!