Godzgear Girls

Season's End, Goodbye For Now

07:34:00

"A Roadside Pickupping We Will Go"

05:06:00

Oh it’s so much fun!

It may be below a lot of people to take a drive past piles of other people’s rubbish, searching for the odd potential prize bit of rubbish, but I really enjoy it.

Here in Western Australia, our local government allows people to place certain types of rubbish out on their verges at set times during the year. The rubbish is picked up by trucks and taken away.

As the saying goes, “one man’s rubbish is another man’s treasure”.

As a family we have collected many useful items and building materials. When we first set up our little farm, we were able to find gates, fencing posts, scrap metal, fencing wire, pots, doors, paint, tiles and lots more. We have put a lot of these to work on our farm. There is still a stock pile of much needed scrap metal, gates etc. that comes in handy at times.

You might be thinking that our place must look like a junk yard. Absolutely not, it is beautiful. Some of the gates we have found were ornate and with a lick of paint look rather grand. Other cattle gates add to the rustic charm of the place. We have beautiful old solid cedar doors that adorn our garage. My husband has even cut some up for strong shelving in the shed. The chook pen looks great with its recycled door and an old trampoline spring to pull it shut. The possibilities are really endless.

My son was able to acquire many bikes and parts to fix them. We had a great collection of bikes and he learned a lot about them. Some bikes just needed air in their tyres and they were as new.

As I look around my yard I see an old garden bench that we picked up and restored, a lovely ornate round metal garden table beside it. There is an old hospital bed head leaning against the garden shed, and a rusty metal dairy milk urn taking a prize position by the path. What about the antique metal wheelbarrow, with bulbs growing in its tub, and that brass bell that adorns the cubby house. Oh, as we are on the subject of the cubby house. It has a lovely recycled kitchen, ornate metal veranda railing, nice steps, veranda floor boards, bookcase, woven reed baskets, the list goes on. They all come from roadside pickup.

My family went to work in the outback of Australia for a few years. We gave a lot of our gear away before we left and so when we returned, we had no beds for the children. Although we had mattresses , we had no frames. Well, our wonderful God provided. As we went roadside pickupping, we found near new bed frames for all of our four children. God is so good.

We have so many stories. Lately my daughters and I do it the most. We make a day of it and take the ute to our local large town about 50 minutes drive away. A lot of what we picked up last time, we have already sold again. We clean it up a bit and make a bit of pocket money when we sell it on our local second hand website. (see my article about selling your second hand goods on the internet) Some of items have come in handy around the place. I especially love to pick up suitcases. People seem to throw out perfectly good suitcases. They make great storage containers. (See my article on storage) I have three beautiful cushioned dining chairs for extra visitors to sit on. All they needed was a dust off and they looked new. I recently saw similar ones in a furniture shop and they were priced at over $200 each. Astonishing.

It can be a bit embarrassing at first but you get over it. Sometimes we actually ask the people if we can look through their pile on the verge. They nearly always cheerfully oblige and even bring more stuff out for you. We have had it where they took us into their shed and offered us good stuff that they weren’t throwing out. If you are pleasant and respectful, people respond happily. Unfortunately some people may rummage through a pile and leave it a mess. That’s not nice. Be aware that most people feel that the pile of rubbish is their property and so it is. Just ask, if you see them, otherwise be smart, respectful and pleasant.

Have a go. You may find something useful, save some money, and even begin to enjoy it.

Written by our Dearest Mother

Aspiring Daughter

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 5 ~ Toys & Games

06:55:00

Hi everyone

Today I am back with the fifth and final part of my 'Peek Into My Hope Chest' series and this post will be looking at the toys and games that I have collected for my Hope Chest.

If you missed the first other posts in the series, you can go back and read them first if you wish.

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 1 ~ Kitchen Items

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 2 ~ Books

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 3 ~ Baby Clothes & Quilts

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 4 ~ Chinaware

Here we go...

The little plastic people at the right have quite a story to them. There are more of them, but these are just a sample to give you the idea. When I was little, we were browsing in an op shop one day and I picked out a bag full of these little plastic people which looked interesting to play with. The bagful was only a couple of dollars and my Mum liked them, so we bought them and brought them home. These simple toys became fast favorites and we spent hours playing with them as kids, creating colonies and reenacting time periods. They were tough, so they could be used outside, and they were small and quite, which made them the perfect toy to take along when we went visiting. Unfortunately, we lost our original plastic people when visiting one day and they were not seen again. Turns out they were a limited edition children's collectible set that had failed and been liquidized through op shops. A few years ago, we were reminiscing about the little people days and I went on a hunt to see if they could still be purchased. I was able to locate a used set for a reasonable price as someone was clearing out their stash. Soon these treasures were added to my hope chest.

The marbles at the back are a combination of some that my grandmother gave to me and some that were a present from my brother, both when I was little. I love the versatility of marbles and how classic they are. The little puppet dog on the right, who is missing an eye at the moment, was a craft that my Mum did with us kids when we were young as a spontaneous homeschool project.

These games are ones that I have collected in recent years. I like how playing a board game gets people together and interacting while having fun. The top two are just general board games and the bottom two are jigsaw puzzles, also another nice way to get people together. I prefer the 300-500 piece puzzles as they seem to take just the right amount of time to complete when you are working on the puzzle as a group. These two puzzles are the same size and very similar pictures so that they can be used for puzzle races.

The doll on the right is 45cm (18"), and is wearing an outfit that I made a while back. I like the idea of giving girls dolls that have the proportions of a girl, rather than the doll looking like a mini adult. The wooden plane is a biplane that I made with my Dad. The yellow yarn doll on the left is one that I made as a young girl and is nice and soft, small and quiet, making it a nice toy for younger children.

The fabric doll at the right is a traditional Russian style folk craft, which was given to me. The remaining items are traditional Dutch pieces that were my grandparents and great grandmother. I like the history they hole and want to pass that on to my kids one day.

So that's it, the final peek into my hope chest! I hope you enjoyed this series and are inspired to dig deeper into meaning practice and meaning of keeping a hope chest.

Until next time,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you would like to find out more about what a hope chest is, why to have one and how to start one, my ebook 'The Hope Chest List' answers all these questions and more.

‘The Hope Chest List‘ explains the purpose of the hope chest in the past historically, but also emphasises its relevance in the present and future. It inspires the young woman to think about the future but practice for it in the present. The ideas presented in this book have been carefully collected over time and are now available to inspire any young lady to be wise, resourceful and creative. Most of all, the young woman is encouraged in Godliness.

This book includes lists of items for the hope chest and lists of skills that a young lady might want to acquire. There are some great bonus extras that provide a great read and useful tips.

Download Here

Aspiring Daughter

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 4 ~ Chinaware

20:42:00

Hi everyone

Today I am back with the fourth part of my 'Peek Into My Hope Chest' series and this post will be looking at the chinaware that I have collected for my Hope Chest.

If you missed the first other posts in the series, you can go back and read them first if you wish.

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 1 ~ Kitchen Items

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 2 ~ Books

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 3 ~ Baby Clothes & Quilts

Here we go...

This set is one of my more recent additions that I got from a car boot sale that my sister and I happened to see as we were driving along on our way to meeting we had. We had some time to spare, so we stopped and were able to find some real treasures, this set being one of them. Blue and white are some of my favourite colours when it comes to china, so this was a nice find.

These cups were actually bought as two different sets from op shops (thrift stores) on opposite sides of the country. The first set I found at my local op shop for a couple of dollars and the second set I found when I was on a family holiday in another state in an op shop that we happened to drop into, also for a couple of dollars. I love the fact that they are a nice balance between being really feminine and plain. I don't mind if one of them breaks when I'm using it and they work out really well if I want to offer a tea cup to someone who is not really into 'girly' things. These cups can also make a great gift for a friend to go along with some of my yummy tea mixes.

The white plates actually came along with the blue and white set at the beginning, they just happened to be in the box when I bought the set. The pink and green rose set was a birthday present from a friend that knew that I have a hope chest and that I enjoy beautiful chinaware. The jug is especially beautiful.

Most of these blue and white chinaware items were bought when I was in Europe on holidays once and I had the opportunity to spend some time going to various local secondhand stores. Antique chinaware is so much more prevalent there and there were full sets of antique china in every shop that I went to, if not three or four sets. Although the sets were very well priced, due to weight and financial restrictions, I was only able to take home a few lovely pieces. The teapot is probably my favourite in this lot. I like the medium sized plates, as they work really well for serving afternoon teas or snacks on.

I love the idea of having lots of different teacups combined to make an eclectic sort of 'homespun' set. I was inspired by my grandmother, who kept a little collection of all different teacups that she used to let us use when we came to visit. Each teacup was different and each had a story to go with it. Well, every grandmother with teacups has to have gotten them at some time, so I guess I am getting a head start. These are the stories. The blue teacup and the red teacup at the back left, were ones that I brought home from Europe with me. The teacup with the pink rose at the back was the first teacup that I ever owned, a modern little 'made in china' version. The blue teacup at the back right and the red one at the front right were also brought home from Europe. The two floral teacups at the center front were gifts from my grandmother, passed down from her collection. They are some of my very favourites. The blue floral teacup at the front left was a birthday gift from good family friends. I love the colour and design of this teacup and it it probably one of the ones that I use the most.

The little crystal milk jug was gotten at a local market that happens monthly in our area. It was actually the result of a trade that we did with another stall holder who wanted to have one of the items we were selling. I think we both got a good swap. The silver plated sugar bowl was one that I found in the back of my mothers cupboard while tidying up one day. I polished it up and she gave it to me to add to my collection.

There are a few chinaware items in my hope chest that are not included in this post due to various reasons such as living in the kitchen rather than my actual chest or I just didn't get a chance to photograph the items before making this post.

So there you have it, another peek into my hope chest!

Until next time,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you would like to find out more about what a hope chest is, why to have one and how to start one, my ebook 'The Hope Chest List' answers all these questions and more.

This book includes lists of items for the hope chest and lists of skills that a young lady might want to acquire. There are some great bonus extras that provide a great read and useful tips.

Download Here

Aspiring Daughter

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 3 ~ Baby Clothes & Quilts

04:09:00

Hi everyone

Today I am back with the third part of my 'Peek Into My Hope Chest' series and this post will be looking at the baby clothes and quilts that I have collected for my Hope Chest.

If you missed the first two posts in the series, you can go back and read them first if you wish.

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 1 ~ Kitchen Items

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 2 ~ Books

Here we go...

The denim dress at the top left is one that I picked up at an op shop (thrift store for my US readers), and is almost identical to some of the little denim dresses that us girls used to wear when we were little. The denim is hard wearing, keeps you warm and stays looking good for a long time. The cream moleskin overalls in the top center were also picked up at an op shop and would make a lovely going out outfit for a little boy. The little denim overalls at the top right are a smaller size and made of a lighter material, perfect for summer play. They were given to me by a dear friend who knew that I had hope chest and thought of me the moment she saw them. The little pink crocheted outfit was bought when I was visiting a farm field day and saw a stall full of beautiful crocheted baby items. I had wanted something to remember the day by and this little beauty took the prize. It is a premmie size, so I am yet to know who will wear it. The little pink felt shoes are ones that I made. They are really simple to make and very light, which is nice for little feet. The navy dress at the bottom right and the little pink headband are items that I picked up from an op shop when they were on sale.

The toweling bibs at the bottom left are a gift from my grandmother. They are just like the bibs that she used on her own babies and these ones she had on had for her grandchildren. They are really soft and so easy to wash. The bibs on the right are ones that I made from recycled denim. They are very durable and are double sided, with a pretty cotton fabric on the other side. The little bundle of knitted squares are 'baby scrubbies'. I got the idea for these from this blog post. At the top of the photo is the lovely nursing cover that my sister made of me to put in my hope chest. She puts so much thought into making these and does a wonderful job.

The two blankets on the left were made by me after being inspired by one that my cousin made and then reading this blog post. Although I made mistakes on both of them, the design is very forgiving and they turned out super cute and comfortable. The crocheted blanket on the end was made for me by my grandmother when I was a child.

Quilts can be so pretty and versatile. They can be used on beds, to cover chairs, as wall hanging and as beautiful picnic rugs. I do not prefer to quilt myself, so I love it when I can pick up a beautiful quilt for a good price. The yellow patchwork quilt on the far left is one that was made for me by my grandmother, who is a quilter and made a quilt for each of her grandchildren. The blue quilt and the pink quilt next to it, were ones that I found at op shops for good prices and in great condition. The two remaining quilts on the far right are ones that I was given when a friend was passing on some of their baby things.

So that's it of the textile side of my hope chest. There may be a few other items, but they are serving their purpose in some other location in the house.

Until next time,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you would like to find out more about what a hope chest is, why to have one and how to start one, my ebook 'The Hope Chest List' answers all these questions and more.

This book includes lists of items for the hope chest and lists of skills that a young lady might want to acquire. There are some great bonus extras that provide a great read and useful tips.

Download Here

Aspiring Daughter

Jesus in the Boat

22:02:00

Have you heard the cliché, “Is Jesus in your Boat?” or “I pray that Jesus is in your boat?” I have.

I first heard it in a message that was preached by a pastor of a church. His message was basically that we needed to make sure that Jesus was in our boat so that we didn’t have to worry about our journey through life. He took it from the story of Jesus, with His disciples going across the Lake of Galilee in a boat. The true record of the event written in our Bibles (Mark chapter 4), tells how a terribly frightening storm blew in suddenly and the disciples, many of whom were seasoned fishermen on that particular Lake, became extremely fearful. Jesus, however, was fast asleep. The disciples awoke Him and He calmed the storm by His word of command and the water was still, the wind calmed. The disciples were astonished but Jesus said to them,

“Why are you so fearful? How is that you have no faith?”

You see, they had the Son of God with them, the Master of the Universe. They had no need to worry, because “Jesus was in the boat”.

But the saying that is going around isn’t “Jesus is in the boat”, it’s “Is Jesus in your boat?” That bothers me and this is why.

Who’s boat was it out there on the water of the Sea of Galilee? Was it the disciple’s boat or was it Jesus’ boat? Jesus was the Rabbi and the His disciples followed Him. If He said they were going across to the other side of the Lake, then they got in a boat and went across. They did what He wanted to do, when He wanted to do it, and they went where He was going. He was the Master.

I think it was Jesus’ boat. It was His plan and command to go in the boat to the other side of the Lake. The disciples were going with Him. He was not going with them. If this is the case, then we shouldn’t want Jesus in our boat but we should want to be in Jesus’ boat.

It is a common fault amongst us all, that we think we have great plans and so desperately want God to bless them. We want Jesus to be in our boat to bless our journey. But Jesus does not want this. He does not bless our journey. He is the Master and we must follow Him. We must be on His journey for our life. We must be in Jesus’ boat. Jesus never did anything of His own will but He constantly did His Father’s will. And so us, we must be doing the will of the Father.

We must be in Jesus’ boat.

Are you in Jesus’ boat? I hope so.

~~~~~~~

Written by our Dearest Mother

Free Ebook and A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 2 ~ Books

07:04:00

Tadaaaaa!

My ebook 'The Hope Chest List' is finally finished and is available for purchase on Amazon.

‘The Hope Chest List‘ explains the purpose of the hope chest in the past historically, but also emphasises its relevance in the present and future. It inspires the young woman to think about the future but practice for it in the present. The ideas presented in this book have been carefully collected over time and are now available to inspire any young lady to be wise, resourceful and creative. Most of all, the young woman is encouraged in Godliness.

This book includes lists of items for the hope chest and lists of skills that a young lady might want to acquire. There are some great bonus extras that provide a great read and useful tips.

For 3 days, June 26th-28th, I am offering my ebook totally FREE, so there is now reason not to download the book and have a read.

Please share this limited promotion with your friends who are or have daughters, so that they can take advantage of this great deal and be encouraged.

Download the ebook here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now..... part two of 'A Peek Into My Hope Chest' - Books

If you missed part one, you can find it here

Hi Everyone

I love reading and finding a really great book can be a bit of a treasure hunt at times. But if you do find a really great treasure, all the work becomes totally worth it. Today I want to show you some of the treasures that I have found or collected over the years and now reside in my hope chest. *Note: Due to the space that books take up and the fact that they look very pretty on display, most of these books in reality live in my bookcase.

I am a big picture book fan and I love how useful information can be made so beautiful and easy to understand with the help of a good picture book. The stack of vintage Golden Books in the top left hand corner were mostly inherited from my grandmother when she moved house. I love the stories filled with loving families doing the simple things of life together. The ladybird books in the top right hand corner are for for slightly older kids, about 8-12 year olds. I love the way that just the right amount of information is given in these books, not to much to bore you and yet not so little that you don't actually know anything by the time you've finished. The books in the lower left hand corner are again aimed at older children and are beautifully put together so that they are a joy to read, even as an adult. The three small little square books at the bottom are the first books that I ever owned, given to me by my grandparents, and they are a treasure to me.

The self-sufficiency book is an earlier version of a book that we already owned as a family and I have always enjoyed looking through it, so when I found it at a local thrift shop, snapped it up so that I could have a copy of my own. The 'Be Your Own Doctor' book is perhaps the best natural health book that I have ever come across and is probably one of the most regularly used books in my collection. You can read my review of the book here. The CWA cookbook was given to me by my mother for my birthday when she saw how much I loved using her copy of it. I love all the delicious old recipes that are made from just a few simple ingredients. The 'The Three R's' book by Ruth Beechick, despite it's small size and humble cover, is one of the best books for beginning homeschooling there is. Mrs Beechick's simple, down to earth way of looking at education is a breath of fresh air and so easy to understand. The last book, at the lower right, is a sequel written by Mrs Beechick for teaching the higher grades.

The Heidi books are one of my favourite series. The beautiful writing and simple, real story lines are refreshing and a joy to read. The picture books on the right are some of my very favourites, well written and beautifully done. The bottom book at the bottom left is 'Children of the Oregon Trail', one of the best children's books I have read. It tells the true story of the Sager children who, after their parents died while part of a wagon train, went on to cross the wilderness on foot, alone and with a newborn baby, to get to the Whitman mission in Oregon. I try to get anyone who borrows books from me to at least try reading this book, and not one person has said they were not deeply touched by the book. On top of that book is a budget copy of the unabridged Swiss Family Robinson, which I bought because it was cheap and I wanted to see if I liked the book. Now I wish I had bought a hardback version, as I really enjoyed the book and would like it to live through many rereads.

So there it is

Until next time....

What to put in a hope chest, items to put in a hope chest, the hope chest list, what to put in a hope chest, hope chest, hope chest, hope chest

Menue

Season's End, Goodbye For Now

"A Roadside Pickupping We Will Go"

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 5 ~ Toys & Games

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 4 ~ Chinaware

A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 3 ~ Baby Clothes & Quilts

Jesus in the Boat

Free Ebook and A Peek Into My Hope Chest Part 2 ~ Books

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