Wintec Student

           Right from the get go I could tell this was going to be a special year, our tutor was incredibly inspiring 

and the rest of the class was made up of really talented amazing people, it was great to journey together.

             One of the challenges, [actually requirements] we had was to draw a picture every day and see the improvement. 

The trick was to spend just a few short minutes on this task, not 20 minutes per drawing. Easier said than done.

Our first major project was to design and furnish Kieran and Kerriann's Kitchen / Dining and Lounge area. 

The mood board is followed by plans, elevations and perspectives.

Our major project for the 2nd semester was to renovate Brad and Jen's home. It was an old country villa that had 

miscellaneous add ons and this young family needed a house with flow to emerge out of the cacophony.

      My Inspiration for the Jones project came from their very own roots. Brad's kiwi upbringing meets Jens English heritage 

      and journeys in a new direction to embrace raising an active family in rural NZ. This is a unique marriage of solid 

      English country mixed with a generous dollop of kiwi art and style.

     Check out the artwork in the living area - this was one of my main inspirations for the area, a honey of a piece by Daniel 

     Kirsch. Through to the rear of the kitchen we find a  fully stocked scullery is hidden from view and a convenient 

     mudroom deals with the necessities of country living The back door leads out to the repositioned clothes line that has 

     found more sunlight. This home is woven together through classic style and design restrain. It is seasoned with 

     welcoming comfort and flair for all to enjoy.

This year has been very humbling, learning has been difficult and without the help of my classmates at times

 l would certainly not have passed. I have appreciated their patience and wisdom on many occasions. 

 Taking the time to help and  to love people is hard to do but l am grateful for the people who have invested in me. 

We can all be pretty awful at times, and loving and helping others is always a risk but a risk worth taking.  

I figure if l can bounce back from hard times, other people will be encouraged that it's possible.

[check out Joseph's life in Genesis 37 verse 1 - 50] 

Don't look in the rear vision mirror. 

Life is constantly changing. If we don't like that, we'll find things pretty hard. 

We have a choice to get over mistakes and to forgive.

 (God actively wants to help you with this, by the way. It's probs worth a chat with Him about it.) 

What now? Take some time today to thank God for the people he puts around you.

                                                                                                                                          Tony Ogle

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds! Let every created thing give praise to the LORD, for he issued his command, and they came into being. He established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked. Praise the LORD from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and storm, wind and weather that obey him, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, reptiles and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them all praise the name of the LORD. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! He has made his people strong, honoring his godly ones -- the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!    Psalm 148 The Bible

Christmas is coming!!!

Yo ho ho…Christmas is coming well for me that is kind of a reality. I have just managed to make it through the first Christmas Party of the season. It went something like this… My sense of smell is sort of intrinsically connected to my heart. I tend to repetitively tell people they smell nice and my hands start waving round Italian style when l go into those boutiques that are filled with potpourri and lavender sachets.

So like 5 days before our [actually 1 of our] Christmas parties I decide I am going to have a lavender Potpouri Christmas theme. Ahhhh, so as it happens we have an amazing lady who has a lavender farm in Ngaruawahia, I go visit her and find I need to order the lavender off  her and can't pick it up till Thursday, the party is Saturday.  Lavender Farm

Meanwhile I also have the brainwave to paint our 2 very large tables…RED. This takes me and my obedient son Dylan a whole day. Sanding plus 4 coats of paint equals headache. The tree goes up Wednesday in-between painting and I decide to reuse some of our old Christmas baubles. I paint them lavender, spray glue them, then roll them in the dried lavender. This works pretty well. I finish them off by tying some pretty ribbon round the top of them and I alternate them with gold and fluted lavender baubles. The tree is a success. The tables which had looked decidedly scary when we painted them upside down actually come up a treat when we turned them upright and l was on my way to seeing my little Christmas vision come to fruition. 

Next problem, candle sticks, I had none. I headed down to the local Ngaruawahia Anglican second hand shop and found a little wrought iron number , which I promptly painted to match the red table, plus I grab a delightful porceline rose candlestick holder. 

I also spotted a great tall glass jar that looked perfect for displaying  my new stash of dried Lavender. So after parting with the large sum of $12 l take my finds home. Now it's time to maneuver my newly painted tables, tatty hand me down sofa and chairs, borrowed 2 x pews etc around repeatedly till l find a match that vaguely resembles the vision l have in my head. Oh how much fun and hard slog this all is.                                                        

 

Another thing that added to meld together a successful Christmas Party of people who often only meet at funerals and weddings, was to pick up a throng of interesting books suitable for various ages. This proved very useful and is a great conversation starter.

Above Gran Kimpton is checking out the Marvel Chronicle with Levi, our new 13 year old. The Hydranges are from my friend Lynne. They always add an olde world touch and fitted well with the lavender theme.

So 30 of us gathered  together, we sung a Christmas Carol - everyone had a "30 second moment of fame" to share what they had got up to over the year and then we meandered down to the bush and relaxed watching the kids play in the boat - 3 of the  very brave girls swam in the pond, it was fun. There were no presents, it was great to have no commercial pressures put on us. Just being together was a special gift, especially as we have recently seen a favorite Uncle go to be with the Lord. Jesus said: “For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?” All the material gifts in the world are not going to guarantee that we will have the happiest Christmas. As a matter of fact, the opposite may be true. we can become irritable and resentful because of all the added stress of fighting our way through mad crowds and traffic. The recipients of your gifts may not have shown you as much appreciation as you had expected. And, maybe an argument broke out after your spouse or children told you that your gift missed the boat altogether.” The words are a reminder of Christ our greatest gift of Christmas. We claim the promise of those words “born for us,” and “a son given to us.” The words come to us as gospel, GOOD NEWS!  Christmas Story

What a gift Jesus is for you, me and the whole world! Christ is unlike all other Christmas gifts or presents. Other Christmas gifts are limited, temporal, and often conditional. On the other hand, Christ our greatest gift offers us his unlimited grace and forgiveness; his gift of love lasts forever; and he offers himself to us without conditions. Such a great gift works in us and through us; touching us in the depths of our being. In response we too are then able to give and be bearers of gifts.
 We do not have to give or worry about giving to meet certain conditions; we do not give out of fear of punishment if we fail to or by being coerced into it; we do not give to earn acceptance or gain brownie points or to save ourselves. No, because Christ accepts and loves us unconditionally; we in response are set free to give, love, and serve others unconditionally. Christmas is our celebration of God’s ultimate gift of love. God saw our pain, our devastation, our hopelessness, our brokenness, and our fragile love and he loved us so much that 
“…he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3 v 16 The Bible

Jesus is God’s ultimate gift. “Here, this baby is for you.”

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us.” Jesus, the greatest gift of Christmas—for you, for me, for everyone. 

May you have a very Merry Christmas and no that know matter what you do God made and loves you very much.. 
Check this out - a cute song - Hush there's a baby

“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” ― Mother Teresa

 Love from The Kimptons
Pentatonix - Carol of the Bells