2012 - The Year to ENJOY

I really was NOT going to go seeking a theme for 2012, honestly, truly, I wasn't going to stress about it and make a big deal of it.  It wasn't so much that I was determined not to have one, just that I wasn't going to actively seek one out.It seems God had other plans. One day at the end of November I thought I got an inkling of something, just one word but it seemed ridiculous, so I pushed...

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Taking a Trip in the Coming Year?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of My Travel Checklist for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. One of the things I did in the last year was take a trip to Romania.  This wasn't any ordinary trip, it wasn't a holiday (vacation), it was a trip to a mission project that my church is involved in to teach craft projects to a group of Roma Gypsy women.  That meant my packing...

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2011 - The Year of NEW

If you want to know more about yearly themes, or about my recent yearly themes and how 2011 came to be the year of NEW, check out my recent post about my yearly themes and the links I shared at the end of that post.Specifically, you might want to check out the post from the beginning of 2011 about my theme for 2011, NEW, how I came to that realisation and the bible verses I was standing on.    If you read that you will see there were certain things I was pretty sure were going...

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What is a Yearly Theme all about

Reposting from December 2010, which is, in itself a repost from December 2009, which was an edited version of what I posted in 2008.  Anyway, here it is: I first came across the idea of themes for the year a few years ago through reading the blogs of friends. Basically the idea is to seek God for an underlying theme for the coming year and then watch how He works that out in your life. Also considering your actions and lifestyle in light of that theme.I started doing this myself a few...

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Living Thankfully

Another week, another list.  Here we go then, in no particular order, I am thankful for . . . . 499.  Fun evening playing Wii with my boys and hubby.500.  I reached 500 things on this list.501.  Don't think I badly hurt the kid I accidentally whacked on the head with a microphone in this morning's Christmas celebration at church.  He seemed OK when I last saw him.502....

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How Much Could You Save?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ING Direct for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.Do you have a savings account?  In these tough financial times, savings might be the last thing on your mind, but it is still important to put some money away, especially when the rainy day is more likely to be around the corner. Having that buffer to fall back on might be just what you...

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Christmas Shepherds in Colour

You may remember this picture from a few posts ago:There was some question over whether I should colour them in or leave them as they were.Then a week went by and this happened:Can you see that?  Yes, a child took a crayon to the wall.  I spoke to a couple of people and it was one of our young adults who gave the most insight.  He said if you were a child, with access to...

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Living Thankfully

Another week, another list.  Here we go then, in no particular order, I am thankful for . . . . 482.  Eldest is coming home from university this week.  It will be good to see him.483.  Youngest saying what needed to be said in a difficult situation.484.  Husband who while eager to move forward in a particular area is happy to wait and not pressure those making the decision....

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No Tree?

We only have a small house and as various bits of furniture have been added over the years, there has been less and less room for a tree at Christmas.  So I am having to find creative ways of using our decorations.  In the dining room, I decided to go with something that hangs from the ceiling.We have a whole load of blue tree decorations from a blue phase I went through a couple...

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Living Thankfully

So much to be thankful for this week.  Here we go then, in no particular order, I am thankful for . . . . 461.  Journaling 7 days running!  Compared to recently I am doing well and this is something I am so thankful to God for because it keeps me grounded and helps me grow.462.  Children in school assembly who are totally willing to "give it a go" and eat a whole chocolate...

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Christmas Shepherds

It seems the job of organising the decorating for Christmas at church has fallen to our small group.  Thankfully others are helping but we are doing a lot of it.  I volunteered for one corner in the main room and the room that the children meet in (although the idea for that room came from someone else, I am actioning it).The corner of the main room that I am decorating is where we have...

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Advent Anticipation

Referring to Luke 2:21-40I cannot begin to imagine what it must have been like for Anna.  To have waited and waited and waited for God to show up.  Always waiting, staying faithful, never giving up, day after day after day.And THIS day, when it started, probably seemed like every other day.  I wonder when she realised.  Was it the very moment Mary and Joseph entered the Temple,...

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Living Thankfully

Loook, 2 weeks running!  How impressed with myself am I?  This week, in no particular order, I am thankful for . . . . 446.  Both my sons.  The first doing an amazing degree in stage management and apparently having lots of fun but working very hard during show weeks (this week being one!).447.  The second doing well at sixth form and winning a RECORD 7 awards (including...

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Bible Costumes - Egyptian Princess Wig

I am still making costumes and props for our Open the Book Team.  Open the Book is a program that takes weekly Bible Story assemblies into schools that are local to  the church providing the team.So far, I have shared our first team photo (we were the 1000th team to be registered), quick and easy basic costumes, Joseph's Multi coloured coat and a basic male Egyptian costume as well as one...

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