A Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, Thursday 3rd October 2013

Outside my window...
it's dark and I have no idea if it is still raining, which it was earlier.

I am thinking...
about something a friend's daughter said to her today about prayer and wanting to encourage the little ones to pray and see results.

I am thankful...
for so many things.  Especially the opportunity to go into schools and give assembly talks.  This week's was fun!

In the kitchen...
We bought the new Jamie Oliver book,



and have been trying out some of the recipes this week.  Today I cooked the mothership roast chicken and have already portioned off the leftover meat and carcass for 2 further recipes over the next 2 days.  The Roast chicken recipe comes complete with roast potatoes, carrots, and other veggies and proper gravy.  Honestly, it was the best roast chicken I have done in ages and the best roast potatoes outside of using goose fat, which we only do at Christmas.  Click the link and check out the book.

I am wearing...
a black t-shirt top and cargo style trousers.  I have my hair half up in a ponytail, sitting on the other half that is still down.

I am creating...
hmmmm, I finished creating an art journal page this morning (see image below) and am wondering what to work on next.

I am going...
to the church building tomorrow morning for a local school to come and celebrate their harvest festival.  It should be fun.


I am wondering...
what the weather is like in Frankfurt in November.

I am reading...
as usual I struggle with keeping up with regular reading.  I'm an all or nothing kind of girl when it comes to books.  Sit and read the whole thing in one sitting, or not at all.

I am hoping...
for a fun date time with my husband on Saturday.

I am looking forward to...
a trip I will be making to Frankfurt soon.  My husband has to work out there for 6 weeks, and instead of flying him home in the middle for a weekend, his company has agreed to fly me out for 10 days!  I will have to occupy myself while hubby is at work, but seriously, with my Kindle  and a few art journal supplies I should be all set!

I am learning...
new art journal techniques and new ways of combining my art with my faith through the Made eCourse.

Around the house...
We got a new control unit on our cable tv yesterday after the old one just died!  It was so obvious what had happened from our call to them that the repair guy came in with the new box already in his hand.  He can't have been here longer than 10 minutes and it was all fixed.

I am pondering...
how to help my husband's Germany trip go smoothly but maintain the closeness of our relationship, especially during the time when I am not over there.

Quote for today...
"You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. ... No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others." ~ Martha Graham (dancer)

One of my favourite things...
right now is to spend time in my craft room.  Unfortunately this sometimes means other stuff that should get done isn't getting done.  oooops.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
School harvest festival at church building tomorrowDate time on SaturdayChurch on SundayOperation Christmas Child, shoeboxes, school assembly on MondayOpen the book school assemblies on TuesdayHappiness school assembly on Wednesday, complete with silly voices.

A peek into my day...

You can check out the simple woman's daybook here or the other sites I link up to over in my sidebar. Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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Life As We Know It - update

Back in December I blogged about my father's illness.  At that time he was given days to weeks to live.  He is still with us.  On Christmas eve, the nurses at the hospital managed to get him a bed back in the hospice.  For a few weeks he improved as he fought off the repeated infections he had had while in the hospital.  Then he reached the end of that upswing and continued on the downward journey that the cancer brings.

He wants to go home, but as he lives alone this just will not be possible, so we are currently waiting for an assessment of his care needs which will be followed by a move to a care environment.  Which will take place over in our home town, about an hour's drive from here, because that is where my sister and my dad's girlfriend still live.

My dad

who looks so like his dad,

My dad who is struggling to come to terms with what is happening to him.
My dad who always knew how to have fun, always knew how to challenge us to achieve, always looked to serve others in some way, my dad who is coming to the end of his journey.  I love him and I wish this wasn't happening to him.

It has been hard to get my head around blogging, around putting words on a page, around planning and actioning craft projects and recipes.  It has been hard to think of those things as we have travelled this journey.  It has also been a time of transition for me in my calling, but more of that to come over the next few days.  That, of course, has added to the difficulty in putting words to the thoughts swimming around my head.  All those things I thought I was so sure of have been thrown up in the air and left to fall back down where they will.

So, that's where we are at, right now.  I aim to get back to blogging on a more regular basis, but I needed to start with this, so that you all know where we are at and the reason for any absences.


You can check out the sites I link up to over in my sidebar. Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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Theme For The Year?

I know a lot of my online friends, and now more and more of my IRL friends seek God (or choose for themselves) for a theme or a word for the coming year.  This is something I have been doing for a number of years.

2007 was the year for Seeking God for Myself not relying on others
2008 was the year of Rest
2009 was the year of Breakthrough
2010 was the year of Simplicity
2011 was the year of New
2012 was the year of Enjoy the Adventure

So, 2013?  

Honestly, I don't know yet.  There is nothing that is impressing itself upon me and I have a comfortable feeling in my spirit about it.  I am fairly certain that I won't have my theme for 2013 confirmed until the Spring.  It's odd, but I am OK with it.  So check back in with me at the end of march to see if I have come up with something.  See you then?

OK, I promise to blog at least a bit before then!


You can check out the sites I link up to over in my sidebar. Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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Review on the year - 2012

It's been a couple of years since I answered the review on the year questions.  You can find links to the set I did at the end of 2010 here, part 1, part 2, part 3.

I am not going to answer the full set here, so if you want to check out the full set, go follow those links.  Here are my highlights from the review on the year for 2012.

What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?

Hmmmmm, I prepared and gave a mini sermon to a group of peers on a leadership training course, I also prepared and gave a talk to 2 school Christmas Carol Concerts, with all staff present as well as many parents.  Normally when I do my talks to the children, it is children and a handful of staff, and goes on for about 15 minutes.  This was far more adults than I am used to and I needed to aim it at both the adults and the children and keep it below 5 minutes.  I think I did an ok job and got asked to repeat it for the church on the Sunday before Christmas.

What countries did you visit? 

I didn't go abroad at all this year.  I don't think we even crossed the border into Wales this year.

What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? 

This was more to the end of the year, (read my previous post for details), but I would like more peace of mind, to have a more level playing field in which to plan.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Being patient over an opportunity that had been hinted at at the end of 2011, that only came to final fruition at the end of 2012.  I have some forms to fill in and return later this week, and then it shall be all systems go. Normally I would not be good in the waiting, and in other things this year I wasn't, but in this I knew that if it would be it would be, but in God's timing and that I just had to wait.

What was your biggest failure? 

I struggle with consistency.  In many areas of my life, but particularly in eating right, staying healthy, and in regular journaling.

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing new.  I still have sleep apnoea and have had the regular minor coughs and colds that we all get, but nothing other than that.

What was the best thing you bought?

hmmmmm, possibly the top I am wearing right now.  I went clothes shopping with some vouchers I received for Christmas.  I found this top in the Sales and it was the last one in my size.  I loved it.  But then, the security tag would not come off.  10 minutes I stood there as one member of staff after another tried to remove this security tag.  I stayed calm, I even completed the transaction on the other items I was buying, but I wasn't giving up without a fight, so I waited some more and EVENTUALLY they managed to remove it.  It left a TINY hole in the fabric, for which they took another 10% off the price. I win all round I think!

What do you wish you'd done more of? 

Journaling, both art journaling and written journaling.  I am a better, more balanced person when I take the time to work through stuff in my journal.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Visiting hospitals and hospices.  Not for me, but my dad.  Not that I don't want to visit him, just that I wish I didn't need to, I wish all this wasn't happening.

What was your favourite TV program?

NCIS? NCIS LA?  Difficult decision there . . . . .  Your opinion?

What was the best book you read? 

Unlocking The Heart Of The Artist

What was your favourite film of this year? 

The HOBBIT, The HOBBIT, the HOBBIT!  Seriously, there was one scene that made me cry so hard I had to remove my 3D glasses.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 

The trouble with answering questions at the end of the year about my birthday is it was way back in January and I honestly don't remember!  Arrrgghhhhhhh!

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?  

A trip to America to meet up with my friends!

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? 

Comfortable but introducing more colour towards the end of the year.

Who was the best new person you met? 

All the people at the Prayer Spaces in Schools training day.  What a day, what an experience, what enthusiasm, what encouragement, what teaching, what amazing practical ideas.

You can check out the sites I link up to over in my sidebar. Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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Life As We Know It

Life as we knew it changed for us some time ago.

A few years ago my Father was diagnosed with prostate cancer.  If caught early the prognosis is very good and most men with early prostate cancer won't receive any treatment at all at first, eventually moving through the stages of treatment as necessary.

For my dad we jumped a few stages.  His had already spread to his bones when he was diagnosed.  It was serious.

In the last 2 and a half years we have had a number of CRISIS moments, when we thought we would lose him.

Two days ago they removed treatment for the infection he has been fighting and now we await the end.
It could be just a couple of days, it could be as much as a couple of weeks, we don't know.  Your prayers would be appreciated, THANK YOU.

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Helping 2 Charities in 1

If you have been around my blog over the last couple of weeks you will know that I was planning on donating my hair.  I made an art journal page based on that, I showed you how to prepare a photo for trying out different hair styles, showed you how to use the best website for that and then showed you a few that I wanted to choose from.

Well, the deed is done!  My hair is gone!

Before and after photos.  I am on the left.

WHY?  Because it was time.  It only took me 2 years to grow my hair from shoulder length to where it is in that top picture and it was just time for me to do this.  My friend in the pictures decided to join me.

WHO?  We donated our hair to a UK charity called The Little Princess Trust, here is a video about what they do:

We were also sponsored to do so for another charity that is dear to our hearts. Calla was established to confront and disrupt human trafficking in all its forms. Their specific purpose is to combat internal trafficking of children and young people for sexual exploitation.

Calla aims to

• Raise awareness of the existence of internal human trafficking by working with all forms of the media at local and national level
• Access and host affordable specific training for all working on the front line
• Support victims and their families, to see a restoration of dignity and self worth

One of their tag lines is Information, Support and training for CHANGE, and if you spend any time talking to the Calla team about their aims, the topic of it being TIME FOR CHANGE will come up.

Since we were both making a big change to our hair and both feeling that it was TIME FOR CHANGE, we felt that Calla was an obvious choice to receive the funds raised in sponsorship for cutting our hair this much.

WAS IT A SHOCK?  I'll let another photo speak for itself on that one.

HAVE I GOT USED TO IT?  Yes, absolutely, this is not the first time I have had hair this short and I am more than OK with it.  Everything related to my hair is so much quicker now, washing, drying, brushing, everything just takes seconds!  Well, except the drying, that takes a bit longer, but still nothing compared to what it was taking before.

WILL I GROW IT BACK?  Probably, yes, although maybe not straight away.  I might take a few months to enjoy the short hair.

WILL I DO IT AGAIN?  A number of people have asked me that already and it was only 2 days ago that I did this.  I don't know.  I am certainly capable of growing my hair to a similar length again.  Since it is shorter now than when I started growing it before it would probably take me about 2 1/2 years to get it to the same length again.  So, it's not an impossibility at all.  I doubt I would make such a big deal of it if I were to do it again, don't want people getting too used to the idea,  "Oh she's cutting her again and wants more sponsor money off us."  In short, I honestly don't know but I certainly haven't ruled it out.

HOW MUCH DID WE RAISE?  We raised a total of over £100 with funds still coming in, for Calla.

You can check out the sites I link up to over in my sidebar. Before you go, why not check out my recipes index page, or my craft projects index page, I am sure you will find something there to interest you.

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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 it out of my head. 


The following morning that one word got more flesh on it and made more sense. Then that afternoon I was at a lunch with the team of a local anti trafficking group, where we met with the young ladies who put on the play about trafficking at the big fund raiser/awareness event we attended last year. We're going to put on a big event which all the other agencies working on trafficking will be invited to, at which the ladies will perform their updated version of the play, which we will then invite school staff, youth workers, local politicians, etc to, in order to build awareness but also build credibility for he organisation by hosting an event which all the other established agencies come to. Oh and we're also going to be planning a masked ball for October next year as well. Well after that I kind of knew I was right. 


The word was ENJOY. I mean, seriously, like God is going to tell someone to take a whole year to just ENJOY? D'you know what that's not actually an accurate representation of what went through my head. If I'm being more honest it was "Sure, God might tell someone else to do that, (I have a close friend who had a year of Delight) but he'd never say that to me". There, I've said it!  I figured it was something God could quite possibly say to others but never to me.  


I did say that that one word got more flesh on it the morning before the meeting mentioned above.  It did indeed, it became ENJOY THE ADVENTURE So there you have it. 2012, the year to enjoy the adventure.


 . . .


What will that mean? What will it bring?  I certainly don't think it's going to be a year of sitting back and doing nothing and just enjoying life like that, at all.  I have an inkling of a slight possibility of something that MIGHT be coming up, that would certainly fulfil the adventure part for me.  But it isn't even a definite possibility yet, so news of that will have to wait.


One thing I know I am going to be enjoying is the year long online art class I have signed up for over at Willowing.ning, which you can find a link to in my sidebar.  In fact, as I write it is 5 minutes to midnight on New Years Eve and I am waiting for the stroke of midnight when I think the first class (or at least something) will go live.

 . . . 


Do you have a theme for 2012?  If not, maybe it's something you could think about.

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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 to be part of my year but I wasn't yet ready to discuss.  One of those was "teaching".  I had NO IDEA how or why or when, but I knew in my gut it would be part of my year.

If you have followed my blog during this year you will know that I did indeed get to do that.  I travelled to Romania at the very end of the summer to teach craft projects to a group of poor Roma Gypsy women and teens at a project our church has connections with.  These were projects that hopefully will continue and be grown through the people that are still there, and eventually lead to these women having things they can make to sell. It was a hard trip in many ways, but we also had fun.

Other New things,

I have an eldest son at university and a younger son at sixth form college.  That means I no longer have a son at school.

I picked up a new school in my work doing talks in school assemblies.  I also lost one because their schedule can't fit around the other new thing.  I now lead a team of 4 of us women from church plus the head teacher of the school, doing weekly bible story assemblies in our closest school.  It has been a really exciting first term doing that and we have had lots of positive responses.

Do the New things end as 2011 ends?

As in previous years, there is certainly going to be an overflow of the previous year's theme into the new year.

On 1st January, Life Book Starts and I am really excited for a year of online art classes.

And as last year there is another possibility in the wings, waiting to be fleshed out and opened up.  It fits with both the theme for 2011 and the theme for 2012, but at this stage is still only a POSSIBILITY, so I won't be talking about it until I know more.

Later today I will get around to writing a post about my theme for 2012, so check back tomorrow if it's not up there yet!

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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:

1. 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.
   
   
2. I started doing this myself a few years ago and have noticed more and more people commenting on their themes for the year.
   
   
3. Some years this has been a process of taking time out, sitting with God, looking at the previous years theme, how that went, praying, reading, listening, and other times it has just been one word or phrase that dropped into my spirit and I KNEW that that was the theme for that year.
   
   
4. Some years the theme seems like a really nice one and you approach the year thinking "Yeah, I can DO this, this will be fun." and other years you approach your theme with a little trepidation.
   
   
5. For instance, I have friends whose recent themes include Patience, and everyone knows if God wants to grow patience in you, He's going to put you in some situations that will require you to grow patience and those might not be fun. I have another friend whose theme for the coming year is Enjoy and I'm really excited to watch and see what God does with her this year.
   
   
6. Other years you look at your theme and you think it's going to be one thing and looking back on the year at the end you see it totally fitted with your theme BUT absolutely NOT in the way you had expected that to work out.
   
   
7. As an example a few years ago my theme for the year was "Seeking God for myself, not relying on others to speak into me." I thought "yeah, I can do this, lots of time praying, reading my bible, listening for god to speak, yeah, I can do this." What I did not expect was for it to be the most isolating year of my life socially, where a lot of relationships were stretched, broken, and there were fewer and fewer people close enough to be able to speak into my life. I had no choice but to seek out God for myself.
   
   
8. Then there was 2008. REST! Great, fantastic, slow down, take it easier, REST. HA! God really has a sense of humour.
   
   
9. I started 2008 knowing that I was having some medical symptoms that I suspected were sleep apnoea related. I had tried to seek medical advice previously but had been rebuffed by our family doctor who would not refer me to a specialist. As my symptoms began to worsen, and I realised I had less and less energy, needing frequent 3 or 4 hour daytime naps just to get through the day, falling asleep sat up at the computer desk, and even, at times mid conversation with my family, I knew I would have to face the doctor again. And I was prepared for it to be a battle, I was prepared that I would need to FIGHT to be heard.
   Alongside that, hubby and I had been struggling in our role as small group leaders at church. We had taken on what turned out to be an incredibly difficult group, for various reasons. We HAD previously tried to get help in our role, but had not been heard, we had even tried to quit before, but had been persuaded to stay. I was prepared for this, too to be a battle, I was prepared to have to FIGHT for what I knew God was doing in me!
   
   So, here were two situations in which I was totally expecting a battle.
   When I finally got up the courage to approach the doctors again, in the end I got my referral to the sleep clinic! PRAISE GOD. I went to my first appointment and for the first time in relation to these symptoms I felt like I was really HEARD. It truly felt like God had gone before me and prepared the way.
   
   Small group leading? It was awesome. We hold no blame over the couple who led the ministry at that time at all, and they were absolutely fantastic, totally coming to terms with where we were at, apologising for not having realised before and giving us the space to step back with no repercussions.
   
   So, two situations in which I expected battle and found nothing but the way already prepared before me.
   A year in which physically I was forced to take more and more rest as my symptoms grew.
   A year in which I tried to make much more of a focus on getting to "soaking" meetings, where we just sit on a comfy sofa, or lie on the floor and rest while appropriate worship music is played over us. Sometimes someone prays and sometimes they don't, but we just SOAK in God's presence.
   Then, at church family camp 2008 I had the most amazing experience.
   I wasn't sure about how attending camp would affect my sleep, and not being able to nap during the day, etc, but I went anyway, figuring if had to hide out in our unit I would. There was this one meeting, and worship was awesome, and I was singing and dancing, and then the tiredness, slowly began to come over me. And I got to a point, where I could not dance any more, but I still stood and sang, and raised my hands. And as the tiredness grew, my hands came down to hold on to the seat in front, and then I had to sit down and eventually even stop singing. I could not even muster to the energy to do that. I COULD NOT fight the sleep, I could not DO anything for God in that moment, I did not even have the energy to think through the words of the song in my head, it was all I could do to just BE. And in that moment I felt the nearness of God like I have NEVER felt it before, I felt His love and His closeness, and His passion, and it overwhelmed me. I mean, seriously overwhelmed me. I could DO NOTHING, and in that moment He came to me. I could DO NOTHING and in that moment He poured out His love on me. I could DO NOTHING and in that moment he came to dwell with me. I could do NOT ONE THING to make myself acceptable to God, I could not earn it in any way shape or form, I could not even keep my eyes open in the worship service, and in that place, He expressed His passionate love and care for me.
   
   
10. 2009 began with a theme of Breakthrough but in fact, at first glance, it started with some situations that did not look like breakthrough at all.
    I would not be allowed to drive my car for a few months at least. Due to my diagnosis of Sleep Apnoea, my driving licence had been medically revoked. My precious little gift of a car was put off road for a while!
    I was to receive a local bus pass because of that but that would take 5 or 6 weeks to come through, so in the meantime, and for any journeys after it came through that were not possible by bus, I was reliant on others!
    
    So, NO, this didn't look like breakthrough, and it didn't feel like breakthrough, but I KNEW that I knew that I knew, that God, the Father had His hands completely on this whole process and that He would use this, even this to bring about the breakthrough He intended!
    
    And at the same time, I was heading towards some fantastic moments of breakthrough that I already knew about!
    Hubby and I celebrated 15 years of marriage in February. Something a lot of people never thought we'd do!
    I got my CPAP machine (Sleep apnoea treatment) at the end of January 2009 and despite an early struggle to get used to it and moments of absolute despair at the possibility of things never improving I am now able to go about my day without falling asleep and without needing daytime naps and live life more or less normally. Of course there are still bad days, bad nights, and I still don't have the energy to do EVERYTHING, but this is SO much better than things were before I got treated.
    The restoration of day time energy levels meant I could focus once again on losing some weight and increasing my heart health through exercise! And that year I lost almost 30 pounds.
    I have also seen breakthrough in other areas of my life, I got my driving licence back at the end of the summer 2009, and God met me particularly in the struggle and desire for deeper female friendship, with that being met in more than 1 way. God had also spoken to my local church about breakthrough, that October, using the very verses from Joshua that I had used to back up my theme for that year.
    
    2009 was NOT over yet when I wrote this list of points. I did not Believe the year of Breakthrough was over yet! I believed there was much to come, both in the remaining 5 weeks of the actual year, and truly, I believed beyond that! When I sought God for a theme for 2010 it was not denying the breakthrough that would continue, it was merely adding to it!
    
    
11. So, 2010? This list was originally written in November 2009 and friends had been speaking of their themes for this coming year already, and I was refusing to even acknowledge it, refusing to accept that this was possible. I was still in the middle of my busiest 2 months of the year and quite simply, it was not even on my radar and I was fine with that.
    
    
12. THEN, one morning in November 2009, I was lying in bed and a thought dropped into my head, ONE WORD! And I thought after it, "Oh that might be my theme for the year" Then I reminded myself that I was refusing to think about that yet and that anyway was I really sure I wanted a theme like that? Remembering what I said up in points 6 and 7.
    I mentioned to some friends that I thought I MIGHT have my theme and was GRUMP GRUMP GRUMP in response to it.
    The truth is this theme fits in with other things that God has been speaking to me over recent weeks, and was confirmed by a blog post from someone whose writing I trust, the morning I wrote this list.
    
    
13. One word - or at least one word, that can be put in a number of different ways.
    SIMPLE
    simplify
    simplification
    SIMPLE!
    Not working harder and harder, but working smarter. Not doing things just because "well someone's got to do it" but focusing on those things that I believe God wants ME to do. Not doign things because "Doing A is the only way B is going to happen" but trusting God that what He has promised to do, He WILL do. Simplifying STUFF as well, de-cluttering, getting rid of junk, emotionally, spiritually and physically. NOPE, I don't think this is going to be an EASY theme to live through, but I think it's going to be an adventure, and I am up for that!

addition in December 2011:

Check out the following links to see other posts on my yearly themes

What I Thought Simplicity Would Mean in 2010

How the Theme for 2010 Actually Went

Finally, a theme for 2011  

An Art Journal Page to go With My Theme for 2011

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Summer Bucket List

Summer (as far as break from school is concerned) for us usually starts at the end of the 2nd week in July and finished 6 weeks later at the end of August. This year will be different. Youngest is in his last year of compulsory education and finishes the day of his last GCSE exam, which is Friday 17th June. 

I do still have a bunch of school assemblies to do in July but since they only take an hour each, I’m counting our summer as beginning on Saturday 18th June. Eldest returns from his internship later on. In total that gives me 10 weeks of summer! YAY!

So, with such a long summer, a bucket list in order.

• Start and grow a sourdough starter (I’ve actually already almost begun this process).

• From that sourdough starter make pancakes
• From that sourdough starter bake bread
• From that sourdough starter bake 1 other item
• Go on vacation and sit on the beach as much as possible
• Ride on a steam train

• Make something for my Etsy shop every week
• Celebrate 4th July with a meal from the Jamie Oliver American cookbook
• Travel to Bath to celebrate Eldest’s birthday and visit as many of the gorgeous craft shops as possible!
• Begin walking again and work up to longer walks.
• Find and buy a pair of shoes that actually fit me properly!
• Get back into journaling and keep it up
• Keep up the art journaling
• Try and do something creative EVERY DAY
• Get some more things started in our veggie garden and keep on top of the plants already there, watering, harvesting and so on.
• Do something totally, completely and utterly NEW
• Sunday Night Jazz at the Mytton and Mermaid, even if we only have a drink in the bar.
• Declutter at least 1 shelf, cupboard or drawer per week
• Raise all the necessary funds for the Trip to Romania
• Hold at least 1 car boot sale in order to raise that money
• Put together file of sewing projects to leave with the ladies in Romania.
• Order and edit Sunday’s Cool materials for September
• Purchase necessary items for Sunday’s Cool for September
• Get back on track with healthy eating and lose at least 1 pound a week (not a huge target, so very achievable).

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New Things Check in

It's been a while since I've done a Check in on my theme for 2011 of NEW things!

In my last post on the topic I hinted at a new shower cubicle!  Oh yes, hubby has finished that job.

There used to be a gaping hole there where we had had to punch through in a previous plumbing emergency.  Hubby pulled all the old tile and water softened (from the plumbing emergency) board out, put a new piece of aqua panel in and tiled over the top.  And now we are able to shower again!  Yay!

Another new thing is my sewing machine.  Hubby decided to buy me the machine that I had my heart set on, after we received a small sum of money in an inheritance.  I knew I wanted a Singer, but had my heart set on the heavy duty model.  The heavy duty models kind of fill the gap between their standard home use models and their industrial models.  For the way I sew, I knew this was ideal.  This machine will stand up to a lot of use.  I don't tend to sew that often but when I do sew I tend to do an awful lot over a few days, using the machine almost constantly during that time.  I knew this model would stand up to that kind of use.

Singer 4423 Heavy Duty.  I have no affiliation with Singer in any way I just love this machine.

Here's what happened when I got it out of the box.

I am still working on keeping up with my thankfulness journal. I might not write in it every day or even make a weekly thankfulness blog post but bit by bit I am working on that.

I am still moving forward with plans for a trip to Romania in the summer and may have some dates to share with you next week.

We have begun our garden for 2011 and I may post an update to my previous post tomorrow, showing you any growth in the various plants.

Finally I have a number of new books to read.  A couple of titles on prayer, a book called Chazown which is about finding your God given vision and defining it, a book about the Jewishness of Jesus and lastly the new Max Lucado book, watch out for a review on that next week.

Sooo, did you have a theme for this year?  How are you doing with that?  Is it going well?  Are you able to make sense of it or are you wondering what on earth is going on and how your current circumstances could possibly fit with that theme?

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Eating Out

Yesterday I was telling a friend at church about all the different places we have eaten out over the last few years using coupons.  Mainly we went through the list of the places we have used vouchers that we get from a particular supermarket through points that we earn as we shop.

At the last count we have used coupons at a Spanish Tapas restaurant, a French style restaurant, an upmarket fish and seafood restaurant, nicer pizza restaurants, and others.  Of course those vouchers earned through points are not the only way of saving money on your restaurant visit or other purchases.  There are a number of coupon websites out there, and if you are looking to buy something it is always a good idea to check them out before you decide where to get your item from.  You can save considerable amounts of money if you do this on a regular basis.  And yes, even here in the UK!

It is true coupons and coupon codes over here will never be the same as in America, particularly in the area of groceries, but you can get good discounts on other items through them.  Check out the site linked to in this post, it is one of the best coupons sites for the UK.

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Sometimes I need reminding

From a few years ago when hubby and I renewed our vows.


Andrew, I love you. I love you for what you are, but I love you yet more for what you are going to be. I love you not so much for your realities as for your ideals and your dreams. I pray that you dream big dreams and I promise to be here by your side, to see them come true.

I want you, Andrew, as my life’s mate. The love you have given me has reached into my heart and taken my soul captive. I have known no other love like yours outside of God and I joyously recommit myself to you, as I did 11 years ago.

I will share with you all the good and all the bad of life, all the laughter and the tears. I will rejoice in your strengths and help you develop them and I will encourage you and love you in spite of any weaknesses you may have. Not always shall you be what you are now. You are going forward toward something great. I am on the way with you and I love you. I will love you the rest of my life, because it is my choice to do so. This is the covenant I make with you."

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New Things Check In

It's been just over 2 weeks since I last checked in on how my Theme of New is going for the year.

There have been a couple of NEW things since then,
The first is another creative pursuit and actually has a number of NEWS within it.
I made myself a handbag.  A fully lined handbag, I've never done that before, so in itself that was new.
I made the front panel using some techniques I have picked up from Art journaling, spraying inks and then rubber stamping.  I've never done either of those things on fabric before.

And I made a fully lined, zipped pocket inserted into the lining of the bag, again something I had not done before.

The 2nd NEW thing is kind of related to that, in that it came through sharing those photos on facebook.  This is still ONLY a possibility, no concrete plans BUT our church has a connection with missionaries to one of the gypsy communities in Romania.  She commented on the photos on facebook saying she wished I would go out there and teach some of these projects to the gypsy girls because they are looking for projects for the girls to be able to make so that they can sell them.

I've talked to just a couple of people at church about it and am certainly thinking it might be possible. 

The first problem is that my passport expired in November, so I have begun the process of applying for a new one and am waiting for those forms to come in the post.  I don't think my photo will have changed that much since my last one, my hair is a lot longer, but that is all, so it should just be a case of getting a new photo, signing the form and posting it back off with birth certificates etc.  Maybe I'll pay the extra to get it checked at the post office before I send it.  So that's £77.50 I think, plus another £8.17 if I do the post office thing, GULP!

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New Things Check In

So a week or so ago I wrote about my theme for 2011, New!  I figured it would be good to check in every now and again with an update on whether I have managed to do anything new during that time.

Yes, a few things NEW.
Firstly in my art journal I used something that was going to go in the trash, I used the foil off an after dinner mint, as part of a page.  See all those bits of gold on the right hand page? 

Then I did an assembly at a school that is new to my regular assemblies. I have done an assembly there before for Operation Christmas Child, in my role as volunteer presenter with them, but never one of my regular assemblies that are what I do for my job with my church. This school is in walking distance from my house, and the assembly went well. Some of the assemblies I do are not at all interactive but this one is and so far it seems to be going well. I had to make a prop for the assembly and managed to do that with things I already had, rather than having to go and buy anything.

I have read through the bible in a year before but on my own, never as part of a group and this year I am doing it as part of a group on facebook.  We're each reading whatever version we want to and using the "in a year" plan that suits us best but coming together on facebook and discussing, it's amazing.  In fact one of the things I want to do today is maybe ready a bit further than my readings for today so I can get a bit ahead so that if I have to miss a day then it won't put me behind my plan.

Also Hubby and I sat down with the calendar a couple of nights ago and pre planned date nights for 5 months!  We have never done that before, always planning week by week.  The trouble with planning week by week is that it can often get missed as life gets away from us.  We know eating out is expensive and there are always reasons to eat out on nights other than date night such as family events and so on, so we don't want to spend too much on date night.  I have done themed date night meals in the past, both Indian and Chinese, I have a little bit of dishware that goes well with each of those themes and occasionally will make a few paper decorations to go with the theme as well as making a spotify playlist of music from that nation. I think I will be having to do some research on both music and recipes as these are the themes we have over the next 5 months:
Australian
Chinese
American (for groundhog day)
Maylasian
French
Welsh
Pancakes (for Shrove Tuesday)
Irish
South African (must ask our South African friends at church for ideas)
Fun food (for April fools day)
Mexican
Japanese
Jewish (the week fo Passover)
Royal Wedding
Greek
Italian
Vietnamese

Finally something NOT QUITE new in that I had done it before but a long time ago.  I have started keeping my thankfulness journal again.  A separate journal that i keep on my nightstand and write in before bed most nights.  I try and write at least 5 things that I am thankful for in that day.  It is a really good way to end the day and is proving useful in reminding me of all the blessings I DO have in my life.
The last entry in it before I restarted it was 2007 and that was only 1 entry, so a failed restart, because the entry before that was 2001!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  10 years ago that I last did this consistently, so I think it kind of counts as NEW.

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Remembering Nattie

Who was Nattie? I knew her first through an email group for Christian journalers, and later, much better through a group called Women At Home.

Yes, I only ever knew her online, and certainly there were others who knew her so much better than I did, but I will not resort to calling her an online friend, as opposed to an IRL friend, because that takes something from what she was (and other women on w@h are) to me. She was and they are In Real Life Friends. They are REAL, they exist, and they are there for me.

I am blessed to have known Nattie. She had struggled in various areas of her life but always came up smiling, always pointing us back to the Father. Nattie, I miss you!

To finish I want to share something I wrote on W@H back in 2008. Someone had asked us to imagine what Nattie had been doing in heaven that past year. There's nothing more to add, so I'll leave you with this:

I see her dancing with THE Father.


AS a daddy dances with his daughter.


I see her laughing and playing with him, sitting in his lap, talking about all the times she had to do that without the two of them in the same room, when she had to believe he was there, holding her.


I see her watching the hard situations that some of us are facing, and watch her talking to the father about it, watch her crying WITH HIM, over their pain, and then smiling again because the father is telling her of the plans he has for them and how he is going to bring glory out of the darkness that the enemy has tried to bring to them! I see her even laughing at those plans he is sharing with her, because they are so outrageous in grace.


I also see her reading, and I see her talking with authors who have also made their way to heaven, as if she and they were old friends. And I see her, watching the keen readers amongst us, seeing what they are reading and almost at moments, leaning over their shoulders, as it were, to get a peek at the current book of the moment.

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Home Making A - Z

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favourite look like?
I have a number of aprons, but I usually only wear them when I am baking. I have a gorgeous Minnie mouse one that hubby and the kids bought me when we went to Euro Disney. I love it, very subtle and understated, but still cute, although it did shrink the first time we washed it, it's still an OK size to wear.

Baking – Favourite thing to bake
Bread, or no, maybe cookies, or hang on, what about cakes made with virtually no fat, or , or, or, well, you get the idea.

Clothesline – Y/N?
I have a rotary clothes line, but it's not quite straight and our garden (yard) is so small that there is not really all that much room for it, but I doubt we'll be using it again now until the Spring.

Doughnuts – Have you ever made them?
I have made baked doughnuts and fried doughnuts using an enriched dough from Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day.  DELICIOUS but not at all good for you.

Every day – One home making thing you do every day
I make my bed. Well, I straighten the duvet and leave it looking at least neat in that respect. Some days that will be the only thing I get done, other days it will be one of many, but it is usually done every day.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
YES, we have an upright fridge in the kitchen and freezer in the dining room.

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Nope, the budget was limited when we redesigned the kitchen and wouldn't quite stretch to that.

Handbook – What is your favourite home making resource?
I would have to say the internet. If I need to know how to do something, I will always search on here!

Ironing – Love it or hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
HATE HATE HATE it! I hang shirts on to hangers straight from the washing machine and let them dry hung up. There are a handful of items that still need ironing after that because of either the way they are made or what they are made from. I don't wear those very often! And as for people who iron everything even down to underwear, they are just STRANGE!

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Not enough drawers in the kitchen to have one, so junk drawer items find themselves all over the house.

Kitchen – Colour and decorating scheme
light beach wood effect cupboards. Walls are pale yellow with a light terracotta sponged over the top.

Love – What is your favourite part of home making?
Being here!  Being able to be here, having a husband who is willing to make the sacrifices necessary for me to be here.

Mop – Y/N?
I have NEVER found a mop that I think does the job well enough, not in a house with 3 blokes who seem to think anything on the floor is invisible. So if I get really frustrated with the state of the floor, I will sometimes get down on my hands and knees with a bucket of hot water and cleaner and SCRUB!  And I might need to do that tomorrow as with all the snow (and therefore dirt) that has been trodden through the last few days the mop just isn't cutting it.

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I can't remember the last time I wore them, but when I do, I usually pop them into one of those net bags and wash them in the machine.

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
Since I thoroughly cleaned the window, I usually peek through but if something is shaded by something else on the shelf above, I might take a peek by opening the door.

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
EVERYTHING! With extra cheese! Heeheee. If we're eating out we usually have the mega toppings one, whatever it is at that restaurant. If we're buying at the supermarket it will usually be meats, and if we're making at home whatever we have to hand.

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Surf the net, read blogs, play computer games, and sometimes watch TV but not daytime TV, I'll watch something that I have stored on our V+ box.

Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?
I've tried various different things over the years and none of them have ever really stuck for any length of time. Most of the time if I am looking for a recipe that isn't in one of my books at home I'll search the net, usually at Recipe Zaar. I have our all time family favourites listed on there too.

Style of house – What style is your house?
Mid Terrace.

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
Only use tablecloths for special ocassions have some reuseable and washable napkins that I made out of dishtowels (thank you Dana for that idea).

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Not too bad actually, although things are always disappearing back behind the pipes.

Vacuum – How many times per week?
As little as possible, it's one of my least favourite chores.

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
Less since eldest moved away but since he bought a huge bag of dirty laundry home with him on Monday the machine has been on pretty much all the time we're up.  It is a combined washer/dryer though, so we dry in it after we've washed.

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
I really should, things go better when I do.

Yard – Y/N? Who does what?
I don't touch it! That is all!

Zzz’s – What is your last home making task for the day before going to bed?
D'you think if I had something like this it would be easier to get things done? Yes, probably it would, I mean that's where Fly lady starts after all. MAYBE, ONE DAY!

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FINALLY my Theme for 2011

In my last post I wrote about how my theme for 2010 went.

Now it is time to finally share about my theme for 2011.

As in recent years I had not even really begun to think about my them for the year and then someone said something in passing, about someone else and PLONK, it was like a theme dropped into my spirit.   One of my online friends was focusing for a month on doing something NEW every day and I thought "hmmm, interesting, Is that my theme for next year?"
Then someone at church was talking about numbers and how 11 was a number of new beginnings etc.  My research on that didn't bring up new things as a biblical meaning for the number 11, but it did make my ears prick up.
Finally, on New Years Eve, obviously everyone was thinking about the New year and New starts and so on and the following were quoted by friends on facebook:

Revelation 21:3-6 (The Message)

^3-5I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighbourhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God. He'll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone." The Enthroned continued, "Look! I'm making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate."

LOOK!  I'm making everything new!

“The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul" G. K. Chesterton

And finally my own son quoted

See Life from a NEW perspective !!!! That is the start of a NEW reality !!!Happy "NEW" Year !!!!! 2011

OK OK, I know that people are usually thinking about new things at New year, but seriously OK OK I get it, 2011, NEW THINGS.



What am I expecting from 2011 with a theme of New things?

There are already a few New things this year that I already know about.
Firstly I have picked up a new school with the assembly talks I do for my job.  It is another school in walking distance from my home which is good because on New years Eve we scrapped one of our two cars and the 2nd New thing is that I will be back to travelling to my further away assemblies by bus.  However hubby has assured me that before the end of the year we should be able to pick up a New (to us at least) car.  Finally, another thing for my job and I should by the end of the year be leading a team of adults that are doing weekly bible story telling assemblies in a local school.

Those are the things I already know about.  There are other things that I have a gut level feeling I might be doing for the first time this year and I know at least one of my friends who will tell me "I told you so", (yes, you Tam).  I'm totally clueless on how that one will happen or when or where, and I'm scared by it and not ready to share what it is yet.

Back to the person from church who talked about the number 11 and one thing he said that if you are looking to see new Things starting you often have to be ready to let go of some old things, or see them end, in order for the new thing to begin.  I will hopefully be able to keep that in mind, but am aware that some of those things that end might not be things I want to end, but be things that God needs to have end in order to do the new things He wants to do in me.

So, in short,
2011 - New Things

New starts, New Perspectives, New ways of thinking, New things to do, New ways to BE, NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW

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How my Theme for 2010 Went

A few posts ago I wrote about what I thought my theme for 2010 would mean.  I had intended to get to the post about how that turned out yesterday, but something came up, so here we go . . .

There's just one sentence that comes to mind when I consider 2010 and my theme word.
NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN

Looking over what some of my friends have said about 2010 and their themes, I am not the only one.
I lost focus and got off track and did not Simplify as much as I had hoped to!  Although at different times throughout the year I did simplify in different ways and had begun to pull things back into focus towards the end of the year, which led to me giving in and rejoining FlyLady after all these years.  Over the holiday period that has fallen by the wayside and now I have been struck down with a cold but when I get over this I do intend to get back on track with that.

The decluttering?  Well, I didn't get as much done as I had hoped, but there is certainly LESS STUFF around here than there was at the start of the year, and in fact there is a big box of stuff waiting to go to the charity shop, mainly Christmas decorations we no longer need.  I was going to get them to a charity shop in the run up to Christmas, but all that snow prevented it.

And some things which may not be looked at on the surface as simplifying were actually a way for me to bring things down to basics and focus on what really mattered, such as the art journaling.  That too had fallen by the wayside towards the end of the year as I withdrew from pretty much everything and hid from myself and everyone, because I was feeling overwhelmed just by life.

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What I THOUGHT Simplicity Would Mean in 2010

1. So, in the last post I shared some things about yearly themes. About what they are, how I receive mine, how some previous years had gone with their theme and so on. Go read it if you have any questions. Here is the list I wrote back in November 2009 about the theme I felt I had for 2010.
   
   
2. In that previous post I shared that despite declaring I was not yet ready to even think about a theme for 2010, I did indeed know what it was. SIMPLIFY, or to put it another way SIMPLIFICATION.
   
   
3. So what does that mean? Well, to an extent it means a variety of things because I believe it is going to affect many areas of my life. But in essence it means working smarter instead of harder, focussing on the things that matter and decluttering.
   
   
4. I believe I need to SIMPLIFY in terms of health, I need to focus on what matters, losing some weight so I can eventually get off the CPAP and live a normal life without it. This in turn will affect many of my other health issues. Along with that will go exercise. SIMPLIFY that by just getting on with it and doing it rather than making excuses. If it's too cold and wet to walk outside, get on the blasted treadmill and DO IT! It's not complicated, it's not difficult, it's SIMPLE!
   
   There is no easy way out, no quick fix, the only long term way that is going to do this is to eat less and move more, deny yourself some of the time, but not all of the time, and if you believe emotional crap from your past is affecting your ability to do that, do the hard emotional work of working through it, with help if you need it.
   
   
5. I believe I need to SIMPLIFY in terms of my work. STOP stressing over which schools to send the letters to and which not and just send them to all the schools in our target area. I also believe I need to bring it back before God far more. Pray daily, weekly, monthly and yearly, each in slightly different ways, but with a focus on this work, on the children that need to hear the good news, on the teaching staff that need a break from having to lead assemblies, on the heart and soul of our future - children.
   
   
6. I believe I need to SIMPLIFY in terms of chores around the house. I am still working my way out of the situation it got into when I had so little energy due to the sleep apnoea. I still don't have the energy levels I would like but they ARE so much better than they had been. Some of the problems are also because with the reduced energy levels I got out of the habit of doing stuff. I need a simple, easy to use and follow schedule that takes into account that my work hours are at different times on different days every week of the year.
   
   
7. Along with SIMPLIFYING the chores, I think I seriously need to de-clutter, SIMPLIFY what we have. I am not as extreme as some people, but we do have too much stuff, stuff we don't use, don't need and sometimes don't even want. for instance, this morning we have thrown out at least a dozen pairs of old shoes that we were all hanging onto "just in case" or because we hadn't got around to throwing them out yet.
   
   I wouldn't go as far as to say "If you haven't used it or needed it in a year, you need to throw it out", but I do believe we can seriously streamline our belongings. As mentioned above we have begun this process, on a gentle scale, but gradually things are being taken to the charity shop, or if they are not good enough for that, to the local tip.
   
   
8. There is something in my gut that says we may NEED that de-cluttering. Maybe that is jsut so that if and when we take advantage of our better financial position to refinance with a better deal, the valuer who comes to the house sees a much tidier, in better condition house. Or, maybe there is a move in our future. I don't know, MAYBE there is, maybe there isn't, to be honest it's not something I see, strongly, just that there's enough of a stirring in my stomach that we NEED to do this de-cluttering to make me wonder.
   
   
9. I need to SIMPLIFY my spiritual life. I try to make things so complicated, looking for this book, or that method. And the truth is, I need to read my bible, pray and journal each day. Anything else comes on top of that, anything else while useful is not vital. The only VITAL thing is KNOWING that God loves me beyond measure and moving towards deeper relationship and walk with Him.
   
   
10. I need to maintain a SIMPLICITY to my trip to America. there are many many people who want me to make time to see them. I cannot do everything, see everyone or go everywhere. I ONLY have 2 weeks. I have chosen a focus, and will have to practise using the words "I'm sorry, I just can't." I need to keep hold of the reason for this trip. This trip is about friendship first and foremost, about meeting up with a group of crazy women whom I love as if I had known them all my life. But I am coming to understand that it is also about my relationship with God. About getting me out of comfort zone, out of routine and in a position to listen in different ways to what he is speaking to me.
    
    Dana, BTW, I am looking forward to making great use of those chairs out back of your house! heeheee. Journal, chair, beautiful view, good friends, oh YES! hmm, might need a pen to go with that journal!
    
    
11. Church fellowship? Well since it turned out that my theme for last year, AND the scripture God gave me to back it up, was used by the couple who came to speak at our church camp in October, who knows what this could mean for our church this year. We are still in a situation where we could be moving from the building, so it could be to do with that, but it doesn't have to be. How do we as a fellowship need to SIMPLIFY? This is something I need to think about, write about and share with the leaders in the next week or so. I need to LISTEN and share.
    
    
12. I can SIMPLIFY my online life and time. Each day I need to check emails, facebook, 2 particular message boards and my googlemail. I would also like to add writing a blog post each day but again that is not essential. What I need to cut out is the amount of time I spend sat at this computer desk just looking for something to fill my time. SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY, SIMPLIFY!
    
    
13. And so, we're at number 13. I am not sure if I mentioned in the previous post abotu themes. But one of the things we like to do is find a scripture to focus on during the year to go with our themes. Usually my scripture comes a week or two behind my theme.
    

Stay tuned for a post on how the theme and my year actually went.  It wasn't quite according to plan!

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