Friends <3

As if having children weren’t enough delight, the mums I get to meet because of the things Beth and Ben do mean I have such lovely, lovely friends. I’d have never met them without our littlies: creatives, hr advisors, magazine designers, makeup artists, accountants: all mums. It’s as though I’m part of a club, and the entry requirement was a baby- so with 3 I get to stay in the baby years just a little longer.

Last year, and I’ve said this before, was a countdown kind of year, we counted down to my big birthday and then to the birth of my baby Alyssia. I think since then I’ve been finding our new pace of life. Having our three beautiful children dressed/fed/happy/playing/being kind/loving them/and back to feeding can sometimes feel like a demand. I keep reminding myself that however selfless I have to become, it is nothing at all in comparison with the selfless gift of life that Father God gave when he sent His Son. And God who is everything has enough grace for me to complete what I have started! There is enough grace for each situation we face, to be content in all that we do and to do it well!

Isaiah 40 in the message explains it so well:

27-31 Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,
or, whine, Israel, saying,
“God has lost track of me.
He doesn’t care what happens to me”?
Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?
God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.
He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.
He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.
And he knows everything, inside and out.
He energizes those who get tired,
gives fresh strength to dropouts.
For even young people tire and drop out,
young folk in their prime stumble and fall.
But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.
They spread their wings and soar like eagles,
They run and don’t get tired,
they walk and don’t lag behind.

Tired out to me, in this season, is waking every few hours to feed my little baby. But tired out in a previous season was lesson planning, project planning, writing reports, completing assignments. I don’t get brain tired right now, just physically tired so the promise for me is that God will energise me. I was reading ‘The Art of Mentoring’ by Darlene Zschech she poses the question: what would you do if you could do absolutely anything? And that is what I’m going to find the rest of this year finding out. I want to spend my time on things that matter and not just busy myself “doing good”!

We have planned a week away for writing and talking and relaxing over Christmas and I’m so looking forward to what we come up with, new songs for Ryan ?! Although I do feature as a co-writer on one of his songs… No, I really do. But I must be about 3-5% co-writer as I don’t even remember the song, and really, it wasn’t my effort, I was reading and talking as Ryan played guitar and he used one word out of what I said I do however remember where we were: in a tiny chapel in south Africa. It was 5 years ago and it was a beautiful time away, sunny, hot and relaxing! Less of the hot this winter break, but more writing and creating for sure.

Have an energising day too xox

Where I’ve come from

I was reading something I had written in September 2008. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I read the hopes, dreams and real issues that we were facing back then. If I’m brave enough I’ll edit it to include here. It was about the reason(s) I left teaching and the reason I am where I am today. Looking back on my those days and years – and thankful I didn’t blog them… But I am thankful I found what I had written, the way I trusted God even though I didn’t know what it would look like today! The way I desired peace in a way I have now – but didn’t know what it looked like. The way God has brought us as a family to where we are now – well, almost we are still waiting for one

Reading back: It didn’t feel like me, the emotion and the whirl of the circumstance you are in seems magnificent when you are in it. But looking back, it is incredib;e how you feel a situation is your everything. But, it was no surprise to God! I am blessed. I am enjoying the journey of life where God has brought us to.

I don’t have much more to say except: Thank you God for never letting go of me! Whatever hard situation you are in, may you know that it will not last forever. And don’t believe the lie that it will…. His promises mean there is an end, a fresh start

With Love, thanks and more hope than I thought I would find, A xox

So much to write about: Love Life.

Well. My dear Blog I am sorry for neglecting you. The thing is that I have so much to write about. I do not know where to start. So I will start at the beginning (of the silence) and hopefully by scattering my thoughts I will become regular at blogging again

So, where shall I start? This is what I’ve heard is OCD…. At least a certain kind, where you have so much going on you (perhaps) cannot start, I heard it in a movie, the girl was talking about housework…. Wait it’s in Julie and Julia. But I’m happy. My house (gasp) is tidy. I’m even hiring the rug doctor in a few hours. I’ve got a little wish that not only will it make the carpets ‘soft and bouncy’ (yep it said that on the review!) It will grab things I no longer need/want/use and somehow dispose of them into it’s MASSIVE ‘industrial sized’ hoover-upper-thing. Ok so now you know my secret wish it does sound a little um, far-fetched doesn’t it? heehee The other thing about today is that the big charity bag is being collected. I love this day – well, not as much as going out for coffee, or celebrating someone… but still! It means that the bags and bags and bags and bags of clothes/toys/books/”brick-a-brack(ok who willingly purchases this… I for sure don’t but it accumulates!) can be collected and the charity gets money: and my house gets a tiny bit emptier…. So I will help my friendly rug doctor along and allow it to make my carpets ‘bouncy and soft’ and hopefully back to their original condition – of course I’ll let you know… [this section was called 'housework'. Now onto more deeper things!]

Thankfulness: I have blogged on thankfulness, a lot. Type it into the search bar up there on the right hand side. I even tried the 1000 things to be thankful for, and even though it didn’t work on my blog so well, my life shows my thankfulness. Not only to God but to people. Not only to The One who made it all possible, but to friends – and the best kind of friends – family – and those God has placed around me. I like to give compliments. Who doesn’t like to receive them? No-one. So, the lady in the nice, new, big Tescos (which is fab and I will go back there time and again, and people who say it’s ‘too big’ etc… go back again and only go down a few aisles it will feel smaller. It’s an amazing store ) The checkoutlady was so helpful, more than a normal checkoutlady. She was chatty and kind, and talked to Ben. So off I went to Customer Services to tell them – she needed to know how thankful I was for her loveliness.  I wonder how often it would have come more naturally to complain rather than compliment in the past. The Staff told me that people ‘don’t usually do that’ and I was pleased I’d made her day in a teeny weeny way.

Last week, I went on a school trip with my precious daughter’s school. And I have to say going back into the classroom for the first time in over 4 years – ahhhhh – ok I’ll say it… I missed it. (did you just hear that..?!) I honestly did. I loved the way the children told the teachers their stories when they saw her. I loved the way the children clambered over each other to sit close to the teacher. I loved the way they told their news, and even though it wasn’t life changing for the teacher, she heard every word and made each one feel special. I loved the way they did their songs to get them sitting on the carpet nicely. I loved the way a little boys’ yoghurt exploded and he came to me for help………. And my proudest moment: Beth puts up her hand and says “Miss, my mummy is in the classroom – look she’s there, Hi mummy!” I loved being ‘Bethany’s Mummy’ for the morning. I never missed school before – I must have forgotten a lot of it. Can you believe it? And no, I’m not yet ready for a career change (!) But I am so glad that I made a wise career choice and have my degree and teacher qualification with me so that if ever the time was right: I’ll be ready. The classroom was bright and the teacher was bubbly – the whole R year were delightful. I couldn’t resist calling the Head later that day to thank her for such a wonderful school, and for giving my daughter such a brilliant start in her school life – the lovely head assured me she would pass on my compliments as it wasn’t often they had phone calls like this. Knowing my daughter was in the best environment in a loving and caring and educational atmosphered means so much to me. I had to thank them (kind of small to use words in retrospect isn’t it…? But I used them well!)

The ten leppers. I don’t fully understand this scripture in Luke 17 (especially if you read the whole chapter… Will ponder some more and ask some people!) But the gist of several verses is that there are 10 lepers with gross skin diseases. They all get healed and only one (who turns out to be an alien – well, a samaritan) returns to thank Jesus. That means that 90% forgot/got too busy with their new life/couldn’t be bothered etc…. I don’t want to be bundled up into the 90%. It’s harder to be thankful, but a conscious effort makes it become natural: try it. Life will be easier, your friends will want to be around you, and people will wonder why you glow…. Looking for things to be thankful for takes the bad from a ‘bad day’ because there’s always so much to look around and see that will shift your focus. And that I can promise you!

I still have more to say, but my little boy has come down for a snuggle. Bringing with him 3 dogs of various sizes He asked for a ‘tanket’ (blanket) and now he’s all cosy, the coffee pot is almost all finished, his gingerbread man is eaten – well apart from the arms.

I am thankful for all I have been given, for the lovely people God has placed in my life, for all that I will do today. I get to see Beth in her Christmas play – this year she is a villager, last year she was the ‘main star’ (I think that was a pun from her fab preschool staff; as she was!) and the year before she was a little angel. And. I’m thankful that you wanted to read my blog – thank you xox

 

Me: a reflection

What a beautiful few days I have spent with my family. Thanks to teacher training days = days at home Bethany and I have been baking mince pies (totally delish ones) and peppermint creams with dark chocolate. Yummy. Benjamin has been learning to talk. And real words too. Like ‘luv woo’. Yep my boy says that he loves me And so many other things, really cute in his gruff boys’ voice ‘hank woo’ is thank you but a few octaves lower than one would usually talk. He is adorbs!

Bethie stayed at mums and Ryan and Ben did the gardening, so I could do what ever I wanted. So I went to the hairdressers. I didn’t have my usual girl as I wanted an appointment TODAY…. But my new hairdresser was equally lovely. After a few chats and styles she blurted out ‘you love your life don’t you!’

Yes I totally do. What a beautiful reflection on my life. As I sat there looking in the mirror watching her cut the dry ends and restyle my fringe I was delighted that ‘my life leaks’ for the good. I wasn’t putting on a show. I was just being me. And enjoying the moment of being pampered.

We are now only a month away from my big thirtieth birthday (party) I am so excited to enter my next decade. My (gorgeous) husband has bought me THE best present ever. And he said I can open it when it arrives. Ahhhhh I cannot wait. It arrives 1st December, what a fabulous start to my birthday month  You want to know what it is don’t you? Well. I can’t tell yet. I don’t want to ruin the surprise!!! (yes, of course I know what it is. Ryan said I’d been wanting one for a long time…. I had no idea I had. Well, I do remember seeing one in a shop window in August and saying ‘ahhh I would love one of these. One day…!’ And then an old lady near me pointed out the price tag and said that I could probably find a better one. But a more beautiful one? I wasn’t sure. But I did…. I mean, we did!)

And then we will spend a couple of days away together – sans children – first time since we had two… We are really looking forward to the ‘birthday break’ and enjoying coffee shops without having to ask for it to be poured into a ‘to go’ cup (see, we won’t give up on our faves!). We will enjoy walking the river, browsing shops, shopping perhaps, but mostly completing our conversations in the daytime. Lovely interruptions happen just when I’m about to make a big point – ahh Ben’s in the fish tank. Or just as Ryan is telling me an answer; Beth needs attention right NOW. Can’t wait. I wouldn’t have it any other way. But for 2-3 days we will enjoy alone time

This weekend has been great, although I have an early meeting at Church… early… I am ready. And so excited for the coming weeks. Then it will be Christmas. Beth went into the garden and brought in some really long branches, and I popped them in a vase (they are just sticks with buds no greenary) and they look quite trendy in the vase. Funnily enough Beth is refering to this as her ‘Christmas Tree’ awww I think we’ll have a proper one too my girly! In the mean time, I might just put some twinkly lights on the branches…

Hope you had a great weekend too. Love a xox

Thankfulness: 1000 things to be thankful for

I was just reading Beni Johnson’s blog on 1000 things to be thankful for.  I know I have written about thankfulness before , but this was a new thing to me.

She was challenged at a conference to write 1000 things that she is thankful for. Made easier by doing 25 a day for 40 days.

I can do that. I am always thankful, always grateful and always hopeful. Perhaps living a life thankful

Ephesians 5:

⁴Let there be no filthiness (obscenity, indecency) nor foolish and sinful (silly and corrupt) talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting or becoming; but instead voice your thankfulness [to God]….[the promise therefore is] inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

So, Scripture here refers to silly talk, even foolishness (not meaning don’t have fun, but the coarseness) are not becoming. ‘That’s not very becoming’… I read that somewhere. I want to inherit the Kingdom and I will voice my thankfulness.

There are another 147 scriptures on giving thanks, which I will study over the coming days.

A heart of thankfulness for

1. My God
2. My children
3. My husband
4. My Mum
5. My Dad
6. My Sister
7. Nathaniel
8. My friends
9. Good Health
10. For people who care for me
11. For my life
12. The way I am so overwhelmingly blessed
13. The little things that people think of me and text a word of encouragement
14. Or come up to me and tell me what they have heard from God
15. Being able to listen to the voice of God
16. And… act upon it
17. That I can obey God and encourage others
18. For fresh coffee – so glad they found the coffee bean way way back
19. For the inventor of cake – who knew sugar, marg, egg and flour could be so delicious when mixed together
20. For other people’s blogs
21. For the detail in the small things – like the tiniest bud on a flower
22. Or the prettiest shape on an apple blossom
23. Or Cherry Blossom
24. For the cutest things Bethany says: Snow Blossom (for Cherry Blossom)
25. That I can spend so much time with my children and bring them up just as we want to
26. For today – I have no idea yet what we are going to do, but in writing my thankfulness I am already feeling way more blessed than when I sat down with my coffee an hour ago.

OOps I went up to 26…. It wasn’t that hard at all. Can’t wait to post more! try it? and comment so I can find your blog…

Have a wonderful day, whatever you do, where-ever life takes you.

Much Love, A xox