Sunday 29 April 2012

Wet and windy

If it can be possible, I think that this week we have had more rain than last week!  It has also been extremely windy but at least the new fence panel has stood up to it - even it has meant we haven't been able to add to it!

The weather doesn't stop us being busy and we have started on some of the kitchen jobs on the to do list.  Also the local DIY store had a special offer on doors, so we have stocked up ready for changing the doors as part of each room's makeover.

With all the rain, the word of the month for crafting and display just had to be splash!  I decided that the theme needed to be blue and I amazed myself at the number of blue papers I already had in my craft stash.


The rain did hold off long enough for the football though.  It was the last home game of the season for Swindon and we needed a win to become champions of league two and be presented with the trophy at home.  The town won 5-0 and a party atmosphere erupted in the stadium.  Josh commented it was the longest he had every been at a football game, as we stayed to congratulate the team, sing "we are the champions" and watch the players revel in the win.  Andy and the boys have taken up season tickets again for next season, so I get my Saturday afternoons back come August.



The excitement never ends in our house this week as we also had the draw for tickets at tennis for this year's Wimbledon.  It's the first year we have been able to go to the draw so we were very excited when Josh's name was drawn and then ecstatic when we were drawn for centre court on men's final day.

Not much time for crafting this week, but we did receive some bible study notes from a stand at Spring Harvest to help us spend more time with God's word.  We also attended a great service today which took the theme of being living stones that form God's church.  As it was the fifth Sunday all the four services came together and there were elements from each tradition, which meant we used a confession from the 1662 prayer book, something I now have to find to show the boys.

This week's bible verse is from Job:

I know that my redeemer lives, 
and that in the end 
he will stand on the earth
Job 19:25


Our prayer as a family is that as we contemplate as a church what it means to be living stones, we will reflect God's wishes for those around us and not our own thoughts and wishes.

with God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x


Sunday 22 April 2012

Regeneration

We have had a busy week this week (when don't we??) but we have got so much done as well.  We started the week with Jacob's scouts being invted to have tea with the mayor and as they needed someone to drive the scouts back to the hall afterwards I was able to stay as well.  The children were able to visit the council chambers and try out the sound systems before being shown into the mayor's parlour to view the collection of gifts past and present mayors have received.  The mayor then showed them the ceremonial regalia she wears and the children got a chance to try on some of the clothing. We then had tea and biscuits (or squash) and each of the children was presented with a certificate to mark the occasion.

Jacob checking out what it is like to be mayor
I had governor meetings this week and have more in the week coming up, I some times feel like I live at the primary school!  Jacob was selected to read at this year's scout St George's day parade so he had rehersals for that and then a presentation evening for a hike both he and Josh entered recently. The "Les Barnes" hike is an overnight incident hike (well is starts at 5pm and is finished by midnight but most of it is in the dark!) and having come second two years running Jacob had been selected as patrol leader and motivated his team to get round as quick as they could and to complete the tasks set before them. All his hard work paid off and this year his patrol won the event.

Through all of this Josh has been working hard at school as more exams loom at the end of next month. 

The weather has been against us for working in the garden this week with wind, rain and hail.  I did find time to make some birthday cards.



All other crafting this week has been by Jacob, with us running around finding him pens and pencils and glue and junk as he prepared for the scout district handicraft show.  Although his victoria sandwich resembled a biscuit he took along his other items and the team won another trophy this week.  Jacob picked up four certificates for his entries.


Jacob's jumk model robot, a poster and pottery with his certificates.
I had help with this week craft inspired by last week's bible verse.  A neighbour of ours turns wood and had taken one of the large branches from the apple tree and has turned it into a bowl  I think this represents the love of God's powers in creation rather than of worldly things, don't you?

Apple tree reborn as a bowl
At church this afternoon, we talked about what it means to be witnesses to Christ's power in our lives, just as the disciples were sent out as witnesses of Christ's death and resurrection.  I hope in someway, this little blog is part of my witness of God's power at work in my life. This week's bible verse is from Psalms:

Everyone who trusts the Lord
    is like Mount Zion
    that cannot be shaken
    and will stand forever.
Psalm 125:1

Our prayer as a family this week is that we find time to study God's word and what it means in our lives, so that others may see God at work in us and want to know more.

With God's blessing from my family to yours,

Jo x

Sunday 15 April 2012

Easter Holidays

We went away over Easter to Spring Harvest at Butlins in Minehead.  We had a great time refreshing our faith and spending time with God and good friends.  The bible application sessions are split into zones and while Andy attended the watch zone (it involved film and TV clips!) I went to the create zone.  We were able to respond to what we had heard that morning through craft (so me!!) and I took the time to complete a craft from the blog a few weeks ago.  Isaiah 53:5, which I said at the time lent itself to Easter.


We also spent some time by the beach with our friends, before returning home via some shopping at Bristol.  We have treated ourselves to a new coffee maker, so rather than my normal plain coffee tonight, I am sat with a frothy coffee, very nice.

We have had a delivery of organic seedings to start the veggie patch off from our veg box farm.  We have managed to plant them up and put over the fleece tunnel to keep off the frost, but we have still lost the courgettes and tomatoes.  Never mind, we can still plant a few more of these.


Andy and the boys have been very busy in the garden, laying down the foundations for our patio and starting to replace the fence down the side of the garden.  All this as well as helping me to plant vegetables and bulbs.  We have definately been making the most of the fairly good weather and the time off work and school.  A few more items have been ticked off on the spreadsheet.

Moving the foundations



The first panel completed!
 So refreshed for another year of service for the Lord, we return to work and school tomorrow.  I have a craft in mind for last week's bible verse linked to keeping a prayer journal, hopefully I will be able to show that next week.  This week's verse is from 1 John 2 verse 15:

Don’t love the world
or anything that belongs to the world.
If you love the world,
you cannot love the Father.

We have spent the week at Spring Harvest looking at John's gospel, so it was good that this week's verse should also come from the writings of John.  We have been thinking about the Church - actually! and what it means to be the church of God.

Our prayer as a family this week reflects on our time at Spring Harvest and attending a baptism today; In our journey of faith there are many points that are new beginnings and so we pray for all who have found God or found refreshment in God, that they may grow stronger in their faith and share it with those around them.

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x


Monday 2 April 2012

Signs of recovery

I missed writing my blog last week as I fell asleep on the sofa.  In my defence we did have a very busy weekend - Sport relief on Friday (OK so only watching it on TV but it was a late night!) then I worked on Saturday and we went to Wembley on Sunday, so no chance for a lie-in.

The weather was good all weekend and the day out at Wembley started so well.  Sunshine as we sat and ate our picnic outside the ground.  Good seats, vocal crowd, then the game started and less said about that the better.

Family day out
The cutting back of the apple tree seems to have given the tree new life (You were right Kate about miracles in nature).  God's amazing creations has shown that even when something seems dead, with the right care new life can be seen.  Not sure if the branches will bear fruit this year they look very small, but we can only wait and see.


Projects in progress (PIPs)
As we start the school holidays I have realised that I have lots of projects underway that need my attention this week.  I read on another blog recently about PIPs so I thought I would share with you what I have on the craft table at the moment:
Christmas Organisers x2 (some of my friends are more organised than I am and are chasing me up on these)
Easter Cards
April birthday cards
Bible verse crafts
Frames for Bible verse craft
Notice board
Menu planner
Teatime rota

However I have finished my new word for the month, which was changed over yesterday as we entered Holy Week, celebrating Palm Sunday.



I found some left over acetate to stick the letters onto this time.  I felt the symbols to replace the "A" and "T" really captured the meaning of Easter for us.  The A as an egg reminds of the new life that we have in Christ and as we open chocolate eggs next weekend we are reminded that the tomb was empty that first Easter, the promise of eternal life.  The naturally "T" lent itself to being the cross, the reminder that Christ died for our sins.

I will also make a new word for the remainder of April, but more of that later in the month.

Andy has started work on the new patio at the bottom of the garden and our organic plants have arrived ready for planting. So here a couple of shots of the bottom of the garden with its newly painted fence ready for further transformation.



Preparing for the patio
Waiting for the vegetables

That brings us to this week's Bible verse which is from 1 John chapter 5 verse 14:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

A timely reminder about prayer and the promise of his love for us.  I shall look forward to crafting this idea.

Our prayer as a family this week is that as the nation celebrates Easter with bank holidays and chocolate, something of the real message will reach out to our people.  May we, his children, show his love for the world around us so that others want to know more about the God in whom we trust.
With God's blessings from my family to yours, Jo x