Post summer transition

After a busy summer of activities and celebrations and with the boys completing their first week at college, it's time to get back into normal routines - so after a short break I'm back!!

This summer we celebrated our Silver Wedding anniversary - 25 years of married life.  We hosted a BBQ, which we combined with a last fund raising effort for Jacob's trip to Japan.  It was great to see family and friends and the weather blessed our occasion (although not as hot as the day we got married) so a BBQ was an excellent choice.

We spent the summer as a family in separate countries.  While Josh traveled Scandinavia, visiting friends in Norway and sight-seeing in Finland, Jacob jetted off to the  23rd World Scout Jamboree in Japan.  With the boys both enjoying scouting activity holidays, we continued the wedding anniversary celebrations with a cruise around the Western Mediterranean.

We sailed from Majorca to Corsica, Citivicia (to visit Rome), Pisa, St Raphael and Barcelona.  We returned to Majorca and had a week on the beach relaxing.  The cruise was a fantastic experience with on the Thomson Dream and something we will do again.

After both boys got fantastic exam results, they are now both at college together, Jacob starting his A-levels and Josh finishing off his.  So we start the UCAS form filling, finish visiting prospective universities for Josh and start the process with Jacob.

And so our year of transition continues.  We now have a different rhythm to the week which each of the boys starting and finishing college at a different time each day.  We are still working out how to fit in Tennis coaching, tournaments and league matches, as well as fitness sessions, guitar lessons, Beavers, Explorers, Bell ringing, supporting Swindon Town and fitting in time for family and friends.  I have found that having a session as a family on a Sunday evening to compare diaries has become invaluable in making sure everyone knows what is happening each week.

Craft has seen me preparing for Christmas.  Using the The Holiday Grand Plan this year I have made my Christmas Planner, ready to fill the lists over the coming weeks to keep me and the house on track for an organised Christmas.

The Bible verses for this week is a reminder that in all things we should be grateful to God for his blessings on our lives:

Rejoice in the Lord always. 

I will say it again: 

Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 NIV

Our prayer this week as a family is for all those facing change at this time.  For those who have started a new school, college, university of job, that they may feel God's peace in their new surroundings.  We also pray for those who have change forced them and find themselves as refugees in a foreign country.  May they find a warm welcome and my we, the countries at peace, find room for these families fleeing conflict.

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x

Rhythms of life

Sometimes in life you have a rhythm and life just flows along.  Then at other times things throw that rhythm out.

Cheney Craft - word of the month Spring

We have had illness in the family which has really thrown us out of our daily rhythm.  Each of us has had a flu-like cold in turn and then caught it a second time round.

On top of that we have had school holidays and now we are moving into exam season.  The normal rhythm of the Vizor household is completely out and in a time of flux.

Swindon Tennis Club Practice

So this post is really a catch up of what have managed to get up to recently.

Both boys are playing for the Swindon Tennis Club this season and they played together in the first match for the Men's C team.

Swindon Tennis Club Practice

The vegetable patch is starting to put up shoots and we have had our first crop of rhubarb already this year.

We took the boys and their revision down to Spring Harvest in Minehead, so we could combine some spiritual refreshment with mental refreshment in the sea air.  We were led in worship by Graham Kendrick each evening and came away revitalised for another year of inspiring God's people.

Fun in the sun at Spring Harvest 2015

I've completed the Bowl full of lemons Home 14 week organisation challenge and the house has really benefited from a top to bottom clean and organisation.

Being the organised sort that I am, I have also managed to make some of my Christmas cards already.  The plan is make 6 per month and I am nearly keeping up with that.

Getting ahead for Christmas 

Jacob has continued with his fundraising for his trip to the world scout jamboree in Japan this summer.  This week he and Josh had the opportunity to be part of democracy and raise funds, by acting as runners at the count for the General Election. They were trained by a team from Sunderland, who hold the record for the fastest announcement of results and the training paid off as Swindon were fourth to announce their first count, behind the three results from Sunderland.  Well done boys!!

Our prayer as a family this week is for all those who work with the poor and the marginalised, that they will be inspired by God in all they do and God's kingdom will come through their work.

This week's Bible verse is

From infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, 

which are able to make you wise for salvation 

through faith in Christ Jesus.

—2 Timothy 3:15

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x

Mothering Sunday

Happy Mothering Sunday!

Cheneycraft - Spring decoration

We have had a busy few weeks with Jacob's tennis recently, but this has led to him finishing his qualifications as a tennis coaching assistant and gaining enough wins to  go up a level in the ratings system.

We have had a nice family celebration of Mothering Sunday today and the boys helped me to cook dinner for 8, as my parents, Andy's Mum and Aunt joined us.

Having cleaned, purged and organised my craft storage it has been a pleasure to craft and much easier to get things out and see what is there.  Here are the fruits of my labours:

Cheneycraft - Mothering Sunday cards

We have also had a trip to London to the Good Food Eat Well show, to get ideas for nutrition particularly for Jacob's tennis training and competing.We had a consultation with a nutritionist from Eat and Think and we are starting to implement her recommendations for fuel before training sessions.

Cheneycraft - Pre tennis snack
(bagel & peanut butter & chocolate spread)

Cheneycraft - Pre-tennis snack
(vegetable sticks, pitta bread & dips)

One of the things I do to help save time is to menu plan and so these new snack items have been added to my non-menu shopping list to ensure we keep the cupboard stocked.

The Bible verse for this week is a reminder in times of trouble that our salvation comes from God, and we should not seek to justify ourselves through our own actions or possessions, but we are saved through God alone.

then know this, you and all the people of Israel: 

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 

whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, 

that this man stands before you healed. 

Salvation is found in no one else, 

for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind 

by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:10,12

Our prayer as a family is for the work of Comic Relief both here and in Africa, bringing hope to those in poverty and a friend to the lonely.  We pray that the money raised this weekend and in the past 30 years will be spent wisely in places it is needed.

Cheneycraft - Spring decoration for Red Nose Day 15

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x