Looking back, planning forward

Happy New Year.

New Year's resolution - Take more photos, write more blog entries.  It's four years since I started my blog and although I have written as often as I thought I would, I do enjoy sharing our family updates with you.  Hopefully some of what we share is useful as well.

So to start off the new year, I thought I would write about all the things I didn't get round to writing during 2015.

Church Life
We have continued to contribute to the family life of St Michael's church and as Andy leads the creche once a month, I have taken on leading (rather than helping) a Sunday School session for 5-9 year olds. I also lead occasionally and have started to relax into leading a more formal style of service.  Andy has been involved in encouraging some of our younger men through a men's group and took them away camping in the early summer at the CVM event "The Gathering" which saw 2000 men worshiping God in a field just outside Swindon.

CVM - The Gathering 2015

We had some great church family events this year as well, with a weekend "away", using another Swindon church's premises for a day of Bible study.  We also had a murder mystery dinner to start the weekend and while I cooked for the 60 people who attended, with some help from Josh, Andy and the boys joined in the entertainment as part of the cast for the murder mystery (write that down, write that down - as quoted by Andy several times during the evening!).  We also hosted a comedy evening, transforming the church into an entertainment venue (it's amazing what you can do with a few standard lamps, rope and dust sheets!) and great evening was had by all who attended.

Murder Mystery dinner preparations

Music is still a great part of our family life and Jacob and I regularly helped lead worship through the year, Jacob on guitar and me singing.  However for our Christingle service the music was led by a whole band of young people.  Josh, on keyboard, was the oldest at 19 (that day as it was also his birthday) down to some of singers who were 6.  Another element that has become a Christmas tradition is a choir drawn from across our congregations, drawing together all our singing styles, to present carols and led the singing at the carol service.

St Michael's Music Group - Practicing hard!

We have ended the year tracking where our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes have been sent this year.  It is a lovely way to bless those less fortunate than ourselves at Christmas in God's love.

Shoe boxes ready to send

Sport
Those of you who regular read my updates will know that sport, participating and watching,  is a huge part of our family life and 2015 was no exception.

We followed Swindon Town up to Wembley again during the year for the league 1 play off finals. One day we hope to share the joy of winning at Wembley with the boys, but for another year we came home feeling down.

Wembley - League 1 play off finals 2015

Having older children means that they can take advantage of mid week sporting events and took themselves off to Wimbledon this year for the first week's Friday action.

Day out at Wimbledon

Josh also arranged a day out in Cardiff with friends for a day of rugby watching "judgement day".  It is lovely that they are growing into independent young men.

Andy and Josh went to watch Wales in their warm up for the Rugby World Cup, when they played Italy.

Wales v Italy - World cup warm up

We have also watched the tour de France, Rugby World cup and Wimbledon as arm chair supporters.

Family life
As part of Josh's Christmas present last year, he and I went to Birmingham to see the Strictly come dancing tour (we enjoyed it so much we are off back there again this year).

I sat and passed the next module in my Business Analyst Dipolma and have just one left to go plus an oral examination to fit in during 2016.

Jacob had a regular problem in the Vizor household during November - invitations to be in two places at once.  Both offers were for presentation evenings - one for his GCSE certificates and awards evening and the other was a surprise presentation from the LTA.  We contacted the school to explain where he would be and arranged a separate occasion to collect his school awards while we took him to collect the Wiltshire LTA Young Volunteer of the year award.  The mantelpiece is now very full and he carries on like this we will need a trophy cabinet rather than just a shelf.

Josh's application for a university place is progressing well and the offers have started to come back through to him.  We have two visits planned for February to help decide which university will become his first choice and to look seriously at the accommodation choices.

Josh and I squeezed in a second Good Food show this year and I treated him to a cocktail making workshop, which will go down well as an ice breaker (no pun intended) at university.  He has collected quite a drinks cupboard over his birthday and Christmas and we bought a cocktail shaker set.

We have had several trips to the cinema as a family - the male contingent decided the local cinema wasn't up to standard for the Bond release so they headed off to the nearest 4K cinema to view Spectre.  However, we did all go together to watch Star Wars as a Christmas treat.

Jacob has started to learn to drive and is currently on his way back from Scotland where he has spent the past 5 days walking in the Cairngorms, staying just outside Aviemore with the Wiltshire Scouts Midwinter Expedition.

This blog entry doesn't include the boys summer trips or our Silver Wedding celebrations, which I have already written about.

It is always surprising to look back and review all that we have done and how we squeeze it all in.  However we know that all we accomplish is part of God's plan for our lives and it managed in His timing.

That said as part of planning for the New Year, I am taking part in a 40 day devotional for Mums called - www.hopeforthewearymom.com. Spending time each day with God to hear his voice into my parenting is a refreshing time.  I have read their book and been part of the launch team for the devotional and these two ladies write from the heart and from God.

Our prayer as a family this week is that God will bless those around us in all their plans for the coming year and may His love shine out from all we do.

The Bible verse that has come up for this week is very timely for a New Year, that reminds us as we start to fill up the calendar that we need to learn from the things we do.  To me it also says that we should make the most of the days God has given us and make them count.

Teach us to number our days, 

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 NIV

With God's blessing for 2016 from my family to yours,

Jo x

Fireworks start Christmas celebrations?

We've been busy creating memories rather than spending time writing about them on my blog, so apologies if you've missed me.  The plus side of this I have lots to write about.

Firework (safe indoor decoration!)

I love November as after Bonfire night I can really get organised for Christmas, knowing its just around the corner.  So last weekend Josh and I spent the evening standing in a tent serving burgers and hot dogs to the crowds who attended the annual Scout Bonfire and Firework Display.  We had a great evening and were really busy from the moment the bonfire was lit until everyone had seen the last firework and grabbed a hot drink on their way home.  This is always a great fundraising event for our scout group along with others in the area and a busy night hopefully means more funds to share round, but we won't know until sometime in the New Year just how successful the evening was.

Ready to serve the crowds at Firework display

Jacob and Andy would normally be there as well but this year they were attending the district tennis club dinner and dance which included the trophy presentations for the inter and summer leagues.  Our tennis club won three trophies and two runners up, so the car was much heavier on the way home. Our mantle has become a trophy shelf and a new job needs to be added to my housework box - cleaning trophies!

Division 1 summer league Champions

Thanksgiving spinners

Everlasting flowers

Craft time has seen preparing for two events at church recently.  We have a craft and film day in each school holiday and I led the craft at the October day this year.  We made monster bookmarks, so that as the evenings draw in the children will have bookmarks for all that extra reading.  We also made tissue flowers to brighten up our homes as the fresh flowers fade in the garden.  The final craft was a thanksgiving spinner, listing all the things we are thankful for with a decorated back.

Monster bookmarks

We have also launched a monthly family drop in morning on a Saturday, offering families somewhere to grab breakfast (first or second depending on how long they have already been up!), read the newspapers, chat and join in with a craft or two.  It was a wet rainy morning this Saturday but we had a good turn out and the church smelled gorgeous from the bacon cooking and coffee brewing in the corner while I sat with the children (and some of the adults) and made crafts inspired by fireworks and God as our light.  We also made more bookmarks for those that had missed the craft day or who had enjoyed them so much they wanted to make more for family and friends.

I am currently experimenting with my menu planning and trying out recipes that can be made ahead a stored in freezer ready to pop in the slow cooker.  From the notes I made after last Christmas we planned the Christmas meal plan using post it notes this year hopefully preventing the need to cross things out while working out who is coming for dinner when and when we are out over the Christmas period.  We found this so helpful, we have decided to try this with normal meal planning, so for November we have already planned the majority of the meals for the month, with just details needed each week, like which roast to have on a Sunday and what fish recipe to use.  We are noting on the slow cooker recipes what we think needs changing and then in January we'll repeat the exercise and hopefully I can get ahead with a lot of the preparation.

Monthly menu planning

The Bible verse for this week links with the change in weather around us and reminds us that all things are in God's control, he commands the snow to fall when the time is right.

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; 

he does great things beyond our understanding. 

He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ 

and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

Job 37:5-6

 Our prayer as a family this week is for all the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes being prepared across the country at the moment and for the children around the world who will receive them.  We pray that the love that goes into the boxes will light up a child's life n a country where there is need.  We pray that God's love will bless the senders as much as the recipients.

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x

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