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

From Cheneycraft...with love

It's half term already and Christmas is well and truly behind us and the promise of Spring is beginning to show in the garden.

Cheneycraft word of the month - February

We have been busy with tennis tournaments and exam revision in recent weeks.  Jacob has his first tournament win of the year and is just one win away from moving up a rating level.  Both boys are deep in revision, Jacob had mocks, or more importantly titled this year "pre-public exams" and Josh is getting ready for his A-levels.

In the post-Christmas tidy up I am following A bowl full of Lemons - 14 week organizing challenge and I am half way through.  I have tackled the master bedroom, kitchen, pantry, utility room, lounge and office area.  The challenge is a great way to focus on one area at a time and deep clean, purge and organize.  The facebook group is supporting and encouraging as well as inspirational.Before and after pictures from those following the challenge are also on Instagram.  Here's my tidy coffee table after the cleaning of the lounge.

Cheneycraft coffee table - #abfolorganizechallenge

This week I'm cleaning the bathroom, which is very small so I will use the time off work to get a head start on the conservatory, which stores all my craft items.

For Valentine's day I crafted using pintrest as inspiration.  Andy's gift of "a few of his favourite things" was wrapped up as a "brown paper package tied up with string"

Cheneycraft Valentine's gift - Brown paper package

Cheneycraft - Valentine butterfly

I also make the boys a Valentine gift each year and this year it was a Malteser Butterfly

Cheneycraft Valentine's gift

I wasn't sure if they would still want a gift from me, but the disappointment on Josh's face that there wasn't one at breakfast told me all I needed to know.  So while he was coaching at tennis I made these.


This week's Bible verse for reflection is also a reminder that God is with us:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? 

Shall trouble or hardship or persecution 

or famine or nakedness 

or danger or sword? 

No, in all these things 

we are more than conquerors 

through him who loved us.

Romans 8:35,37 NIV

Our prayer as a family this week is for God's guidance through Lent. As we and many others give things up, may we be reminded of God's faithfulness to us throughout history and his promise to be with us through the trials of life, having been there before in his son Jesus Christ.

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x

Reflections on life

I started the year with good intentions of blogging weekly, but it hasn't really gone to plan. So this first blog of the year is just a short one with just one theme.

My Brother-in-law passed away suddenly and unexpectedly and so we have been spending time as a family, grieving and reminiscing of times spent with him.  Following his funeral this week, we turn to life without him and so blogging about the mundane aspects of life seemed so wrong.

We have selected a Bible verse as a family this year, that will be our prayer in this year of transformation.  Both the boys have end of key stage exams this year and so will transform in their education.  Our eldest legally became a man at the end of 2014 and so we transform into a family of three adults.  Our youngest will start sixth form college in the summer, following a trip to Japan, and so will transform into an independent student rather than a pupil at school.

I have crafted the verse into a piece of wall art, which I will hang upstairs by our bedrooms, so that it will be a remind as we begin and end each day that we are transformed through God's Holy Spirit into His image.

The Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 3:18 :

And we all, 

who with unveiled faces 

contemplate the Lord’s glory, 

are being transformed 

into his image 

with ever-increasing glory, 

which comes from the Lord, 

who is the Spirit

Our prayer this week is for all those who feel lonely, isolated and unable to reach out.  We pray that they will know that there are people they can reach out to, that love them and want to help.  Above all we pray that in their despair they will reach out and know that God is with them, that he will bless them with strength and courage to share their feelings.  We pray to for those who have lost loved ones, that they too will know God's peace and be able to speak out to prevent others suffering.

With God's blessings from my family to yours,

Jo x