Wait a minute Mr. Postman!

So the little lady is in the bath eating the plug cord and sinking her toy boat when there's a knock at the door...hmmm...  I consider not answering it but the car's in the drive and all the lights are on and so of course it may appear rude not to when I am clearly at home.  I open the door hearing a multitude of splashes plop themselves onto the bathroom floor to find my next door neighbour standing there with a package he's clearly been given because we were not at home when the postman came. 

I thank Colin for kindly taking the package in and shut the door returning to the bathroom to find the lady waving my razor around without the safety guard on. The content of the package is expected, I have ordered a birthday banner for the lady because Vistaprint tempted me with their too good to be true freebies where you only have to pay for postage but have to spend hours figuring out what you're actually entitled to...anywho, what is baffling me is why on earth the postman left my package next door when I have a lovely shiny new sticker saying:

Our lovely Royal Mail have now decided as a matter of course to automatically leave undelivered post and packages with neighbours...you can however opt out.  Which I did indeed do for three reasons.

1. the neighbours to our left are a bit weird if I'm honest, they send their children round to borrow paracetamol and occasionally old newspapers and one time an electrical pump for blowing up inflatables (which we did in fact have but that's another story) I'm not sure I want them left in charge of my post.  Not feeling too worried about what they'd do with birthday banners but with other slightly more valuable things we on occasion order.  On occassion.

2.  I don't want our elderly neighbour to the right being bothered with our packages and having to bring them round, mostly because I'm embarrassed by our unseemly untidy front garden and its permanent rubble feature...

3.  I don't want anyone else to know how much stuff I buy (and how many "freebies" I've recently been buying off Vistaprint...), whom I have to see on a regular basis! 

so a few weeks ago I went online to the Royal Mail website ordered my sticker, of which you only get one by the way, to say "please return undelivered mail to sorting office".  It clearly instructs you to stick it in a place visible to the postman so I thought "I know.  Where's more visible than on the letter slot in my door?" But no.  Apparently this is too subtle.  The postman would have knocked on the door and stood there for a good minute until deciding we weren't at home, clearly he did not look at the sticker   He then probably  lifted the flap with the sticker on to see if the package would fit.  He then would have decided to leave it with Colin...

...What is the world coming to!

Having contemplated this frustrating incident  I realise that the lady is chewing on the shampoo bottle after being repeatedly asked not to.  

It appears that no-one listens to me!

Mummy's little pumpkin!

I have a confession to make.

I love Halloween!

I have always loved Halloween.  When I was little my mum surprised me one year with a trip to the American Airbase near our home.  She’d bought a plain black witches hat and decorated it herself with “Witch” written in gold glitter glue and a plethora of stars.  It was the best night and it’s one of my fondest childhood memories.  People stood at their doors with bowls full of ‘candy’ and we could just walk right up and take handfuls!  Houses were dressed to the nines with spiders webs, gravestones and skeletons which turned out to be people in costumes waiting to scare trick or treaters. 

When I became a Christian I was automatically lead to assume that Christians don’t celebrate Halloween.  Several Christians I knew would basically turn all the lights out and pray for the morning!  When I was a student we went on prayer walks praying against Halloween and I remember telling my non-christian friends that I wouldn't celebrate Halloween because it was a celebration of evil. 

But I always felt a little bit sad and what’s worse is that I always felt a bit guilty for feeling sad that I couldn't celebrate it.

Then last year after 6 years of not celebrating Halloween I read an article called “Why God loves Halloween”.  It blew my mind and I was so excited because I felt free and easy for the first time about celebrating Halloween.  I have since become even more convinced that Halloween is not a celebration of evil (although I guess some make it into that) but at its roots is a Christian Festival and a great opportunity to celebrate the ultimate and eternal victory Jesus has over evil by his life, death and resurrection.

Please follow this link to read the article for yourself, as I could never explain it so well.

http://peterdray.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/why-god-loves-halloween-part-1/

After reading it I concluded that the little lady and I are free to have fun and dress up, poking fun at evil and demonstrating in our boldness our firm belief that the devil and evil have no power anymore because of Christ!

So here we are:

Look what I did...

I'm more interested in eating the crayons quite frankly

Can I have some Mum?

Two sparkly witches...that's my original hat by the way
it's now  16 years old!

Hurry up I can't wait all night

Of course some Christians choose not to celebrate it and that's fine, we are all free in Christ and Romans 14 tells us that we must each make up our own minds according to our conscience.  But as for me and my family we're gonna dec the halls with pumpkins literally till kingdom come!  This year we gave out balloons and sweets and little leaflets all about how Jesus is King over darkness and the victor over evil.  I'm glad I chose to open the door because I gave out 35 leaflets, 48 balloons and many many sweets to around 75 trick or treaters.  All I've got to do now is pray that the leaflets get read...

...oh and try to to eat all the left overs!

Josie's week.

I (or should I say we!) have had some exciting outings recently and a few visitors too! 

The little Lady is generally unaware that there are two Josie's around the house...the only way mummy keeps track of who's who and who's turn it is to be chewed is by looking to see which label looks newer to her.  Last Saturday we bought a new washing machine (second hand-but new to us-that was an exciting outing let me tell you) so we Josie's actually get cleaned rather than being left to make rabbit stew in cold water for a bit and we don't think you'll be able to tell the difference via label for much longer.

Recently Mummy and the Lady have started going to a new toddler group (yes the little Lady isn't quite as little as she once was and is now most definitely a toddler) which has been nice. I have seen the Lady learn to climb slides (sort of), clambour into Little Tykes police cars and sit on chairs made especially for tiny people and have a drink and a snack with all her toddler friends. It's REALLY cute- but then we bunnies are known to hold extreme bias!

On Tuesday we went to Tiny Talk on the bus-which is one of the Lady's favourite things to sign!  She's an old hand at signing now and is one of the oldest in the class.  It's funny to look at the little babies and to think of how the little Lady used to look. She was all wrinkly and red too.. not so long ago...but she now knows 35 signs! It's her own language and I have great fun watching her and Mummy have conversations.  The Lady especially enjoys signing through the opening credits for In the Night Garden.  She points and signs for stars and flowers.  She signs for birds when the Tittifiers sing their songs and she waves bye bye enthusiastically.  She can sign nappy, bib, pig, hot, sun, duck, hat, car, Mummy (at long last) and most importantly she can sign bunny rabbit.

This is me in my younger days...before I was chewed!

On Wednesday the little Lady's God-Mummy and her little Lady came to visit.  My Lady spent a lot of time signing for baby and looked huge in comparison to the four month old next to her.  Mummy looked like she didn't know what to do...like she's almost forgotten what it was like!  I really like the Lady's God-Mummy she's kind and helps Mummy to focus on being a good enough Mummy with the strength she has because of Jesus :) and she has high levels of appreciation for multiple cups of tea...

Yesterday the little Lady went to nursery and we Josies had a chance to have a rest and dry out on the radiator.  Unfortunately the little Lady has a horrible cough and was up for a long time yesterday evening, so Josie number 1 -Mummy thinks- came to the rescue along with a bit of help from the old calpol.

Today we're off to the doctors because Mummy thinks the Lady has a chest infection :( we'd rather be at nursery with her helping her to paint and practise her shapes and colours, but we need to make sure the Lady is well enough to go to nursery!  I don't have to go to nursery as much these days.  The little Lady is all kinds of confident and doesn't generally take me or other soft toys with her any more.  She happily toddles off to play with her friends and comes home full of smiles, yummy food and carrying her latest art work proudly to the fridge door.

Tomorrow Lovely Lady Lynda from Church is coming to look after the little Lady- all being well- because Mummy and Daddy are going to go and buy a car and they thought is was a bit mean to drag the little Lady in and out of cars all morning...the Lady plays with Lynda during the children's work at church sometimes and they're becoming fast friends...which is good!  But it sometimes means I get left on the floor...and one time I nearly ended up in the cupboard for a whole week as the Lady forgot to collect me from the floor and I got scooped up and packed away with all the church toys.  I was frightened until Mummy came and rescued me.

It's a busy life for such a small bunny rabbit...

I wonder what next week will bring.

Simon says...sort of!

Recently the little lady has taken to copying Mummy.  She likes to brush her hair and hold the hair drier just like Mummy, she likes to drink tea out of Mummy’s cup (yes of course my child had to be an early tea lover whether she wanted to or not!), she likes to sit on the grown up toilet, wipe with a piece of toilet tissue  and press the flush, she tries to put on Mummy’s watch…admittedly around her neck but I think she gets the general idea.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PICTURE...WHAT AN EPIC FIND!

A couple of mornings ago she saw me cleansing and toning my face with nivea cream and cotton wool and she would not be placated until she had her own piece of cotton wool, with which she proceeded to scrub her face!  All of a sudden I really comprehended the overwhelming responsibility to be genuinely Christ-like around her.  Of course, I am called to be like Christ all the time, but I've never had another person so excited about copying my every move!

The baby lady is going to learn behavioral patterns, values and world views from me…and she’s going to imitate them, consciously and not so consciously…all the more reason to strive to be like Jesus and to live a life full of grace!  Not only does my faith affect me and my relationship with God but it’s going to have a massive impact on what the lady thinks about God and how she chooses to respond to him.

Ephesians 5:1 Says “be imitators of Christ”.  I’m now beginning to feel that my quiet times are ever more important!  How can I be like Christ and show him to the lady if I don’t get to know him or spend time with him? I know I need to be reading my bible and deepening my relationship with him through prayer and worship more than ever.  Put VERY simply being a good imitator of Jesus is like playing Simon says with God…God says “love your neighbour”, God says “pray for your enemies” etc! I must listen very carefully and show the lady what to do and how to do it. (there are several pit falls in the illustration but you have to admit it’s quite humorous)

I have been thinking over the word “burden” in my head as I've been writing this.  I know that being Christ-like and being a good witness and example to the little lady should not be a burden…I think I feel that way because being me (which always means being sinful) is just easier...

… I've literally just looked up the word ‘burden’ in Mr. Thesaurus and the word ‘yoke’ has come up as a synonym…which brought to mind this verse:

“my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:30

Why should being an imitator of Christ be easy compared to the alternative of just being me?

Because following Jesus offers me ultimate and eternal rest (vs 28- eternal rest was also the topic of our sermon on Sunday…hmmmm). Hard work now, yeah, maybe, but I can rest later…right now I need to work hard and focus on being the best imitator of Jesus, for his name’s sake, for my sake and for the lady’s.

Being me and being sinful is easier but it will never lead me or the lady into that eternal rest.  

Recent Creativity

So I've been a busy little bee recently and I have been particularly excited by lots of different creative projects so I thought I’d share some of the things I've been doing that have meant I have been too busy to blog until now!

So last week I was back home with my mum for the week along with the little lady.  My mum and I love knitting so we decided to brave a walk in the pouring rain to the local haberdashery.  After ohhhing and ahhing at all the beautiful wools we couldn't afford my eyes caught sight of lovely scarf wool.  It’s very clever as you only have to knit into loops that already exist in the wool…I’m not sure that explains it, especially if you’re not a knitter, but knitter or not here’s a pic to enjoy of my finished scarf… 

Bought on Tuesday, returned home on Wednesday and began knitting that evening…finished by Thursday afternoon.  A quick knit! It  would make a great present and I only used one skein which was £6.99.  Bargain.

My poor little paperback Bible is a few years old now and is beginning to suffer…well it’s generally beginning to lose its cover so I decided to make in a new one!

I got the material from John Lewis in their off-cut bargain box…happy times (same material used for peg bag in photo #32 in 365 Challenge).  I embroidered the verse on using some newly discovered cross stitch type gauze which you stitch over and then remove strand by strand once you've finished sewing.  Genius.

At the fortnightly craft group I help to organize (called Hearts and Crafts-obviously) we have started a new group project.  We’re making floral brooches to sell at a fundraising coffee morning for Macmillan Nurses I’m going to host at the care home where I work.  We all made one for ourselves to start with.  Here’s mine now proudly adorned on my winter coat.

I've also been braving a bit of creativity in the kitchen.  I made jam tarts, which I've never made before..but I've made mince pies and I figured that they were basically the same just swap the mince for jam! And I was correct.  I even made my own short crust pasty.  It is the easiest to make but still!

I've also just inherited some amazing old fashioned knitting patterns from a resident at work so watch this space for the lady in some seriously retro numbers...

If you'd like an instructions or more details please feel free to drop me an email.  I just thought it would make the blog incredibly long if I included everything :)

Friday Feast- Easy peasy potato gratin

Serves 4…generously ;)

You will need:

900g potatoes any kind –although probably not new potatoes as it’d just take longer to prepare!

6 Bacon Rashers

3-4 blocks frozen spinach depending on your love of spinach

300ml Crème Fraiche/greek yoghurt…if you haven’t either of those you could make your own roux*

Cheese. Gruyere if you’re feeling fancy pants.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c/Gas 5
2. Chop up the spuds into slices about 5mm.
3. Bring them to the boil for about 8-9 minutes or until they’re just starting to soften.
4. Meanwhile grill the bacon until crispy and then cut into pieces.
5. Microwave the spinach for approx 4 minutes
6. Lightly butter an oven proof dish. 
7. Cover the bottom with a layer of the potatoes, then all the bacon and spinach and half the crème fraiche.
8. Top with another layer of the potatoes, the rest of the crème fraiche and the cheese.
9. Bake for 25 mins until bubbling and enjoy!

You could use anything you’ve got in the fridge in this one; grilled courgette and ham, fried onions and sliced tomatoes, broccoli and chicken, the list is endless be creative and use up those slightly sprouting, looking sorry for themselves spuds!

* Roux 

You will need:

1oz butter/marg

1oz plain flour

1/2pint milk

1. Melt the butter
2. Add the flour and combine
3. Add all the milk and stir continuously (I mean it!) on a medium heat until boiling after which the mixture will thicken.  Add salt and pepper to taste (or a spoonful of wholegrain mustard yum yum) and away you go.

 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Because of your steadfast love...

Here's the link to a song that has been inspiring me recently...and has been on my mind a lot since the previous post...

Have mercy on me. Sovereign Grace

this recording captures a lot of emotion and I felt very moved by it. 

The lyrics are fabulous

"have mercy on me because of your steadfast love"

not

"have mercy on me because I deserve it because I'm a good person"

This song asks God to be faithful, to be true to himself and his promises, for his name's sake...

He is faithful!

He is true to himself!

He is true to his promises!

His is a good and glorious name!

Never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love

In between reading stories about farm animals, mermaids and cats that can drive cars…I have been reading through the psalms recently and I have been particularly struck by the number of times I have come across the phrase “steadfast love”.

Here are a few verses:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love” Ps 51:1
  

“The steadfast love of God endures all the day” Ps 52:1

“I trust in the steadfast love of the Lord forever and ever” Ps 52:8

“God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!” Ps 57:3

“My God, in his steadfast, love will meet me” Ps 59:10

“Steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord” Ps 62:12

“Your steadfast love is better than life” Ps 63:3

So in my usual pedantic manner I thought it best to look up the definition of steadfast to try and figure out why it’s used to many times

“Fixed in intensity, unwavering and determined in purpose, loyal, constant and unswerving” thanks Mr. Online Dictionary...crikey.

God’s love is fixed in intensity:

I guess it is! God’s been in a perfect and loving relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit since before the world began.  His love is fixed on them intensely and passionately.  And there was so much intense love in the beginning that it couldn’t be contained just within the trinity so it burst out into creation and overflowed into our world and into its people.  God loves me intensely, he loves the lady intensely.  This intense love is all consuming and God doesn’t want to see us exist outside of his love hence why he sent Jesus to draw us near and make us able to experience his incredible and intense love.

God’s love is unwavering and determined in purpose:

God’s love for the trinity, for his world, for me and the baby lady will never ever change and it is determined to see me rescued from my selfish, sinful ways and make me more like Christ, so I am able to experience the steadfast love of God more fully.  It is determined that all people should have a chance to hear about this love and respond to it in kind and I will do my best to make sure the lady has every chance, I think that’s why God has given her to me.

God’s love is loyal:

God is incapable of lying and of betrayal.  It’s not in his nature-thank goodness!  This makes him utterly trustworthy as Psalm 52:8 has already commented on.  When I have told non-Christians “God loves you” I am not surprised that more than half the time I witness a half hearted, almost cynical response.  I think it’s because people think that God’s love is like human love. In a world full of broken families and hurtful relationships trying to have a relationship with God sounds like risky business; “What if he doesn’t really love me? What if he lets me down and hurts me? What if he betrays me?”  NOT POSSIBLE.  God’s love is 100% loyal and utterly trustworthy so we have no need to fear.

God’s love is constant and unswerving:

The Jesus Story Book describes it as “Never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever love”.  Which is brilliant! God's love for me and the Lady will never stop. But admittedly being this loved is a  little exhausting.  Believing in God and trying to live in the light of this incredible love is hard work.  It’s hard work to trust it all the time.  It’s hard work to let it take deep roots in my lazy heart. It’s hard work to let it impact and change the way I am a mother and a wife.  It’s hard work in comparison to the easy job of being sinful and not having to change...

WOW! 

Who knew there was so much to the phrase "steadfast love"! 

I'd love to know what you think about the phrase "steadfast love". 

What does it mean to you and for you?  

How have you experienced God's steadfast love in your life?

My sister's in the post!

When the Lady was 6 months old (before I came into the family) she just suddenly stopped sucking on her dummy and started to chew on a soft toy for comfort. She went around victimizing a furry foot or hand or in my case, an ear!  Toys that were once beautiful fluffy and pink are now matted and browned forever but they are at least loved…there is nothing that toys fear most than being unloved.  

And that was my fear…as I made my way from the factory I wondered who would own me and give me hugs and take me on outings.  I had no idea that although I would spend 99% of my life feeling a bit soggy and smelling a bit sweet I would be loved beyond a shadow of a doubt.  That I would be taken on day trips to the beach, to dinner at Wagamamas and to picnics in the park.  I had no idea that I would meet so many members of my extended family: Grannies, Uncles and Cousins once removed!

My first picnic in the park

My first trip to the beach

My first hug with Nana

My first wedding and hugs with my Grandpa and Uncle

Mummy and Daddy have worked very hard to ensure that the Lady doesn’t have an all time favourite toy that she cannot live without but they have failed!  And I’m pleased to boast that I’m the favourite! 

In fact they’ve failed so much so that Mummy and Daddy have asked the factory to send one of my many identical sisters to come and help me look after the Lady. Hooray!  I can't wait to meet her.

Although we may have to give her a new name....

3 things the lady gets to do that I don’t.

 

Who wouldn't want to get away with a reindeer onsie at Christmas!?

1. Wear daring, fun and colourful clothing every day.  I used to quite like spending time picking out what I was going to wear and choosing some jewelry that went with my outfit.  Nothing too snazzy but it used to be a large part of my morning routine.  Of course now I’m at work I don’t have to think about it three days a week, I just stick on the same old yellow t-shirt that makes me look like a giant daffodil (in fact one of my residents calls me the budgie…charming) and I’m off.  But on my days off, I’d much rather spend time choosing what to put the lady in!  She has so much clothing and all of it’s WAY nicer than mine and it’s mostly stuff I’d love to wear but can’t really get away with.  Bright pink tights with a bear on the bottom for starters! Flowery onsies, vibrant patterned dresses, polka dot t-shirts, stripy leggings...
2. Fart in public without being mortified.  For one thing the lady seems to have no idea that she’s even “windy popping” as we more politely call it in our house (or you can choose from trouser cough or bottom burp- whatever takes your fancy.) and for another she has no shame and, of course, no sense of embarrassment!  She just carries on crawling...as if nothing ever happened. Oh to be so free!
3. Use smiles and kisses as currency.  There are very few things that she can’t get from me with a smile and a kiss.  I’m about to scold the lady for having her whole face covered in cheesy beans and then she smiles at me...I’m about to sit down with my sandwich, and even though the lady’s already had hers a cheeky smile gets her a bit of mine...I say “give mummy a kiss” and in the few seconds when she leans in and puts her little mouth to mine, she could ask for the world and I’d give it to her if I could...

 What about you?  What things do your children do that you really wish you could too?

Next to me...

A friend of mine recently suggested this song as inspiration for a blog.  It’s Emeli Sande’s “Next to Me:

Next to me by Emeli Sande

 

Here is a version of the lyrics without all the oooohhhhs...

You won't find him drinking at the tables
rolling dice and staying out til 3
you won't ever find him being unfaithful
you will find him, you'll find him next to me.

You won't find him trying to chase the devil
for money, fame, for power, out of grief
you won't ever find him where the rest go
you will find him, you'll find him next to me.

When the money's spent and all my friends have vanished
and I can't seem to find no help or love for free
I know there's no need for me to panic
cause I'll find him, I'll find him next to me.

When the skies are grey and all the doors are closing

and the rising pressure makes it hard to breathe
well, all I need is a hand to stop the tears from falling
I will find him, I'll find him next to me.

When the end has come and buildings falling down fast
when we spoilt the land and dried up all the sea
when everyone has lost their heads around us
you will find him, you'll find him next to me.

I had heard this song before my friend recommended it but I'd never really paid much attention to the lyrics. I'd simply enjoyed tapping my foot enthusiastically along  without much thought for the words.  Since I looked them up I can’t stop listening to it!  I don’t know if Emeli is a Christian or not and it doesn’t bother me either way because songs are as much about interpretation as they are the writer's intent.  But for my non-christian friend who recommended it and for me there are definitely some “religious” overtones to say the least!

I think it’s a bit of a modern psalm and I especially love the line “when I can’t seem to find no help or love for free...I’ll find him next to me”.  It makes a certain kind of joy and assurance well up in my heart because I know that Jesus’ help and love is free and always will be. He will never be unfaithful; he can stop the tears from falling... 

He's next to me.  

I hope and pray that one day the lovely Lady will choose to have him next to her. 

And if he isn't already, the question is: Will you find him next to you?

I've been digesting; spiritually

Here are my thoughts on the latest chapter of Shepherding a Child’s Heart.  I read it almost two weeks ago late one evening, the application questions blew my mind and only two days ago did I get round to writing a few thoughts down in my notebook to help me digest…here they are:

 

 “Children are worshipers.  They are never neutral…they are not simply the sum total of what you put into them; they interact with their life out of faith or unbelief.”

I guess this explains why I have seen many children who grow up in a loving, caring, nurturing, encouraging and bible believing family walk away from a relationship with Jesus.  And, at the end of the day my lovely one is not the sum total of all I and her Daddy put into her.  She is an active responder to all that we teach her and her childhood experiences.  She has a heart full of “motives, desires, wants, goals, hopes and expectations”.  

This is worrying! 

I want the Lady to grow up in a loving, freeing and fulfilling relationship with Jesus and no matter how hard I try or how well I parent her there are no guarantees.  This means two things:

1. I must trust God more…because the Lady’s salvation isn’t in my hands exclusively.  Yes; I must shepherd and guide to the best of my ability, but my power is limited, only God can change hearts.
2. I must trust that trusting God for her salvation is the best way to parent!

In the application questions Tripp asks this:

“How can you design winsome and attractive ways of challenging the idolatry you may see within your child?”

‘Honestly I just don’t know!’
was my initial response at 11pm…

Here’s what I jotted down a couple of days ago:

1. Always tell the Lady how living for God is so much better and way more fulfilling and freeing.
2. Always demonstrate to the Lady how living for God is so much better and way more fulfilling and freeing. Lead by example and learn together by:
3. Being honest about our hearts and their “motives, desires, wants, goals, hopes and expectations”.
4. Being honest about my own sin and mistakes (without burdening the Lady and sharing too much that’s beyond her comprehension!)
5. Use 3 and 4 to help the Lady identify how she is investing in things that do not satisfy. And always assume we can understand, learn and grow together.
6. Pray… 
7. Pray way more than I am already
8. And then some more

I am finding this book a really challenging read.  I was brought up in a non-Christian family, deciding to follow Jesus at the age of 17.  I know what it’s like to live without Jesus at the centre, without his love, grace, freedom, forgiveness, discipline and kindness; I do not want the Lady to experience this kind of life, because really, it is no life at all.  I could worry myself to death, but just now this verse popped into my head:

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
  Philippians 4:13

Phew.