Going quattrolingual...?!

Kaya, one of the bilingual kids I lived with, aged 2 -
"reading" the english dictionary!

Yesterday, I spent the morning on my "40 bags in 40 days" mission (more on that tomorrow!) and literally ransacked my larder. I took EVERYTHING out, cleaned it out, got rid of old packaging, put half full bags of flour and rice and pasta into my canisters, stacked my tins, recycled a tonne of cardboard and found lots of things I thought I'd lost!

While all this was going on, I had one of those "bad mother" moments... I plonked my six month old in front of the TV and put on "Aristocats."

Ava was merrily jabbering away to the television, and suddenly, with my arms full of canisters and a cloud of flour dust emerging from the bag I'd just emptied I heard...

"AIUTO!!!!"

Huh??? I swivelled round, and realised poor Ava had just watched 15 minutes of "Aristocats" in Italian. Poor child... as if three languages aren't enough for her already!!

Her complete oblivion to the fact that she was watching it in another language (she IS only 6 months after all!) just embedded the fact for me that doing this trilingual thing is the right thing for us. For those of you who don't know, Ava is going to grow up with three languages. Dave speaks Norwegian with her, I speak German with her and everyone else speaks English.

We've had a lot of reactions to this - odd looks, curious questions and compliments too! Why on earth would we choose not to speak our mother tongue to our child?

I have had contact with a number of multilingual families over the past few years - I worked in a bilingual Kindergarten in Austria, lived with a bilingual family there, have come across numerous bilingual kids as a teacher, and am married to a bilingual kid myself (Dave was brought up with english/norwegian). I am utterly convinced that the best way to "learn" a language is not to learn it at all, but simply to be immersed in it. If we can give this gift to Ava, then what a blessing it will be for her. I have prayed and prayed about whether it was the right thing to do, and am convinced that this is what is right for us now... it definitely wouldn't be right for everyone, and I know some people find it a little odd, but I'm convinced that its working for us as a family now and feel real peace about it.

I hope that, one day, Ava will be able to use her languages for God's glory... but for now, she's just soaking it all in... and why not throw a little Italian in there as well...

Aiuto!

A work in progress...

Someone asked me last week if I'm really as organised as it sometimes seems I am on this blog... the answer is no! I NEED all these tips and tricks and lists and tables and charts because without them I am a total chaotic mess...

For example, I've been working my way through my 40 bags in 40 days challenge. This is what my kitchen looked like on Friday afternoon...

Let the clearing commence!

The bombsite...

Halfway through...

My little cheerleader!

But oh! Is it worth it for cupboards that end up looking like this!
I had the biggest smile on my face afterwards!

I was out when my husband got home, but he text me to say how amazing it all looked. Phew! It was a manic couple of hours but clean cupboards, full bin bags and a happy husband made it worth it!!!

I'll keep you posted on my bags challenge!

Resolution 9: The big taboo topic...

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

Politics, religion, death... probably the big three taboo subjects in our culture... the kind of topics that will put a halt to a flowing conversation, or create that awkward silence we all want to avoid. And yet death is real... it affects us all - we all have loved ones who pass on, and ultimately we will all face that inevitable statistic ourselves - 1 out of 1 people die.

But that's a bit morbid! Why on earth am I writing about death? Why on earth does Edwards want to "think much" about his death... never mind in all circumstances?!!

I think what Edwards was getting to here was an issue of perspective... John Keene writes...

Thinking much about death should place upon us such humility and soberness due to our truly frail state that we realize it is only by God’s hand—His grace—that we live each day. Thinking much about our own dying and the events surrounding that fact would keep us in line as a daily reality check, if you will. Our material desires would fade away, our pride and boastfulness should wither, and our passion for the gospel should grow. It is Christ we need for He is our all-sufficient Savior and the object of our deepest joys. And it is by our own death that we go to see His shining face. Be not afraid of it.


As believers in Christ, death is not the end... it is actually the gateway into God's presence, the welcome into the eternal city. Thinking much on death is therefore not morbid... it simply reminds us of the frailty of our humanity... and the great hope of heaven we have.

Pin of the Week...

One day, I strive to create something like this....

How CUTE is that? Isn't it every little girl's DREAM?????

In awe of this woman... and signing of for the weekend!

Claire x

February reading...

Here's an update of what I've been reading this month... some FABULOUS books, so lots to recommend! I've dropped my 10.30pm feed - Ava now sleeps 7pm-7am with no dream feed needed (woopee!) the disadvantage being I've lost a good half hour of daily reading time (and snuggles with my girl of course!)

So this month I've read less, but what I have read, I've loved. Some seriously good books up this month!

Rain Song by Alice J Wisler
This book actually took me a couple of attempts to get into, but once I did, I was pretty hooked. Its all about a young woman's attempt to come to terms with her past - family secrets and what not, and takes place between the USA and Japan. I enjoyed it as a good, lighthearted read with some really believable characters and some quirky side storylines (involving fish and chutney!) Certainly not a life-changing book, and probably not one I'd read again, but a good chillax book for bedtime/bathtime if your just looking for a good old easy-read!

Call the Midwife  by Jennifer Worth
I loved this book. I have been hooked to the BBC1 series on Sunday evenings, and my friend, Chez, recommended I read the book. I literally gobbled it up in about 3 days. So interesting to read about what life was like in the East End in the 1950s, and man... it made me glad for the NHS and hospital births and trained midwifes and all the luxury of modern labour (yes... it was horrendous, but when you read some of these stories, it puts it into perspective) I adored this book and would highly, highly, highly recommend it as a fantastic read and one that will make you grateful for all of medicines advancements in the last 50 years, but also make you realise that, at the end of the day, childbirth is childbirth... and women have been doing it for hundreds of years and survived. I could go on and on about this one - it definitely gets 5 stars in my book! Brilliant


Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan
This was a really interesting read, set in the 1920s between Ireland, at the height of all the troubles, and the USA, when thousands were still flocking to the "land of liberty". It follows the story of Ellie, a young Irish woman who heads to the USA to work and earn money for some medical surgery that her husband needs, and then her struggles to adapt back to life in Ireland upon her return. Fascinating book and definitely captures some of the issues that I'm sure were prevalent when families and marriages were separated as people headed to the States and changed before being reunited with their families. Again, a good light, relaxing read, with some quite moving parts, but very historically interesting too.


Finders Keepers by Catherine Palmer
I love a bit of good, old, christian fiction. This is the story of Elizabeth, mother of adopted son Nicolai who runs an antiques shop in a backwoods town in the States. Cue Zachary, a modern man, architect, who inherits an old piece of property in the town and wants to modernise. The two argue and fight their way through the story and then of course the ending is pretty obvious!  But it is also a story of the journey of their faiths; Elizabeth has to learn to let go of her desires and lean on God, and Zachary finds that fulfilment comes only through Christ. Good stuff.


The Iron Lady by John Campbell
This has been my serious read of the month, and I'm still only about a quarter of the way through (its a BIG book) but I'm loving it. I don't remember too much about Thatcher, but I find her absolutely fascinating. Whatever you thought of her policies and hard-line tactics, you've got to admit she was a pretty phenomenal woman. I always enjoy a good biography and this one is triply good because its biography, history and politics all rolled into one. If you've seen the recent film (insterestingly titled the same name!) and want to find out a bit more, this is a really good read and after trying out a few samples of Thatcher biographies, this one was definitely the most interesting, readable and balanced that I could find. Highly recommended.

So highlights this month have been "Call the Midwife", "Finders Keepers" and "The Iron Lady" but to be honest I've enjoyed all of them in different ways. My husband's urging me to read Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage" as he's gobbling that one down at the moment, so no doubt that will be on the March list!

Happy reading!

All grown up...

Today my little girl is 6 months old... where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that I first met my little Ava M... a bundle of screaming red wrinkles, and now she's a proper little girl - sitting up, rolling over, waving, eating solids... it scares me sometimes to think already how much more independent she's become. A few months ago, she needed me for everything... every day, she's getting a little bit bigger and wanting to do things for herself. I know in no time, she'll be walking, she'll be starting school, and one day, she'll be leaving home...

But enough of thoughts that make me want to cry. Instead, I need to cherish every day with this little bundle of joy, and not be trying to stop time, and hold it still, but instead be grateful that God has given us the immense privilege (and scary responsibility) of being her parents! She's in his hands, and while every day she becomes a little bit more independent of her Mama, I pray she'll grow up to learn that she is totally dependent on the Saviour, Jesus.

Happy half year birthday Bubba!

Playing in her pram while Mama does the hoovering...

Ava's toy train...

Queen of dribble...

Cheeky monkey!

Tomorrow begins... 40 bags in 40 days...

I've never been a big one for lent... I don't think I've ever given anything up before, or thought particularly hard about it, if I'm honest. But I've been inspired this year by something Sarah, over on Clover Lane, does every year which focuses on thinking through what we really need, all the rubbish we think is so important, and gives an opportunity for clearing out and reflecting on what really matters in the run-up to Easter...

Introducing... 40 bags in 40 days!

The idea is, you take the 40 days of lent, excluding weekends, and work your way through every nook and cranny of your house, one very small step at a time, and clear out all the junk./unused items. One day you might simply be clearing a drawer/a wardrobe/under a bed... by the end of the 40 days, you should have (depending on how much of a hoarder you are!) 40 bags full of junk/rubbish or stuff to take to the charity shop...

Sarah says "Lent is a time of  prayer, renewal, reflection, sacrifice, self-control, repentance and almsgiving (giving to the poor)" She says that as she's done this, over the past couple of years, "I thought long and hard about how much we really needed vs how much we had, I became more aware of how we spent our time and money, I had the chance to feel the rewards of charity (and so did my children) giving away to those in need something we took for granted"


So I've planned out the next 28 days, given that we're away for a few days between now and Easter, and I'm not doing weekends, so that we too can spend the run-up to Easter not pining after the chocolate I've given up, but recognizing the great abundance God has given us, and giving away all the commodities we've accumulated and yet never use! I'll keep you posted on how its going!

Claire

Resolution 8: Of whom I am the worst...

8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

The apostle Paul summarised this resolution in a nutshell; "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners: of whom I am the worst" (1 Tim 1:15, The Bible). It is true to say that the more I understand the greatness of God, and the extent of Jesus' sacrificial love for me, the more I see my own heart for what it is - self-obsessive, judgemental, overly concerned with others opinions of me...

"Thats a bit extreme!" you might say. Perhaps to the outsider, I look like a pretty decent person. I go to church, I care for my husband and daughter, I look after my friends kids, I give to charity... but on the inside, I know the desires and motivations of my heart are often self-centred... no matter how hard I try, it seems my heart is unable to do "good" without some slightly corrupt motivation.

We could allow this kind of self-analysis to break us... but that's the beauty of the cross. I don't need to be perfect, because Jesus has done it for me. I don't need to pretend to be something I'm not... he knows who I am. Right to the core. He sees everything. He knows me better than I know myself...

And that also then frees me up to forgive others, to overlook the faults and failures of those around me, because I see my own so clearly. At least that is what Edwards is calling us here to strive to... not to delight in the failures of others, or to be relieved that we haven't made the same mistakes, or even to pity them... but instead to see my own faults more clearly, fling myself upon the cross and rejoice that my Saviour has freed me from the burden of self-criticism and instead allows my sin to point me to grace.

Pin of the Week...

I think this cute decoration is brilliant... brilliant because its SOOO easy to make, brilliant because its made of stuff everyone has at home, brilliant because of the (small amounts of) snowy weather we've been having and brilliant because it just looks so adorable!

You need:
* Three balls of string (of varying sizes)
* A cotton reel
* Pins
* A bit of ribbon
* Three buttons

So cute!

Happy Weekend!

xxx

This Is Love: NUCU Mission Week

Something I LOVE about students and UCCF is their creativity. They have such brilliant ways of bringing the gospel to life using media, drama, storytelling, preaching and teaching...

This is one way of advertising mission week... I just wish they'd done this at Notts while I was there! Talk about one way of catching people's attention!

Love the guy who gets moved out the way in the middle!

NUCU

What was the biggest, most influential period of your life?

Have you ever asked yourself that question? Was there one event, or a series of events, which seriously changed you as a person? Changed your perspective? Challenged your thinking? Turned your circumstances upside down?

In thinking about identity this week, I was thinking about this question. Certain events and circumstances in my life have definitely shaped who I am... the moment I gave my life to Jesus, the year I lived in Austria, the day I married Dave, the first time I held Ava in my arms...

One significant period in my life was the four years I spent studying at Nottingham University. Integral to that period was the Christian Union there. NUCU gave me tools that I will cherish for life... they trained me to lead a Bible study, modelled how to live Christ in the uni environment, set my heart on fire to share the gospel with people around me, gave me the opportunity to meet christians from different backgrounds to myself, opened my eyes up to the needs of sharing the gospel abroad, gave me hours and hours and hours to search the scriptures, gave me friends who encouraged me, rebuked me and loved me... 

University is a precious time in which thousands of young people are asking the very question I asked yesterday; "Who am I?" I could recount story after story after story of people I met at uni asking that very question. Many searched for the answer in relationships, many in having a good time, many in studying hard... did they find the answer?

This week, Nottingham University are holding their yearly mission week, and I'm praying it will be a time where countless numbers of those students will find the answer to that very question as they get to know Jesus Christ.

Will you join me in praying for them?

Who am I?

Who am I? I think its a question we all face at some point in our lives... and we love to identify ourselves in different ways... we identify ourselves by our relationships, by our successes, by our skills and achievements, by our family roles and by our friendships...

On Sunday, at church, we were thinking about the identity of John the Baptist and that, although he was one of the greatest men who ever lived, when asked who he was, he always pointed to Jesus. His identity was so wrapped up in Him, that he just wanted to talk about Jesus, and not about himself.

I'm a very, very long way from being like that. This is something I feel God has really been impressing on me over this weekend particularly. On Saturday, I met up with the girls I'm accountable to, and we were talking about how we love to talk about ourselves. About how, even when we ask someone else a question, we're often just waiting for them to finish so we can make our comment, or tell our story... I often catch myself wanting to talk and talk and talk about myself all the time; my experiences, my family, my daughter... if someone asks about me, I have no problem telling them...

Even in the blogging world, I sometimes have to ask myself... what is the purpose of this blog? Is it to tell you all about me? my thoughts? my family? Or can I use it for some greater purpose? Perhaps to point to the person in whom my identity is really found?

I am not primarily a wife
I am not primarily a mother
I am not primarily a housewife, teacher, daughter, sister or friend

Primarily, I am a christian - follower of Jesus, rescued by the grace of the true God and living in the power of the Holy Spirit.

That's who I am.

Resolution 7: A country music proverb

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
19. Resolved, never to do anything which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump.

My Dad's a big fan of the USA and so we took a lot of family holidays out to the States as I was growing up. One of the things I've picked up from those trips is a love of country music. I love a bit of Tim McGraw, Randy Travis and Rascal Flatts... when I read this resolution, it made me thing of one of those songs that I love... Tim McGraw's "Live like you were dying"...

It's a bit of a morbid thought, to get the chance to live like you were dying, and I would never, never wish that upon anyone. I can't imagine what being in that situation must be like, and I have too many friends who have faced that situation, or are currently facing that situation, to begin to fathom how that must feel. But I guess being in that position perhaps gives you a new perspective on life... and amidst all the pain and heartache, must enable you to cherish the things that really matter, rather than getting caught up in the trappings of life that so often take things out of perspective.

Edwards wanted to live life with that perspective... he wanted to live his life through the filter of "what really matters"

Family?
Friendships?
Work?

Or is there a bigger meaning to life than even those things?

Edwards believed that only God truly mattered. That God brought meaning to his family, his friendships and his life's work...

and that was the window he wanted to view his last moments through...

Pin of the Week...

I just love these... a bit summery for this time of year perhaps, but you could definitely experiment with different fruits... a bit like chocolate fondu, but cuter!

All you need...
* lolly sticks
* fruit
* melted cooking chocolate

YUM!

Happy Weekend 

xxx

The final list...

This is the final list... I promise! My cleaning planner has revolutionised the way I approach the housework this year. In previous years, it was a bit sporadic... some weeks I'd clean the bathroom 4 times, other weeks it would be once a week (and I'm sure there are occasions, though I hate to admit it, where it was less often than that...!) I'd hoover when the house looked like it needed hoovered, and dust when I noticed a thick layer of grey appearing over the furniture - YUCK! And as for deep-cleaning, you know, that "spring cleaning"... well, I just didn't do more than the aesthetics!

Thanks to Sarah at Clover Lane, who I now feel is a friend even though I've never met her, I nicked this INGENIUS way of making sure I never get the need to "spring clean"... you know, that HUGE job where everything has to be stripped back and cleaned and it all feels incredibly overwhelming. Nope. She's got a great way of doing things bit at a time (just check out her 40 bags: 40 days challenge - I'm gonna try it this year!) As always, there are multiple lists involved...


1. Weekly cleaning schedule
This one looks something like this...
Monday - Wash day - bedding/towels, ironing
Tuesday - Clean bathroom
Wednesday - Wash day - whites
Thursday - Dust and hoover upstairs
Friday - Dust and hoover downstairs
Saturday - Wash day - colours/darks

I don't think that needs any explanation...

2. Deep Clean schedule
Week 1: Our room
Week 2: Ava's room
Week 3: Guest room
Week 4: Bathroom
Week 5: Kitchen
Week 6: Lounge
Week 7: Dining room
Week 8: Hall and porch
Week 9: Landing
Week 10: Craft room

I then have a list which breaks down exactly what that deep clean involves, and again nicked from Sarah, I give myself the whole week to gradually work through that list... If Monday's pretty free, I might get the whole DC done on Monday, leaving the rest of my week nice and free, but for some of the bigger cleans (i.e. the Kitchen), I need the full week to tackle it.


Of course, once I've completed week 10, I'm back to week 1, which means every room gets a thorough clean out at least every 10 weeks...

For more on this, check out Sarah's blog; I can't rate her highly enough!

Carpe Diem!

My meal planner...

Lists are great. I love them. And my 3 layered to-do-list is sadly not the only list I have in my life... this year, as I'm not working and we're working to a slightly tighter budget than before, I decided to rethink the way I did my meal-planning. Re-think is perhaps the wrong word... I didn't used to plan. Now I do. And I don't just plan a bit... I plan a month at a time. Yup. That's right. I can tell you now that on Tuesday 21st Feb we're having Vegetable gratin, and on Wednesday 29th Feb we're having chicken kiev with sweet potato wedges and peas. Sad? Yes... but I tell you what, its saved me a ridiculous amount of money and I no longer have that awful guilty feeling as I chuck away wasted food that I never used/used half of...

At the beginning of every month I sit down with my Menu sheet... my original plan, when I compiled it and typed it up beautifully, was to frame it so I could refer to it and display it... that hasn't happened... As you can see, its now a scrappy bit of paper that I scribble new recipes on. But I love it, and its great, cos it saves me trawling through endless recipe books, and it also saves me from making the same boring loop of meals over and over...

My Menu sheet was compiled using some of those classic recipes you have saved in your head, my own cook-book of stuff I've collected over the years and my three friends, who I like to call "Jamie", "Mark" and "Mr Sainsbury". Jamie Oliver's "Ministry of Food" is truly awesome... I love it. I have to admit to not being the biggest fan of some of his other recipe books, but I love this one, I use it all the time and it uses items I actually have in my larder (not "add 1/2 a chinese cabbage"... what on earth is a chinese cabbage?!?)  "Mark" is one of those classic Marks and Spencer's mini-cook books called "Easy Healthy" but it has loads of great recipes in, and "Mr Sainsbury" is one of those mini-folders that I've filled up with those little recipe cards over the years. These three books have made up my menu sheet, which has probably around 30 meals on it, which means I don't end up on an overly repetative cycle, which is always good.

As I said, at the start of the month, with menu sheet in hand, I sit down with my diary (my wonderful, beautiful diary... don't get me started on how MUCH I love www.organised-mum.co.uk... seriously. This diary is AMAZING and yes, I had one WAY before I was a mum!) and fill in the "meal ideas" column for the whole month. I try and mix it up, so that we get a good mix of beef, chicken, pork and veggie stuff every week. I always cook something quick and easy on Tuesday, because we're rushing out to housegroup, and on Friday, because its Friday. Thursday is my experimental day. I've been trying, recently, to try something new every week which is good fun. Sometimes they get the thumbs up, sometimes the thumbs down. If its thumbs up, it gets added to the big menu sheet.

On good weeks, my meal planner will look like this...

On weeks where things don't go to plan, it looks more like this...

With that done, I can then do my shopping list... and yes, I even have a system for that. One big Tesco online order per month for all my dry goods, one monthly shop at Lidl for all my meat (yes, my freezer is currently RAMMED full of meat for the month) and then I put in my weekly order with the Greengrocer  which normally goes something like this; 2 carrots, 1 red onion, three courgettes, one red pepper, two yellow peppers, a butternut squash and a tonne of fruit... I am so precise with it because knowing what I'm cooking means I know exactly what I need which means I don't end up with a load of waste, and I don't end up spending money on things I never use!

Its saved us a fortune!

So there you have it... writing it out makes it seem really complicated, but its actually dead easy, and it works for us, at the moment. So again, thought I'd share!

Happy Wednesday!

Doing a To-Do List...

There are times in my life where I feel like my head is swimming... swimming with all the things I need to do... post father-in-laws birthday present, hang out washing, fill in form, make up Ava's food for the week, take Ava to doctors, answer outstanding emails, deep clean bathroom, re-cover dining room chairs, book swimming lessons... I live in a state of fear that I'll forget something, which is why my "to do" list has literally become one of my most prized possessions... not because I get everything on it done, not because it plans out my day to the final second, but because it stops me freakin' out that I'm going to forget to do something!

My To-Do list is done in three layers... and I literally stole it COMPLETELY from the girl talk girls at www.girltalkhome.com . They have a whole series under there Resources section called Series PDFs - The Highly Effective Woman... well worth a read. I've been using their method for about 5 years now, and it is truly brilliant. I love it. 

Let me just re-iterate, before I go on. To-Do lists are not there to rule our lives... only God can do that effectively... they are there to serve us, and the minute they start to rule, something's gone wrong!!!

Anyway... three layers...

Layer 1: The Ultra-To-Do-List

At the beginning of the week, normally early Monday morning, I check over my ultra to do list... this is a seriously long, ever-growing, ever-adapting list of every possible thing that I want to achieve with things like book dentist appointment, conference emails, hoover whole house, Tesco online shop, Fruit and Veg order, plan meals, deep cleans, re-vamp larder, cut Ava's nails, return library books... it is literally everything! It is the list that takes the burden off my brain and stops me having to remember everything. It is in NO order, and is a complete mess as things are constantly being crossed off and some things stay on there forever (like hoover whole house... the minute I've done it, I'm planning to do it again!) This is not some beautifully creative masterpiece... it's scrappy, ever-changing and real!

Layer 2: The Daily To-Do-List

Every morning, after my quiet time, I whip out my crazy, scrappy ultra-to-do-list and figure out what things are top of my priority list for that day... what do I want to achieve? If something on my ultra list is a big project, I might break it down into small pieces and tackle one piece of it each day. I try to be realistic. I'd rather have a spare half hour and manage to do something extra (or just use that half hour to chill out and do something I want to do, rather than something I need to!), than be three things behind schedule at the end of the day. That's just depressing. 

Layer 3: Daily Schedule

Once I've worked out what I want to do that day, I put it into a time-frame -  I have found this to be the most-effective way of ensuring I get it done...However, I need to be realistic with a 5 month old baby. At the moment, she has three naps a day and I utilise this time as best as I can... what can I achieve in 45 minutes? I try to make sure one of her wake slots is purely for her; reading to her, playing with her, singing etc, rather than just living in a whirlwind of activity around her. That doesn't serve her in any way. Similarly, I do try to do some housework/errands while she's up and about... I want her to learn to amuse herself and not be reliant on my attention all the time, but that's another issue... I used to do my scheduling on the laptop, but these days I just write it out on a piece of paper...

I've no idea if this will help anyone... as I said before, its good to share what works, right? And I take absolutely NO credit for this way of doing things... I've nicked it straight from the Mahaney girls! But as I'm trying to "seize the day" for God at the moment... organising my day to day in this way helps me to prioritise effectively and therefore to do what I can to honour him as I go about life as a homemaker!

Happy planning!

Resolution 6: with all my might...

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live...

It's pretty much the anthem of the modern age; "make the most of life", "take risks, you only have one shot at it", "eat, drink and be merry". Living "with all our might" might be something you think we, in the 21st century, do pretty well. We don't settle for less than the best, we fight for our rights, we chase self-fulfillment and happiness, without always counting the cost... is this what Edwards is advocating?

Hmmm... I'd argue that perhaps, although we think we're living with all our might, perhaps we're not... to do anything with "all my might" requires determination, perseverance, purpose and energy. These are sadly NOT words that describe a lot of my life (try time-wasting, faffing, internet-surfing, Facebook reading, apathy, procrastinating, creating beautiful "to do" lists, rather than getting on and doing the things on them... anyone else guilty of that?!) No! That is NOT living with all my might!

I think what Edwards had in mind here was something much more than simply enjoying life... this is Carpe Diem in action... it means making the most of life, being purposeful in your use of time, your friendships, your priorities. It means knowing how to relax well, to enjoy creation and friendships and family, to work hard and enjoy a sense of achievement, to "expect great things from God and attempt great things for God" (Carey)

It sadly doesn't give me license to stop doing the mundane things (Oh, I won't bother ironing those shirts, because what does that really count for in the grand scheme of things... ironing is not "living with all my might!") No, when I'm doing the ironing I'm serving my family... I'm being purposeful in prioritising them and their needs and that brings glory to God.

Ultimately, to live with all my might is impossible if I'm not living with the Almighty... the one who created life and said "I have come that they (as in us!) may have life, and have it to the full"(John 10:10: The Bible). Jesus brings true enjoyment of life, true satisfaction and true fulfilment.

So, lets get living today... and do it "with all my might"!

Pin of the Week...

So, despite the predictions of snow, I am already willing the arrival of springtime... I've got my daffodils out and I'm going to attempt one of these cute vases to put them in! Nice and simple, but very effective! And all made with things I've already got lying around the house! (correction: now in my craft room - I am under strict instructions that the house is out of bounds for all things creative!) Also can be used as some cute votive/tealight holders...

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Organized chaos...

Ask my husband, my mother, numerous work colleagues, my friends and anyone else who has spent any amount of time with me and they will all inform you that, left to my own devices, I would live in a world of "organised chaos". My husband is exceptionally tidy, which is the only reason my house always looks immaculate. Don't get me wrong, I'm not "messy" (at least I don't think I am) but I have a habit of leaving little piles of things lying behind me for someone else to clear up...

For this reason, I have, over the years, had to pick up some tips and ideas from some very organised people. With these lists, rotas, labelled boxes and storage ideas in place, my life has become way more organised (OK - its not perfect... just ask anyone who looked in our Year 6 cupboard at school last year!) but seriously... I feel FAR more relaxed because everything is ordered. And God created us to like order, because he is ordered! (Just see Genesis ch 1!)

I LOVE the things I have put in place in my life to help me bring order into my chaotic world... I love them because they give me a sense of purpose at the start of the day and a sense of satisfaction at the end, they stop my brain hurting, because I no longer have to store my to-do-list in my head, they free up time so I can prioritise my life, they please my husband because my house stays clean and I am more relaxed as a mother too. But these things are not the be-all and end-all. No. Here the Girl Talk girls have got it spot on in their book "Shopping for Time";

"We don't evaluate our priorities, consider relationships and simplify tasks merely to avoid being overwhelmed. We do it so that our manner of life would be worthy of the gospel. We do it because, by God's amazing grace, we can live a life worthy of the gospel"


Its only because of God's grace that it is worth bringing order to chaos and "seizing the day". These tips, lists and tools are not meant to govern our lives, they are meant to serve them, because our lives are about serving God and sometimes, just sometimes, he chooses to "interrupt" all our nicely laid out plans for his purposes and our to-do-lists have to go to pot.

Next week, I'm going to share some of the things I've put in to place that I've magpied from various people. I hope they will encourage you to "shop for time" and "seize the day" for God's glory, so that you are freed up to take hold of his "interruptions" without fretting about the 101 other things you were meant to do this week!

"Carpe Diem"

***

Cookie q and a!

Had a couple of questions thrown my way after my "Baking Day" post yesterday, so decided to delay the post that was up for today and answer the questions, in case anyone else is interested!

Where did you get the "Homemade" ribbon?

Another free advert for Panduro here!  I do a huge order from them about every 6 months. AMAZING stuff and decently priced!

Did you get the stickers printed?

Nope... just good old handwriting! The stickers are from a Cath Kidston set that was a present that I have USED and USED! Very worth the money... every jar in my larder is  labelled up with them and I've still got a tonne left! Pretty sure you can buy them off Amazon... 

Where did you get the bags from?

The "bags" weren't bags at all... a simple role of cellophane!!! I cut out a circle of nice scrapbook paper, just a little bigger than the cookies and placed the cookies on top of it. I sellotaped the edge of the cellophane across the centre of the circle and then carefully rolled the cookies round, taping as I went until it was surrounded... then I just bunched up the top and tied it together with a ribbon!

Which Hummingbird book did you use?

I love Hummingbird Bakery recipes... they are always so light and fluffy! The recipe is actually from the original Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook... anything Hummingbird gets a thumbs up in my book! I made the oat and raisin cookies and they are our faves by MILES... think its something to do with the fact you feel healthy eating them, cos they have oats and raisins in them and you somehow feel able to ignore the high quantities of butter and sugar!!

Voila! Lovely cookie packaging!

Enjoy!

xxx