Another has stolen my heart...

I have found a new love.....

It's name is....Pintrest!!!!

I have not thought much of Pintrest for a long time, but recently a friend showed me how to use it properly and explained exactly what it was for, and I am in love!!

I have an organisational board, for all those fab ideas on structure, pretty tidying ideas and the like, a Girly stuff board, with all the beautiful hairstyles, clothes and shoes that I like, and a Disney board, where I have just pinned all of my favourite pics of mostly disney princesses, to be honest!!!! 

It has made me realise and hone in on what I like, what appeals to me, and as I stand back and look at it all, I most definitely see myself more clearly, and that is something that I have always struggled with: what is really me and what has been influenced by others. 

So I find that I love feminine, pretty things, floaty dresses, long, long hair, tea cups and saucers, aprons, Homestead skills, the pioneer life (with a few modern comforts!) and of course, I have a sneaking feeling I am actually a Disney Princess living in the happy ever after section of real life!

Ariel, with 4 children!

I make no apologies anymore for who and what I am. 

I have been made this way by my gracious God and I am slowly learning to love who I am. 

All from a little board site!!

Who says the internet is all bad.....?

Friday Recipes (on Saturday, Sorry): Beef Chunks in Gravy

It's been a busy week, and we had friend over last night, so I opted for plain and simple.

I went with Beef in gravy, with Mashed potatoes and vegetables. 

It was a hit, so I thought I'd share my easy peasy recipe with you;

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter

1lb of stewing beef, in fairly small chunks

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp red wine

1 pint chicken stock, hot

1/2 cup peas (I used frozen)

1 tsp salt,

1 tsp pepper,

2 tsp Arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken

Method

• Melt butter in a cast iron pan, and brown the meat for about 30-45 second each side. (working in small batches makes this easier)
• Add the onions and garlic to the same pan, so they fry in the juices. let fry for 2-3 mins, and then ad the red wine to loosen any residual meat juices stuck at the bottom of the pan.
• Add peas and chicken stock, stir to combine, add salt and pepper and simmer for 20-30 mins on a medium heat.
• When ready to serve, dilute thickener of choice with water in a separate cup, and add to pan, while still on the heat. Stir for 2-3 mins to allow to thicken, and then serve with potatoes and vegetables of your choice. 

Healthy, tasty food with not a hint of MSG or nasty chemicals in sight.

Simple, but worth it.

There's something growing in that there cage....

We have a visitor.

It is a very unwelcome visitor.

Our beautiful Bearded Dragon, Vadar, had a growth. 

We think that it is Yellow fungus, and on researching this nasty visitor, (google, anyone?) our outlook for the little guy was not too good.

However.....

We searched some more, and found an alternative, and after speaking to our vet, she said it was worth a try! 

The good thing is, that Vadar seems healthy and happy at the moment, so no sickness or lethargy and he is eating VERY well!! 

It's a good job that he likes his baths, because he will be having plenty of them in the next few weeks!! 

It just made me think though. Haribo was heartbroken when we told him, (it's TECHNICALLY his pet) and what crossed my mind was my mum's mentality. My mother will not have a pet, because you get too attached and then it dies, and you get brokenhearted. And seeing his little face, and the concern he has for his animal, I could, for a split second, see what she means. No mama likes to see her child hurting.

However.....

As I look around at all the pets we have, and the animals we want long term, (our dream is a small holding, with chickens, a cow, some rabbits, etc), I would rather experience the temporary heartbreak and the years of joy, companionship and fun that pets bring, than never have one and avoid pain. 

So, animals get sick. So do children. So they cost money. So do children. And spouses. and life. So they need training and clearing up after. So do children. 

Are they the same? Of course not. But the reward of a loyal dog is worth the training time. 
The companionship of a cat is worth the time and effort. The beauty and humor of a tortoise is priceless (and it will probably live longer that you!!) And a boy taking care of his sick dragon warms this mama's heart on a cold winter day :-)

Tea and Sympathy

I've been visiting a friend this morning.

This friend is an elderly lady, who lives on her own, and is wheelchair bound.

This friend is a particularly difficult lady to get on with. 

This friend drains me when I visit.

This friend is a great blessing to me despite all of the above.

I have been visiting her for about 3 months now, and God really had to move me strongly to be willing. He nudged me probably as much as 10 months ago, but because this lady is very harsh and abrupt, and I have never been very good at holding my tongue, I though God had the wrong person at first. 

And I told Him so.

I had every excuse, I didn't have a car, I would not be able to keep my mouth shut, I would make things worse. I told God all of this, but you know what, He wanted me to go anyway.

So I arranged with another friend to take and collect me and I bit the bullet. 

I could not believe the compassion I felt for this lady. 

When everyone, including her own family had been driven away by her tongue and her mean attitudes, God gave me a great pity for the broken lady inside all that hate. 

She is someone who never has a good word to say about anything, or anyone, and this can be very draining, in the natural world, on my mood, but there is always a flash, usually near the end of the visit, of a very lonely, very hurt lady, and she has flashes of sweetness that make me think God knew what He was doing in giving me a burden for her. 

I can not imagine not being able to take care of myself and having to allow strangers into my home to clean and take care of me. This is a proud lady who has done great things for God in her life, but seems to have taken against everyone and everything in frustration. 

I pray that God will allow me to love her in practical ways, as He loves me, and that she will see that Jesus loves her, despite her rough exterior, and wants to heal her hurts, if she will give them to Him. 

I pray that every one of will realise that. 

Show us more of Your glorious Love, Abba. 

Slowly slowly fill the pantry..

Do you ever get an urge to clear out and start again?

This is how I get every few months. I get slack with things and then need a jump start.

At the moment it's my kitchen appliances.

I REALLY need would like a stand mixer at the moment. I have a small hand mixer, but a lot of the recipes I would like to make more often are made a lot easier by having one. 

So I do my usual, I begin researching, and trawling Amazon and Ebay to find just the one I want. 

I have no means to buy one yet, that's the problem.

I have a list on my refrigerator of all the things that I would slowly like to add or replace in my kitchen, and it's just not happening quickly enough for me!

My list includes (but is not limited to...)

• The aforementioned Stand Mixer
• A Grain Mill
• A Dehydrator
• A Slow cooker
• 2 more Cast Iron Frying Pans
• A Pizza Stone
• and a new collander!

I know it's a small thing, and I know that Jesus is teaching me patience at the moment, but today, I am not being a very good student. 

I am very blessed to have a working kitchen, I know this, and I know I need to wait and add slowly, I'm just feeling impatient today.

Is there anything that you are waiting somewhat patiently for? 

Wait with me, and we can wait in joy together. 

From tomorrow morning.......

Search me Oh Lord

It can be a scary thing to look at yourself.

I don't mean in a mirror, (although after Christmas, that's a little scary too!) I mean in a reflective, deep down inside, "what are my motives" kind of way.

It is quite something to realise that you are capable of attitudes and thoughts that you hate! I cant stand it when others begrudge good things happening to someone they know, it's mean and no-one knows what the other goes through.

Plus God has an individual plan for each of us!

But when I was told someone close has good news of something that I am waiting for God to do for us, I hate to admit that all those thoughts ran through my head! 

Well, not begrudging, as such, but unfair thoughts about .... I can hardly say it... but that's supposed to be me!!!

I love the person so very much, and I am happy for them, I truly am. The pain that went through my heart was real, it was strong and my mind, unfiltered, was not very charitable.

And my God does not want me to stay that way.

He has to be the one who deals with my hurt, I can't, the other person cant. 

My Abba knows the plans he has for me.

In times like this, He always takes me back to what I know. Not what I feel, what I KNOW.

I KNOW my God loves me. I KNOW my God never changes. I KNOW He promised us. I KNOW Jesus can be trusted. I KNOW I can take my troubles to Him. He is faithful.

So while my feelings rage, my spirit is quiet, as my Abba has shown me myself. But He hasn't left me there.

Thank You God. 

What's a girl to do?

So the new year is almost upon us, and it's that time again, where we take stock of the past, and make plans for the year ahead.

So I ask you, how have you grown in the last year, and what are your goals for next year?

In the interest of fairness, I'm going to share my thoughts. (if that's ok)

Taking stock of the last year, I can see that I have grown in Grace towards others, and am much more likely to give people the benefit of the doubt than I ever would have. I KNOW this is because my Abba Father has had many occasion to give me the benefit of the doubt over the last year!!!!

I have grown to trust Abba more, through a series of events, and fulfilled promises, after a long wait and many toddler tantrums on my behalf!! (See what I mean about Him being gracious!?)

I have learnt new things about my husband and children, and I have made new friends and had to say goodbye to a few too. Letting go is something I have found hard, but God has smoothed the way when I have given my expectations to Him.

I can honestly say that, although I still have a LONG way to go, through God's grace and patience, I feel that I am a better person now than last year.

So looking forward, my goals are to continue to learn how to feed my family healthy, nutritious meals, to continue to learn about my husband, and the wife he needs and deserves, to try to model to my children a real life with Christ, not a religion, but a relationship and the ups and downs and mistakes and forgiveness that entails.

I want to get more active, (but I say that every year), and I want to read more books, (I say that every year too, but I usually do this one!!) and I want to believe that this year will be another year that the Lord adds more children to our family.

But most of all, my goal is to draw closer to my Abba, because apart from Him, I can do nothing. Without Him, I will be the same next year as this. Without Him, I will be alone. Without Him, I AM nothing.

Praise You Yeshua, my Saviour King. 

Consumerism gone mad??

Is it just me, or has Christmas just got more and more about "STUFF"???

As we approach this special day, every year seems to become a competition of who can spend the most amount of money on the most amount of stuff for the most amount of people and win!!

When did this happen???

I didn't grow up in a Christian house, so it was never really about Christ, unfortunately, when I was a kid, but we always spent time together, watching various films as a family, and just enjoying each other's company, with good food and a gratefulness for the things we did get!!

Now that I have grown up ( a little....), I want to instill some of the same things in my children; spending time with those you love and a gratefulness for what they have, but also an appreciation for the greatest gift mankind was every given.

A way back to God.

This holiday is not about Stuff. Jesus was given meaningful presents by the Magi, and a small, thoughtful present is the most we have done this year. Instead, our focus will be along the lines of the American Thanksgiving. We give thanks for our family around us, who have thoughtfully given us presents. We are thankful for the special treats and food we can put on our table, and the means to do so. We are thankful for a roof over our heads and heating and lighting. 

But most of all, on Christmas day, Santa falls by the wayside in the presence of the KING of kings and the Lord of lords, our most precious gift, Jesus Christ. 

So there is no mad rush on Christmas Eve in our house, there are no £££££ signs in our children's eyes as they stare at a mountain of useless "STUFF" that will be forgotten by suppertime. There will be fun and laughter, thanksgiving and prayer, and Jesus.

Amen.

Time flies

I finally sit down to share my month with you!!!

Well, it's been eventful! 

A family wedding, a family engagement, home schooling, a new prayer triplet,and to top it all off, DH has been diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes and High cholesterol!!!

We are not too worried about this, as we have made some big changes to our diet over the last year, but DH drinks nothing but Cola, and snacks very badly, so changes still need to be made.

I also had the pleasure of sharing a Word with our church this past weekend, and although i haven't done it in a while, and although the enemy tried his hardest to distract with a car crash outside the church (!!!) I felt my Abba with me and was able to share how God's grace is His strength to do what he asks us to do. 

I have also been reading more Francine Rivers and have been very touched by it. I was lent Leota's Garden and found, for the first time, the joy others find in creating and nurturing a flower garden. It always seemed like a lot of work for not much reward to me, but as I saw it through Leota and Annie's eyes, I began to see God in every action, in every job. 

I have yet to tell my DH, but I would like to learn how to tend a garden and enjoy it's beauty. My mum is a great gardener, and works on her garden every year. 

I may just have to pick her brains.....

Who said the Christian life was boring???!

Life gets so busy sometimes.

Now that we have officially adopted Little Bud, he has begun his homeschooling adventure with the big kids at The School in the Back Room!!

He has taken to it so well. He loves it and asks to start if I take "too long" in my quiet time in a morning!!!

We have had his celebration hearing at the courthouse, where he shook the hands of all the attendees like he was an grown man!! (He's 7 next week!) 

We also baptized our eldest son, our second born, Haribo this past weekend!! He was radiant as he came out of the water and was richly blessed with cards and words of encouragement.

It made both Hubby and I think back on our own journey with Jesus. we would never have pictured then, 6 and 5 years ago respectively, when we were baptized, just how far the Lord would take us, and the adventure it would be. 

I am so thankful that I have Jesus in my life, making the difference. 

May I always ask "what can I do for You today Abba?"

It's ALIVE!!!!!!

I'm very impressed!!

I've been making a Ginger bug for my fermented Ginger Beer and I think it's now ready!!!

I found the recipe Here and have been trying it out, having never tried fermenting before.

It looked like slush for days, but the recipe says that it is ready when it starts to bubble as you stir it.

It's BUBBLY!!!! 

I'm really looking forward to making this, as it is a healthy, probiotic soda, and I do have to say, I get a little bored of drinking just water.....

So another week of fermenting in the bottles, and we will be ready to taste.

I will let you know how it all goes....

Awesome, in the true sense of the word..

I was watching part of the Hillsong conference on TV this morning and a speaker called Louie Giglio was on there, taking about how great our God is. 

The guy has a great dvd about the stars and solar systems and how they all sing to the Lord as part of creation's song.

I've seen this dvd before and was amazed, so when I saw him speaking, I was intrigued as to what he was talking about this time.

He began talking about our cry, how our words and our worship are so important, and that battles are won with the new song that Jesus gives us. 

I love this, as a worship leader, as so many Christians miss how important praise and worship is. It is NOT just a warm up to the preacher, NOR is it to make you feel sweet and nice! 

It is to remind us, and everyone else, how amazing God, the creator of the universe, is!! This is so powerful, because the enemy does not know what to do with someone who will praise God in every season.

Louie went on to talk about the stars again, and the sounds that they make. He played sound bites of 2 different stars and played them together and they made MUSIC!! 

Seriously, they made music. 

Not altered, not synthesized, they honest to goodness made music when played together. 

I was in tears. The creation does indeed worship the creator.

And God wants our voice to join that symphony. He wants it so much, that He sent Jesus to pay our debt so we could. 

God is AMAZING!!!!!

It's Official!!!!!

It's finally happened!! 

Little Bud is legally ours. 

This morning, the judge granted the adoption order to make the child of my heart into a legal member of our family. 

3.5 long years in the making, to say we are pleased is a GIANT understatement!! 

We have full parental rights, and he is ours as if he was born to us.

Life can be planned and lived properly for the first time in years. 

Praise my Abba in heaven for blessing us and entrusting us with this little boy.

We take very seriously our responsibility to train this child in the way of the Lord. 

Thank you Jesus!!!

He's ours!!!!!

:-)

Marriage Time......

No kids!!!!

Yesterday, hubby and I had the WHOLE day to ourselves!!!! 

I know!!!! 

A close friend of ours took the children out to the beach and the cinema for the day, and Papa and I were left wondering what to do with our time!!!

We decided to go out for a quiet lunch, to a pizza restaurant, and had some chilling time at home. We could eat when we wanted, we could go out if we wanted, it was lovely!!!!

However, when the children still weren't back at 8pm, I was starting to miss them! 

I love having my hubby to myself, and I love the break from the constant calls of "Mum, tell him!!" "mum, can I...." "MUUUUUUUMMMMMM"
but.....
I wouldn't trade them for the world!

I love my loony, crazy, irritating, amazing, beautiful children, and are glad when they all come home again!!!

Pondering....

I was talking to a lady at the bus stop a couple of days ago, as you do, and she was making a joke about being allergic to children.

She said she didn't like her own kids when they were young, so she was definitely allergic to mine!!

She was trying to be funny, but it really struck me in a sad way. 

That used to be me! 

I hated school holidays, when it meant I had to be home all day with my children. I hated having to find things to occupy them all day long for those long summer months, and would be close to throwing a party when term time appeared on the horizon once more!!

How things have changed. 

It made me so thankful for the revelation that my children are a gift from God. That they are here, and mine to take care of, for such a short period of time. That, although I have bad days, they are to be cherished and appreciated for just being children. For having their own personalities, and quirks. 
Some of our favourite phrases as a family are coined from what the children have said. It is unique. They are unique.

So I am most definitely NOT allergic to children, I love them. And that lady doesn't know what she's missing out on.....

Life, As We Know It....

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted!!! 

DH has been on holiday so we have been making the most of it by spending some really good quality time as a family! 

Well, I have been struggling lately with having a schedule at all, and meal planning has been a last minute thing, having fudged through half the week before I get my act together!
Does that happen to you?

I want to be more organised, I know the benefits, but I just get waylaid, distracted, and deflated. 

I have had to try and get my focus back onto why I do it. 

I don't do it for praise, (which I often realise in horror that that was my motive) and I don't do it from duty (which it can feel like sometimes, especially when I really want to order a Chinese!) but I do it because it's easier, it's right and it is healthier. I want to do it because God has shown me a better way, and to go back to processed food would be foolish. I want to be a good steward of the family that God has given me, and I am just being a bit darn selfish and lazy when I don't!!!!

I don't like to think this of myself, but Jesus said, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. 

Honesty is always the best policy, especially with one's self, so my prayer this week is change me Lord, give me the passion back and give me the energy to do my job as mama and chief caregiver!!!

How about you? Do you tire of healthy living? Do you struggle with enthusiasm and drive to do your best? Leave your tips here.

Taking Time to See the Bigger Picture...

So we had some frustrating news today. 

The adoption of Little Bud has stalled due to a report not being filed on time AGAIN!!!!

It frustrates me when other things, that I have no control over, go wrong, when we have been waiting so long for this!! 

It has put me in a bad mood this afternoon, and I knew it. I was grouchy, snapping at the children, and I shouldn't have. 

Mama had to take 30 mins to herself! 

As I sat watching the clear sky through my bedroom window, on this HOT summer's day, feeling sorry for myself, I began to think about what a great life we have; how lucky we are to have this little boy in our lives, and that the piece of paper will not make him any more or less the son of my heart.

I had to take a deep breath and realise that God is in charge. He has been all along, and He will not let us down. He brought Little Bud to us, so He will keep him with us. 

It is an honor to show this little boy God, and to love him as our own. 

My boy is awesome, just like the God who made him!!

Music, ah sweet music....

Wow, it's been so long since I sat and looked at the music I own!

I am sat writing this after spending a good 3 hrs sorting through my iTunes library, and updating my iPod. I completely forgot I owned such great music! 

It's amazing what music does for the soul. Music can evoke vivid memories, and soothe the soul, or remind you of a painful time in your life.

Music has always been a part of my life, and it always will be. Looking at my library, I noticed I have music for every mood. I have so many different genres, so many types within those genres, and just looking at some of my old, OLD favorites, I'm reminded of my first heartbreak, my first holiday without my mum and dad, Moving away, meeting the love of my life, the time when my children were born, when I auditioned for musicals, when I met Jesus, every phase of my life.

Music can tell the story of our life, each step, each turn, the gamete of our human emotions and our lives, in my humble opinion, would be so flat without it!

Just my thoughts as I sit here contemplating how rich my life has been, and how much beautiful music has played a part. Blessed doesn't even cover it.......

Happy Birthday Smudge!

My Little Smudge is 11 today!

I can't believe it! where did the time go???? 

We always tell "The Birth Story" on birthdays in our house. Little bud is different because, as he's adopted, we have his "Gotcha Day" story instead, about the day he came to live with us. 

Smudge's birth story was that he was our rainbow baby. I have a history of very large babies, something we didn't realise until in the middle of giving birth to my daughter!!! (A harrowing tale for another time...) 
Because of this, I was checked, scanned and monitored very closely through the next 2 pregnancies, and when I was scanned at 37 weeks, and he was measuring 9lb1oz, they decided to induce me at 38 weeks! (As an older and wiser mama now, this is not something I would allow now, however I was 22 and easily swayed by the authority of the midwife and doctors.)

The labour it's self was pretty straight forward, but the panic of the midwives when I was ready to push caused him to get stuck. (that, and the fact that they had AGAIN put me on my side, and although I have broad hips, that sucker was not budging that way.) I managed to tell them I want to be on my back and when I moved, so did he!

The result was a very blue faced, Beautiful baby that weighed exactly 10lb!!!! 

Over the course of the next few days, his face went from blue to purple, then to red, then to yellow, as he developed jaundice (!) and then finally to a plump pink! Hence the rainbow baby.

So, as we do every year, I retold the Birth story, and Smudge snuggled in and smiled as he listened. See, some family traditions just make you feel home......

Happy Birthday Smudge x 

Sunshine and flowers

I love it when the sun shines!!

Woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day! Decided that I was going to take my big dog for a long walk today, as she has been teaching the pup lately and he can only go for 20 mins at a time. 

We took a lovely walk through a large cornfield not far from our house, and I don't know why, but being out in the sunshine, with my boys and my Poppy, looking at God's glorious creation, really lifted my spirits today! 




Poppy was pleased to get out for a proper run, and Haribo picked me the most beautiful little bunch of wild flowers, so I feel very spoilt today



I am a very lucky mama!! 

My baby puppy Murphy went out for a walk too, and he really seemed to enjoy it....!


And that reminds me, I may need to vacuum....... :-o (Oh My!!)