Legally Blonde

I haven’t done one for a while, but recently I’ve been better at in touch and doing things so…

House group was lovely tonight, really good. newer people feeling more confident, joining in, asking. loud people leaving space. mad people piping down a bit (that was me). A challenging but not dispiritingly difficult study. real fellowship – even including some answered prayer and more on the study – over the tea and biscuits (raspberry oatmeal, sound odd but recommended).

I’ve finished the draft outline for our family service on 5th Oct. ten days feels like cutting it a bit fine – but in fact it’s lots longer than we’ve managed for most of them up til now! just have to hope any families turn up cos there’s a lot of congregation participation, and the last two I’ve done we’ve been really short on children! I’m quite pleased with it (though of course it isn’t all mine) and hope and pray it will work and touch people and lead and speak to them in a way that fits in with His Plan. I’m enjoying being one of the mouthpieces (or groundworkers?) but don’t want to claim credit really.

It’s only a draft, so could all change again on Sunday (our next meeting and final runthrough are in the same hour after church this week, for running a service the following week… oh golly, I do fly by my pants sometimes!) but so far I think it was a good contribution, and a happy, productive, busy, sunny day

Not sure whether this will work, but Benjamin and I are in the middle of the top picture:

Wheelrights

We are back from four glorious days (3 1/2 actually, Thursday though not actually raining was fairly cold and grey still) with my parents in West Wales. We took a view that 2 hours west a bit was an easier drive than 5+ east, including the entire M4 and M25, and gatecrashed their week’s retreat at a gorgeous little cottage they’d been lent in Rhodiad y Brenin just outside the smallest City (only 2,000 souls, but it does have a Cathedral).

We surfed, dog-walked, went blackberrying and hill-climbing, I was a complete slob and slept, ate and read loads while my parents occupied my son – a most indulgent dereliction of duty. There was no television, no telephone and no heating – it was bliss! It took me back to childhood wintry nights, when we had to light fires, put more clothes on and keep doors shut, rather than reaching for the thermostat! the cold nights were kept out with copious quantities of red and veritable tournaments on the Scrabble board. The garden had apples and plums just ready on the trees, several abandoned footballs and the shed had two mountain bikes, one with an extra back seat, and a body-board.

I can hardly believe how rested, refreshed and relaxed I feel after only 4 days, but what a treat just to get away from “real life” for however brief a spell. My Indian Summer long weekend was good

The Sun is Shining!!!!

we walked down to school without coats or wellies. gosh this makes a difference! still have a list to get through so mustn’t get distracted and start gardening instead just because I can…

how on earth does superwoman do it?

today I have walked the boys to school, come home and done a mountain of important paperwork for Husband, hung up the washing, walked back to school to collect B, walked him home and given him lunch, taken him to nursery, come home and had a very intense service planning meeting, peeled another mountain of apples for cooking and freezing, cleaned the oven and finished the article I mentioned earlier this week.

My amazing husband (who appears to have calmed down considerably since this morning’s explosion, thank you very much for the prayers) came home early, offered to collect B from nursery, take him to the in-laws for tea and bath, and forego training tonight so I could finish some sorting and filing rather than start the mad round of meals again (feed b, start his bath and bedtime, start D’s supper, finish B’s bedtime, feed D…), meaning I can possibly even make it to church tonight (missing Sunday bothered me more than I’d realised – hadn’t noticed I’d got so back in touch! and there’s a healing prayer service tonight that may top me up).

Still behind on the washing and cleaning front – want to catch up on the paperwork and fun house stuff (cooking, stripping again!!) rather than the boring-but-necessary (cleaning all the time); thought being at home more would make a big difference but the two hours between drop off and collect, drop off and collect seem to fly by. No excuse really, just don’t know how proper mummies begin to stay on top of it (although having said that, I did clean the oven!).

that about sums it up for now.

if you have any spare prayers can you ping them at my husband, please?

I was going to post a pic of the surprisingly successful banana bread, but the boys polished it off before I could prove it to the world!

Pippa if you’re reading, the bread maker seems well and happy, and we are trying to keep it busy and involved so it hopefully won’t miss you too much…!

After many attempts and rehashings, I think I have the final draft of the reply to evil ex work. For safety’s sake, though, I will ping it at a couple of loyal, helpful, far more tactful than I, readers before sending it.

I have spoken to the editor of the parish mag and I now have until Thursday – this will make a Big Difference.

I have arranged a meeting for initial brainstorm for Harvest family service – you’d think having such an obvious time of the year hook to hang it on would make it easier to plan, but oh no, there is the weight of expectation, the “can you do something different?” and the “can we have a proper traditional one?”, the attention span of three year olds…

It is still raining so I am not guilty about the lawn. The paperwork pile is still a monster, though the ironing pile has shrunk dramatically. Some sort of progress. When B wakes up (yes, he’s gone back to daytime sleeps, it’s the shattering business of starting Big School!) we will make some banana bread – his suggestion as we were puddle-hunting after school earlier.

Back from Caerleon and the very lovely wedding of Lela and Nick – the main roads were flooded and closed, the sat nav took us a very unpromising looking winding lane that was neither flooded nor closed and tipped us out right at the farm’s front door, only 20 minutes late. She was radiant, he was tearful, we were relaxed and togethery (without B) and Husband even Danced. Slightly fragile this morning all in a good cause.

Missed church this am though, and it was a first Sunday family service. Some families who don’t usually come to church came because they’d heard about our First Sundays!

Boys are both sleeping; I’m attempting to catch up on stuff.

I have to finish a reply for complicated work stuff currently in its 3rd draft but i have to keep tweaking and be absolutely sure it sounds right before i send it. I have to finish an article for the parish mag about our 24-7 prayer day last month – deadline tomorrow. I have to start planning the family service for first Sunday in October (Harvest) and find a day soon when everyone involved can get together, as the last one we left to the last minute and it didn’t go nearly so well as a result. I have to catch up with some banking paperwork, and make the ironing pile do a disappearing act. If it ever stops raining, I have to cut the grass.

Ho hum. Nice to check in here, but have to get back to the List!

Benjamin: Why is the goat called Billy?
Mummy: which goat, darling?
Benjamin: in the story! Mrs Perkins said the goat called billy was scruffy.
Mummy: (light dawning) did she read you the three billy goats gruff?
Benjamin: No, Mummy. I said, billy the goat was scruffy. I told you. Mrs Perkins said.