Friday Funnies

By the end of the week a lot of us are needing a good laugh, I know I do sometimes.

First another gem from my favourite cartoon, Vimrod.

And now a video. My son keeps threatening to make videos for our announcements at church, but i doubt he’d get any of our church leaders to do anything like this:

And yes, this guy is one of the leaders at the church concerned.

If you still need more laughs, head on over to homesteaders heart by clicking on the Friday Funnies banner at the top of this post.

Friday Felicities

Years ago, our dear friend Natalie started Friday Felicities. I say “our” because she was a friend to so many women online.
Natalie passed away on June 7, 2007 after a sudden illness. Becky took over hosting Friday Felicities and while she may not manage to post every week, those of us who participate now still consider her the host.
What are felicities you ask? Why they are things that make you happy! So, this is not a hard meme at all! Becky gives permission to use the graphic in this post but please load it to your own site. List your happies and please go over to Becky's to sign the Mr. Linky if she posts and link up with other Friday Felicities participants.
So, my Friday Felicities for Friday 19th June are:

• Watching my Sunday’s Cool class realise that God speaks to 5 – 11 year olds as well as adults!
• Sunshine
• Rain
• Friends
• Incredible prayer times
• Journaling
• Encouragement from friends at Spark People
• Weight loss (however limited, it’s moving in the right direction)

Samba rocks!

Heeheeee, Apparently, our local town crier is not strong enough on his legs to participate in the parade part of the carnival and has to use a disabled scooter thing.

But the real memories this day brings back are of this:

The samba band from my son’s school. He’s in there somewhere!

Here’s another clip showing their samba teacher. Bear in mind that they had only been playing samba for a year when they took part in this parade. And they weren’t even getting lessons every week.

head on over to Cheaper than Therapy for more fascinating photos by clicking on the Thousand Words Thursday banner at the top of this post.

Tell Me Thursday

Ooops, I forgot to post my Tell Me Thursday last week, and since I did not post a Wordless Wednesday THIS week, let me tell you the story of last week’s photos. Last Week’s Post on Wordless Wednesday showed these photos:

They were taken when we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a weekend away at a pub/restaurant/b&b called the TALBOT at Knightwick in Worcestershire.

Those photos were taken in the car park and they are of giant thistles, not normal sized ones. I had NEVER seen thistles that size before and the colours were beautiful and they were just growing as weeds in the car park.

The Talbot is right next to the river Teme, and when hubby and I went for an evening stroll, we stood on a small bridge over the river and watched two swans swimming around. As we stood there, watching these swans we saw something else neither of us had seen before, and have not been privileged to see since either. We watched for a good 10 minutes as a kingfisher dipped in and out of the banks of the river, flying this way and that, it was beautiful!

Neither of those were the best thing about the weekend however, because the Talbot is famous for its food.

A unique style has developed; Annie is firmly rooted in the traditions and seasonal produce of the Teme Valley, and strongly believes that anything that cannot be produced on the premises should come from a known local source e.g. hams, bacon, sausages and cheese.
We believe food should have an identifiable character, be distinctive and prepared with thought for both the ingredients and the customer.
We produce and make our own preserves, breads, black pudding and raised pies. We grow 'chemical free' vegetables and herbs and brew beer on the premises; mixed and green salads also come from our own garden. We glean and gather wild food from the fields and hedgerows around us and buy in no processed food. This is labour intensive and means high costs, but we think the results are worth it.
The only exception to our 'local' rule is fish - we have fresh deliveries from Cornwall and Wales regularly.

When we were there one of the local farmers had found a puffball mushroom and we were lucky enough to have a piece as part of our cooked breakfast.

I’d love to go back there again!

If you participated in Wordless Wednesday and would like to share the story of your photo, head on over to Tell Me Thursday and share your link.

13 Books in Mt TBR

13 books in Mt TBR

(that would be mount To Be Read)
The last 3 are actually Re-reads, but so good I DO want to read them again.

1. Songs in the Key of Solomon by Anita and John Renfroe
   Ladies, are you tired of trying to engage your man in something he is reluctant to do? Let’s face it: husbands are not normally seen running to bookstores to buy a couple’s devotional. And guys, are you tired of feeling like the term “devotional” is code for “boring? You may be thinking, Please, not one more thing to check off my daily to-do list. Plus, you and your wife have different views on what intimacy is all about, right?
   If either of you is wondering if you’re living more with your “roommate” than your “soulmate,” then this devotional can help you meet on common ground and discover each other in new ways. You won’t even need an alarm clock to wake you when your “devotional time” is finished. Filled with insights from a real couple on real issues, Songs in the Key of Solomon will get you and your spouse laughing, thinking, sharing, touching, and praying – possibly all during the same reading.
   Each offering in this devotional is designed to spark connections around issues that matter, so you’ll deepen your emotional, spiritual, and physical unity and ignite new levels of intimacy. (One devotional involves a bathtub and some candles...try not to get stuck on that one page over and over again.) Here is an invitation to hear the music in your marriage – maybe for the first time…or maybe once again.
   
   
2. Falling in Love with Prayer by Mike Macintosh
   Few things change a person's life like falling in love. And now, one of our nation's most dynamic pastors will help readers fall in love with prayer—and with their Creator! Mike MacIntosh offers personal experiences and powerfully directed biblical truths about the power of prayer. The book itself is designed to be enjoyable, informative and applicable and is a true call to intimacy with God. Be prepared to be changed forever!
   
   
3. The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney
   This expanded edition of the original best-seller includes a daily devotional for personal reflection and a study guide.
   A God chaser is a person whose passion for God’s presence presses him to chase the impossible in hopes that the uncatchable might catch him. A child chases a loving parent until, suddenly, the strong arms of the father enfold the chaser. The pursuer becomes the captive; the pursued the captor. Paul put it this way: I chase after that I may catch that which has apprehended me (Phil. 3:12).
   The passionate paths of God chasers can be traced across the pages history from Moses the stutterer, David the singer, and Paul the itinerant preacher, to contemporaries like A.W. Tozer, Leonard Ravenhill, and countless others who share one common bond: an insatiable hunger to know their Lord.
   
   
4. Get a (Spiritual) Life by Kim Wier
   In the 31-day "devotional life" format of her first book, Are You Talking to Me?, Kim Wier brings into zany focus her world as a busy carpool mom, helping you to identify with her daily adventures and draw out nuggets of spiritual truth from your own life experiences. The best humor taps into the deepest truth. This unique devotional is fun to read and genuinely inspiring. It will help you sort through your daily distractions to find spiritual purposes in each day.
   
   
5. Getting Your Family On Your Side by Neva Coyle
   This book shows how a dieter's family and close friends influence weight-management's successes and failures. Recent expanding research is showing the direct relationship between the interdependency of families and compulsive behavior at all levels, particularly in the area of weight management. Many dieters find their best efforts being sabotaged from several directions within their own families. Beyond helping dieters recognize the influence of those closest to them, the authors believe that families and friends can be trained to be the dieter's first support group through honest communication, forgiveness and re-education. Practical principles and creative ways to enlist a family's consistent help are presented.
   
   
6. Walking the Walk by Leslie Sansone
   #1 bestselling fitness guru Leslie Sansone teaches readers how to use their Christian faith to inspire fitness, and fitness to strengthen faith.In response to innumerable requests from her fans, Leslie Sansone provides a long-awaited faith-based exercise program that shows readers how to break free of bad mental and physical habits and create a life of health and fulfillment.
   This easy-to-follow 30-day program encourages readers to walk every day to build stamina and burn calories with daily reflections on scriptural quotes that reaffirm a spiritual commitment to physical health, Fit Facts on weight loss and nutrition, and testimonies from some of the millions of women who have successfully walked off the pounds with Leslie. Presented in an appealing and approachable style, WALKING THE WALK is a tool readers will truly use.
   
   
7. Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day by Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg
   There’s nothing like the smell of freshly baked bread to fill a kitchen with warmth, eager appetites, and endless praise for the baker who took on such a time-consuming task. Now, you can fill your kitchen with the irresistible aromas of a French bakery every day with just five minutes of active preparation time, and Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day will show you how.
   With nearly 100 recipes to put this ingenious technique to use, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day will open the eyes of any potential baker who has sworn off homemade bread as simply too much work. Crusty baguettes, mouth-watering pizzas, hearty sandwich loaves, and even buttery pastries can easily become part of your own personal menu, and this innovative book will teach you everything you need to know.
   
   
8. How to Store Your Garden Produce by Piers Warren Learn simple and enjoyable techniques for storing your produce and embrace the wonderful world of self-sufficiency. In the A-Z list of produce, each entry includes recommended varieties, suggested methods of storage, and a number of recipes. Everything from how to make your own cider and pickled gherkins to how to string onions and dry your own apple rings. You will know where your food has come from, you will save money, there will be no packaging, and you'll be eating tasty local food while feeling very good about it!
   
   
9. You've Got to Be Kidding, I Thought This Was the Great Tribulation!: How to Stay Saved When You Are Going Through the Fire by Cathy Lechner
   In her own special style, Cathy addresses times when only God's grace and a good laugh will help you get through. She writes of times when going back is not an option, and when staying where you are is intolerable. Times when you need answers, and you ache to hear a word from Heaven. Times, like the day, when for her, nothing was funny anymore.
   And while trials and tribulations are not funny, Cathy manages to bring balance to serious subjects, while helping to lift the reader's spirit with fun titles like: Where He leads me, I will follow...as long as there is room; What to do when you want to give up and eat chocolate, and I'm almost positive God just wanted to see if I was willing!
   She also goes straight to the heart of the tribulation issue when she asks: Are you a victim or victor?; Do you know that God loves a nobody?; and Will I find faith?
   
   
10. Balcony People by Joyce Landorf Heatherly
    Some people are in the "balcony" of your life, cheering you on, energizing you with their affirmation. Others are in your "basement" doing exactly the opposite. This book is about being a "balcony person."
11. The Father You’ve Been Waiting For by Mark Stibbe
    Mark Stibbe points the reader to a story Jesus told over 2,000 years ago which demonstrates the qualities of a perfect dad. More than that the story paints the clearest picture of what Jesus thought God is really like. The book is a source of hope for people of all ages and beliefs. It provides a wonderfully accessible introduction to the Father you’ve been waiting for and contains many new insights into a story loved by millions and known as ‘the parable of parables’.
    
    
12. Anyone Can Tell A Story by Bob Hartman
    In this engaging and very personal book, Bob Hartman shares the wisdom he has acquired during his many years as a storyteller, working with everything from one-to-one sharing at bedtime to interactive storytelling for large groups. Bob first explains his philosophy about the power of stories to communicate truths and values, especially to children. He then gets down to the nitty-gritty of storytelling, concentrating mainly on how to retell stories from a variety of sources, and including ideas to help the reader spin their own tales to tell aloud.
    The book is full of useful tips on how to adapt storytelling to particular situations, using crowd control and audience participation to suit the size of the group and its setting. Bob also includes a wonderful selection of stories he has adapted especially for reading aloud.
    
    
13. Hope Rising by Kim Meeder
    Kim Meeder has seen horses go where no one else can tread - stepping through the minefield of a broken child's soul in a dance of trust that only God can understand. From a mistreated horse to an emotionally starved child and back again, a torrent of love washes away their barren places. Kim's ranch is a place where this miracle happens over and over again. It is a place where the impossible flourishes, where dreams survive the inferno of reality - a place where hope rises.

If you want to read more Thursday 13 posts, head on over to Happy To Be At Home by clicking on the Thursday 13 banner at the top of this post.

And then over to Thursday 13 by clicking on that banner as well!

Supermarket loyalty cards

TESCO CLUBCARD POINTS

We usually shop at one of two main supermarkets.  We stick mainly to own brand and budget brand products and that works for us on keeping our budget down.

One of the two supermarkets has a loyalty points card.  we often do a large shop from there, via their online shopping service with home delivery.  We probably use this about twice a month.

Through our loyalty card membership we often get vouchers for extra points when buying certain items.

I ONLY buy them if they are items we will really use AND I work out the value of the points to me and consider that in my decision when it something a little more expensive than I would normally purchase.

You see, you can use your points for deals.

I used to just collect my points up and spend the vouchers in store, 100 points equalled £1 to spend.  More recently they have started to offer to double your vouchers for buying certain items, so I can make my 100 points into £2 to spend on wine, clothes or certain other things.

BUT MUCH MUCH BETTER THAN THAT is to use the vouchers to buy deals tokens.  100 points buys £4 of deals tokens.  They have a deals website or a printed brochure where you can see what you can spend your deals tokens on.

There are so many options from dry cleaning, to books, and magazine subscriptions, from Amusement park entrance to car breakdown cover and all sorts of things in between.  Every year we pay for our car breakdown cover with these tokens, something that would normally cost us over £100.  We also have enough each year to have a meal out, and indeed these tokens are paying for my eldest son’s 18th birthday family dinner in 3 weeks time.

This post is being linked to:

If you want to read more hints and tips, head over to We Are That Family by clicking on the Works For Me Wednesday banner above.

If you want to read more frugal tips head on over to Life as mom by clicking on the the Frugal Fridays banner above.

What I learned this week . .

 
Sadly this week’s post is a little bereft because I don’t have a photo of the actual animal concerned to show you, it just never occurred to me at the time to get my camera.
This week I learned, that right here in the middle of a town we do have hedgehogs, because there was one in my garden.
We had just come home from church and youngest (14) went out into the garden and the next thing I hear is him shouting “hedgehog”.  I had to double check what he had said and then went out to investigate.
Sure enough, hiding behind our compost bin was a fairly decent sized hedgehog.  I was a bit concerned about it being out and about in the middle of the day, especially such a hot day.  We decided that since it was in the shade and such a large specimen we would leave it alone and see what happened.
Pretty soon it had disappeared.
Later, on searching the net, I discovered the following:

• Any hedgehog seen out in daylight will need URGENT help
• Hedgehogs do NOT lie out sunbathing
• Any cut or wound is urgent
• Any hedgehog with flies on it or maggots crawling on it needs VERY Urgent help
• Any Hedgehog limping or walking strangely needs help
• Anything that looks very thin or wobbly or has bald patches or missing spines
• If you see a baby hedgehog or any small hedgehog weighing less than about 500 grams, that is about the size of a large orange or small grapefruit, at ANY time, whether day or night, that is out on its own, pick it up, pop it into a box with food and water and contact us or your local rescue centre for help and advice.

However, none of the other websites I looked at said that about ANY hedgehog seen in daylight, and this one was definitely not underweight or injured, and so I am not going to worry too much. He’s disappeared now, and we only have a tiny garden (yard) with nowhere for it to hide.  My guess is it’s nesting somewhere near by and had been disturbed.
I also think the hedgehog may well have been the mystery intruder into our raised bed for the veggies, rather than one of the neighbours cats.  hmmm, in the absence of a night vision camera, I guess we’ll never know for sure.

Story Telling

Talk About Tuesday is a blog carnival where we all write a post of something we want to share or talk about and link them all together on the lazy organizer’s blog. It’s a great way to get to know other bloggers and make connections in the blogosphere.

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After last week’s story telling, I thought I’d share the links to some of my other stories.
First, the story of Abraham and Sarah, in verse, as written by someone whose name I should remember but can’t.  I’ve been doing this one for years.

Abraham.wma

Then we have the story of Dr Good and the Strangers as written by Bob Hartman

Dr Good and the St...

Finally for today we have a story which I would suggest you do not play for young ears without previewing first, it’s not a kids story, this one is for grown ups.
The Meat of the tongue as told by Anamation.

Meat of The Tongue...

Later in the week, I MIGHT share the story of Tattercoats, but that is a long story so I’ll keep it to a post on it’s own.
If you want to read more talk about it posts, or even participate yourself, head on over to the lazy organizer by clicking on the talk about it Tuesday banner at the top of this post.

Give Thanks

10 things Tuesday is a weekly reminder to stop and be thankful and share that on your blog. So, what 10 things are you thankful for today?

1. For a fantastic week last week with old friendships renewed and new friendships beginning to grow.
2. Bananas (there’s a story to that one).
3. God speaking to my Sunday’s Cool class this weekend.
4. For compliments received.
5. For a less busy week this week.
6. Hopefully friends are coming over for dinner at some point.
7. Veggies are growing nicely.
8. Replies coming in for son’s 18th Blessing.  Some can’t make it, but some can.  Hopefully enough to make it worth while.
9. Table booked for son’s 18th birthday dinner with family.  TAPAS!
10. Every morning that I wake up!

If you want to participate in 10 things Tuesday, go visit X-Box Wife by clicking on the Ten Things Tuesday banner at the top of this post.

Save Money on Hair Cuts

I just asked my 14 year old for an idea to use for this week’s Works for me Wednesday and his reply was “Don’t blow M…… up.” M…… is his older brother.  The joys of living with teen boys!

OK, on to the serious stuff.

If you really can’t cut your family’s hair and believe me, I tried and I’m awful at it, try and find a local stylist who will come to your home and cut your hair there.

Usually it works out at about half the price of going to a salon and you can get the whole family done in one go without having to drag everyone out of the house and off to the salon.  They save money because they don’t have to pay for all the costs involved in running a salon, they get to be their own boss, and as long as you tell them ahead of time if you want anything unusual, they will bring everything they need with them.

I’m blessed there are two ladies at our church who cut hair at home and I have had both of them now and they are both amazing! 

They will even come out and spend just a short  while with me if I just want my hair styling before an evening out, anything like that.

Most home hair stylists don’t advertise much, they rely on word of mouth, so if you don’t know of anyone, ask around, you never know who is using one.

This post is being linked to:

If you want to read more hints and tips, head over to We Are That Family by clicking on the Works For Me Wednesday banner above.

If you want to read more frugal tips head on over to Life as mom by clicking on the the Frugal Fridays banner above.

Wordless Wednesday

 

If you want to see other Wordless Wednesday photos, go check them out here.
And make sure you come back tomorrow for Tell me Thursday, the story BEHIND the photos I chose this week.

Big Bad Brian the Lion

Talk About Tuesday is a blog carnival where we all write a post of something we want to share or talk about and link them all together on the lazy organizer’s blog. It’s a great way to get to know other bloggers and make connections in the blogosphere.

- - - - - - - - - -

Big Bad Brian the Lion

Heeheee.  What a title.

I realise that over the past few weeks I have gained a number of new readers who don’t know what I do for a living, so I thought I’d tell you about my job!

I am blessed!  I am blessed indeed!

I am employed by my church to make contacts with local primary schools (ages 5 to 11) with a view to eventually running some sort of weekly outreach club that would invite all the children aged 6 to 12 in our town to attend.

So far the contact making process is going slowly, very slowly.  But it is still moving.  And this week I am in two local schools talking to large groups of their children, in their assembly time.

This week i will be using the story of Big Bad Brian the Lion to lead into a little talk about bullying and the need to speak to an adult if you or a friend is being bullied.

I’ve written a synopsis of the story over on my Children’s ministry blog, but if you want to hear the story you can listen to me telling it by clicking below.

Big Bad Brian the ...

If you want to read more talk about it posts, or even participate yourself, head on over to the lazy organizer by clicking on the talk about it Tuesday banner at the top of this post.

THANK YOU

10 things Tuesday is a weekly reminder to stop and be thankful and share that on your blog. So, what 10 things are you thankful for today?

1. For a very useful conversation with one of the local church leaders the other day, from a different church than ours about the possibility of working together on a project.
2. For my eldest son more or less finalising the guest list for his 18th birthday blessing.
3. For silly T-shirts!
4. For all the wonderful women of W@H.
5. For the veggies that are growing in my new garden and for the fact that other than that one night the cats (or whatever it was) seem to have stayed away.
6. For the two school that have me in this week doing assemblies.
7. For my husband who is trying really hard to be and do what he needs to.
8. That I JUST managed to fit all the beefy Mexican rice mix into the church crockpot (which I forgot is smaller than the one I have at home).
9. For both my wonderful children, who are growing in so many ways, and frequently make me wonder how the years went by so fast.
10. For my saviour, who is my friend, and that God loves me more than I could ever imagine in all my wildest dreams.

If you want to participate in 10 things Tuesday, go visit X-Box Wife by clicking on the Ten Things Tuesday banner at the top of this post.

Church Bring and Share meals

On Saturday there was an emerging church feast day at our church building. They had rented our building but one of our ladies was doing the catering and she had asked church members to bake for her.
I made a lemony sheet cake that I found the recipe for while blog visiting last week and some apple nut cupcakes.
There was not enough lunch because more people turned up than had booked in but there was LOTS of cake, I mean LOTS AND LOTS of cake. Thankfully there was a bring and share meal after church on Sunday, so we knew we could use them up for that.
THEN we all started talking about what we had planned to make for Sunday, and there were cakes, trifles, more cakes, more trifles and very little savoury stuff! Heeheee, so a few of us started trying to work out what we could do savoury with what was in our homes as we would probably not have much time for shopping after we were finished at the Feast day.
I had a root around in the church cupboards and discovered that the crockpot was still there, so decided to do something for that.
On Saturday night I fried some mince (ground beef) until it was all browned, put that aside to cool and in a lidded container mixed the other ingredients for beefy Mexican Rice. When the mince was cold we mixed that in as well.
The recipe is on my Food and Fitness Blog.
On Sunday morning I took it down to church and put it into the crockpot on high before church started, so that it would be ready by the bring and share after church. the only thing was while at home I had forgotten the size of the church crockpot and this mixture filled it RIGHT TO THE TOP! I was really worried that it might either overflow or not cook properly. I needn’t have worried, it was delicious and all went!
So this week, I learnt that when using items of cookware that are unfamiliar to you, it really is a good idea to check the size before you start!
This post is being linked to

The Simple Woman's Daybook

~*~*~*~*~

FOR TODAY, Monday 8th June 2009...

Outside my window... the sun is peeking out from behind the clouds. I think the forecast for the next few days is rain, so it’s nice to see some sun.

I am thinking... about the online grocery order I just placed and hoping that I haven’t missed anything important off the list.

I am thankful for... for people who encourage me to rest and for a husband who works hard to provide for us. I wish he didn’t have to do the overtime he’s done this weekend, but there’s periodically too much work and not enough people, but not enough money to employ more, so for now he occasionally has to do it.

From the learning rooms... I am still learning how to eat right. And today I am learning the story of Big Bad Brian the Lion for a school assembly I am doing tomorrow and Thursday. I have it almost learnt by heart, just the last few bits to confirm in my mind.

From the kitchen... On Saturday there was an event at our church building that one of the ladies was catering for, so I baked for that, and then on Sunday there was a 50th birthday bring and share meal after church so i had to bake for that too. Raspberries and cream cake, delicious!

I am wearing... grey sweat pants and an orange and brown top with a fluffy cream coloured cardigan because I felt cold.

I am creating... plans for the Sunday the “children” get to lead the church meeting. We’re probably going to do MESSY CHURCH (without the meal, since there are already quite a few after church meals booked between now and the summer), with some added bits during worship.

I am going... nowhere of significance this week.

I am remembering.... how blessed I am to have the job I have and wonderful friends who will help me et to the schools I need to get to when the events are too early for me to use my bus pass.

I am reading... I finished Oriel’s Diary last night, so have to find something else off the bookshelves later.

I am hoping... that my order from Amazon will come this week and that I will hear about my driving licence soon. I had my licence revoked medically due to sleep apnoea and now I am under treatment I have applied to have it back but the process can take up to 8 weeks, it’s been 5 weeks already!

I am praying.... for these school assemblies this week. That they would go well, and would lead to further contacts with other schools.

I am hearing... the buzz of the freezer, a ticking clock and the tip tap of my fingers on the keyboard.

Around the house... List for the next few days looks like this:

• Get some blog posts for the rest of the week planned out.
• tidy dining room and move table back into position.
• Clean sink in kitchen
• Clean kitchen counter tops
• clean kitchen & dining room floors
• Tidy Living room
• Tidy hall & stairs
• Vacuum hall, stairs and living room.
• clean and tidy bathroom
• Make new batch of bread dough.

One of my favourite things... is telling people I “don’t do favourites” heeheee.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

• Visit a friend
• head to Shrewsbury on the bus (50 minutes each way) to fetch replacement for kitchen tap fitting that hubby broke last week.
• go to small group, ladies daytime prayer and ladies daytime soaking.
• Journaling.
• Reading.
• Sleeping.
• 2 school assemblies.
• gardening.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

A beautiful amazing woman who died 2 years ago yesterday after a short battle with cancer. We miss you Natalie Rose!

SO, if you want to read more daybook entries or you would like to take part yourself. Click on the image at the top of this post and check it all out.

Frugal Fridays

I was going to share something else today, but I just received an sms text message from my son (17) who has popped into the supermarket on his way home from college today for me .

If you want to continue to be able to shop frugally when you need to, continue to support those stores that offer a frugal option even when you don’t need it, otherwise it will be gone when you need it.

Netto is gone and Instore is gone!

2 of the main budget stores, just GONE!

How many more will follow?

I haven’t shopped at either of those regularly but that is mainly because they are not local to us or accessible by bus (until recently).  But now they are gone! 

It has made me think about those budget stores that ARE accessible to us easily though, and think about using them more often.

If you want to take part in Frugal Friday or just get more frugal ideas. head on over to Life as Mom by clicking on the Frugal Fridays banner at the top of this post.

Friday Funnies

By the end of the week a lot of us are needing a good laugh, I know I do sometimes.

I think someone is not having a good day. It’s not until the very end that you see what he does! Keep watching!

If you still need more laughs, head on over to homesteaders heart by clicking on the Friday Funnies banner at the top of this post.

If you still need more laughs, head on over to homesteaders heart by clicking on the Friday Funnies banner at the top of this post.

Biscuit Man

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeekA Thousand Words Thursday is about posting a picture that is powerful, that expresses emotion, and that speaks volumes to you.
Photostory Friday is where you Post photo(s) that YOU took and simply tell the story behind it. Explain why you pressed the shutter button, what memory it invokes, what we don't know, why you love it or why you don't. Any subject. Humor and sarcasm; always optional. The shot doesn't have to be technically or creatively perfect; life isn't.

Yes, he really is made out of biscuit!
It was in the window of a bakery in Antwerp in Belgium. I went to Antwerp to baptise a friend of mine who lives over there. It brings back good memories.

If you want to participate in A Thousand Words Thursday or Photostory Friday head on over to Cheaper Than Therapy by clicking on the 1000 words Thursday banner at the top of this post or to What Works For Us by clicking on the Photostory Friday banner.

13 reasons to lose some weight and get healthier

You may or may not be aware that I have started to work on my health again.

There are a group of women at church who are drawing together soon to really work on the spiritual and emotional reasons for our weight. That hasn’t happened yet but I cannot afford to wait!

Here are 13 reasons for me losing some weight and getting healthier.

1. If I lower my weight I will be able to lower the severity of my sleep apnoea and hopefully, eventually get off that blasted machine!
2. If I lower my weight I will be able to improve the condition of my feet, particularly my fallen arches, and therefore I will be in less pain in my feet.
3. If I lower my weight I will put less strain on my joints, thereby reducing the pain in my knees.
4. If I lower my weight I will put less strain on my muscles, thereby reducing the pain in my lower back.
5. If I lower my weight I will reduce the size of my boobs and therefore get rid of this nasty rash underneath them that has appeared this week (it only happens in hot weather, but I’d rather it didn’t happen at all).
6. If I lower my weight I won’t get out of breath so easily and will be able to walk up a flight of stairs without having to rest when I get up there!
7. If I lower my weight and do some serious work on my tummy, I will be able to wear underwire bras sitting down without the wire digging into my rolls of fat.
8. If I lower my weight and work on my thighs, I will be able to wear a skirt without my legs chaffing on each other.
9. I want to be able to buy a swimming costume without having to worry about those underarm rolls of fat, flopping over the top of the sides.
10. To not have to worry about even getting too big to shop in the high street “fat lady” stores for clothes. And maybe even, one day be able to go back into the ordinary clothes stores!
11. To be able to work in our new veggie garden without my back killing me!
12. Because I want to be around for as long as God has planned for me and achieve all that He has for me to do.
13. Because I AM WORTH IT!

If you want to read more Thursday 13 posts, head on over to Happy To Be At Home by clicking on the Thursday 13 banner at the top of this post.

And then over to Thursday 13 by clicking on that banner as well!

Tell Me Thursday

Yesterday’s Post on Wordless Wednesday showed this photo:

Our church used to hold celebrations on the night of Halloween as an alternative for those kids who did not want to participate in the scary stuff, but still wanted a party.

We had various themes, but always still costumes.

This particular year we had a theme of Super heroes and Princesses.

So now you’re wondering what that photo has to do with either right?

Well that’s me as a SPA PRINCESS! Complete with gown, face pack (it’s actually face paint I figured it wasn’t safe to leave a face pack on all evening), eye mask and head wrap towel!

Some other photos from that night:

If you participated in Wordless Wednesday and would like to share the story of your photo, head on over to Tell Me Thursday and share your link.

Mom, I'm bored!

To be honest it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that lament of “I’m bored”. My boys are now 14 and 17 and both have their own computers on which they would happily spend all day!

But before they got to that stage it was a regular summer lament.

I’ll share with you something we tried.

I came up with a list of activities.

I put them into 4 categories as far as I remember.

1. Indoor activity that needs no adult supervision
2. Indoor activity that needs adult supervision
3. Outdoor activity that needs no adult supervision
4. Outdoor Activity that needs adult supervision

You could add other categories to suit you. Maybe based on whether you had everything on hand or needed to get items, or anything else you think of.

I printed out the lists and cut it up so that each activity was on a separate piece of paper. I then loaded them into 4 small tins.

IF the boys complained of being bored, I looked at the weather and at whether I had time RIGHT now to play with them and told them which tin to go to. They would pull out a slip of paper, and that would be the next thing to do that day.

If you want to read more hints and tips, head over to We Are That Family by clicking on the Works For Me Wednesday banner at the top of this post.

Wordless Wednesday

If you want to see other Wordless Wednesday photos, go check them out here.

Being Thankful

10 things Tuesday is a weekly reminder to stop and be thankful and share that on your blog. So, what 10 things are you thankful for today?

1. For good conversations at church yesterday with some of the ladies.
2. For a friend who came and gave me a hug and some tissues even though she had no idea why I was bawling my eyes out.
3. For a positive conversation with my 17 year old eldest son yesterday evening.
4. For a friend who offered me her youth pastor husband’s email to talk through some issues we are concerned about.
5. For beautiful weather today, the sun is shining, there’s not a cloud in the sky.
6. For a positive meeting with one of the church leaders this morning, about my job and progress we are trying to make with getting into the local schools. Both of us are saying we are convinced there is breakthrough coming even though it doesn’t look like it.
7. That I got back into journalling after a 10 or so day break. I NEED IT, it keeps me grounded and helps me think and pray.
8. That it looks as though I got the bread dough measuring right this time.
9. That I have a large crockpot I can use to make a decent dinner without heating up the kitchen too much. The forecast for this summer is long and hot and dry! I think I’ll be using it a lot more.
10. That I found Ten Things Tuesday and am able to participate!

If you want to participate in 10 things Tuesday, go visit X-Box Wife by clicking on the Ten Things Tuesday banner at the top of this post.

Talk About Tuesday

Talk About Tuesday is a blog carnival where we all write a post of something we want to share or talk about and link them all together on the lazy organizer’s blog. It’s a great way to get to know other bloggers and make connections in the blogosphere.

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Inspired by Lara's Talk About post last week about sour dough I thought I’d tell you about my bread making adventures this week!

About a week ago, I was reading on someone’s blog about a book called “Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day”. I looked into this further and thought what an excellent idea it was. Basically once a week you mix up a big batch of dough using nothing more than yeast, salt, water and plain ordinary all purpose flour. (some of the fancier recipes in the book use other ingredients, but you get the idea) You let it rise for 2 hours then stick it in the fridge. Any time you want to make a loaf, you pull a chunk of dough off, flour the surface, shape it, let it rise on a pizza paddle sprinkled with cornmeal, then bake after rising.

So I ordered the book. Thankfully Amazon UK did have it, BUT I will have to wait a week or two to get it.

In the meantime I discovered that various places on the internet have the authors on video making their very basic recipe. So I watched it and made a batch of dough!

Ho hum! From our results from that batch compared to what today’s batch looks like I am pretty sure I lost count during the cups of flour and put 1 too few in! We also used table salt instead of kosher salt, because no one has kosher salt over here. Apparently if you are using tale salt in this recipe you only need about half the amount but I did not find that nugget of information until AFTER I had made our first batch.

Hence our loaves were VERY relaxed, they spread a lot! (the lack of enough flour), and you could tell from the taste there was too much salt. It wasn’t overpowering but it was certainly saltier than it was meant to be.

I baked the last of that first batch this morning and just made a new batch this afternoon. used half the amount of salt and the right number of cups of flour. I made sure of this by getting out 6 knives (you need 6 1/2 cups of flour) for levelling off the top of the flour scoop. As I used each knife I switched it from one side of the container to the other. I figure rinsing off 6 knives that had only had dry flour on them was a lot easier than dealing with the spreading dough like that.

If you want to read more talk about it posts, or even participate yourself, head on over to the lazy organizer by clicking on the talk about it Tuesday banner at the top of this post.

Simple Woman's Daybook

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FOR TODAY, Monday 1st June 2009...

Outside my window... the sun is shining, the weather is beautiful! The back door is wide open and I am sitting here enjoying the fresh air coming in.

I am thinking... about how amazing God is and what a change around he has brought in one area of my life, from feeling incredibly isolated and alone to having more invitations to grow relationships than I know what to do with.

I am thankful for... For the lovely weather we had on Saturday for the Samaritan’s purse walk for water.

From the learning rooms... I am learning once again to control what I eat, be sensible and look at the values of things.

From the kitchen... I have been making bread this week from a recipe easily available online for Artisan bread in just 5 minutes a day. The recipe you can find online is for just 1 type of bread through that method, I have their book on order at Amazon, which has lots of different recipes in it as well as that one.

I am wearing... brown cargo pants and a summery green, flowered top! I bought some long shorts (or short trousers depending on which way you look at it I suppose) this morning.

I am creating... a slimmer, healthier me!

I am going... to stick to this healthy eating plan, work on the spiritual and emotional reasons for my weight and finally deal with this issue, once and for all!

I am remembering.... some fantastic conversations I had at church yesterday!

I am reading... Oriels Diary, a telling of the life of Jesus through the eyes of an archangel. And Messy Church by Lucy Moore. She’s coming to an event I’m helping at on Saturday so I’m hoping to get to talk to her.

I am hoping... that as I begin to lose weight, some of my health issues will improve.

I am praying.... for my eldest son (17).

I am hearing... eldest son laughing at the TV in the other room..

Around the house... List for the next few days looks like this:

• Get some blog posts for the rest of the week planned out.
• Work on school assemblies for next week.
• Learn school assemblies for next week.
• tidy dining room and move table back into position.
• clean stove top in kitchen
• Clean sink in kitchen
• Clean kitchen counter tops
• clean kitchen & dining room floors
• Tidy Living room
• Tidy hall & stairs
• Vacuum hall, stairs and living room.
• Make new batch of bread dough.

One of my favourite things... is using the crockpot instead of the oven on hot days like today.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

• Visit a friend
• head to Shrewsbury on the bus (50 minutes each way) to fetch replacement for kitchen tap fitting that hubby broke last week.
• go to midweek evening meeting at church with Steve Long.
• Journaling.
• Reading.
• Sleeping.
• Hair Cut on Friday.
• Helping Friend at event on Saturday.
• Teach Sunday’s Cool on Sunday!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

A friend’s fiancé's birthday cake. I am going to copy it for my eldest’s 18th birthday, a month today!

SO, if you want to read more daybook entries or you would like to take part yourself. Click on the image at the top of this post and check it all out.