Hello Snow

Hello Snow!!!



(I'm Home and loving it)

Emma and Andrew

Two of my best friends came to see me this weekend, and it was the loveliest end of term treat ever!!

These two also happen to be one of my favourite couples in the world,



really spacious and happy to share their time even though they don't get to see each other a lot. Here are some pictures partially because Emma wants the pictures, but also because I want to share them :)

we went to see...



which was amazing, funny odd and moving

and played...



my familys favourite game which I'm attempting to spread to as many people as possible!

Emmie!!




We made wonderfully yummy shortbread men..





the three of us being sillies..





Whilst in town me and Andrew fulfilled the age old head board tradition...





We also had a lovely meal at waggamammas..







All in all a delicious weekend :) and one that will take me through the next week of work to the end of term quite nicely!

To Be Like Him...

So God has been challenging me on my motives recently.

This is the verse that's been shaping my thoughts..

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy.’

1 Peter 1: 15-16

Whats really struck me is how simple this is. We're not called to focus on being really successful or to work hard in order to receive blessings from God. In fact our sole motive for doing pretty much anything at all should be that..

we want to be more like him.


wow.


So recently i've been feeling a bit end of termish, ie...



and this weekend I was able to make it home for a Thanks giving feast prepared by genuine Americans which was wonderful!!!! Of course I had serious issues with dragging my reluctant self back up the country out of the comforts of hearth and family and now it's finally December I can begin to be insanely enthusiastic about the prospect of Christmas!!! Heres some pictures from the weekend..




me and the boys





mama :)



and with my wonderful father who incidentally is more than happy to receive my calls in the middle of work meetings to council me on various medical queries :)




and the feast!!! So yes I have lots to be thankful for :)

Good for the Soul

I have long been of the opinion that doing certain things make me feel better about life - they seem to reach a place that other stuff can't and in times of hardship bring me back to something resembling where I want to be. So I thought I'd share the things I do when I want to be kind to my weary and overburdened soul..

1) Spending time with my Grandmother (or any elderly relative will do!) theres something about going back to my past that helps me deal better with the future. Also to soak up the experience of someone older is deeply humbling and comforting.



2) and on the other end of the spectrum..hanging out with children! simple freedom with no need for worries or cynicism, need I say more?

3) Climbing trees, its nice to gain a sense of perspective :)



4) Get out!! Anywhere in nature and just B.R.E.A.T.H.E

5) watching the sea, the inevitability of the tides always reminds me of the lasting faithfulness of our God.



6) cleaning! I dont know what it is but something in the process of making something clean again soothes me, putting things in order and seeing an immediate change.

7) Watching the sun rise and set.



7) Making some heartening soup or broth. nb it is important to be deliberate about it so take your sweet time.

8) Mountains, they're so flipping Huge!! And beautiful, brings me peace.



9) Fire!! (Not in a pyromaniac way) it's mesmerizing and life sustaining.



9) Building a den, there really is something in having a small safe place to take your troubles.

Learning The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?

Come to me.

Get away with me and you'll recover your life.
I'll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'll learn to live

freely and lightly."

Matt 11:28-30 msg

Right now He is showing me Grace. In a new and beautiful way. Somehow I am consistently resistant to this wonderful truth and the outrageous freedom that comes with it!
It was brought to my attention this week that I wasn't exactly living in Gods grace, rather I was living in my own (massively flawed) way. Utterly determined to take responsibility for everything and do it really well or die trying.

Unsurprisingly this attitude turned out to be somewhat counterproductive, In refusing to have Grace for myself my Grace for those around me wore pretty thin.

So i'm trying something new. Basing my worth not on my actions, how selfless i've been or what I achieve, instead I'm basing it in the simple truth that I am the beloved and forgiven daughter of a God who wants to be in relationship with me and doesn't care for the agendas that I draw up and bring to him seeking approval.

because the truth is that he likes me - and you - A LOT, he laughs at the things you laugh at, he understands when you're afraid angry or just plain bored. When you cry he cries - he loves the people you love even when they don't love him, he doesn't disapprove of you - he thinks you are utterly top notch!! When you do something that you're passionate about and are totally in your element he sees that too and rejoices in it - he created you to live a truly full life.

And most importantly he longs to be involved in it all - to bring you into the unforced rhythms of his grace and immerse you in all the freedom that entails.

How the World Should Be

Eating outdoors on a warm summers evening..

Being barefoot all the time!!!

Blue skies and happy floaty people

yummy peaches!!

and finally....the self confidence that comes as a result of the strongly rooted knowledge that you were created by a deeply intentional God who doesn't make mistakes and thinks you are INCREDIBLE!

(all pictures via the wonderful fffound)

What do I want? An antidote to the horror of a personal statement

I want to be FREE!!!!!

I want to be filled with the joy of my Daddy saviour all the time despite circumstances.

I want to be in the countryside, somewhere with space to just breathe.

I want to have time to run into fields and spin really really fast simply to watch the butterflies rise and take wing.

I want to always celebrate the littlest of blessings - breathing in the autumn, wearing woolly tights and cord skirts like I’ve done every fall since I can remember. Discovering rope swings and trees to climb.

I want to work somewhere where I can help people who are in need. Somewhere that allows me to spend time caring for people, steadily changing lives in a unique and God breathed way.

I want to marry a man who I love and respect, someone wise and strong enough to take our future in his hands and move forward as my equal partner.

I desire to be a wife who knows what it means to be graceful. Blessedly forgetful of my husbands past faults and loyal always. I want to believe in him even when no one else does – especially then. I want to pray with him every day of our lives - there will always be three strands pulling us through. I want to make space for our romance no matter what – love notes left in unexpected places and baths taken together after a difficult day.

I want to be an amazing mother!!! Imaginative and creative I want to be the kind of parent who lies down next to my children and gazes up at the sky just for the sake of it. I want to have wild pillow fights and build dens, talking to our heavenly father not just at night but as we move through the precious days.

I want my family to be inclusive and expansive – always exceeding our income for the sake of others and characterised by our generosity and fierce LOVE for those God puts in our path. Regardless of financial viability we will open up our home to those who need a place to be.

I want to live filled with joy, taking hold of life and embracing it and others in the way Jesus taught us to do. I want to be peaceful and not to worry about the future but stride into it hand in hand with those I love and the promise of an eternally faithful father. I want to live life to its fullest possible extent and die well, praising the God who I will be with for eternity.

pictures by i.anton (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianton/3887814446/), Kathryn Krueger (http://www.kathrynkrueger.com/blog/) and me!

tread softly...

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

William Butler Yates

The Great Escape

Ever feel like running away?

Much as I enjoy and revel in the company of other people sometimes I think It would all just be a little bit easier if it was just me and God...

You and me

You are the scariest thing in my life, terrify me more every day.

Exhilarating, exasperating.

I miss as much as I hit the mark,

Maybe more.

Yet it is at these times of absolute fear that I can feel you in me,

In my heart, which resides somewhere in the region of my mouth.

You expand my boundaries ten fold,

Willing or unwilling.

I need this fear to grow but it doesn’t change my favourite thing;

Sitting with you

Silent as you hold me in your love

Just you and me.

Wouldn’t it be nice if it could always be

Just you and me,

You and me,

You and me.'

August 2008

Gotta have you..

Things currently enchanting me...

Leaps of faith...

'Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;my hope comes from him.He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.' Psalm 62:6-7

Hope for the future

Somewhere warm and dry to store my feet :)

And the soothing tones of these wonderful people...

'Gray, quiet and tired and mean
Picking at a worried seam
Try to make you mad at me.. over the phone
Red eyes and fire and signs
I'm taken by a nursery rhyme
I wanna make a ray of sunshine and never leave home

No amount of coffee, no amount of crying
No amount of whiskey, no amount of wine
No no no no no, nothing else will do
I've gotta have you, I've gotta have you.

The road gets cold, there's no spring in the middle this year
I'm the new chicken plucking open hearts and ears
Oh, such a prima donna, sorry for myself
But green, it is also summer
And I won't be warm till I'm lying in your arms.

I see it all through a telescope: guitar, suitcase, and a warm coat
Lying in the back of the blue boat, humming a tune...

No amount of coffee, no amount of crying
No amount of whiskey, no amount of wine
No no no no no, nothing else will do
I've gotta have you, I've gotta have you.'

Some Things Remain the Same...

looking at these old photographs I came to the realisation that very little has really changed for me between the ages of two and twenty one...

My disregard for animals when it comes to having a place to recline...

My drinking habits..

(Me aged 2 with my sippy cup)

(aged 21...with my sippy cup)

And notably my Love of navy wellies....

also its hard to escape the fact that I'm giggling like a manic (most probably at my own jokes) in the pictures of me aged two this clearly hasn't changed a jot :) in fact probably the only thing which has changed is my hair colour!!