another tiddely-pom

The more it snows - tiddely-pom
The more it goes - tiddely-pom
the more it goes - tiddely-pom
on snowing
And nobody knows - tiddely-pom
how cold my toes - tiddely-pom
how cold my toes - tiddely-pom
are growing.

It's certainly cold. It's certainly nippy around the edges.
I shouldn't be amazed at how much fun can still be had in this weather.
The girls stayed home from school today and we lay in bed watching our fav movie of the month (thank you Disney for Swiss Family Robinson!), got up at lunch and had fun doing adventures while trying to keep warm. It was a delicious day.
It ended with a few cool things too - chicken pie and potato stretch (thanks caz for this bad habit!) for tea and our tradition of reading by the fire before bed. We are reading 'The house at pooh corner'. It's quite lovely and rather funny too.
Anyway before we read the next chapter, the girls wanted to have turns at singing the tiddely-pom rhyme pooh had made up. they had turns and then the creative edge i sometimes have, leapt out. "Let's pray using tiddely-pom". It felt as crazy as it sounds but the girls went for it and our prayer time was a 'cracker', considering one of them had just said "I hate praying!" Love the honesty.
It was hillarious, we laughed, we were honest with God, we had fun. He is so into that!
The coolest thing as well is that even though it's cold, and we've run out of fire wood, we saw our prayers answered (from weeks of praying and trusting). We have some firewood coming on Wenerei. Ye ha i say!
The last thing where my creative juices are needing to run is this: K commented today, just out of the blue, that she needed to do another heart for our banner in the hall. "I'm worried mum. I worry about something..... I worry about you and daddy not being together, in the dark."
My poor darling. We had a talk about it briefly, but it's in my mind and verses and ideas are popping into my mind to help. I think we (parents) always have to be aware of what's going on for our kids and always be ready (if not straight away) to process with them or help them on the right track to that.
We will have a poster making session and i'll make one on a great verse to help that will stir conversation and then we'll add our worries to the heart banner. Sounds like a plan anyway. Thank you my God that you are with Us in our pain. Thank you that you care about these wee hearts. Thank you that K expressed her heart. What a treat to see into her heart. What a worry too. I cast my cares and pray that K and L can too, because you care for us. Tiddely-pom.

Pizza night is Fri at our friends house. They are amazing at creating memories and we love joining them for pizza night. Well everyone does except Liv. She hates Pizza. I am a little embarrassed about this and often comment that she just needs to eat it.
But Karen, bless her, told me today that she wants to make it a cool time for liv coming to their place. I had told her not to do anything extra (as I thought a good mother should model – eat it or have nothing!) but Hugh heads out to get sausage rolls. I was so encouraged. What a cool and gracious thing to do for my sweet girl, so she really enjoys going to their place. On Fri pizza night!
Moments like this teach us something about life. I hope I’m that cool when other kids come to our place.
We are having an end of term party. The girls are allowed to invite one friend but I’ve promised they can invite more when we move to a bigger place. K has chosen a new friend from school and L has chosen her friend, the boy. We are going to have chocolate fondue (a new passion of ours which we would like to devour more than we should!) and probably pop corn and some other food, some games and then we’ll watch Swiss Family Robinson together. I guess I am creating some traditions. We did this last year but I’d forgotten to keep it up. Hoping to do it traditionally. A celebration at the end of the school term.
Sometimes it’s just so nice to create a reason to celebrate something. Anything actually. We had some delicious girls for t this week. I had suggested we have a mid-winter Christmas dinner. We had a roast lamb, half cooked lemon meringue cheesecake, wine and pinecone name-place tags. It was so nice. We do life with these wonderful women but haven’t done a special special dinner for them before. It was so cool.
I’m glad this term is nearly over. I’m a bit sick of making school lunches and having to sign reading books. I’m looking forward to the break of routine and the sleep-ins, hopefully!
I am a bit sick of the cold house. The fire wood is almost gone and I worry about that. The car is due it’s warrant and I worry about that. Not sure if it will get one in the state it’s in. Worried about our house selling slowly as opposed to speedily and concerned we’ll loose a lot of money. I’m often worried about what my future looks like, what our future looks like. I’m sometimes worried with the bills that turn up.
And then I remember to go ………… “These are my worries Daddy God. I give them to You. Help me to live day by day, trusting in You. It’s gonna be all OK”
Ahhhh that’s better.

my dad.

Hi Dad
I do need to do this much better another day, but i am just reminded of the date, right now sadly.
A crazy date.
Only mum and i generally remember it.
You died 24 years ago. Boy i'm old and boy that was yonks ago.
Love u, miss you a flippin lot.
me

The road of great and not-so-great things.

Making and eating rocky road that had biscuit in it, rather than lots of red fruit. Yum man.

Liv confessing to kissing her friend Josh, in his bedroom. She’s 5. It was his suggestion this time. A pleasant surprise.

Feeling Ok with the knowledge about myself, in my vulnerable state. Being ok with just knowing it and not having any particular answers.

Learning that disullussionment comes from having an original illusion. Not necessarily coming from reality. Interesting.

Watching ‘The proposal’ at the movies with my mum this week, amongst many other good ones recently. Oh definitely a highlight was watching ‘Swiss family Robinson’ today with my girls. It was delightful, wonderful and so great for my memory bank. Loved watching the trees falling down the bank to knock the pirates out.

Smoked chicken being on special.

Getting two bottles of wine given to me this week and loads of generous friends buying me coffee. I am so grateful.

Having a gut-wrenching, argumentative talk with the husband who is not wanting to be one. That situation turning around (through prayers and sensible thinking!) with quiet, calm, sensibly explained scenarios, with apologies, some jokes even and a promise of the beloved trampoline being returned one day soon. A miracle. A heart wrench. A good move on the chess board of our lives.

Making cake for a café manager and his family. It being received so gratefully. That was cool.

Realising I need to be home more, to just be. I’m out like all the time, which I love, but thinking I’m a bit tired and need to rest up a bit in my delicious home.

Enjoying ringing friends and having them stay. It’s been a bless!

Painting nails. I love new nail colours. One recent one is called ‘cherries in the snow’. It’s divine.

Having Lindt chocolate is for sure one of the greatest things one could devour.

Thinking about making soup. Finding great recipes for soup. Not yet making that soup. Will it be soup for my soul or just my tum?

Starting a cook book club. Finally. My idea, my crazy idea, come to pass.

Needing our house to sell. So glad we have a God who hears our prayers and also who loves to surprise us out of our socks. May my socks be knocked off!

I have an assignment due in two weeks. Not having read the book yet that the essay and practical assignment is on, I’m feeling a little like ahhhhhhh flip!

Some great movie’s I’ve also enjoyed – The Guardian, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Marley and me, Easy virtue, Last chance Harvey, A stealing movie with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen (can’t recall the name), 21, He’s just not that into you, ………..

There are more things to say apart from feeling rather bad for not having blogged for absolute ages! We are doing this unit at our kids church on how loved and accepted we are by God, our maker. And since that unit has begun I’ve had several ‘words’ about how God has not forgotten me and how he loves me, from friends who have no idea about our current topic. Simple yet poignant reminders. Then today, out of the blue, arrives a book from my sister’n’law, on how captivating I am to Him. Emmmmm, what is He trying to say to me?