I'm home

I'M HOME!
And it feels good.
It's been great visiting people, but now I'm ready to be home again :)

New start needed

I've had lots of fun with family and food.
But now
I feel sluggish and sleepy and fat.
New Start here I come.

Nearly there...

Popping on quick.
I have a post to write about the Christmas tree, but I'm too tired to write it right now.
Just wanted to come and say "Happy Almost Christmas"

Christmas never comes easy in this household

There was the famous year that my Grandma forgot to buy onions, and had to send my Granddad and Uncle out on Christmas Eve to try to find some. There've been years when everyone comes down with some killer* bug or other. This year, it's the year of car trouble and illness.

I've been ill for a couple of days. Probably just a nasty cold, but it's still lingering. My Mum is now coming down with it too. HP may or may not follow in the next day or so. All this would be dealable with, I guess, but yesterday the oil light came on on my Mum's car, and didn't go out again.

The original plan involved HP and myself travelling to my Grandparents house today, and my parents following on tomorrow, but after ringing our garage and then the AA and then our garage again, the short version is that her car is not drivable, and needs to stay put over Christmas. So, I think, the plan is now that I will be driving my car to Grandma's today, along with HP, my Mum, and all the other stuff that we can possibly fit in it(!), and my Dad will follow tomorrow, on the coach. This could still all change, but that's how it stands for now. I better go and get on with packing then, I guess.

*killer may be a slight exaggeration

Ramblings

Last night I composed a beautiful blog post.

Unfortunately, since I was composing it while lying in bed, it will never actually be published.

Fortunately, since I was writing it under the influence of a high temperature and slight hallucinations, that's probably just as well.

Yep, I'm ill again. I think it's just a bad cold, but it's made me achey all over, very coughy, have a sore throat, a high temperature and other such exciting things.

I feel like haven't blogged much proper content in a while, but with my brain in this fuzzy state, I'm not sure any content I write will make sense. Instead I'll share with you a couple of quotable quotes from the past week.

"How can you sing it like you mean it, when it doesn't make any sense?" (HP on Alexandra singing Hallelujah)

"Awww, box. Happy box. Box cry" (Little Flower being entertained by an empty tissue box, in the absense of 'baby' - her dolly)

Today

We're in Cambridge, visiting Bekki and going to Oxfam for HP to try on wedding dresses.

People complained that there weren't any full length shots...

Party Time!

(Edited to add: That's M, my boyfriend, and I at our church Christmas party on Saturday evening. Just so as you know!)

Confidence in being me

(This post comes to you courtesy of the fact that Boo is still in BEDFORD, and is not yet in LONDON, where she's meant to be, so I'm in the library checking my emails while I wait for her to GET A MOVE ON!)

Tonight I'm going to a party. I'll be dressed up, in a dress(!) and I'm gonna have fun. Two years ago, the thought of wearing a dress would be something that would have made me uncomfortable, self-conscious, and I probably would have either worn a skirt and top, or my jeans, or just not felt like me if I really had to wear a dress.

Fast forward to now, and just the other day I went shopping with my boyfriend, and voluntarily tried on about 10 different dresses. I fell in love with a couple of them (the one I bought, and the 'spensive one in Monsoon). I've not only changed physically, but also mentally.

I like me. I know that I've written about that before on here, and I certainly hope I'm not boring anyone, but I still marvel at the fact that I like me, that I LOVE me. That I will be able to agree if someone tells me I look beautiful. That I feel beautiful. I guess what it all comes down to is, I have confidence in being me, and it feels good :)

better blog now,

cos the weekend is gonna be busy busy busy.

Tomorrow I will be going to the church prayer meeting, going for breakfast with friends, carol singing with church people outside Tesco, driving home, taking the tube into London to meet with Boo, coming home again, getting ready to go to a church posh-ed up party (sneak peek of what I'll be wearing here), going to the party, helping clear up after the party, coming home and collapsing in a big heap.

On Sunday I'll be going to church, and then probably having lunch out with someone, somewhere, and pretty much will probably be out for the whole day.

On Monday I will collapse in a big big heap, and also look after the kiddos. The end. Or is it the beginning?

Since it's all over the place

(flickr, facebook, my phone) I thought I'd post it here too.
Taken on Monday...

So, what do *I* believe?

I posted recently about having conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses who came to my door, and had several comments relating to that experience. (Along with all the comments about my boyfriend, I think that made that post the most commented on in quite a while!)

Someone called Edward (who I don't think I know in person, but I may be wrong. If you're still around it'd be great if you could tell me how you found my blog) asked me what I learnt from talking to the JWs and also said "You believed different things ... is that a good thing? Are you satisfied with that?", so I decided to post a little bit about what I do believe.

I believe that Jesus IS God. JWs believe that Jesus was created by God, and he then helped in the creation of the world. The JWs I was talking to also suggested that Jesus is the archangel Michael. It was the first time I've ever heard someone suggest that, but I very much disagree. I believe in the trinity, that God is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

I guess that's probably one of the fundamental differences between what I believe and what JWs believe, and it's also something that I refuse to change my mind on. (As an aside, I just spell-checked what I'd done so far, and I managed to mis-type the word 'believe' every single time I typed it in this post. I blame being tired!)

I think that JWs totally miss out on the point of grace. They seem to be intent on works to obtain salvation. They cite the great commission in Matthew 28, where Jesus commands his disciples to go out and make disciples of every nation as their reason for going knocking door to door, telling people about God. And I would totally agree with the reasoning behind their actions. However, I don't believe that my telling people about Jesus is my route to salvation. I believe that by believing in Jesus and repenting for my sins, I have salvation, because of what Jesus did when he died on the cross for me, to take away my sin.

I can't do anything to gain salvation. If I try to do it myself, I will always fall short of the perfect standard that God sets. If I try to work my way into heaven, I could work all day and all night, but still not obtain salvation. I am going to heaven because of God's grace. (It's a fairly limited, basic understanding of grace, but) I like to remember that I have God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

I think if I try to write more at the moment I'm going to go around in circles. If you have any thoughts or questions, share them in the comments. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

I want this dress

monsoondress
Originally uploaded by debsenglishrose

but since I'm not a millionaire, I have to be content with just showing off pictures of me wearing it!

Happy Thursday

Hmmm, it seems that having got to the end of November my blogging daily ability faded away. Either that or I've just been really busy.

On Monday I had the kids to look after and I spent the entire morning with Little Flower getting my flat tyre sorted out (Did I tell you I got a flat on the way to church on Sunday). Monday afternoon we just chilled out because it was cold and rainy out. Tuesday I had the kids again and in the afternoon we met up with my friends Danielle and Tracey and watched Aladdin and did colouring and played card and all sorts of fun but random things like that.

Yesterday I spent lots of time tidying my room and getting things done at home, like paying my credit card bill and other such exciting stuff. The Jehovah's Witnesses who've been coming round quite a bit called round and I ended up standing on the doorstep talking to them for over an hour. I was glad well my Mum came to help me, because I was beginning to think I'd never get them to go. I spent the evening with my boyfriend. He cooked me dinner and then we snuggled up and watched CSI. What better way could there be to end a day?!

Today I'm going shopping with Tracey. Well, I am if I can ever get her out of the house (I'm sat using her computer while she gets ready).

I

am a Child of the King.

God is good. I have several blog posts peculating in my head. I'll try to get them out for you all soon!