It's the good life :)

What's your perfect Sunday? Mine? Mine is easy, going to church and listening to the wonderful teachers we have, hearing other people share their experiences, passions and understandings and seeing all the babies is just a great start to any week for me. Afterwards, chatting in the hallway, giggling and catching up with who's doing what and how this wedding is going and that job is challenging is all part of our socialising and fellowshipping one another. It connects us to each other knowing that we aren't going to be burned at the brimstone for not being perfect, instead we find warm hearted, imperfect people who will give you a hug, an encouraging smile or show you how to laugh and the unlaughable. From newborn to 90 something, male and female, whoever you talk to they got something to say and are happy to share it. I just love Gloucester Ward! I found it difficult getting settled there for a while after being in a small Branch in Evesham for 4 years, but now, its all come together and I get out of my attendance a whole lot more than I could possibly give!
Oops slightly off the track again there! So, after church, Kirsten tells me what she's been doing in Primary and Sunday School, Charley shares his activities too and then I tell them something cool that I learnt, by the time we done the 2 mile drive home we are all full of the spirit and ready to carry on with our day in a reverant, loving and calm spirited way. On getting indoors, Kirsten will often get changed, Charley will take off his trousers (he much prefers strutting his stuff in just his pants!!) and i'm into my fluffy slippers and turning the oven on for dinner that was prepared the previous afternoon (ok most weeks anyway!!). Jay asks how church was and even though he is inactive (he was baptised the same time as I was 8 years ago) he patiently listens as I feel the spirit and talk for Gloucester! He grunts and nods in all the right places and does that Mr Bean 'huh' through his nose if i've gone right over his head with something, so after a giggle I explain and quietly thank Heavenly Father that he is listening afterall! :)
The kids pretty much do what they want while I finish up dinner, usually Kirsten is on the front garden with Charley and a couple of her friends. I have some talks on and get so pumped up with the spirit I feel like i'm going to just burst so I search through my phone book and see who I can phone and offload all this stuff to! Often though, good ole Jd fits the mark just perfectly, bless him!! :) He's so patient with me!!
After dinner its kind of anything goes that we want to do. Today we just lazed around, we were going to go over to Prinknash park or whatever its called, take the dog and the bikes and just go for a walk, but by the time everyone was ready it started drizzling and noone wanted to go!! Doh So we just talked, giggled, laughed and talked some more, randomly and probably about nothing intelligible either, but we had a good day! This evening when the kids settled, Jay done some chores for me and I sat here on my laptop writing up three lessons for the primary schools next week and planned out a range of things I needed to find time to do, prepare and achieve. I also wrote 5 letters to my pen-friends (the good ole fashioned handwritten-snail-mail style!), wrote a list of things I love about each one of my four kids and done mine and Charleys journal entry. How cool is that?!! Oh and I managed to download another 89 talks onto my ipod...man when I subscribed to the Lds talks I didnt realise just how much us Mormons liked to talk!! :) :) :) Just teasin, naturally its a range of speakers and they are great to listen to.
Jay and I sat and chilled for about 20 mins, just chatting and giggling over anything and everything, that was way cool. Kirsten and Jay had their regular heart to heart so I left them to it for a while. Kirsten and I had a girlie talk and giggle. Charley and Kirsten had a cuddle on the chair and watched Corduroy and then Jay got about 66 kisses off Charley but when I asked for one he said: 'not today mum'!!! Go figure!! :)
These are the gorgeous flowers I had sent to me on Friday...I keep looking at them and smiling, they are such a vivid red in real life, and they smell gorgeous each time I go near them or there's a gush of wind round the room. The photo is naff but thats ok, they are still gorgeous!!




Jaffa cakes: Ok, this is my reminder of how well I am doing by giving them up for a week or 7! I cant just eat one or two, I have to have the whole packet, thats 12 at a time! I even looked up and found a recipe of someone who knows how to make them! Now i'm going to try it out, just as soon as i've got my weight back to where I was 4 months ago! :) Great inspiration right? :)



Ok, all round great day here, feeling the spirit still, loving the unlovable and likin' the unlikable...so its all good stuff in the good life :)

Debsx

{HS:MS} Goggle Eyed

Her Space: My Space prompt is Road.
A way of course on which to travel. have you got a road?

My road isn't so much outside made of tarmac with with lots of skid marks and pot holes, its about where i'm going in life, where i've been and how i'm travelling. I am adapting this prompt to keep in line with my blog theme, my family, beliefs and every day living...so this is what I am offering:

The article I have got this image from had a lovely comment underneath that sums up perfectly why this is my 'road' to take:

"The gospel and my testimony of Jesus Christ have helped me to be a better mother, wife, sister, and friend. Because of my testimony, I try to live as God intends for me to—with integrity, honesty, kindness, love, patience, and compassion, treating others as children of God and extending service when needed. By my trying to live a Christlike life, I hope that others will want to learn about Him". JoAnna M. Allen

I wasn't raised in this church neither was I aware of this doctrine for a very long time in my life but I was raised as a Church of England believer. My Mum, who was a life long Catholic then, would often take me to a range of churches because never felt that she had the right testimony. At the age of 8 I was in the school christmas concert in our local CofE church and after listening to the Vicar talking about the death and resurrection of Christ I remember sitting there with me fellow classmates crying, I didn't want Him to die or be hurt, I didn't want Him to suffer for all the things I got wrong. In my very innocent childlike thinking I was aware of Christ and that He was and still is a very special person, I just didn't know how He would change my heart that day. I was 30 when I met the missionaries and it took them almost a year to get me anywhere near baptism (yeah I really made them sing for their dinner!!) but by the time I heard the Plan of Salvation I just KNEW in my heart of hearts that no matter how much I didn't think I could 'live a religion' I just knew that I had to do all I could to live up to the expectations my Heavenly Father had for me because with the atoning love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ I was never going to be alone. (I must add here that it is not my intention to disrespect any other faiths, I do believe that we each have the free agency to choose. My children are taught about other faiths, in our home as well as in school/nursery, my natural inclination as a person and a mother is the gospel that I have come to know and believe in for myself)

I have proven this over and over in the last 8 years, many things have happened, i'm made some wrong choices, experienced things that were the effects of another person and still I know that no matter how many challenges I have I will alwas rely on the love, support and guidance of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I am not too proud to say that I cannot do my life without them, they are purely the most reliable and correct people and all I have to do is the best I can in as many things as I can. If I fail, thats ok, I just get up and start again!

My testimony is growing each day. I love the scriptures, that includes the King James version of the Bible, the Book of Mormon including Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. All of which I believe has all the answers to all of lifes challenges and questions.

So, back to HS:MS, my road is a road about life, about every day thinking, feeling, doing, speaking and putting them into action the best ways I know how to. A great anchor for me is The Plan of Salvation, it all makes sense when we know that! :)

That said, dont expect me to be perfect or have all the right answers, I dont! Why? Because I'm a work in progress and I reserve the right to be wrong, silly, imperfect and just lil ole me!! :) Lol

Back later to waffle about my boys...they crack me up sometimes!! I am so tired right now and busy with some work stuff that i'm shaking my head to stay awake! So for now I shall go lay on the sofa and leave Jay to entertain Charley though I think its really the other way round!! :)

Debsx

HS:MS SOS

SOS:

This is going to follow on from my previous post this is a picture my friend Wendell bought me and had sent over from the States last year...it takes pride of place in my living room not only because of his friendship but because it is the Salt Lake Temple, the head quarters for the Lds church and more importantly because its the House of God, the one I want to be going through on my 40th birthday in October...something I have always wanted to do since I learnt about the temples around the time of my baptism in January 2000. To me it is the ultimate place to be, though any temple is, I have a desire to go through this one on this milestone in my life :)

I think of all the pictures of temples this has to be my favourite, such a great shot especially as the squares are the reflection of a pool of some form outside, so it was actually taken looking at the temple through the reflection of the water! Talent or what?!!

Of course then there is the reason for the temple in the first place. When I was baptised 8 years ago I was able to go to London Temple 2 weeks later and I have the most amazing experience ever, the whole feeling is something that I can only compare to the actual baptism itself...keeping that feeling outside the temple is highly hard work, one that i'm not sure a mere mortal like me can do without regular trips back to the temple...for a top up, so to speak...it is truly like no other feeling we can possibly have!

Later i'm going to post some funny pictures of my #1 son...cos I can!! :)

Hope your Sunday is a great one :)

Debsx

Spiritual Sunday

Is it just me or are Sundays truly reflective days? Each Friday evening I plan out my Saturdays that enable me to live the Sabbath the best way I can with my family, my Saturdays don't always need much work in the fairy chores dept but thats only a part of preparing for a Sabbath, you see, after doing my regular things for 6 days, be it with the kids, work, scrapbooking, writing letters etc by the weekend I need to free my mind of such things for just one day so I can focus on what my life is all about, God. If you are not interesting in religion then now's the time to click off this blog....:)

You see, as a Mormon I marvel at the inspiration, guidance and promptings that we each receive individually and collectively, this is often by personal and family prayer, scripture study and going to church meetings but we also have a vast variety of talks, videos, movies, books, stories and other things to give us a deeper understanding, motivation, inspiration and assurances of our lives and world around us. Our Prophet, President Thomas S Monson is yet another awesome person who has been called by God to lead the church and prophesy to the world...each time I hear him talk i'm either laughing or crying...he's funny, charming, sincere and very, very in tune with Heavenly Father and that just emenates from him.

So, Sundays is my one day where I limit certain things, stop others and do more of another...though I read my scriptures every day I make a point to study, ponder and pray regarding them on the Sabbath, the kids often use their Book of Mormon Stories (the kids version of the Book of Mormon) at the same time and we talk about what we are reading, how we can translate it into our lives and enhance our heartfelt desires, qualities and responsibilities. I also like to browse other blogs of my fellow Lds friends and learn more of them, laugh with them, cry with them and tease them....as you do! My Lds blog is one of total spiritual and uplifting motivation and inspiration, though private only to me as I use it as a study journal, it is great to have something fancy to just drop out those thoughts and feelings and make sense of them as you go along!

Today I have read a blog by a fellow Lds mum and scrapbooker and got so much from her that I have decided that I want to 'pay it forward' and share some luvin from here too...so whatever you believe, whatever your religion, culture, colour or race....I want you to know that just by being in this world, doing what you do, God is always watching, loving, guiding and protecting you...even on bad days and terrible times...they are our growing and strengthening trials which we much try to endure and learn from the best we can...I hope whoever has got to this far now will feel the urge, desire, need....use whatever word that you like...will go forward and tell someone just how much they are loved and respected.
In particular I would like to mention a few people who are a blessing to me in my life:

* Jaymie, Scott, Kirsten & Charley - my kids are my life, even on bad days! :)
* My Mum & Dad - for being the best they can be and never giving up on me
* My brothers & sister - because we come from the same family we still offer so many differences :)
* The Prophet, President Monson, his counsellors and other other leaders of the Lds church - for all their dedication, inspiration and the way they love, live and know the word of God and live to share it with the world
* My friends - Elaine, Sonia L, Sonia P, Kirsty, Sharron, Sara, Kim & Mikey, Bexx, Claire, Chris, Jd, Colin, Lois, Karen, Julie and Tina - a different kind of friendship with each different person that I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world (well maybe if I have another big gas bill!!)
* For my kids and my health - just over a year ago I had a major operation that truly changed my life, now i'm top of the pots and happy as tappy can be :)
* My life challenges - although being homeless almost broke me mentally, emotionally and spiritually I am thankful for the experience I had (as well as the support and friendships) because like any other trial, challenge or whatever terminology you prefer to use, I grow from them, I mature, I learn and I understand, I know the depths of despair on many levels, and BECAUSE of it I also know the highs of laughter, loving, friendship, secrets, feelings, peace and just being.

I have crossed paths with a whole lot of what this world offers, good and bad. Heartbreak, assault, divorce, abuse, childbirth (the ouch side!!), road accidents, operations, breathing machines, psychologists and a whole lot more...I've also crossed paths with holding my newborn for the first time, walking down the isle knowing I was doing it all for the right reasons, seeing my child survive a serious road accident, see another child come back from the brink of death when a Priest blessed him. I have experienced the consuming love for my mum when she is ill, sad or just struggling with life, my dad makes me laugh, reminds me to never give up and kicks my butt if I dare to be beat, my friends let me moan, laugh, cry, scream and just shear break down when my world feels like its falling apart...
...but most of all...each of these people dont only come into my life...they allow me, invite me, keep me in their lives as well.

Today I am renewing my gratitude for what I DO have in my life, however small, however insignificant...the fact of the matter is, they are in MY life and if I wasn't here...where would they be? My life has a purpose, has an importance and has significance...whether I miss that sometimes or not...I am proud to know, feel and be important to a variety of people around me...in real life and in my virtual online life.

So....how speshal are YOU?

Debsxx