How much???

Dunc has had this brainwave that between us, we'll make our own Christmas cake - he'll do the cake I'll ice and decorate. You would not believe the quantity and cost of making it!!!!! If around the 26th Dec there is a huge food poisoning scare in the Reigate area, that'll be us.
Yesterday - not much. School run, picked Dunc up from station, tea, kids to bed, Dunc was watching some weird movie, so I had bath, then Lemsip then Sudoko in bed!!!!!!
Singing Co practise tonight - major overload on Christmas stuff at the moment - we're singing at the Albert Hall next week and then we have our Corps usual concert at Fairfield. Most of the kids are fab, there are some very mischievous boys, we had to separate them last week - I don't understand them, we've even threatened that if they don't behave they might not sing at the Albert Hall - they just kept giggling. Boys!!!!!!
Ah well, back to laundry!!
PRAYER - for my ickle man Max, think he's teething but feeling proper poorly over it.

Two questions

ONE - For those who have similar blog things to me - I keep getting a message telling me I can change my blog to Blogger in beta - whatever that means - has anyone done it yet and is it worth doing it???
TWO - Morbid question again, Dunc and I watched a drama thing on TV last Thursday - can't remember the name but it has Brits in the USA, something to do with the Enemy of the State - anyway, a guy was on death row, about to be given a lethal injection - he was allowed one last meal of his choice - what would you have???

Have no fear - I'm back

OK, quick catch up - Dunc did a Youth Retreat for the youth of Derby Corps this weekend. It was in a fab posh hotel - The Palace - in Buxton so me and the kids tagged along. We didn't take part in his weekend as such, didn't want to interrupt the good stuff that was going on. We left Friday morning and returned late last night hence the lack of blog.
If you've been a regular reader (if not you'd better look back a couple of weeks to know what I'm going on about) you'll know the other week I struggled about who I was. In my morning daily reading thing this morning it was perfect for me. The verse was Proverbs 17v22 - "a cheerful heart is good medicine". It talked about having fun with others is all God's doing and that some people are just given the gift to have more fun than others - I'm taking that all for myself!!!! Not often I beam when I do my morning reading on the loo - best place to get peace and quiet and I never forget to do it!!!!
Think Max is teething, this weekend he has well and truly dribbled for Britain and I don't mean in a football way. Last night he woke at 3am screaming the place down - I guess we shouldn't complain as that's the first time in 15 1/2 months!!!!!! After a huge trump, he settled down!!!! He's being very clingy today - which is not really like him but in a bizarre way I am liking.
Met up with a new friend this weekend who has recently taken her husband back after he strayed a little. Think she is having a hard time from Corps folk who tell her she'd stupid. I told her that bottom line is, it's no-one else's business - she seemed very happy. Seems a shame that if she can forgive and forget, why can't Christian friends do the same.
Well, back home life is as usual - laundry, dishwasher etc!!!
PRAYER - For this new friend - that life becomes more comfortable for her.

Question ONE!!!

My cousin died recently and at her funeral 2 Robbie Williams tracks were played.
If you were sitting writing your funeral plan, who and what would be sung?

Busy day - for a mum

School run, coffee at my school-mum friend Julia. Then toddlers at the Baptist Church. Back home, Max down for a nap, Helen, Joshua and Ruben came for lunch - it was nice and Joshua is a fab little boy with a huge gorgeous personality - must get it from his mum!!!!! They went, Max woke. School run - Julia and her daughter, Daisi's school friend, Jasmin came for tea.
Very nice.
That's about it.
My brothers blog occasionally has bizarre random questions for readers to comments on - I feel I shall start that!!!!
PRAYER - of thanks for new friends made in the Reigate area

Not much again

Nothing much Monday or Tuesday, the start of I'm a Celebrity - one of those reality programmes that we all kinda hate bit still get hooked!!!! Bizarre mix of people in the show - so I'll see how long I stick with it.
Other than that, usual school stuff and Singing Co last night.
Had a fun morning this morning at Tesco buying stocking fillers for the kids - oh what fun.

Fresh air!!!!

Sat became a little hectic. Dunc finally arrived, we went to mum and dad's, had lunch, brought Max with us and drove to Guildford, to pick up 2 friends of Dunc's from Hong Kong, he worked once with the guy in China. They've been on holiday over here and were staying with us for one night.
Dunc had a very very lucky escape. On Friday night we'd gone out for a curry, and he hadn't realised that his wallet had dropped on the floor, in the road, when we got back in the car. A guy found it on Saturday morning in a right mess - it had been rained on all night and was yukky - but bless him, the guy found a bank card, called American Express and said I've found this man's wallet can you tell him to me meet me at this address and he can have it back. So when we were on our way to mum and dad's, we called on this guy and bless him, the whole wallet, sopping wet but all there, £20 cash included, was still there. See, there are still decent people out there!!!
Sunday - Dunc had to to help the band out at the communityremembrancee service - he left the band a couple of years ago, but they have no percussionist now so he helped out. Jeremy and Yvonne - the Hong Kong brother and sister, came with me and the kids to the corps. For another year I have spent the 2 mins silence out the back - kids!!!! We then stayed at the hall for soup and bread lunch. Our Corps have started up one Sunday a month for small groups andtheree are quite a few of us now that live outside the M25, so our small group started yesterday - a walking group. It was great. And a few others from inside the M25 came too - but that's ok. There were about 9familiess and it took almost 2 hours but it was great. So this is our new small group. We stopped at a tiny little church on the walk and spent time together in prayer. I think this group and the people in it will be great for all of us. Some of us are already friends and others will soon become better friends.
We eventually came home, Dunc took Jeremy and Yvonne to Gatwick and then our friends Taff and Nicky came over for food.
Very hectic but great weekend.
PRAYER - that our small group will be of great benefit to all involved

What a bizarre night!!!

Work yesterday, which I know it's odd, but I do like my day in the office. My boss, Captain Norman Ord, was in interviews most of the day so I didn't really see much of him. Just muddled on with my work. Went to lunch at Nando's with Rob Moye and Dean Jones, that's the 4th week running I've been to Nando's for lunch - I shall become such a lardy cardy!!! Nothing else major happened. After work, I had to wait around for a couple of hours, mildly boring. Finally the time came, I'd got changed into my footballers' wife outfit, and went with Dunc, Graeme Hodge and Emily Mingay up to Regent Hall. Dunc and Graeme were talking about anti-trafficking at a quiz night! Emily and I, as we often are become the appendages known as the International Development WAGS, hence my outfit. I don't think the evening had been well advertised, as including us there was 17. But the odd bit was how it panned out - you'd have quiz stuff - our team was called The Betty's in fondness of our Mrs TC. So, we had fun and laughter with the quiz and then Dunc would get up and talk about anti-trafficking, then more fun with quiz then Graeme would talk out anti-trafficking - kinda almost ruined the atmosphere. Never mind - Emily and I, when we got there, decided to go for a walk - London scares me. I'm now used to leafy Reigate were no-one rushes and everyone smiles. People were squashing me and pushing past me - we didn't stick it out long and headed for Starbuck - I had my usual Caramel Machiatto - yum!!!!
After the evening, we drove to Wallington and went to Asif Curry house, our fave Indian, we know the manager. Nice food and after dropping them at Emily's we headed home, way past my bedtime.
The kids were at my parents for the night, and this morning Dunc was up and out early for more anti-trafficking work. I had a teeny tiny lie in and then have spent the morning cleaning the house top to bottom as we have 2 friends of Duncan's from China are staying tonight. I am now sitting watching The Lord Mayors Show but have missed the Army band.
I know just wait for Dunc to return and we'll go over to my mum's, have lunch, pick Max up - Daisi is having another sleepover on her own, and then we go to Guildford to get this couple!!!!
Busy busy busy!!!!

What do you mean - don't talk about the army!!!

Didn't get round to bloggin last night, we were watching a Movie on DVD - The Terminal, slow but good.
Not really much at all yesterday, Tesco, school run, ballet, home, tea!!!!!!!
Had toddlers this morning, very nice then Helen, Joshua and Ruben came for coffee. They were coming for lunch but the Luff's are having building work done and there is some problem with the upstairs electricity so she had to go.
With reference to John's comment about talking about the Army, why shouldn't I talk about the Army, it's a huge part of my life - most of the time it pretty much runs my life, so how can I sit with a Christian friend and not talk about it???
Ah well, a mothers afternoon - Max asleep and when he wakes it will be time to pick Daisi up from school.
Work tomorrow - as daft as it sounds, I do love my day in the office.
PRAYER - That I can let people know about the 'Army', without making it sound like a cult!!!

Not much today

Did coffee this morning with a new friend - a mum from the new toddlers I now go to here in Reigate. This is a very sad statement to make, but it's very tricky to chat with someone who's not Army - you have to explain so much, what does that say about the Army!!!!!
Singing Co tonight, slight stress for me, giving out tickets to people who had ordered them for the Albert Hall, still can't please anyone and even had an officer call me after I'd got home to have a right royal winge about which seats I'd given him!!!!! Nice!!!
My family today decided to do the same as we do with Dunc's family at Christmas and just spend £5 on each other at Christmas, none of us are mega rich and it's really getting to the point now that we're all running out of ideas for each other. I'm easy to buy for, for both my birthday (Dec 3 hint hint) and Christmas I ask for NEXT vouchers and then spend them at the NEXT sale at 5am!!!!!! So for those of you who know my family, if you have any sensible suggestions, I'll be grateful to hear them!!!!!
PRAYER - a prayer of thanks for my 2 beautiful children. I'm sitting typing this looking at Max's toddlers photo and Daisi's first school photo. My daily reading the other day pointed out that God likes thank you prayers too, he possible gets fed up with panic help prayers, so a huge thanks for Daisi and Max and everything they are and mean to me!!!!!

Just another manic Monday...

... except it was all quite calm. School run, no major hassle's there. Then drove for coffee at Janet Lairds - very nice indeed. I was so well fed that I didn't need lunch!! Came home, Max slept for the afternoon while I did mummsy laundry type things. School run, came home, taught my nephew Joe piano, they went, cooked tea, ate it, Dunc came home.
See not really another Manic Monday!!!!
Today I got a text from a female friend - see I do have them - who told me it was ok to be loud!!!!! Feel much better about the whole thing as I value her words!!!!
PRAYER - to keep people like me calm and not to change!!!!!

... and I didn't cry

Today was a big day for me, well this morning was.
Firstly last night - fireworks were fab and nice to spend time with family!
Anyway, this morning at the Army, my church, I was leading the Singing Company, with them singing the song I wrote - now we have sung this twice before but not on home ground, and not with Dunc and my parents listening. Also, I wrote this song when a lady in the corps died, I guess you could say as a tribute to her, her 3 granddaughters are in the singing co and her daughter comes to the corps, so all family has heard it, but the CO found out from my dad, thanks dad, that there was a story behind the song and had asked me to introduce it, pee your pants time. I wanted to get it right and not burst into tears because Granny Myra, the lady who died, was a huge part of the corps. Well I managed it, just, and the kids sang fantastically, the oldest granddaughter started to blub during it, I nearly lost it, but it was good. So I'd better get on with another. If I can work out technology tomorrow, you might be able to listen to it if you're interested!!!!!
Then we had lunch at Dunc's parents, and then his dad and him watched rugby (snore) and we came home. As I type this Dunc is out in the garden with his own little bonfire, not really in honour of the 5th of November, it's more that he totally chopped down an apple tree and needs to get rid of the stuff, and tonight he can get away with lighting a fire!!!
Today at the Corps I struggled a little with some folks who were getting upset about stuff that to me seems pointless getting upset about - something I guess I need to work on.
PRAYER - that when you have something that winds you up, just breath lots and get over it!!!

Remember! Remember... a day early

Well not much happened for the rest of yesterday or last night!!
We got up earlyish for a Saturday this morning and drove to Sunbury Court - Dunc was presenting something to the Territorial Advisory Council for all of 15 minutes!!! We went to the nearest big Tesco, bought the usual, hat for me (it's gonna be freezing tonight), sparkly shoes for Daisi and new stuff for the bathroom in chocolate brown!!!! Also, bad move, they had a Krispy Kreme stand and whilst I like to look after my figure, one just can't help!!!! I got a box of 12, but not all for me... read on. Picked Dunc up and went to see my brother, his Mrs and my nephew Elijah - hence the large box of Kripsy Kreme's!!! Lloyd has a very poorly knee and is having to use crutches - please no references to Her Flick of the Gestapo!!!!!! We shared doughnuts and eventually with Becks mum and dad, we shared lunch too. I checked my e-mails. Haven't worked out if this next bit proves someones point or I should just accept it and shut up... Since my rambling on the other day, I've had on comments or e-mails friends telling me not to change - however, they're all guys!!!!!!!! I shall just accept that not many girls read this!!!!
Came home, I went to bed and slept for 2 hours, feel a little queer - not in the biological sense!!! Have now woken and am doing this. Off to a firework display at my other brother Lyndon's rugby club soon. So I shall be wrapped up like an Eskimo and probably not match, please no fashion police in attendance!!!!! It'll be Max's first firework display - last year he was so ickle I kept him inside, it could be we end up in the rugby club house within 5 mins, ah well, the chores a mother has to do!!!!!!!
PRAYER - Lloyd's knee, he is to have surgery at the end of the month, but it must be tricky as they live in a maisonette kinda thing!!!!!

I hate the playground!!!!!

Just when I finally thought the playground was again a fun place to be, it all changes. Before half term I actually enjoyed hanging around with all the mums before and after school. But yesterday I felt a bit on the naff side. I found out that some of the girls had gone out the other weekend - not that I would have gone with them, but I wasn't asked. And then it seems some of them have organised a mum's Christmas Dinner and again, I'm not invited. I know this will all sound extremely pathetic to most, especially guys, but this is what my blog is for, me to let off steam!!! I'm not forcing you to read it (Mr Hardwick!!!!) Anyway, its all bizarre, it's worse than actually being at school!!! I attempt to be friend with all, no taking sides, and believe me there are a lot of silly politics in the playground, but I've not let myself get drawn into them and just talked to everyone. Nothing I can do about it all I guess. Just frustrating as I've gotta put up with these people for 7 years!!!!!
Went to toddlers yesterday at the Baptist church around the corner, it's nice to be there with Max. I've stopped going to the toddlers at the Corps, partly petrol and travel time, partly cos it messes up Max's routine and partly cos I'm happy at the new toddlers. It's nice to go to the new toddlers and just spend time with Max. Got his first proper photo's back from toddlers, what a handsome fella!!!! Very cute indeed!!
It's now Friday and I'm not at work, now that's a nice feeling!!!!!!
PRAYER - Playground politics die down!!!!

How thick can I possibly get???

I haven't blogged for weeks because having finally got our broadband connected I was having password problems so still couldn't blog. I cannot believe that today, I've finally sussed out the problem - it wasn't the password it was the username. Sad as this sounds I was typing in my username for the CBeebies Parents Message Board!!!!! I can't really even blame it on blond hair any more!!!!!
So what have I been up to - way too much to remember it all.
Some stuff has been going on for me, mainly in my head though which now I feel better about I feel I can share. At the beginning of November I was at Sunbury Court for a conference for children's leaders - I'm the assistant singing co leader (junior choir) and there were different workshops for music leaders. Anyway, during the course of the weekend many people, who know me, happened to make comments about me, you're loud, you talk a lot, we can always tell where you're sitting and the worse one of all, you're a terrible flirt. Now I'm quite aware that most of it's true and was said in a joking fashion, but there is the saying 'many a true word said in jest'. So by the end of that weekend I was mortified and thought that this was not really a good example of being a christian and that I should totally change who I was. My normal every day to day stuff was not much difference but on the Friday I went to work, a bit in a state before I got there - partly cos most of the comments were made by people who I work with. I decided I needed to me quiet, demure and sit and my desk and do nothing but work - it kinda helped that I did actually have work to do. Where upon lots of people asked if I was ok, one person in particular was very kind, bought my toast for me and kept checking on me. Any way, I struggled with the old teary eyes all day and felt it was a really crappy day. Anyway, this weekend just gone we were up at the Northern Congress in Harrogate - in Army event for most of the silly billy's in the Army. Anyway, someone there, who I e-mail alot, said it was nicer talking to me in person and then said one sentence that almost gave me a little lightbulb-over-the-head moment. He said that a christian can minister to others just by friendship and fellowship. I suddenly thought - that's me!!!!!!! I am not able to quote bible left right and centre, I would never be able to preach a decent sermon, I am quite sure I'll never bless the masses, but I can and do talk to everyone. So that's that - I'm God's little talker!!!!!!
More good news for me, can't remember if I mentioned that I wrote a song for the singing co, well we sang it at Sunbury and Kettering and we're singing it at Croydon this week - well it's being published in next years Sing To The Lord - a book published for Singing Company's. How chuffed am I!!!!!!
Can't fill you in on every single detail but just be glad that I've sussed out my technical hitch!!!!!!
PRAYER - for friends of Kirsten, one friend lost a baby at 22 weeks, and a mother on Ian's barracks died in a car crash leaving 3 kids