The things kids say....

The weather has been pretty awful all week, it is blowing a gale tonight and various items in our garden seem to have found themselves a different home i.e. in another part of the garden!

Tonight as I was putting Lauren to bed, she voiced her concern at being able to hear the wind. I reassuringly told her that she would be asleep and that she wouldn't hear it, only to met with the reply, "but mummy, my ears are wide open all the time"!
It brought a smile to my face :)

I am seriously hoping for snow tomorrow, not that I want to drive any distance in it but beacuse Amy has never experienced it (and if the truth be told I want to build a snowman and take some snow pictures)!

Hope everyone isn't too bothered by the wind and rain tonight.

Women of Worth

Just wanted to share a short inspirational thought with all you Women of Worth :

Do you ever forget how wonderful you are?
Do you forget that you were beautifully created and are the workmanship of a loving Heavenly Father?
You are a reflection of your Creator and that makes you beautiful.

(Psalm 139 : 13-14)
Karen Moore

On another note, I have pinched an idea, yet again from Janine to endeavour to take 1 interesting photo a day and share it with you on Flickr - (check out my Flickr badge).
As we are nearing the end of Jan, I am obviously playing catch-up and so I have uploaded 2 photos. Hope you like them?

Up, Up....

...and away they go. Today saw Jen & Ben's much talked about departure to NZ! We had a emotional farewell yesterday afternoon and I know that Mum & Dad had an equally emotional farewell at the airport this morning. Lauren, bless her was brilliant, she understands all that a 4 year needs to and took it all in her stride. How I wish we adults were so accepting of our circumstances
Hopefully they will get settled soon and bags unpacked so that we can link up via our web-cams ( Lauren is terribly excited about this!! )

My clear out and desire to ORGANISE has begun in earnest today commencing with a wardrobe clear out. It is amazing how much rubbish accumulates in such a short space of time. Here is hoping I don't run out of enthusiasm too soon!!

Have a good week-end!

So long, farewell...for now

Last night we spent a lovely, relaxing evening with good food and great company. Jen & Ben came down for the evening to have, for want of a better phrase, "the last supper," before they go away on Friday.
The girls really enjoyed having them there and it was lovely to see them having so much fun together.
Roy and I are really going to miss our regular nights in with them.
Tomorrow sees the proper and final farewells..for now. It's not something I am looking forward to but I know that it will come and go and that we will all get through it in our own way.

I gave Jen "the project" which I have to admit, I am really pleased with and I think she is too. I really enjoy making little gifts for others, I hope, to enjoy and I get so much from seeing the smile on the recipients face.

Jen gave me a card and a little desktop book of inspirational quotes. Thank-you Jen. I was really touched and yes, it made me shed a few tears.

I have been inspired recently by Janine's blog to choose a word for the year that I can apply to the daily aspects of my life. After some thought I have chosen the word: ORGANISE

I have so many cupboards and drawers that need a good clear out and be organised
I need to get organised and do my laundry etc. more regularly
I must organise the girls toys into appropriate storage (preferably from IKEA)!!
The list goes on...but you get the general idea.

I leave you now with some photos of the project:

Still here!!

I haven't blogged in a week and to be honest, there isn't much to share.
I went to Jen & Ben's Comissioning Service at Church on Sunday night, it was a lovely service and yes, there were some tears and I am quite sure there will be some more before next Friday.

I am still busy working on my "project" but I hope to be able to share some pictures of that next week.

Roy and I spent a lovely day (minus children)yesterday in Ballymena and Belfast. Those of you with children will understand how good it was to browse and do our own thing, without having a buggy (and its human content) to fight with and not having to listen to the constant complaining of a 4 year old, " I'm bored, when are we going home" Bliss!!

And it's the week-end again, hurray, enjoy :)

Check this out...

I have been introduced to the internet site etsy. It is mainly American and sells all manner of hand-made items - I could spend hours trawling through all the quirky stuff on there and have so far resisted the urge to spend. Have a look and let me know what you think.

Lately Lauren has become what is known as a "fussy eater" There is always some reason as to why she can't eat something, so last night in a desperate attempt to get her excited about dinner we had something from my childhood (Jen, you will recall this) a "bits and pieces tea." We put up her Princess Castle tent and she and Amy had tea in their Castle!! Amy loved it and thankfully stayed put until she had finished. Lauren eventually managed to eat what was before her and was rewarded with a star on her reward chart. The things you have to do!!
Here is a picture of them in their castle:

Busy..Busy.. Busy..

....I am currently in the middle of a little "project" which, for the time being cannot be revealed as it is not in the hands of the recipient. I will post some pictures at a later date.

Jen & Ben have booked their flights to New Zealand and they leave on the 25th January for Wellington where they will spend the next 2 years.....find out more about Ben's work on his blog.
I am so thankful that we live in a technological era and that text messages can be sent and received, web-cams viewed and e-mails written to help us all stay in touch.....and who knows maybe I will get to spread my wings and pay them a visit with the "wee chickens?"
I also know that the next few weeks will be an emotional time for our "wee family," (for obvious reasons).

On the brighter side, Amy has taken to reading to the cat!! She spent this morning shoving various books under the cats nose and then talking very animatedly about the story. The mind boggles!!

Rest & Relaxation

On Friday, I had a relaxing overnight stay at the Galgorm Resort & Spa with Mum and Jen. We spent Friday relaxing in their thermal spa which consisted of a hydrotherapy pool, outdoor hot-tub, sauna and various aromatherapy rooms. The hot-tub for me won hands down as we sat in gloriously warm, bubbling water, surrounded by the last of the snow that had fallen the night before, listening and watching the River Maine as it flowed past - truly relaxing.

We spent Saturday morning having some Spa treatments and for me this comprised of a Vitality Bath and a Radiance Facial. The atmosphere was truly relaxing and the decor and finishing touches in the Spa were superb!!

And today, it is back to porridge! Lauren has started back to Nursery and was so eager to get there this afternoon (long may that continue)! I think Amy is going to miss the company during those few hours that she is away.

Here is a picture I took of Lauren just after Christmas:

I will walk 500 miles...

I am finally pleased to announce that Amy is walking. At 16 months she has decided to give it a go. She took off on Boxing Day, but has been rather hesitant to stay upright until today. There is no stopping her now!!
Here is little photo of her in action (please excuse the bad photography - it was a real grab the camera quick moment and I have no idea what setting it was on!!)