God's Work of Art

I follow several 'crafty' blogs as well as the other, non-crafty ones. I am addicted to creating beautiful cards and love to check out what others are doing, for inspiration, and if I'm honest, to also give me a bit of an ego-boost sometimes! (...as I find that actually much of what I 'do' is at least of an equal standard to much of what I see online, if not sometimes - dare I say it - better...!!)

Anyway, I visited one of my bookmarked blogs just tonight (I will keep it nameless for now...) and saw a card on there, which had the following sentiment as the focal point:

"Life isn't about finding yourself, Life is about CREATING yourself"...

The card itself is absolutely stunning, but I had to post something, anything - my reaction to the sentiment on it.
Because I instantly cringed when I saw it.
Because I so completely disagree with it, which has quite taken me by surprise...!

Because I believe GOD has created me, and that one of my purposes in life, my job, is precisely to discover myself - to find out who He has created me to be. Who the 'real' Rachel is. Who He meant me to be - and become...
It's not up to me to create myself, because I am 'God's craftsmanship' - His work of art.
I am not my own...

Have I got this completely wrong??

I don't know if I'm being totally over-the-top here, but it was such an immediate, and strong, gut reaction, and I know for sure I would never, ever, be able to use such a sentiment on one of my cards! I usually quite like most of the sentiments one can use on cards, although some of them are pretty 'naff' and a bit too sickly-sweet for my liking. But this, to me, is actually very 'humanistic', and in being so, to me is also deeply arrogant and self-sufficient. I need God too much, and am eternally grateful that it's His job to create me, and mine to discover what He has done and is still doing.

What do you think?.....

Painful goodbyes ahead

With the Devon Move looming closer every day, I am struggling with what is slowly becoming more and more a reality. That there are people I love who I will need hug goodbye 'just one last time'.

How do you do that???

I know that, however much you are assured of continued, ongoing friendship 'even from a distance', things will never, can never be the same again.

And my heart is breaking. Slowly. Just a little bit.
I guess part of it is the fear of the many changes ahead.
And my weakness of faith. My lack of faith, even.

Faith that He gives and takes away; but that, surely, He also takes away and then gives back, one hundred, one thousand times over...??

Too delicious not to share...( #3)

I'm on a roll.
"...don't stop me now, I'm havin such a good time, I'm havin a ball..."
...and if I can't eat chocolate much these days, please at least let me post about it!!!

These Rocky Road Crunchy Bars are just the most delicious thing EVER... but don't over-indulge, as they are indecently rich. Don't say I didn't warn you...!

125g butter
300g best quality chocolate, broken into chunks
3 Tbsp golden syrup
200g Rich Tea (or other - Digestives are also great; but any plain biscuits will do), bashed up into crumbs and bigger pieces
100g mini marshmallows
2tsp icing sugar to dust top of bars

melt butter, chocolate and golden syrup
mix in biscuit pieces
then mix in marshmallows, when mixture is a little cooler
tip into a foil tray (or similar)
Chill for 2 hours, or overnight if you can bear to wait that long
Cut into fingers and dust with the icing sugar if you feel so inclined

And tuck in!!!
But be warned...

Too delicious not to share...(#2)

These quick Chocolate Brownies are amazing....and so so so easy to make!! Considering I always fail my chocolate brownies and am very fussy about how they turn out, here is a recipe that even I can do well, and enjoy :)

225g sugar
100g butter
40g cocoa powder
2 large free-range eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
50g self-raising flour
50g chocolate chips (or more!)

Whisk sugar and eggs together until pale yellow
Melt butter with cocoa powder
Add to the egg mixture, with vanilla essence and chocolate chips
Bake in medium hot oven for 15 to 20 mins, keeping a close eye on it so that you take it out BEFORE it is cooked right through. If you put a knife through the middle it should not come out clean...

Then leave to cool in tin, and cut into squares.

Devour - with moderation - if you can...!!

Too delicious not to share...(#1) Banana Cake

In the next two or three posts I will bring you some of my best baking recipes; I should warn you that these recipes are partly responsible for my unwillingness inability to shift my "spare-tyre" despite the many hours of ruthless exercise I engage in every week.

I figured I might as well share these with the rest of the world; then the rest of the world can be somewhat inspired by some of the easiest baking recipes I have EVER come across...and in doing so unwittingly share in my 'stubborn-spare-tyre' plight. Hehehe ;)


So. First off, here is a recipe for The world's MOST Delicious Banana Cake.

Preheat oven to a medium-low heat (100degC./gas mark 2)
8oz self-raising flour
6oz (part caster/part icing) sugar
4oz softened margarine
3 large free-range eggs
4 medium-sized overripe bananas blended (makes for a moister cake)
2 generous Tbsp golden syrup
1tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt

Mix all ingredients thoroughly
Bake in a v. well greased tin on a low heat (100oC) for between 1hr 15mins to 1hr 30mins.
Leave in tin to cool then transfer onto wire rack to finish cooling.
Best eaten within first 2 days - (not that this should be a problem...) - even better eaten straight out of the ove (once it's had time to cool down enough obviously)
This is indecently yummy. Enjoy.

Irrisistible

I simply could not resist videoing Ben saying the word 'cucumber' just to be able to hear his own delicious version of it in years to come!! Who'd have thought he'd come up with such a complicated, convoluted tongue-twister?!? However it doesn't seem to bother him, and I think it's the cutest thing ever. That includes the munching. Even though I personally hate cucumber, I still thought is was worth posting...

And here we have: a clown in a mirror... I think the rest speaks for itself...! Again, this demonstrates language in progress: so thrilling, so thankful.

An interview with Sam

1. What is something your mum always says to you?
I love you

2. What makes your mum happy?
Giving her chocolate

3. What makes your mum sad?
Calling her 'idiot'

4. How does your mum make you laugh?
By doing funny stuff.

Like what?

I dunno. Like...you made a picture pick its nose; hee-hee-hee

5. What was your mum like as a child?
How should I know that, I wasn't there then!?!

6. How old is your mum?
how old are you? 34? ARE you 34?

7. How tall is your mum?
2 meters. Hee-hee-heeeeee, ARE you two meters?? (giggles abundantly)

8. What is your mum's favourite thing to do?
Going to the cinema

9. What does your mum do when you're not around?
Play on her computer

10. If your mum becomes famous, what will it be for?
Cards, maybe? I dunno (I think he means 'making cards')

11. What is your mum really good at?
Making cards and writing on the computer

12. What is your mum really not very good at?
Calling me an 'idiot'

13. What does your mum do for a job?
Nothing. Well she just looks after me Thomas and Ben (Ha...! Yeah. Thanks.)

14. What is your mum's favorite food?
Chinese (oh goooosh, where did I go wrong?!?!?)

15. What makes you proud of your mum?
She's nice to me

16. If your mum were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Gwen from 'Ben 10' (Huh...?? Um, pardon...??? Think I better go look this one up...)

17. What do you and your mum do together?
Go shopping, go to the cinema, go to Macdonalds... (Again: see my comment for #14)

18. How are you and your mum the same?
We both have blue eyes and we both like computers

19: How are you and your mum different?
My mum is a girl - (speaks to self: ) that's a stupid [answer] cuz all mums are girls!!

My mum has long hair and I have short hair; she can go really fast at writing on the computer and I can't go that fast

20. How do you know your mum loves you?
Because she does (so simple, so obvious, so sure, ... yet I am certain there are many children out there who really could never declare so categorically that their mum or dad loves them. That breaks my heart...)

21. What does your mum like most about your dad?
Now that's a hard one... Because he's nice...?

22. Where is your mum's favourite place to go?
Hmmmmmm... Church?? Cinema. (what's with the cinema?!? I mean I do like going to the pictures, but I really honestly do not go that much. In fact I hardly go at all... )



Atchoooo...!!!

Operation Devon phase #2

Well I promised pictures, and these are especially for the benefit of those of you who are still living in the dark ages and resisting Facebook... (ahem... yes, YOU!!... You know who you are... hehehe)
We are so delighted with our new home, even though it needs at least another 2 months' worth of work before it will be ready - being a new build, pretty much everything inside still needs doing: kitchen, bathrooms, central heating, flooring, etc...
But we are so excited...
It's going to be such a lovely place to continue bringing up our boys :o) and I can't wait!

Intimidated...

I have suddenly come over all intimidated
and feeling pretty inadequate...
It's no-one's fault really, apart from mine...
I should know better than to compare myself to others. Big mistake.

As a result I now stupidly feel like I'm a lesser mother...

...for just trying to get through the day without too many mishaps; for trying to just 'survive'...
...for letting my kids eat meals in front of the TV much of the time
...for my uselessness when it comes to housekeeping
...for my inability to be consistent with my own boundaries
...for sucking big time at praying and fasting for my brood
...all too often for my lack of gentleness and kindness
...for my impatience and intolerance
...for even sending my kids to school, and not being able to cope with them being under one roof all at once for more than 5 minutes...! Seriously, shouldn't I enjoy them and be grateful for every minute with them?? Instead I find myself craving my own space way too much and resenting them being there when they're ill, or on holiday... When they 'shouldn't be' there...

So many of you out 'there' are such amazing and godly mothers!!

Ok, so I have 3 kids who all have 'special needs'...
I guess that explains quite a bit of the chaos that I live in.
Also I am single-parenting right now and it's pretty heavy.
But if nothing else, surely I should be continually lifting my eyes to the mountains and acknowledging that my help comes from Him, maker and creator of all things; and petitioning Him for His help, His strength, His grace... And trusting that He will answer, in His way, in His time.....

I long - ache, even - to fill my home with laughter, beauty, dancing, singing, praise, joy, peace, godliness.
There is certainly an abundance of love in my home. That: yes.
But the yelling, the fighting, the lack of order, of firm boundaries...??

Oh God - help!
Give me eyes to see You in my life, in my home, in my kids' lives, in my parenting, in my marriage.
Give me the grace to accept that it is in my weakness that your strength is made perfect.

New Band and Album Cover Game - pointless but brilliant...

I saw this on Facebook (yes, Facebook, again...: the source of much inspiration at the moment...!) and simply couldn't not post it on here.
One wonders, sometimes, how they come up with album cover ideas; but one need wonder no more. For all we know, this is all there is to it... Maybe I should set myself up as a freelance album cover designer??!? ...You never know, ...it could do pretty well... Big bucks here I come!!




Oh...and the rules

1 - Go to Wikipedia. Hit 'random article'
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to The Quotations Page and click on 'Random Quotes'
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on 'explore the last seven days'
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 - Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post the result with this text as the rules and tag whoever (or should this be whomever...??!?) you would like to join in.

Fun, huh...?
Please consider yourself tagged if you would like to take part, just let me know in the comments if you did so I can have a look!!