We are nearing the end of the year.

 I know I've said it!

It seems like yesterday we were taking the Christmas decorations down and putting them away and here we are getting them all out again!

Christmas for us this year looks very different.  We usually have a seven foot tree up but now we have a small three foot one tucked away in the corner.  The reason?  We have a one year old cat that is so naughty and last year spent most of the year either pulling off decorations or pushing the tree completely over!  So instead of constantly replacing the tree we decided to play it safe instead!

Christmas day id different for us too.  We usually either travel to the older children or they come to us.  This year we are part of a team that is providing a Christmas dinner for anyone lonely or in need.  As a church this is the first time we have done anything like this and I'm so pleased that so many people are getting involved.  So far we have a fair few people booked in.  I'm really looking forward to being with old and new friends this Christmas.  I feel like opening the church up for others who may be struggling in some way is more than just providing a meal.  It is showing the love of Jesus in a real way.  In a way that demonstrates his love for us.  After all HE is the REASON for the Season!

 Hello folks!

Recently we have received some bad news about a friend.  It seems that her time on earth may be drawing to a end in the near future.  This can be hard to stomach.  We lost a friend through Covid and it hit me very hard.  It was so hard being away from those grieving and not being able to share their sorrow with them.  Because of Covid restriction with regard to travel we were unable to travel to the funeral and instead had to watch online.  It really impacted Mr PB and I.  Our friend was a amazing man with a big heart and a huge love of God.  We spent many many hours together laughing, talking and listening to his endless stories which often had in stitches with laughter.  He was a larger than life character and although he was chronically ill he never complained even when he was in considerable pain.  He and his wife were a big support to me when I was going through a bout of depression and cared for me and the family in a myriad of ways.  We feel his loss keenly.  

Friends are the family we choose for ourselves and at times I have been closer to friends than I have been to family.  I came across this quote this week

It made me think of both of my friends.  Both have been courageous in the face of ill health and pain and both have fought it head on.  One had a faith, one doesn't, but they both show the same amount of resilience and courage.  Its hard to watch a friend going through a difficult time especially when there is nothing you can do to help.  Hug your friends, tell them you love them and just listen to them.  You never know when it will be the last time you will see or hear from them.  Friends are a precious gift, love them

Bye for now

Hales x

Holy week Part 1 - Maundy Thursday - Passover

Hello Lovelies!

As our regular visitors are aware we are very committed Christians.  So of course Holy week is very special to us.  We rarely use this blog to speak of our faith as we write elsewhere on this but Holy week is extremely important for us.

Mr PB is serving in the leadership team at our home church at this present time and his term of office has recently been renewed.  This means he is very busy this week! On Monday he was reading at another local church as they put on a reading of the passion of Christ.  Our Church has been forging ahead making ties and building realationships with local churches after a few years of us being a stand alone church (there are reasons for this but I won't elaborate on here) and its great to see local churches coming together and Christians becoming friends and family.

So what is Maundy Thursday?  What is it all about?

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week. It represents the day that the Jewish Passover was celebrated in the Bible Story of Easter.

Jesus had his last meal with his friends and followers before he was killed. This meal is now know as 'The Last Supper'. 

Jesus and his friends would have followed the Jewish Passover custom of eating roast lamb and unleavened bread  and drinking red wine.

At the meal that Jesus had with this followers, he said to them: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." John 13:34.

Also at the same meal, Jesus told/commanded his followers to think of him when they ate bread and drank wine. This is very important to Christians and is now remembered in the Christian service known as Communion.

Jesus washed his disciples feet before the meal to show that is important to be helpful and serve others. Here in the UK the queen distributes Maundy Money instead of washing peoples feet as priests in other countries still do!  This is a practice carried out for hundreds of years!

After the meal, Jesus and some of his friends went to a nearby garden called Gethsemene to pray. Later in the evening he was betrayed by one of His disciples called Judas. Jesus was arrested and taken to trial.

So Tonight we shall go as a family to our church and eat with our church family to remember both the Passover , the last supper and the sacrifice of Jesus.

Tomorrow I shall tell you about why we remember Good Friday

Bye for now 

Hales xxx

My Bullet journal

Hi there lovelies!
Hows things?
Its been lovely and sunny here in Suffolk. A distinct change in the weather. It seems Spring has sprung!

This year Ive decided to give bullet journaling a go.  Its changed my life!  It really has.  No more missing appointments, forgetting friends tea/coffee meet ups, no more missing bill payments.  I'm totally organised!  If you know me you will know this is quite surprising for me!  In fact me being organised is positively  a miracle! 

 So this is how my journal looks.  I bought a LEUCHTTURM 1917 from Amazon .  I also bought a pen holder in which to store my growing number of pens!  Also from amazon you can find it here. It helps me to keep everything together and organised.  its amazing how much stuff you start collecting!

Firstly I set up my "goals for the year".  I didnt want to call it new years resolutions as I never keep to them and then feel dissatisfied with myself, so they are the goals I aim to reach.

I also set aside a page for quotes I hear throughout the year and I either like or are inspirational.
I have a page on books i want to read or have read.  I aim to read twenty books this year.  That is my goal and this page helps me keep track.

I also keep two pages for bible verses that I like.  We have a verse to learn each year for church and that's here.  I like to keep this page so I can turn to a specific verse when i need it!

Typically my weeks are set up like this.  I do a two page spread for each week and it works pretty well.  (I couldn't find a two page spread that wasn't full of my appointments etc!)  I prepare the page two weeks in advance so that I have a idea of what we have in store for that week.

I also keep track of my period and moods in the journal.  I'm interested to see if my moods are affected by my periods.  I'm sure they are but I guess I'm just looking for confirmation.  This is a good way to track it. 

I also have my Christmas list in there! I know its really early in the year but we are on a limited budget and  like to pick up bargains when I see them especially for the grandchildren.  These pages help me to keep a eye on what Ive bought and what I still have to buy.  Its a good system.

I also put in photos of people I love and want to pray for.  This adds something personal to my journal and it helps keep me focused when praying.

 Sometimes its hard to remember to do things you love.  Its important to give oneself love and so I have a small list of things that I like and like to do.  Also new songs that Ive discovered, sometimes played on the radio or stuff I hear coming out of my daughters bedroom!

Finally and most importantly I think I have a gratitude log.  Sometimes in life we forget things we are grateful for and the many blessings we have.  Something as simple as a warm bed to sleep in is something that a person would be extremely grateful for if they didn't have it. And so on.

So that's my journal.  It keeps me grounded and organised.  It gets me where I need to be, when I need to be there.  I challenge you to try keeping one.  Its extremely addictive but great fun.  There are facebook groups you can join to get ideas and meet like minded people.
I'm so glad you joined me today and I hope to read your comments below
Take care
Bye for now 
Hales xx

Imbolc and being a Christian

Hello lovelies!

The 2nd of February marks Imbolc.  For those who don't know it is a festival in the pagan calender.
It marks the breaking of winter and the coming spring.  We celebrate the return of the sun and look forward to the warmer weather and spring approaching.  To the daffodils and snow drops poking their heads through the soil and giving us a riot of colour to cheer our days.  As the warmer days appear we look forward to the spring equinox and all that brings.  Imbolc is kind of a halfway point between winter solstice and spring solstice.  Its a chance to spring clean and fling open the windows and let the fresh cold air flow through the house making the stale air from our homes (shut up over winter) blow away! 

We are Christians but we keep the festivals of the year.  I personally consider myself as a christian pagan.  Ive been told many times that this is a contradiction of terms but I believe not and let me tell you why.
The wheel of the year and the solstices etc are all naturally occurring events.  I believe God made the world and so any changes that are made to it (for example seasonal changes) are from him.  I believe that the Gods and Goddesses (mother nature etc) are in fact angels who look after the earth.  Angels were sent to earth to guard the gates of Eden to stop Adam and Eve returning, the Bible tells us this.  So we know that angels tread the earth.  I shall be burning a candle to celebrate the coming of warmer days and the fast approaching spring!

Tell me your thoughts below

Bye for now

Hales xxx

Apollo 8 Message

AWESOME!

Thats all I have to say !