We have just got back from our holiday, we had a great time, beginning in Wales for 4 days with our daughter and her family. Wales was beautiful, we stayed in a cabin, went in the sea (which was very cold) and did some sight seeing. We then went down to Devon to stay with them for a further week before taking my Mum away to the North Devon/Cornwall border. The weather wasn't too good but we had some trips to the beach, visited a couple of National Trust houses,and ate loads of food! Our children have a beit of a mixed heritage...my husband was born in London but his father's side are from Cornwall and his mothers from Ireland. I was born in Surrey but my maternal grandparents were from Wales and Yorkshire and my paternal grandparents both from Lancashire. Three of our children were born in Cornwall and one in Devon.

The view from our cabin

Amy & Andy on their anniversary

Primrose & Maggie building

Cardigan, Wales

Getting ready for a bit of surfing, Bantham Beach, Devon

Burgh Island from Bantham

Wedding Anniversaries

I am about to go off on holiday on Friday, to start with we are spending a week in Devon with our youngest daughter and her family then we will pick up my Mum and take her down to Cornwall for a week. While we are away both our daughters have their wedding anniversaries. Our youngest daughter and her husband have been married 10 years on 21st. The first two photo's are of them, they have the twin girls. The third and fourth photo's are of our oldest daughter and her husband who have been married for six years on 23rd. They have two little boys who they have adopted. The third photo shows the moment during the wedding service when our son in law said by mistake "...according to God's holy WAR" instead of "God's holy LAW" !!! How they managed to keep it together after that I don't know.

They are great couples and we love them dearly.

Wall Hanging

Some time ago my daughter gave me some embroidered panels from South Africa, to make her something with. I was a bit concerned about the colours running so I decided on wall hangings as they wouldn't need washing often, if at all. The panels are all irregular squares and alittle wonky around the edges but I think that adds to the attractiveness of them. I will get them in the mail to her soon (incase she is reading this!)

I thought I would add a post about my daughter and her family, as I have mentioned before they are missionaries in South Africa, The work is tough but rewarding. A couple of years ago they were held up at gunpoint just after carrying out a kids club in one of the townships. They were unhurt but had lots of equipment taken and were quite shook up as they also had Joseph with them and lots of children from the township. Well since their visit to us and return home in July, their staff members and a group of volunteers have been held up again and everything taken including their 4x4. It happened in the same township but a different area, they have now decided not to return to that township. Alongside the kids clubs that they run in a number of areas they are also building homes for children orphaned through HIV/Aids. Below are some photo's, the top one taken at a wedding while in the UK, the other two of their first house, firstly you can see its roof peeping out above the trees and then there is one of the beautiful thatched roof. These photo's are the most recent that I have but I know the house is very near completion. They are also working down in the town of Durban with homeless people and prostitutes. They have an amazing property where they live, rented out to them to run their work from. People can go and visit and work alongside them. God has been consistently faithful to them.

Please pray for them as they carry out the work that God has called them to.

www.project-o.org

Vintage Shirt

My eldest son bought this vintage patchwork shirt in a charity shop and asked me to turn it into a cushion for his flat in London....I quite liked it as a shirt but it was too big for him so a bought a cushion pad and cut out the body piece from the shirt. I managed to use the button and button hole strips as the opening and I incorporated the pocket as a feature. The shirt had obviously been washed lots and so the fabric is pretty limp and not so 'crisp' as it would have been but I was pleased with the finished result and am sure it will look nice on his sofa.

Faithful God

The heavens praise Your wonders, O Lord,

Your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones
For who in the skies above can compare

with the Lord?

Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;

He is more awesome than all who surround Him.

O Lord God Almighty, who is like You?

You are mighty, O Lord, and Your

faithfulness surrounds you

Psalm 89: 5-8

Unfinished Projects & Exciting 'Finds'

In September I am begining a new school job, it will be part time to go alongside my church work, so I am busy trying to complete my many unfinished projects.

When my sister went to Pensylvania she bought me back this lovely Amish panel, I have quilted it, added a border and am making it into a wall hanging ( the photo's look a bit over exposed)

This is the wedding quilt I helped my daughter make for her school friend. Some of the pieces of fabric she had collected over the years and others came from old shirts etc. One or two had come from her fathers wardrobe so we had to cut them up quickly before he took them back!!

Below is a piece of fabric about 7 metres long that I bought in a charity shop while in Devon. I am going to use it to make the twins a quilt each for when they go into beds. I will keep the tops in one piece and quilt around the design. I need to keep a look out for something nice to use for borders.

This is a sheet I bought in a charity shop, I am going to use it to back a quilt that I am making for myself. I always spend time looking in charity shops for fabric, even if it is made into a garment it can always be reused.

Not sure what I will use these for yet, they are samples from a curtain shop.

'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.'

Deuteronomy 6:4-7

Let us fill our lives with the love of God.

Messy Play

Messy Play is a great way for children to learn, it covers all areas of learning and development, Personal, Social and Emotional; Communication, Language and Literacy; Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy; Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Physical Development. It can be carried out inside and out and in all types of weather. Check out this

Messy Play information sheet

There are so many activities that can be enjoyed without spending much money or travelling far.

washing the Duplo that Grandma bought in the charity shop

Painting Session

lets begin

getting stuck in

checking the brushes

very serious business

the artists, Maggie & Primrose

trying another position

Printing with our hands

washing our hands

and our feet! (they couldn't resist this)

We found a slug

Trying out the crayons at Tridias Toy Shop