The British Homemaker - One day at a time

I decided to treat myself not too long ago. I got a Creatopia from Create & Craft with a few extras, just to get my creative juices flowing again in the scrapbooking area. When it was delivered I couldn’t wait to open it, set it up and begin my old but new zest for scrapbooking after a 3 year break. I searched you tube for some tutorials cos there was no way I was getting the cutting facility working and it was bugging the heck outta me! My mom came up, played with it and eventually we figured it all out. She’s good like that is my mom! So while I am working on a video tutorial that covers all aspects of putting the Creatopia together I figured I would go through visuals with anyone that is thinking of getting one. I know they have been out for about a year now but not in my house they haven’t! :) This is not an official review, just my personal opinion. So, the actual machine is like this: It requires no electric, no computer and is really easy to use. The Creatopia ...

Twice a year The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints hold a General Conference where we get guidance and inspired revelation from many of our church leaders. For those that are not in Salt Lake City to be there in person, many watch it via satellite broadcast at their Stake Centres or, like me, at home. However it is listened to or watched depends on what works for the family but it is an event that really should be prepared for in advance to be able to get the most out of it. We watch most of the sessions online whilst in pj’s, eating a range of nibbles and lounging on my bed! Charley will either play with his toys and raise his head occasionally to ask a question about what he’s just heard or, in the last session, he has worked through the various GC packets that have been available to download. The next General Conference is 2nd and 3rd October and now is the time to begin preparation if you haven’t done so already. If you want a totally awesome website to go to with...

Charley: This week Charley started a new school . With having rather drastic winters here and having no car for a long time I realised that the local attachment school held more appeal than I realised. So I checked it out, both my neighbours send their kids there and they gave great reviews. We looked around, asked questions and Charley was sold. Bigger school, lots of after school activities, bigger classes and more advanced work than he was doing. Monday we spent most the day getting the sweaters, PE kit, book bags and all that stuff ready. We labelled, washed, ironed and set out the weeks requirements. Charley loved doing this and is definitely showing signs of preferring to be organised and up to date with things. We made cupcakes, lollipops and bread, packaged some up and gave them to friends in his old school, including teachers. We collected his new glasses, picked up his shoes from Clarks and chose the winter coat he will need shortly, just a shame we had to order one in f...

For those of you who are Lds you will know those commercials they do that remind us that time is more important than anything else when it comes to our kids. When I got up this morning, the first thing I heard when I put on the byu.tv (the ritual I have each morning whilst we are getting ready) was the commercial where the little girl repeatedly asked her daddy to read her a story. Each time he put her off for one reason or another. Eventually, late into the night she goes to her dads bedside and asked him yet again for a story, his drowsy words were to ask her mommy. Cutely, she walked round the bed, tapped her mommy and said ‘mommy, can daddy read me a story?’   I laugh each time I see that but it irks me too. I was often caught saying the same thing to the kids, I’m busy or later. What hit me though was hearing the kids talking, Charley wanted something and Kirsten asked him to ask me, to which his reply was ‘mom will say later’ I was arm deep i...

Driving across town today, enjoying the sun, the breeze and the knowledge that my kids where happily in school I got to thinking about the talk given by President Uchtdorf. It’s not a new one but its one that continually resides in my mind, especially when I am trying to make some positive changes to our lives. I plugged in my ipod and listened to the talk again… Like most things in life, the more I hear this the more my thinking expands. Whilst I am taking more time with myself and my kids just now I am seeing the blessings unfold before my eyes just by not clock-watching or trying to fill up every waking minute of the day. Instead, because I know this time out is only to recoup and reset some values I want the kids and I to strengthen I feel like I am being taught so much more. I love learning, even if I forget a lot of stuff, I still retain bits of it to ponder then eventually the whole principle of something just clicks. Light bulb moments are rock...

How often do we hear people remind us to smell the flowers or savour the moment? How often do we do it? I have to admit that I have missed so many moments that I always planned on keeping when they come around that now I am wondering exactly what I’m racing against. I love my work, I love the writing I do, making tutorials, writing classes and workshops. I love speaking with my potential sponsors and fiddling about on the website. I love to sit at my desk and work through my ever growing to-do list. I also love to take care of my home, decorate, make things and dance with my kids. But sometimes, a little change for a little while can keep all that intact. Life is busy, with or without kids. Life is full of responsibilities, whether we want them or not. Life can be difficult and it can be fun. Today I am on day 7 of taking time out of most of the online things I do so I can smell the flowers. Sure, I come on now and again but I don’t linger or work the tutorials I’m still gather...

Ok I cannot sing but that’s ok…I aint planning on auditioning for X factor anyways! :P What you up to today? Tell me what you’re doing, who you are with and what is great about your day. I wanna know. Seriously. I am still nursing 6567 degree burns on my hand. Yesterday I decided that Charley and I was going to do some homemade lollipops, lots of them. And we did. But I got a shot of the shakes, the mixture tipped over my finger and thumb area and burnt me. Prior to that I burnt the same finger with the hot glue from the glue gun as I made a quick cake stand. I done that twice. It hurt both times. If that wasn’t enough I reached into the top oven for the batch of cherry and almond biscuits and I pulled out the shelf tray as well as the baking tray, which quite meanly hit my knee, pausing for a second to leave a burn mark before landing on top of my cutesy Eeyore slippers. Good ole Eeyore, forever the man looking out for me! :) So I had 6567 degree burns and once I diagnosed I was...

Yet again I am doing lots of posts all in one go because I am just not consistent enough to do it daily or ahead of time! But who wants to talk to the future anyways? You? Ok Ok you got me!! This week a lorra good things is going on, I had my car back last week after almost 2 months of watching it cry out for me, beg me to sit in and go somewhere each time I walk past it. It looks sorry for itself, lost even. After much let downs, I finally found a nice man to fix her brakes, check her over and hand her back. I swear I saw a tear come out her headlight! :D So its rock n roll baby!! We (me and the dog, ya know? mans best friend n all!!) been to so many meetings, we done our own shopping, we cruised the Californian coastline…no wait, that was in my dream! Dah Ok we got stuff done. She is smiling now, I am convinced that the front grill turns up at each end when she sees me approaching with keys in hand! Charley calls her Jupiter (Fireman Sam) and totally got her upset when he bo...

Sometimes I wish I didn’t feel things. Sometimes I wish I just didn’t care about people or situations. Sometimes I wish I just didn’t care. Sometimes I wish I didn’t have a ‘care in the world’ in the literal sense. I’m told, so often that I care too much, or I should not care so much or better yet that I should control my caring. Umm. Well, when I think about this in the quiet of my room my heart is turned to Jesus Christ. He cares. Unconditionally. He wants us to care. Unconditionally. He was vulnerable, he hurt, he was abused, ridiculed and tortured. But He still cared. To me that is unconditional caring. While I don’t think for one minute that I should be treated as He was, I do think that to be more like Christ I should not condition my caring to conform a ‘what if’ strategy. Neither should I condition it to only care when I get something in return. So that leaves me vulnerable, or does it? No, it leaves me open to upset, hurt and being let down and that is the risk I take when I ...

Remember back along when I mentioned some changing rooms and a total room makeover that wasn’t costing me anything (other than paint) but was starting to look very chic? No? Darn, your memory is as bad as mine is! Here is the link… here   It’ll open in a new window. Well it’s still not finished. 2+ months later and we are still going! We are not without hiccups. we changed our mind on the colours. we changed our mind on the shade of colours. again. we found some awesome furniture that we are stripping and redressing. we haven’t found the right rug yet. we’re hopeful. we ran out of hours with other stuff to do. but now the case is reopened and super debs is on the case! So, watch this space for the big reveal…trust me, it’s going to be well worth it. AND there is going to be a GIVEAWAY! Yep. My very first giveaway…but ya know, it does require participation. Oh how whoreish of me to tout for comments! But I have no shame. This blog picks up...

  Purpose The purpose of this video contest is to give more members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints an opportunity to strengthen their testimonies as they share their talents with worldwide members and to "join the conversation" in sharing the gospel with the world. This contest will also help gather videos and material that could be used in future Mormon Messages and other Church video projects. Entries submitted to the contest become the property of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Church will grant a license to you to use the video. Theme: "Make Your Own Mormon Message" Members are invited to enter the contest and create new videos. The videos can express any subject about Latter-day Saint life, history, beliefs, values, scripture, etc. See current Mormon Messages for ideas. Video Theme Suggestions and Ideas: A gospel principle My life as a Mormon Mormon life in general Mormon music video ...

I have received a couple of emails about how to follow me on Twitter and Facebook . Just to make it easier, here are the links: Twitter - Ukhomemaker Facebook - The British Homemaker Digg - Jskc Reddit - Sp4rk1e Stumbleupon - Sp4rk1e A few of the team leaders I have also use The British Homemakers gmail chat, so if you want to use that just add them to your list and whoever is online at the time will either answer your question or refer it to the relevant person. Email for The British Homemaker is: thebritishhomemaker at gmail dot come Debs

Today is the first day that I make time out for me. Just me. Alone. Today I have walked 3 miles. Today I have swam 20 lengths. Today I have done the exercise bike for 30 mins to work my knees. Today I have ate breakfast and prepared my lunch. Today I feel on top of the world. Today will come around again tomorrow. Then I will pay for today and consider giving up. But I wont, because I am determined to: return to my size 10 jeans. be able to breathe without gasping for air. feel like I am 41 not 60. respect my life and good health. build up my self esteem and really feel like I am worth something. In just a few weeks I turn 42. I don’t mind my age, I have 4 great kids and an awesome granddaughter to show for it. I have memories that no one can take, destroy or rewrite. I have laughed till I fell off chairs, cried till I couldn’t breathe, loved till my heart exploded and all because I have a life. I am a person. I have an individuality that makes m...

Boys will be boys…enjoy seeing your boy…more to come on Wednesday for ya! :) Oh how I teased them…but they played up to it even more… Hurry up and get him married when he’s home… ;) lol And if you think this is a one off, think again!  These two are always like that!! I left them alone with the camera while I finished up dinner…oh boy, I’m too scared to look at the video they made! Now I’m trying to get it all loaded up so you can see it…but it may need a health warning, all I could hear was them play fighting, singing and messing around!! Lol Gotta love our missionaries!! :) Debs

6 years ago today I was looking at my lil man through an incubator window. After a rather problematic pregnancy and traumatic 2.5 hour labour, Charley was whisked off to SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit) to help him mature and cope with premature life. I had never experienced this before. The whole pregnancy and labour had a dimension of its own compared to my previous three. So for 10 days we (as in the ex and I) tried to make sense of our lil boy laying there fighting to maintain his own self as much as he could. He wasn’t fighting for his life, thank goodness, but he did have his little struggles along the way. 10 days after his birth, he was allowed home. He was a contented baby, happy and definitely full of humour. He has been a very idyllic child, almost everyone compliments and loves him. He is intelligent, funny, affectionate and a total joy to have. I am proud to have him as my son. I thank God for that, every day. Today he is 6  years old. He’s a little man now,...

Becoming a Nanna has been a great thing for me so far. Being a mom I have always enjoyed that role and felt it is truly best area in life. That’s not saying I’m the best mom or I get it all right or that I or my kids are perfect, I am just continuing to do the best I can and never unwilling to try new ideas or methods if it means my kids benefit and grow the be the best they can be. Now I have a baby granddaughter to add to that mix. I have a new role to move into and for as much as I love that little girl I know I will play an integral part in her life so I want it to be appropriate, fun, strong and as supportive to her parents as possible. Bailey makes me feel things that only my children have managed so far in my life. She is a perfect gift from a loving Heavenly Father to me as well as my son and daughter in law. It’s time for me to review my relationship with the Lord to be sure I get His approval of the things I hope to do and share with Bailey. Checking my email I found o...