Train chugging down the tracks of life!

My wise mother always says, "When it rains, it pours!!" (a little different from the title of the book I am reading lately!!!) She´s right of course, as mothers tend to be; and I find myself running from one thing to the other, finding that everything tends to happen all at once! I am meeting all array of demands and delights that seem to be connected like the wagons of a train chugging down the tracks of life!

My dh and I have been involved once again, in a yearly retreat we help organize for missionaries & pastors. This requires all types of coordination and preparation with our main role centering on leading worship.

We updated our repetoir with several new songs, which required some designated time before hand to do that, but which is a occupation that I enjoy! I love this retreat, because I love being involved in blessing others.... It´s so amazing that God allows us the priviledge of being his hands and feet to those around us, even more so to those serving the Body of Christ.

All 3 kids were placed in 3 diffrent homes, with their 3 different suitcases and information as to our whereabouts and contact numbers in case of emergencies!!!! That required major organizational skills on the part of my brain, which often isn´t up to par! That aside, everything went well and without hiccups and we returned Sunday evening tired but fulfilled from our four days away.


Now I have two days to unpack, wash clothes (from all 5 of us!!!) , plus prepare some meals for when I am away and re pack to leave Wednesday for GUERNSEY with my sister to celebrate my brother´s 25th Wedding Anniversary!

I am soooooooooooooooo excited. It´s been a year since my last visit and even though we will only be there for 6 days I am going to soak up the local colour like it´s going out of style! I will also get to be with a bloggy friend that I haven´t seen for years as well as my pastor and his wife which is going to be so great!

Choosing clothes to take on any trip is always a challenge for me... the actual packing is the easy part. Feeling comfortable in my skin is one thing, feeling comfortable in my clothes is entirely another! So tomorrow I will face that mountain! I have some final errands to run and a horseriding class for No 3 so tomorrow should be a busy day!

Actually no3 stayed home today, because she had a tummy ache and her foot started hurting again. I do believe though that she was feeling anxious about me leaving again after just being away, and I figured that there was a little of "Mummitus" going about too. So we cuddled together to watch Ice Age on the sofa and play a good game of Monopoly to fill up our emotional tanks!

I find having many activites back to back somewhat disconcerting, espeically the days in between activities. It leaves me feeling a little lost and like a person in transit at the airport. Especially if the acitivities have a high level of emotional and spiritual content. I am trying to just walk through it with peace and consistency and keep focusing in on God, that He is the same, no matter which wagon I am jumping into next!

Looking forward to catch up with you all again soon!

Mum & Daughter Sleepover

My dh has been away for a teacher´s training all week(get´s back this pm) and so we pulled in the doublemattress from my bedroom into the frontroom and made ourselves comfortable.

Friday night my daughter and I decied it would be fun to spend the night in the front room and sleep in front of the chimney, watch movies and eat goodies! (No 1 Son was downstairs with two of his friends for a sleepover, and son no 2 was spending the night at a friends house!!!)

Actually you soon learn that the word sleepover is pretty much a contradiction in terms as one rarely gets any sleep....I think we should rename it "wake over" or something!!!

Anyway, back to me and my daughter. We watched one of our favourite movies of late called R.V. with Robin Williams ...it´s got a good message and is full of laughs!

We played the card game "fish" .. which has become a new favourite for my Daughter, but an old time game for me as I used to play with my Mum all the time. (Now that´s going back a bit!!!)

We ate Reese's mini cups (great for the diet!!!) that my adopted Dad sent me from the US and took some photos!





These are our feeties.... and you can get a glimpse of the chimney...lovely eh!



Jessie took this of the two of us and you can already see that I am tired and we had just begun! To finish off our "wake over" in the morning my daughter had a nice hot chocolate with marshmellows and I had a nice cup of decaf tea!

Photos to bring us up to date!

FEBRUARY

This hotel, in the heart of Germany, was the setting of a couples retreat that took the risk (!!!!) to invite my honey and I to lead the worship in February from 22nd-24th! Why was it a risk? Because we hadn´t lead worship in German since we left 17 years ago and it was a major challenge for us to get back into the German songs etc. God as always came shinning through our weakness and it was a time of real blessing.We reconnected with a part of us that had been "dormant" all these years and also rekindled some very dear and precious relationships.




We were so happy that time allowed us the privilege to drive past the apartment we lived in 20 years ago during our 3 year stay in Germany! Our one bedroom apartment was right underneath the roof the two windows on the left in this house, which accommodated 4 other apartments and both a pharmacy and a bakery! Very practical right!!!

MARCH

March 1st National Day of Prayer in Madrid Centre and we were there... It was a powerful time.
Me and my dear friend with our dark sunglasses and prayerful hearts!!!

Paella Picnic in our back garden on Sat15th with Karen´s family (you have been praying for her mum who recently passed away) and my sister´s family... It was such a lovely day!



This is the Paella Dish that my wonderful hubby prepared on Thursday 20th for our Bernabé Team Meeting (a retreat we help organize for Pastors and S. American Missionaries working in Spain) together will all our kids.... 20 in total!

This is us after enjoying the Paella and fellowship in our back garden....(the kids had vanished!!!!)

Well just a little taste of some things we have been up to!

Feb 1 blessed us with a new niece!

I have been made an Aunty once again! A new daughter for my dh´s bro was born on Feb 1st... and here are the fotos!

Son Nº Two has birthday!

My Son nº 2 turned 15 yesterday!!! Amazing! We went for a walk down memory lane through the foto albums and found some really cute baby pics of him!!!! I thought you would like to see them!

family visit in fotos

These fotos are from New Year´s Eve with

My darling hubby's Sister & her Hubby and other sister

in our place!

This is me pulling one of my wacky faces!

There is a really fancy Hotel called the Hotel Auditorium
on the way to the airport where they have a pianist who plays nightly all the jazz songs my dad (and his dad before him)used to play in his band. I love going there just to listen to him play and my mum and brother wanted to go too. It´s a beautiful setting for a trip down memory lane.

We all got dressed up to fit in with the 4 star standard, even the boys!

Here we all are ...the whole lot and yes there is a piano behind us somewhere!!!

Even though both my sister-in-law and I were both full of flu and cold symptoms,we made the effort togher with the others to dress up as pirates, clowns and tramps for our family Christmas party! Here are my bro and my mum! Isn´t my mum the best Charlie Chaplin you ever did see?This is at my sister´s place.

Aye mi hearties! Beware a crowd of dangerous pirates just got off the ship for some rum!!!! You can see in this pic I am totally out of it! My sister looks like a combination of Charlie Chaplin and Goldilocks!

A Holmes gathering would not be the same if it didnt include a jam session singing all the Beatles songs!

Inspite of onsuing coughs and sore throats, my sister in law and I joined the family up in the mountains for some hair-raising fun sliding down the snow.

You can see here my sister in law is not feeling so good, but she put up a good fight!

Even my mum slid down... that´s something at 75 ... I hope I will be like her!
The best bro a sis could ever have!