Confessions of a Shopaholic

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie as I was very reluctant to watch it at first. It didn't seem like my sort of movie but since there weren't many options on this particular evening I decided to give it a try. This movie delivered a strong message on the trap of credit cards & dealt with shopping addiction in a very humorous way. I always enjoy clean movies & this movie came very close to a family friendly seal by Dove, only one small scene caused it to miss out!

In a nutshell: "Rebecca Bloomwood is a sweet & charming New York City girl who has a tiny, little problem that is rapidly turning into a big problem: she's hopelessly addicted to shopping & drowning in a sea of debt. While Rebecca has dreams of working for a top fashion magazine, she can't quite get her foot in the door-that is, until she snags a job as an advice columnist for a new financial magazine published by the same company. Overnight, her column becomes hugely popular, turning her into an overnight celebrity. But when her compulsive shopping & growing debt issues threaten to destroy her love life & derail her career, she struggles to keep it all from spiraling out of control..& is ultimately forced to reevaluate what's really important in life."

In our home we don't watch TV which is why I really enjoy the occasional movie! Perhaps you can share your views on how TV affects your life, I would love to hear all your pro's & con's. xxx

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The Baking of the Cake!

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Luxury Chocolate Cake

I am so excited about Eric's birthday this Sunday & all I can think about is cake so Ithought I would share our favourite recipe with you.

Cake:
200g dark chocolate, 200g butter, 1T instant coffee, 85g self-raising flour, 85g plain flour, 1/4t bicarbonate of soda, 200g light Muscovado sugar, 200g golden castor sugar, 25g cocoa powder. 3 eggs, 75ml milk (or buttermilk)

Break chocolate & melt into butter | Mix coffee in125ml cold water & pour into pan | Warm over low heat until melted | Mix both flours, bicarbonate of soda & sugar into big bowl | Beat eggs in separate bowl & stir in buttermilk | Mix everything together | Bake at 160 for 1 1/2 hours, leave to cool in tin

Icing:
200g chocolate, 284ml double cream, 2T golden castor sugar. Melt chocolate & mix everything together

Have a lovely weekend & add your favourite recipe here too if you like! xxx

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Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

Insecurity makes us hold others back & limit their potential so that we feel better about ourself. Insecurity makes us jealous of what others have that we feel we don't have. Insecurity makes us say horrible things about others so that we feel better about ourself. Insecurity makes us competitive & keeps us comparing ourselves with others Insecurity sounds like really hard work don't you think? That amount of struggling & striving will definitely lead to a frustrated, unsatisfied life! If you struggle with insecurity why not tackle it now so you can be free?

We can't walk around being insecure women, our identity needs to be placed firmly in our creator because we are made in His image. We are a reflection of Him. If you notice some of the above characteristics in you, decide to change today. No matter how much you might want to be someone else, you simply can't be. God has created you the way you are. He has given you unique gifts, talents & abilities. God likes who He made you to be!!! Has that thought ever crossed your mind? God likes you, He loves you & is crazy about you just the way you are because He made you that way & God doesn't make mistakes. Or as a cute cartoon I once read said; "God don't make no junk!" So why not give up! Stop striving to be someone you are not & rest in who you really are. If you are not sure who you really are because you have spent too many years trying to be someone else, find out.

Do you remember that scene in Runaway Bride where Julia Roberts tries all the different types of eggs? She was always trying to be who she thought men wanted her to be so she said to each boyfriend that she like eggs cooked the same way they did. At the end of the movie she sat down with eggs cooked in all different ways & tasted them all so she could decide for herself how she like her eggs. This is a simple example but it gets the point across.

Perhaps you need to sit down & figure out who you really are. I did that a few years ago, I started keeping a journal & every time I notice something that I particularly like or disliked I wrote it down. In this journal I also have a list of Bible verses that tells me the truth about who I am in God's eyes. Over time I managed to get rid of my false self that I had created to please people & settled into being me, just me - fearfully & wonderfully made me (Psalm 139:13-15). If you have some tips on how you have tackled insecurity or perhaps you just want to share about a struggle that you are in then please leave a message in the comment box below. I am sure other women would like to hear your story to be encouraged or to offer you some encouragement.

The photo above is of my beautiful, fearfully & wonderfully made baby girl, Amy. Isn't she gorgeous! xxx

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August Rush

It's been very cold and rainy this week so I thought it would be good to recommend a movie to you! August Rush has become one of our family favourites. It is rich with unusual music and takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. Best of all it was on special at Sainsbury's this week for £2.99 so now we own it - yay :)

In a nutshell from Dove "August Rush tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger (Robin Williams), August (Freddie Highmore) uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth. "

It would be great to hear about movies that you like or dislike, leave your thoughts in the comment box below as we all have different taste. Time to snuggle under a nice duvet now with a hot drink and watch a movie - enjoy xxx

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Incorruptible Beauty

Do not let your adornment be merely outward, arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle & quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:3-4

These beautiful women in the photo are my mother & grandmother! I want to honour them today as woman who have lived a big part of their life already & can teach younger women about what really matters! We will interview them soon & hear what they have to say.

Incorruptible speaks of integrity & not being subject to physical decay! Now I don't know about you but not being subject to physical decay sounds really good to me, do you think God was trying to tell us something here? That if we spend more time tending to the hidden person of the heart we are actually also taking care of our external beauty & how we age? Perhaps we were being given a beauty tip that goes far beyond "arranging the hair or putting on fine apparel". It seems to me that we can actually prevent our bodies from looking old by working from the inside out.

Not only does the Bible tell us that we can have incorruptible beauty but it also tells us how... with a quiet & gentle spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. I must say, many times I have walked past women in the street shouting at their little child & I have thought how ugly that is & asked God to please help me remember what I noticed about that situation, so that I am more careful in the way I respond to my children. It is one thing to discipline a child & another thing to make yourself look ugly while shouting at your child, if you know what I mean... Believe me I have looked very ugly in my 17 years of being a mommy,& I don't like to think about those times when I have totally blown it & got it wrong. In my heart I really want to be a good mommy & I really want to have the incorruptible beauty that pleases my God. I do get it wrong & when I do I usually end up in tears because I know how ugly I must look to God & hate displeasing Him. Then on top of that I realise that my husband finds me unattractive in those moments & my children lose respect for me too. Oh my goodness what pressure. I try remind myself that the incident is not who I am it was just a bad moment (sometimes a really bad moment) then I lift up my chin & decide to give the gentle and quiet spirit thing another go.

Let us determine to age well by having the incorruptible beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit that pleases our Father in Heaven. Just one little tip, before you frustrate yourself trying... you probably won't be able to get it right in your own strength, ask the Holy Spirit to help you! xxx

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Jordan

Jordan makes me a very proud mommy, she is only 14 years old but once you have met her you would never believe it. She is lively, bubbly & loud but also a very caring friend when you need one! There is never a dull moment when Jordan is in the room, you are sure to have a good laugh & she leaves you feeling great about life. Jordan is very wise & extremely talented with words. Not only can she write the most beautiful poems & stories but she can also manage any form of public speaking with total confidence perfect diction. Watch this space, Jordan is doing amazing things in this world & is a beautiful ambassador for Jesus! She doesn't hold back and use her age as an excuse, she just accepts each challenge as it comes her way and gets on with it.

Did I mention how proud I am of her... You are doing a great job with your life baby girl, keep shinning so brightly for Jesus. I love you <3

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Be A Change Agent ... Feel the Fear & Do it Anyway... Who Cares What People Think!

Today I have some random thoughts to share with you. They are a combination of Eric's message yesterday, Holly Wagner's God Chicks* & a recent message from The Vine**.

Yesterday's message was really powerful, we have to realise that we are 21st century women for a purpose! I love technology & all the things we can do these days & all the people we can keep in touch with - it's really fun to be able to do so much! But we have to remember that we were born in this time to be a CHANGE AGENT . I am not here only to enjoy all the benefits of being alive in 2009 but also to actively use all these tools to make a difference. Too often I hear excuses from people for doing nothing! Two of those excuses are fear & people's opinions.

"Feel the fear & do it anyway! It's not that the warrior princess is unafraid...it's just that she keeps on going. Every person who ever did anything amazing started out just a bit afraid, it is always a risk to try something new. By letting fear contain me, it not only limits me - but it could very well hurt others. We need to take the focus off ourselves & be the warriors for a world that so desperately needs to see courage in action." *

"Until you quit agreeing with those who've mistreated you, or bowing to the events that crippled you emotionally, you'll remain locked in a prison of your own making. When your critic's opinion becomes your opinion, you've built a prison inside your soul with only one prisoner; you. Are you prepared to accept that some of the people you've spent your life trying to impress, may never be impressed & can you accept that from God's perspective; it doesn't matter? To succeed in life you must be able to work alongside people without allowing yourself to be controlled by their moods or governed by their opinions." **

So come on girls, let us be a change agent ... feel the fear & do it anyway... who cares what people think! Get started, leave a comment about what you are going to do, it will be great to share ideas & see what we are all doing to make a difference in our world. xxx

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17 Again

I have had a real interesting movie experience recently so decided to share my thoughts with you...

17 AGAIN
A fantastic movie which I really enjoyed! It's got all the ingredients of a great movie & leaves you with a nice warm fuzzy feeling - which I quite like when leaving the cinema hehe. Definitely something I would buy on DVD & watch again. Eric was a bit reluctant to see it as he thought it was another Freaky Friday sort of movie & said that's been overdone now. But after seeing the movie he did agree with me that it was really good & not another "Freaky Friday" movie. The story in a nutshell, "A former high school basketball star gets a second shot at life when he's miraculously transformed into a teenager & offered the opportunity to redefine his future."


I LOVE YOU, MAN
Oh my goodness where do I start... mmm... terrible, horrible, bad, please don't go & see this! I am not exaggerating, it was so bad that I walked out of the cinema after 20 minutes. (Yes you can do that, just because you paid for the ticket doesn't mean you're obliged to ingest filth). The story is about a man who is about to get married & needed to find a best man which resulted in a series of "man dates". Sadly even if there was some sort of story line there it is just too loaded with sexual comments & innuendos, & peppered with strong language. I am usually sensitive to this sort of stuff anyway & prefer not to watch movies like this, but this one was way over the top & not even funny!

After this traumatic experience Eric & I chatted about how useful it would be to read movie reviews from a Christian perspective as we do tend to view what's acceptable differently from the world. In the past we used a movie review website called Rotten Tomatoes. Sadly we found that the movies we considered really good had really low ratings & the movies we thought were horrible had high ratings.

Thankfully we came across a brilliant move review website which reviews movies in great detail! Check out The Dove Foundation. If only we read this review before going to the cinema to see I love you, Man! Oh well, at least we can warm you about it. Have a great weekend & take care what movies you watch - remember rubbish in - rubbish out. Leave a comment about these movies or any other movie that you have seen lately. Have a great weekend. xxx

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How To Post A Comment

I have had quite a few emails from people who are finding it difficult to post a comment. I value your comments & don't want to miss out on any so have created step by step instructions on how to post a comment.

STEP 1. Click on the "comments" box

STEP 2. Type your comment into the box

STEP 3. Select "Google Account"

STEP 4. Select "create an account now".

STEP 5. Fill in all the boxes an click "continue"

After you have pressed continue your comment will be sent but won't appear on the Blog immediately as it is moderated. I hope this helps, send in lots of comments it makes the Blog loads more fun. XXX

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