Sunday 31 January 2010

Prayer for World Peace



We pray to the great Spiritual Power in which we live and move and have our being.
We pray that we may at all times keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma;
that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may strive to heal the hurts that we have inflicted on nature and control our greed for material things, knowing that our actions are harming our natural world and the future of our children;
that we may value each and every human being for who he is, for who she is, reaching to the spirit that is within, knowing the power of each individual to change the world.

We pray for social justice, for the alleviation of the crippling poverty that condemns millions of people around the world to lives of misery - hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving, who are condemned to homelessness, slave labour, prostitution, and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war, for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.

We pray for suffering animals everywhere, for an end to the pain caused by scientific experimentation, intensive farming, fur farming, shooting, trapping, training for entertainment, abusive pet owners, and all other forms of exploitation such as overloading and overworking pack animals, bull fighting, badger baiting, dog and cock fighting and so many more.

We pray for an end to cruelty, whether to humans or other animals, for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;
that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being.

We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us, and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

prayer for world peace ~ dr jane goodall

Thursday 28 January 2010

The Thursday Poem




My life closed twice before its close

My life closed twice before its close -
It yet remains to see
If Immortality unveil
A third event to me

So huge, so hopeless to conceive
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.

Emily Dickinson
(10th December 1830 - 15th May 1886)

From the book: Poem for the Day One

19 today!




My "gruesome twosome" are 19 years old today ~ how can that be possible??? This is the first year that we have not all been together for their birthday ~ Sam is away at University and Beverly is working away from home as an au pair. I guess that's a sign that they really are now adults!

Still, even though you are not both here today, Dad and I are thinking of you! Happy Birthday, my lovlies ~ sending you lots of (((hugs))) and tons of kisses!!

Wednesday 27 January 2010

365 ~ Day 109




Ruby did not find it at all funny when naughty JoJo shut her in the birdcage!

Wonderful Wednesday!


Monday 25 January 2010

Some old cake photos ~ in no particular order!

I used to make lots of special occasion cakes but after making and decorating three wedding cakes in quick succession, I was somewhat "caked-out"! I came across these photos whilst I was looking for something else (as you do!); I wish I had photos of all the cakes I've made but I only seem to have these:



Sam and Beverly's 4th birthday cake January 1995



Mum's birthday cake August 1996



Mum's birthday cake August 1995



Mum's 60th birthday cake August 1998



Joan's 70th birthday cake November 1997



Ivan's 70th birthday cake March 1998 (front)



Ivan's 70th birthday cake March 1998 (back)



Easter cake April 1984



Dad's birthday cake August 1995



Christmas cake December 1994



Christmas cake December 1996



Christmas cake December 1995



Amanda's birthday cake May 1997



Amanda's 30th birthday cake May 1995



Adrian's birthday cake December 1998

Monday Morning Blues!


Sunday 24 January 2010





We pray to the great Spiritual Power in which we live and move and have our being.
We pray that we may at all times keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma;
that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may strive to heal the hurts that we have inflicted on nature and control our greed for material things, knowing that our actions are harming our natural world and the future of our children;
that we may value each and every human being for who he is, for who she is, reaching to the spirit that is within, knowing the power of each individual to change the world.

We pray for social justice, for the alleviation of the crippling poverty that condemns millions of people around the world to lives of misery - hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving, who are condemned to homelessness, slave labour, prostitution, and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war, for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.

We pray for suffering animals everywhere, for an end to the pain caused by scientific experimentation, intensive farming, fur farming, shooting, trapping, training for entertainment, abusive pet owners, and all other forms of exploitation such as overloading and overworking pack animals, bull fighting, badger baiting, dog and cock fighting and so many more.

We pray for an end to cruelty, whether to humans or other animals, for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;that we may learn to rejoice in our being.

We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us, and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

prayer for world peace ~ dr jane goodall

Saturday 23 January 2010

Please pray for all in Haiti...


(photograph from the BBC news channel)


Heavenly Father,

It is with a heavy heart that we come to you, not necessarily knowing what we should ask for because many of us are wondering, "Why did this happen? Why has tragedy struck Haiti again and why do so many lives have to be lost again? Why has this beautiful island been struck by a catastrophic earthquake and ruined?"

But as many questions as we have regarding the situation, we still humble ourselves before you to ask for your mercy to be upon Haiti and its people. Extend your hand upon the land and restore all that has been lost, destroyed and damaged to be better than it was before.

As rescue teams search for casualties, give them foresight. May they be led by your wisdom, and encouraged by your strength and advised by your discernment. There are yet people who are surviving and I pray that the rescue workers would find them in time and revive them.
For the lives that will be lost, we pray for immediate comfort to come to the family and friends of the deceased.
For those of us who are watching this unfold from the outside, I pray that you would give us hearts of compassion so that we can give out of our surplus to fill the deficit that is widening in Haiti. May we all extend ourselves in any way possible to secure our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

And may every prayer regarding this tragedy be heard and responded to in your good time.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen

Courtesy of and Thank You to Nicole Symmonds :

Friday 22 January 2010

Flowers for Friday


Thursday 21 January 2010

There is always hope and prayer...



Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU.

Because this morning, I woke up and knew where my children were.
Because this morning my home was still standing.
Because this morning, I am not crying because my husband, my child, my brother or sister needs to be pulled out from underneath a pile of concrete.

Because this morning, I was able to drink a glass of water.
Because this morning, I was able to turn on the light.
Because this morning, I was able to take a shower.
Because this morning, I was not planning a funeral.

But most of all I thank You because this morning I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Haiti.

Lord I cry out to You, the One that makes the impossible, possible,
The One that turns darkness in to light.

I cry out that You give those mothers strength,
that You give them peace that surpasses all understanding,

That You may open the streets so that help can come,
That You may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need.

For all those that have lost family members,
Give them peace, give them hope,
Give them courage to continue to go on!

Protect Your children and shield them with Your power.

I pray all this in Your Name.

My friends, if you are of a mind, please copy and forward this or place on your own webpage so that we can pray together for the people in Haiti.


(photograph by Simon Howden: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Uncategorised_g43-Stained_Glass_p10893.html )

The Thursday Poem




Don't Be Literary, Darling

Don't be literary, darling, don't be literary
If you're James in the morning you're Hemingway in bed
Don't talk of yourself in the style of your own obituary -
For who cares what they say of you after you're dead.

Don't be always a thought ahead and a move behind
Like a general reconnoitring dangerous ground,
This is a game it's much better to enter blind
And the one who wins is the one who is caught and bound.

If you can't be straight then just say nothing instead
I'll know what you mean much better than if it was said.

Sasha Moorsom
(25th January 1931 - 22nd June 1993)

from the book: Poem for the Day One

Wednesday 20 January 2010

Wonderful Wednesday!


Tuesday 19 January 2010

Just Stand Up...

For everyone going through treatment for/living with cancer...and especially for my dear friend D ~ keep fighting, sweetie (((hugs)))

Monday 18 January 2010

Lavender and Pearls...



...as in my online store! I've had this little dream of setting up a very small online store, to sell things handmade by myself, for a number of years but have never actually gotten round to turning the dream into anything even remotely resembling reality! This year, though, I've finally given myself a severe talking-to and so here I am with lots of ideas milling about in my head, ready to finally get on with making some stock :-) I will, naturally, share the results as they come to fruition!

So one of my first steps was to have these simple sew-in labels made, ready to add to my little creations. I really do love the colour combination of chocolate brown with pink!



This knitted hat was a "first" for me and I am very happy with how it has turned out. It is being modelled here by the lovely Jolly Molly ~ she doesn't feel so self-conscious about her bald head now LOL It didn't take long to knit and I've been thinking that I could perhaps make a few to more to add to my shop stock.



I've had it in mind for a while now to make covered coat-hangers for my shop stock, so over the weekend I set work on it. Once I'd figured out the correct size, the knitted cover was nice and easy to make ~ using some of this scrumptious cotton yarn. The crocheted cover for the hook part was simple trial-and-error, too, and now I've got a pattern to use in the future.

It was also the first time I'd had a go at crochet corkscrews and I'm very pleased with how they've turned out, too.

Monday Morning Blues!


Sunday 17 January 2010

Prayer for World Peace



We pray to the great Spiritual Power in which we live and move and have our being.
We pray that we may at all times keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma;
that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may strive to heal the hurts that we have inflicted on nature and control our greed for material things, knowing that our actions are harming our natural world and the future of our children;
that we may value each and every human being for who he is, for who she is, reaching to the spirit that is within, knowing the power of each individual to change the world.

We pray for social justice, for the alleviation of the crippling poverty that condemns millions of people around the world to lives of misery - hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving, who are condemned to homelessness, slave labour, prostitution, and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war, for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.

We pray for suffering animals everywhere, for an end to the pain caused by scientific experimentation, intensive farming, fur farming, shooting, trapping, training for entertainment, abusive pet owners, and all other forms of exploitation such as overloading and overworking pack animals, bull fighting, badger baiting, dog and cock fighting and so many more.

We pray for an end to cruelty, whether to humans or other animals, for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;
that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being.

We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us, and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

prayer for world peace ~ dr jane goodall

Friday 15 January 2010

365 ~ Day 108




JoJo and Ruby play at being polar bears, walking across the Arctic snow and ice!

Flowers for Friday


Thursday 14 January 2010

365 ~ Day 107



JoJo finds a way up the magazine mountain but Ruby is starting to wonder if it's such a good idea after all!

The Thursday Poem




The Voice

Woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me,
Saying that now you are not as you were
When you had changed from the one who was all to me,
But as at first, when our day was fair.

Can it be you that I hear? Let me view you, then,
Standing as when I drew near to the town
Where you would wait for me: yes, as I knew you then,
Even to the original air-blue gown!

Or is it only the breeze, in its listlessness
Travelling across the wet mead to me here,
You being ever dissolved to wan wistlessness,
Heard no more again far or near?

Thus I; faltering forward,
Leaves around me falling,
Wind oozing thin through the thorn from norward,
And the woman calling.

Thomas Hardy
(2nd June 1840 - 11th January 1928)

From the book: Poem for the Day One

Wednesday 13 January 2010

365 ~ Day 106




Mabel wonders if any of those burgers might be coming her way...

Wonderful Wednesday!


Monday 11 January 2010

Sunday 10 January 2010

Prayer for World Peace




We pray to the great Spiritual Power in which we live and move and have our being.
We pray that we may at all times keep our minds open to new ideas and shun dogma;
that we may grow in our understanding of the nature of all living beings and our connectedness with the natural world;
that we may become ever more filled with generosity of spirit and true compassion and love for all life;
that we may strive to heal the hurts that we have inflicted on nature and control our greed for material things, knowing that our actions are harming our natural world and the future of our children;
that we may value each and every human being for who he is, for who she is, reaching to the spirit that is within, knowing the power of each individual to change the world.

We pray for social justice, for the alleviation of the crippling poverty that condemns millions of people around the world to lives of misery - hungry, sick, and utterly without hope.
We pray for the children who are starving, who are condemned to homelessness, slave labour, prostitution, and especially for those forced to fight, to kill and torture even members of their own family.
We pray for the victims of violence and war, for those wounded in body and for those wounded in mind.
We pray for the multitudes of refugees, forced from their homes to alien places through war or through the utter destruction of their environment.

We pray for suffering animals everywhere, for an end to the pain caused by scientific experimentation, intensive farming, fur farming, shooting, trapping, training for entertainment, abusive pet owners, and all other forms of exploitation such as overloading and overworking pack animals, bull fighting, badger baiting, dog and cock fighting and so many more.

We pray for an end to cruelty, whether to humans or other animals, for an end to bullying, and torture in all its forms.
We pray that we may learn the peace that comes with forgiving and the strength we gain in loving;
that we may learn to take nothing for granted in this life;
that we may learn to see and understand with our hearts;
that we may learn to rejoice in our being.

We pray for these things with humility;
We pray because of the hope that is within us, and because of a faith in the ultimate triumph of the human spirit;
We pray because of our love for Creation, and because of our trust in God.
We pray, above all, for peace throughout the world.

prayer for world peace ~ dr jane goodall

Saturday 9 January 2010

For sale!

I finally got round to putting various bits 'n' bobs in my ebay store:

http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Lavender-and-Pearls__W0QQ_armrsZ1

I've been taking the opportunity to have a bit of a sort out whilst I'm doing my long-overdue spring cleaning round the house!



Ken and Action Man both now sold.



Paul now sold.



As you will have guessed I really love dolls and have built up quite a collection! I must admit that I like the ladies more than the chaps, so I made the decision to put these three guys up for sale.

Dinosaur below now sold.




Dinosaur below now sold.



Dinosaur below now sold.







Dinosaur below now sold.
When I bought these dinosaurs I had in mind to do some "altered art" type things with them but I just haven't got round to doing anything with them at all! They are taking up too much space, really, to just keep hanging on to them so they've gone into the store too.

I have THREE of these washing dollies/possers so it seemed a good idea to let two of them go LOL I've polished these two but they still retain their patina of age. They are both lovely nostalgic pieces of vintage laundry memorabilia :-)


I've had this oriental-style vase for a long time but to be honest it doesn't really fit in with my preferred shabby-chic style of decor ~ I prefer paler hues. So it too has gone into my ebay store.
If you like the look of any of these items, then do please visit my store: