I've lost count of the times I've posted that I'll be back with this or that and not showed up! My good intentions here often get rescheduled in real life, not only with work stuff but with the kids and my private life too. So many wonderful things are happening to me and my children and with Christmas almost upon us we find ourselves lunged into another area of life that makes our house move a seeming thing of the distant past.

However, as this blog is more than just an online waffle journal I will catch up....when I have enough time to focus on finishing the draft copies, editing photos and all the other stuff started but not finished.

For now though, I am just going to share a few of my favourite photos:

1. While Kirsten and I unpack in the living room, Charley decided to lighten the load and entertain us...at the same time he was hitting the keys he was singing....a song of his own words! Songwriter maybe?

All moved house now, almost unpacked and many changes have taken place in our lives...all of which will be revealed soon as I catch my breath with it all.

The blog is undoing some css facelifting after deciding to stay with them until further notice so thats why its looking a bit erm bare?

So much to tell, so much to share and so much to show.....bookmark me and come back soon, i'll be updating on Friday and revealing the next competition!! ;)

~*~Debs~*~

(How did my lil dude get to be so grown up anyway?)

So whilst browsing Tesco for some healthy but fun snacks I decided that I can do this pretty easily, cheap and more attractive and  with less wastage at the end of it. As i'm into recycling and careful about what goes out to the rubbish collectors I decided to join team with a few ideas.

Today he had cooked pasta with diced ham slices, carrot sticks, cheese string, cheese dipper, cheese biscuits, square cut sandwiches with honey roast ham and chopped apple. Homemade carrot cake in the form of a cupcake and orange barley water.

This is tomorrow's lunchbox, he has a variety of his favourite foods, its fun and attractive and still healthy. Win/Win.

Broken down we have:

Circle cut sandwiches (chocolate spread cos even kids need some junk stuff!)

Penguin chocolate bar (which he probably wont eat)

Orange segments

Notice the container? It came along with raspberries in from Tesco! Perfect size for these little goodies and it has a lid!

Chopped melon/pineapple/cherries/peaches.

Next comes diced cheddar cheese and chopped cucumber.

Again, notice the container, this one held blueberries and again has a lid.

A pate tub is ideal for a select amount of cheesy biscuits, reusable tub and no rubbish in the lunchbox.

Charley gets so excited when he sees me doing his lunchbox, he knows he has his favourite snacks in there and will often try and plead with me to have a 'teeny tiny bit just to make sure it tastes ok' Nice try son! :)

The best thing about a packed lunch isnt just the control I have on knowing what he's eating but its in the preparation with Charley to be sure he's going to eat what he actually likes. No more bags of Walkers and half eaten yoghurts splattered through the lunch bag, no more excessive rubbish and wasted foods...whatever he doesn't eat (which isn't a lot) he will nibble on as we walk home from school!

Mission successful :)

~*~Debs~*~

Yes there are some fun backgrounds but nothing that I can edit/adapt to my style/needs. I want to choose what my blog looks like, what is on the sidebars, what the title bars look like etc and unless I am prepared to learn CSS I am pretty much dictated to by typepads own contribution.

Call me ungrateful but i'm paying for this blog, and while the service is phenominal, the people at typepad are very helpful, friendly and know their stuff the sad fact remains that no matter how wonderful they are, unless they add/change to html then there is very little I can gain here.

So i'm looking for the pros and cons of both typepad and blogger that I may not have thought of before I decide to move..........

What do you think? What is your preference? Why?

~*~Debs~*~

But today is my total day of rest. Ok, I am going back to bed after waking up with one cracking headache that feels like i'm being electricuted!

So i'm not going to post, much.

The kids have plans. Not sure what yet but I have been informed to steer clear of the back of the manor for a few hours.

I'm not worrying though. Charley is in school and i'm going to my bed to die for a while.

Maybe i'll do the 41 facts later.

If I live.

~*~Debs~*~

But I cant.

I am 23 miles from the house and I have chosen to take my car off the road for a while so they aren't accessible to me till I have actually moved.

Which isn't going to be till the 26th October.

Darn.

So I appeased myself by browsing some of my former layouts and projects, that was after I browsed a bazillion blogs and noted ideas down for my 'tip jar' Now I figured i'd stick some on here, to remind me of the old days (just let me wallow here a bit ok?) and to also keep something up on this blog. My ideas and inspiration is in draft form right now and as I dont have the concentration then layouts will do!

Well I think thats enough for now, my desire to push paper around is temporarily appeased :D

~*~Debs~*~

My good friend and fellow homemaker, Angie is probably the only person I know who can make a simple meal into a feast, work full time and still raise three happy children in the gospel, play on facebook and still hold a social life...this chick is phenominal...and  I have hooked her to share some of what she does best with us....note I say 'some' cos trust me, if I can talk for England, she can talk for America!! :)

Taken from About

In 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote 13 brief statements summarizing some of the basic doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He then delivered the statements to Mr. John Wentworth, publisher of the Chicago Democrat, for publication. However, the statements were never published in the Chicago Democrat. They were instead published in the March edition of the Church newspaper, Times and Seasons.

Then, in 1851, the articles were published in the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price and became official doctrine of the Church in 1880 when the Pearl of Great Price was cannonized.

While the Articles of Faith provide an excellent summary of the basic doctrines of the Church, they are not meant to be comprehensive. Speaking on this Bruce R. McConkie stated:

These articles, of course, do not attempt to summarize all of the basic doctrines of the gospel. For example, the Articles of Faith are silent on such things as celestiral marriage, salvation for the dead, temple work in all its phases, the resurrection, and degrees of glory in the eternal worlds.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

~*~Debs~*~

What a truly amazing sight?

Today I am grateful for: