tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29483295759300980702024-03-14T01:12:51.556-07:00Psychodelic ElephantsPyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.comBlogger87125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-77327280454898590772013-05-30T06:45:00.002-07:002013-05-30T06:45:54.531-07:00Moving<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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My blog has moved over to word press as I can link all the social media I use together this is my new blog <br /><br /><a href="http://psychodelicelephants.com/">http://psychodelicelephants.com/</a></h2>
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Thank you for following my journey so far<br />Sian</h2>
Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-18257498708109914582013-03-04T11:58:00.001-08:002013-03-05T01:47:19.396-08:00My First Sermon<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Title of this blog sounds like a child's board book but on the 3rd of March I preached my first sermon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To give you a little of the context, the Sunday service was one of the last event of a faith sharing weekend I had been on in connection with my degree course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The parish of Benwell is a diverse and multi cultural parish with three churches in one parish so our team was split up into two's and three's. The weekend contained many events including coffee mornings, talent shows, a prayer afternoon in a school and messy church.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">My sermon was based on Isaiah 55 1-9. Which was one of the lectionary reading for the day.</span><br />
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<span lang="en-GB" style="color: red; font-family: Calibri; font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">Isaiah 55 1-9<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">“Come, all you who are thirsty,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">come to the waters;<br />
and you who have no money,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">come, buy and eat!<br />
Come, buy wine and milk<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">without money and without cost.<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-weight: bold;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>2 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">Why spend money on what is not bread,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">and your labour on what does not satisfy?<br />
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">and you will delight in the richest of fare.<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-weight: bold;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>3 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">Give ear and come to me;<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">listen, that you may live.<br />
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">my faithful love promised to David.<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-weight: bold;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>4 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">a ruler and commander of the peoples.<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-weight: bold;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>5 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">Surely you will summon nations you know not,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">and nations you do not know will come running to you,<br />
because of the </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> your God,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">the Holy One of Israel,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri;">for he has endowed you with splendour.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-weight: bold; line-height: 119%;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>6 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 119%;">Seek the </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 119%;">Lord</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 119%;"> while he may be found;<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 119%;"> </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Calibri; line-height: 119%;">call on him while he is near.</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-family: Verdana; line-height: 119%;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="font-weight: bold;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>7 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB">Let the wicked forsake their ways<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-GB">and the unrighteous their thoughts.<br />
Let them turn to the </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span lang="en-GB">, and he will have mercy on them,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-GB">and to our God, for he will freely pardon.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="font-weight: bold;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>8 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB">“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-GB">neither are your ways my ways,”<br />
declares the </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span><span lang="en-GB">.<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-weight: bold;"><sup><span dir="ltr"></span>9 </sup></span><span lang="en-GB">“As the heavens are higher than the earth,<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-GB">so are my ways higher than your ways<br />
</span><span lang="en-GB"> </span><span lang="en-GB">and my thoughts than your thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart<br />
be acceptable in your sight,<br />
O </span><span lang="en-GB" style="font-variant: small-caps; line-height: 119%;">Lord</span><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">, my rock and my redeemer. Amen Psalm 19:14<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah it seems like the prophet is contradicting himself when he says </span><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! How can anybody who has no money buy and eat</span><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">! How can anybody buy Wine and Milk without spending any money? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">Isaiah was prophesying to people in exile, people in the desert He was offering them Life. Life to people in a desert is water. Water is a basic necessity of Human life, we used it for everything washing, cleaning, and drinking. Here Isaiah is prophesying that one day the people in exile will not only have the basics but they will have abundant water and not just water. They will have Luxury they will be able to </span><span lang="en-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 119%;">have Milk and even Wine.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">But this still doesn’t make sense how can people with no money buy, eat and drink. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">Isaiah is telling us that God has already paid the price for us. He is inviting us into an everlasting relationship with him he gives us a life enriching, nourishing words. Just like he did with David God is now creating that with us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">Let’s look at this scenario in a modern context. As an example The prophet is telling us that God won’t just pay our rent for us but he will give us a house to live in forever. He is telling us that if we put our trust in him, instead of material things that perish and fade away, we may perhaps see a little of God’s purposes and plans for us but we have to trust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">The prophet goes on to say that we need to seek God when he is to be found and just like the little Sketch like some of us did on Friday night. God is to be found close. For those of us who weren’t at the show on Friday night the basic story was that a man </span><span lang="en-GB"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="line-height: 119%;">fed up with his inability to see God in the midst of his surroundings.</span><span style="line-height: 119%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 119%;">Goes on a journey to try and find God only to discover that God was where he started.</span><span style="line-height: 119%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">This is what we have tried to show over this weekend that God is here in this parish. He is working away underneath the surface as the end of the passage of Isaiah says God’s plans “are bigger than ours </span><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think”. Many of us me including me have a tendency to put God into a box we try to anticipates God’s plan. We make God too small instead of allowing him to simply just be.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">If we read a little further than today’s lectionary reading we would see that it goes on to say, the word which has been planted shall not be returned to God empty. So we as a team are hoping that we have helped you this weekend to show you that God is in Benwell and that you as a church are able to water the seed and nurture it to make it blossom into flower and fruit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">You all have it in you to go and be Christ’s light in your community. As it says in Matthew 5 “You are the light of the world”. Even in the darkness one little light can still shine out and break that despair. Perhaps this weekend has set a little spark glowing and you as a community can fan that spark into a flame. This flame will then be able to be passed out from this church into Benwell as you show Christ love for each and every one of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">There are simple ways of showing God’s Love, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;">So we are almost at the end of our weekend with you here in Benwell. We have had a fantastic talent show, coffee mornings and many other things that have been going on in the other Churches. For us </span><span style="line-height: 119%;">coming from Theological college this has been brilliant a chance to put into practice what we are learning in lecture halls, The book learning becomes real.</span><span style="line-height: 119%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 119%;">A real way to show you all how to tell your story so that you can bring other people into the fellowship of this Church.</span><span style="line-height: 119%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 119%;">There are simple ways of showing God’s Love, A friendly smile as you walk down the street and talking to your next door neighbour. So I set you a challenge each of you do one thing this week to show God’s love be it small or big it </span><span style="line-height: 24px;">doesn't</span><span style="line-height: 119%;"> matter. What is important is that you start sowing seeds or fanning sparks into life so that Heaven breaks through into this place.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="color: #333333; font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">Here I am Lord, Body and soul.</span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">Grant that with your Love</span></span></div>
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<span lang="en-GB" style="color: #333333; font-size: large; line-height: 119%;">I may be enough<br />
To reach the world<br />
And small enough to be at one with you</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-GB" style="line-height: 119%;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 119%;">Amen</span> </span><span lang="en-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-62332565915467256302012-10-02T02:51:00.000-07:002012-10-02T02:51:06.740-07:00Stepping outToday I start induction week at Cranmer Hall. <br />
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I have been trying to fill my morning with stuff as I don't start till midday!<br />
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I have taken the children to school bought a new car seat which will make live easier for the person who is going to look after this children whilst I am in lectures! Bought a new pair of walking shoes that will help me physical get to college no matter what the weather is.<br />
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I decide to use up so more time and wind a beautiful skein of hand dyed wool into a ball that arrived yesterday! Whilst winding it I happen to glance at the magnetic board at the back of my desk and a postcard of a stained glass window caught my eye.<br />
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The window is in Burford Church in Oxfordshire and although i have never visited this particular place I was sent this postcard by a very dear friend.<br />
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This post card is of Christ Calling James and John to follow him! <br />
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Jesus called James and John to leave behind there old way of life and follow him. To stop being only fishers of fish and to start to be fisher of men. We don't ever stop being one thing but God uses those gifts that we already have developed and gives them a new purpose and new meaning within him.<br />
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Today I step out of "my boat" my little confined space which for years as only revolved around children and go to start the process of studying. Hopefully as I studying alongside others and learn from others I will become for tuned into God's purpose for me!<br />
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This feels like the start of a new journey and as a famous Chinese Philospher said A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step! <br />
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Today is my first step!<br />
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Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-4359062736537348072012-08-14T06:41:00.002-07:002012-08-14T06:41:30.334-07:00Calm before the storm<img src="http://www.freefoto.com/images/05/31/05_31_6---Jeremiah-29-11_web.jpg" />
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Well the title say it all really in two days time the packers come they will come and pack all our earthly possessions up (apart from a few essentials that we will need ) they will they transport them the 350 ish miles up to Durham where the new chapter of our lives will begin!<br />
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At the moment I am very apprehensive about packers every move I have ever done we have done the packing. I have a very strange feeling a feeling as if we aren't ready to move probably because the house still has stuff everywhere, pictures are still on the walls and we are not swamped under half a ton of boxes!<br />
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I am sure that the packers know exactly what they are doing after all that is what they do for a job! but I am not in control I just have to sit back and let them get on with it. <br />
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Sometimes our Christian lives can be a bit like this sometimes we just have to sit back and let God's plan work it's self out! Giving over control to someone else can be hard but then we need realise that God always has the best plan for us no matter what happens.<br />
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See you on the other side!<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-58212722824694210062012-07-13T02:42:00.001-07:002012-07-13T02:42:54.757-07:00Just Being!<span style="font-size: large;">Sorry everybody I disappeared for a while. Life got in the way of blogging!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">End of term stuff , school productions, broken cars, birthday parties and organizing all got in the way!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">With one week to go until the children break up things are starting to wind down in that area of our lives while the move is starting to feel real. Viewing on this house so that someone new can rent it, organizing packers and movers and working out dates when we can move up to Durham to start a new chapter of our lives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A couple of days ago the letting agents put a "To Let" sign up in the garden It now feels real to many people in the village where we have lived and worked for the past two years. I didn't think I had made much of a difference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, Chris has made a difference in my eyes as he has created new projects here, refreshed old ones and given new life to existing ones. But I think that I do very little in this village! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lots of people have said to me in the past month and half since we have know the Chris is going off to train how much they are going to miss us as a family. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">This has made me think perhaps sometimes we don't need to do anything specific to show the love of Christ! We don't need big actions or grand gestures because perhaps they come from man not God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sometimes the best way of showing love is just by being! </span><br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-14424337275267496492012-06-12T06:54:00.000-07:002012-06-12T06:56:50.594-07:00And So it Begins.......................................Do you remember that waiting I was talking about in my last post!<br />
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Well we waited and waited for what felt like for ever and eventually we got an answer.<br />
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The question which was asked was Does God want Chris( my husband) to go and train to be a vicar?<br />
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And the answer which came back after he had to go off to something called BAP (Bishop's Advisory Panel) was a resounding YES!<br />
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And so it begins time for a change time to move into another chapter of our lives. <br />
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Time for a move. <br />
Time to change schools for the boys! <br />
Time for the smallest one to start school. <br />
Time for Chris to go back to college to train and time for me to start a degree.<br />
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Now I have toyed long and hard with starting a new blog to cover this new Chapter of our lives but this morning a thought came to me! <br />
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We are shaped by our past. <br />
Our past makes us what we are now. <br />
So for good or bad our past make us who we are.<br />
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God uses our past experiences to shape us and help us reach out to people in our future!<br />
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So there we are I think a new blog name is not to be and for the moment I will stick with the old one.Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-73525143339448261962012-05-20T07:34:00.002-07:002012-05-20T07:37:20.711-07:00Waiting for.........................................<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NP8HghENH2s/T7j_tNtLfzI/AAAAAAAAAfk/Vp3IAcLtvK4/s1600/waiting+part2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NP8HghENH2s/T7j_tNtLfzI/AAAAAAAAAfk/Vp3IAcLtvK4/s1600/waiting+part2.jpg" /></a></div>
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We are not very good at waiting in the modern world! <br />
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Everything is instant from drive through takeaways to short snappy tweets. Life seems to speed passed us and when we need to wait for something we get impatient and grumpy.<br />
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Whilst modern technology is brillaint and has many wonderful uses. Sometimes we need to slow down, take stock and reasses our stituations! Sometimes we need to wait.<br />
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Everything here is up the air at the moment we don't know what we are goign to be doing from September and we won't now until the end of this month. Now I am finding this particularly difficult as I am a person who likes to plan. I like to know who is where and what we are doing! In short like to be in control and the things that are happening here at the moment are completely out of my control.<br />
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This waiting is a mix of nervous, scared, excitement and being terrified! My emotions are all over the place and I can't concentrate on anything every two minutes my brain seems to be changing it's mind on what I think will happen, which is very silly as I have no earthly way of knowing what will happen until we have been told.<br />
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Perhaps this is what the Disciples felt like after Jesus returned to his father in heaven. <br />
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At Church today we celebrated Accession (even though it was on Thursday). Ascension marks the day when Jesus went up to his father in a cloud! The disciples left all alone on the earth had to just wait, Jesus had promised that he would send a new helper but the disciples didn't fully understand this until ten days later when the The Holy Spirit appeared like tongues of flames on the Day of Pentecost! The disciples waited and faithfully prayed to God and eventually when the time God's the Holy Spirit came and the Church began! I pray for myself that in the next couple of days that I can indeed keep calm and patience and wait on God for his timing to be right. In his time not mine!<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-8610991047504187162012-05-16T02:58:00.004-07:002012-05-16T03:03:26.431-07:00Waiting!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This says it all at the moment!<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://theotherhalf-thecurateswife.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.html">The other half of being a curate's wife</a> for the idea!Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-75487638943789449422012-05-09T09:49:00.000-07:002012-05-09T09:51:17.219-07:00Free Space.............Free Mind!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Life here in rural Wiltshire has got very busy<br />
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I have doing a massive decluttering session and got rid of well over 1,000 things out of our home. The result has been truly amazing I can now get the downstairs of our house and our bedroom back straight in about 30mins ( 10 mins a room). Kids rooms and my office still are too be decluttered but with a 13, 11, 10 and 3 1/2 year that will take some time basically due to the fact that everything I put to go out when the 3 1/2 year old sees it he immeditaly wants to keep it even if it is not his.<br />
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I have been a follower of <a href="http://flylady.net/">Flylady</a> for a while but really couldn't get my head around the de-cluttering bit but I think I have finally got my light bulb moment! It feels very obvious to say that less clutter make sit far easier to keep things clean and tidy but I also think you need to be ready to get rid of things. The physical clear out that has been taking place of anything from clothes to books is starting to enable me to clear out the emotional and mental clutter that I have aswell. <br />
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I have started to do councilling which is really helping me to see what is going on in my life and the steps I need to take to change the patterns that I seem to have programmed my brain into following almost with out thought!
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Clutter is greedy it takes up your time and energy! You have to find homes for it, clean it and dust it Where as when you have space you can start to change and think!<br />
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Generally I think that de-cluttering is good for us sometimes it is forced upon us but I have found when this happen we just acquire more stuff to replace the stuff we have got rid off! What need to take place is a total mind shift into accepting that you don't need stuff to make you happy and in fact in some cases stuff doesn't make you happen it just make you tired<br />
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If you interesting in the picture at the top I got it from this <a href="http://www.mindmapinspiration.com/de-clutter-mind-map-paul-foreman/">website</a> which also has a very interesting article on De-cluttering and all the positive benefits that come from it<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-34453761610111797112012-04-07T23:25:00.001-07:002012-04-07T23:25:41.668-07:00Happy Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRlL92_c3Vo/T4EvDG2u1ZI/AAAAAAAAAfA/I2VJCeK1k-g/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qRlL92_c3Vo/T4EvDG2u1ZI/AAAAAAAAAfA/I2VJCeK1k-g/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-32259789642739235942012-03-12T13:34:00.002-07:002012-03-12T13:34:24.407-07:00Playing with the HookNot a very long post today but I thought I would upload a few pic of the fantastic hooky time I have been having recently<br />
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I have been trying to learn to do the <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/neat-ripple-pattern.html">neat ripple pattern from attic24</a> and i think I might finally have cracked it so rather than waste my test swatch i have made it into a mug hug!<br />
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Then we have a bits and bob tin also from <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/crochet-tin-cover.html">Attic24</a></div>
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And finally a pretty pink rose the freebie gift from <a href="http://molliemakes.themakingspot.com/">Mollie makes</a></div>
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-84362661730830474362012-03-05T01:36:00.003-08:002012-03-05T01:47:33.240-08:00St Piran's Day<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">Here is a blog post I wrote about three years ago but I think it may be worth </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">repeating</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> as it wasn't on </span><span style="line-height: 20px;">this</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;"> blog</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;">St Piran 5th March</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;">St Piran is the patron saint of Tinners and Cornwall</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">St Piran or Perran as he is traditionally know in Cornwall was a 6th Century Abbot. Who although born in Ireland spent most of his youth in South Wales where he founded a Church in Cardiff and religious schooling at the monastery of Saint Cadog at Llancarfon, here he met Saint Finnian. The two returned to Ireland where they set up 6 monasteries together.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Cornish Legend says that Piran was captured by pagan Irish who jealous of his ability to heal. Tied a millstone around his neck and threw him into the sea during a storm. As Piran hit the water the storm stopped and the millstone came to the surface of the water. Piran then used this millstone as a raft. Piran Sailed for Cornwall, landed at Perranporth beach (as it is now), and built a small chapel on Penhale sands. Here he made friends with a badger, a fox and a bear. He lived and worked at this small chapel for years as a hermit performing miracles for the local people</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">They are various legends associated with St Piran including that of the re-discovering the process of smelting (the Romans had smelted here but the process had been lost) Piran was a great collector of rocks and stones which contained mainly minerals. One of these Stones he used for the hearth of his fire. The stone must have got incredible hot because a flow of metal came forth from it, white in colour and in the shape of the cross. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em;">Not only did this make him the Patron of Tinners but also it is suggested that this is where his flag, a Sliver cross on a black background originated from. The flag is often used as the standard of Cornwall and symbolizes the Christian gospel. light out of darkness, good from evil</span></span><br />
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</div>Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-50296707308834210452012-02-22T12:37:00.000-08:002012-02-22T12:37:54.423-08:00Blanket and Blankets and Blankets!In an effort to use up some of my stash of cheap wool given as freebies on magazines I am making a series of blankets. <br />
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The first blanket was my but your not a Granny Blanket<br />
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The second was my summer blanket<br />
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The third one is now this</div>
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And there is a fourth one on it's way!Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-63917726261882018912012-02-19T10:23:00.002-08:002012-02-19T10:23:15.297-08:00My new Toy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-38135495272955339052012-02-17T07:25:00.000-08:002012-02-17T07:25:26.341-08:00Valentines.Yes I know it has gone but I have just realized that I forgot to post a picture of the card I made for Mr Elephant!<br />
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So here goes. <br />
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It was the first time I have used several different techniques in one card.</div>
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The Hearts fold open to reveal a secret message. </div>
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Whilst this has been sat on the mantelpiece I have thought about the fact that this may be a good idea for a wedding card! with either the names of the bride and groom inside or perhaps a secret message just for them!<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-73033574670554374282012-02-16T06:30:00.000-08:002012-02-16T06:30:14.803-08:00Packing and sending<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love wrapping sales up ready to send out to people!</div>Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-51882331352398869372012-02-15T08:36:00.000-08:002012-02-15T08:36:13.154-08:00More Stripeness!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh dear I think this might be an addiction. Even the littlest elephant has his own now<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-24507487060383662552012-02-08T02:51:00.000-08:002012-02-08T02:51:31.705-08:00Fingerless Heaven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is so cold in this house that I have made myself a pair of stripy finger less mittens to wear inside.<br />
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Pattern taken from the lovely <a href="http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2009/10/wrist-warmers.html">Lucy at Attic24</a>. One slight snag I think I may need to may them slightly longer to cover my wrists but there is the beauty of crotchet as I haven't added an edging I can just take up my hook and yarn and carry on!</div>
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I Just love the way the colour have gone together and I am itching to make more things with this colour combination!</div>
<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-34846992941133878492012-01-17T03:17:00.000-08:002012-01-17T08:29:50.460-08:00Who am I?<br />
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It's cold! <br />
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We had a severe ground frost last night and when the weather is like this I just want to hibernate in my cocoon. I suffer from Depression and Fibromyalgia and I am not really sure which one feeds which. The house we currently live in has Night Storage Heaters and to say they are good is not really the true they are in fact rubbish.<br />
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Thankfully we have an open fire which means at least the sitting room/dinning room is warm., although I must admit I don't tend to light the fire unless everybody is at home. <br />
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When I am at home I tend to ponder on things and during this cold last couple of day I am begining to ponder on my live. <br />
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I went from being someones daughter to being someone's wife to four little people's mum. It is getting close to the point where littlest is starting school in September and now I am starting to think about who I AM. Now I know I will always be a daughter and a wife and a mother but there is soon going to be a time when I will have space. I currently have three days a week as little one is in Nursery but soon it will five days a week.<br />
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So who am I? I am not sure to be perfectly honest. I am hoping that I can work it out with help.<br />
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I would like to write, make things, have a colourful home , I did just write tidy but lets face it will four boys ranging in age from 13 to 3 that is going to take some time! I have never wanted to be famous or rich , I would just like not to worry. <br />
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As the weather warms I am hoping that the REAL me will start to take shape just as the little flowers peek out from their wintry beds, Bird song fills the air and the promise of new life starts!<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-4044524705381143752012-01-03T04:54:00.000-08:002012-01-03T05:16:27.770-08:00January Clear OutChristmas has been and gone and perhaps for some it is time to take stock of what we count as important.<br />
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For me it is time to have a clear out first of all the wool got culled and I have freecycled about a bin liner full. <br />
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Now I am working through all my other craft stuff and today it is the turn of my Rubber Stamps<br />
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This is the first of the batches and are up on my facebook page <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Psychodelic-elephants/151676694874318">Psychodelic-elephants</a> </div>
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There will be more going up including fabric and papers in the next couple of days whilst I undertake my massive clear out!</div>
<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-66931390359761574032011-12-24T17:32:00.000-08:002011-12-24T17:32:04.646-08:00Happy Christmas 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #3c605b; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold;">Christmas <span style="color: black;">by John Betjeman</span></span></div>
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The bells of waiting Advent ring,<br />The Tortoise stove is lit again<br />And lamp-oil light across the night<br />Has caught the streaks of winter rain<br />In many a stained-glass window sheen<br />From Crimson Lake to Hookers Green.<br /><br />The holly in the windy hedge<br />And round the Manor House the yew<br />Will soon be stripped to deck the ledge,<br />The altar, font and arch and pew,<br />So that the villagers can say<br />'The church looks nice' on Christmas Day.<br /><br />Provincial Public Houses blaze,<br />Corporation tramcars clang,<br />On lighted tenements I gaze,<br />Where paper decorations hang,<br />And bunting in the red Town Hall<br />Says 'Merry Christmas to you all'.<br /><br />And London shops on Christmas Eve<br />Are strung with silver bells and flowers<br />As hurrying clerks the City leave<br />To pigeon-haunted classic towers,<br />And marbled clouds go scudding by<br />The many-steepled London sky.<br /><br />And girls in slacks remember Dad,<br />And oafish louts remember Mum,<br />And sleepless children's hearts are glad.<br />And Christmas-morning bells say 'Come!'<br />Even to shining ones who dwell<br />Safe in the Dorchester Hotel.<br /><br />And is it true,<br />This most tremendous tale of all,<br />Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,<br />A Baby in an ox's stall ?<br />The Maker of the stars and sea<br />Become a Child on earth for me ?<br /><br />And is it true ? For if it is,<br />No loving fingers tying strings<br />Around those tissued fripperies,<br />The sweet and silly Christmas things,<br />Bath salts and inexpensive scent<br />And hideous tie so kindly meant,<br /><br />No love that in a family dwells,<br />No carolling in frosty air,<br />Nor all the steeple-shaking bells<br />Can with this single Truth compare -<br />That God was man in Palestine<br />And lives today in Bread and Wine. </div>
<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-70350352803122299172011-11-28T08:12:00.001-08:002011-11-28T08:23:56.315-08:00It' begining to feel a lot like Christmas!Today has been a very slow day with pootling jobs being done around the house due to the fact that Elephant, the one who had his birthday cake on here the other is ill and off school with a horrible cold type thing that is doing the round. <br />
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After doing various housework type jobs little Elephant and I sat on the floor and started to thread our paper bunting onto a piece of pretty sparkly Christmas ribbon. Inspired by this <a href="http://molliemakes.themakingspot.com/blog/tutorial-tuesday-a-quick-christmas-banner">blog from Mollie Makes</a><br />
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The other day I bought a sadly neglected Ladybird book from the local Charity shop and I re purposed it to make this..........<br />
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You can't see very well in this pic but alternating between pictures and carols it is now up taking pride of place about the mantle piece.<br />
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Here is a little close up of my favourite one the Winter Snow!<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-23334138144189127192011-11-27T09:52:00.001-08:002011-11-27T09:56:56.280-08:00Advent 1Today is the first day of Advent for the Church.<br />
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Advent calendar's don't start to get opened till the 1st of December.<br />
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So today was the lighting of the first candle on the advent wreath at Church.<br />
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Whilst searching for a new picture to reflect this on my facebook page I came across an excellent cartoon from the genius cartoonist Dave walker.<br />
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This man has a very witty drawing pen and is a genius at capturing the mood of events, places and people at churches up and down the land.<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-28125834855925772362011-11-11T09:14:00.001-08:002011-11-11T09:25:18.812-08:00Birthday's<div style="text-align: center;">
November in the elephant household is very busy. </div>
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We have about 6 birthdays to celebrate. </div>
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This is the cake I made for Little Elephant 3</div>
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Think he was happy!<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2948329575930098070.post-60536760241297132082011-10-27T06:50:00.000-07:002011-10-27T06:51:00.496-07:00CreatingMy Creative brain has been working over time!<br />
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I have been working on using up "stuff" so I have been making Christmas cards up using bits and bobs collected over a period of years. <br />
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Last count I was at about 70.<br />
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Then I started making cards using tea bag papers. <br />
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and last I have been using wool up to make mug hugs.<br />
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<br />Pyschodelic Elephantshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06679653655027471831noreply@blogger.com3