NI Story - March Episode

So back in January I started trying to pay a National Insurance contribution bill that HMRC had sent through, as I was short for a tax year.  

In February the amount bounced back to me, as the account details they've given me were out of date, and the account had been closed.  I ended up sending a cheque and thought that was the end of the matter.

Well it's now March and the story came back to life!  I received 3 little brown envelopes on Saturday and by fluke I opened them in this order:

• Thank you for paying your missing NI contribution, you now have a complete tax year (08/09) for pension consideration
• It has come to our attention that you have overpaid your NI contributions for tax year (07/08), due to an error on your employers part.  You are now due a refund, and you will receive a cheque within the next four weeks.
• The cheque!

I've almost got all the money back that I paid them for the following tax year...and how come they've found the error now?!?!?  A most random experience....is God having a bit of a laugh...and is it the end of it....

International Women's Day

As it's International Women's Day today I've been thinking about the amazing women that I know, and also about sisters who are less fortunate than me in a material sense.

When I cleaned the bathrooms in the house today, I spent time thinking about the blessing that we have in good sanitation and the fact that we even have the luxury of two toilets in the house, and a choice of a shower or a bath with constantly available running water.

How richly blessed we are!  (Now the challenge is to have that attitude every time I come to clean them ;-)

Just off out now to a friend's to chat and ponder some more.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/womensday?pscid=ps_clk_IWD+2012

Great fun making!

Gifts are definitely taking longer to make currently, but they're great fun to do.  

I was challenged on postable items, and this week came across a pattern for a mug cosy, which I've adapted slightly.  It took all of about 2 hours to make, and is heading out in the post tomorrow.  Don't think that's the last one of these that I'll be making.

I've also had fun melting LPs and adding some papier mache.  (I started the melting here: Melting LPs & Boiling Oranges ) They've been turned into gifts, and have definitely generated some conversation ;-)

One became a plant pot with an Aloe Vera cutting from our kitchen window ledge, and the other held a selection of homemade delights (marmalade, muesli & fudge).

I've won something!

http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/

So it feels like I never win anything, and I'm sure that's mainly down to the fact that I never enter anything...but on a whim a month or so ago, I entered a competition with Families SouthEast (a local magazine with info on stuff to do with kids) and I got an email this week to say I've won a family trip to Beaulieu!  Hubby gets to see James Bond cars and a Top Gear exhibition, and I'll get a day out in the fresh air with the kids.  Brilliant...and all for the cost of the petrol to get there (think it would take a bit too long on the bike ;-)

So that's added some joy in an otherwise mixed week.

And lots of people are asking how no TV is going, and so far evenings are passing with me getting lots of stuff done.  I'm listening to a bit of Radio 4 (my general knowledge is going to increase lots...especially after a 3 hour ironing fest, and just listening to what happened to be on!).  I'm definitely noticing how much I would out of habit, pop it on in the evening, even if it's background whilst I'm doing bits on the laptop.  So it's not an easy thing to give up, but I think it's good.

And this is an interesting site with ideas on things to do in Lent that are positive.

http://www.40acts.org.uk/

This is also the week that I first discovered Pinterest.  A great way to keep track of cool things you find online.  Very useful as I can never remember where I've seen stuff. 

Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent

So Lent is the 40 days leading up to Easter when people think about Jesus, his life, journey, and suffering, and many do things to help them think about it each day, either by giving something up, or by doing something proactive.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I've given up TV...and on returning from work tonight with the kids in the bike seat and trailer, with drizzle hampering my efforts to get us all in and heading bedward, the thought of no TV to look forward to later was unbelievably weighing on my mind.  In the end I've had a lovely evening; finishing off a present I'm making, listening to an amazing array of programmes on Radio4 and sitting down and listening to a couple of tracks to help focus my mind on God.  But how depressing that giving up TV should be compared to the suffering of Jesus!  How good is my life in comparison to so many!  And how has TV pervaded my life so strongly?

Anyhow, I hope to have a good journey through Lent, and find more richness in less.

The words of the track I listened to tonight were interesting, as one of the lines was '...in your will, is where I find rest.'  I've been thinking recently about all the things I'm up to, and I am naturally a person that juggles a lot.  In the past many people have suggested that I should spend more time doing nothing, which they call 'resting' as that's where we meet God.  It's taken several years, but I can quite confidently say now, that 'being the person that God made me, is where I find rest'.  That I do actually feel at peace, love life, connect with God and feel rich, when I'm busy.  It's how he made me, so I enjoy being me, and I hope you can enjoy being you this Lent-time.

Melting LPs and Boiling Oranges

Wow....I've discovered a very addictive new craft today...and I don't think it's just caused by the fumes.

So I have some old LPs from my Grandmother's house, that have no value, so I thought I'd try and be creative with some of them, and attempt to make some different gifts.  It's as simple as a 200 degree oven, an LP and an oven-proof bowl.

I think the outcome was  surprisingly good.

(Need to do a bit more work on the attempts at book-ends though.)

I've also had my first attempt at making marmalade the other week...have had to reboil it to get it to set better, but amazing again that it's so simple and tastes so much better than the shop bought stuff!  (Also cheaper, only if you discount the time taken to make it!)

A couple of friends gave me a new craft book for my birthday yesterday, so I'll take a look at that next and see what other exciting crafts I can discover (think I'll be skipping the homemade sanitary towels though!!).

Bounce-back Cash

So it was only last week that I as feeling rather low about all the money that we'd had to spend last month (had to ??), well, what a strange week since my last posting.

Firstly, our lovely neighbour came round this week to ask if he could pay for half of the fence work...and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.  Who's boundary is who's has always been a bit of a mystery to me, everywhere we've lived, but always going dutch seems a great solution!

Secondly, whilst at work this week I had a phone call from the bank.  They are returning my NI payment into our account, as HMRC has contacted them to say that the bank account no longer exists!  First reaction: wow...all that money back.  Second reaction: I now need to call HMRC and try to get to the bottom of it.  Third reaction: how ludicrous that you're sent a letter with an April 2012 deadline (admittedly several years ago) and then close the bank account that you want payment into...I'm sure I'm not the only one that's left it to the last minute to send money.

So it's not like all the money's come back, but it has been a strange week!

I was also feeling uneasy about the expense of sorting the digi-box, but this week I've felt the need to do something for Lent.  (I don't normally give anything up.)  There are a couple of things that I really want to invest some prayer into, and fasting is a great way to focus the mind, so I'm thinking of giving up TV for 40 days and using some of the time when I'm not watching, to pray and some of the rest to do some of the creative projects I'm not finding time for.  I don't think I'm going to inflict it on the kids this time, as it's quite a major aid in getting us out of the house on time for work & nursery, and bedtime when we've just walked in the door (think removing that would tip me over the edge, let alone them ;-).

Note re: Waste - my eldest had her first sleep in a terry's nappy last night...wanted to know why she was wearing a 'baby nappy' rather than a 'big girl nappy' aka: disposable, but was up for giving it a go...slight leakage, but definitely worth trying for a while (might even help motivate her to stop wearing them at night all together).  So we might have a disposable free house soon, and weekly bin bag weighing less than 1kg!