C is for Cookie!

Good morning!

My ADHD is playing a cool game where you leave her a comment, she assigns you a letter and you come up with 10 things you love beginning with that letter.

If you want to play leave me a comment and I will give you a letter!

My letter is C

So here we go....

1) C is for Cookie that's good enough for me, C is for cookie, that's good enough for me, C is for cookie that's good enough for meeeee....oooooohhhhhhhh cookie cookie cookie starts with C. Just like the cookie monster, me love cookies! Although here in Australia we call them bikkies.

2) Chocolate. Of course.

3) Chips, hot chips with fish and vinegar and salt...mmmm. Why is it that the minute I start a diet I get preoccupied with food? Right. No more food (unless it's healthy)

4) Crunchy leaves. I love walking on crunchy leaves.

5) Cows. I love their eyes, and how they look so peaceful standing around chewing their cud.

6) Custard. It's kinda healthy. Don't like that skin on the top though.

7) Cats! Can't believe I didn't think of that til number 7! I just adore cats. I love everything about them, their fur, their little faces, their expression when they are playing, and most of all their attitude.

8) Camping. We go camping with another family every Easter and we love it.

9) Couch. I do love my couch after a long day at work.

10) Coaching. I'm a netball coach and I love it most of the time. Just not those times when they aren't listening to you (and one of them is your daughter) and you've had enough.

So there you go. 10 things that I love starting with the letter C.

Feel free to join in! Leave me a comment and I'll give you a letter. I promise I won't be mean and give you X.

Bye Bye Chocolate

Today in my lunch hour I joined a weight loss program.

This means that I have a new little food and exercise diary to fill out each day, and a plan to follow, and most importantly a nice lady (who I know really well, and who is also on this program) will weigh me every week.

It's that kind of accountability that I need to succeed. I can't be accountable to myself. I tell lies to myself all the time. Or I skip my weekly weigh in. But there will be none of that with Karen. She is going to keep me on the straight and narrow. I hope.

As I type this I am ceremoniously eating my last chocolate. And I'm not even really enjoying it, it's too hot for chocolate. It keeps melting on my fingers. Actually, I'm throwing it in the bin because there is no point in eating chocolate if I'm not enjoying it.

So tomorrow I'm starting on the road to creating a new me. Wish me luck!

HOT!

We are merrily (?) melting through our first heat wave of the year. And it is some heat wave.

Today at 1.30pm the temperature hit 45.6 degrees. Now I don't know what that is in "US language" but let me tell you it's HOT.

I work in an airconditioned office, which is normally lovely and cool, and I'm hot. Although I went outside at lunch time and that made me appreciate that my office is still WAAAAY cooler than 45.6 degrees!

Scott was supposed to have cricket practice tonight, and it's been cancelled. He is not happy. He has been looking forward to cricket starting up again since we stopped for our Christmas/Holiday break. But I'm sure even cricket crazy Scott wouldn't enjoy practicing in this heat.

This time of year reminds me of the first week of school way back when I was still at school. This first week of term used to always be the hottest week of the year. We stuck to, or slid around on the vinyl school bus seats. We threw blackboard dusters at the ceiling fans. We had water fights in the playground at lunch time. We took our shoes off and burned our feet on the concrete. We dashed to the drinking fountain between lessons to wet our hair. Our school bus driver bought us ice creams which we were never able to eat before they melted all down our arms. There were no air conditioners, sun smart policies, hot weather policies and you know what? We all survived!

A friend said to me (rather hopefully) that maybe the return of this hot start to the school term means the seasons are getting back to normal and we are in for a good year. The cynic in me thinks maybe she is clutching at straws, but I will try to quell that cynical voice.

Australia Day Weekend

We have had a busy, eventful and enjoyable weekend. Every year on the Australia Day weekend there is a festival in Port Lincoln called Tunarama. This festival used to coincide with the opening of the tuna season, which isn't really that relevent anymore now that the tuna is farmed but we still have the festival regardless.

We usually go down to Port Lincoln and stay with Kym's sister and family and this year was no exception. On Saturday we watched the parade together, did some shopping and of course visited all the side shows and rides (which seem to get more horrendously expensive each year!). We then had dinner together and walked down to the beach to watch the fireworks.

Not the greatest photo I know, but it was take on my phone and you have to admit, fireworks are hard to photograph!

Sunday was a busy day with the celebration of Kym's grandfather's 90th birthday. We all got together for lots of yummy food, fellowship and catching up with family and friends. Grandpa had a fabulous afternoon and entertained us with some great stories from his childhood. He is blessed with excellent health and is still very sprightly so he had a wonderful time seeing all his family.


And then we rushed back to Port Lincoln (Grandpa's party was in Port Neill, about 45 minutes away) so that Stephanie could prepare for her performance on Sunday night. Here is a photo of her all ready to go, looking gorgeous. She sang beautifully, didn't forget any words, managed to walk across the stage confidently in her heels, and I was really proud of her. She finished in the top 8 of the competition which was a huge achievement. There were some really talented and experienced performers there. This was the biggest event that Steph has ever performed at, the show sold out and there were more than 350 people there. Much bigger than our little church fete or community concert! She handled it really well and didn't sound nervous while she sang, even though I knew she was. I was terrified for her and just prayed throughout the song...I don't think I want her to be a performer...my nerves can't take it!

Then after our big night last night we had a wonderful Australia Day breakfast on the deck of my sister in laws house. They have a lovely big deck with views of the bay (see the photo below)and it was a beautiful morning this morning. It was a really enjoyable time spent with family. Something we need to do more often. We took time to reflect on how lucky we are to live in this amazing place. And how lucky are we!

Lord, thankyou for this wonderful weekend. Thankyou for watching over Stephanie's performance and for blessing Grandpa with a wonderful afternoon with family and friends. Thankyou also for the blessed time we spent together as a family this weekend.

Mum is getting nervous

I'm getting so nervous on behalf of Stephanie.

I really don't know why I let her perform...it just stresses me out too much. I love listening to her sing. I love it when she sings in the car, I just adore the sound of her voice. BUT. I don't enjoy watching her perform. I think I get more nervous than she does. Actually Iam sure of it.

She did a "dress rehearsal" last night. We went shopping yesterday and found the most adorable dress. It's black and white checked, fitted to the waist and then pleated skirt with a wide red belt at the waist. Very tailored and it looks absoulutely stunning on her. Of course she has red shoes to match and the whole look is just stunning. But I might be a little bit biased!

So there she is in her gorgeous dress and her red shoes practising. I loved listening to her practice. For one thing it reassures me that she has been practising (which I wasn't entirely sure about!), and I could just relax and enjoy it because there was no pressure. I'm terrified of something bad happening to her and crushing her confidence. I just want her to feel good about herself and be happy. Not so much to ask?

So here's the thing. Stephanie sings on Sunday night the 25th of January (Australian time). I've no idea what time that is for you folk in the US but I'm guessing you are smart enough to work it out! I would really appreciate your prayers for both Stephanie and her extremely stressed out Mum!

Dear Lord, please help Stephanie be the best that she can be on Sunday night. I pray that her performance goes well and she is happy with how she goes because she is her own worst critic. I pray that the experience is positive and confidence boosting for her.

Over it!

Good morning.

Today is another Monday in the drudgery that has become my life.

If you wouldn't mind I would really appreciate your prayers as I consider what steps to take.

Here are the issues:

• I'm feeling quite pressured and stressed at my job at the moment. There is a lot of responsibility involved and I'm not really sure that I'm up to it.
• I've been here 8 years, and as my title says, I'm just feeling a bit over it!
• My employers are great people. I've worked for some not so great ones so I know that these ones are good. I feel a bit like I would be betraying them if I left.
• There is another job available in town that I'm considering applying for, but it's a contract position that requires you to re apply every two years or so, whereas my job here is permanent and secure.
• I don't think I'm a very nice person to live with at the moment. I come home exhausted and stressed and grumpy and often teary.
• I only have 18 months til I'm due for long service leave.

So there you go. I would like a definate and clear direction from the Lord telling me what I should do. The only thing that really scares me is the contract part. With the economy the way it is it's nice to have job security.

I guess I could just go ahead and apply, and if I got the job that would be my answer?

Hmmmm.

Dear Lord, please help me with some direction as to which path I should take. If I am to stay here help me to do my job well so that I don't feel out of my depth. If I am to leave then please help with that transition. Mostly just help me out and tell me what I should do!

Reality Bites

I was perfectly relaxed this morning driving to work. Even kind of looking forward to getting back into it for the new year, planned on getting some things finished off and getting more organised.

Then I arrived at my desk. Well I think my desk is under there somewhere. And the sticky notes. Whoever invented sticky notes has a lot to answer for. There was even a pile of paperwork on my chair.

So I sorted through it, getting grumpier by the minute. Made notes and a list of what needed to be done ( I do love a good list). Then I opened my emails. It took forever to open because there were so many! Arrgh!

It has taken me all morning to sort my desk into workable piles of paper (without actually doing anything about them), answer emails, forward emails, delete emails and now I'm dangerously close to breaking my no chocolate promise!

I was hoping to work through lunch and finish early so I could get back to the beach....now it seems I will work through lunch and finish late. Sigh. Honestly, when I walked in and saw it all this morning I just wanted to walk back out again.

Dear Lord, Help me to remain focused and stay on task today so that I can complete all my work quickly and efficiently. Help me to not let it get on top of me and to just do one thing at a time and work my way through, rather than trying to do everything at once.

Thank you for the wonderful time we have had as a family at the beach. It's a precious time and we have come to truly value it every year.

Last Day

Today was officially the last day of my holidays. And it was a glorious day so I thought I'd better get out and take some of those photo's I promised you! Below is our humble beach shack. Kym's Grandpa built it with the help of his Sons (Kym's Dad and Uncle). It's pretty basic but it has everything we need....and a million dollar view.This is not the million dollar view... this is Scott vegging on the couch. He was watching the cricket. Australia vs South Africa. We lost. We all fight over this position on the couch at some point during our stay. I generally win.

Now here is part of the view. This is the jetty that the kids jump off, swim around and under, and Scott infoms me that this year he learned to do a back flip off it. Don't think I need to see that. Kym wanders up to the jetty most mornings to catch some squid (calamari) which he uses for bait when he goes out in the boat fishing for whiting.

And here is the beautiful beach. This is the beach that I promise myself that I will walk every day. I promise myself this every year. And every morning while I sit out the front sipping my coffee watching others walk and even run (show offs!) along the beach I really do consider joining them. I have walked around to the point and back several times, but certainly not every day, and I have to admit, at a pretty leisurely pace!

Here is what has become the shack nemesis. Every year I take along a jigsaw puzzle, and this year I have managed to complete two, so I decided to be brave and pull this one out from the back of the cupboard. I have attempted it every year for about 5 years now and this is as far as I have been able to get. It's REALLY hard! IMPOSSIBLY hard, and so very frustrating! But, even if it take me 100 years I am going to complete it one day.....although possibly not this year!

So there you go, a few snapshots so you can picture what Ive been doing with myself. Not much really, and loving every minute.

Time for me to head off to bed and back into the real world tomorrow.

Lazy Days at the Beach

We have been have a fabulous time at the beach. Stephanie and Scott have spent a lot of time swimming, skiing, fishing, diving and just hanging out with friends. Scott leaves in the morning, visits briefly for lunch and then disappears again. It's a lovely safe little holiday town where we know almost everyone so the kids have been enjoying the freedom that comes with that.

Below is a picture of Stephanie out diving. Kym takes the kids out in the boat and they use that as their base. Here she is trying to pick up a jelly fish in Kym's net. I'm not sure why!



And here is Stephanie again, relaxing on the front lawn at the shack. Behind her is a tractor tube that we blow up every year and anchor out in the water. The kids spend hours jumping in it, floating in it, and diving from it.


And here is Stephanie again....I promise to take some photo's of Scott soon! It's just that he's really hard to catch! Stephanie is knee boarding behind the boat, and having a great time as you can see.

So there you go, a snapshot of what we have been up to in the past week. I have read a novel and completed two jigsaws and caught up with friends for lots of chats over coffee.

Back to work on Monday. Sigh.