5 Favourite Posts from the Sedshed in 2010

2010...a really tough year in lots of ways.  It started off ok, then got progressively worse.  I wasn't the only one doing it tough.  So many of my friends and family faced hard times.  A rotten experience of moving to a new farm and district 600km away was almost to be expected seeing as everything else had gone wrong.

I was glad to see the clock tick over into 2011.

1.  Friday Focus: From the Inside Out
2.  Get On Your Soapbox #15
3.  Lone Ranger Blogger
4.  Growing Up Non-Christian - Parts 1-3
5.  Me, Myself and an Online Sermon

5 Favourite Posts from the Sedshed in 2009

2009 was a relatively uneventful year compared to 2007-08.  The highlights were trips to Adelaide and Melbourne. 

1.  Lesson 8 from Sarah's School of Dating
2.  Replaced
3.  Why I Don't Believe in Karma
4.  Marriage 101: DINKs in the Middle
5.  Someone Stole Your Pyjamas?

5 Favourite Posts from the Sedshed in 2008

2008 was definitely a year of change.  The early months were dominated by wedding planning stress.  The second half of the year was quieter as I transitioned from life in a city of 1.5 million to a small farming community three hours away.

1.  Diary of a Wedding Planning Machine: Our Day, Our Way
2.  Becoming a Christ-Like Footy Follower
3.  The Fruit of our Liberty Gardens
4.  Get On Your Soapbox #9
5.  Living Out Romans 14

5 Favourite Posts from the Sedshed in 2007

2007 was my first full year of blogging.  It was the year Duncan and I started going out, then got engaged.    I changed houses and housemates and adopted Ebony from the Cat Haven.  It had highs and it had lows.  It was busy and tumultuous.

Here are my favourite posts from 2007:

1.  Changes and Challenges
2.  Invitation Politics
3.  Loving the Unlovely
4.  Give Your Pastor a Hug
5.  Sarah's Night Adventures

5 Favourite Posts from the Sedshed in 2006

I'm going to be taking a walk down the Sedshed memory lane over the next week.  I'd love for you to join me.  Some of these posts may be old news to those readers who have been around since the beginning.  For the newbies, they may be enlightening. ;)

I think I'll find it very interesting to see if I have changed over the years, or still as adamant about some things as ever.

These are my faves from 2006 (in no particular order):

1.  Lesson 2 from Sarah's School of Dating
2.  Get On Your Soapbox #2
3.  Give It Over To God
4.  Hey, Check Out My Blog - Part 1
5.  Cover Those Ankles

5 More Things I've Learnt in 6 Years of Blogging

It's that time of year again!

This blog is still here six years on!  I might even make it to 10 years one day.  I doubt it...but never say never.

Here are some more things I've learnt over the past six years...

1.  Blogging can be cliquey.  The old saying goes, If you think you're not in a clique, you probably are.  Bloggers and blog readers seem gravitated to those in the same stage of life, those they already know in real life, and the 'gurus' - celebrities (including well-known Christian leaders and writers) who blog.  Mums will read mummy blogs, pastors will read pastors' blogs....that's just life.  I've had to learn contentment in being a lone ranger blogger.  I'm just here doing my thing, but I've been blessed by those who are in a different stage of life who have reached out in friendship across the blogosphere.

2.  I still don't get the 'you're invited to follow my blog' comments (I know I mentioned this in Blogging Etiquette).  To be frank, those comments kind of annoy me.  I'm wondering if it is an American thing?  Aussies just tend to click the follow button if they like a particular blog.  Unless it's a locked blog, nobody needs an invitation.  Please don't pressure me to follow blogs.  I don't like it.

3.  Following on from point #2, there is a kind of pressure to keep reading/commenting on a blog once you've started or if someone comments on yours.  I read a comment on another blog somewhere about this.  It's kind of like you're being disloyal if you leave for a bit.  I'll admit it's disappointing to lose readers, but I'd hate for people to comment because they felt obligated to.

4.  If you're a blogger, it's YOUR blog.  Never forget that.  That doesn't mean you should use it for evil, but you CAN blog about what you want.  If you want to moderate comments, then moderate.  If you want to only use your first name, then do that.  There are a lot of trolls out there who love to stir as long as no-one knows who they really are.  Your blog is what you make it and you shouldn't have to explain your preferences to anyone.

5.  If you're commenting on a blog, click the receive follow-up comments by email option.  I find that I and many others leave comments and then forget to check up on the conversation later.

Thanks for reading along....however long you've been here. :)

P.S.  In keeping with tradition, the Sedshed has a new birthday outfit.  If you're using a reader, click through to see.

Post-Storm Perspective

There's nothing quite like being on the other side of a trial to give you some perspective. 

On Monday, I was NOT happy.  I've been in far worse moods, I admit, but I was grumbling about what had happened to my house.  I was especially annoyed that some people thought I was exaggerating (before they saw the photos) when they hadn't even lost power at all and were in the middle of enjoying a lovely coffee from their coffee machine!

I didn't understand why God allowed it to happen after all the work and effort last year that went into getting the house into the good condition it was in before the storm.  I was enjoying living without furniture in places it shouldn't be.  I was enjoying having everything just so.  Now that two of our rooms were water-damaged, everything had to be moved out and put elsewhere.  It felt like we were almost back to square one.  A few weeks ago, I'd been warming myself in our lovely renovated loungeroom thinking how good it was.  Now I was wondering if God allowed our house to be damaged to teach me a lesson in taking things for granted.  There's nothing quite like taking away part of your roof, running water, flushing toilets, electricity and carpets to give you a much-needed reality shake.

I'm still frustrated.  I'm still trying to be patient.  We're still waiting for a new roof.  None of the lights work so we're relying on torches, lamps and camping lanterns at night.  The carpet needs to be ripped up and replaced in the two rooms that were water-damaged.  It really stinks in there!  The dog yard needs to be fixed.  The garden is pretty battered and I still need to go around and get rid of the bits of roof hanging off bushes etc.  I know it will get done.  I just need to be patient.  I wish I could just snap my fingers and all the debris will disappear.  But I know that when God's people pray for patience, He doesn't magically make them feel patient...He gives them circumstances that test and grow their patience.

In reality, I have so much to be thankful for.  I wasn't a homeless person wondering where I was going to find shelter from the storm.  I didn't lose my whole house.  I had a house in the first place.  We've already had a plumber come to fix the water supply and install a new oven and stove.  Today we had a man come to fix the TV antenna and put in a new aerial for our internet.  There were people who prayed for us and offered us practical help (thank you).  I still have my health.  I wasn't injured in the storm.  Nobody died in our area.

Yes, I think it's time to re-visit my Count Your Blessings post from 2007.

Maybe this is just a lesson I need to learn over and over....and over again.