Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.
- Kahlil Gibran
Monday, January 18, 2016
Friday, January 15, 2016
5 Hopes For 2016
I'm aiming for small things this year...
1. RECOVER! I have a myriad of appointments to arrange and attend this year to aid my recovery - physiotherapy, chiropractic, counselling, hospital follow-ups, blood tests. It's doing my head in already.
2. Send my book to more literary agents and publishers.
3. Have regular quiet times. We're only 15 days into the new year and I feel like I'm failing already. But maybe if I was succeeding I'd be tempted to become proud. Thank the Lord it's all about His grace.
4. Declutter and sell things to raise money for missions or whoever the Lord places across my path in need of money. As soon as Flynn outgrows the baby stuff, IT'S OUTTA HERE.
5. Read and comment on other blogs more. I failed dismally at this last year as I was too preoccupied in keeping my own blog afloat.
1. RECOVER! I have a myriad of appointments to arrange and attend this year to aid my recovery - physiotherapy, chiropractic, counselling, hospital follow-ups, blood tests. It's doing my head in already.
2. Send my book to more literary agents and publishers.
3. Have regular quiet times. We're only 15 days into the new year and I feel like I'm failing already. But maybe if I was succeeding I'd be tempted to become proud. Thank the Lord it's all about His grace.
4. Declutter and sell things to raise money for missions or whoever the Lord places across my path in need of money. As soon as Flynn outgrows the baby stuff, IT'S OUTTA HERE.
5. Read and comment on other blogs more. I failed dismally at this last year as I was too preoccupied in keeping my own blog afloat.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
2015 Hopes: How I Went
It wasn't a very productive year....at least not how I had hoped:
1. Finish editing my book, write a synopsis and cover letter and send to literary agents. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING, SARAH, YOU'VE COME TOO FAR!
FINALLY! I DID IT! Although I've been rejected four times so far, I finally put my creation out there.
2. Make God and His Word a priority. I need regular quiet times, plus I need to get into a Bible study of some sort. The ladies' fellowship at church has turned into a social group and no-one seems keen to do any Bible study, which I find a real shame. I'm praying about who to approach to read the Bible with.
The ladies' fellowship folded and an actual Bible study started instead. I was overjoyed to be meeting with other women every Monday morning to study the Bible using KYB study guides. It was difficult at times due to Rory being the only child there, and he's not always great at entertaining himself. Unfortunately I've had to stop going since Flynn arrived.
3. Get fit and lose 4kg. Water aerobics is on on Saturday mornings at our local pool and, now harvest is finished, Duncan can look after Rory so I can go. I'll get back into Zumba as soon as it starts again, and keep playing tennis. I want to do some yoga/Pilates type stretches at home to help my back. Maybe a healthier lifestyle will help with my fatigue. One thing I NEED to do is stop rewarding myself with bad food. It's too easy to think, I've had a tough day with Rory, I need some icecream/biscuits *fill in the blank*. I don't want to, but I need to stop buying Mocha Chills. Those things are EVIL. No more than one a week for me!
Well, I stopped drinking Mocha Chills...but that was because of the pregnancy. I went to water aerobics once before I found out Flynn was on his way and I was too sick. Any other attempt at exercise went out the window.
4. Pray and think about how to go about my role as the Ladies' Fellowship Deacon at church. It feels like I do nothing in this role. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing and I need wisdom. I don't want to overburden the ladies with too many things to do, but I want to encourage them to read the Bible with each other. I was thinking about having a trash and treasure stall at the local show in March to raise money for missions.
The trash and treasure stall didn't eventuate and I stepped down from the role in August.
5. Get my DIY projects at home done. I want to paint the laundry (we have a scungy outside laundry), paint the window frame in the kitchen and stick Bible verses and encouraging quotes around it, upcycle a toy box for Rory, make myself a patchwork skirt....that's probably enough.
Hahaha! Moving Rory into his new room and rearranging parts of the house was enough.
1. Finish editing my book, write a synopsis and cover letter and send to literary agents. NO MORE PROCRASTINATING, SARAH, YOU'VE COME TOO FAR!
FINALLY! I DID IT! Although I've been rejected four times so far, I finally put my creation out there.
2. Make God and His Word a priority. I need regular quiet times, plus I need to get into a Bible study of some sort. The ladies' fellowship at church has turned into a social group and no-one seems keen to do any Bible study, which I find a real shame. I'm praying about who to approach to read the Bible with.
The ladies' fellowship folded and an actual Bible study started instead. I was overjoyed to be meeting with other women every Monday morning to study the Bible using KYB study guides. It was difficult at times due to Rory being the only child there, and he's not always great at entertaining himself. Unfortunately I've had to stop going since Flynn arrived.
3. Get fit and lose 4kg. Water aerobics is on on Saturday mornings at our local pool and, now harvest is finished, Duncan can look after Rory so I can go. I'll get back into Zumba as soon as it starts again, and keep playing tennis. I want to do some yoga/Pilates type stretches at home to help my back. Maybe a healthier lifestyle will help with my fatigue. One thing I NEED to do is stop rewarding myself with bad food. It's too easy to think, I've had a tough day with Rory, I need some icecream/biscuits *fill in the blank*. I don't want to, but I need to stop buying Mocha Chills. Those things are EVIL. No more than one a week for me!
Well, I stopped drinking Mocha Chills...but that was because of the pregnancy. I went to water aerobics once before I found out Flynn was on his way and I was too sick. Any other attempt at exercise went out the window.
4. Pray and think about how to go about my role as the Ladies' Fellowship Deacon at church. It feels like I do nothing in this role. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be doing and I need wisdom. I don't want to overburden the ladies with too many things to do, but I want to encourage them to read the Bible with each other. I was thinking about having a trash and treasure stall at the local show in March to raise money for missions.
The trash and treasure stall didn't eventuate and I stepped down from the role in August.
5. Get my DIY projects at home done. I want to paint the laundry (we have a scungy outside laundry), paint the window frame in the kitchen and stick Bible verses and encouraging quotes around it, upcycle a toy box for Rory, make myself a patchwork skirt....that's probably enough.
Hahaha! Moving Rory into his new room and rearranging parts of the house was enough.
Friday, January 08, 2016
I Never Want to Forget
The touch of her soft, wrinkled hand.
Her twinkling smile.
Her wiry curly hair, which was mostly grey with white tufts at the side. I used to tell her she looked like a koala.
Her fresh, powdered smell.
"Some of those old biddies don't wash, but me, I always smell nice," she'd say.
Five years have passed in a flash, but I'm determined to remember her, to not let the memories fade, and to tell my boys how special she was to me.
Her twinkling smile.
Her wiry curly hair, which was mostly grey with white tufts at the side. I used to tell her she looked like a koala.
Her fresh, powdered smell.
"Some of those old biddies don't wash, but me, I always smell nice," she'd say.
Five years have passed in a flash, but I'm determined to remember her, to not let the memories fade, and to tell my boys how special she was to me.
 |
| Nan at the Alpaca Farm in Denmark (WA), 1994. |
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
New Year, New Hair
After more than five months, I finally got to have a haircut.
I'm hoping it will help slow the dreaded postnatal moult. At least now Flynn can't grab it.
I'm hoping it will help slow the dreaded postnatal moult. At least now Flynn can't grab it.
Monday, January 04, 2016
A Blank Calendar
The nicest thing about January is that the calendar is blank. It's my 'eye of the cyclone' month, sandwiched between a busy December and when things start cranking up again in February. It's nice to feel so 'available' and to write distant future events on the calendar with eager anticipation, rather than dread.
Friday, January 01, 2016
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