Temet Nosce (Know thyself)

 

I’m resurrecting my blogging activities for therapeutic purposes.

I do love using the written word to express myself. Several colleagues have made encouraging comments such as “Ange, your work was a joy to read, you write beautifully..”

  

So, the plan is to use this talent to help me process my thoughts and life experiences, the good, bad and the ugly. The goal is to do this so that I can grow and “know myself” better.

The Wonder Woman quote is something that resonates with me. Anything relating to Wonder Woman resonates with me, even way back when I was a little girl. 

Life has been quite the roller coaster ride. There have been many, many times that I have wanted to give up. Many days where I feel as if I don’t have the strength to keep going. I’ve made it through one day at at time, and when that was sometimes a struggle, I’ve scaled it back to taking one step and a time. 

So, yes, I really do identify with the whole Wonder Woman mindset. 

TGBTG

Anje xox

“Into the unknown...”

It’s almost as if the song “Into the unknown” from Frozen 2 was a prediction of how this year would play out..

I blinked and next minute, it's almost the end of 2020.

It truly felt like we're all extras in a scene from the movie "Contagion"... scaary stuff!

I am thankful that I live in a regional area of Australia. Our town has a population just shy of 100 000. 

In the first stages of the pandemic, it wasn’t long before I had a close call with it myself... All it took was one health care worker that returned to work after visiting a popular holiday overseas destination. When they showed symptoms and confirmed that it was COVID-19, all the patients they had seen were contacted and tested. 

Two of those people that had been contacted were people with whom I had an extended conversation! This was post-contact with the health worker, pre-notification of their potential exposure..

Waiting for their test results was rather nerve-wracking and infuriating. I did have mild symptoms of a cold, so I went to the fever clinic to get tested. They declined to test until the two people I had been contact with had been confirmed as positive cases. 

Thankfully, they were given the all clear, but the virus had made its presence known in the local community. People all over the world, even here in our town, started panic buying and supermarkets had to enforce limits on how many items could be purchased.  For reasons that still cannot be explained, toilet paper was the  product that was in high demand... 

In our corner of the country, the state government strongly advised the public to stay at home and not leave their house unless it was to purchase food and supplies.  Only “essential workers” were allowed to go to work (Healthcare, Supermarket retail assistants, teachers and school staff etc) Students changed from face to face to an online classroom for 5 weeks... At-risk people worked from home.. it was certainly unknown territory.  Being “connected” via the World Wide Web has made the ordeal a little more bearable.

We awaited daily updates from the Prime Minister and the State Premiers. Restrictions were put in place: 

borders were closed, internationally, between states and at one stage, we were instructed not to travel out of the local area. Public venues were closed, public gatherings were banned, high school formals, weddings and funerals were also included... everyone has been affected by this pandemic.

My own Dad passed away at end end of May this year.(unrelated to COVID) If his funeral was held a week earlier, we would be limited to only 20 attendees. The  restrictions changed and it was increased to 50 attendees, just two days before. What was a blessing on one hand, there were still obstacles- We still were unable to gather in a public space as a large family group to hold an official Wake.. My heart aches for those that have had to farewell their loved ones during this time.

Fast forward to now, just few days before Christmas.. one can hope that the worst of it is over, but one shouldn’t count chickens before they hatch..Recent waste water test results in indicate that there is evidence of the virus (either an undiagnosed case or shedding from a recovered case) it will be interesting to see how it all plays out. 

Stay safe!

TGBTG

Anje <3

Stand tall, wear a crown and be sweet on the inside ...

Just like a pineapple! 🍍

One of my favourite fruits and favourite inspirational quotes! Winning x 2
It's  been a year between posts, life gets crazy busy.. blah, blah, blah.

Nevertheless, I want to share some enthusiasm about growing your own food, with minimal effort.

All you have to do is procure a pineapple, twist the crown off and remove any excess flesh. This is mainly to avoid any rotting. 

Pull off some of the bottom leaves to expose root nodules. This one had some that were very well developed. Other pineapples I have used were just white bumps.

Now, some people put it in water to establish the roots, others plonk it straight into some soil. Two years ago, my students and I had success with planting directly into pots and later into the cropping paddock.

I have chosen to put this baby on my kitchen windowsill to watch the roots grow and also because we have a darling fur baby that likes to eat my gardening projects. 

  

It certainly lifts my mood to see it when I walk into the kitchen.

Even better that I am recycling a salsa jar at the same time. Happy days!

On a slightly related tangent - when I was little, I complained to my dear Dad that no one gave me any flowers like TV ad where boys would give some to girls who wear Impulse spray deodorant. In typical weird and warped Dad humour, he said, "Never mind darling, I'll bring you a pineapple instead."

Stand tall, put on your crowns and be sweet inside, y'all!

TGBTG

Anje <3

Invoking my right to free speech..

This post is a bit of a rant, so beware!

This weekend, Australia held a Federal election which meant that all who are eligible to vote had to go to a polling booth to have their say in who runs the country.

I will confess that I had a moment where I groaned about having to go out, but then I remembered very quickly that it is a blessing to enjoy the freedom of being able to vote at all. 

Ultimately, I believe that this freedom was bought by the sacrifice made by our service men, women and their families, both past and present.

Thoughts of those who live in other countries who have never had the freedom to vote also resonated with me.

When I saw some pics doing the rounds on FB that made light of having to vote, I saw red. They were throwing their right to vote in the bin, literally. 

Their vote meant nothing. Check it out:

But wait! There's more!

This is literally, a "donkey" vote. 

It’s people that have an attitude like this that make it just a little easier for someone like Adolf Hitler to get his foot in the door.

Rant over.

TGBTG

<3

Anje

Cloudy with a chance of chicken noodle soup

This was the outlook for us here in (usually) sunny Queensland.

Should have known that Murphy's law would prevail when I had planned to do several loads of washing! 

Looking in the bright side, it was the perfect weather to make some Chicken Noodle Soup.

I had planned to cook it on the weekend to try and give us an immunity boost. Three of us have been fighting to stop a cold from taking hold and it should be just the right thing! That's what urban legend says anyways >_<

This is the recipe I was working with-

http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/recipes/a1870/homemade-chicken-noodle-soup-3996/

It is full of veges that are supposedly full of anti-viral properties, but the best part, they were hidden! Onion, carrot, garlic, celery, zucchini.. (I added that one in cos I had one left in the fridge and it's good for ya)

I blended them up once they were soft and together with the broth and fettuccine noodles, it turned out nice and thick.. Not overly nice to look at, but it was tasty.

One mistake- I added a few too many peppercorns at the broth stage, so it was a little bit over seasoned! 

Oh well. It was given the "alright" by my fussiest customer, so it will prob be made again this season.

TGBTG

<3 Anje

"Paradise by the rangehood light"

Can you guess what this meal was??

MEATLOAF, ofcourse! 

I can honestly say that my Mum never made this as I was growing up. 

I think the first time I ever experienced it was when I had dinner at my then boyfriend's (now husband) house nearly 20 years ago. Like all of my Mother-in-Law's cooking, it was rather yummo. 

I looked forward to making it myself somewhere in the future. It would end up being one of the regular stars on our meal plan menu, accompanied by roast veges! 

Some people make gravy to top it off, and we did too. On the odd occasion I would forget and we would just have to make do with tomato sauce, which turned out better in my opinion (I detest instant gravy!) Turns out I'm not alone in that opinion! 

So, I went looking on Kidspot recipes to see what they had to offer in the way of meatloaves, and I came across the heading "healthy meatloaf"..I was intrigued.

http://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/healthy-meatloaf-1623?ref=collection_view%2Cmeatloaf-recipe

I loved it for two reasons... (1) it was a vessel for smuggling veges and (2) it had a saucy glaze.  

Winner, winner, er, meatloaf dinner!!

I have a secret weapon that assists with veggie smuggling - it's my trusty food processor. Makes the onion, zucchini and carrot very hard to detect. No whining about onion chunks here! 

Overall, I was happy how it came together. Taste was fairly good, kids ate it up and the glaze was noice too. 

That's better than 2/3! LOL! Get it? 

Here's a picture of the loaf pre-oven:

Would I cook it again? Yep!

TGBTG

<3

Anje

Ole! Ole! Ole! Paella de Pollo!

Tonight I decided to try my hand at making a basic chicken paella...

I fell in love with this dish while away on a PD trip in Brisbane. A work colleague and I met up with our respective sons and had difficulty trying to decide where to eat.

We were at South Bank, and walked past all sorts of international fare, Turkish, Chinese and Spanish.

We finally settled on a place called Ole - to sample some Spanish cuisine. It was a relaxed atmosphere, particularly where we sat, facing the streetscape and a partial view of the Southbank arbor.

We were enticed by the friendly staff to try some - paella de pollo - to share. When we sat down to have a closer look at the menu we were further tempted by another dish - carne - to share as there were 3 young strapping, hungry lads in the group! We also went with a side salad to balance out such rich flavours.

The food was absolutely delicious, I became a fan of Spanish food (just hold the seafood part..!)

So, the quick chicken paella I attempted to make went down alright with the family- next time I think I will include chorizo (a traditional paella ingredient)

Here's the recipe:

http://www.food.com/recipe/quick-chicken-paella-402568

TGBTG

<3

Anje 

Singing up a storm in the kitchen.

Have been busy in the kitchen lately - cooking while letting my singing voice loose! Singing is rather therapeutic for me, as is a little bit of grooving around the kitchen.

We're starting to plan our meals again, so that means I am destined for the kitchen after getting home from work. Not the most appealing idea, but putting my playlist on and belting out some power ballads makes it a little bit more enjoyable (not sure that the rest of the house is enjoying it, but oh well, it's a small price to pay for their dinner!)

So, I've been trying out a few new recipes and revisiting some favourites too. Had a hankering for gnocchi, but never have much satisfaction using dried gnocchi. 

I'm not one to admit defeat so I went in search of gnocchi recipes and found a few that appealed to my rich, creamy taste craving - Cheeseburger Gnocchi!!

It turned out to be really delish, so check it out here- 

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/cheeseburger-gnocchi/

TGBTG

<3

Anje

A year of firsts...

Hello Possums!

Time has indeed flown and I find myself in the beginning of another new year-2015. I really like the fact that it's a year that contains my favourite number, 5. Always loved that number, ever since my 5th birthday, actually! My birth date also has combinations that add up to multiples of 5. Numbers often stick in my head... valuable memory is still taken up with old phone numbers..

As the title says, 2015 is a year of firsts. Let's see if I can make a list of 5 things...

1. My first born is off to uni in less than 2 weeks. It will leave a hole in my heart and I will miss him so, but I am so joyful that he gets to be free and start his own adventure.

2. We are approaching the end of the first twelve months living in our own house. Never thought that would happen, so thankful to be so blessed.

3. I have had the pleasure of being a part of my school's new middle years program and seeing my dream of teaching Year 7 finally come true!! So far they have settled in brilliantly and I can't wait to walk with them through their first year of high school.

4. Our family unit in now complete with the addition of two fur babies. Our gorgeous dog is about to turn 1 very soon. Our other addition is an adorable feline that has the patience of a saint. I marvel at how he puts up with the younger children man handling him so much.

5. This year will see me begin a new adventure in my career.. teaching Agricultural Science to Year 9 students. I am very excited to be diversifying in teaching Science,  it has awoken a wish to begin post graduate study! However, we shall leave the details to another post.

I should be sleeping right now, but sleep has eluded me. Oh, I am going to feel it mid afternoon tomorrow!

That's all, folks!

TGBTG

Anje xx

This post is brought to you by the letter " G"

G for Grief, that is.

The emotional sheet storm that you go through when you lose someone that you love.

It shows itself in many ways. I've heard a few times that there are some common stages that we can go through in the grieving process.

One stage they don't always talk about is the week or two straight after.  l call it the "Taking care of business" / whirlwind stage. Some of you might know what I'm talking about. You have to put off any thought of grieving properly until after your loved one has been put to rest. There's so many decisions to be made. Who will be the funeral director? What type of coffin should you choose? Do you choose cremation or a burial? What clothes and shoes do I need to choose for them to be buried in? Makeup? Jewellery? Photos? Letters? What wording shall we use in the funeral notice? What are the correct details of their parentage, DOB and place of birth? Marriages? Date and location? Then there's deciding about how the service should go. Flowers? Songs? Prayers / readings? who will write and/ or deliver the eulogy? Shall there be an open mic for people to share memories? What about afterwards? The Wake.. where should it be held? How should it be catered?

That's just one DAY to plan and get through. Next comes sorting out personal effects, what to do with them.. fighting off "friends" that have put dibs on certain items. This insensitivity can cause irreparable damage in a relationship. Cleaning and preparing their house to be sold, gut wrenching.

If a Will has to be read, it means a few trips and many phone calls, emails to a solicitor as the instructions are carried out. The nastiness factor between family members can multiply exponentially when they want to make sure they don't miss out on their "share".

One lesson l have learned is that having a Will is important, however, it is essential to keep it updated REGULARLY. Two grandchildren missed out on any inheritance because their names weren't added. The evil Step-family would not honour the original intent of our parent's wishes, that the estate was to be divided equally among the grandchildren. Oh well.

This is just an overview of what you might face before you can Stop and have a moment to breathe and even begin to walk through the grieving process.

Off the top of my head, I think the first stage is denial.  That makes sense, when you stop  and think about it. Speaking personally, my experience of denial wasn't a refusal to accept that my loved one had gone. It was more like, it felt SO surreal, I knew she was gone, but some days I found myself thinking, I must tell Mum that or the  heart twinge when you want to pickup the phone and call, then you realise you can't. To me, denial is more like the cruel reminder they aren't around when you have slipped back into some version of normality.

Another stage is anger. Anger at them, that they left you. Anger that they might have lived longer if they didn't drink or smoke and actually looked after themselves properly. Most of my anger was not only as a result of the way certain people acted, it was also how I deal with stressful Situations. l become extremely irritable, agitated and anxious, lashing out by yelling at the poor person who just happened to be "annoying" me at the time.

There are other stages to discuss, just not right now. I feel like I might still be in he anger stage,  to be honest. l think Sorrow is another Stage. I've experienced a few, especially around special days. I just feel like Curling up and sleeping all day. At least in my dreams I might see her, Sometimes sleep is a pleasant way to switch off and steel yourself to deal with the world again.

"Watch this Space.''
More to come..

TGBTG
Anje xo

The halfway mark

Next week will see the beginning of June. It represents a few things for our little family..

It's the half way mark for the year, nothing new there!

In the awesome land of Aus, June is the first month of winter (my favourite season).

l am about to complete my sixth year of teaching junior high school Maths and Science (wow, that time has flown!) Another year and a half to go and I can take long service leave, WOOHOO!

B1 is rapidly moving closer to the end of Grade 12. * SIGH *

My first born might be flying the nest, if he can decide what he wants to do. We took him to the local careers expo this afternoon. lt seems that he might be leaning towards studying science, MAYBE engineering.  He loves his Physics and Chemistry...  The next question is which university? Local or out of town? Moving away from home to study will make me stress out about whether he will do the reading, go to lectures (and TALK to strangers, oh my!) study and/ or do assignments.

Honestly, the responsibilities he has had as the eldest child and an upbringing that has taught him some lessons about the real world, I think he will thrive. IF you are reading this, my precious boy, l firmly believe you are equipped to make wise (and most likely VERY opinionated) choices and survive in the big wide world. Much better equipped than I ever was, that's for sure.

The credit for this goes to Husband dear. We have come from polar extremes of parenting styles. If l was allowed to, I would have (unintentionally) raised a Mummy's boy rather than a young man. l would often do everything for him. This was a bad idea on several levels. Firstly, I was making a rod for my own back making extra work for me and secondly, depriving our Son of invaluable Opportunities to develop age appropriate independence and responsibility. With husband's guidance, l slowly and reluctantly released the apron strings. For that, dear husband, l really do thank you. One day, our boy will too.

B1 might argue some days we were too hard on him. He sometimes moaned about other Kids who didn't have to do jobs at home AND still got pocket money AND that everything was handed to them on a platter (a bit green with envy, me thinks!). I think over time he has come to realise that he holds more skills and knowledge than his pampered counterparts and will find life much easier to navigate on his own.

l am So excited for him but also dreading the moment he really has grown up

TGBTG

Anje

A new frontier...

Another year over, and we are a quarter into the next, hard  to believe, actually!

At the moment unchartered, our family is navigating unchartered territory in some instances. Let me elaborate..

Quite a few milestones reached, we now have two teenage sons! Up until the last 12 months,  I thought that our 16 year old had managed to avoid the teenage angst we often hear about. No, indeed, we did not avoid that drama. It manifests itself in different ways,  unique to each individual teenager.  One common symptom is mood swings and the craving of solitude. Given that their bodies are flooded with hormones at levels they have never experienced,  I am able to empathize, some days more than others. This year faces the end of his schooling phase, Year 12. I am going to be a blubbering mess when he graduates. I have had him at school with me for the last four years, it will feel like a massive hole in my heart will be ripped open this time next year. *sniff*

So, we have to buckle up and prepare for the next round with our brand new 13 year old, with a dash of Aspergers thrown in to boot. This one has a lot of change ahead of him, starting high school 5 weeks. Thankfully, I am the coordinator of his year level so I can help him get through it.  Still, it's hard to comprehend he has finished primary school,  he was only a baby yesterday!

The second half of our family unit, the pink half, also has to deal with change... I like the idea of calling them Big Pink and Little Pink, actually!  Big pink will start grade 1 and continue to sprout more adult teeth.  (So far, she has lost 4, and she really did need her two front teeth for Christmas!) She has started to learn how to read this year, so far, she is very keen to be a good reader. She has grabbed some of our children's books and made a huge effort to read them, giving me opportunities to teach her some things she hasn't heard in class yet.

Little Pink is in her second year of going to day care (we call it Kindy). She has really blossomed, most of the time she is a little treasure. She is starting to push boundaries with "no" lately, although overall, she is still an easy going child.

On the subject of the names Big and Little Pink, I wanted to refer to the boys Big Blue and Little Blue, but I think they are a bit old for that now.  My mind then progressed to B1 and B2... that can cover Blue or Boy. They also drive me bananas,  so those nicknames are even more appropriate! Pardon the pun....

I even have a nickname for our car, Black Beauty. I'm a bit quirky, if you didn't already realise....  besides the obvious that it is a black car, the nickname has special meaning to me.  Black Beauty was one of  the first stories that I loved when I was old enough to sit on Mum's lap and she would read to me. I think I still have that book somewhere, to read to my kids. It will hopefully show up when I finish unpacking... (ugh)

Wonder what I can nickname our house... my first thought is the Castle. It suits on a few levels, actually.

Anyhoo, that will do for now. Hopefully it won't be so long between posts

Anje xox

TGBTG

A music review, Molly Meldrum style...

As I am getting on in years now, I have begun to lose touch with the Top 40 music scene. Occasionally a song is released that I enjoy.. but I find myself not able to keep up with all of the song or artist names. Maybe that has something to do with my lack of time to sit and listen to the radio to find out all the details...
One band I have grown to like is Mumford and Sons. Another treasure I stumbled across thanks to a work mate is OK Go.

I first fell in love with their work when I watched their viral music clip "Here it goes again". The song is catchy and their amazing efforts with choreography and numerous treadmills blew me away. Do yourself a favour  (like Molly said) and look up the  OK Go You Tube Channel

The second song from this group I came across  is called "Needing/Getting" . This is a masterpiece!! Watch it more than once, you will notice something new about how it is put together each time you do. LOVE IT!

TBTG

Anje xx

Fast Dinner Fix - Chicken, Salsa and Corn Chip Bake

Ok, long time no see, but I've been thinking bout you, all the time!

This post is all about my favourite kind of recipe, easy and FAST!

It's my own take on a recipe I found on the Campbell's Kitchen Website. It's called E-Z Chicken Tortilla Bake and here is the link to the original recipe: EZ Chicken Tortilla Bake

 

Now, I cheat and use plain corn chips, broken up by squishing the bag a little. I also use a jar of salsa sauce, the closest thing I can use to Picante sauce... according to my quick google research.

So, here is my slightly adapted version:

Anje's Awesome Chicken, Salsa and Corn Chip Bake 

(serves 3-4 adults) 

Ingredients:

1 can Condensed Tomato Soup

1 jar of  salsa sauce (mild, medium or hot - are you game??)

1/2 cup milk

2 cups cubed cooked chicken (grab a bbq chook and shred the meat)

1/2 - 1 pkt plain corn chips, roughly broken up. (use some corn chips on plate to serve with)

1 cup + shredded Cheddar cheese

Method:  

1.Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

2.Gather all your ingredients:

 

3.Stir the soup, salsa, & milk together in a shallow lasagne type baking dish.

 

4.Add the chicken, tortillas and half the cheese, stir to evenly combine.

5. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot and bubbling.
6. Top with the remaining cheese. Let stand until the cheese is melted.
7. Serve on plates or wide bowls with left over or extra corn chips. 

8. Goes nicely with garlic bread on the side. (I love my garlic bread!)

That's all for now.

 Bless y'all.

TGBTG

Anje xo

Hypotheses, Evidence, conclusion

I have a bit of a hypothesis brewing (practicing what I preach as a junior high science teacher) It has been on the simmer for the last few years.

Teachers often come down with a cold etc during the holidays as they are run down or winding down the adrenalin rush from surviving the term.

So, the next step would be to gather evidence to support/disprove my theory. First data trends seem to show that as the holidays conclude, a teacher will begin processing this idea and preparing themselves mentally. This would then be a trigger of the memory of the usual stress and busy-ness. The body responds by preparing itself, including the release of adrenaline (put very simply!) for fight of flight reasons. Ha,ha, in some situations, you may need one more than the other!

I base this on my personal experience of late.. I have had to have a midday sleep almost every day of the last two weeks. Two days before returning to school, I have been on the go and achieved a fair amount of work.. More in two days than would normally be done in two weeks!

The remaining evidence will be gained by interviewing other teachers to see if there is a common thread!

Watch this space!

TGBTG

Anje xo

Fast Dinner Fix - Puff Pastry Parcels

Well, I am always one in favour of a fast fix when it comes to dinner, one that doesn't involve take away OR frozen food, but fresh and tasty.

I have a few tried and true recipes that I fall back on regularly. This one is too easy! All you need is some puff pastry and a filling of your choice. My first experimentation was with chunky cubes of ham (we were using up the last of a leg ham) and cubed tasty cheese. You could cut slices of ham into strips and use grated cheese to make it quicker, it's very versatile.

I worked on one parcel each for the kids and two for teens/adults. So, one sheet of pastry will yield 2 parcels.

PUFF PASTRY PARCELS
(Makes 12 parcels)

Ingredients:
1 packet of Puff Pastry (Aldi or home brand does the job!)
3 cups grated cheese
3 cups diced or shredded ham
1 egg, beaten) for glaze

Steps:
1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celsius (fan forced), line baking trays with baking paper, allow pastry sheets to come to room temp (when able to fold easily)
2. Mix your filling together in a mixing bowl until evenly combined.
3. Lay out a sheet flat on clean surface, using a knife, run a dividing line down the middle so you see two equal rectangles.
4. Dip a pastry brush into the beaten egg and 'paint' a 2cm border around the edges of each triangle.
5. Working with one rectangle, spoon a two generous tablespoons of filling onto the MIDDLE of the bottom end.
6. Fold the top half onto the bottom half, covering the filling and make sure all the straight edges meet.
 

7. Use a fork to seal the edges together (finished product will look like picture)



8. Brush parcels with egg wash, place onto tray and bake in oven for approximately 15-20 minutes (check regularly after ten minutes)

9. Serve with sides of choice eg salad, mashed veg, chips etc.






 ENJOY!

TGBTG

Anje xx

Day 7 - at last! Do NOT worry!!

Here it is, the final installment of my very own blogging challenge!

Day 7 - Bible verse(s) that have had the biggest impact on my life

The Bible is God's enduring message to us, a go-to guide on how He wants us to live. It is sometimes a comfort, other times it can be the wake up call we need.

Every time I make a concerted effort to read it regularly, I discover so much more about He who created everything, from the microscopic to the vast expanses of the Universe.

Psalm 147:4-5 says
"He determines the number of stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."

So, commentary on this verse suggests that God made all these magnificent things but He loves us, small by comparison, so much, that He took the time to plan each one of our lives.

It becomes clearer to me how His plan has unfolded, and that He is a patient and loving Father, giving us chance after chance to do the right thing, just as a parent does for their child. We can trust in Him, that like a Father does, He will make sure we have the things we need to grow into the person we are meant to be, according to His divine plan. The hard part is, that it's not always how WE want it to work out, or easy to understand. Eventually, we will know why things happen the way they do, and it will all make sense.

I'm a working mum of 4 and have been the only income earner in our family for quite a while now. I have struggled with this on and off, when I think too much about carrying that responsibility, some days I forget to rely God's strength and not my own. It's those days that are rather dark and I often end up crashing, burning and feeling sorry for myself. But, I ALWAYS come back to the verse below, I get through each day by knowing this:

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Some notes that accompany this verse mention that we should focus on the present day and get through one day at a time. It uses an analogy of a mountain climber, how they climb a mountain by focussing on what is in front of them, not constantly looking at the Summit. It would seem so much harder if you keep looking up at how far you still have to reach the top.

Then, it just comes down to having faith. Faith that God has a plan for my life to be the way it is.

Jeremiah 29:11 sums it all up perfectly..

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

And that, is how I manage each day, when I rely on God to get me through.

God, just as a Father would, wants us to share our lives with Him, the good, the bad and the ugly.

We should be thankful to Him for all the blessings he abundantly provides out of love for us. When we hurt, He wants to know, He longs for us to reach out to Him.

He could change your circumstances in the blink of an eye, but that might not be what you need in the long term, even though we think it might be. HE knows the big picture, we don't.. We don't have the capacity to know everything, we weren't born that way.

God wants to have a relationship with us, but He can't and doesn't want to force our love. We have to make that decision for ourselves, when we begin to understand what He has done and to honour and give Him the glory He deserves.

I pray that this might give you food for thought about accepting God's love and acknowledging Him as your Lord and the Lord of all creation.

I am fairly sure we have all said a prayer when we have needed help or wanted something to happen. It wasn't hard to pray then, so my challenge to you is to say another prayer, right now.

It might be one like the "catchy tune" from 80's - remember? The Ad where a little boy sings "Hello, my God"

You could try saying thanks for all the things you are grateful for in life, for the food in front of you at the dinner table.

Ask Him for help to be open minded about having a relationship with Him and to help find the answers or people that will help you overcome disbelief.

Please DON'T measure God with the same measure you use when you see "Christian" people acting in a way that is hypocritical to their alleged faith. Each one of us is flawed, and even if we do love God and profess faith in Him, we still sin. I know that I do. Difference is, that I can go to Him and seek forgiveness for what I did wrong, with the confidence that He will forgive. Our job is simply to honour Him as Lord and to seek to live a life that pleases Him.

We can find out what that means by reading, you guessed it, the Bible. Jesus gave us two basic instructions-

to love God with everything we've got and to love others the way we want to be loved.

When I say "others" that is anybody.. rich, poor, homeless,white, black Asian, Indian, male, female, homosexual, heterosexual, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, JW's, Jews, criminals, tall, short, fat, skinny, adult or child.. We were all created EQUAL, it says so in the first part of the Bible, the Book of Genesis! It is not our right OR place to judge or condemn one another (regrettably, it happens). It's our job to show love and compassion to each other.

That means looking after each other, to put the needs of others before your own. Treating God as the King of your life and to serve Him by serving your fellow man, that is it! Why is it so hard to love Him? God is the reason that we are even here now,surrounded by everything HE made, and put US in charge of!

Oh Gosh, if we could all just get over ourselves and follow Jesus' example, there would be peace and harmony. Problem is, it is human nature to think of ourselves first and not having to answer to someone and be held accountable for our behavior.

Finally, like in any relationship with Fathers, there comes a time where continued and willful disobedience will have a consequence.

Bless you all.

TGBTG

Anje xx

Blogging Challenge Day 6

At last! The June/July holidays are here and they mark the half way point for the year...

Time to devote some TLC to my dear blog and continue on with my challenge posts. So, without further ado...

Top 5 Novels I've read so far in my lifetime...

1. The Burning Shore - Wilbur Smith
2. The Potato Factory - Bryce Courtney
3. Jessica - Bryce Courtenay
4. Beneath the Southern Cross - Judy Nunn
5. Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey

I must admit, I have read quite a few books from these authors, these are my absolute favourites.

I can also highly recommend these books

Bryce Courtenay - Four Fires, Matthew Flinder's Cat
Wilbur Smith - The Courtney Novels
Judy Nunn- Pacific

I have borrowed a book by Jodi Picoult about an Aspie boy. Must get around to reading that and return it by the end of the holidays!!

The last book I read was not fiction, but a book called "The Cross and the Switchblade". One minister's calling to work with troubled gang youth in New York was a very inspiring read.

For now, it's time for me to catch some zzzz's

TGBTG

Anje xx

Blogging Challenge Day 5 - What are you thankful for?

When I stop to think about it, I am grateful for everything in my life. God has blessed me so much throughout my life. That doesn't mean it's been rosy and smooth sailing all the way, it certainly hasn't. I can say with certainty that everything has worked out in the long term, just the way God planned it. Hindsight is always 20/20 they say. When you can make sense if what has happened later, it really helps to see that God has it all under control and I can indeed trust and have faith in His timing.

Lately, I have frequented Pinterest, ALOT! It is my own little way to de-stress and wind down from the day. I have also used it as a way to immerse myself in Bible verses or good thoughts that are paired beautiful artwork or visual images. I have pinned them to one of my boards, Food4Thought. If I can work out how, I will try to set up a link!

Anyhoo, I digress, yet again. Here is one of the gems that have made me stop and think...

TGBTG

Anje xo

Blogging Challenge Day 3 - Hot or Cold?

So! Two posts in a row, that's an achievement for me these days :0)

To answer the question, It's hard to say.

When it comes to seasons, I'm normally winter ALL the way. If I could travel north for the Aussie summer and have a white christmas, well, I'd be in my element.

As I get older, well, I am more comfortable with the middle grounds of spring or autumn.

If you were talking about beverages, I'm definitely cold. I believe that I am actually addicted to Coca-cola, I drink that more than anything else (an issue I must address sooner rather than later)... Cola aside, I still prefer cold milk or juice etc over tea or coffee, hands down.

With regards to colours in fashion and makeup - warm or cool, I generally stick to warm tones.

So, based on the above, I'd be classified as "cold". But, I also tend to change my mind, depending on the situation.

A song that came to mind was Katy Perry's "Hot or Cold" song. When I was searching You Tube for a clip, I stumbled across the Elmo version. Given the fact I am a Mum, I had a bit of a giggle to myself as I watched it. (On a different level, have you ever taken notice of how many artists redo their songs for Sesame Street? Check it out some time when you have time to waste, or ahem.. Fill in? (Smartphones are excellent in that instance!)

Enjoy Elmo and Katy :o)

TGBTG

Anje xx

A bittersweet symphony that ain't over til it's over

Blogging Challenge Day 4

My Top 5 songs-

Ok, I have two sets of Top 5's- I HAD to include some of the awesome Christian songs I have discovered in the last 7 years.

The ability to listen and be deeply moved by the beautiful sounds of music is such a gift from God. We should never take this gift, or the gift of hearing, for granted.

I love the work of all of these Musicians, so it was a little hard to finalize the very top faves. But, nevertheless, I managed to, and here they are:

MAINSTREAM SONGS

Bittersweet symphony - The Verve
It ain't over til it's over - Lenny Kravitz
Stay - U2
Clocks - Coldplay
End of the World - Kate Miller Heidke

CHRISTIAN SONGS

Oh my God ( Jars of Clay)
How great is our God (Bethany Dillon)
Need you now (Casting Crowns)
Blessed Redeemer (Casting Crowns)
Born again (Third Day)

I am using the Blogger app on my phone so I am not up with how to properly do links to these songs.. I will have to edit at a later stage to improve the whiz bang appeal of this blog entry, ha, ha, ha.

Til later,

TGBTG

Anje xx

Blogging Challenge Day 2

Reflect on your favourite cartoon as a child..

I will give you a hint:

La, La, La, La, La, La
La, La, La, La, La
(Repeat)

The Smurfs!

LOVED this show...and to prove it, I am the proud owner of the special edition complete series DVD box set... That's right! Yes, sad it may sound, I indulged in a bit of living a second childhood.  Don't worry, hubby happily indulged too, we also picked up Mighty Mouse, Dot and the Kangaroo, The Muppets and Inspector Gadget, to name a few.

We were determined that our children would not miss out on such classic animation. Our eldest son has been a fan of  Transformers since he was about 6.. He received the complete original tv series for his birthday one year. That year probably ranks highly on his fave birthday present list....

I guess the recent motion picture presentation of  The Smurfs was okay, the kids enjoyed it, and it led to some vintage DVD viewing later on. I still prefer the TV series.. The original and the best, they say?

Confession time-  I was a teensy bit enamoured with their game App that released at the same time as the movie, one of the very few games I actually wasted time on. It involved building a smurf village and naturally, different features were unlocked at  different levels. It could end up quite complex if you were a die hard participant. It was fun while the infatuation lasted, alas, I had bigger fish to fry (like everyday life).

So, another challenge blog entry done, long time since the lastI know, but hey, it has been a bit of a ride so far this year.. More on that later!!

Til then,

TGBTG

💜 Anje xx

Blogging Challenge Day 1

Describe your character in 10 words or less...

Do I liken myself to a fortune cookie? No.
Am I superstitious? No.
What's with the fortune cookie? Let me tell you.

Until late 2011, I had NEVER encountered a fortune cookie. One of my very favourite work colleagues brought them in one day and left one on my desk, bless her heart.



When I opened the FC, it read:
"Your character can be described as natural and unrestrained"

As I said before, I am not superstitious in any way. Nevertheless, I did find myself having to agree. The majority of the time, this would paint an accurate picture of me.

So, that's Day 1 done and dusted, short and sweet!

Ever had a similar experienced with fortune cookies?

Are you able to describe your character in ten words or less?

Let me know!!

TGBTG,

Anje xo

Daily Blogging Challenge...

Holidays are here at last, six LOVELY weeks worth. Praise God!!

I've seen a few journal challenges around, some are just topic based, some require photos or images that represent a certain topic- one for each day.

Today is the 11th of December, and given that these challenges usually go for a month, I am going to start small and aim for a week..! Easy to achieve, I say!

Anyhoo, I should probably let you in on what my mash up list of topics will be:

Day 1: Describe your character in 10 words or less.
Day 2: Reflect on your favourite cartoon as a child
Day 3: Hot or Cold?
Day 4: Your top 5 favourite songs
Day 5: What are you thankful for?
Day 6: List the top 5 Novels you've read
Day 7: Share a verse from the Bible that has the biggest impact on your life?

So- without any further ado, I shall commence work on Day 1and see y'all later!

TGBTG!

Anje xxoo