2014 is coming, ready or not...

Renmark here we come - hubby and I are off to the Riverland to visit my family tomorrow - and I can't wait. Sunshine, warm weather, the river, a boat and my family - all of my favourite things in one place.

I love summer holidays of sleeping late and reading and writing. Warm days and long balmy nights when you can stay outside and enjoy the evenings. Alas, back to work Monday week, so a week left of doing as I please.

My life in reflection

There's something about this time of year which makes you pause and think about what has gone before and what lies ahead for the coming year. It's after the craziness of Christmas has passed and before the New Year arrives.

My Christmas was a very tame, some might say boring, one. We did our family Christmas on Sunday when all of the family were available, so the actual day was a quiet one. No mad cooking or stressing on Christmas Day for me.

Tombstones don't talk

My mother forwarded this below to me in an email this morning and I had to share. So, I dare you to read it and not be inspired to make even one small change in your life today...now.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

Knowledge is Power

I'd love to be one of those sort of people who effortlessly goes for a jog, swims a few laps, does a few yoga poses. Someone who's trim, taut and terrific. At this stage I'm just settling for terrific.

Exercise and me, ugh it's an effort. I wish it wasn't. I love going for long walks on the beach, once I'm doing it that is, but the motivation to actually get there is kind of lacking.

Good things come to those who wait...

No person should stay in a job that makes them miserable or where they don't feel like they make a difference. I did and it's only now in my new job that I realise I should have left the last one a long time ago.

I had a job I loved probably 5 years ago and I really felt like what I did made a difference and that I was really appreciated. Then the boss from hell was hired and that sucked the life out of it and those of us who reported to her.

Quality over quantity

So given the title of this post, I really need to up the quality of what is written here being that the quantity has diminished considerably in the last few months. But, no apologies or excuses - that's life isn't it? Priorities and finding time to do the things we need (or want) to do.

I'm kind of suffering withdrawal at the moment because my personal writing has virtually dried up of late, not so much the desire to write but the hours in which to do it. I have plenty of writing going on at work but nothing really creative in my out of work hours.

I did a bad, bad thing

Remember me, I used to write here quite frequently, now two weeks seems like a life time not to write. New job and life has been kind of crazy, I'm now four weeks in and not quite as terrified as I was at the beginning. I'm starting to find my feet finally.

Now for my bad, bad thing and the reason I just had to share it with you. I have to point out the reality is you can be laughing hysterically and mortified by what you've done all in one.

Welcome to chaos central

That's a bit like how my house felt this weekend - chaos central. My brother and sister-in-law hit town yesterday for a flying visit from Renmark.

They were out last night for a work reunion in the city and Auntie Fi gallantly stepped in to keep niece and nephew occupied and entertained, plus I had my grandson for a sleepover while his daddy was working.

My baby bought a motorbike...

The sight of it makes me want to be physically ill, it's big and black and fast - okay so it's a motorbike people (that's for those of you who didn't read the title of this post)

My husband tortured me by making me sit in the car with him and follow behind our youngest son as he ventured onto the road for the first time today.

New kid on the block

Tomorrow will be my first day on the new job after nine weeks of rest and relaxation. Well not really, the first few weeks of 'unemployment' were hellish as the family adjusted to mum not working and voiced their personal opinions on the subject.

There's a lot of opinion in my house these days. I have to yell to be heard some days and then some days I just don't bother. But then, she who remains silent on occasion, also sometimes has the last laugh.

I think I can...I think I can....

It's supposed to be 34C (93.2F) today, where did Spring go? We're 7 weeks out from Summer and it's this hot already? My poor dog doesn't know what to think, she's black and doesn't like the heat much unless she's in the water.

This isn't her in the picture, but given her love of water, I'm sure she'd look exactly like this - lol

Little bits of inspiration

I have seven days left of leave before I start my new job. Now I have a sense of urgency to finish all of the things I've started. By the time I start my new job I will have had 9 weeks off - boy how I needed the break.

We bought a new car on Friday (like this one) and I'm just a little bit excited about it. The end of the month seems an eternity away before we get it and I can drive it.

When the Universe speaks...

When I was getting up and going to work every day I religiously wrote in my journal every morning, sitting in my car in the car park before I went into the office. I wrote my morning pages just like Julia Cameron recommends in her book Artists Way.

I've lost my rhythm and zip since I've been at home, I still get up at the same time every morning, but there was something about sitting in the car which created a habit of writing down my thoughts and feelings.

A watched pot never boils

The watched pot will eventually boil but it takes forever, just as a watched phone takes forever to ring. Yesterday and today have been two of the longest of my life, okay maybe not the longest, but definitely the longest I can remember in a while.

Mid afternoon yesterday the call I'd been waiting for finally came. Do you know how many minutes there were between 6am when I got up yesterday morning and mid afternoon. Let me tell you there's a lot of minutes. The call was to say they were doing reference checks for the role I applied for.

6WS - Feeling inspired and writing it down

This morning I headed out to do my fruit and veg shopping and a few other errands. My brain is still in over drive and my next book idea is percolating and rapidly turning over in my head.

I got as far as my first stop which was the newsagent to buy a lottery ticket for the $21 million draw tonight (yeah I can only hope).

Brimming with ideas

How I've missed the craziness on the roads during the early morning dash for the city - yeah okay not really. The only good thing about the drive into the city is the length of time it gives my brain to create stories and blog posts.

I had a job interview this morning which meant the drive into the city, I think it went well. It all hinges on who I'm up against and who's the best person for the job. I don't think I could have done any more, so time will tell.

We all need to learn to fly

The job hunting process has been slow, yet finally I have two interviews lined up for the next week. It seems that this is the length of time it takes - I'm such a novice at this job hunting gig.

I'm not complaining in the least (okay just a little) but I've been able to get so many things done in the last few weeks that it's been worthwhile. I finally feel like I can breathe again so it's been time well spent.

I gave away a piece of me

Yesterday I got serious and cleaned out my bookcases ... I have three bookcases which were literally bulging at the seams. In the end I took roughly 200 (maybe more) books to the local charity store. I have another two bags for my sister-in-law to take home with her.

I have (had) books on every subject under the sun, romance novels, chick lit, mystery and intrigue through to writing, self improvement, gardening, business. I still kept probably 100 of my favourites, primarily the writing and self improvement ones which I just couldn't bear to part with.

Where magic happens...

Yesterday I stretched my comfort zone and crossed off several items from my list of things to do to be a better me. Primarily the list exists in my head, but some of them align with my list of goals to achieve.

First up I attended an aqua aerobic class, which is something I haven't done since my kids were little. Lets be honest, I'm not a lover of exercise.

6WS - Bubble has to burst soon enough

So I'm writing this and listening to the audio for the writing course I'm currently doing - multi-tasking at its best. Why is it that 33 minutes to sit and simply listen seems like a monumental time to not be doing anything else?

The weeks seem to be zooming by since I finished up work, I have plenty of things to do and I'm not sure where I found time to do anything when I was working and leaving the house at 7am and getting home at 6pm.

6WS - relaxing weekend, here's how its done

So I'm sitting on the back deck of a friend of a friends holiday shack on the Yorke Peninsula, the nearest town is about 38km away and the beach is a mere 100 metres away.

With the wonders of modern technology I have just connected to my shiny new mobile wifi despite there not being a mobile tower in site. I'm truly out in the middle of nowhere and the silence is deafening.

A space to call my own

Plain old lemon juice and hot water - nice and soothing for my poor throat which refuses to get better. I finally took a trip to the doctor today and what could she do but recommend steam and rest and tell me it's a virus.

Arrggh... although she did give me Codeine Lixus which is a cough suppressant - kind of fun when I'm very sensitive to morphine based drugs, luckily this stuff just makes me sleep and has no adverse reaction. Sleep has been in short supply the last few weeks because of the cough.

Start as you plan to continue

Today is the beginning of my third week of not working and finally today I began my day pretty much as I plan to continue.

Week 1 was rest and relaxation with my family in Renmark, Week 2 was spent trying to recover from the cough from hell, Week 3 is about getting things happening and still recovering from the cough from hell.

Getting back on track...

So LinkedIn has a link to my dream job today - it says something like this;

"Help wanted: An "enthusiastic" traveler to fly around the globe for a year, all expenses paid, earning $100,000 in salary for blogging about it – and for volunteering to leave each destination a little better than when you found it."

http://www.cntraveler.com/daily-traveler/2013/08/jauntaroo-best-job-ever-travel-the-world-for-a-year#/!

I'm late, I'm late for a very important date...

So the news had an item on it tonight that tells me flu rates have doubled in Adelaide in the last few weeks - yeah no kidding. I am absolutely sick to death of coughing.

I came home on Sunday, with a little bit of adventure on the way. My alternator gave up the ghost at Blanchetown, which meant I was still 2 1/2 hours from home and stranded at the roadhouse.

No time to be sick, too much to do

Why is when we stop or slow down then our body suddenly thinks it's time to give up the ghost as well? Today is day 3 of feeling rather ordinary and I have a nice croupy cough that makes me sound like a barking dog.

Yesterday I helped my mum slow cook 22 kilos of corn beef for the RSL dinner tonight and we also did all of the vegetable shopping - rest easy I didn't actually breathe on any of it or cough on it.

Dancing in the rain

Someone took the sunshine away today and the rain now falls in a steady stream. I sit at the same outside 'office' desk on mum and dad's verandah and instead of birds today I listen to the pitter patter of rain on the roof. Yet, the words continue to flow from my fingers.

I now realise it's not blue skies and sunshine which make the words appear on my computer screen, it's a feeling of peace and relaxation and the feeling that all is right with my world.

Putting my feet up...

The last few weeks have been tougher than tough and if I had a dollar from everyone who asked me whether I thought I was doing the right thing then I probably could have retired by now.

Who ever knows if they're doing the right thing? You sometimes just have to take a leap of faith and go with your gut feel. I did and I have.

Thanks for the memories

Today is my last day after 12 years with this company. I'm sure to shed many tears in the  hours to come. These words of wisdom from a former boss arrived in my inbox this morning.

"I deeply believe that there is growth and life and miracles outside of our comfort zones and that people frequently miss out on life because they cling to what is familiar;

What a week it's been...

It's been a big week in more ways than one and yes I've been noticeably absent for many reasons, the least of which was a horrible stomach bug that laid me flat for two days over the weekend.

So other than two days of being up close and personal with my pillow, I have been kind of busy. The more exciting things which have been happening;

Putting things in perspective

I like to think of myself as creative – I love words, I love colour, I love design. Creating and designing things are when I’m at my happiest.

A friend sent me a link today for an essay about perspective and one sentence the writer wrote really grabbed me; 

The trick to being truly creative, I’ve always maintained, is to be completely unselfconscious and resist the urge to self-censor. To not-give-a-shit what anybody thinks?

6WS - Dancing on stars, swinging on clouds

I was one of those kids who always had my nose in a book and not much has changed now that I'm an adult. The genres have expanded but I still love the magical, make believe worlds.

Enid Blyton was one of my favourites and I adored The Faraway Tree and yes now I'm really showing my age.

Some weeks you're happy to see the end of...

Last week was one of those weeks... with the repercussions of decisions I made that some people still fail to fully understand the reasons for.

We're slowly getting there, however the weekend was my absolute payback for the week from hell.

I spent two days stuck in a holiday shack on the Yorke Peninsula with plenty of chick flick DVD's, my Kindle loaded with books and my pens and notebooks.

I believe in me...

I'm good at making decisions; I'm forthright and decisive and just like to get things done. It's when it's personal and other people believe they know what's best for me that things get a little wonky in the decision making department.

I've finally made the decision and my feeling of relief and weightlessness is worth it. For better or worse, I will live with the outcome. This blog was so-named based on how I was raised, with the belief that makes me hang on to my dreams and the power we each have to make amazing things happen.

Sometimes, words fail me...

I work in the communications field, yet when it comes to talking about personal things which frustrate me or annoy me then I have no words to explain how I feel because my ability to communicate vanishes. 

Have you ever tried to get your message across when you're angry and then said words you never meant to say? 

Go away dirtbag

Listen up, little man in Albacrete, Spain - stop trying to access my account and bugger off.

I was driving home from work tonight and I get this text message "Google Account - suspicious log in detected" - the messages are in my emails, my phone text messages and on my blog.

My heart stopped, because I haven't backed anything up for awhile.

Change is in the wind...I can feel it coming

Thomas Edison said "If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."

So I'm ready to be astounded. It's time to run, to explore and to discover bigger and better things - to prove to myself that I am capable of amazing things. No more putting up with less than I am worth, and I have been for too long.

6WS - The things I'm especially grateful for...

It's been a while, but hear that? It's the sound of silence...oh and the dog snoring.

Hubby is at a work show tonight, youngest is working, middle son - well who knows - he's 18 and it's Saturday night, so he's out and my oldest well he moved into his new home today.

Happy Birthday little man - two years old today

Time passes so quick and yet it seems like only yesterday that I was holding this little guy in the hospital. He makes me smile, he makes me laugh.

He warms my heart in ways I can't describe. He makes the world a better place for him being in it.

Come say hi

 
I'm visiting over at World Moms Blog, talking about the joys of being a mum to teenage / adult boys - so why not pop over and say hi

My boys drive me crazy with worry...still

Everything happens for a reason

Once upon a time if I didn't write daily I suffered from withdrawal symptoms. In saying that, I haven't written for almost two weeks and yet I couldn't make myself.

When life gets on top of me or makes me mad then I either struggle to write or I write continually.

What I know about hobbit houses and SH#T...

Two days in a row - I'm doing well this week aren't I? Not quite so tired tonight, maybe I'm getting used to the crazy at work finally.
 

I have two things to share with you, the first is a picture of my dream house, okay in a wonderland kind of way. The hobbit meets eco warrior kind of house. Might be a bit squeezy for all my boys, but cute nonetheless.

Not standing still, just resting

Every weekend should be a long weekend - with four day working weeks every week. Loving the beautiful sunny days in winter, chilly but nice.

I got all of the front garden in front of the fence weeded and re-mulched this weekend, all ready for planting with ground cover and daffodils next weekend once the mulch loses its kick. It was smoking, so probably a little too strong for planting my plants just yet.

Crazy days, crazy weeks.

Not enough hours in any day to do everything I want and need to do. That means making choices of what's most important.

These last few weeks, family and friends have won out. Writing, reading, blogging and visiting my friends in the blogosphere have all lost out. Its hard at any one time to make time for everything.

6WS - How time flies when you're busy

My goodness what a week, I think I've done more work in the last three days than I've done in the last 6 months. Might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but not much.

I haven't even turned on my home computer this week, my brain has been so seriously addled by work that I come home and sit in front of the television at night in a daze. This week I've had a crash course in corporate property management and I'm seriously flying by the seat of my pants.

Fake it 'til you make it

I'm not good with receiving criticism, even when it's constructive criticism and was asked for. Does anyone ever like being told they could do something better? It seems that my website is a little bit confused about what it wants to be when it grows up.

So I have plenty of revision and revamping to be done, although the website is probably mirroring my life at the moment as well. I'm not really sure that I know what I want to be when I grow up either.

When giving up is the right thing to do

Every now and again you get that perfect email or message and it arrives at just the right time – almost like serendipity, the Universe suddenly knows that you need it. That’s how it usually works for me anyway.

My most recent ‘needed’ message was from a former boss yesterday. Things have been a kind of tough in my little world lately and he knows me fairly well. The post was titled “15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy”.

6WS - Greener grass on the other side?

Should I feel sad, disgruntled or bemused? My cat has defected because the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence.

She’s old, senile and doddery – much as I imagine I’ll be at her age, which is about 105 in cat years. Actually to be alive at that age in my house is just an amazing feat in itself. Fifteen years in a house with dogs, numerous animals and three growing boys.

Sharing some wisdom

Wisdom arrived in my inbox tonight - so I had to share. "The main reason someone moves mountains, wins friends, influences people, amasses a fortune or anything else...is because they thought they would" - Thanks Mr Universe

Consequently I'm ready to move mountains (big, scary ones) and my advice to anyone who doubts that they too can move mountains, if you think you can't - then you won't.

I'm a creature of habit it seems

I tried a number of different ideas for my blog and guess what, I'm back to where I started - well almost. Some things are just meant to be I think.

It's not that I don't like change, it's just that no matter how many variations I tried this is the one that works the best.