Jumble Days

Yes today was a jumble day, and yes I'm going to tell you ALL about it.

1. Woke up late at 10:20am after having a strange dream about trying to find a wedding dress or the resemblance of something I could wear to my own wedding in an op-shop on my wedding day. My strange sleeping brain then switched to a dream in which I was cycling around a housing complex to rescue a deathly sick child. Oddly enough I didn't feel all that relaxed after waking up!

2. Cleaned my room a little after much inspiration from FLYlady....don' t ask how I stumbled across the site....I just did. (It will probably bore most of you so don't bother with the link unless you're really and I mean really curious!)

3. Cooked fried garlic tomatoes to have on toast with cheese for lunch....yummy!

4. Found out that I left renewing my library books one day late....now they are late....and I'm not going back to uni till the 16th of June. I have 4 books late and it's 50 cents a day for each one! That gives me three alternatives: I can either pay a $36 fine on the 16th of June OR I can call the library and grovel and see if they will let me off the hook OR I could go all the way into the city for the measly purpose of returning books....Hmmm I think I'll try calling first and create a plan of action afterwards.

5. Went out to do errands with Mum - Post Office first, then the Cafe' for tea and cake where I happened to bump into the lovely Samantha , then the Op-Shop (btw there were no suitable wedding dresses!) , then the Engraving Shop where I finally got John's birthday present finished and when I went to collect it, I was asked by the guy at the engraving shop, "What is it [the engraved message] all about?" I was actually a little bit surprised that he asked and not being quite ready to explain it all to a complete stranger I said, "It's for my boyfriend..." What I intended to say next was, "It's just a personal thing between us that we both understand"...but it came out a little different, probably because I was unprepared for the guy to even ask! I said, "It's just a personal joke between us." Joke, joke....where on earth did joke come from?! Now I feel stupid - not that the engraving guy knows any better but I do and I know it is NOT a joke.

6. I caught the bus home and bumped into Samantha yet again! At the bus stop before mine I noticed one of my cousins getting off the bus. I hadn't even noticed him! Whoops, there's nothing like not noticing your relatives. I wonder if he saw me? I wonder if he would have spoken to me if he had? Hmmmm (disclaimer: nothing is wrong between me and my cousin he's just very shy and sometimes I wonder if he actually recognizes me as we hardly see each other even though we only live a short distance appart!)

7. Since then I've been doing a random jumble of things at home.

TTFN

Deep Vein Thrombosis

Okay so the question in my mind is....can I get this from sitting too long at my computer totally absorbed in other people's blogs? I'm addicted....there you go a first hand confession. I go to one blog which leads to another interesting looking blog and then another..... which leaves me sitting at the computer for three hours consequently with a numb backside. BUT my mind says, "Just one more blog Laura, just click that little link, this one will be different from every other one you've visited!" People get DVT on planes after sitting for too long so what about blog junkies? Do I fall in a high risk category?! Needless to say I've been rolling my ankles around...you know how they do on those pre flight instruction clips, the ones where women wear frilly lace blouses, men have side combs and kids wear overalls.

Okay moving on! Bec's latest blogging suggestion was for me to post about my 'home remedies'. If I heard her correctly I think I noticed just a small smidgen of sarcasm and amusement in her voice (correct me if I'm wrong twin 2) which I've decided to over look as I'm a firm believer in my remedies : ) At the moment there are three remedies which I have tucked away for "emergencies":

1. Cramps - I heat up a wheat bag in the microwave for 4 minutes or so till it's really hot but not so hot as to start combusting all on it's own un attended in the microwave, then pick 5 heads of lavender from the garden and crush them just a slight bit between my hands so they release their fragrance . Two of them get tucked in the wheat bag to wilt in the heat and let out even more lovely lavender smells. Then I sit on the couch, bed or any other comfy place that has lots of cosy cushions, with the heat pack on my tummy or back, smell the other lavender heads and think happy thoughts. It works like charm....better than popping two Panadines is all I can say.

2. Sore Throat - this remedy soothes though I think it helps cure too as it's got honey it (I have a bit of a fascination with honey as a antiseptic). I mix equal parts honey and lemon juice (fresh lemon juice is best, not stuff out of a squeezy bottle from the supermarket) and then add a bit of hot water so it's not cold to sip. To work it needs to be strong....so don't dilute with too much water. It's yummy as well as being good for you!

3. Lack of Concentration - I love using this when I have a large chunks of study to do at the last minute. I mix 5 drops of rosemary essential oil with 10ml of base oil (like almond oil, or olive oil) and rub a small bit on my neck and shoulders. It's suppose to be good for headaches too but I haven't tried it yet for that. Oils are something that I want to learn more about along with herbal remedies and aromatherapy.

So there you have it Laura's quick fixes for everything but deep vein thrombosis.

Dobbed on

Well thanks to Bec linking me in her online ramblings, now I have to update my blog. Yes this is many days after promising to be a faithful blogger - see I told you I'm a procrastinator!

So the question is what to blog?

1. Socks - they've been parading in my dreams. I've been at work surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of socks (each one with it's pair mind you so that's even MORE than hundreds and hundreds). I've been pricing, security tagging and invoicing them all.

2. John - I was at work today when he called....*sigh*....I wonder if he called just because or if there was a particular reason. I'll find out when the time difference comes around again - you've got to love being 14 hours ahead of North Carolina time - living in the future is such a novelty.

I love this photo! Reminds me of the lengths we went to take it. John's gloveless hand was the sacrifice made to keep the camera out of the wet. The formal pose because of the slippery snow and steep drop off on either side of us. We probably shouldn't have gone up there in the first place because of how dangerous it was with the deep snow obscuring the rocks....but then while we were traipsing around the mountain side above camp there were 30 or so students finishing their wilderness first aid class...we would have been good practice for them if anything had happened : )

Selah

Thoughts have been running around my head about my procrastination rut and not really beings sure of where I'm heading with my life. This is an extract from a letter I wrote today (which contains an block of my hand written journal):

"To cut a bit of a long story short, I've had niggling prompts in the back of my mind to start writing my thoughts down again in a note book and felt a big shove from God that I need to be engaging my brain not just my heart with him and to begin by writing more in my journal and also using my blog too.

I wrote some stuff down in my journal last night... here goes....

~ Begining of Laura's Journal ~

Lord I feel like curling up and crying. Life seems too complicated right now. I just want to pause instead of feeling like I'm being catapulted headlong into an unknown. I don't even quite know what's disturbing me. Lord please show me

All I see is mess tied up in knots, my room's a mess, my priorities seem whacked, my self discipline in non existent and my goals are unrelated to life.

I feel like I want OUT of my course, the next moment I feel that I do want to keep doing what I'm doing. My course is frustrating me....

Was I made for this God? Do you really want me to be a midwife?

(prompted to read in Psalms where I have been for the last few days...I'm up to Psalm 25)

These are the verses that really jumped out:

1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul;

2 in you I trust, O my God.
Do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

4 Show me your ways, O LORD,
teach me your paths;

5 guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, O LORD,
your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.

7 Remember not the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you are good, O LORD.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.

11 For the sake of your name, O LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;
free me from my anguish.

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.


That was fitting! My struggle is seen by God which is a comfort....still I do not understand where exactly my thoughts and feelings lead...so perhaps I'll summarized the thoughts and feelings on paper...

1) Work load for uni is overwhelming
2)Procrastination is rampant
3) What do I want to do with my life?
4) Do I want a career? And in turn do I feel I need to, or am expected to have one?
5) If I left my course I would feel like a failure and regret it (at least I think I would regret it!)
6) What would I do if I didn't do the midwifery thing?
7) Why have I always wanted to be a wife and mother?
8) What does this desire mean for me now...as I'm not married and wont be for a while?
9) Will my procrastination and dissatisfaction move over to my role as a wife and mother once I've been one for long enough? Am I just straining at the bit or is the matter really about what road I'm traveling on?
10) How am I honouring God by all this?

~ End of Laura's Journal ~

I know I've mentioned it before about not wanting the whole midwifery thing to be a grab at something I can't yet have...and I always thought I was set in that regard, meaning I didn't think that was my reasoning behind becoming a midwife, but lately I'm not so sure which is un-nerving.

So in answer to my question about what do I want to do in life.... I want to love God and love other people. Practically I see that working out by, being married, loving my husband, having and loving children, teaching my kids (i.e. homeschooling them), being available to other people around me, to listen to them, offer them hospitality, enjoy the world around me by being outside in it and learning about it, and being responsible about the way in which I live (by that I mean using resources wisely, and all that environmental and simple living stuff that runs around my head a lot of the time). So......yes, that's what I want to do in life in a nut shell.

About midwifery... yes it ties in with my philosophy of life and yes I can love other people through being a midwife and love and honour my God and yes it links into all the family stuff which is a focus for me... these are the reasons why probably deep down I chose it. Practically right now it's a wise thing to be doing, to continue on in it and to do it with my best effort....I'm in a possition where what I want to "do" in life is not a present reality....so I do need to lay it down before God and give it up. That's hard.

I shouldn't feel like this part of my life is a waste if I never practice midwifery for very long, btw I'm sure I will use it more than I think I will, I just don't see myself doing the "working mother thing". Just because I don't want to feel pressured or expected have a career doesn't mean I shouldn't use the combination of brains and compassion that God's given me. This was and is my choice and I'm halfway through! I need to run with it knowing that however much I end up using of what I'll be spending three years on, is and will be honouring to God, that it grew me and has equipped me to serve others.

Perseverance makes us mature and complete not lacking anything (see James 1:4)I think those are important things God will want me to begin learning before I face the other desires of my heart. "

Kitchen Blues

Okay, about a week ago I received my lovely new Stephanie Alexander cook book. It's big, it's inviting, it's a cooks Bible. So armed and ready when asked to cook tonight I gladly agreed, ready to wow the little sisters.

Albeit I hit a few slight problems -
1) I don't stock the pantry or fridge...which makes ingredients a little difficult to come by...but Dad helpfully headed up to IGA for carrots and celery.
2) I didn't quite have cast-iron enamel baking wear (which costs a small fortune) to cook my stew in as suggested by the book. Instead I used an enamel casserole dish.
3) The recipe said to cook the stew covered with the cast-iron lid, not having the dish obviously meant I didn't have the lid to match, so I ingeniously thought to cover it with foil and lay a flat enamel dish over the top. Really smart Laura! (sarcasm) I found out later that this would actually radiate heat away from the food.

Understand we eat very early at home (usually six). Tonight dinner began at 7:35pm, by which time I had almost been physically accosted by all three of my sisters claiming their bodies were going haywire with the delay. In the end it tasted well besides the crunchy potatoes.

As dinner progressed I got more than an earful of teasing (not of the nasty variety, just the annoying family sort) about making sure I was up to scratch before I got married. I'm failing to physically see a ring a the present moment but Bec, Em and Han seem quite sure one will come along soonish. I think their estimates are a little off for timing (Bec you better be reading this!)

And yes our kitchen is painted blue.

In line with Queen Bee

Well let's just say I've been inspired by Bec. She finally and very unexpectedly allowed me to view her blog. Don't get me wrong I frequently visit my dear sisters other blogs but this one had been strictly out of bounds. After wanting to be given the seal of reading approval for so long I was surprisingly hesitant to read it once she gave the okay. It's private, it's Bec! The big question looming in my mind was "What would I find?". The hesitation didn't last long! I love Bec's writing. Crazily enough now after having read it I feel quite cut (in a good way, if there is one) about all the stuff I never realized about Bec - I have a feeling living with her will make a slight bit more sense now.

I'm still trying to figure out what glorious thing I did to gain her favour! Beats me!

Okay so it's been what? Three months and bit since I've contributed to this attempt at a blog. I'm not making any rash promises about being a saintly blogger from now on but reading Bec's blog has reminded me of the potential of blogs. My long ago craze of journal keeping has just been revived over the past month...so why not use a blog? I type faster than I write, and yes confess that reading my own handwriting can get a little tricky at times : P Additionally I'm not much of a drawer so having a blog means I can "decorate" in other ways.

So begins attempt number two!