Today I...

... slept in (a bit - not excessively).

... washed the car.

... thought about things and over-analysed them.

... had a lovely shopping trip with a friend.

... had two (fairly major) blonde moments (in public).

... went for a peaceful walk along the bike-track with another friend.

... sent multiple text messages.

... watched a movie with a happy ending.

... made yummy toasted turkish bread sandwiches for a late tea.

... played pool (or snooker - whatever - don't know the difference).

... organised student stuff.

... practiced the songs for church tomorrow.

I think that's about it. It was a pleasant Saturday. But I'm a bit tired now. :)

I have a problem...

I have a problem... I love too much.

Friday...

I am seriously thankful to God that it's Friday. :)

I've had a really good week overall... but the last 24 hours have been a bit tough. So I'm looking forward to doing something different tomorrow... not quite sure exactly what yet, but it will be nice. :)

It's been a while...

Wow... it's been nearly a week!

When I began blogging, I told myself that I wouldn't slacken off like everyone else seemed to. :P But oh well, it looks like it happens to everyone. :)

This last week has been very full, but I've coped much better than in recent times, and I'm really thankful to the Lord for that.

Since I've posted, some of the things that have transpired (nice word, huh? :P ) are:

• I slept over at a friend's house on Friday night, and stayed up much too late. But it was all good fun - one long D&M really, so it's okay. :)
• On Saturday afternoon I had a lovely long chat to my brother, and that was SO good. It had been too long. :)
• And in the evening, Megs and I went to a movie with two dear friends. It was great. Well, actually, the movie wasn't. But the company was. 
• On Sunday, I didn't have to play at church. Either service. That was nice. :)
• In the afternoon I caught up on some things on my never-ending To Do list. My close friends know how much I love crossing things off that list! :)
• One of my stand-in brothers visited late on Sunday night... it was lovely and relaxed and we just chatted about lots of random things. As well as talking about serious things - like going to bed at a decent hour. :)
• On Monday, I slept for half the day, just because I could. :)
• I taught 21 flute lessons this week. Wow, I'm awesome. :P
• Also this week, I had two more people (now known as the mothers of students #24 and #25) call wanting lessons for their daughters!
• My week of teaching seemed easier - for the first time this year, I've felt 'in control' of the lessons I was teaching and what was going on. It's good to feel like The Teacher. :)
• I've managed to get lots of normal, boring things (such as organising, vacuumming, dusting) done this week... which I have not been managing at all this year, so I'm feeling productive. :)

And...

• Tomorrow I have a flute lesson with my new teacher. I've been loving my lessons with her so much! Maybe I will even get to catch up with a friend while I'm out... :)

While all this is good progress... I still ache inside for something....... and I'm tired now, so I'm going to bed. Love you all!

Just for fun...

I should be working... but before I start, here's a laugh.... :)

Find out what you need. Go to Google and type your name in the exact phrase search window followed by the word 'needs'. Copy and paste the first ten search results that come up.

CARLA NEEDS:

1. Carla needs to pee (can you believe that was the first one???)

2. Carla needs bread to feed her animals

3. Carla needs good governance (true)

4. Carla needs to accept responsibility for the results (but I do accept them!)

5. Carla needs to call Dan (cousin Dan? Maybe...)

6. Carla needs cuddles (so true...)

7. Carla needs a home for the holidays (in Vienna, that would be helpful!)

8. Carla needs a new mantra (I see...)

9. Carla needs your support (true again)

10. Carla needs love (sigh... yes.......)

I've had a pretty good day today, so far. :)

Scented candles...

I have discovered that I love scented candles. Ones that smell nice, that is. :) There's nothing nicer than walking into my room when a scented candle has been burning in there... seeing glow of the flame and watching the shadows dance on the walls... but more than that, the aroma somehow generates pleasant thoughts of the friend who gave me the candle. It's a rose and geranium one in a pretty glass jar, and it rocks my world (when I remember to light it!).

It makes me think of that verse... where John talks about what he's seen in heaven: "And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

I love that scented candle... and I've never really thought about how God loves our prayers in that way. It's a pleasing thought. And I should pray more. :)

Today is Wednesday.

Tuesdays really take it out of me... today I napped a lot, and got very little done. :(

And I fear I am a boring person. I have nothing interesting to say tonight. :(

(Which begs the question... do I think that what I say other nights IS interesting? Is that the only reason I write?)

Just thought you might like to know...

...today was the best day of teaching that I've had in a while. It wasn't brilliant, but it wasn't dreadfully hard either (which is more than I can say for all my other days of teaching this year). Just a nice in-between sort of day. Though I am still very tired now. :)

Oh, btw, the other thing I 'just thought you might like to know', is that I am in love. (Bek, no jokes, please.) :P I'm serious: one of my little 7 year-old students is gorgeous, inside and out. I think she's going to be another little genius. (I already have one.) :)

Just thought you might like to know...

... I'm REALLY excited about planning our trip to see Lachlan at the end of the year - it's so much fun getting started on it!!!

I'm also really tired... and it's only Monday. The problem is, because Tuesday is such a big day for me (it starts at 5:30am), I spend half of Monday night getting organised and catching up with stuff... I think I need a new plan of attack.

Valentine's Day...

...has also been called "Single Awareness Day" ~ and it's true! Valentine's Day has never been a big deal in our house... none of us thought about it much at all. But in recent years, it's become completely commercialised, so I think the fact that I don't "have a valentine" is more "in my face". This morning, I'm trying not to think about the lack of a man's love, but rather remember Perfect Love... God's Love. "But God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) And it will never end: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." (Jer. 31:3)

My prayer for all of us: "May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ." - 2 Thes. 3:5

Now something for a bit of fun...

1. Make a list of 5 things you can see without getting up: 1. Bible 2. UBD 3. pencil case 4. homemade bread 5. lawnmower

2. How do you style your hair?  Usually with a heat-brush, or if I'm in a hurry, a messy bun!

3. What are you wearing now? pajamas - yay!

4. Who was the last person you said 'I love you' to? Lachlan

5. Do you nap a lot? If I get a chance, yes! Does that mean I'm getting old?

6. Who was the last person you hugged? MD at orchestra

7. What's your current fandom/obsession/addiction? 2 minute noodles & mint slice biscuits.

8. What was the last thing you ate today? Haven't eaten anything yet!

9. What was the last text message you received? "r u ok?"

10. What websites do you always visit when you go online? In order of importance: gmail, facebook, blogspot, vodafone, nab. (I don't always get to past gmail).

11. What was the last thing you bought? coloured paper for orchestra flyers

12. What are you listening to right now? the sound of rain on the roof.... noice. :)

13. What's the last song that got stuck in your head? "Think of Me" from Phantom of the Opera

14. If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Would it be a superpower to make people be able to understand what I mean when I say stuff??? I cause too many dramas when I open my mouth.

15. What is your favourite weather, and why? COLD weather, because one doesn't sweat like in summer, and because it's usually easier to get warmer than to get cooler.

16. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? I play two already, but I'd like to be able to play piano better, so that I didn't stress so much over church playing. :P

17. How are you? I am well. I am feeling slightly chilly. I am happy that tonight some friends are coming over.

18. What's something you'd like to say to someone right now? I love you.

19. If you could spend tomorrow any way? Well, since it'll be all rainy, it would be to have some close friends over, and curl up on the couches and D&M to our hearts' content. :) 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Random thoughts...

Just a few thoughts for today... my brain just isn't working properly.

Yesterday, I taught 16 students in one day. That's a record for me. And I *love* 7-and-8-year-old beginners.

At the moment, I don't have enough energy to be anyone except who I am. Unfortunately it's a take it or leave it situation. I hope God helps me to get better at "doing life".

I wish I didn't open my mouth sometimes. It would make things easier.

So much of life seems to be such extreme opposites... fire and flood, happy and sad, hot and cold, loved and alone... and so on.

I'm one tired chicken today.

I wonder whether I will last today...

What on earth?!?! I'm still up, and it's nearly 2am. I have to get up at 5:30am... or just a bit after. Problem was, I had too much fun socializing earlier, so I've been up finishing off my invoices, sorting out photcopying and planning lessons for tomorrow. Arghhhh!!! I'm tired now - I don't know if I'll survive the day... I'm going to be setting another record for myself with the number of students I teach too... and I'll probably end up being a zombie at the end of the day... :(

Tonight...

...a cool change came through. Thank you Lord! It was so lovely to be able to sit out on the front verandah at 11pm and not be sweating. And catching up with a dear friend at the same time made it all the more enjoyable!

(Yeah, I know... ladies are supposed to 'perspire', not 'sweat'. But I reckon that any lady who has lived through the last few days would have to have sweated - at least a little bit!)

This afternoon between services, I got lots of organising done. It made me feel like I'd been productive, and that was very pleasant.

Does anybody else besides me "potter around"?

Today was a pottering-around kind of Saturday. Here's a brief overview: I slept in a bit (it was very good), spent half the morning on the phone finding good flute deals for two students (it wasn't as hard as I make out), chatted about nothing and laughed on the phone to another friend for twenty minutes (I love having time to do that!), gave two flute lessons to complete beginners (I love beginners!), made a template for tax invoices with Dad's help (which I now have to issue - blah!), got my finances sorted out - also with Dad's help (he's so awesome at all this stuff!), drafted a start-of-year letter to my Broughton students' parents to introduce myself (though it is likely that they'll never meet me!), started a Student Database in Excel (Excel is not my favourite computer programme), went to the video shop with the youngest of my stand-in-brothers and came out with five movies instead of one (that's what you get when you take brothers, biological or not! :P), ate yummy spaghetti bolognaise for tea (with Ice Magic on icecream for dessert), another friend randomly came to share dinner and the first part of the movie with us too (which was really cool and made my night, as she's not the least bit local, and she came all the way out here just to spend a couple of hours with us), and last but not least, drove said stand-in brother and his cello home, with him changing gears for me all the way (well, most of the way, he forgot that it was his job a few times) so that was kind of novel.

All in all, a pleasant (but very VERY hot!) day!

I just want to say to any of my lovely family and friends reading this that... I. Love. You!

Ah dear...

This is not going to be the most eloquent post ever. Just wanted to set that straight now. 

The thing is, right this second, I wish I wasn't here at home on the computer.

A friend of mine - or ours, rather - is doing a gig tonight. It's on right now. Oh, it's not just any old gig... I can handle not being at all my friends' gigs! (I'd be out every night of the week if I couldn't. :P) But the thing is, it's his first gig with this particular band that asked him to join them a couple of weeks ago. We were there to share the excitement of that news. And I so wanted to be there tonight as well. We were considering going in, Megs, another friend and I, right up until an hour before the gig started... (that's how long it would've taken us to get there). I knew it wasn't sensible to go, given the week I've had, and the day I've had. But the problem is that 98% of me wanted to ignore the sense-factor, and instead be a supportive sister to a brother in Christ. So I am struggling with that at the moment. 

That's all. See, my first line was true.

Happiness is...

... sipping a nice, hot cup of tea out of a big, bright orange mug which has "Friends are God's way of taking care of us" written on each side, remembering the dear friend that gave it to me.

I feel blessed - some of the most awesome people in the whole wide world call me their sister/friend.

How well can you...?

One of those random things that goes around... DeeDee did this ages ago...

How well can you...

cook? Mfff... culinary calamities are my speciality. :P Although... they are happening less and less now, which is pleasing. :)

sew? I love sewing, (though I don't get much time for it anymore), and I think I'm okay at it. :) 

clean? Haha... I can clean well. Whether I do clean well is another story. Usually I'm in a big hurry. :P

sing? Ah dear... not very well I'm afraid. I wish I could sing better. :)

play an instrument? When I put a bit of effort into practising, then I can do what I need to do...

write? Formal/professional writing - badly. Rambling on and on with random junk - fairly well. :P

read? I read when I have to, and I am capable of reading well. However it takes a good book to hold my concentration.

paint or draw? Very badly. Let's not go there.

tell stories? I love making up stories, but am ashamed to tell them to anyone except cousins under the age of 5, because anyone older than that would think I'm silly. :P

persuade? Depends who I'm trying to persuade. I don't like to persuade, because I think of it as on par with manipulation (and I despise manipulation). However, a reproachful look works with some.

resist those who persuade you? Ha. :P Not well at all. Some people can get me to do almost anything. :)

dress? I feel that I can dress for any occasion. I like how I feel when I dress up nicely. :)

decorate a room? I love decorating rooms... time and lack of funds can be somewhat inhibiting for a person with lots of ideas, though.

decorate a cake? Again, I love decorating. Have always enjoyed decorating cakes.

parallel park? I learnt to do it in our big cars, so I can do it okay. Having said that, I haven't done it in a manual car yet. *writes that on to-do list*

regular park? Okay-ish I suppose.

control yourself around food? Um... at the moment I'm trying hard to get better at this!

control your strongest emotions? If it's absolutely imperative that I control them, I can. However if it's not... most people know that I'm an emotional being. :P

take care of children? Haha.... my babysitting stories/disasters go on and on... I like to think that I would be good at it now. :)

make a cup of coffee? I don't drink it, so I doubt that I make it well.

motivate yourself? Sometimes well, sometimes not.

organise? I love order. :)

make a deadline? Deadlines are of utmost importance to me. I can do deadlines.

make others feel comfortable? I would love my answer to be that I'm brilliant at this... but I'm not so sure.

wrap a gift? I think I do okay in the gift-wrapping department. And I love embellishing with lots of big bows!

dance? Ha. Ask my brother. :P Actually, don't. :P

swim? I can swim reasonably well. If I knew which way was 'up' and could swim 'up' when I was being dumped by a wave, I would say I was brilliant.

debate? Not well at all.

* * * * *

Can you tell that I can't sleep tonight? 

Love is...

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 tells us what love is:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong-doing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends...

Sometimes it's important for me to remember that people are what life is all about... and the way in which we love them. God loves and has given us the capacity to love, so we should love. Sometimes I try to love people so much that I end up exhausted - exhausted from trying to be all things to all people. But guess what? I'm human... and that means I'm not superwoman, even though I want so much and try so hard to be.

So God is still teaching me, and I'm still learning about all this. And it's hard work sometimes.

Just thought you might like to know...

I set a personal record today... I taught 14 flute lessons.

Though after those 14 lessons, I had a lovely evening with friends.

I'm still pretty tired though.

Just thought you might like to know...

I wish I was a little girl again, playing dress-ups all day.

As it is, I have to dress-up in good clothes to teach... BE the teacher and be called Miss Glen - when all I want to do is play with the kids, and have fun with them.

Sigh.

Enormousness...

What kind of weird title is that? I couldn't think of anything else. But the week that's coming up is feeling quite big, so that's where that came from.

Hey guess what... I'm tired again. What's new? But I'm going to try not to whinge too much about that. :)


Yesterday was... Saturday. Recently Saturdays have been full of exciting, out-of-the-ordinary stuff, and so it was very different having a pottering-around sort of day. It was good... I got a lot done. But it was boring stuff that just had to be done at some point. Oh well. Like in the morning I helped Mum with the church cleaning our family was rostered on for, then I spent the afternoon contacting students' parents and timetabling students (WHAT a nightmare that is), only to receive a phone call from one parent at 6pm, (when I was practically finished my job), to say that she hadn't looked at the dancing timetable properly and her daughter's Monday 3:15pm lesson wasn't going to suit afterall. :( I'd done SO much for this woman and she's really mucked me around. So that was not very exciting. Anyway. I also spent half the night ironing.


Today... held a range of emotions and feelings. Frustration - with myself and my playing at church this morning; Conviction - as I listened to an excellent sermon this morning from one of the greatest speakers of all time, Noel Weeks; Stress - as I played the six verses of the second-last hymn noticeably faster than usual because I thought I was going to miss my 11:29am train; Frenzy - as Megs and I got home and ready for a day at the beach in 7 minutes; Disappointment - as plans changed with circumstances beyond my control; Happiness - as I enjoyed a train-ride and a ferry-ride with my sister and the youngest of my stand-in brothers; Irritated - as people seemed to not be able to get over the disappointment of changed plans; Stubborn and consequently Annoyed - as I refused to eat ice-creams with everyone else because of the way I'd been made to feel; Joy - as I watched three boys of varying ages happily spend the afternoon digging an enormously deep hole on the beach (big enough for all of them to get in at the same time and be in up to their armpits); Tiredness - as I travelled the 2 hour trip home... by public transport; Peace and Thankfulness - as I washed the salt off my skin and the sand out of my hair, and contemplated the day I'd just had.


God is good, and will work out everything that's racing around in my mind for my good and His glory... I'm glad I know that in my heart, cos it's hard sometimes.