Today I decided that I have to choose a favourite colour. (sidetrack - I really need to remember to give my emails a title) Sorry what was I saying...yes thats it. Colour...Well whenever I'm asked what my favourite colour is I'm always indecisive. I like most colours (not that yucky vomit yellow, But no one sane likes that colour anyway...sorry to all the insane people out there) Jason thinks my favourite colour must be blue because I used to always tend to buy blue clothes..It's not though really. It's a cool colour and all but it's not quite me. DD loves blue I asked her why but she doesn't know. DS loves green. He's a frog freak so that explains the colour choice. Jason is definately a black fan...hmmm...does that mean he's dark and mysterious..I think not...at least not to me. Well anyway I like pink, I never used to though..I was such a tomboy growing up. My poor Mum tried to get me to be girly...sorry Mum. I remember her buying me this really pretty pastel pink top as a teenager. It was the latest fashion too and the first thing I did was get the receipt and exchange it for two black tops..again sorry Mum. It took me having a daughter of my own before I finallu embraced my girly side. I love all things girly now. I still have trouble sitting like a lady. My legs always seem to end up on the chair with my butt. It's just a habit and way more comfortable too.
Anyway back to my choice of favourite colour...Can you guess? Yes it's purple..I think purple is great. It's a soothing colour and I like all the different shades. Probably the only problem with purple is that lavendar is purple and I'm allergic to lavendar. Minor problem though. So the decision is made. Next time I get asked what my favourite colour is I will say purple...I hope no one ever asks me to pick a particular shade....arghhhh!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Thursday morning in OZ
Hi all,
It's Thursday morning in the land of Oz. Not feeling the best this morning. I thought I might have been coming down with something last night. Guess what! I was right. I think I have a cold. My throat is flemmy and sore and swollen. Everthing tastes yuck...even chocolate...BOO HOO. I ache all over and have a dull headache. I'm still tired even though I slept heavy last night thanks to pain killers and muscle relaxants. Finding it hard to concentrate which is definately not good. I wanted to get one of my assignments completed today. My mood is pretty good despite feeling sick. That's a plus. It's not real hot either well at least not yet. I think it will be a little cooler today because it's overcast. Actually it poured down about 4.45am. This must sound wierd to all of you in a US of A. Especially in the places where it's freezing cold and snowing. I would love to see snow. I dream of one day having a white christmas. That would be cool...LOL... literally...hehehe. I hate having a hot Christmas day and here that is pretty much standard. Anyway I've rambled on enough now. Praying everyone has a great day. Have a super fantastic thankgiving USA peoples.
Luv and Hugs
God Bless
Jo
It's Thursday morning in the land of Oz. Not feeling the best this morning. I thought I might have been coming down with something last night. Guess what! I was right. I think I have a cold. My throat is flemmy and sore and swollen. Everthing tastes yuck...even chocolate...BOO HOO. I ache all over and have a dull headache. I'm still tired even though I slept heavy last night thanks to pain killers and muscle relaxants. Finding it hard to concentrate which is definately not good. I wanted to get one of my assignments completed today. My mood is pretty good despite feeling sick. That's a plus. It's not real hot either well at least not yet. I think it will be a little cooler today because it's overcast. Actually it poured down about 4.45am. This must sound wierd to all of you in a US of A. Especially in the places where it's freezing cold and snowing. I would love to see snow. I dream of one day having a white christmas. That would be cool...LOL... literally...hehehe. I hate having a hot Christmas day and here that is pretty much standard. Anyway I've rambled on enough now. Praying everyone has a great day. Have a super fantastic thankgiving USA peoples.
Luv and Hugs
God Bless
Jo
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
I Want Day
I WANT
1. My body weight worth of chocolate.
2. Chocolate pudding
3. Chocolate sauce
4. Chocolate Mud Cake 5. Iced chocolate
6. Sara Lee ultra chocolate ice cream
7. Tim Tams
8. A stomach pump or
9. A barf bag
Luv and Hugs
1. My body weight worth of chocolate.
2. Chocolate pudding
3. Chocolate sauce
4. Chocolate Mud Cake 5. Iced chocolate
6. Sara Lee ultra chocolate ice cream
7. Tim Tams
8. A stomach pump or
9. A barf bag
Luv and Hugs
God Bless
Jo
feeling yuck and counting my blessings
My everyday life at the moment is just yuck. I think I'm coming down with a cold or something. Not happy at all. I hate summer colds. All I want to do is curl up under the blankets and that not an option in this weather. Boo hoo for me. Oh what a whinger I am. I'm getting ahead of myself too. I may be feeling rotten because I've had a busy day and I'm overtired. I do have an irritated throat, a headache and sinus pain though. Boo hoo. No I must think positive. I will try to get an early night. At least I know I'll sleep well tonight. Today was pay day so I was able to get the muscle relaxant that I'm suppose to take at night. It knocks me out for the night. Now that's something to be happy about. I haven't slept well all week. I keep waking up with my back and shoulder aching.
Okay well now that I've looked at what I've written I really do sound like a whinger. I'm not too bad, honestly. Okay maybe I should count my blessings for today.
1. I've done the fortnights grocery shopping and the cupboards are stocked
2. Our butcher goes to our church and always picks a good rump for me and gives me a discount.
3. Our found the Lego Starwars Playstation2 game that DS want for his birthday and it was on special.
4. Found a cute frog figurine and a book on Australian frogs for DS's birthday
5. Found a green lunch box for DS as well. His favourite colour and new lunch box was on his wish list.
6. Got a free...yes free...pair of purple earrings for spending more than $20 at shopping centre. Purple is my favourite colour.
7. Got a heart necklace, bracelet, earring set for $10 for DD for christmas stocking
8. RE class went pretty well today. Not prep neccessary. That's a big plus.
9. No Life Group (Home Group) tonight. That's good and bad. Good because a done feel up to going and bad because we have been for a few weeks.
10. My brother is feeling a bit better. His feet are still very swollen but at least he won't loose them.
11. We had quiche for dinner. I like quiche. Plus clean up is easy.
12. It's a bit cooler today.
There you go. Not so bad of a day after all. I still having trouble being ultra happy coz I still feel yuck and my kids are bugging me at the moment. But I don't feel awful anymore.
Thank you God for all you've blessed me with today.
Okay well now that I've looked at what I've written I really do sound like a whinger. I'm not too bad, honestly. Okay maybe I should count my blessings for today.
1. I've done the fortnights grocery shopping and the cupboards are stocked
2. Our butcher goes to our church and always picks a good rump for me and gives me a discount.
3. Our found the Lego Starwars Playstation2 game that DS want for his birthday and it was on special.
4. Found a cute frog figurine and a book on Australian frogs for DS's birthday
5. Found a green lunch box for DS as well. His favourite colour and new lunch box was on his wish list.
6. Got a free...yes free...pair of purple earrings for spending more than $20 at shopping centre. Purple is my favourite colour.
7. Got a heart necklace, bracelet, earring set for $10 for DD for christmas stocking
8. RE class went pretty well today. Not prep neccessary. That's a big plus.
9. No Life Group (Home Group) tonight. That's good and bad. Good because a done feel up to going and bad because we have been for a few weeks.
10. My brother is feeling a bit better. His feet are still very swollen but at least he won't loose them.
11. We had quiche for dinner. I like quiche. Plus clean up is easy.
12. It's a bit cooler today.
There you go. Not so bad of a day after all. I still having trouble being ultra happy coz I still feel yuck and my kids are bugging me at the moment. But I don't feel awful anymore.
Thank you God for all you've blessed me with today.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
My brother tries to fly.
I have some worrying news. Yesterday one of my brothers fell off a roof he was working on. He was rushed to hospital at Hervey Bay. He has shattered both ankles. The doctors said he was like humpty dumpty or at least his ankles are. They wanted to send him to Brisbane for surgery as his ankle were so bad but they couldn't risk it as the circulation had been cut off. He almost lost his feet. that is so scary. My brother is a very active person. He has his own hobby farm in Tiaro. He hopes to run cattle one day so loosing his feet would have been devastating. Praise the Lord they were able to operate in Hervey Bay to renew the circulation. He still needs another operation as they didn't have the equipment needed here to pin up his ankles. I'm still worried about how much this may affect him long term. My mum rang him earlier and she said he hasn't lost his sense of humour. She said that when she asked him how it happen he said that he was trying to fly. LOL. That's my brother for you. Really he had just lost his balance.
I am praying for him. Me is not a Christian either so I am praying that maybe God will use this time to bring him closer.
I am praying for him. Me is not a Christian either so I am praying that maybe God will use this time to bring him closer.
Extension confirmation arrived
Howdee doodee for today. My extension confirmation arrive in the mail yesterday. Yipee! Now I have no excuse not to put my head down and butt up on those assignments. My goal is too finish my assignment on Hebrews before Friday and then do my 90 minute quiz on Friday. Then I've got two whole weeks to finish my major assignment. I've still got to choose my topic on that one. Wish I could get motivated though.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Howdee, Here I am sitting at the computer adding a blog when I should be doing other things such as my weekly house blessing. Yes I am a flybaby for those who know the flylady. My hubby sweetly calls me a maggot. Hmmmm. Not. Tried explaining to him that fly meant Finally Loving Yourself but I don't think he gets it. That or he like calling me a maggot. Anyway am sitting here enjoying listening to Planetshakers. Love that group. Got the Never Stop album on at the moment. Actually I put it on hoping it would get me motivated to clean. No such luck. Oh I've got my morning list done, 3 loads of washing on the line and 1 in the machine, tidied son's room and put fresh sheets on his bed. But I still got a lot to do yet.
I am so tired. Didn't sleep well last night. Back was aching. Still is. Such is life.
Waiting on a letter from the college too. Spoke to my course advisor two weeks ago after a major meltdown on my part. Did I mention I get anxiety and depression. Maybe not. Anyway he sorted out extensions for my two subject and I am waiting for a conformation letter in the mail. I can't send in any of my assignments without it. Hopefully it will arrive today or I'll have to ring him.
Well I better attept to get some more work done.
I am so tired. Didn't sleep well last night. Back was aching. Still is. Such is life.
Waiting on a letter from the college too. Spoke to my course advisor two weeks ago after a major meltdown on my part. Did I mention I get anxiety and depression. Maybe not. Anyway he sorted out extensions for my two subject and I am waiting for a conformation letter in the mail. I can't send in any of my assignments without it. Hopefully it will arrive today or I'll have to ring him.
Well I better attept to get some more work done.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
I judge parents....
Okay I have to admit it. I have trouble with judging others parenting skills. Like I know that I'm no where near the perfect parent and my kids are not perfect either. But I get soooooo frustrated when I see other parents making what I see as massive mistakes with their kids. And then they get annoyed when their kids play up all the time. Argh! One particular pet peeve is parents who don't monitor what their children watch on TV. Especially The Simpsons. My kids have never been allowed to watch that show. It may be funny but it teaches kids so many bad habits. Don't parents realise that a lot of their kids habits are gained by what they watch. I don't know. I really don't like being judgemental about this because I know it's wrong to be that way but it's so hard.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The best way to retreat
Retreat - to withdraw, retire, or draw back, esp. for shelter or seclusion.
Retreat - The act or process of withdrawing, especially from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant.
I found these to definations of retreat. One positive, one negative. Which do I do more. Do I take time out to shelter in God's arms? Do I take time in seclusion to rest my soul? Or do I run away? Do I hide from things that scare me or make me uncomfortable? Unfortunately I would say that that I have the tendency to run rather than rest. I need to spend more time in retreat and not spend so much time retreating.
Retreat - The act or process of withdrawing, especially from something hazardous, formidable, or unpleasant.
I found these to definations of retreat. One positive, one negative. Which do I do more. Do I take time out to shelter in God's arms? Do I take time in seclusion to rest my soul? Or do I run away? Do I hide from things that scare me or make me uncomfortable? Unfortunately I would say that that I have the tendency to run rather than rest. I need to spend more time in retreat and not spend so much time retreating.
Morning Prayer
Begin each day with the certainty that today is the best day of your life and watch what happens.
Dear Lord,
I thank you Lord for for unending love and goodness. I know that my life is in your hands. I look forward with jorous anticipation to what you have in store for my today. I just know today is going to be wonderful and special. I can't wait to spend quality time with my children and husband today. You are the Lord of my life. Thank you
In Jesus name
Amen
Counting my blessings
1. I was chosen to be the daughter of the King
2. My darling husband
3. My darling daughter
4. My wonderful son
5. I have a house to live in
6. My pets
7. My friends
8. I am reasonably healthy
9. I don't go hungry
10. I have free medical services
11. I can hear.
12. I can see
13. I can walk and run
14. I have hot and cold running water
15. I have electricity
16. I have the internet
17. I can read and write
18. I am able to have such luxuries as perfume, make up, chocolate etc
19. I can drive
20. I am able to continue my education.
There are so many more. Feel free to add some.
2. My darling husband
3. My darling daughter
4. My wonderful son
5. I have a house to live in
6. My pets
7. My friends
8. I am reasonably healthy
9. I don't go hungry
10. I have free medical services
11. I can hear.
12. I can see
13. I can walk and run
14. I have hot and cold running water
15. I have electricity
16. I have the internet
17. I can read and write
18. I am able to have such luxuries as perfume, make up, chocolate etc
19. I can drive
20. I am able to continue my education.
There are so many more. Feel free to add some.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Things that are beautiful to me.
B - Butterflies and babies
E - Eternity, so beautiful to ponder
A - Afternoon showers with the sun shining through the clouds
U - Us, just that fact that we are all meant to be a part of an us.
T - Tigers, I love their stripes and power, Tinkerbell is pretty too
I - Imagination, all sorts of beautiful things can appear in my mind
F - Flowers, particularly roses, jonquils and daffodils
U - Universe, God certainly created a marvellous spectacular universe
L - Love of my amazingly, wonderful God. I imagine the most beautiful thing I'll ever see will come the day I finally see His face.
Jo
B - Butterflies and babies
E - Eternity, so beautiful to ponder
A - Afternoon showers with the sun shining through the clouds
U - Us, just that fact that we are all meant to be a part of an us.
T - Tigers, I love their stripes and power, Tinkerbell is pretty too
I - Imagination, all sorts of beautiful things can appear in my mind
F - Flowers, particularly roses, jonquils and daffodils
U - Universe, God certainly created a marvellous spectacular universe
L - Love of my amazingly, wonderful God. I imagine the most beautiful thing I'll ever see will come the day I finally see His face.
Jo
Previous blogging - best bits mainly
5 January 2007
A weighty issue
Well this is my first entry. What to say? Well I think I'll write about one of my goals. Yes I made new year resolutions.....again. Isn't life just a set of ever changing resolutions anyway. Well I think I'll deal with the weightiest one. Yes I'm talking about my weight. Just after Christmas I weighed myself. It was not a good moment. I reached my highest weight, 74kg. Now I know for a lot of people that's not someting to whinge about, But for a woman who was a tiny size 8 in her late teens I think I've the right to whinge. So I made a goal to get down to 6okg this year. What I didn't realise at the time was that losing weight would mean eating healthy (yuck) and exercise (horror). So I am now trying to walk every day and not eat junk food. I WANT CHOCOLATE.
But on the up side I am losing weight.
6 January 2007
Lack of Motivation
I'm sitting here at the computer. I should be doing a Uni assignment but I'm not. My motivation left me about mid morning. I hate it when I get like this. All I want to do is veg but I can't. So there lies the dilema. I should get away from the computer and do something else for a while. Lunch would be a good idea. My stomach thinks so too.
To contact or not to contact that's the question
Do you ever find yourself wondering about long lost friends? Well I did today. I found myself thinking about my best friend from high school. We lost touch years ago. I was wondering how she was, what she was doing, whether she was married. Well anyway I did a search on her name and I think I found her. I even got an e-mail address and phone number. Now I am so tempted to either call or e-mail her. I don't know if I should do it or not. Part of me is worried that it is the wrong person and that would be so embarrassing. Part of me worries that she'll think I'm a freak for looking her up. There's also that fact that I have changed sooooo much since I last saw her. My whole outlook on life is completely different. Not that I'm complaining mind you. The old me was basically a door mat. I'm way more confident and self assured. Even my interests have changed. I wasn't a Christian when I last saw her. I am now. Will we have anything to talk about? I'm being pathetic. Really I just want to know how she is. Is she happy? That's all really.
I think I'll e-mail her.
What's can happen?
7 January 2007
Happy Happy
am REALLY happy today. Why? I don't know. Maybe coz it's Sunday. Well I'm planning on keeping a positive attitude all day. Yea Me. Catch ya later.
8 January 2007
Ouch!! But still kicking.
Was having an okay day yesterday. That was until I slipped on the stairs. Lucky I was already near the bottom. Now I'm sporting a very sore elbow and butt. I thought about putting up a picy of my elbow but I didn't want to grose anyone out.
I still got up at 5am this morning and went for my 1/2 hour walk. I am so proud of myself.
I also weighed myself this morning and I'm down to 70.5 Kg. Me very happy.
Well I got lots to do today.
Bye
18 January 2007
My Thoughts for18 January 2007
I have been feeling off colour for a few days now. I think I'm letting myself get too stressed out. I need to chill out. I'm stressing mainly about a group assignment I have to do. I haven't done any group assignments since high school and that was over a decade ago. I'm finding it hard to see how we can blend all our ideas together into one presentation. At first I was worrying about figuring out how to use power point and front page but I've sorted that out now. I think I'm just a perfectionist at heart and I want things my own way too much. To be honest I'd rather do the whole thing myself. Can't do that now can I? Anyhow it's only worth 5% and I've already done very well on everything else, so I should just get over it. Now how does one do that. If only I knew.
19 January 2007
When I call
" The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength."
-Psalm 138:3 The Message
None of us are perfect. We try to follow God but life gets difficult at times and we stumble. Even some of the greatest people of the Bible stumbled. They did the wrong thing and so do we all at times. But the amazing thing is that when we call out to God for help(and I mean truly call out) then He is there to pick us up. But really why are we surprised? He IS our FATHER. As parents, if we saw one if our children lying in pain on the ground wouldn't we rush over to their aid. But imagine you get there and they push you away, not wanting your help. How hurtful would that be. Wanting to help but not being allowed. Now imagine how God feels when we do that. He sees our pains and he wants to help. We just need to call out to Him with all our heart.
What I would say to my younger self
Wow I'm on a roll today. I've even done a heap of work on my Uni stuff. Anyhow I caught a few minutes of Oprah and there was a question posed.
Qu: If you could have a conversation with your younger self what advice would you give her?
Here is my answer.
Girl, love yourself. Don't be afraid to be yourself. You are a wonderful person. Don't believe anyone who disagrees. Trust me there will always be people that you just don't get along with and that's okay. If we were all the same life would be boring. Remember those girls who bully you are dealing with there own issues too. Try to forgive them but also stand up for yourself. You have rights and stop trying to be their friend. It's not worth it. If they don't like you the way you are then they just don't like you. It's their problem not yours. Don't stop being yourself just to make friends. Try looking for friends in unexpected places. The quiet girl in the corner could turn out to be a loyal friend. If you don't try you'll never know.
Do your best at school and quit wagging. You've got an intelligent brain in that head so use it. Make sure you think carefully before applying for University. Chose something you really want to do not just something easy to get into and takes you out of town.
Speaking of this town. Don't bag it so much. It will be a much friendlier place in a few years and you might just find yourself returning.
Now don't give up on your dreams. Keep writing poetry. Try your hand at writing something else. Try getting something published. Your never know how far it may take you.
Remember to go to church. Take the time to get closer to God. Whatever you do don't let Him slip away from you. Join a youth group. You can meet some fantastic and genuine people there.
Take the time to appreciate life. Spend more time getting to know your family, especially your grandparents. You'll really miss them when they're gone.
Oh and most importantly don't forget to talk to that guy your friend has a crush on. He's your future husband. Don't worry she doesn't stay mad long. And she's still a close friend.
20 January 2007
Welcome to wherever you are. God makes no mistakes
I was just listening to this song and the lyrics really hit me so I thought I'd put them here for all to see.
welcome to wherever you are have a nice day, 2005
Maybe we're all different but we're still the same We all got the blood of Eden running through our veins I know sometimes it's hard for you to see You're caught between just who you are and who you want to be If you feel alone and lost and need a friend Remember every new beginning is some beginning's end Welcome to wherever you are This is your life; you made it this far Welcome, you got to believe That right here, right now You're exactly where you're supposed to be Welcome to wherever you are When everybody's in and you're left out And you feel you're drowning in the shadow of a doubt Everyone's a miracle in their own way Just listen to yourself, not what other people say When it's seems you're lost, alone and feeling down Remember everybody's different; just take a look around Welcome to wherever you are This is your life; you made it this far Welcome, you got to believe Right here, right now You're exactly where you're supposed to be Be who you want to be Be who you are Everyone's a hero Everyone's a star When you want to give up and your heart's about to break Remember that you're perfect; God makes no mistakes Welcome to wherever you are This is your life; you made it this far Welcome, you got to believe Right here, right now You're exactly where you're supposed to be And I say welcome... I say welcome... Welcome...
If you are not happy where you are then remember God really does make no mistakes
23 January 2007
4 February 2007
I am not an obsessed perfectionist....Am I?
Hi all. My eyes are getting blurry from doing my exam practise quizzes over and over and over again. My darling husband says I'm getting obsessed. I don't know what do you think. I've found that the exam is taken from the some database as the quizzes and if I can get the quizzes down pact I'll have no problem in the exam itself. That makes sense doesn't it? Okay well I suppose I should also admit that I've got all the questions right heaps of times now. But what if I forget. Oh I'm such a big stresser sometimes. I know I should just give it a rest and just do the quizzes a couple more times tomorrow before I go off to the exam. Self control woman.
Well I guess that's the obsessed part. Now to the perfectionist part. I got my marks back for my essay this week and I didn't do as well as I wanted to. So, of course I went into self doubt mode. How typical of me. I mean I still passed and admittedly I haven't written an essay in oh at least a decade. But here I was berating myself. Yes see I have a dream of being a published poet or writer someday. After I finish my teaching degree and start working I plan to do a writing correspondence course. So I am telling myself if I can't possibly ever succeed in writing if I can't get really high mark on my essay. Then the voice of reason speaks, aka my Hubby. He points out that writing poetry or a book is way different than essay writing. Hmmmmm
Maybe I am an obsessed perfectionist.
Help me How do I cure myself.
10 February 2007
Always There
.
When life just seems too hard
And the world is harsh and cold
When I'm fighting an endless battle
And I feel I'm just too old
.
When my burdens are too heavy
And my back is about to break
When I have trouble moving forward
And I struggle with each step I take
.
When I look to the world for comfort
Just searching to see some love
And all I find is heartache
In this world of push and shove
.
When I feel I'm all alone
And there's no one to really care
I turn around and see your face
And I realise you were always there
.
By Joanne Erbacher25 March 2007
Down
I have realised that my brain is full of clutter. I think too much and most of the time it's not organised thinking. It's no wonder I find it hard to organise my house/life. I am frustrated. I hate being this way. My stomach is in knots and I feel down. I can't seem to focas on anything. I get distracted too easy. Why me? I know that God has his reasons and if I let him he can use the bad stuff in my life for good. I...I don't know. There's so many dreams I have....so many many things I want to do...I want to be.....so much. But I can't stick to things. It makes me sooooo mad! Why? Why? Why? I get obssessed with stuff and go totally overboard. Like pen pals for example. I used a Christian pen pal site and sent off a heap of emails. Now I have heaps of new friends. Which is great. They are all fantastic people who I want to get to know even better. But how do I keep up with it all. I don't want any of them to be disappointed. I guess the truth is I don't want anyone ot to like me. That's another big issue of mine. I really can't handle it when someone doesn't like me. I feel a need to be perfect but I can't be and that is not okay. Well it is I know....But try telling my brain that. It's no wonder I'm seeing a pschologist for anxiety and depression. That another things that gets me down though. It makes me feel totally pathetic. I haven't had a fraction of the stuff happen to me that others have been through. Why can't I deal with it then? Am I stupid? Useless? Lazy? Needy? What is it about me that makes me like this. I want it gone. Please. I just want to feel good about myself most of the time rather than some of the time. I want to feel worthwhile. I want to be motivated. I want to create routines in my life and stick to them. I know that God is always there for me. I know I should turn to him in prayer more. It's hard. What if he doesn't like me? Now I know that's an utterly stupid question. But there it is. It's hard to believe anyone would like me when I don't like myself.
7November 2008
My lil Angel
Hi
At the moment I'm finding it real hard to feel happy. I felt like this yesterday too. But one thing that really helped was my darling little princess,"Angel". She's my Chihuahua. She's been such a blessing to me. Last night she snuck inside. She's not suppose to be inside. Dh's rules not mine. I'm still working on him. Anyway I put her up on the lounge chair next to me. She snuggled in at first and then after a while started nudging me which soon turned into licking me all over. That's the way she tells me she love me. I've only had her a few weeks. I adopted her from the animal refuge. She's 6 and was very timid when I first got her. She has become so attached to me and has really come out of her shell. I love her unconditional love. She's the best and always brings a smile to my face.
Luv and Hugs
Jo
18 November 2008
Forgiveness
DH was reading a book a while back about forgiveness. I haven't got around to reading it myself yet. But DH told me that we can't forgive someone unless they actually ask for forgiveness. This is because the Bible tells us to forgive others as God has forgiven us. This confused me and upset me. Why? Because I had dealt with some issues in my past such as date rape and bullying by getting to the point where I thought I had 'forgiven' those people. I didn't have ill feelings towards them anymore and hoped that they were happy in life. But this whole new idea on forgiveness made me doubt whether I had healed of these old wounds as much as I thought.
But I've thought about it some more and this is how I see it. God offers us forgiveness but he doesn't force us to take it. We have to want it and ask for it. And in my heart I have offered those who have hurt me forgiveness. It's not my job to make them accept it. Also it shouldn't matter whether they do or not to me.
I guess the forgiveness that has healed me the most is the forgiveness of self. I forgive myself for allowing myself to be bullied and not to stand up for myself or seek help from others. I forgive myself for staying in that bad relationship and putting myself in the situation that led to the date rape.
Jo
A weighty issue
Well this is my first entry. What to say? Well I think I'll write about one of my goals. Yes I made new year resolutions.....again. Isn't life just a set of ever changing resolutions anyway. Well I think I'll deal with the weightiest one. Yes I'm talking about my weight. Just after Christmas I weighed myself. It was not a good moment. I reached my highest weight, 74kg. Now I know for a lot of people that's not someting to whinge about, But for a woman who was a tiny size 8 in her late teens I think I've the right to whinge. So I made a goal to get down to 6okg this year. What I didn't realise at the time was that losing weight would mean eating healthy (yuck) and exercise (horror). So I am now trying to walk every day and not eat junk food. I WANT CHOCOLATE.
But on the up side I am losing weight.
6 January 2007
Lack of Motivation
I'm sitting here at the computer. I should be doing a Uni assignment but I'm not. My motivation left me about mid morning. I hate it when I get like this. All I want to do is veg but I can't. So there lies the dilema. I should get away from the computer and do something else for a while. Lunch would be a good idea. My stomach thinks so too.
To contact or not to contact that's the question
Do you ever find yourself wondering about long lost friends? Well I did today. I found myself thinking about my best friend from high school. We lost touch years ago. I was wondering how she was, what she was doing, whether she was married. Well anyway I did a search on her name and I think I found her. I even got an e-mail address and phone number. Now I am so tempted to either call or e-mail her. I don't know if I should do it or not. Part of me is worried that it is the wrong person and that would be so embarrassing. Part of me worries that she'll think I'm a freak for looking her up. There's also that fact that I have changed sooooo much since I last saw her. My whole outlook on life is completely different. Not that I'm complaining mind you. The old me was basically a door mat. I'm way more confident and self assured. Even my interests have changed. I wasn't a Christian when I last saw her. I am now. Will we have anything to talk about? I'm being pathetic. Really I just want to know how she is. Is she happy? That's all really.
I think I'll e-mail her.
What's can happen?
7 January 2007
Happy Happy
am REALLY happy today. Why? I don't know. Maybe coz it's Sunday. Well I'm planning on keeping a positive attitude all day. Yea Me. Catch ya later.
8 January 2007
Ouch!! But still kicking.
Was having an okay day yesterday. That was until I slipped on the stairs. Lucky I was already near the bottom. Now I'm sporting a very sore elbow and butt. I thought about putting up a picy of my elbow but I didn't want to grose anyone out.
I still got up at 5am this morning and went for my 1/2 hour walk. I am so proud of myself.
I also weighed myself this morning and I'm down to 70.5 Kg. Me very happy.
Well I got lots to do today.
Bye
18 January 2007
My Thoughts for18 January 2007
I have been feeling off colour for a few days now. I think I'm letting myself get too stressed out. I need to chill out. I'm stressing mainly about a group assignment I have to do. I haven't done any group assignments since high school and that was over a decade ago. I'm finding it hard to see how we can blend all our ideas together into one presentation. At first I was worrying about figuring out how to use power point and front page but I've sorted that out now. I think I'm just a perfectionist at heart and I want things my own way too much. To be honest I'd rather do the whole thing myself. Can't do that now can I? Anyhow it's only worth 5% and I've already done very well on everything else, so I should just get over it. Now how does one do that. If only I knew.
19 January 2007
When I call
" The moment I called out, you stepped in; you made my life large with strength."
-Psalm 138:3 The Message
None of us are perfect. We try to follow God but life gets difficult at times and we stumble. Even some of the greatest people of the Bible stumbled. They did the wrong thing and so do we all at times. But the amazing thing is that when we call out to God for help(and I mean truly call out) then He is there to pick us up. But really why are we surprised? He IS our FATHER. As parents, if we saw one if our children lying in pain on the ground wouldn't we rush over to their aid. But imagine you get there and they push you away, not wanting your help. How hurtful would that be. Wanting to help but not being allowed. Now imagine how God feels when we do that. He sees our pains and he wants to help. We just need to call out to Him with all our heart.
What I would say to my younger self
Wow I'm on a roll today. I've even done a heap of work on my Uni stuff. Anyhow I caught a few minutes of Oprah and there was a question posed.
Qu: If you could have a conversation with your younger self what advice would you give her?
Here is my answer.
Girl, love yourself. Don't be afraid to be yourself. You are a wonderful person. Don't believe anyone who disagrees. Trust me there will always be people that you just don't get along with and that's okay. If we were all the same life would be boring. Remember those girls who bully you are dealing with there own issues too. Try to forgive them but also stand up for yourself. You have rights and stop trying to be their friend. It's not worth it. If they don't like you the way you are then they just don't like you. It's their problem not yours. Don't stop being yourself just to make friends. Try looking for friends in unexpected places. The quiet girl in the corner could turn out to be a loyal friend. If you don't try you'll never know.
Do your best at school and quit wagging. You've got an intelligent brain in that head so use it. Make sure you think carefully before applying for University. Chose something you really want to do not just something easy to get into and takes you out of town.
Speaking of this town. Don't bag it so much. It will be a much friendlier place in a few years and you might just find yourself returning.
Now don't give up on your dreams. Keep writing poetry. Try your hand at writing something else. Try getting something published. Your never know how far it may take you.
Remember to go to church. Take the time to get closer to God. Whatever you do don't let Him slip away from you. Join a youth group. You can meet some fantastic and genuine people there.
Take the time to appreciate life. Spend more time getting to know your family, especially your grandparents. You'll really miss them when they're gone.
Oh and most importantly don't forget to talk to that guy your friend has a crush on. He's your future husband. Don't worry she doesn't stay mad long. And she's still a close friend.
20 January 2007
Welcome to wherever you are. God makes no mistakes
I was just listening to this song and the lyrics really hit me so I thought I'd put them here for all to see.
welcome to wherever you are have a nice day, 2005
Maybe we're all different but we're still the same We all got the blood of Eden running through our veins I know sometimes it's hard for you to see You're caught between just who you are and who you want to be If you feel alone and lost and need a friend Remember every new beginning is some beginning's end Welcome to wherever you are This is your life; you made it this far Welcome, you got to believe That right here, right now You're exactly where you're supposed to be Welcome to wherever you are When everybody's in and you're left out And you feel you're drowning in the shadow of a doubt Everyone's a miracle in their own way Just listen to yourself, not what other people say When it's seems you're lost, alone and feeling down Remember everybody's different; just take a look around Welcome to wherever you are This is your life; you made it this far Welcome, you got to believe Right here, right now You're exactly where you're supposed to be Be who you want to be Be who you are Everyone's a hero Everyone's a star When you want to give up and your heart's about to break Remember that you're perfect; God makes no mistakes Welcome to wherever you are This is your life; you made it this far Welcome, you got to believe Right here, right now You're exactly where you're supposed to be And I say welcome... I say welcome... Welcome...
If you are not happy where you are then remember God really does make no mistakes
23 January 2007
IN THE DARKNESS
Darkness falls
And I bleed from invisible wounds
Pain that no one can ease
Alone in the darkness I cry out.
Who can hear me?
Who will come to my aide?
So many walk by
Turning their heads away.
I feel I am at the end
Panic overwhelms me
Won't someone love me
I am starting to fade.
A hand, so strong
Whose can it be?
Is it friend or foe?
Do I dare?
Can I trust Him
Will he truly save me?
Am I worthy?
No I can't be
But still the hand
It stays offering help
Offering a different way
Can it be?
I take the hand
Instantly my wounds are healed
The pain is gone
Replaced by unconditional love
My Jesus thank you
I was once broken and afraid
You accepted me and
You loved me
By Joanne Erbacher
Darkness falls
And I bleed from invisible wounds
Pain that no one can ease
Alone in the darkness I cry out.
Who can hear me?
Who will come to my aide?
So many walk by
Turning their heads away.
I feel I am at the end
Panic overwhelms me
Won't someone love me
I am starting to fade.
A hand, so strong
Whose can it be?
Is it friend or foe?
Do I dare?
Can I trust Him
Will he truly save me?
Am I worthy?
No I can't be
But still the hand
It stays offering help
Offering a different way
Can it be?
I take the hand
Instantly my wounds are healed
The pain is gone
Replaced by unconditional love
My Jesus thank you
I was once broken and afraid
You accepted me and
You loved me
By Joanne Erbacher
4 February 2007
I am not an obsessed perfectionist....Am I?
Hi all. My eyes are getting blurry from doing my exam practise quizzes over and over and over again. My darling husband says I'm getting obsessed. I don't know what do you think. I've found that the exam is taken from the some database as the quizzes and if I can get the quizzes down pact I'll have no problem in the exam itself. That makes sense doesn't it? Okay well I suppose I should also admit that I've got all the questions right heaps of times now. But what if I forget. Oh I'm such a big stresser sometimes. I know I should just give it a rest and just do the quizzes a couple more times tomorrow before I go off to the exam. Self control woman.
Well I guess that's the obsessed part. Now to the perfectionist part. I got my marks back for my essay this week and I didn't do as well as I wanted to. So, of course I went into self doubt mode. How typical of me. I mean I still passed and admittedly I haven't written an essay in oh at least a decade. But here I was berating myself. Yes see I have a dream of being a published poet or writer someday. After I finish my teaching degree and start working I plan to do a writing correspondence course. So I am telling myself if I can't possibly ever succeed in writing if I can't get really high mark on my essay. Then the voice of reason speaks, aka my Hubby. He points out that writing poetry or a book is way different than essay writing. Hmmmmm
Maybe I am an obsessed perfectionist.
Help me How do I cure myself.
10 February 2007
A Lesson in Love
Mother, do you really love me?
When you say you do I'm just not sure.
How can you really love me so much
When you always say that you love GOD more?
.
Oh, my dear child, that's easy to explain
GOD made everything, the land, the sky, the sea
All the animals, the plants, the stars
Why GOD even made you and me
.
It was GOD who taught us how to love
When he gave Jesus, his only son
To die, then rise, our souls to save
Showing how much he loves us, everyone
.
So, my dear child, can you see the truth?
Through GOD's love we are truly blessed
And I really do need to love GOD more
That way I can truly love you best.
.
By Joanne Erbacher
Mother, do you really love me?
When you say you do I'm just not sure.
How can you really love me so much
When you always say that you love GOD more?
.
Oh, my dear child, that's easy to explain
GOD made everything, the land, the sky, the sea
All the animals, the plants, the stars
Why GOD even made you and me
.
It was GOD who taught us how to love
When he gave Jesus, his only son
To die, then rise, our souls to save
Showing how much he loves us, everyone
.
So, my dear child, can you see the truth?
Through GOD's love we are truly blessed
And I really do need to love GOD more
That way I can truly love you best.
.
By Joanne Erbacher
Always There
.
When life just seems too hard
And the world is harsh and cold
When I'm fighting an endless battle
And I feel I'm just too old
.
When my burdens are too heavy
And my back is about to break
When I have trouble moving forward
And I struggle with each step I take
.
When I look to the world for comfort
Just searching to see some love
And all I find is heartache
In this world of push and shove
.
When I feel I'm all alone
And there's no one to really care
I turn around and see your face
And I realise you were always there
.
By Joanne Erbacher
Choosing to smile
Choosing to smile. How hard it is at times. But how important it is to do so. I am a born stresser, so when things go wrong my stomach automatically twists into knots. I'm an emotional person, so when things overwhelm me and I don't know what to do I cry. Now this doesn't help. The crying releases tension, which is good, but if I didn't let things stress me so much then the tension wouldn't be as much in the first place.
For example. My DH left yesterday morning to go on a Youth Group camp. Where they were camping was out of mobile phone range. By lunch time yesterday I realised that our fridge had died. Our financial situation is very tight so this is a big deal. I rang around trying to find a repair man, all the while wondering how I could pay them. No where was open. DH had taken our large esky on the camp. I took all the stuff I could get away with freezing downstairs to our freezer. Mum and Dad lent me their small esky to make do with. Now it would seem to the outsider that I had things over control, at least as a temporary solution, but inside side my stomach was churning and churning. I wanted to scream out " HEY WHY ME! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS" I know other people have way worse things happening in their lives, but as I said, I'm a stresser. Later I went outside to take the clothes off the line and I just burst out crying. I felt so stupid, but I just couldn't help it. I felt like a failure. I thought that I was to blame. That I couldn't even keep the basic stuff running in my house. And that was my day yesterday...churning and crying. The point of my stories is I am no better off for churning and crying. It didn't solve anything and I just felt sick by the end of the day. I still had no fridge and no money.
Now today at church I approached Pastor Rob with my problem, hoping he would know of someone with a spare fridge and he has offered us his spare fridge until we can save up for a new one. Isn't God good. He always comes through with the goods.
I resolve right here, right now to try my hardest to choose to smile and not to frown. To choose to laugh and not to cry and most of all....Choose to trust that God has everything in control and he won't let me down.
Choosing to smile. How hard it is at times. But how important it is to do so. I am a born stresser, so when things go wrong my stomach automatically twists into knots. I'm an emotional person, so when things overwhelm me and I don't know what to do I cry. Now this doesn't help. The crying releases tension, which is good, but if I didn't let things stress me so much then the tension wouldn't be as much in the first place.
For example. My DH left yesterday morning to go on a Youth Group camp. Where they were camping was out of mobile phone range. By lunch time yesterday I realised that our fridge had died. Our financial situation is very tight so this is a big deal. I rang around trying to find a repair man, all the while wondering how I could pay them. No where was open. DH had taken our large esky on the camp. I took all the stuff I could get away with freezing downstairs to our freezer. Mum and Dad lent me their small esky to make do with. Now it would seem to the outsider that I had things over control, at least as a temporary solution, but inside side my stomach was churning and churning. I wanted to scream out " HEY WHY ME! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS" I know other people have way worse things happening in their lives, but as I said, I'm a stresser. Later I went outside to take the clothes off the line and I just burst out crying. I felt so stupid, but I just couldn't help it. I felt like a failure. I thought that I was to blame. That I couldn't even keep the basic stuff running in my house. And that was my day yesterday...churning and crying. The point of my stories is I am no better off for churning and crying. It didn't solve anything and I just felt sick by the end of the day. I still had no fridge and no money.
Now today at church I approached Pastor Rob with my problem, hoping he would know of someone with a spare fridge and he has offered us his spare fridge until we can save up for a new one. Isn't God good. He always comes through with the goods.
I resolve right here, right now to try my hardest to choose to smile and not to frown. To choose to laugh and not to cry and most of all....Choose to trust that God has everything in control and he won't let me down.
How to fly
So many of us crawl around in the shadows of pain and suffering not knowing where to turn. We look at our lives and see hopelessness and despair and wonder how we got here and how we can make a change our lives. We feel unworthy of love and compassion. Maybe we’ve done some seemly unforgivable things in the past. Maybe someone has told us of Jesus and his gift of eternal life through forgiveness and love but still we are afraid to give our lives over to him. We wander around aimlessly trying to save ourselves yet all the time feeling empty, longing for something to fill us up. The only way we can feel truly whole is through acceptance of Jesus as our Saviour. Jesus is ever loving, ever forgiving and ever compassionate. He can bring you out of the shadows and lift you up into the light. But if you want Jesus to lift you up first you have to be willing to let go of the ground. And that means being willing to let go of trying to fix things yourself. You have to being willing to give over control of your life, trusting that he always works for the good in our lives. So just let go of the ground and let Jesus lift you up to fly.
.
There is darkness all around me
Creating shadows upon my soul
Forever falling deeper still
While I shiver with the cold
.
This world it has deceived me
It’s drawn me from the light
I have turned towards the darkness
Walking deeper into the night
.
I am sinking deeper still
As I live life on my own
But I flail about in vain
Failing hopelessly alone
.
I need a voice to guide me
To lead and show the way
How I can leave this past behind
And stride into the day?
.
There is one who can save me
Who can wipe away my sin
But I’m scared to lose control
And I know I must give in
.
Giving in, it’s so hard to do
And I struggle just to try
I must be willing to leave the ground
Before Jesus can help me fly.
4 November 2008So many of us crawl around in the shadows of pain and suffering not knowing where to turn. We look at our lives and see hopelessness and despair and wonder how we got here and how we can make a change our lives. We feel unworthy of love and compassion. Maybe we’ve done some seemly unforgivable things in the past. Maybe someone has told us of Jesus and his gift of eternal life through forgiveness and love but still we are afraid to give our lives over to him. We wander around aimlessly trying to save ourselves yet all the time feeling empty, longing for something to fill us up. The only way we can feel truly whole is through acceptance of Jesus as our Saviour. Jesus is ever loving, ever forgiving and ever compassionate. He can bring you out of the shadows and lift you up into the light. But if you want Jesus to lift you up first you have to be willing to let go of the ground. And that means being willing to let go of trying to fix things yourself. You have to being willing to give over control of your life, trusting that he always works for the good in our lives. So just let go of the ground and let Jesus lift you up to fly.
.
There is darkness all around me
Creating shadows upon my soul
Forever falling deeper still
While I shiver with the cold
.
This world it has deceived me
It’s drawn me from the light
I have turned towards the darkness
Walking deeper into the night
.
I am sinking deeper still
As I live life on my own
But I flail about in vain
Failing hopelessly alone
.
I need a voice to guide me
To lead and show the way
How I can leave this past behind
And stride into the day?
.
There is one who can save me
Who can wipe away my sin
But I’m scared to lose control
And I know I must give in
.
Giving in, it’s so hard to do
And I struggle just to try
I must be willing to leave the ground
Before Jesus can help me fly.
Down
I have realised that my brain is full of clutter. I think too much and most of the time it's not organised thinking. It's no wonder I find it hard to organise my house/life. I am frustrated. I hate being this way. My stomach is in knots and I feel down. I can't seem to focas on anything. I get distracted too easy. Why me? I know that God has his reasons and if I let him he can use the bad stuff in my life for good. I...I don't know. There's so many dreams I have....so many many things I want to do...I want to be.....so much. But I can't stick to things. It makes me sooooo mad! Why? Why? Why? I get obssessed with stuff and go totally overboard. Like pen pals for example. I used a Christian pen pal site and sent off a heap of emails. Now I have heaps of new friends. Which is great. They are all fantastic people who I want to get to know even better. But how do I keep up with it all. I don't want any of them to be disappointed. I guess the truth is I don't want anyone ot to like me. That's another big issue of mine. I really can't handle it when someone doesn't like me. I feel a need to be perfect but I can't be and that is not okay. Well it is I know....But try telling my brain that. It's no wonder I'm seeing a pschologist for anxiety and depression. That another things that gets me down though. It makes me feel totally pathetic. I haven't had a fraction of the stuff happen to me that others have been through. Why can't I deal with it then? Am I stupid? Useless? Lazy? Needy? What is it about me that makes me like this. I want it gone. Please. I just want to feel good about myself most of the time rather than some of the time. I want to feel worthwhile. I want to be motivated. I want to create routines in my life and stick to them. I know that God is always there for me. I know I should turn to him in prayer more. It's hard. What if he doesn't like me? Now I know that's an utterly stupid question. But there it is. It's hard to believe anyone would like me when I don't like myself.
7November 2008
My lil Angel
Hi
At the moment I'm finding it real hard to feel happy. I felt like this yesterday too. But one thing that really helped was my darling little princess,"Angel". She's my Chihuahua. She's been such a blessing to me. Last night she snuck inside. She's not suppose to be inside. Dh's rules not mine. I'm still working on him. Anyway I put her up on the lounge chair next to me. She snuggled in at first and then after a while started nudging me which soon turned into licking me all over. That's the way she tells me she love me. I've only had her a few weeks. I adopted her from the animal refuge. She's 6 and was very timid when I first got her. She has become so attached to me and has really come out of her shell. I love her unconditional love. She's the best and always brings a smile to my face.
Luv and Hugs
Jo
18 November 2008
Forgiveness
DH was reading a book a while back about forgiveness. I haven't got around to reading it myself yet. But DH told me that we can't forgive someone unless they actually ask for forgiveness. This is because the Bible tells us to forgive others as God has forgiven us. This confused me and upset me. Why? Because I had dealt with some issues in my past such as date rape and bullying by getting to the point where I thought I had 'forgiven' those people. I didn't have ill feelings towards them anymore and hoped that they were happy in life. But this whole new idea on forgiveness made me doubt whether I had healed of these old wounds as much as I thought.
But I've thought about it some more and this is how I see it. God offers us forgiveness but he doesn't force us to take it. We have to want it and ask for it. And in my heart I have offered those who have hurt me forgiveness. It's not my job to make them accept it. Also it shouldn't matter whether they do or not to me.
I guess the forgiveness that has healed me the most is the forgiveness of self. I forgive myself for allowing myself to be bullied and not to stand up for myself or seek help from others. I forgive myself for staying in that bad relationship and putting myself in the situation that led to the date rape.
Jo
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