Sunny Summer Day Aesthetics

I wrote a post about Rainy Day Aesthetics awhile back (which was quite fun!), so I decided to do one to match today... which is technically now autumn, but it's 37 degrees here (98.6 Fahrenheit for all my northern hemisphere friends). 

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• The intense pleasure of a cool drink after coming in from the searing sun
• Being permanently coated with a thin, sticky layer of sweat
• Your eyes having to adjust to the darkness of the inside versus the intense glare of the outside
• Finishing your work for the day and making a beeline for the air con. Feeling your body sink into the chair with a sense of relief

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• The intense stillness of the outside, except for a few birds crowing occasionally
• Watching the horizon simmer and blur
• The air con blowing and chugging along, a constant hum in the background
• Planning your entire day around the cooler times of early morning and late afternoon

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• Finding the coolest, most breathable outfit in your closet to get you through the day without suffocating
• Refilling your water bottle for the third time, and feeling proud of yourself for drinking enough water for once
• Shouts and groans about visiting a beach or going to the pool
• The DEEP appreciation for ice cream or gelato

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• Some obnoxiously positive person wanting to go on a picnic
• Sunscreen somehow never leaving your fingers and smearing grease over every surface you touch
• When you're so hot, the touch of cold water making your leg actually tingle a little

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• Icy water, complete with as many ice cubes as will fit
• Sunbaking, until the warmth becomes sizzling
• Having minimal hunger but devouring cold salads and fruit (and cold watermelon!)
• Your playlist with the loud, energetic music to match your energy
• The sense of accomplishment upon finding a cool, shady spot to take a breather
  
  

  

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Sunshine Blogger Award (Again :))

Hey friends!

I was tagged by Hamlette with the Sunshine Blogger Award way back in... *checks date* Oh, goodness... *hides in shame*... January?

And then, (decidedly more recently), Olivia also tagged me with the same award back in September (which makes me feel a little better about myself?). Today seems like a perfectly good day to participate in the tag, for two reasons:

1. It is a rainy day outside, and I need some sunshine in my life.
2. I have a head cold and feel rather miserable, so any distraction at present is welcome. (I'm quite literally the picture of Kathleen Kelly in the end scenes of "You've Got Mail" where she's all nasal-sounding and surrounded by tissues.)

Ze Rules:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you in the blog post and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.

3. Nominate 11 new bloggers the award and write them 11 new questions.

4. List the award rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award Logo in your post and/or on your blog.

Without further ado, I present to you my answers! First up, is Hamlette's questions:

1. Fantasy or sci-fi?

I tend to be quite "choosy" with both, but fantasy definitely surpasses sci-fi. (The imaginative worlds in fantasy are so much more aesthetically pleasing, you know.)

2. Tragedy or comedy?

Oohh, that's a difficult one because I appreciate both. And both really have to be well-done. But I do believe I prefer a good comedy - I can enjoy many more of them, and at this stage in my life, I much prefer uplifting content.

3. Fiction or nonfiction?

This is one of those things that I swear changes based on what season of life I'm in at the moment. Currently, I'm very much enjoying fiction and losing myself in worlds outside that of my own. (I'm re-reading "Pride and Prejudice" at the moment, and ahh, I love it so much. <3)

4. Snow or rain?

That's hard! I've never even seen snow, so I feel very tempted to pick that! However, I hear it's not very pleasant in a practical sense, with driving, the aftermath and whatnot. So, I think I will have to pick rain, as I do enjoy both the tranquility and chaos it brings.

the aesthetic of a rainy day brought to you by Pinterest

5. Orange juice or apple juice?

Oh, by far apple juice! Unless the orange has mango or passionfruit in it, then it wins. But if just straight, it's rather too acidic for my liking. Especially the one with the pulp. *shivers*

6. Christmas or Easter?

For the celebration side of things, Christmas by far. I love the coziness and excitement and good wishes at that time of year. And I'd be lying if I said I haven't started the Christmas music already.

7. Middle-earth or Narnia?

Middle-earth, I think. There seems to be more to discover and explore there, and more cultures to experience. Narnia was more my childhood dream destination. ;)

just leaving these cuties here

8. Marvel or DC?

Ugh, do I have to pick either? Fine; DC, expressly because Batman (the Christian Bale Batman, I might add) exists. But I could live perfectly happily if neither existed. :P

9. Star Wars or Star Trek?

I've never seen Star Trek, nor do I have a great deal of interest in doing so. I do enjoy Star Wars, although I certainly have to be in *the mood*. (I feel as though my tastes are a lot more mood-related now than they ever used to be. Oh dear.) Star Wars it is.

10. Old movies or new movies?

In general, new movies. I appreciate the acting styles in more modern movies, and I also enjoy the cinematography much more, as well. Old movies have their charm, though, and I'm definitely not a snob about it. ;)

11. Old books or new books?

OLD BOOKS! I enjoy some new books, but old classics have my heart. I love the idea that so many other people have enjoyed the book before me, and loved the characters as much as I. I'm sentimental like that, I guess.

And now onto Olivia's questions! :) 

1. Summer or winter?

With beach days, sunshine, summer storms and blue skies, ice cream dates, school holidays, cute summery dresses, and watermelon... is that even a question? ;)

Does this not scream summer?

2. Spring or autumn?

Spring!! I'm as wild about spring as I am about summer, and still can't make up my mind which out of the two I prefer.

3. Desert or tundra?

Ehh, how about a relaxing beach? No? Well, I'll pick the tundra then, for the sake of variation.

4. City or country?

I have learned to appreciate both, but the country has my heart. <3 I can breathe more deeply there.

5. Neutrals or pastels?

Ohh, pastels! I love me some cute pastels. Especially ones with summery/spring vibes. ;) 

I mean, don't pictures like this just give you a thrill?!

6. Solids or patterns?

Hmm, depends what for... I like the traditional spots and stripes, but I don't go for really complex patterns. I like simple. So if it's more sophisticated than spots or stripes, I'll go with solids, haha.

7. Film or television?

Film, although when it's an average "just-got-home-from-work-and-don't-have-the-energy-for-a-2-hour-movie" day, I'm guilty of sitting down and watching some television with the family. I like the real-life medical shows, specifically "Ambulance" or "Paramedics". And I do have a soft spot for "The Voice", no matter how staged things are.

8. Fiction or non-fiction?

See my answer above to Hamlette's same question.

9. Action or musical?

Ahh, don't do that to my heart! xD In general, MUSICALS all the way! But if it's a film, I do enjoy a good action movie, if it has a backbone of a plot to it. Recently, I'm beginning to realize how much more I appreciate musicals live as opposed to filmed or stage versions. (Guys, live theatre is just so underrated! Seriously! If you haven't seen a live show, go find one playing near you with a story you might like and GO SEE IT! And then tell me all about it so we can squeal together. :D)

Look! Here is proof that theatre is magical!

10. Romance or fantasy?

Ooohh, that's hard. Maybe romance? But if it's a romance, it has to have some sort of story going for it as well, not simply Henry + Sally = Henry & Sally. You know?

11. Blog or Instagram?

*cough* It's seems rather cutthroat to acknowledge this on my own blog, but I must admit, Instagram has definitely been more convenient of late. When you only have a few minutes to kill, it's way easier to pull it up on your phone than log into blogger and read a lengthy blog post. Still, I do love to read my friends' writing, and I get excited when people write long captions to their Instagram photos, so maybe I'm just obliging my lazy side? 

because is a post complete without
 a picture of flowers?

So now that I feel so bad about my delayed response to these tags, I'm going to droop my head and waddle out. If anyone wants to steal these questions or consider themselves tagged, by all means go ahead! For the sake of conversation, tell me, is it raining or sunny where you are at the moment? And what are your thoughts on social media? Is blogging better than Instagram? And have you started listening to Christmas music yet?!

12 Delights of Christmas Tag

 Hello friends!

Today I have a scrumptious Christmas tag courtesy of Heidi (thank you for both creating it and tagging me!). I am SO excited to put forth a post filled with Christmas celebrations and glitter. Let's get to it!

from Heidi's blog :)

1. A favourite Christmas tradition?

Ohh, so many! But ONE of my favourites is that every year, we decorate our Christmas tree as a family, and Mummy and Daddy buy each of us children a new individual ornament for the tree and wrap it up for us to open, so we then have a special ornament to remember each year by... we have a lot of unique ones (no two are the same!) and we also have quite a compilation now! But I think it looks beautiful.

2. Say it snowed at your domicile, would you prefer to go out or stay curled up inside? 

Oh my, wouldn't that be a sight?! Snow in the middle of summer?! xD I'm sure many Australians wouldn't be averse to experiencing a white Christmas! I for one would probably choose to go outside for a short amount of time to squeal and throw snowballs at sibling-sized-targets, but spend most of the day cozily curled up inside. ;)

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3. Tea or hot chocolate?

Is coffee not an option???! Haha. Hot chocolate all the way! (But also... coffee. :D)

4. Favourite Christmas colours (i.e. white, blue, silver, gold, red and green etc)?

Ooohh, that's a tough one! I will go with white and gold. It's so beautiful and elegant.

5. Favourite kind of Christmas cookie?

HOMEMADE GINGERBREAD!!! Also, coffee shortbread. Absolutely incredible. (And I just realized... I'm not sure if you would count these as cookies?? But we don't really *do* cookies per se at Christmas time if you don't count these haha.)

6. How soon before Christmas do you decorate (more specifically, when does your tree go up)?

It has changed several times over the years - it used to be 1st December, then the passionate Christmas lovers bumped it up to mid November, and gradually it's been pushed even further back... but now I'd say, roughly mid November? We don't have Thanksgiving in Australia (at least, most of us don't) so there's not much to hold us back! ;)

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7. Three favourite traditional Christmas carols?

"The First Noel", "O Holy Night" and "Mary Did You Know?" (if you count that last one as traditional). There are so many glorious carols out there though!

8. A Favourite Christmas song (i.e. something you might hear on the radio)?

Ok guys, don't kill me for this one but Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is so fuuun! xD I love singing along to it! Granted, it IS overplayed, but it's still fun. A close second would be Michael Buble's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas" and Celine Dion's "Feliz Navidad". 

9. A favourite Christmas movie?

I honestly haven't seen a huge heap of Christmas movies, and a lot of the modern ones really aren't my thing, but "The Nativity Story" does have a special place in my heart. :) <3 

10. Have you ever gone caroling?

Unofficially, yes! I remember one Christmas our extended family (who are all very musical) decided to walk out on my grandparent's road where they had a huge Christmas light display that people would drive to look at, and we walked around and sang a few carols in a couple places, some with backing music and others acapella. I distinctly remember (this all being completely impromptu) that we spontaneously did a four or five part harmony on the final note of one of the carols (I think it was "The First Noel") and it was so exciting! Definitely one of my favourite Christmas memories.

11. Ice skating, sledding, skiing or snow boarding?

Hahaha.... ha... ahem... well, let's just say I've only done one of those four things, and that would be ice skating, and I am quite dreadful at it. I think perhaps in Australia it would be more accurate to say surfing, body boarding, swimming or cricketing? ;) But in a make-believe, dreamy snow world, I would choose sledding, please.

12. Favourite Christmas feast dish?

Hands-down the fancy Christmas dinner my mother makes every year with roast pork wrapped in bacon, and maple syrup marinate over the roast and the veggies. It's simply divine.

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Thank you so much for this tag, Heidi - it was so much fun! I'm tagging:

Katie

Eva

Miss March

... and whoever else would like to fill it out! :)

Have a fabulous day all, and blast those Christmas tunes! ;)

Spring Bucket List Check-off + Life Update

Hello all my lovely friends! 

Here I am, as promised, to check in and review how well I did with my spring bucket list! I must say, I surprised myself with how much I DID get done, but as you will see, it wasn't all of them. ;) 

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 - Learn "All of Me" by Jon Schimdt on the piano   I worked quite hard on this one, and can definitely play it fluently, but I'm still perfecting it, which will be a long process, I think. ;)

- Give flowers to a friend (didn't have the opportunity for this one, although I still want to anyhow!)

- Have all/most of my Christmas shopping finished by the time summer/December rolls around  I basically just have a couple little last-minute presents to get and I'm done! I'm so proud of myself, haha.

- Freeze fruit (such as grapes and bananas)  I froze a banana and loved it so much I did it three times! When grapes come into season I'll definitely try them, too. 

- Go for a long bike ride (it was genuinely too hot for this... it's been over 40 degrees the past couple weeks.)

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- Draw something spring-inspired  I didn't get to actually draw a proper picture for this one, but I did some intricate designs in my bullet journal that were definitely spring-inspired. :) 

- Cloud gaze (I literally tried so hard to do this one but we've literally just had clear blue skies for weeks xD)

- Drink coffee on the patio  This was no doubt the easiest, hehe.

- Dry some flowers (yeah, didn't have time and was also lacking flowers)

- Make ice cream (I did buy gelato twice on our beach trips though, hehe)

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- Freshen up my blog look  I completed this very early on in spring, and am quite happy with how it is right now. And frankly I don't have the time to re-do it again anyway. *cough*

- Add more cute summery dresses to my wardrobe  Definitely didn't get as many as I'd hoped, but I do have some lovely new things in my summer wardrobe!

- Photograph nature  One afternoon I whipped my camera out in the setting sun and took some snaps. It reminded me of how I would like to get a proper camera someday.

I could have uploaded a pretty flower picture I took, but instead,
to keep it real, here is my little sister's pet goat eating said flowers.

- Learn to braid my hair properly (let's be honest, this will take me at least 10 years)

- Make and decorate cupcakes  I completed this one with my little siblings! :)

- Listen to "The Light in the Piaza" (musical)  I listened to the entire thing over 2 days, and enjoyed it! It wasn't quite as enthralling as I'd anticipated but it was sweet. 

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And now let's address the elephant in the room... my lack of consistency and presence in the blogosphere of late. I'm sure I'm not the only one, but let's just say, switching from a 16 hour working week to a 38 hour working week has not been a walk in the park for me. And also, I'm silly enough to think I can still keep up with everything else I do (dance lessons, singing lessons, Bible studies, social events etc). I can't begin to explain how much I miss reading and playing the piano and having time to read and write blog posts, but they were just the activities that were left behind in the dust.

December is already here, though, (whaaat) so I will be getting some time off work, which I am Most Excited About. I do hope to catch up on some blog posts then (hopefully even create a little pile of drafts I can publish when life picks up its speed again?) and be less of a Ghost of Christmas Past phantom in the shadows. (Ok, can you tell I'm working on some Phantom songs with my singing teacher and I'm currently still in the operatic mood? ;)) 

So, to sum up my messy 'life update': I am excited to spend a bit more time on here during my Christmas break (in between Christmas baking, playing games with family, wrapping presents and dancing to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas", naturally) and we'll see how it goes from there. I have SO many plans and dreams and ideas for 2021, but I genuinely have no idea which of those shall become a reality or which shall remain my favourite daydreams to ponder while I'm trying to go to sleep at night. If I had my way, I would fulfill all of my aspirations for the new year and would get so busy and burnt out that I would probably delete all social media accounts and hibernate under my pillow for a week, so I'm currently still tweaking what I want to prioritize (which is proving devastatingly difficult). I make no promises as to what will happen with my dear little blog next year, but I always hope for the best, and I have no wish to neglect it so poorly as I have done. But if I have learnt anything this year, it is that my plans do not mean anything if they are not in line with God's. 

It's so lovely to be back and I can't wait to talk to you all again soon! *blows kisses*

My Spring Bucket List {2020}

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Hello friends!

I have a new project that I would like to try, and I thought I would invite you in on it! I was inspired by a couple things - one being an Instragram post I saw recently (but for the life of me can't find again), and another being Rachel's seasonal To-Do lists... both of which combined with a desire to add a slightly more festive, fun-loving spark into my 2020 has led me to create my own spring-inspired bucket list. :) 

As both a means of accountability and inspiration, I will be sharing it with you here! (I also fully understand that for at least half of you, the season would be autumn and not spring, but the idea is still the same. ;)) 

So let's get to it!

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MY SPRING BUCKET LIST {2020}

- Learn "All of Me" by Jon Schimdt on the piano

- Give flowers to a friend

- Have all/most of my Christmas shopping finished by the time summer/December rolls around

- Freeze fruit (such as grapes and bananas - I've never done this before but everyone keeps telling me how amazing it is!)

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- Go for a long bike ride

- Draw something spring-inspired

- Cloud gaze

- Drink coffee on the patio

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- Dry some flowers

- Make ice cream

- Freshen up my blog look

- Add more cute summery dresses to my wardrobe

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- Photograph nature

- Learn to braid my hair properly

- Make and decorate cupcakes

- Listen to "The Light in the Piaza" (musical)

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And there you have it! A lot of those things are specifically spring-inspired, but some are also just random things I would like to do. ;) I realize we're already a full month into spring so I'm quite a bit behind! I'll try to give myself some grace if I don't get through the whole list, but I'm curious to see how much I can tick off before December.

What are some things you want to do before summer (or, perhaps winter) rolls around? Is there anything I should add to my list? Let me know in the comments!

Life Update + Happy Things

 Hey friends!

Just popping in with a few things to tell you, as they will probably cause me to implement a few changes around here. 

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So, the biggest update I have for you is that I got a new job! Hooray! After almost two years, I have finally gotten the job I've been trying for - a receptionist position. (I know, some people can't imagine enjoying that but it's honestly something I have wanted for a long time. I love communicating and organizing, and an administration position is great for that.) It's quite a complicated role, and will take me a few months to settle in and know my way around the system, but I am excited for the challenge. The people there are so lovely and welcoming. I'm keeping my cafe job, too, thereby doubling my work hours for the week (turning it into a five day working week).

Obviously, this means I'm going to have a lot less free time. I'm flat out trying to squish in my tap dancing and singing lessons, and alas for my poor blog. However, I am not giving up on it yet. 

It may be ambitious, but I do want to keep up with blogging in some way, shape or form. Without a doubt, I won't be able to post as often, nor keep up as well, but I'll do my best. 

I mostly wanted to forewarn you that my posting may be rather haphazard and inconsistent, but hopefully still a reality. So if I disappear off the face of the internet, just know that it's probably because I'm napping after a long working week. ;) (Just kidding, I hardly ever nap.) (Although I definitely advocate them.)

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Since this post may seem a little flat if I leave it like this, I thought I would add a quick little section of things that have made me happy lately. Because we all need a little positivity. :)

Things That Have Made Me Smile:

• When I was driving on the day I had my interview for the new job, my local radio station played a song I had requested from them MONTHS BEFORE. It literally made me so happy. :') I was shouting and singing at the top of my lungs, haha! (And if you're curious which song it was, it's called "If I Don't Have You" by Love and the Outcome.)

• The crazy amount of well wishes I have had for my new job. People are so encouraging and supportive, and it honestly makes my day.

• Lauren Daigle's album "Look Up, Child" has given me LIFE the past few months. Love it.

• Listening to podcasts (particularly the "Whoa That's Good" podcast) and doing my bullet journal

• The fact that spring has finally arrived!!! I can't believe it's here already! But I'm very happy about it. :D I've already dumped all my winter clothes in favour of cute summer dresses and singlet tops.

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• The snuggly, fluffy baby guinea pig that we have. When it was first born, it easily fit into the palm of my hand... and I have small hands. ;)

• Taking a step back, and realizing that almost all of my prayers from a few years ago have been answered. It's so amazing when you realize how much God listens, and cares.

• Also realizing that God's "no's" have been as good as His "yes's" because I can see now how His plan was so much greater for me than what I thought it was in the moment.

• The strawberries that my little sister painted onto my toenails, haha. Every time I look down at them, I smile.

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I'll end there, but please add to my list and let's create a page full of sunshiney thoughts!

Tell me, what are some things that have made you smile lately?! :D

Some Quiet Thoughts on 2020

Hey friends!

Ironically, I have six drafts already mostly done in my posts folder, but none of them felt like the right time to publish. (Or maybe I'm just overthinking it.) So I decided, instead, to spontaneously write something, and share it with you.

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It's currently late Sunday afternoon, and I'm sitting in our air-conditioned living room. I have a cold (which is very rare for the middle of summer) and have felt terribly lousy the past few days. Outside, my little brother and my Dad are playing light sabers as they let the pet goat out (my little brother is obsessed with Star Wars currently - we literally sat down to watch "Revenge of the Sith" the other day, and he was giving us a quiet commentary on what each planet was named and what every insignificant character was called. Things that I've never even HEARD of! He said he read it in a book. xD He gets Star Wars books out from the library, you see). ANYHOW.

In short, it's a quiet afternoon on a seemingly insignificant day and I am here to address my thoughts, particularly those for this upcoming year. I know you've all been bombarded with "New Years Resolutions", "My 2019 in Review", "My goals for 2020" etc, and I don't mean to exhaust the topic for you. (Thus I didn't post my New Year's Tag that I wrote out in one of my notebooks... although if anyone WANTS to see it, let me know.) But instead, I just mean to share a few small, simple ponderings about 2020.

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I will admit, I am (and always have been) one for lists, goals and resolutions. If you were to consult my new bullet journal, you would find 3 financial goals, 3 fitness goals, 6 life goals, 11 healthy habit goals, and a few other lists I have not yet finished... yeah, I think I go overboard sometimes. ;) But, as I was reminded in Olivia's post, goals and resolutions are not essential. And I find I always stress myself out ridiculously over the sake of something that is supposed to keep me LESS stressed! (Isn't that what lists are for?!) So I want this year to focus on keeping with my resolutions, but also giving myself GRACE. To be gentle with myself, and others. One thing I regret not doing more of in 2019 is RESTING. I was so into hustling and Getting Things Done, that I would often find myself exhausted, with no time to relax, unwind, or give quality time to my friends or family. And that, friends, means my priorities had Issues. So this year, I aim to remember that rest is just as important as productivity, because without one, the other tips the scales and leaves you scrambling around trying to get your life together.

(To be clear, by the way, I have no idea where this post is going - somewhere good, I hope. Bear with me.)

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I'll spare you all my goals for 2020, and just give you a run down on my 'resolution', of sorts. (Don't worry, it's nothing fancy.)

To summarize all my goals and ideas for the next 12 months, I simply want to focus on this: letting go of everything that has held me back in the past, and going after things that I've either been too scared or unable to do before. I don't want to let fear or anxiety call the shots anymore, and I want to use this year - while I'm still learning and growing in confidence and independence ;) - to learn priceless lessons and chase after the things that set my soul on fire. While I have the time, energy and motivation to do hard things, why not say no to all the lame excuses and just go and DO THEM???

I want to follow whatever the Lord has placed on my heart with courage and confidence, and step out in the knowledge that Jesus is greater than any pride, laziness or fear that I struggle with. With God, anything is possible. So why not reach for the stars? If I fall, I fall into His arms.

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2020, let's DO THIS.

Do any of you have a similar 'resolution'? What has been on your heart of late? What has God been whispering to you? I'd love to talk about it!!

My Favourite Christmas Memories

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I love Christmas.

I love everything about Christmas. 

For some unexplained reason, it never gets old or boring. And I love hearing about everyone else’s Christmases, because they’re all so delightfully unique. Some people have it surrounded by snow, snuggled under blankets, gripping a hot drink. Others (like myself), experience it in air conditioning, or at the beach, with a barbecue sizzling nearby, and a game of cricket playing on TV. (Okay, I think that latter part is strictly Australian. :P)

Many people may think that since I am Australian, I must spend every Christmas at the beach surfing, right? Well, uh, wrong. I’ve never surfed in my life (a fact I am rather sad about), and I can only remember one Christmas spent at the beach. (Shocking!) For the most part, we always preferred being in the comfort of our own homes, enjoying it in our own little way.

So anyhow, being in the festive spirit, I thought I would give you all a taste of what Christmas has looked like for me, over the years.

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For the first fifteen or so years of my life, we would always keep a tradition in our extended family celebrations: a performance of the Christmas play.
It was originally adapted by the two aunties (one being my Mum), and was faithfully performed every year by all the grandchildren. The older kids got the speaking parts (such as the angel, or the narrator), the lucky kids got the main parts (such as Mary and Joseph), and the little kids got the smaller parts (such as the shepherd). If you were REALLY little, you were liable to be dressed up as a sheep, but we won't go there.

Over the years, we found ways to keep it interesting – adding in new songs, solos, and funny lines to entertain. Naturally, our parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles all thought us extremely funny, and so did we. ;) Once the grandkids started getting married, however, and New People were being added to the family, the idea of exposing our play to outside families was a little intimidating. Not to mention, many of the grandkids thought themselves rather old to be playing an acting part. So, sadly, that tradition has come to an end, but it did create a lot of fun memories while it lasted.

Once or twice we even took our set of carols from the play and sung them as a spur-of-the-moment choir while we walked up and down our grandparents' street, where award-winning fairy lights attracted many strangers. Having a musical family is such a blessing, and it really is quite thrilling when you can go into three part harmony without a single rehearsal!

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I distinctly remember one Christmas, we were celebrating with our extended family at our grandparents’ house and it was a particularly hot day. Over twenty people were squished into one air-conditioned room, with wrapping paper in crumpled up balls mingled throughout. The house was buzzing with people. We’d just had lunch (cold meat with salad, fresh fruit platters, pavlova, trifle and plum pudding), and were finishing opening presents. Everyone was getting a bit stiff and sticky. Outside, the temperature had just passed its peak. The blue sky was clear, and the green grass was beckoning.

To this day, I’m still not sure from where they appeared, but out of somewhere, a giant bottle of water balloons was brought forth. Jubilant shouts sounded, and all the grand kids (several of which were passed the age of twenty, might I add ;)) trooped outside with glee on their faces. We filled every single balloon and loaded them into buckets. I don’t even remember if we split into teams, or if pure chaos ensued immediately. All I remember is shrieking and throwing water balloons at anybody within my radius. Everyone was laughing and squealing and running around the tiny backyard, climbing over the garden stones and hiding behind rubbish bins and sheds. The water balloons ran out way too quickly, and no one wanted to stop the fun, so people started getting creative. One of my cousins picked up a watering can and, being exceptionally tall, would find a good hiding place and water anyone who went past.  (I suspect I was an easy target.) One of our cousins (the in-law, of course XD) even went so far as to bring out the garden hose and use it!

I remember the pure joy bubbling inside of me that day. I was full of that light-hearted joy that rarely appears outside of Christmas day. To close the memory, we took a picture – one of my favourites ever –of all the grandchildren huddled together, beaming, with our festive clothes thoroughly soaked through. I’ll never forget that day.

Via Pinterest

I’ll end the memories here, but I would love to hear from you – what are some of YOUR favourite Christmas memories? 

Is there anything that reminds you of a particular Christmastime? (For example, whenever I hear the Michael Buble Christmas album, I ALWAYS think of that one time we were on a family holiday at a resort, playing billiards while blaring our Christmas music in the games room... xD) 

... Pssst! Five more days till Christmas!!!

P.S. Rest assured, the follow-up 'about me' post is still coming, but Christmas has priority over that. ;)

P.P.S. Also, as a random note, I went to see "The Rise of Skywalker" last night and I have MANY FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS. Have any of you seen it? If so, tell me your thoughts!!