Absence makes the heart grow fonder....

Goodness me...has it really been 7 months since I last posted??? Crazy! Life has just been a little insane. I'm pleased to say that I have kept up with project life though so I can back track and fill you in as I go.

My big news is that we are moving (did I cover this already???) Marko got a job in NSW at a powerstation near Muswellbrook and has been there since Easter. I finally have my approval to teach and will be joining him in the coming weeks. It has been an incredibly stressful and emotional time for us both as we have learned to cope living apart. We certainly will not be taking our time for granted.

We have been very lucky to find a house to live in on a very large block. It's a straw bale house with lots of room for vege gardens and a very agreeable landlord. More to come on this.

Well although short, at least I'm back and I'll get back into my rhythm soon.

Project Life

I have been a follower of Becky Higgins' blog for some time, and have watched/read as many of the other scrappy bloggers I follow have embarked on the Project Life adventure. Last year I decided that I was really going to do it and pre-ordered my Clemintine kit. It arrived in late December and I spent a few hours on the phone to Moira while I sorted it out, and set it up. I've had a few teething problems, like figuring out which is the best collage app to use, and how to get white borders on my photos using snapfish. I've just received my last batch of photos but I'll have to reprint as some didn't get a thick enough white border. So, here are weeks 1-6 as they stand so far. I'm missing a few photos and one journalling card...but that is pretty darned good!!!

Week 1 - 2012

 Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

I'm yet to figure out how to present these newspaper clippings.

I'll reprint these so they aren't sideways..but for now this will do!

Emily xoxo



Baking 4 Roma

What a totally amazing week I've had! While horrific flooding has inundated the town I live in for the third year running I have had the pleasure of witnessing a small country town commuity pulling together to help those worst effected by the flood.

My idea of coordinating a Baked Relief effort here in Roma called Baking 4 Roma on Facebook,  took off in a HUGE way and it has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Through the Baking 4 Roma Facebook page my friend Janet and I coordinated a week long effort of baking, sorting and delivering home baked goods.

Volunteers hard at it at the RSL hall on Monday!

 Me in the background telling them all what to do!!

Volunteers packaging baked goodies ready for delivery!

We had men and women making sandwiches, volunteers dropping of individually wrapped baked goods and even more volunteers driving the hot, smelly, muddy streets offering people cleaning their homes and their helpers cold water, a sandwich and some baked goodies. The response from the community has been wonderful. Janet delivered to one gentleman on Wednesday and as she offered him a muffin, he burst into tears. I think the amazing part is that it has simply shown people who were flooded that those of us who were lucky enough to not get water in our homes were doing what we could to help.

At the Lions Den on Wednesday after some serious challenges on Tuesday.

Sponsorship by the Roma Lions club meant we could continue providing

sandwiches as well as water and baked goodies.

On both Thursday and Friday we had enough home baking to send these

9 boxes, bags and eskys to the Mitchell residents!

 

Welcome to Roma, at this point the bridge into town was submerged.

Down the road from my house during the flood and after, this car was

left on the corner of Miscamble and Northern roads - the usual place to

park your car if you are trying to sell it privately. The owner moved it to

higher ground but was not allowed back to move it again as the water

rose even higher.

The heartbreaking job of throwing out ones possessions.

This was the largest pile we saw. Brought tears to my eyes.

Delivering a boot full of food the the Mitchell Retirement Village.

I have had several phone calls from journalists and have decided to tell the Baking 4 Roma story, not for money or recognition of us in particular, but to raise awareness of what a community is capable of when they pull together in times of need. I am so proud to have been part of it all.

Emily xoxo

Launching Roma Baked Relief

Roma has is currently experiencing it's worst flood on record. This is the third major flood to hit the town in 3 years and the devastation is heart wrenching. Following the lead of this inspirational woman Digella, I am mobilising a group of kind hearted, kitchen savy locals to bake, make and deliver food to people while they clean the flood waters out of their homes.

Through all the communications I've read on Facebook, one of the things many locals are struggling with is knowing what to do to help. So here are my recommendations!!

1. Sort through your clothes and make a pile to donate. Do the same for your linen.

2. Buy a loaf of bread and make a huge batch of sandwiches to be handed out tomorrow and in coming days. I suggest simple sandwiches of vegimite, jam etc that do not need to be refridgerated.

3. Package sandwiches individually and write what is in it on the label.

4. Bake Bake Bake!!! Scones, pikelets, muffins, sausage rolls, mini quiches, brownies, biscuits - simple recipes that can be eaten by hand. Check out these recipes for ideas.

5. Package your baking into individual serves in cling wrap or zip lock bags and label with ingredients and what it is.

6. Contact me about getting the food you have made or the donations you have to give and where to take it. You can contact me via Facebook or on the Roma Flood 2012 page.

7. Ring the volunteer line and offer to help someone in need clean up their home on 1300 007 662.

I'll be back with more news tomorrow!

Keep baking!!!

Emily xoxo

Returning to school and other things...

Summer school has been and gone, my darling friend has left town so the frenzied cleaning stopped and the first week of school has been and gone. The thought of going back to school this term has filled me with dread all holidays. I know I should be grateful for the wonderful holidays a teacher gets, but to be honest last year took more out of me than any teaching year before it. I guess DH having hurt his arm (tore his bicep tendon off the bone) in the middle of report writing didn't help. I guess my point is that I was starting to think I wouldn't cope with going back. And here I am, a week in, coping very well. My workload is halved from last year (we have two full time teachers working the case load) and although I have a mentoring role this year I can feel my concern and stress easing. I know though that it won't be long before I'm looking for a change/break short or long term I don't know. I know exactly what sort of break I want - the maternity type break.

On that front, I got DH to the dr to check up on how things were going. He had a vesectomy reversal 12 mths ago and I wanted to make sure that it had worked. So the dr said if you don't hear from me everything is good, but if you do hear from me don't panick. Well we heard from him and have another appointment tomorrow...am I panicked...yes YES I AM! I know I just need to believe - the catch cry of my darling friend at the moment and I am trying but I'm worried. I want babies SO MUCH!

So school, yes it is going well. Would I rather be a SAHM? Hell yeah, but I guess I need to keep waiting and believing my turn will come. In the meantime the pain of others falling pregnant easily and being around little babies comes and goes. Believe me I'm happy for the lovely people I know who totally deserve to be happy and have their babies...but there are times where that green monster overwhelms me and I find it a tad difficult. At the moment I'm in a good patch where I am enjoying the babies in my life and we'll see what the dr says tomorrow.

Back to Work

While most teachers still have another week or so (depending on how organised their classroom is) I start back tomorrow. That's right I said tomorrow. Why? Well I'm teaching Summer School again. Am I just a sucker for punishment? Perhaps, particularly when my lovely friend and her family only have 2 weeks left in town and I'm trying very hard not to get sad about it all... but that's another story...

So, Summer School. Originally I signed up just to do the June Summer School as a favour to the teacher who has been running it for years, as she was due to go on holidays, but right before SS started her husband was diagnosed with lymphoma and they left Roma in a whirlwind rush as they moved closer to doctors and treatments. I only had 5 kids at the last SS and I should have that many again. Plus the extra money was great!!

This time the unit is one I have read through many times before, and I helped my first year co-teacher teach this unit in our SEP last semester, so I'm reasonably happy that I don't have to spend hours and hours at school during the week. But I will be there a lot today. I have to go in and arrange all my furniture and make the place look nice again!!

So with great sadness, I say "Goodbye Summer holidays - it's been great" and "Hello School - I'm just about ready for your challenges" for another year!

Emily xoxo

Looking forward and being more positive!

A lovely scrapbooking friend of mine shared this blog post today on facebook and I wanted to share it with you, my tiny but lovely group of followers. The blog is called Positively Positive and this post is about 12 tips for Happiness. I think that they are just wonderful and exactly what I needed to read today. Check it out! Seriously.

I'm so impressed that I may have to change my goals this year or just say I'm going to try and follow these 12 tips.

I'm so serious about it that I'm making myself a card to keep in my purse with the 12 tips on it, to remind myself. It is so easy to fall back into old habits of thinking, and my thoughts aren't always productive or positive, particularly about myself.

So here goes. In 2012 I am going to try really really hard to:

1. Let go of my 2011 baggage.

2. Change the conversation (for me this is my internal conversation) - focus on the positives and what I love about my life.

3. Give.

4. Take a ME break.

5. Get naked (hehehehe) with my truth and be authentic - I already try pretty hard to do this. I hate fake. I don't 'do' fake. Fake people, fake friendships annoy me.

6. Get Creative - I bought Project Life and have already started!!! Sewing, Scrapbooking and Smocking - the 3S's relax me and help me to keep life in perspective. When I felt close to burning out during 2011, what was I neglecting? My creative side. Not in 2012!!!

7. Do innovative exercise.

8. Practice the F-word (as in Forgiveness).

9. Eat mindfully - trying to lose weight!!

10. Be Authentic.

11. Sit back and receive (yes please, I'll take a baby or two please!)

12. Expect miracles (yes please, definately a baby or two!)

Anyone else think they might give this a try?

Emily xoxo