Monday - Friday (19th to 23rd January)
Sweatcon happened! I love Sweatcon, it's the best conference of the year. This year instead of participating or strand leading I headed up the kitchen and catered for the whole thing. And I had such a great time. I had some lovely kitchen helpers, I loved the challenge of cooking for the entire conference and I think this counts towards my goal of cooking a new recipe every month!
Highlights from the week:
- Peter Jensen gave some amazing bible talks (I only got to listen at night but I hear that Matt Dodd's bible talks were equally awesome)
- Seeing so many youth there
- Seeing quite a few more older people there
- Chatting with people over lunch and dinner
- Seeing the conference grow again for another year
Saturday 24th January
I went to Cat's baby shower this afternoon with Laura. We carpooled and caught up. I ate my weight in sugary treats and quiche, we played pass the parcel and I won a candle. I got to catch up with a few of the girls from church who I haven't seen in ages as well which was great.
We visited Mel and ate Thai for dinner, followed by our tradition of drumsticks for dessert. We spent the evening chatting, playing Bananagrams and watching the lightening storm from her window. It was really fun and it's just so easy hanging out with Mel.
Sunday 25th January
Church this morning, finished off the book of Leviticus and then took the youth group girls out for lunch to McDonalds which was super fun. Then I used the aircon and interent at Pete & Isobel's and studied Greek for an hour. After that, I drove up to the mountains to visit Luke and his family and we went to church together which was awesome! It's been ages since I've seen them so I was so happy to catch up with them all. Can't wait to go back and visit them again soon. When I got home, my inlaws were over so I cooked dinner and we watched a movie and just relaxed together.
Monday 26th January
I slept in very late today because I stayed up till 3am finishing "Clockwork Princess". An intense book. Many tears were shed.
Australia Day BBQ lunch at Erin's today. We had salad and sausages and lazed around watching Harry Potter 1, 2 and 3, playing Cards Against Humanity and playing in the backyard with the kids. Lots and lots of fun. Exactly the way to end an insanely busy week.
Monday, 26 January 2015
First weekend in Australia
Friday 16th January
Soong and I surprisingly had a free night tonight, so we decided to drive out and visit Mum. Lana & Simon were busy hanging out with church people, and Julian was at a party, so we decided to head to the local club for dinner. It was a nice warm night and really fun. We walked there and walked home and hung out and chatted and ate yummy food.
Saturday 17th January
Oh boy. Today was painting day. We painted our two bathrooms and now they are ready to fight mould and look fresh! Also we are installing a new bathroom cupboard in one, so now that the wall is painted we can mount it. Soong had a gig tonight so I went to visit Nan & Grandad, fix her computer, and ended up having dinner with them. A nice quiet evening.
Sunday 18th January
Church today! Super lovely to be back, I always miss it when I am not there. We started Leviticius and looked at how God is holy and we are unclean, but he provides a way to be made clean and that's through Jesus. Then we had lunch at Pete's and had our first Greek lesson with him. Chris is waaay ahead of me, so I need to catch up. We ended up having Chris and Thom over for dinner that night as well.
A quiet but fun weekend.
Soong and I surprisingly had a free night tonight, so we decided to drive out and visit Mum. Lana & Simon were busy hanging out with church people, and Julian was at a party, so we decided to head to the local club for dinner. It was a nice warm night and really fun. We walked there and walked home and hung out and chatted and ate yummy food.
Saturday 17th January
Oh boy. Today was painting day. We painted our two bathrooms and now they are ready to fight mould and look fresh! Also we are installing a new bathroom cupboard in one, so now that the wall is painted we can mount it. Soong had a gig tonight so I went to visit Nan & Grandad, fix her computer, and ended up having dinner with them. A nice quiet evening.
Sunday 18th January
Church today! Super lovely to be back, I always miss it when I am not there. We started Leviticius and looked at how God is holy and we are unclean, but he provides a way to be made clean and that's through Jesus. Then we had lunch at Pete's and had our first Greek lesson with him. Chris is waaay ahead of me, so I need to catch up. We ended up having Chris and Thom over for dinner that night as well.
A quiet but fun weekend.
January Pantry Challenge
I decided that the moment I stepped off the plane from New Zealand and returned to Australia was the perfect time for a pantry challenge.
The fridge had been wiped clean of all off food, the pantry had been mostly cleared out and the freezer was home to a few servings of meat and frozen veg. I had things that needed using and I wanted to start the year by using them all up.
Also, I had grand plans of shrinking my pantry into a kitchen cupboard.
What is a pantry challenge?
A pantry challenge is a challenge to cook meals simply using the ingredients you already have in your fridge, freezer and pantry. The idea is not to go shopping and buy anything, although some people will go out and only buy the basics.
Other versions of the pantry challenge include the $20 grocery shop challenge, the stock shop challenge etc.
I chose to do my pantry challenge using my $10 Flybuys dollars at Coles. For $8.13 I bought eggs, one loaf of white bread, frozen peas, a kilo of carrots, and one pink lady apple (as a treat).
My pantry challenge menu:
Monday - Mexican beans on rice with cheese.
Tuesday - Prawn pizzas on puff pastry
Wednesday - Chicken laksa noodles
Thursday - Grilled prawn & pineapple on couscous with vegetables
Friday - Chicken pasta bake
Saturday - Chicken noodle soup OR chicken and cheese pastries
Sunday - Creamy chicken and vegetable pie
Extra snacks - Banana bread
Extra snacks - Home made hummus & carrots
Pantry challenge reflections:
I was surprised at how much I could cook with the few cans of lentils and the small amount of prawns and chicken in my freezer.
I tried to make sure I was getting the right amount of calories and nutrients every day, but I know I didn't do great across the board. I didn't get as many serves of vegetables as what I need in a day, nor did I get my correct serves of protein. But I scored when it came to fruit, grains and dairy.
Overall, I really enjoyed the challenge of figuring out what to cook that would be tasty and healthy from what I thought were bare cupboards. It made me realise just how much you can eat when there's "nothing to eat". Doing a pantry challenge is a really good way to also save money, so I think the pantry challenge will be a regular feature in our household.
The fridge had been wiped clean of all off food, the pantry had been mostly cleared out and the freezer was home to a few servings of meat and frozen veg. I had things that needed using and I wanted to start the year by using them all up.
Also, I had grand plans of shrinking my pantry into a kitchen cupboard.
What is a pantry challenge?
A pantry challenge is a challenge to cook meals simply using the ingredients you already have in your fridge, freezer and pantry. The idea is not to go shopping and buy anything, although some people will go out and only buy the basics.
Other versions of the pantry challenge include the $20 grocery shop challenge, the stock shop challenge etc.
I chose to do my pantry challenge using my $10 Flybuys dollars at Coles. For $8.13 I bought eggs, one loaf of white bread, frozen peas, a kilo of carrots, and one pink lady apple (as a treat).
My pantry challenge menu:
Monday - Mexican beans on rice with cheese.
Tuesday - Prawn pizzas on puff pastry
Wednesday - Chicken laksa noodles
Thursday - Grilled prawn & pineapple on couscous with vegetables
Friday - Chicken pasta bake
Saturday - Chicken noodle soup OR chicken and cheese pastries
Sunday - Creamy chicken and vegetable pie
Extra snacks - Banana bread
Extra snacks - Home made hummus & carrots
Pantry challenge reflections:
I was surprised at how much I could cook with the few cans of lentils and the small amount of prawns and chicken in my freezer.
I tried to make sure I was getting the right amount of calories and nutrients every day, but I know I didn't do great across the board. I didn't get as many serves of vegetables as what I need in a day, nor did I get my correct serves of protein. But I scored when it came to fruit, grains and dairy.
Overall, I really enjoyed the challenge of figuring out what to cook that would be tasty and healthy from what I thought were bare cupboards. It made me realise just how much you can eat when there's "nothing to eat". Doing a pantry challenge is a really good way to also save money, so I think the pantry challenge will be a regular feature in our household.
Monday, 12 January 2015
20 January Jobs
Now that I am back from New Zealand, I need to get organised and ready for the year ahead. With roughly 20 days left in the month and before the year really begins (it always feels as though everything starts again in February), I thought I would come up with a list of 20 things that I should really get organized before the year officially begins.
1. PANTRY: I started cleaning this out before I left for New Zealand but encountered a cockroach so that ended pretty quickly. The plan is to clear out expired food, wipe down the shelves, label the sections of the pantry, wipe down the outside of containers, and reorganise with what staples I have left.
2. SPICE CUPBOARD: Some of my spices are almost 3 years old. Some haven't even been used. So I need to clear it out, check used by dates, remove spice I don't use, replace spices that are empty and wipe it down.
3. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS: Sadly these need putting away until next year. Time to say farewell to the Christmas tree.
4. CLOTHES DRAWERS: I have a set of plastic drawers in my room I would like to clear out and get rid of. Time to be ruthless and cull clothes I am keeping but not wearing.
5. WARDROBE HANGERS: I don't have much hanging space, so to hang things that don't belong to me or don't get worn seems silly. Time to donate or chuck!
6. MUSIC ROOM CUPBOARD: I started using this to store paperwork, and somehow now it is full of things I don't look at or use. Time to clear, toss or sort!
7. BOOKSHELF: We have a clunky old bookshelf that stores board games, cooking books, photo albums and also junk. Time to sift through it, replace the shelf with an 8 stack cube from Kmart, and keep only what is beautiful or useful.
8. CARS: They could do with a wash, a vacuum and a general tidy.
9. DVDs AND CDs: Return any that belong to other people, copy music on to an iPod or phone, sort and store. Give whatever we don't want to charity or to cash converters.
10. KITCHEN GADGETS: We all have things in our kitchen that we don't need. I know I have a cupboard full. So it is time to get rid of gadgets I haven't used in 2014. This way I will have room for all the new gadgets :)
11. LAUNDRY: A long time ago I dumped liters of fabric softener and cleaning products in here, and now there is a collection of random things sitting on my laundry shelf. Time to sort, find a home for anything that needs keeping, and toss anything that doesn't.
12. FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS: These need filing away, and sorting, and some need shredding. Time to clear the mess.
13. PERSONAL EMAIL INBOX: File away emails I want to keep, delete all the spam.
14. WORK EMAIL INBOX: File away emails to keep, delete spam, unsubscribe from things.
15. NOTEBOOK BOX: I have notebooks and diaries dating back to 2000. So I need to work out where to store 14 years worth of journals. I'm thinking a long low box under the bed or at the top of the wardrobe could be the best place.
16. PAINT BATHROOMS: When we moved here, the bathroom cupboard was warped and rotten and there was mould on the ceilings of the bathroom. We ripped out the cupboard but before we install the new one we think we should paint. Bust out the brushes and lets get to work!
17. SPARE BEDROOM: A dumping ground for old furniture. We need to get rid of some of the stuff in here for once and for all. Time to declutter and toss.
18. MEDICINE BOX: Clear out expired medications and unused ones. Replace anything that gets used frequently.
19. LINEN CUPBOARD: Clear and find a new place to store a lot of the blankets and linen. Possibly move some of the items from the front room storage cupboards into this one? I'm sure I can shrink this cupboards contents.
20. GARAGE: Tidy shelf and organise everything into containers and boxes that are labelled for easy access. Less is more.
Sunday, 11 January 2015
Continuing the Kiwi adventures
Why only write about the weekend, when all of last week was super fun and worth remembering?
Monday 5th Jan
Today we went on a New Zealand roadtrip to see the Waitomo Glow Worm caves. It took us four hours to get there, although we did stop off for an hour in Hamilton for lunch and a wander. We did a two hour cave walk exploring a really large and cold cave, followed by a second cave and a boat ride underneath a ceiling of glowworms. It was as though someone had strung fairy lights all across the inside of the cave. Really pretty.
Tuesday 6th Jan
Soong and I went to Auckland's premier theme park today: Rainbow's End! Their main roller-coaster was out of action today so that was a pretty big disappointment. But the rest of the rides were super fun! I have decided that I am not a fan of rides that let your legs dangle and flip you upside down, and so I didn't actually go on the scariest ride there (Soong is pretty bummed about it still). We did go on these "bumper boats", which were dodgem cars that float on the water. They were pretty awesome, big floating rings with motors in them. Mine broke down though, and I had to be rescued by the staff and towed back to the deck.
Across the road from Rainbow's End was a large shopping center, so we hit that once we were done with the rides. We bought a few small things for ourselves, Soong bought a new T-shirt and we bought season one of Brooklyn 99. We love watching DVDs together.
Wednesday 7th Jan
Seeing as I missed my post-dinner run yesterday, I started today with a run around Panmure Basin. Soong didn't want to come running with me so he sat in the car and watched concerts on his laptop while I ran around the water.
This morning we had tickets to see the Auckland Aquarium, a place called Kelly Tarlton's. It was so much fun. It was a mix of aquarium and museum, with lots to see and do. We watched penguins play and feed together and splash about in their pool. We walked through the shark tunnel and saw seahorses eat lunch. After we finished at the aquarium we drove to Auckland and spent our time wandering through the streets. Soong went to three music shops and he bought a pedal. We walked up and down the main street of Auckland and looked in stores before going home to watch more of Brooklyn 99.
Aunty Wendy came over that evening and took Soong and I out to the beach. We went for a walk along the sand and watched the sunset. Then on the way home she took us to MoMoTea, an awesome Taiwanese place that sold bubble tea in pint glasses and night-market style food.
Thursday 8th Jan
After having big days for the start of the week, we took it easy. We slept in for ages, and then went out shopping. We went to a place called Oceans for lunch and I finally got my fush and chups! They sold chowder there made with muscles, and it was the most amazing chowder I have ever eaten. I'm going to learn how to make chowder this year, I am inspired by how good this one was! In the evening we were planning on just having a quiet one with some Brooklyn 99 but Aunty Wendy surprised Soong with a ticket to see Taken 3 so they went to the movies while I had a nap and wrote some blogs.
Friday 9th Jan
We took Waigoong and Waipo out for lunch today which was good fun. Then we went out to buy Manuka honey for our families. They sold lots of other manuka honey products such as face cream and lip balm so I picked up some gifts for friends made from kiwi fruit and manuka honey. Aunty Wendy came over in the evening again and took us out to Sky Tower. We went up the top and had a drink at the cafe up there, and just enjoyed the view of Auckland. It was pretty fun. After that, Aunty Wendy took us to a Mexican cafe across the street where they had salsa dancing and she and I danced for a while before heading home.
Saturday 10th Jan
Road trip day with Aunty Wendy! We had a late start after the night of salsa dancing, but we were on the road heading to a place called Goat Island. We stopped off at Makatana Farmers Market on the way there, and we bought some spanakopita for lunch. Then we went to Goat Island, to the beach, and walked around the rockpools looking at the fish in the water. After that, we drove to another part of the New Zealand coast to see the nesting birds. There were over a thousand birds nesting on the side of this cliff, all squawking and making a right ruckus. We watched some paragliders floating through the air, and walked along the beach. The town also had a fresh berry ice-cream parlor where they crushed fresh berries into vanilla ice cream. It was really fresh, and really delicious. Perfect for a hot summer day. We were exhausted by the time we got home though. We had a small dinner, and then it was Brooklyn 99 and bed.
Sunday 11th Jan
The last day! I woke up early, keen for a run, but before Soong and I could leave Waipo had taken the car and she didn't get back in time. So we watched Brooklyn 99 and relaxed before going out to Yum Cha with the grandparents. In the afternoon we packed our suitcases and spent time with the family before we went to the airport. Nothing eventful happened on our flight, which is how I like my flights to be! Lana and Simon picked us up from the airport and drove us home, and bought us dinner (sushi!!).
It's a bit sad that our holiday is over now, and it's a bit sad that it went by so quickly! But we loved it and had a fantastic time. What a great way to begin the year!
Monday 5th Jan
Today we went on a New Zealand roadtrip to see the Waitomo Glow Worm caves. It took us four hours to get there, although we did stop off for an hour in Hamilton for lunch and a wander. We did a two hour cave walk exploring a really large and cold cave, followed by a second cave and a boat ride underneath a ceiling of glowworms. It was as though someone had strung fairy lights all across the inside of the cave. Really pretty.
Tuesday 6th Jan
Soong and I went to Auckland's premier theme park today: Rainbow's End! Their main roller-coaster was out of action today so that was a pretty big disappointment. But the rest of the rides were super fun! I have decided that I am not a fan of rides that let your legs dangle and flip you upside down, and so I didn't actually go on the scariest ride there (Soong is pretty bummed about it still). We did go on these "bumper boats", which were dodgem cars that float on the water. They were pretty awesome, big floating rings with motors in them. Mine broke down though, and I had to be rescued by the staff and towed back to the deck.
Across the road from Rainbow's End was a large shopping center, so we hit that once we were done with the rides. We bought a few small things for ourselves, Soong bought a new T-shirt and we bought season one of Brooklyn 99. We love watching DVDs together.
Wednesday 7th Jan
Seeing as I missed my post-dinner run yesterday, I started today with a run around Panmure Basin. Soong didn't want to come running with me so he sat in the car and watched concerts on his laptop while I ran around the water.
This morning we had tickets to see the Auckland Aquarium, a place called Kelly Tarlton's. It was so much fun. It was a mix of aquarium and museum, with lots to see and do. We watched penguins play and feed together and splash about in their pool. We walked through the shark tunnel and saw seahorses eat lunch. After we finished at the aquarium we drove to Auckland and spent our time wandering through the streets. Soong went to three music shops and he bought a pedal. We walked up and down the main street of Auckland and looked in stores before going home to watch more of Brooklyn 99.
Aunty Wendy came over that evening and took Soong and I out to the beach. We went for a walk along the sand and watched the sunset. Then on the way home she took us to MoMoTea, an awesome Taiwanese place that sold bubble tea in pint glasses and night-market style food.
Thursday 8th Jan
After having big days for the start of the week, we took it easy. We slept in for ages, and then went out shopping. We went to a place called Oceans for lunch and I finally got my fush and chups! They sold chowder there made with muscles, and it was the most amazing chowder I have ever eaten. I'm going to learn how to make chowder this year, I am inspired by how good this one was! In the evening we were planning on just having a quiet one with some Brooklyn 99 but Aunty Wendy surprised Soong with a ticket to see Taken 3 so they went to the movies while I had a nap and wrote some blogs.
Friday 9th Jan
We took Waigoong and Waipo out for lunch today which was good fun. Then we went out to buy Manuka honey for our families. They sold lots of other manuka honey products such as face cream and lip balm so I picked up some gifts for friends made from kiwi fruit and manuka honey. Aunty Wendy came over in the evening again and took us out to Sky Tower. We went up the top and had a drink at the cafe up there, and just enjoyed the view of Auckland. It was pretty fun. After that, Aunty Wendy took us to a Mexican cafe across the street where they had salsa dancing and she and I danced for a while before heading home.
Saturday 10th Jan
Road trip day with Aunty Wendy! We had a late start after the night of salsa dancing, but we were on the road heading to a place called Goat Island. We stopped off at Makatana Farmers Market on the way there, and we bought some spanakopita for lunch. Then we went to Goat Island, to the beach, and walked around the rockpools looking at the fish in the water. After that, we drove to another part of the New Zealand coast to see the nesting birds. There were over a thousand birds nesting on the side of this cliff, all squawking and making a right ruckus. We watched some paragliders floating through the air, and walked along the beach. The town also had a fresh berry ice-cream parlor where they crushed fresh berries into vanilla ice cream. It was really fresh, and really delicious. Perfect for a hot summer day. We were exhausted by the time we got home though. We had a small dinner, and then it was Brooklyn 99 and bed.
Sunday 11th Jan
The last day! I woke up early, keen for a run, but before Soong and I could leave Waipo had taken the car and she didn't get back in time. So we watched Brooklyn 99 and relaxed before going out to Yum Cha with the grandparents. In the afternoon we packed our suitcases and spent time with the family before we went to the airport. Nothing eventful happened on our flight, which is how I like my flights to be! Lana and Simon picked us up from the airport and drove us home, and bought us dinner (sushi!!).
It's a bit sad that our holiday is over now, and it's a bit sad that it went by so quickly! But we loved it and had a fantastic time. What a great way to begin the year!
Monday, 5 January 2015
A new batch
Well, here we are in 2015. Time to embrace a whole new bunch of weekends, even though I know I will be living in the past for quite a while (I will be writing 2014 at the top of my pages for the next few months).
We are currently in New Zealand and will be here for several more days. It's nice to be on holidays, it's nice to be out of the country, and it's nice to have a week just to spend time with Soong and explore. Let me recap on our first few days...
Thursday 1st January:
We woke up late. Ugh. A quick mad rush around the house to pack our suitcases, get rid of the potatoes sitting in their basket (the neighbors have them now!), take out the bins, and be ready to go. Jason and Mandy drove us to the airport, which was super kind of them. We are very appreciative for their love and friendship! Killed time at the airport, caught the plane, arrived in Auckland, drove home to grandparents house, got the wifi password. hehe.
Friday 2nd January:
Today was a quiet day. I slept in for ages - there's nothing better than a good sleep in. Usually we take the first day or two of holidays really slow, as a way of recovering from the intense time that leads up to the holiday itself. So we woke up late, ate breakfast, went to the local shops and bought some things I forgot to pack (like running shorts... seriously who packs six running singlets and forgets shorts?). Had dinner at home with grandparents, followed by a post-dinner run. Trying to exercise every day while on holidays in NZ.
Saturday 3rd January:
Quiet day. Spent time with grandparents. Visited Aunty and Uncle and cousin in the afternoon. Dinner at home. Post dinner run. Wandered down to the local shops, where they have a Saturday night-market. It reminded me of Taiwan with the different food stalls and imitation goods. Almost bought a KFC jumper but decided not to at the last minute. We took the grandparents car for a bit of a drive after the markets, had ice cream at Maccas and decided to go bowling (where we discoverd they had $10 for 2 games after 10pm - brilliant!).
Sunday 4th January:
Visited our Aunty's church today, and was greatly encouraged. They do a sermon series in January called "Life at the Movies" and they show excerpts of popular films and look at the themes in light of the Bible. So we looked at Man of Steel and compared Superman to Jesus, looking at how humanity often looks for a supernatural saviour, but we have the ultimate Saviour in Jesus. Then we went and walked around Auckland for a bit and had lunch. Had a long afternoon nap when we got home, followed by fried dumplings for dinner. Aunty Wendy came over and we went for a walk around the bay after dinner - it was magnificent!
Monday 5th January:
Today was road trip day. We left about 9am and headed across the country with no GPS to Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Road tripping in new countries is fun, it's a great way to see the sights. New Zealand is SO GREEN. Didn't see as many sheep as I expected to see. We stopped off for lunch in Hamilton and wandered around there as well. The glowworm caves and cave exploring was pretty fun, we did lots of walking around inside the caves and it was super cold down there. The drive home was quicker (it always is) and we got back to grandparents about 8pm. So tired from all that driving, it was about 6 hours in total, we have just been lying in bed ever since playing on phones, reading and being zombies.
We are currently in New Zealand and will be here for several more days. It's nice to be on holidays, it's nice to be out of the country, and it's nice to have a week just to spend time with Soong and explore. Let me recap on our first few days...
Thursday 1st January:
We woke up late. Ugh. A quick mad rush around the house to pack our suitcases, get rid of the potatoes sitting in their basket (the neighbors have them now!), take out the bins, and be ready to go. Jason and Mandy drove us to the airport, which was super kind of them. We are very appreciative for their love and friendship! Killed time at the airport, caught the plane, arrived in Auckland, drove home to grandparents house, got the wifi password. hehe.
Friday 2nd January:
Today was a quiet day. I slept in for ages - there's nothing better than a good sleep in. Usually we take the first day or two of holidays really slow, as a way of recovering from the intense time that leads up to the holiday itself. So we woke up late, ate breakfast, went to the local shops and bought some things I forgot to pack (like running shorts... seriously who packs six running singlets and forgets shorts?). Had dinner at home with grandparents, followed by a post-dinner run. Trying to exercise every day while on holidays in NZ.
Saturday 3rd January:
Quiet day. Spent time with grandparents. Visited Aunty and Uncle and cousin in the afternoon. Dinner at home. Post dinner run. Wandered down to the local shops, where they have a Saturday night-market. It reminded me of Taiwan with the different food stalls and imitation goods. Almost bought a KFC jumper but decided not to at the last minute. We took the grandparents car for a bit of a drive after the markets, had ice cream at Maccas and decided to go bowling (where we discoverd they had $10 for 2 games after 10pm - brilliant!).
Sunday 4th January:
Visited our Aunty's church today, and was greatly encouraged. They do a sermon series in January called "Life at the Movies" and they show excerpts of popular films and look at the themes in light of the Bible. So we looked at Man of Steel and compared Superman to Jesus, looking at how humanity often looks for a supernatural saviour, but we have the ultimate Saviour in Jesus. Then we went and walked around Auckland for a bit and had lunch. Had a long afternoon nap when we got home, followed by fried dumplings for dinner. Aunty Wendy came over and we went for a walk around the bay after dinner - it was magnificent!
Monday 5th January:
Today was road trip day. We left about 9am and headed across the country with no GPS to Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Road tripping in new countries is fun, it's a great way to see the sights. New Zealand is SO GREEN. Didn't see as many sheep as I expected to see. We stopped off for lunch in Hamilton and wandered around there as well. The glowworm caves and cave exploring was pretty fun, we did lots of walking around inside the caves and it was super cold down there. The drive home was quicker (it always is) and we got back to grandparents about 8pm. So tired from all that driving, it was about 6 hours in total, we have just been lying in bed ever since playing on phones, reading and being zombies.
Thursday, 1 January 2015
If you aim at nothing, you're sure to hit it
While I'm not a fan of vague New Years resolutions or wishes, I do like thinking about what I want to do differently or better at the start of another year. I have tried to set SMART goals; goals that are realistic and actually achievable with tangible results. So I thought I would write a bit about the six goals I have for 2015 and expand on them a bit.
1. STUDY GOD'S WORD
I want to keep growing as a Christian, keep understanding more about God and keep loving like Jesus and obeying Jesus. What better way to do this than to let God's word change me? So how will I do this? I will go to Bible study regularly, read the Bible with Soong every week, read the Bible myself every week and do whatever else I can to immerse myself in His word.
2. COOK A NEW MEAL MONTHLY
Since doing the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation I have pretty much only cooked with her recipes. I've tried new ones here and there but I have been so careful with health and calories that I haven't cooked from a normal cookbook in a long time.
I originally started 2013 with the goal to cook through Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals. I want to go back and try some more but I am aware that I am going to be busy this year. One new meal a month? Surely I can find time to cook 12 new meals in a year.
3. EAT HEALTHY ON WEEKDAYS
What do I mean by this? Monday to Friday I will:
• Track what I eat on MyFitnessPal
• Limit junk food intake to a snack at Bible study or Youth Group, if I really want one
• Eat home cooked meals for dinner
• Aim for the correct serves of each food group: 5 of grains, 2.5 of dairy, 2.5 of protein, 2 of fruit and 5 of vegetables. More on the correct serving sizes here: wee.eatforhealth.gov.au
Of course there will be exceptions. Whenever it is a choice between my health goals and loving others I will choose others. But if I do this 80% of the time then the other 20% won't be a problem.
4. EXERCISE 2x A WEEK
Or 104 times in the year. Part of making sure I so this will be to book in sweat-sessions with friends. Running dates, exercise DVD dates, attend the fitness class at church when it is back on, go to the gym etc. I will need a way to track the numbers though, so if anyone knows of any fun tracking apps (one with a thermometer towards my goal would e super fun).
5. BLOG 2x A MONTH
This one may be harder to do. I don't mean blog here, this blogging is easy and relaxing. I mean blog on other blogs such as Here In The Waiting Room, and also on my joint health food blog What About Health. Blogs for other people count as well. So I am aiming for twice a month.
6. SHARE A MONTHLY MEAL WITH DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM CHURCH
I have my church friends over a lot. God has blessed me with a comfortable cosy home that I can serve people in this year I want to go beyond just my church friends and open up my home to others at church. I think it is great and biblical to practice hospitality often and open up my home to those I don't know very well yet also. So one meal a month. 12 times a year.
Those are my goals for the year. Is anyone else setting goals?
2014 Reflections
Successful 2014 resolutions:
- 52 weekends project. My aim for the project was to record happy memories. I think it really helped me to remember how lucky I am and how much I have been blessed by God. It definitely helped me to keep a hold on reality when I felt sad.
- investing deeply in a few. This included learning how to say no and prioritize my time so I could build certain relationships. I feel happy about this one. I feel like I narrowed my focus and was able to love and serve people better than in previous years.
- Paying off debts. I paid back one loan and met all my mortgage repayments.
- Eat healthy and be consistent. I made a meal plan and stuck to it regularly. I only bought my lunch once at work. I ate pretty healthy on weekdays. I have stayed roughly the same weight all year, give or take a few kilos, so I am pleased about that.
- Pray every day. I didn't pray every day, but I did most days. Also, Soong and I worked out a way to read the bible together regularly that suits this season of life. That was a real blessing!
UNsuccessful 2014 resolutions:
- Learn Mandarin fluently. I think I stuffed this one up because I didn't have enough time to give it properly. I needed to be practicing regularly and just often didn't have the mental space. But I picked up a few new words.
- Run a half marathon. When I have too much on my plate, things fall off. Running was one of them. So I am still learning to prioritize and say no to things. I think with work, family, church, friends etc it all got a bit much.
- Eat and blog an eat-street. This was just too expensive! We hardly eat out just us two and so this was a bit too heavy on the wallet.
Overall reflections:
2014 was one of the best years of my life so far. Things stayed consistent (as opposed to 2013 when we moved house, both changed jobs, had multiple car issues and I wound up in hospital) and boring. My friendships strengthened. New friends entered the picture. It was a steady consistent year, something I felt I really needed after a crazy first two years of marriage and full time work.
So thanks for being a good year 2014!
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