OrganiSed Chaos

Throughout the year, Kelly has done To do lists.
As each item on the list is completed, she goes back and crosses it off.
I’ve always thought it a great idea because it gives a person not only some purpose, but things to aspire to.
On New Years Day, Kel did another one.
You’ll find it here.
At the bottom of that post, there is a line that grabbed me.

Feel free to write your own list. If you do, please be sure to let me know. Who knows, if there are enough of us I may devote a page to it and get a webring/blogroll happening for it…

Sounded like a good idea to me, so I thought I’d give it a go and do my own list.
Like Kel, these are not resolutions because I don’t do them, so I’ll say “these are the things I want to achieve this year”
None of them are impossible or unrealistic, so there is no reason I can’t do them either.
{A couple of them are the same, but then we are mother and daughter so it’s not that surprising, and these are in no particular order}

Get another tattoo
Return to Boston {ok, this is a bit of a cheat cos we know we’re gonna do it, but it’s still part of what I want to do this year, so I’m including it anyway}
Learn more about code and how it works {so as to not annoy the crap out of Kelly}
Do more exercise and lose some more weight
Buy a new car. Not necessarily “new” but another one at least
Get back home {Victoria} at least once to see those I miss badly
Enrol in a TAFE cooking course
Buy a bigger fridge
Do some volunteer work

Certainly not lofty ambitions, nor are there a lot of them, but they’re more than enough of a challenge to keep me occupied throughout the year.
If you want to play along, feel free, and if you let Kelly know that would be a bonus.
For now, I’m off to check out what TAFE have on offer in the culinary skills department.

As the new year begins, I’m sure many people look forward to better things than the year just gone had to offer.
Hope envelopes them with that sweet feeling only hope can create, making them all warm and fuzzy inside, buoyed at the thought of life being gentle, and easier.
I’ll admit I tend to do the same and rarely look back, however at this time of year I become reflective and take the odd walk down memory lane.
When I think about the year that was, it’s mostly with fondness and a smile, as opposed to anything else.
2009 bought much for us.
The bulk of it was good, with only a few little speed humps to traverse.
There were highs and lows, but that’s life isn’t it?
I’m realistic enough to admit my life was never meant be smooth sailing from beginning to end.
Yes, there were times last year when all I wanted was to go to bed and not wake up, but they were few and far between.
In general, I look for the polish on life.
Others tend to turn things over, and around, looking for the tarnish, however I see little to be gained by doing that.
Some of the highlights from this year were welcoming a new grandson in Lucas, taking our first trip overseas to discover some of the most amazing people you could ever wish to meet, Mark {finally} getting the promotion he worked so damned hard for, me getting my job under some semblance of control, and with the year being rounded out by close to the best Christmas we could have asked for.
Among those highlights were the odd worries.
Lucas had problems with his kidney which gave us some sleepless nights, the trip overseas, as good as it was, proved to be decidedly disappointing in some ways, we had an atrocious 6 weeks before Mark got the promotion, I nearly resigned my job before it came good, and Christmas could have been better had we manged to get all the girls and kids together, but do you know what?
None of those things matter, because the good outweighed the bad in every single case, and the end result of them all, was just what we wanted.
Lucas is now fine and has no need for a specialist until next year, and then it’s only to check things are as good as they currently are.
The trip overseas gave us more than we ever thought we could get from 2 weeks, and the disappointment was, as it transpired, quite unimportant compared to the gain.
Mark now has the job he wanted and is thriving in it.
My job is just what I thought it could be once I got my head around it {and the staff that gave me so much grief are now working well and with me as opposed to against me}
Christmas was fabulous regardless of not having them all with us, because we got to see and spoil those we rarely see and rarely get to spoil.
On the radio yesterday there was some twit holding forth about the terrible year that was.
Death and destruction, bush fires, floods, devastation worldwide in some cases.
And he’s right, there was.
But there were many, many good things that happened as well.
As with my year, for every bad thing that happened, there was a positive that had the bad fading.
In the coming year, when life hands you a gold coin, enjoy it!
Don’t turn it over looking for the tarnish, just enjoy it.
Deal with the bad when it gets there, sure, but don’t look for it.
You may get a pleasant surprise and never have a bad part to deal with.

The title of this post is the normal state of my life, so I felt it nothing less than appropriate I call my second home just that.
It was a flippant comment made by Kelly one night when we were discussing what name was best once I’d decided to change the name of my blog.
It struck a chord, and seemed more than fitting for the place where I’ve logged some serious hours.
When I say serious, I mean serious.
If I added the time up, it would be staggering, without a doubt.
For the inverted text in the tagline, I thank ~m.
He sent me the link some time ago, and I’ve been waiting for the right time to use it.
Given Australia is considered “down under” again I could think of nothing more appropriate.
Not only that, it adds to the chaos I think {in an organised way of course!}
I thank the same person for being my sounding board in relation to the theme.
His and my idea of how a blog should be just so are very, very similar, so who better to pick the shit out of it as I fiddled to get it right in the last few days?
So there you have it people.
Organised chaos it is, and soɐɥɔ pǝsıuɐƃɹo it will stay.
As well as this change, I’ll be making an attempt to be a better blog buddy this year.
The last few months have been mad, mad, mad for me, but I’m hoping to see that turn to some semblance of normality with the new year {whatever normality is, of course!}
I want to get back to posting, and visiting, daily.
There was a time when I did not miss a day to visit and comment and that’s the way I like to be, so let’s see how I go shall we?
No, it’s not a resolution because I don’t do them, but it is something I want to do.
Please let me know what you think of the name and the theme.
Feel free to let me know if you find a 3 column, dark theme with a customisable header as well.
I’ve been looking for one for God only knows how long, so I’m pretty much over it.
Maybe the original theme whore will manage to find one somewhere??
That’s me, I’m off to do some visiting!
Oh, and Happy New Year!
There are fireworks for the occasion as well, and don’t forget to check out the rotating header images!
Wicked!!
I hope 2010 is good to you and brings all you hope for, and deserve.

So Christmas 2009 is done and dusted.
We had a good one.
Went and did Santa with the part of the family we weren’t spending it with before we left, and made 2 children very, very happy, plus delivered a very special teddy bear, to a very special little boy, from some very special friends.
On the plane the next day to see those we see far too little of in normal times.
Santa came to Mark and I throughout the year, so we didn’t do the present thing for each other.
Between a trip to America {which included a Christmas in July}, a new laptop and flights down south we figured we were out close to 20k, so we decided being together with family was enough for us this year.
Given we’re also going back to America this coming July as well, we thought that would add to the booty we already have/had!
Sounded like a plan to us anyway.

We will hold in our memories and hearts both the brilliant time we had in July and the wonderful time we had watching 5 of our 8 grandchildren rip open their presents on Christmas morning, and the priceless gift of being grandparents to those same 5, who we don’t get to spoil very often, and then of course there was a madcap Skype call!!

It was fabulous to see my Dad too.
I’ve not seen him in close to 3 years, so as you can well imagine I enjoyed the few short hours we had.
With Christmas out of the way, my mind turns to the New Year, and what awaits us.
First and foremost, for me anyway, will be a new blog name and tagline, plus a new theme to play with.
That will happen at midnight on December 31st.
The New year for me heralds a new beginning and a whole year to enjoy life and whatever it has to offer as I thank the stars I’m alive with a wonderful husband and family to share it with.
Work holds much before the end of February with 3 stock takes to be done, and all that after end of half year.
Hmmm. Thinking about it that way makes me wonder if I need to add another vitamin to my morning collection??
Could be an idea.
Before the end of December we have little miss Zoe’s birthday {tomorrow actually} Caleb is in early January, as is Isaac, and it also sees a good friend have a birthday, so I’m sure there will be some mayhem to create there!

February will see Mark and blondies birthday {on the same day} Wil’s, March has us into Sarah, Stella, Kelly’s and Steve’s birthday, April will bring Melissa’s, May is mine, our anniversary and Mother’s day all within a week of each other.
Mid June sees Lucas turn 1, then on top of that I’ll have end of financial year at the end of June, then we’ll be on the plane to Boston in mid July, so before we know it half the year will be gone again!
Scares the bejesus out of me when I think about it that way, but that’s life I guess?
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.
Time is a predator.
It waits for nothing and noone.
It stalks us until it decides there is none left for us, one by one.
Other than the new blog name, I don’t think there will be another post before the new year, so I will take the opportunity to wish everyone the best for 2010, and I hope all your dreams come true.
I’ll try to do the rounds before then, however make no promises other than I will do my best.
I hope your Christmas was everything you wished for, and that Santa was good to you with nothing less than you all deserved.

As we hurtle towards Christmas, my mind, as it generally does, has gone into reflection mode.
It turns to times when all was well within my world, there were no family arguments, nor was the phrase “dysfunctional family” coined.
A time when family was first and foremost, no matter what.
Everyone was talking to everyone else, and whilst disagreements may have occurred throughout the year, we would always forgive and forget when Christmas rolled around.
In the true spirit of the season, anything from the previous 12 months was buried amidst our love for one another.
Goodwill abounded and, in the interests of seeing people we care about happy, forgiveness was rife.
Family came together as one, regardless of any perceived, or real, transgressions that had been visited upon one another since the previous year.
Slightly ashamed looks may be seen, heartfelt apologies made, and there were sometimes many, many tears, but there was not a recrimination to be seen. They were banished from the house.
I was bought up to believe that family must come first, and they must stick together.
I was also taught that whilst some things may seem unforgivable at the time, every dog deserves a second chance.
Maybe not a 3rd one, but absolutely a 2nd one.
As I grow older, I realise there is little point in carrying something on forever, because one day, the people involved {be it me, you or someone else} will be gone.
With their passing, also gone will be the opportunity to tell that person how much you loved them, regardless of how it may have seemed at times.
Without going into detail, know that I have first hand experience regarding these things.
Very close first hand experience.
I’ve been the one to make the first move when needed, and it’s quite the pleasant feeling to know I did the right thing.
Trust me on this.
Don’t let too many Christmas’s go past before you realise what someone means to you, and that whatever happened isn’t really that big a deal, no matter how bad you think it was.
You never know how many Christmas’s you have left to do it.
Besides, is Christmas not about a birth?
A birth is a new beginning, so there really is no better time, surely?

After being in America for 2 weeks, Mark and I both came back carrying a few extra kilos {read more than is good for us}
The food was so damned good, and plentiful, it was bloody hard to say no.
So we just said yes!!!
What can I say??
Anyhow, Mel and Steve started this diet, which is not dissimilar to the Atkins diet, but not as rigid.
As it’s working well for them, I told Mark about the basics and he was more than agreeable, which was quite surprising actually, because he’s never been big on anything I’ve suggested before.
I’ve always struggled to get him to agree on a diet because most of them are based on eating very little and have quite rigid guidelines.
Plus he loves his bread and beer, which has always been a stumbling block.
Trying to get him to give up these things would be like finding rocking horse shit.
Impossible!
I prefer to think of this as a life style change as opposed to a diet anyway.
Diet is one of those 4 lettered words that don’t sit well with me if the truth be known.
You hear the word diet and automatically think of lettuce leaves and carrots I find.
The one I refer to is based on few carbs, little sugar, and lots of protein.
Now, with the influx of low carb, low sugar boutique beers on the market these days, beer has turned out to not be the problem it has in the past.
Taste is not compromised as is generally the way with these things, so we’ve managed to find one that follows the guidelines, and he normally has one with dinner of a night.
He’s happy with that.
We get one day off a week when we can eat or drink anything we want to, however that means nothing but protein the next day.
Meat, bacon, eggs, chicken, fish, whatever, so long as it’s protein.
Limited portions yes, but more than enough to keep us satisfied.
Even if we have a little more than we should, it doesn’t hurt because it’s protein.
A normal day consists of protein portions and snacks, plus unlimited salad and vegies.
Given you need to have 2 protein snacks a day, some days it seems like all you do is eat.
Breakfast was my biggest worry.
I just don’t do the food thing until I’ve been up for at least 2 hours, so that was quite the challenge for me.
Now that I’m used it though, it’s no chore at all, and I quite enjoy it.
The delicatessen people see me coming and draw straws to determine who is going to serve me however.
Whoever gets the short one cops me and my requests.
You see, I have all cold meat portions done at that point to save me having to do them at home!
Given I need, some weeks, 10 servings for lunches, by the time I leave, they’re ready to throw a party!
Tuna, salmon and crab meat have become firm friends, as have steak, fresh fish and chicken.
I’m amazed at the ways vegies can be mixed and matched, and zucchini, capsicum, onion, tomatoes, garlic and chili are things that go so well together, I could eat them every night.
Salads also are unlimited, and we love salad as well, so it’s all good.
We even get to have a piece of bread in the morning, or a piece of fruit, pus our protein of course.
Mark is doing well because he can still have the odd beer, knows he can have bread, plus lots of meat.
Being a butchers son, he was bought up eating lots of meat, so he’s loving it!
In fact his determination has surprised even me, and last week he cleaned out the fridge and freezer of all the “naughty” things because he is so determined.
The results thus far?
Mark approx 8 kgs {18 lbs before you head to the conversion chart}
Me, around 5.5 kgs {12lbs}
Well worth the time and effort let me say.
Hope your weekend is treating you well, and don’t be forgetting Malarky Monday tomorrow.
I have one of Youtubes latest sensations for you, and it’s a blinder!