Life and the Single Christian Girl
October 2014

It is really nice to have a weekend, even though my weekend is productive it is still nice to have the time.
I have had a really full week and I loved it.
Friday night saw me going to youth group, I will let you know what is happening there next month.
Then I came home and worked on my Facebook pages and updating some of my social media pages.
Yesterday was my stay at home day and I have been reading (researching) and just learning about how to run a youth group.
It was also a day of watching some DVD’s and just embracing the day.
I really want to this term try and be able to commit to the work and home balance.
So far I know it is going well.

This morning I was up early and headed to church for worship practice. I love being on the worship team at church and feel so very blessed.
Last year I was really searching for a new church to go to and I visited some amazing churches.
I am now planted in a church around about where I am working and it has been an amazing blessing to me.

Now I am home and I really want to get back to my reading.
I am reading two books at a time. I know you may be thinking how is this possible? Well for me one is research and the other one that I am will be starting today is Girls with Swords.
Girls with Swords is written by Lisa Bevere who is an amazing Christian and I was so blessed to see her speak at Colour Conference.

Will share more tomorrow.

Loves and Hugs

Traceyxx

Life and the Single Christian Girl

Happy Birthday

It was my birthday on Tuesday the 21 of October and I am now, let’s say I am a year older.
Okay does a girl really tell her age? Some of you know my age and I will celebrate it gracefully.
I was thinking about birthdays and I have decided that birthdays should be celebrated for a whole week. I think that one day is just not enough. So from now on my birthdays will last a week.
I do know of others that celebrate their birthdays for a week.
I had a lovely birthday, I went to work and the children sang happy birthday to me. Then I went to my Mum and Dad’s for dinner and celebrated with my sister, brother in law, my brother, sister in law my three nieces and my nephew. We had a lovely dinner.

Then last night I went out for dinner with my sister and my brother in law.

Celebrate well.
Create memories.

I must say that I felt so blessed by all the beautiful birthday messages that I received, humbled.

I am really looking forward to this year and what it will bring.

Will share more soon.

Loves and Hugs

Traceyxx

Life and the Single Christian Girl

Ideas for November Blog

My idea for Novembers Blog-

Random Acts of Kindness

I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas for November.

I am really looking forward to what will happen next month.

Random Acts of Kindness.

I want to make a difference.

Will share more.

Loves and Hugs

Traceyxx

Life and the Single Christian Girl
October 2014

I have just realised that taking holidays is good for you.

Before I started as a school chaplain, I worked in a lot of child related careers and the one thing that I didn’t do very well was taking holidays. I just felt like I didn’t need them, or I needed to save them just in case. Just in case, I am really not sure why.
Now I am in a position where we do have holidays and even though I am on call I do have the time off.
I have discovered that I love holidays, as much as I love my career I need to take the break.
We have just started term four this week and I have come back from holidays feeling refreshed and ready to get back into what will be a very busy term.
I know that sometimes you can’t take two weeks off, but what about trying a mini break?
Try taking the weekend off, plan or set aside a weekend where you can just rest. Do something that you really enjoy.
I have learnt that when you look after yourself you are able to care for others properly. You are able to really listen to others.
Taking time off is not selfish, it is something that you need to do to refresh yourself.

I am really looking forward in excitement and anticipation to what will happen this term.

I really want to be able to maintain the balance of work, home and to be able to have those times when I can be creative.
Being creative for me is something that I love to do.

When was the last time you had a break?

Is there time for you to have a mini break?

Will share more soon.

Loves and hugs

Traceyxx

Life and the Single Christian Girl

October 2014

I have really enjoyed the last few days, on Friday I picked up my niece for a two night sleep over. It is the first time that she has stayed with me for two nights.
I have realised that just enjoying the day and time with her is good for me. I am just in the moment, whether it is watching a DVD that she has brought and listening to her talk about it or whether it is deciding what to eat I am just embracing the moment.
I love creating precious memories.
We have enjoyed such a full last few days.
We have had our IKEA adventure and she is able to find things that I really like. We love having a meal at IKEA, that is how we start and then we go and have a look at all the furniture and try out as many things as we can.
After our IKEA adventure it was time to go shopping for food and I must say when I go shopping with her I tend to buy very different items. Into the trolley goes popcorn, chips, ice cream, sour cream (which was for our taco night). I go down different aisles in the shops then I would normally go too.

Friday was a day filled with watching her favourite DVD’s and just really enjoying them.
There was not that much time spent on social media as I really want to embrace the time I have with her.

Creating memories is very important to me.

Yesterday I am really pleased to say that we had a bit of a pyjama day taking it easy and just again watching TV and creating some art.

The day was full of eating some of the snacks that we had brought and for breakfast I made pancakes.

Last night I had worship practice and so she came with me and was able to spend some time with my Pastor’s daughter and I loved how they just chatted and laughed. They got along really well.

Then we decided for dinner that we would have sushi, so the race was on to get to the sushi place before it closed and yes with great excitement we did make it.
We really enjoyed the sushi and then it was time for some more popcorn, extra butter flavour is the favourite at the moment.

As I am writing this she is sleeping peacefully and it just reminds me that-
Let her sleep, when she wakes up she will move mountains.

Will share more soon.

Loves and Hugs

Traceyxx

Life and the Single Christian Girl
October 2014

On Tuesday 7th October 2014 I had the opportunity of having a full day of a songwriting workshop with my mentor Merelyn Carter.

Merelyn has been my mentor since 2007 and we meet up at least once a year.
I first found out about her when I was home once unwell I think it was about early 2007. I was watching a show and this woman was being interviewed about body image. She was also a singer/songwriter and she said that she did mentoring with women.
At the time I thought that would be great to have someone that could mentor you and work on songwriting as well.
I didn’t really do much about it and then I was at a Christian bookstore and I was looking for a women’s magazine one of the people that worked there said there are some over here. I reached into the box and pulled out a magazine and I opened it and on the page was the interview that I had seen on TV not that long ago.
Wow!

So after that I knew that I needed to act on it.
It was probably another few months before I had the courage to send her an email.
I finally did get around to it and it has been a great journey.
Merelyn lives in Melbourne in the country and my first visit to her was in 2008. I just couldn’t believe that I was there and that is where I wrote my song Princess Heart.

So it was so great to catch up with her and her husband David. The direction of what I am doing now is totally different to what I thought that I wanted to do.
Now it is all about making a difference, using my testimony as a message for others.

When we have a mentoring day we work nonstop except for one coffee break. I love it.
On Tuesday we explored some ideas for my blog and social media.
I also was able to put some music to a song that I had written last year. The song is sister to sister and I love how it has worked out.
We also worked on writing another song called Lifting the roof of my life.

I really needed to have a day where I could focus on the creativity process and just to be encouraged.

It has been a journey, and it has been a great journey.

Will share more tomorrow.

Loves and Hugs

Traceyxx

Life and the Single Christian Girl
October 2014

I enjoy the holidays, I have been going through all my items and cleaning out items.
I have been sorting them into keeping them, donating them and throwing them out.
I did discover a lot of my shoes and I really need to go out to wear them. I need to go out to some really nice places. I have the shoes for it, I really do.
I have one more week left of holidays before I go back to work.
I am hoping to finish off the rest of my to do list.
Last holidays I was sick the last week so I didn’t really get a chance to finish what I wanted to achieve.
This holiday is the opportunity to be able to finish. Yeah!!!!

What is on your to do list that you could do?

Will share more soon.

Loves and Hugs

Traceyxx