January 8th-January 15th

Fearless by Max Lucado

January 8th

"It's not the absence of storms that sets us apart. It's whom we discover in the storm: and unstirred Christ."

January 9th

"You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. Psalm 18:48 (NLT)"

January 10th

"The disciples scream; Jesus dreams. Thunder roars; Jesus snores. He doesn't doze, catnap, or rest. He slumbers. Could you sleep at a time like this?"

January 11th

"You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the LORD is you security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. Proverbs 3:25-26 (NLT)"

January 12th

"[Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on a pillow" (Mark 4:38).... This was a premeditated slumber. He didn't accidentally nod off. In full knowledge of the coming storm, Jesus decided it was siesta time, so he crawled into the corner, put his head on the pillow, and drifted into dreamland."

January 13th

"The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall i be afraid?"

January 14th

"Fear corrodes our confidence in God's goodness. We begin to wonder if love lives in heaven. If God can sleep in our storms, if his eyes stay shut when our eyes grow wide, if he permits storms after we get on his boat, does he care? Fear unleashes a swarm of doubts, anger-stirring doubts."

January 15th

"The more insecure we feel, the meaner we become. We growl and bare our fangs. Why? Because we are bad? In part. But also because we feel cornered."

Tennis

I love the tennis. That is all.

This year is the year of saving.

Sam and I went a bit crazy last year and just bought what we wanted and ate what we wanted. This year we are going to change that and be conscientious about our future and preparing for it.

It helps that I've been getting a few extra hours at work but it's still less then 20 hours which is frustrating but my job works so well around uni!

Next week S and I are off to a youth camp at the place we did our internship. Warrambui, about 45 minutes outside of Canberra.

It'll be a fun week filled with music, games, worship, fellowship, bible study and a few bad skits thrown in for skit night.

Lots of preparation for that and organising and training as well. 

It feels like we are so busy right now. S has been away a lot for work and then we are away next week then it's pretty much Australia day and then it's February. And I've still got another month till I'm back at uni and can feel like this year has really started!

Goals

January 7th

By Max Lucado

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 2 Corinthians 1:5 (NIV)"

Last year I put on a bit of weight. I call it my newlywed weight.

I waited till now to write this post as if I had of last night, I probably wouldn't be able to say this.

I got up at 830 today and went for a jog/walk. I thought I'd jinx myself if I wrote it before I did it.

This last year has been an awesome roller coaster of settling into my new life, as a wife, independent living, working and uni. So granted I did put on quite a bit of weight, through no fault but my own, and now I really hate it.

Before the wedding I was super skinny and running lots to keep the weight off so I could fit into my wedding dress.

My problem last year was consistency, I ran just not often enough. This year I'm going to try and do better and thinking about what will help, I've decided to do an award based attitude. 

So from now on, each walk I go for I put a $1 in the jar, and a run gets $2. The more I run, the more I earn and that money will go solely on something to treat myself. Maybe some cool running shorts of shoes, maybe a massage or manicure. Haven't decided yet as I've only got $1 in there so far haha.

I'm also going to document my runs on instagram as well, you can find me at katieellenlieschke.

Linking up with Jess for IBOT

January 6th

January 6th

By Max Lucado

"Don't Christ-followers enjoy a calendar full of Caribbean cruises? No. This story send the not-so-subtke and not-too-popular reminder: getting on board with Christ can mean getting soaked with Christ. Disciples can expect rough seas and stout winds. "In the world you will have tribulation" (John 16:33)."

Life is not without it's struggle and heartache. Christ knows this better then anybody, if you don't know, pick of the bible and read John, and you'll hear what Jesus went through in His life, went through because He loves you that much.

For today I leave with this reminder; times are tough, and life as a christian was never meant to be easy, Jesus said that plan and simple. He also gave us life after death and hope for the future.

Best Present Ever!

January 5th

By Max Lucado

"But the LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. Psalm 33:18-19 (NLT)"

I probably received the best present today.

And that's probably an exaggeration, but if you love writing in your calendar diary and happen to be a left hander like me then you will understand.

Many things have plagued my life as a left hander, scissors never worked properly, I had trouble writing in the correct direction, remembering right to left was how the Chinese wrote. And most of all. The annoying binder's on work books that would forever dig into my hand when I wanted to write on the nice, clean, crisp new page on a book.

My lovely sister-in-law found something that will help with this.

It opens the correct way!

Sorry I forgot to turn this one but the planning pages are on the left so no annoying binding to worry about and on the right are little facts about left handers and throughout the calendar has the birthday's of famous left handers.

The page on the right says "Southpaws of Substance"

Michael Bloomberg

Steve Forbes

Bill Gates

Ross Perot

Oprah Winfrey

Mark Zuckerberg

I loved all the presents I received this christmas. Including a beautiful canvas from my big sis Kylie.

Go lefty's!

Envision

January 4th

By Max Lucado

" Envision a day, just one day, absent the dread of failure, rejection, and calamity. Can you imagine a life with no fear? This is the possibility behind Jesus' question. "Why are you afraid?" Matthew 8:26(NCV)"

Today S and I drove out to Albury/Wodonga with the in-laws in the FIL's old Holden HQ, it has just recently been given a new engine and a clean up and so we thought we might take it for the hour and a bit drive to Albury.

We caught up with an old friend of the MIL and enjoyed a couples hours of chatting and checking out her new house.

We then made our way to Wodonga to a friend's 50th birthday celebrations. A family friend and S and I are good friends with the birthday boys son and his wife, who live in NZ.

Going back to their house always reminds me of the good times we had there before we were all married and would just hang out watching movies and going shopping.

We left to go back to Wagga just after 530, and as we pulled away from the curb, the steering decided to disappear, literally. Turning the steering wheel did nothing.

Luckily we had just lost a screw of the steering column thing (not to up on my mechanic lingo) and all it need was a bolt to hold it in place, which sufficed and we made it home at 7 on the dot. 

It was a good day hanging out with the in-laws and catching up with old friends. I always say how lucky I am too have such great in-laws and I will never take it for granted!

Cross-Stitch

January 3rd

By Max Lucado

"So don't be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31 (NCV)"

When I was a teenager I started becoming interested in knitting, including crocheting, and also took a fancy to cross-stitch.

Now it was quite a few years before I learnt how to knit anything more then a scarf and to even learn what a purl stitch was, or what pattern meant.

I got there in the end, thanks too youtube for showing me. I need to see things being done as my way of learning and youtube helped with that.

So I learnt to purl and knit and how to follow a pattern and started making things left right and centre.

Then mum bought me a learn how to crochet book, which I ignored for a bit because I couldn't learn from reading the instructions, although I finally figured it out and could follow the crocheting patterns, so I started to make lots and lots of blankets.

Knitting and crocheting aren't to bad in the expense department, knitting needles aren't to bad and you can find patterns with the right size needle you have so you don't need to buy more, same as crochet hooks. Wool is a bit more expensive, especially when trying to be a jumper or something bigger then a beanie but stills reasonably priced.

Which brings me to cross-stitich.

I was given a cross-stitch when I was younger and I started it but never finished and only just recently did I find it and think I should finish it off, one of those numerous projects that I start but never seem to finish. I was finishing the product (almost finished now) and realised how much I love cross-stitch.

Now the one I was finishing off was a bit of a cheat one, because the pattern was actually printed onto the fabric so I didn't have to follow a pattern, which then lead me to wanting to challenge myself and buy a cross-stitch where the fabric is blank and the pattern is one big piece of paper.

So off I went, dragging S along, I told him he didn't need to come into spotlight that I wouldn't be long but alas he decided to come in, I think he was glad he did though.

I found the cross-stitch section and was browsing and finding some really cool modern styles, but I took one look at the 84 dollars they were asking for it and my heart sank, bugger. 

84 dollars for a cross-stitch!!!

I kept looking and S was getting restless and telling me to just pick one, I said I like one and he's just wanted me to hurry up, but being the good wife I am I pointed out the price to him. Which he then decided that he wasn't going to encourage my cross-stitching haha.

He couldn't believe how expensive it was, and for a bit of (being polite there) a cheap arse I'm surprised he didn't have a heart attack.

I did find a nice 30 dollar one, which is still expensive but its very cute and has little owls on it so I'm looking forward to completing it. Cross-stitch just takes a very long time!

The cross-stitch thats been hanging around for years. Almost finished.

The first little owl of 9 to be done. This took me an hour to do!!!

My New Years

January 2nd - Fearless

By Max Lucado

"Fear never wrote a symphony or poem, negotiated a peace treaty, or cured a disease. Fear never pulled a family out of poverty or a country out of bigotry. Fear never save a marriage or a business. Courage did that. Faith did that. People who refused to consult of cower to their timidities did that."

For new years my family come down to Wagga Wagga for a visit. They arrived on the 30th of December and we spent the afternoon chatting and having a BBQ.

On Tuesday we went out to visit Junee, a town not far from Wagga but is well known for the famous sports stars that come from Wagga, including Laurie Daly.

Junee is also home to a haunted house, Monte Cristo. It's pretty much just an old house that had many terrible deaths and brutalities happen there. It is a beautiful old home restored to what it would have looked like back in the 1800s. Walking to the top floor and onto the balcony and looking over the landscape you see a few houses, the town of Junee, and some farming equipment. I tried to envision what it would have looked like back in the 1800s, with just the rolling landscape, beautiful scenery and the calmness that it would have been. 

After looking through the house and the stables and keeping Punky and Zee occupied while we were there we all jumped in the car and headed to Junee Licorice & Chocolate Factory for lunch.

It was great. Very yummy, and they even had a vegemite sandwich on the menu for Punky. After enjoying lunch we decided to take a tour of the factory. Which was very interesting.

Its started at 2 and we went through and had a look at the machines where they make chocolate coated licorice and walnuts and many other chocolate coated goodness.

The tour was basically just a very interesting talk about the history of how the Junee factory came to be, back in its roots when it was a flour mill and how it came to be a Licorice Factory, one reason being that licorice is 1/3 flour. 

If you are down this way Junee is a wonderful small town to visit.

We ended up spending new years eve in, and having a lasagne and playing game until mid night, it was such a big day in Junee we thought something low key at home would be good and was it ever!

New year's day was a bit different, did not hit the predicted 35 degrees, it was overcast. We went over to S grandpas house for a swim in the pool and a BBQ to catch up with some friends. Then spent the rest of the afternoon vegging out, and had pizza for dinner, as you do.

Thursday came along and I was off to work at 10 and everybody was off on there way back to Sydney by then.

It was sad to see them go but also nice to relax in the quietness haha, my family can be quite loud and Punky is getting to be the loudest, it's going to be very interesting when she starts to talk!

Hope all your ny's went well!!

1st of January 2014

Ok so this post is a little late, but that's ok. 

When I first started this blog I thought it was going to be so cool and I would have so much to talk about, turns out what I have to say is very little and not post worthy, or so I thought.

I didn't make a new years resolution this year, though I never have so its nothing new. Despite this I have decided to be more on top of things, do a little bit of everything everyday. Little bit of reading, little bit of cleaning, little bit of knitting, crocheting or cross-stitching, my new addiction.

This comes from looking back on my year and realising that I pretty only cleaned the house when there were people coming over and that it seemed to overwhelm me when it happened because there was so much to do.

But this year I've decided on one thing, and thats to use this blog more often. And the way I'm going to do that is by using some help from Max Lucado, and his calendar for the year named Fearless.

I'm going to back track from 1st of Jan to now so that'll be fun :)

FEARLESS 

1st January

"Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? Matthew 8:26"

Although it's quite a small verse but it is a great way to start the year and I'll tell you why.

This verse was said by Jesus to his disciples. Disciples who had been with Him for a while now, had seen Him do miracles on strangers, heard Him speak the truth through the wickedness of the religious folk and lived with Him, saw His character and felt His presence, yet, on a ship, in the middle of the sea, they were all scared from the dangerous winds and storm approaching. They had seen how God had protected Jesus, they had seen the miracles Jesus had performed and yet they coward in fear when something as natural as a storm hit.

These men saw the Son of God, they lived with Him, all they had but do was ask "Are you our saviour? Our messiah? Are you the Son of God?" and they would have heard the answer from His lips.

Yet they still feared. This was before Jesus died and defeated death, so they did fear, so how much now, knowing of satan's defeat, should be not be afraid, and yet how much more are we afraid.

I am afraid, I'm not going to pretend I'm not. But when I am afraid, I remember, God is bigger, God is greater, God is more important then the tiny challenges I face everyday. Jesus knows my fear and He takes care of me, He knows I am weak so He is strong.

Why am I fearful? Because I forget God's promise, He loves me, He died for me, and I am forever protected in His arms, as His child, to live a life free from sin, free from condemnations, free from what keeps many hearts captive, free to live a life in Him and with Him.

This is was I take out of this verse, what do you think?