A typical day in the life...

"Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming"

(Another post I recently wrote for Patches of Heaven)

Just a short post today. More of a 'thought' really. But I've been thinking about the Cowboy Song lately.

The Cowboy song was one of the pieces I played for my preliminary grade piano exam. I can't remember how old I was - maybe 8 or 9? somewhere in there. But the Cowboy Song was THE hardest piano piece in the entire universe (not just on the planet earth).

I had a bit of a flair for drama as a child (something I've since grown out of, obviously), but in my mind I can still remember the absolute tragedy, anguish and 'Susan Hayward' of it all. Tears. Arms flung. Declarations of "never never never never". Sobbing. Mum encouraging me over and over and over...and over again.

I actually don't remember much of the 'middle' of this story. I know I eventually learnt to play the song, and went on to get a good grade on my piano exam. But I do remember years later coming across the Cowboy Song in my old piano books, and setting it up on the piano to see if it was as horrible as I remembered. And then, I couldn't stop laughing. The piece barely even needed 2 hands - It was pretty much played with the right hand, and with the occasional 2-3 notes joining in one the left hand. Pretty much your definition of the easiest piano piece in the entire universe (not just on the planet earth).

When the twins moved to Japan for their missions just over a year ago they were (naturally) struggling with the Japanese language. I remember writing to them when they'd only just gotten out there and that they just needed to keep plodding away: "As impossible as it seems now, one day, in the not too distant future, you'll suddenly realize that you're speaking Japanese fluently". And recently, I was delighted to point out that they did in fact seem to be speaking Japanese pretty fluently now :)

So it's helpful to remember sometimes, when we find ourselves at the bottom of a mountain, that if we just take that one step at a time, then one day we really will find ourselves at the top. In fact, sometimes it's not until we're completely on the other side of the mountain that we realize just how far we've come.

So I guess I'll just keep going with all this diet and exercise. Even if it seems a bit like the hardest thing in the entire universe (and not just the planet earth). 

xo Tammy

A new blog and a re-posted post.

Okay, so it's no secret I'm pretty bad at writing on this blog.... :)   BUT, my sister Abby has invited me to contribute a post each Wednesday to a new blog she's started called: patchesofheaven.blogspot.com (please feel free to check it out!).  And since I suspect she'll be a little out-of-sorts if I don't post every Wednesday, it means that I'm back to actuallying posting on a blog again - even if it's not mine.

And so I'm cheating.  unashamedly.  Here's my latest post from that blog, posted on this blog:

Just a small gathering with a few friends...

I come from a family who are absolutely fabulous at entertaining. Well, to be more specific, I suppose I come from a mother who is fabulous at entertaining. Dinner parties and party-parties are always amazing. Delicious food, fabulous decorating or table setting, flower, candles, music, and that perfect atmosphere. My parents’ gatherings are kind of legendary.

And having helped out at many of these ‘events’, I now find I have a bit of a problem: I’m not very good at doing things on a small scale. I think I am. I mean, these things always start small in my head. They just have a way of growing. A little bit out of control.

But if people only knew how much I don’t let myself do, they would be amazed and just how not over the top I’m often being.

Case Study: A couple of nights ago I had a group of people over for dinner. One of my friends has gone back to uni, and after working harder than anyone I’ve ever seen at uni, they had just finished their final exam in their first semester. We decided to celebrate, and rather than go out and spend money and be all tired on a school night we thought we’d be all sensible and not-over-the-top and just have a bunch of people over to my place.

Of course, that meant we’d have to eat something, and I was kind of in a cooking mood (it’s been a little while since I’ve cooked anything from a recipe) so at 11am that morning I asked my friend what they felt like for dinner. The reply: “Um, actually, Mexican would be great! We could just have tacos. Let me know what fillings I can bring”.

But, being a Munro (who only really let family ‘bring things’)I said ‘oh no, leave it with me. I can whip up some tacos’. But of course, within about 5 minutes of mulling things over in my head and looking online, the dinner went from tacos to Mexican salads with beans, rice, salsa, guacamole, Mexican steak and chicken enchiladas all made from very complicated recipes and sauces that (for example) involved roasting chillies and tomatoes as the first step. And then Pavlova cups and fruit salad (aka 12 different fruits cut into very tiny pieces) and custard cream with lemon sorbet.

And of course I only had about 2 hours between work, shops and people eating, so I spent most of that time ruing my tendency to bite off more than I could chew, and being incredibly grateful for the 3 angel friends who are also on university holidays and who thought it would be ‘fun’ to come and help me cook. (I don’t know if they had realised just how happy I’d be to give them job after job after job after job in the kitchen).

The end result of course was a truly delicious meal (if I do say so myself), with a great atmosphere and a lively game of white-board Pictionary after dinner. BUT, there was about 18 times too much food.

Amy: *glad-wrapping the vat of guacamole after dinner* Tammy, how many avocados did you use to make this?
Tammy: Um, 14.
Amy: *laughing hysterically with a few other people* what were you thinking making this much guacamole? Did you think we’d eat it?!
Tammy: Um, I was thinking “I hate it when we run out of guacamole”…)

BUT in my defence – I did not do shredded port and shredded chicken and roasted onions and corn with the dinner, as well as homemade bread rolls.And I did not hire chairs and tables so that we could all sit at the same table.

So really, I was quite resonable about the whole thing. And everyone enjoyed themselves, so I would call the evening a success :)

xo Tammy

PS. The guacamole is currently sitting in three separate (and large) tupperware containers in the fridge. Last night when a friend wanted to hang out I managed to convince them that we should hang out at my place (so I could then force them to eat Mexican leftovers). Unfortunately they didn't eat as much as I'd hoped. Not to worry though, I have another friend who wants to hang out tonight who will also (unbeknownst to them) be eating delicious Mexican food leftovers.

PPS. You don't like guacamole, do you? 7pm tonight? my house?

I'm here! I'm Alive!! I'm Fabulous! And I'm exciting :)

Greetings, blog land!!! J

I know, it’s been like, forEVER since I’ve written, and it’s not because I lack the subject matter!!  No, it’s just because I’m slack.  Well – there’s this whole moral conflict going on.  When I write, I feel guilty that I haven’t written to the twins, so I do that instead, and basically, their missions, are ruining my blog.  But don’t worry too much, because my fabulous sister Abby has written all the things you need to know about, on her blog!  Isn’t that great? 

I should just say a few words about Abby…

If you don’t love her, it’s because you don’t know her.  If someone hit her with a car and ran, it’d be because they didn’t know her, because if they did, they’d totally stop, because she rocks my socks!!

Speaking of which, I got hit by a car the other night!!! It was a hit and run, and a little vicious.  I wasn’t even on the road – they swerved and were either drunk or texting or crazy or vengeful (we’re not sure)!  I was kind of carried along by their car for a little bit, and then I was suddenly in front of my car on the ground, very confused, my shoes a few houses a way each in the opposite direction.   I am badly bruised and shaken, but miraculously alive, and with no broken bones.  Some serious angel intervention.  Anyway, Abby wrote about me here.

What else have I done??  Oh well a few days before I was hit by a car (insert audience gasps here), my other little sister, whatshername… oh Bethany – gave birth!  Such a beautiful sweet little new niece, called Hallie!  Yay!!! J  You can read about her here (if you’re a member of Abby’s private blog… if you’re not, she’d totally be happy to add you as long as you’re not a freaky stalker).

Before that, Abby and I went to see Annie!!  I was going to write ‘went into town to see Annie’, but I already kind of live here, so it sounded a little weird.  Anyway, Abby wrote about it here.

I’ve also been scattering some good old Kikki-k kindness and love!  You can read about that, here.

And while we’re talking about scattering love – Tim McGraw certainly scattered his at the concert he put on with his wife recently!  I would know, I was in the FRONT ROW!!!  Seriously!  We rocked out – you can read all about it here.

I really enjoyed watching this little validation movie, too J

So you see?  I’m not really boring – it just sounds like it on my blog, because it’s been blank for three months!! But don’t worry – I’m TOTALLY living with sunshine chilling out in my soul J  Maybe when the twins get back from their missions I’ll be better.. J

Thank goodness Abby’s been writing about our adventures though – have I mentioned what an awesome sister she is?? J  

There is sunshine in my soul today!

"I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning..."

 

I have a wonderful feeling about 2012, and am so excited to welcome him in. As you all know, I turned thirty last year, and now that that ordeal is finally over (lol!), I'm actually feeling quite empowered about the whole thing.  I've heard from many people that the thirties are when life really starts, when the turmoil and 'figure-it-out-ishness' of our twenties is finally over, and we can start to really enjoy yourselves. As I've thought about it over the last couple of months, I've become more and more excited.  There are so many things I want to do and see, but mostly, there is so much that I'd like to become and 2012 really does feel like a year open, unspoiled and full of possibilities that I really can become that person I've finally figured out I'd like to be.

So happy first of January everyone - could Heavenly Father have sent us a more beautiful morning here in Brisbane Australia?! Not a cloud in the sky, such a freshness in the air, and that gentle morning breeze so lovingly encouraging us to get up and embrace a new year.

xo Tammy

EFY Counsellor Trainings

Thought those of you who've lost me to EFY over recent months might enjoy seeing this photo montage of our three big full-day counsellor trainings :)

xo Tammy

I have no life right now...

THAT'S why I haven't been blogging.
Or emailing friends.
Or checking other people's blogs.
Or replying to friend's emails.
Or sleeping....

Very happy to be doing the stuff I'm so busy with at the moment - it's important - but am really excited to be done with it all on January 14th too. It's okay to feel that way, right?! :)

xo Tammy