Babysitting? Weather? School? Anything?

For a few days I'v had no idea what to blog about. So my friend Daniel suggested the above things and I shall use all four. Let's see...

Babysitting. I do it on occasion, generally with children younger than 10. However, yesterday I minded one of my mum's bestfriend's kids and they were, all three, 10+. It wasn't necessarily the age that made me slightly apprehensive, and I was slightly apprehensive, but more the fact that I was, but not closely, aquainted with them. It would have been much nicer, and I would not have worried about any awkwardness, if I had have known then extencivly or not at all - but to know them by aquaintance, well, and as individuals, slightly, was off putting. It turns out, however, that hardly any awkwardness was afforded for as, one, I was egar to entertain and, two, they were, for the most part, egar to be entertained. For the moment that's about all there is to tell on that matter. Oh, but Declan is the sweetest 10(ish) yearold I have ever met!

Weather. The weather has been nice enough lately, but still too hot and sunny really! The sky, however, has been glorious. The nicest light blues and puffiest, defined white clouds! My favorite weather, for autumn, is rain. cloudy and windy in the afternoon and the rest of the time just mild rain. oh, sometimes it would be fun to have really really heavy rain at night though, and thunderstorms too!! In winter it should snow most of the time with a couple of just cloudy days and a few blisards thrown in. In spring it should be mainly fine and coludy with light rain sometimes, and in summer it should be mainly fine but heavy rain sometimes and cloud coverage every now and then. Appart from that the UV rays should never get above 3 and it should never get any hotter than 23 or colder than -7. That would be my perfect weather scheme.

School. I swear the longer I'm there the more demeaned I feel! I feel like I'm almost an adult but no teachers will treat me like one! I just can't wait until the whole experience is over - 12 years of school is just too much. I am seriously fed up with it, but it would be a waist of a huge part of the last 11 years of my life if I dropped out now, and besides I want an op. I am definatly going to home school my kids! I will start 'lessons' when they are eight and only for two hours, four days a week. Then I will build it up as they get older until they are ready for highschool. Even then I'll probably not send them to a main streem school. I think that most of primary school is just baby sitting. We could learn it all in a few years rather than, including prep/ preschool, eight.

Anything. Today is my bestfriend's 15th birthday! congratulations are in order! A pinch and a punch for the first of the month and ummmmm... isn't this a nice picture!

It's the one I got from Coffs Harbour but it doesn't have any identification on it so I have no idea who painted the origional, this one's just a print, or when.

Steph xx

p.s. The picture of the picture is actually a mirror image so its reverse in real life.

Interests

My interests...

music
reading (and being read to - no I'm not too old)
discussing: philosophy, on and pertaining to christianity; physiology; sociology; ect
acting
writing
dancing, traditional - e.g. waltz (but not verry well)
walking (preferably through somewhere with lovely sourounds)
travel (although I haven't done much of it)
painting/ drawing
architecture
scenary
sky gazing
brids
trees and wild flowers
daydreaming/ fantasizing
op shopping
old fashioned things (in general)
wooden firniture (and things in general)
cooking and sewing (some what)
geography (countries and things)
talking
singing

I can't think of any more at the moment really

Steph xx

p.s. here's another nice picture for your enjoyment. The season is fitting too, even if most of our trees are not deciduous. Have I ever mentioned I love water mills?

The NEW Plan

Alright, so I'v been doing a bit of thinking about my future lately and I think I'v decided on the NEW plan! This one is a bit more reallistic and not so... pin pointed? It's just the important things and, again, it's just, God willing, what I'd like to happen.

finnish high school, 17
go straight into uni (creative industries at QUT majoring in drama and music), finnish at 20
work and travel for a year, 20 - 21
get married and do a post-grad year of teaching at UQ, 21-22
work for a year or so, 22+
have three kids, before 30
home school kids until high school
go back to work

Also I really want two boys and a girl and I still have specific names I like! The only thing I'm not sure about yet is what the 'work' stands for... but I'm sure that'll come in time. I also need to get a boyfriend at some point...

Steph xx

p.s. Arnt these pretty pictures, wouldn't you like to live in one of them?

Dusk

Dusk is my favorite time of day. It's when the sun has set beyond the visable horizon but the sky is still light - it starts with sunset and ends with twilight.

I live in a valley that is sourounded by hills on all four sides, so my dusk is somewhat longer than someone's who, say, lives on a prarie, becuase the sun here only has to set below the height of the mountains to the east - the tallest ones in my valley - rather than set below the level curve of the world. Here the foremost part of dusk is still quite bright; enough that you could be out walking in a park - which is, often, precisely what I do - but not so bright that everything looks white washed, as sometimes happens during the brightest part of the day. Rather, every colour looks deeper and richer and really just, in my opinion, much nicer.

Steph xx

Personality

As classified by Myers Briggs, I am an INFP/ENFP. Meaning, for those of you savy to the Myers Briggs tests, that half the time I am approximatly 48% E and 52% I, and reverse for the other half. However as far as N vs. S, F vs. T and P vs. J: I am high 80s + (%) for all of N, F and P.

After reading extensivly on both of my surposed personalities, I have decided that for the most part I am INFP, but I do have a couple of ENPF traits thrown into the mix. INPF being: Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling and Perceiving. This makes me, acording to one website, 'the dreamer' - highly perceptive and introspective, and openly emotional. I do think about things alot... more than others I'v talked to... in third person too - is that weird?

While I'm on the subject of personalities: in the car the other day on the way to Girraween, we tried to sum up everyones personalities, as nuturally as possible, in four words. In a mannor of speaking I ended up with seven - 6 words and one phrase that we just couldn't find the perfect word for in the intended, specific context - relating to my personality.

singleminded
determined
protective
sharp
personable
opinionated
think-about-everything-alot (which come to think about it could maybe be introspective or maybe procrastinative - if thats a word - according to the oxford online dictionary the adjective of procrastionate is actually procrastinatory. Thank you oxford.)

Note: every word has a specific meaning when relating to me; and every strength can also be a weakness.

Taking the latter part of the above note, I'm sure that there are many arguments against those 7 words that could be found, but anyone who really knows me well would undoubtedly agree with them, as I agree with them myself, completely.

Going into all of them would take quite a while so if there are any specific questions comment and I'll answer them in my next blog but I will discribe one for you.

Personable:

I go out of my way to accomodate for the feelings, securities and accepted norms I percieve evident in others. Unfortunatly this means that I often find that I care greatly about what others think about me, or I sit there worrying that they will judge me negativly.

Steph xx

Easter

For God so Loved the World.

If I had a penny for every time I'v heard that! Its probably one of, if not the, most commenly quotated parts of scripture - especially at easter time. I'v heard it so much and so regularily that I think somewhere along the way I became a bit desensitised to the weight of its meaning.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.                                     John 3:16

how amazing is that love. When I was younger I always thought that it wouldn't be that much of a big deal - I would gladly die for poeple I didn't even know - but now that I'm older I can see that my apparent willingness to die for others comes with the knowledge that as soon as I'm dead I'll be in heaven - I'll be face to face with my Lord, and nothing else will ever matter again. So even the good that I would try to do, the sacrifice I would try to make, would be tained by sin. If I couldn't go to heaven, if I couldn't be with God after death, I wouldn't die for them. We are all desperatly wicked and I am no exception. In the back of my mind would always be the thought that "Ha! Now I get to live in perfection with God!"

But for Jesus there was no such greed. He had to face the seperation from not only his God, but in a way himself, all perfection and love, and his father - whom he had such love for, such perfect love, the thought of seperation from him caused, not only great, great mental but, physical angish! I mean he sweated blood! And yet he did it. He may as well have cast himself into hell for how he and his father suffered. He did it for us. For me and for you. 

I was listening to a song on the radio a little while ago, that said "she's the reason Jesus came." I commented to my dad that I thought it was a bit self-important to say so but he turned to me and said "Do you think that if it were only one person, if it were only her, Jesus wouldn't die to save her?"

I believe he would.

Steph xx

BACK

I'm back!! camping was great, I mean all holidays have their ups and downs but overall it was good. I probably wouldn't want to do it more than once a year though. In the end we only ended up 'camping' (in a tent) for three nights becuase it was raining on and off continiously at Coffs Harbour and dad didn't want to unpack/ repack in the wet; the cabin we stayed in was fairly good though. Well we went sea kyaking on the first day at Coffs - fairly tiring and quite scary but it was another experience I can say I'v had - then just mulled around, saw a movie and shopped a bit until we left and went to Girraween.

It took us a lot longer to unpack then I thought it would, it must have been about three hours, becuase we just took so much stuff! One thing I must rave about, however, which really doesn't need my praise or reccomendation becuase everyone takes them, is our gass stove!!! It's wonderful! I have decided that I LOVE cooking on gass and I wan't one at home! Everything cooks so much more quickly and the temperature is really easy to change and controll.

Anyway, we saw Turtle Rock, a bit of an anticlimax really, and the sphynx, a rock formation which looks nothing what so ever like a sphynx. We also climbed the first pyramid, where I had a near death experience - except not quite so dramatic. There was a steaper than usual bit where the track went around the back with a sheer drop beneath. I swear if it wasn't for a man of about 50ish, a quite experienced climber, who happened to be close by, I would have fell.

The highlight of the trip was probably the shopping because we went to 10 or so op shops (I love op shops) and I bought:

some clogs (the wooden dutch ones - from the clog barn: the most exciting place in NSW)
a woven wicker christmas cane thingy (decoritave)
a woven wicker christmas wreath
4 w w baskets
a wooden book display shelf thingy
a porclean decorated jar thingy and a porclean decorated bell (also from the clog barn)
a butter/ shortbread mold/ press with grapes and leaves on it
a beautiful framed painting of an old fashioned town
an old decorated glass jar thingy
a glass tealight holder (or somthing old and glass that I think would make a good candle holder)
and some 10c wooden chop sticks

doesn't that sound like it would be the highlight of any trip?

Steph xx

p.s. I missed a lot of people a bit and a few people a lot

Camping

Coming up to Easter this year, my dad has decided that he wants to take us camping. Us being my little brother, myself and, after a spot of successful convincing, my bestfriend. It'll be the second time I'v gone but the first was when I was eight so I don't know if it will be as fun as I remember, everyone tells me it will be though. We're going to Coffs Harbour for three nights and then to Girraween for three.

 

Coffs Harbour, I have recently found out, is the home of the Big Banana... that makes me excited... the plan is to bring some bananas back because they're like $3 a piece here at the moment.

 

I'v been to Girraween before in year 7. We climbed the first pyramid, but I only went to the summit becuase I got scared - I don't think I'll go to the peak this time either. But it's a nice national park really and the temperatures get below zero so I'm actually even more excited about that then I am about the bananas!

My dad has been to Girraween many, many times but the most memerable I should think was when he was a teenager and he and some friends went up and tried to push this rock over the side of the mountain. It's like hundreds of tons and they really thought they had a chance haha it didn't budge. Such teenage boys.

Well seeing as I'll be camping for about a week I won't be blogging, but if there is anything interesting to tell I'll recount it when I get back.

Steph xx

Books

Today I thought I'd touch briefly on the subject of books, my books to be precice, but then I reasiled that the subject 'books' is under no circumstance brief, and so decided to just make the whole blog about it.

Books;  I own a fair few. I would own more but I generally chuck out the ugly ones, or those of no great sentimental value. Besides, wonderful books are the only ones really worth having, and I have wonderful books.

The members of my prised collection sit, unpon times, in different places around my room, but generally I keep them in the wooden book tray on my side table (Wooden book trays are very handy inventions and I would recomend them to anyone). This collection includes:

The Wind in The Willows
Grattitude Therapy
The Observers Book of Wild Flowers
A Treasury of The World's Best Loved Poems
A Gallery of Children
Look Out of The Window
Anne of Green Gables
Little House in the Big Woods
Catch 22
Jane Austen - the complete novles -
The Portrait of a Lady
The Hobit
The Bible
(and a few others)

In there you've got a good seletion of quality writing! Theres A.A. Milne, L. I. Wilder, L. M. Montgomery, Henry James, Kenneth Graham, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,  paul,  and not to mention all of the poets in the treasury!


The Wind in The Willows is particularly lovely - being even more wonderful than A Gallery of Children and Look Out of the Window; the best childrens story book ever.

Badger is such a good character and his house is amazing!

But that's not even the best part of it! The best things about this particular copy are the fabric cover, the fact that it was published in 1961 in London and the, for lack of better words, delightful black and white illistrations. I found this book in a little second hand book store, what a history it must have had to have come from London, England in 1961 to My Bed Side Table, Australia 2011. I actually can't wait to read it to my kids.

All of the other books and amazing in their own fields, most aquired similarily. One book, Word Worth and Collridge Lyrical Ballads Littledale, was actually written in 1798. how. amazing.

Hitherto, however, unknown is which of these books is my all time, do all and end all, favorite. Not knowing being a dilemma, I'm sure, that has caused great anguish and suffering to many... (oh goodness)... The answer is (if you can't guess):

The Bible! *cheering* say no more.

Steph xx

Uncertainty

This was the plan. THE plan. THE, god willing, one and only plan.

finnish highschool, 17
finnish early childhood at uni, 21
teach for a year, 22
get married (to a man named Charles Robin Merriweather-Darling), 22
move to a colder climate, 22
buy an acreage, chickens, a dairy cow, a brown horse, two border collies and a white cat (named Gracie), 22
have a baby boy (named Christopher Daniel) and stop teaching, 23
have a girl (named Charlotte Anne), 25
have another girl (named Mary Grace), 27
home school all my kids until highschool
go back to teaching
retire
move into a cottage with less grounds and sell all the animals less a few chickens, a cat and a dog.


seems a bit unrealistic, no? well I'm not really sure anymore about the specifics. I definatly still want three kids (but maybe two boys and a girl?) and I want them before I'm 30. I still want to live on a big property, have animals and homeschool. But I really want to do creative industries mjr in drama and music at uni then a post grad year of teaching. And I definatly want to do some travel!

Also I recently finnished another house design, the most detailed I've done yet I think. My maths teacher was fairly happy when I told her that I was using trigonometry to find out how much head space I'd have in my attic!

this is only one of the eight pages of detail (i also drew the property) and I actually edited this a bit more after I took the picture, like making the scale a bit better (the table smaller for one). Oh yes, and that thing in the left hand corner of the first floor is a christmas tree :)

Steph xx

p.s.
the floors down staires are slate and upstaires wood.
And to miss Aalyn, click on my clock and it will take you to the link.

Moi

Australia isn't exactly the most romantic setting for a wanna be anne shirley, like me, to find herself in. Sadly, however, it is where I reside and the place in which I'm making the transition from girl into woman.

I'll be 16 in October but I feel like I should be 21 already!

The other day I was watching a documentary called '49 Up', in which they interviewd 14 children every 7 years from the time that they were seven. It got me thinking of how nice it would be when you're older, say 60 or so, to be albe to look back at your younger self and what you thought and felt. I guessed it would be a bit like a dairy but I never could keep up with writing in mine, so I thought that maybe I would have more insentive to keep going with a blog. Time will tell.

Well, I surpose I should tell you, whomever you are, a bit about myself.  My name is Stephanie Grace and I was born on the 20th of October, 1995 at about half 6 in the evening, in Australia. I should mention that for the first fifteen minuets of my life I was not myself, for I was not named accordingly, but rather I was Felicity Grace and that it was only because of the apprehention of my father, at the prospect of naming me as such, that I became to be myself; Stephanie.

When I was young we traveled a bit. We spent two years in England (which resulted in my diluted, commenly described as 'a bit posh', accent) and then two in NewZealand. We also went to the united arab emirates and socttland before we again, and finally, settled in suberbian Australia (urgh!).

My interests include singing, writing, reading, shopping (especially in thrift stores), drawing house designs, gardens, brids and clouds. If you haven't guessed already: yes I am a bit of a cliche, but I try not to be.

It was only in the last month and a half that I officially 'left the nursery', or so to speak, after sharing a room with my older sister for almost 14 and a half years, and I. am. extatic.

I profess love for my cork board and oh yes I enjoy food too ;)

I supose that's really about all for the moment.... I'm also in year 11 at the local ladies college; (rolls eyes) such a lovely place.

until next time,
Steph xx

p.s. did I mention I actually have orange hair (you can't really see it in the picture)?