AGT 2020

Hey Everyone,
AGT will be a different place this year, so I wanted to let you in on the plan.

I will be posting here fortnightly, that's every two weeks, on different topics. As I am starting a new job this year, I will be really busy, so I am hoping you can all forgive me for fewer posts this year.  Check out what we are planning to cover this year.

Craft and making cards will continue to be part of the rotation, of course.

I will keep you updated on how I'm going with my 2020 goals, as I have in recent years. Keeping you in the loop really helps me to stay on track, so thanks everyone! I also love this habit tracking app.

We will celebrate some special events like Aunties' Day, Mothers' Day, Harry Potter's Birthday and of course, MY Birthday! There will probably be a few other fun things to celebrate too.

I'm going to share some games and activities that you can play with children and young people.  Click here if you are interested in my past posts about Bible based activities for children.

We're bringing back the Best of AGT, so stay tuned to relive some of the best posts from the last 10 years.. That's right.... I started AGT near the end of 2010, can you believe it?!  Let me know about your favourite posts in the comments!

I'm looking forward to the fun we are going to have this year.

2020 - Let's Do This

This Year, in 2020:

I will LEARN something new every week.

I will IMPROVE my Excel Spreadsheet Skills.

I will AVOID making old mistakes.

I will MAKE TIME FOR exercising at least 4 times a week.

I will ORGANISE my Work and Personal Spaces.

I will EMBRACE the CHANGE.

I will BE my BEST self!

Everyone is making and breaking New Year's Resolutions right now.  I hope you are setting some SMART goals and working towards reaching them.  We can do this!  Let's not make resolutions.  Let's make some goals, share them, and celebrate when we reach them.  Share your most important goal for 2020 in the comments.

#2019 #awesome

Let's look at what happened here at AGT (and in my world), this year!

Crafting
We began the year with a Scrap/ Pattern Paper Challenge and created some great cards in the process. I tried out some ink dragging with embossing folders and stamping on cork.  Making this magnetic frame was really helpful (thanks Simon Hurley) for holding my most used dies.  In April and May, I took some craft supplies on vacation and had lots of fun making cards with my nieces.  This year, I invested in some card classes, background stamps, an electric die cutting machine, texture pastes and perfect pearls.  As far as craft is concerned, 2019 was one of trying lots of new things.  Check out some of my favourite cards of 2019.

This is only a few of the cards I made this year! Wow, I've been busy. 

Travel
You got some postcards from me this year.  My first road trip in a long time, took me to Biloela (a small mining town west of Rockhampton in Queensland, Australia).  My sister moved her tribe to "Bilo" in January 2019, so in April, my Mum and I headed there for a visit. We celebrated my sister's 40th birthday and my niece's 5th birthday.  It was hot. If you want to read about how I handled the long drive with my chronic illness, click here.

In August, my Mum and I took a whirlwind tour of our nation's capital, Canberra.  Now I can tick Canberra off my list of Australian state capitals that I want to visit.  It was busy and exhausting and oh, so much FUN!  Check out my postcards here.

Other Stuff
This year, I also shared some Apps, websites and Youtube channels, that I have found useful as well as some other favourite things including some flashbacks to posts from previous years. Professionally, 2019 was amazing.  I enjoyed teaching new subjects and spent more time working with different students.  I got a new job at a new school, which meant packing up 10 years worth of teaching resources and bringing them home.  I still have piles of books, posters and stationery littering my craft studio/ home office.  I enjoyed helping out at Sunday School at church too.

I lived out the word "Pause" and I truly feel this has helped me reach goals and make changes to my life style for the better and forever.  I am looking and feeling better.  I can't wait to see what 2020 brings. :D  I will be spending New Year's Eve with my family and having an early night.  

This year was good, this year was fun!  
Tomorrow is another one!  (apologies to Dr Seuss)

How was your 2019? What are your plans for New Year's Eve? 

May you all have a happy and safe New Year! 

One word Reflection Time

The end of 2019 is very near and it's time to reflect on the rollercoaster of an awesome year. First, let's talk about my One Word 365 journey.  I started the year with a 'Resolution' of Just One Word - Pause.  I had some thoughts about how this would impact my life and certain actions that would work towards Pausing in real life.
For me, the word Pause was about stopping to think before I said or did things as well as giving myself permission to stop or even move away from things if I needed to.  It was about self-control and rest.  It's important to remember that "Pause" doesn't mean quit.  "Pause" implies a brief moment of stopping with the intention to start again.

This year has been amazing!  I'm not saying there weren't times that were hard, there were certainly difficult moments and painful times.  I managed that pain and difficulty better than before. I took the time to rest when I needed to and I made decisions based on consideration and prayer.  For the most part, my relationships have been such a blessing and I feel like interactions with others have been so much more positive this year.  Maybe this was the result of a choice to stop and think before I spoke, or maybe it was the choice I made to not worry about others opinions of me.  Maybe it was a result of the fact that I was well rested (in general) so I was kinder and calmer.  What I do know is that I am happy and healthy and this year was the best in my career and my spiritual life.

Thank you for sharing my One Word Journey with me this year.  If you want to learn more about the One Word 365 movement, check this out.

More to come, before the year is out.

Peace at Christmas

I promised to share some Peace with you this week. While this year, we have already celebrated Christmas, I feel like this part of the Advent series is too important to be skipped.  Peace has certainly been an important word for me this year, so let's do this. 

The final candle in the Advent Wreath is Peace.  Christmas is the time we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Angels announced the arrival of Jesus and they spoke of Peace on Earth.  While Peace is a word that can mean so much, the Biblical meaning of Peace is different.  Peace is not about a quiet afternoon reading or the absence of war.  It has nothing to do with a lack of people or crisis.  Peace is about a reconciliation between God and His children; an end to the discord between the sin of people and God.  Peace is a result of God's Perfect Love for us.  This video from The Bible Project explains it so well.

Shalom, My Friends!