Sunday, December 31, 2017
Happy Anniversary!
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Year in Review
At this time of year, we tend to do a bit of reflecting back on the year we are wrapping up. I guess I am no different from anybody else. It is time to look back on the year and appreciate our progress. I took a glance back at the year by looking back at what I took time to post on the blog.
Instead of making resolutions, last year I set some goals for myself. In looking back on them, I see that, once again there were some that were met and some that fell by the wayside. Oh well, maybe next year.
I started off the year doing a bit of organizing. I worked on the pantry and did a pretty good job of keeping in in shape throughout the year. There are still a few things that I would like to have to aid in organizing it and keeping it straight but all in all, I think we accomplished what we intended and met that goal.
The month of February found us writing a book. I'm still not certain whether this was a good thing or if it was the beginning of creating a problem for Mike and me! At the time it seemed like a great idea and we really enjoyed putting Easton's ABC Book together. We were excited when it arrived from the publisher and pleased with how it turned out. I think Easton and his family enjoyed it (and we hope they still do) as well as us. Another thing we began in February that has continued is that we started watching our quarters. We have a collector in the family and Mike and I want to be sure she is provided with a representative of each kind of quarter made!
In March we got itchy feet and were looking toward spring. We had a late snowfall and some cold weather that put spring on hold for us and Mike and I both were battling cold weather and winter. Neither of used to be bothered by winter weather and really sort of enjoyed it. However, as we get older, we seem to wish for warm weather more and more. As a school teacher, I always look forward to and hope for a snow day. So, if we are going to get any weather, as the old folks say, I certainly want to be rewarded with a snow day!
April brought some spring temperatures and a wee bit of time to enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed my time off during spring break even though about all I had to show for that week was a hole filled with rocks. I took some time to rest up and faced the rest of the school year with some strength. My entire team at work changed over during the last year and then my boss retired in December of last year and we were assigned a new supervisor who is as different as the former one as daylight is to dark. Needless to say, that certainly has made the job a struggle this calendar year. My team-mates and I are surviving but that is about all I can attest to at this point.
In May I was ultra-busy at work and barely had time to meet myself coming and going the entire month. So, things here at home were put on hold. My only blog posts were for celebrations - Lydia's Birthday, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day. I think I went through the motions and just survived that entire month!
We did a little more celebrating in June with Father's Day and Bonnie's birthday but it also saw me welcoming a couple of weeks off from work. Having the month during the summer to rejuvenate made a huge difference. Having time to relax and do a bit of rambling and chilling-out with Mike certainly helped me to stop and notice lots of other things. It also made me do some introspective looking at the job our children are doing and appreciate their stage of life.
Summer Days for my family means it is time for the grands to come and stay with us for a few days each. They get individual attention and we spend time at the swimming pool. Mike and I always love those times. I used the time to post lots of here on the blog with twenty-two posts for the month of July! First of all, we thrive on the summer temperatures, the long days, the opportunity to spend time in the garden and preserving what he has nurtured and grown for us to eat, and the time with the grands. We both look forward to when life is basically always like that!
The dog days of August found us looking forward and getting ready to welcome grandchild number nine into our fold. We celebrated the bounty of Mike's many hours of hot work in the garden and did loads of canning and freezing. We had lots of squash and okra and tomatoes. We canned and froze and enjoyed the fresh veggies so long as we could. August also found me back at work and working with new teachers. There is always a learning curve for new folks coming to our district. No matter whether they are new to the profession or just new to our district, there is so much for them to take in and lots of support is needed to help them get off to a good school year start.
In September we did lots of celebrating of birthdays but the one that was the most monumental for us was the one where we welcomed grandchild number nine. We are so blessed with healthy children and grandchildren and this is certainly something that comes to mind when a new one joins our family. We are thankful and excited about each and every one and love them to pieces even when we get so tired it seems we cannot hold our head up!
By October we were embracing fall and a bit of cooler weather. We truly enjoy the warm summer weather but we also welcome a break from the heat when fall rolls around. I was lucky enough to have time to spend a bit of it getting to know the new baby. One of the things we do here on the farm when we just need some down time is to get on the ATV and take a ride around to just enjoy the beauty of where we are lucky enough to live. Mike picked up a passenger one afternoon for some rambling and is continuing the tradition down through the generations.
November may have been a busy time for us but it was also a time when we had a chance to share time with family. I think Thanksgiving might be the favorite holiday for Mike and me. I have a bit of time off from work and we get to spend time together. We welcome the children into the house and share some time and good food with them.
I started off December by leading three different workshops at a state educational conference. Then, it was semester wrap-up time. Before we knew it, Christmas was upon us and I still had pumpkins sitting on the dining room table! We did get our act together and get a tree decorated and gifts bought and wrapped to give to the children and grands but it was by the skin of our teeth! I don't know if we are slowing down way too much or if life is speeding up around us. At any rate, we have certainly had a busy month of it. I haven't even had time to put together a December post other than to just snap a quick photo of the kitchen tree and wish everybody a Merry Christmas.
Through the year we had some bumps in the road - one of the grands was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic, I struggled to stay afloat at work with a new direction and a new supervisory team. We bid goodbye to a few friends who were taken from us way too soon. We are also still grieving the loss of our daughter-in-law's mother who was taken from this world long before we ever imagined. We flounder and we question.
We also recognize how blessed we are even when we are traveling along this journey with some difficulty. The light that has been shining in our lives and seems to be snuffed out is something we eventually realize shines on through us and our memories. We are grateful for those memories and grateful for the blessings of having those in our lives even for the short time.
We look forward to the new year and we are anxious to celebrate each milestone and each blessing.
Instead of making resolutions, last year I set some goals for myself. In looking back on them, I see that, once again there were some that were met and some that fell by the wayside. Oh well, maybe next year.
I started off the year doing a bit of organizing. I worked on the pantry and did a pretty good job of keeping in in shape throughout the year. There are still a few things that I would like to have to aid in organizing it and keeping it straight but all in all, I think we accomplished what we intended and met that goal.
The month of February found us writing a book. I'm still not certain whether this was a good thing or if it was the beginning of creating a problem for Mike and me! At the time it seemed like a great idea and we really enjoyed putting Easton's ABC Book together. We were excited when it arrived from the publisher and pleased with how it turned out. I think Easton and his family enjoyed it (and we hope they still do) as well as us. Another thing we began in February that has continued is that we started watching our quarters. We have a collector in the family and Mike and I want to be sure she is provided with a representative of each kind of quarter made!
In March we got itchy feet and were looking toward spring. We had a late snowfall and some cold weather that put spring on hold for us and Mike and I both were battling cold weather and winter. Neither of used to be bothered by winter weather and really sort of enjoyed it. However, as we get older, we seem to wish for warm weather more and more. As a school teacher, I always look forward to and hope for a snow day. So, if we are going to get any weather, as the old folks say, I certainly want to be rewarded with a snow day!
April brought some spring temperatures and a wee bit of time to enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed my time off during spring break even though about all I had to show for that week was a hole filled with rocks. I took some time to rest up and faced the rest of the school year with some strength. My entire team at work changed over during the last year and then my boss retired in December of last year and we were assigned a new supervisor who is as different as the former one as daylight is to dark. Needless to say, that certainly has made the job a struggle this calendar year. My team-mates and I are surviving but that is about all I can attest to at this point.
In May I was ultra-busy at work and barely had time to meet myself coming and going the entire month. So, things here at home were put on hold. My only blog posts were for celebrations - Lydia's Birthday, Mother's Day, and Memorial Day. I think I went through the motions and just survived that entire month!
We did a little more celebrating in June with Father's Day and Bonnie's birthday but it also saw me welcoming a couple of weeks off from work. Having the month during the summer to rejuvenate made a huge difference. Having time to relax and do a bit of rambling and chilling-out with Mike certainly helped me to stop and notice lots of other things. It also made me do some introspective looking at the job our children are doing and appreciate their stage of life.
Summer Days for my family means it is time for the grands to come and stay with us for a few days each. They get individual attention and we spend time at the swimming pool. Mike and I always love those times. I used the time to post lots of here on the blog with twenty-two posts for the month of July! First of all, we thrive on the summer temperatures, the long days, the opportunity to spend time in the garden and preserving what he has nurtured and grown for us to eat, and the time with the grands. We both look forward to when life is basically always like that!
The dog days of August found us looking forward and getting ready to welcome grandchild number nine into our fold. We celebrated the bounty of Mike's many hours of hot work in the garden and did loads of canning and freezing. We had lots of squash and okra and tomatoes. We canned and froze and enjoyed the fresh veggies so long as we could. August also found me back at work and working with new teachers. There is always a learning curve for new folks coming to our district. No matter whether they are new to the profession or just new to our district, there is so much for them to take in and lots of support is needed to help them get off to a good school year start.
In September we did lots of celebrating of birthdays but the one that was the most monumental for us was the one where we welcomed grandchild number nine. We are so blessed with healthy children and grandchildren and this is certainly something that comes to mind when a new one joins our family. We are thankful and excited about each and every one and love them to pieces even when we get so tired it seems we cannot hold our head up!
By October we were embracing fall and a bit of cooler weather. We truly enjoy the warm summer weather but we also welcome a break from the heat when fall rolls around. I was lucky enough to have time to spend a bit of it getting to know the new baby. One of the things we do here on the farm when we just need some down time is to get on the ATV and take a ride around to just enjoy the beauty of where we are lucky enough to live. Mike picked up a passenger one afternoon for some rambling and is continuing the tradition down through the generations.
November may have been a busy time for us but it was also a time when we had a chance to share time with family. I think Thanksgiving might be the favorite holiday for Mike and me. I have a bit of time off from work and we get to spend time together. We welcome the children into the house and share some time and good food with them.
I started off December by leading three different workshops at a state educational conference. Then, it was semester wrap-up time. Before we knew it, Christmas was upon us and I still had pumpkins sitting on the dining room table! We did get our act together and get a tree decorated and gifts bought and wrapped to give to the children and grands but it was by the skin of our teeth! I don't know if we are slowing down way too much or if life is speeding up around us. At any rate, we have certainly had a busy month of it. I haven't even had time to put together a December post other than to just snap a quick photo of the kitchen tree and wish everybody a Merry Christmas.
Through the year we had some bumps in the road - one of the grands was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic, I struggled to stay afloat at work with a new direction and a new supervisory team. We bid goodbye to a few friends who were taken from us way too soon. We are also still grieving the loss of our daughter-in-law's mother who was taken from this world long before we ever imagined. We flounder and we question.
We also recognize how blessed we are even when we are traveling along this journey with some difficulty. The light that has been shining in our lives and seems to be snuffed out is something we eventually realize shines on through us and our memories. We are grateful for those memories and grateful for the blessings of having those in our lives even for the short time.
We look forward to the new year and we are anxious to celebrate each milestone and each blessing.
Monday, December 25, 2017
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