And…Cut!

It’s funny how at the end of a year, we suddenly begin to look at our lives in terms of years. How was my year? Was it overall good? Bad? Which list does 2011 fall in? What kind of year was it? What did I accomplish this year?

And, we make grand plans for the new year to come. Resolutions, dreams, goals, desires, lists…

As if each year is it’s own book, or at the very least chapters of a book. A book called life.

Speaking of books, I am almost ashamed to announce my reading total for 2011. I knew I slacked off considerably, but this is just downright embarrassing.

My total read for 2011? 28 books.

I know. Go ahead and shake your head at me. It’s a terrible total!

I definitely plan to make up for that in 2012.

So, continuing on the theme of “life is a book”, if I had to title this chapter in my life, 2011…I think I would call it Transition.

This year held a lot of change. There were many things I had to say goodbye to in my life this year. I had some very profound losses.  Some of these were heart-wrenching and dramatic occurrences, some were just subtle, quiet goodbyes. Life has changed and transitioned a lot. There has been a lot of adjustment in the year 2011.  But, that’s how life is. Things change. Say goodbye to one thing, turn around and say hello to another.

Gains, losses, triumphs, growth, accomplishments, these are the things I think of as the year comes to a close.

Some of my favorite gains…my handsome Ollie, renewed relationships, deep friendships.

Triumphs, growths, accomplishments…I feel like I have really gained a lot in this category this year. I feel stronger and more confident, and definitely more in control of my emotional addictions. I’m really proud of the fact that I have accomplished something huge for me. For the average person, growing their hair to their shoulders would not qualify as a “huge accomplishment”, but for me it’s a symbol of emotional stability and confidence, and an ability to find comfort and peace without resorting to extremes. Every time I look in the mirror, I see that. I think that’s pretty cool.

I also feel like I’ve put myself out there more. I’ve undertaken more responsibilities, volunteered for more things and been more verbally honest about things. I’ve tried new things and I’m proud of my bravery. This year I even “almost” took a huge leap into something quite big which almost no one knows about. Unfortunately, finances kept it from becoming a reality. But, knowing I would have done it makes me feel really good, and proves something to myself that I needed to prove.

So, as I yet mourn the things I’ve lost in 2011, I smile as I cherish the things I’ve gained.

I have some goals in mind for 2012. I pray that when I reflect back at the end of next year, I can title 2012 something spectacular!

Happy New Year, My Friends!

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

What The Calendar Says

It’s my birthday.

I’m sick.

Kevin’s sick.

He’s attempting to make me birthday breakfast though, which is very sweet indeed!

Hoping to gather up enough strength and motivation to go out for birthday dinner later this evening.

Sad post. Thought I had a lot more to say.

I do, but I can’t form words well enough today.

I’ll be back soon with some deep thoughts, to be sure!

Meanwhile, Happy New Year to all!

The Christmas Singing: A Book Review

After Gideon coldly broke her heart, can the warmth of the season revive Mattie’s hopes?

Mattie thought her childhood sweetheart adored her until he abruptly ended their engagement on Christmas Eve.

Three years later, will learning the truth behind his rejection restore her Christmas joy – or open the door to even deeper heartbreak?

Spend Christmas with the Amish in this story of love, romance, heartache, and restoration.

My Review: I was really excited when I realized that several of the characters in this novel were characters from a previous Cindy Woodsmall novel, The Sound of Sleigh Bells. They are separate stories, so it won’t hurt to read this one if you haven’t read the other, but it was nice to see the appearance of familiar characters.

This is a very short read, which is perfect for the busy holiday season. Though, considered a Christmas novel, the heart of this story is the relationship between Mattie and Gideon. This story definitely weaves some very real-life situations into it. I love a good Christmas novel, and I would have liked to have more Christmas in the story, but the characters were likable, for the most part, and it was a good little read. Though a fairly predictable story, it still held some deep truth in it that I could appreciate and take away from it. Not Cindy Woodsmall’s best work, but still an enjoyable little book.

*Thank you Blogging for Books,  for the complimentary review copy in return for my honest review. 

Oh Hey, I Blog, Don’t I?

So, I haven’t posted since NaBloPoMo ended.

December has been busy, which is not unusual. Trying to get ready for Christmas is well…exhausting. I told Kevin last week, we should just forget it all and book a cabin getaway for over Christmas! Pack up and go!

Tempting!

But, of course we won’t.

I’m thrilled that I’m almost done with Christmas shopping. I think I have 2 or 3 people left to buy for, and then I’m done. That’s a relief! It feels like it takes forever to get everyone done!

Cookie-baking is going to be a much less complicated event this year. I’m scaling back considerably due to cost. Baking supplies have nearly doubled in price and I just can’t afford to do it all. I hate to do it, but I have to cut somewhere. So, I’ve cut back on variety and quantity and shortened my list of cookie giveaways considerably! If I make 5 different kinds, it will be a miracle! Typically, I make ten, but that’s not happening!

So, today I’m going to get started on buckeyes. I’m absolutely, definitely making those. Also, the highly demanded mint-buckeyes, chocolate chip squares, sugar and hopefully, hopefully cinnamon chip and fudge. But, those are debatable at the moment! I’m hoping I can work it out though.

Yesterday, I spent all day baking and cleaning and preparing for my Miche party. (Miche is a really cool line of purses…well, really it’s a base of a purse and instead of buying new purses, you buy new “shells’ for your purse to completely change the look of it without changing your purse. I’ve wanted one for a while, and having a party was the best way to get one! Though, it might have been easier and cheaper to just buy one, the way I prepare for a party!

• Get up at 7:00am.
• Immediately start baking.
• Cupcakes.
• Cinnamon swirl coffee cake.
• Olive dip. Various crackers.
• Homemade frosting for cupcakes.
• Icing for coffee cake.
• Punch.
• Coffee
• Clean house thoroughly.
• Completely rearrange everything to accommodate party.
• Pull out punch bowl, 3 tiered serving tray, table cloths.
• “Light” my flameless candles.
• Throw on some cool, Christmas jazz for ambiance.
• Scarf down a quick, frozen pizza before party begins.
• Collapse exhausted after it’s all over, but rejoice because I got my purse!

Yeah, I think it would have been easier and cheaper to just buy one flat-out!

It was fun though.

Well, that’s all I got for now. Not nearly as ambitious today, but I do have to be productive. So, later days!