After Christmas Daybook

Outside my window...
It's supposed to be 71 degrees today.  Right now it's foggy and in the 50's.

Hearing...
KJ and the kids putting together Lego.  Two of the kids aren't up yet.

Thankful for...
Christmas, family, laughter, tears, vacation, all of it these past couple weeks.

Thinking about...
2016, how our lives will change this next year.

Learning...
We kept up with math and reading until now.  We need to ease into some things coming up when we go back to school.  Some library trips may be involved.  :)

Struggling with...
Staying in the moment, always one of my weaknesses.  I'm a planner.  It's what I do.

From the kitchen...
We got some beef from my mom that's stocking up the freezer for the time being.  That's always nice.  We haven't been doing too much with it lately with all the festivities, but we did have a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner.  I made salisbury steak, mac-n-cheese, and broccoli.  Logan's a lover of my broccoli now, which I think is WONDERFUL.  Still trying to convince Marley.

  Reading...
The Four Teresa's.  A friend from school recommended it.  I'm also reading a book about praying for your husband.  I can't remember the name right now.  Both books are a lot to ponder, so it's slow going.

Creating...
KJ got me some coloring books and markers.  You know, the kind that are all the rage right now with adults.  I envision sitting in bed with a cup of hot tea and coloring.  Kaelyn got a woodburning kit for her birthday.  Here are some things she gave as presents.

This was Nana and Papa's.

 This was Grandma and Gecko's.

This was an assignment for school, and then she framed it and gave it to Gecko.  It is the two of them when she was 13 and he was younger.  ;)

Around the house...
 Not much is happening.  There's a lot of cleaning to do, but it'll have to wait until after the Epiphany, which happens to coincide with KJ's birthday.  There are things that need done before then, like tending to the forgotten green pepper mess that we found in the pantry.  Blech!

Praying...
For my husband and family.

Picture thoughts to share...
   

 How KJ addresses tags to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas jammies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End of the Year - Questionnaire

What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

I got married again  :)

What was the single most challenging?

The eldest going off to college

What was an unexpected joy this past year?

A new friendship that I was not expecting

What was an unexpected obstacle?

Training in DC for two weeks out of the summer was really hard on the family.

Pick three words to describe this past year.

Detachment, Silence, Progress

Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your year - don't ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you.

faith-full, busy, exciting

Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their year.

fine, busy, exciting

What were the best books you read this year?

Little Britches, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

With whom were your most valuable relationships?

God, Kevin, Courtney, Jen

What was your biggest personal change from January to December last year?

Becoming a Carmelite

In what ways did you grow emotionally?

I'm learning to be ok with things.  Sometimes I tend to overreact, but I've been working on that and being ok with how things are.

In what ways did you grow spiritually?

Becoming a Carmelite has changed me a lot I think.  I've become more prayerful, and that's always good.

In what ways did you grow physically?

I tried my first whole30 and loved everything about it.  How it changed everything from my pain, to my moods, to my attitude.  Simply Lovely.

In what ways did you grow in your relationship to others?

I tend to be very shielded sometimes.  This year I definitely felt more of putting myself out there whether the other person was comfortable or not because it was who I was.

What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

I teach a new class to 3-6yos about God.  One day I was reading a book to a 4yo boy.  Every page was a puzzle to be put together.  He was putting together the priest, and I asked him who that was, pointing to the priest.  He said it was the good shepherd, which is the name of the class.  He was getting it.

At home, it was my homeschool review for the fall.  I was worried my kids weren't up to par, and they excelled!


What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

I have a boy in my class that is especially challenging.  The parents want answers that I'm not trained to give, but I'm not giving up on him.

At home, it's trying to prioritize things.  Between the gym, homeschooling, meal planning, cleaning, it's hard to juggle all of them without a few of them getting no attention at all for a while.

What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

Fretting

What was the best way you used your time this past year?

Anything that involved planning ahead always made things go smoother, but I'm lazy.

What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?

No one can give me what I long for and search for except for our Lord, Jesus Christ.  I try to find it in my spouse, kids, friends, moments.  All of them fail.  

Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.

Steady as she goes