What Did I Do in 2013?

Well hello, 2014! I hope the first week of the new year has treated you well!

My family and I have been playing “pass the illness” since before Christmas, and let me tell you, it is not fun. Having six members in my household, I really do wish we would all come down with the same thing, at the same time and eliminate this long, drug out process. Or better yet, I wish we could all just remain healthy. Forever. Wishful thinking, right?

Besides taking care of the sick, I have been contemplating making new goals for 2014. Should I or shouldn’t I? I have decided I should, but first, I wanted to go back and see how I did last year. If you’d like a refresher on what I intended to do in 2013, check it out here. As for how well I did, here we go…….

Family & Faith

1. One of my goals was to infuse more Bible study into my life and those of my children. Over the last year I continued my yearly journey through scripture, by both personal study and listening to The Daily Audio Bible.

As for my kids learning more, I continued with giving them a verse a week. But to challenge them a bit more, I added bonus questions that led them to the Bible for the answers. They were able to practice looking things up, and learned more about whatever topic I chose for that week. I (or an older brother) would help my youngest son with this part. He is already starting to learn how to look up a verse, once you get him to the book. What makes it even better? They enjoy it! Score one up for mom!

2. Now my youngest son started kindergarten last fall. To get him ready I wanted to work with him on his letters and numbers. We did. A little. He could identify all his letters and some numbers. I wanted to work with him a little more on writing them, but we didn’t. On a positive note, he is doing great in school and is excelling wonderfully. I’m most impressed with how quickly he is picking up reading.

3. I set out in 2013 to be more available to my family. To quit saying “just a minute,” but to actually do better putting them first. This is more of an ongoing goal. I am doing better, so much better. To say I achieved this goal 100%, would be to say I’m perfect. Just between you and me, I’m not.

Home

Organization and a cleaning schedule? Well… that’s what I wanted to do. They seem to go hand in hand, don’t they? I didn’t get the office and boys’ room finished, as I had hoped, BUT, I sure did a lot of purging. A lot is probably an understatement. My family even joined in. We donated, sold, and threw away what we could. That is an amazing feeling! It also will help achieve organization this year (I have a better plan this time, stay tuned!)

As for a cleaning schedule, I do believe I have that figured out, and although I haven’t shared it yet (as I said I would), I do intend on doing so. It works great for our family, as long as we stick to it. There were a few weeks, here and there, where we got off track, but I deem this goal a success overall. It’s definitely an improvement over past years, and that makes me happy!

Hobbies

~sigh~ Do we need to talk about scrapbooking? I started off the year so good, but after having baby S (March), all progress stopped. I need to get back into routine and stick to it. I haven’t given up hope. And I’m still taking pictures. I think I need to continue this goal and enlist the help of my scrapbooking buddies…..you know who you are 😉

Final & Most Difficult Goal

My last goal involved my procrastination problem.

I don’t like to toot my own horn, but I have made a great improvement in this area, so “TOOT!” Just one, because I still have a way to go, as you can tell from my unfinished office and pile of empty scrapbooks. But if you could have walked into my house January 9th, 2013 then checked out my house today, you would notice a difference. That’s because I don’t put off doing the silly little things as much as I used.

There you have it. I’ve never set goals in this manner before and I definitely never shared what goals I did set with anyone. It was kind of fun! I will be keeping in mind what I did/didn’t do in 2013 while I finish up this year’s goals. So keep an eye out for that post!

Did you achieve your goals in 2013? What was your favorite accomplishment?

Who I Am: December Edition a.ka. The Last One!

Before you panic, it’s not the last post ever, just the last post in this series. I may not be very consistent at posting, but I do enjoy it a great deal and will continue to do so, even if it’s sporadic! I hope that’s okay with you!

Over the year, I have shared some of my hobbies and traits in my “Who I Am” posts. Now it’s December. So I decided to use this post to just share some random facts with you.

I am a happy person. I don’t believe happiness is found, I believe it is a choice. I try to choose it every day. Trying to stay positive and looking for the good in each situation helps.

My favorite color is purple, and has been ever since I can remember. It’s also my niece and cousin’s favorite color. Probably because we are all awesome 😉

Genealogy fascinates me. Of course my own family’s but also others. I think every family has an interesting story to tell and learn from.

When I was little, my favorite shows were the “Incredible Hulk” and the “Dukes of Hazzard.” A couple of years ago, I went to see “Chicago” and met the man who played Luke Duke, turns out he sings and was starring in the show. I got his autograph for me and my nephews who are huge Dukes fans.

My first concert was New Kids on the Block. Don’t judge.

I have some fears (maybe phobias)….spiders, feet, and aliens. I don’t think they are real, just seeing them in movies freaks me out. Can you explain why “X Files” was one of my favorite shows then? Crazy, I know. Ahh, I miss that show, even if I had to hide my face through most of it.

My favorite book of all time is “To Kill a Mocking Bird.” If you haven’t read it, you should. Now. A few of my other favorites are: “Of Mice and Men,” “Gone with the Wind,” “The Shack”

I have favorite movies also. The list is long, and changes with my mood, but a few that always make the list? “Gone with the Wind,” “Sound of Music,” “Lonesome Dove,” “The Pirates of the Caribbean” series, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” (this one is thanks to an old high school friend, I still haven’t forgiven him for introducing me!), “Joe Dirt” (don’t ask)

I love food. Cooking it, smelling it, eating it. Mmmm food.

I have naturally curly hair. When I became pregnant with my oldest boy it went away. After I had my baby girl in March, it came back. Crazy hair!

I love to laugh. I love to see others laugh, especially my kids. It’s hard to think of a better sound.

I love tradition. I try to make memorable ones for my family. I hope I am doing a good job.

And, now after this year, I am also a blogger. Maybe we have some things in common, or maybe you tried a new recipe that I shared. Whatever brings you to my blog, I hope you have enjoyed our journey so far, and I hope you keep coming back to visit.

Flea Market Fire King

Happy Friday! I wasn’t intending on making a third post this week, but there are just some times when I’m excited about something and need to share it, so I thought, why not?!?

I love flea markets and I was lucky enough this week to make it to two! Yay! Weekly, on Wednesday’s, there is a local flea market that we look foward to attending every summer. It is open year round, but it is outdoors so we only go when the weather is nice. A lot of the same vendors return each week and set up shop in the same spots. Faces become familiar very quickly. Besides the great bargains there for the taking, it has also become quite a social event for the locals and visitors alike.

I love when I can take all my kids with me, as they are great at finding “mom’s dishes” in the mix My oldest was the spotter this week and I was able to get these all for $9…..

They’re not in the best shape, normal wear from use and all, but at that price I’ll take them! Normally one piece in decent shape can sell from $5-$10 on up!

I also found these cut glass items, both for just one dollar!

I added these to the set of four that I already have, making it a set of six. I love using them for serving dessert! Not Fire King, but still a great bargain!!

Ok, so now fast forward to today. There is another flea market within an hour drive that is held twice a year for about a week. As a surprise to my kids, I packed a cooler and headed that way this morning! This market has the biggest mixture of totally random objects. It’s actually funny to see what you can spot. Today we saw everything from purses, primitive items, toys, collectibles, animal furs, and even an alligator head. I’m still puzzled about what one would do with that. Any ideas?

Well at one booth I spotted a small custard dish, peach luster just like I want! As soon as I touched it, the owner said that the “good” stuff is behind the counter so no one can break it! I was excited and disappointed at the same time. “Good” stuff?? I always love seeing the dishes, but if it was in such good shape that they didn’t display it, I was sure that I wasn’t going to pay the price they were asking. They dug it out and surprisingly enough, it was reasonably priced, and by that I mean, I bought it! The pieces were marked a total of $19, but I talked it down to $15. The pieces are a little newer, maybe 50s-70s, which I believe is towards the end of their production….

The last bowl is my favorite for this week! It is still so shiny, all the color is in tact both inside and out. I wonder if it was even used?

Another vendor actually had an entire 18 piece set, still in the box with the manufacturer’s stickers still adhered to each dish. It. Was. Awesome. But with awesomeness, also comes expense, and so it still sitting in its place at the sale waiting for some lucky shopper to claim it. Maybe one day I will get to be that shopper, but for now, I will just relish the steals I scored this week and keep my eyes peeled for the next big bargain!

Have you been to any flea markets or yard sales lately? What do you look for?

Who I am: March Edition

It is the first of March, spring is just a couple of weeks away, although you can’t tell it by looking out my window, as I watch the tiny snowflakes fall to the ground.

The beginning of a new month means it is time for me share a little more of “Who I Am.” I started this series last month, if you missed the post, you can find it here. When I decided to do this, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to decide just what to share about myself. With keeping in mind that spring is just around the corner, and what says “spring” more than flowers? I thought I’d share my love of gardening with you.

Growing up, my Dad always was the one who tended the garden, both flower and vegetable. When I was little I thought it was fun to play in the dirt of our backyard vegetable garden. I’m sure getting in the way more than actually helping, but I was interested in what was going on! Then we finally moved to a rural home, we had the opportunity to have a large garden, but I was older, and of course wasn’t interested. I guess my young self thought it was no longer “cool” and I often had “better” things to do. Regardless, Dad would still share with me what he could. Tips, his favorites, what I considered at the time to be random comments. But you know what? I listened. He may not of known at the time, but I did. I knew that my Dad was busy, and working shift work for many years often left him tired and on a crazy sleep schedule. But he always made the time to garden. Maybe, I thought, there is a reason….

Now I am married with a family and home of my own, I am so grateful for the things I learned from my Dad. My garden isn’t perfect. I live on a budget so I can only buy plants a little at a time, but it is getting there. And I of course, have the plants Dad shared with me too. Mostly hostas because these are his favorite

I have a flower bed full of them! I also have developed a love for roses. Yes they can be a little temperamental, but soooo worth the effort. Don’t you agree?

My boys also help take care of the garden. I try not to force them, but hope that they are interested enough in what I am doing that they want to help. You know what? They are! Sometimes it’s only when I go out to cut some blooms for the house, but they still are interested! They are excited to see the shoots of the first plants breaking ground in the spring. They especially like helping in our vegetable garden too. I think there is just something about planting a tiny little seed and watching it grow. Then there’s the added bonus of getting to eat your hard work. I’m sure this is a big plus with my boys. I am so glad for this time I get to spend with them!

So now I’m back to the reason I think my Dad always took the time for his garden. The list could be endless. Maybe it’s because God blessed us with so many wonderful things and it’s one little part we can have in it. Maybe it’s because it’s relaxing, therapeutic even. Maybe it’s because of the instant bond all gardeners instantly share.

But now after getting to share gardening with my little ones, I think….maybe, just maybe, it’s because sharing something you love with someone you love, is like planting a tiny seed of your own and watching it grown into something amazing.

Thanks Dad!

Who I Am : February Edition

Oh my goodness it’s February!! The first month, of my first year blogging is over. So far it has been fun! As of now, I have shared some recipes with you, and I hope you have found something tasty in the mix. What I haven’t done yet, is share more about myself. What makes me tick, so to speak.

I have decided to start a series of posts that will be published the first of every month, sharing some aspect of my life. I plan on sharing what I like to do, mixed with some other tidbits of information. (If you want more of the nitty-gritty kind of stuff, head over to the About page, found here. )

Remember my post This Year, I Will…? In it, I mentioned I had a lot of hobbies. I’d like to take a few minutes and share one with you.

First up: sewing. Quilting mostly (at least currently), but I also have made clothes, purses, and other misc craft items. I get my love for sewing from my Granny. She was awesome! Given the times she grew up/lived in, she probably learned how to sew more as a necessity, but you would never have known it! I am so blessed that she taught me how to sew when I was a kid. This is the machine she used, the machine she taught me on….

I am SOOOOOOOOO lucky to say that I’m still using this today. Yes, it is old. It was purchased in 1952 (I have the sales ticket to prove it!). I know that they make new sewing machines everyday, that are supposed to be all high-tech, digital, etc. But I LOVE this machine! It is metal, not plastic. Have you ever tried to break metal? Not gonna happen. At least not easily 😉 I know it requires a little more maintenance than a modern machine. I also know a lot of people probably freak out when they see all the levers and knobs. I would too if I didn’t have the instruction manual!! But once you change stitch type, or length a couple of times, you get the hang of it!

For me, sewing is relaxing. I find great satisfaction in knowing I made something with my own two hands! It is amazing how a few pieces of fabric and some thread can be put together to make something useful, and often times, cherished.

I decided when pregnant with my first child to make a baby quilt. It was the first quilt I made and after that I was convinced all of our children would have one. So I have made baby quilts for all three boys. I am currently pregnant with baby #4, and so another baby quilt is in the works!

I am a fan of 1930s reproduction fabric and so this is what I picked out for this project:

So far I have the pattern picked, and the fabric cut. I just need to start piecing! Once I finish I will share my work with you! I just hope that it is finished before baby arrives!

Do you sew? Do you sew on a vintage machine? I’d love to hear from you!