Name This Town

And do you have a favorite story to go with it?

I guess we didn't pay attention when Conor decided he wanted a bed to sleep in, so he solved the problem himself:

Mackenzie supplied the fuzzy stole for his blanket.

A Lost Tooth & Finished Object

Mackenzie lost another tooth.

And my first "Finished Object" of the year - a Shilling Hat for the Women's Wellness Center.

A Very Good New Year

Only two day old, 2012 has already had its ups and downs. The highlights of the last two days:

A surprise visit from the son of long-time friends and his adorable family.

A bike ride with Christian and Mackenzie.

Going to see "The Adventures of TinTin" and going out to dinner.

We won't talk about the Christmas decorations that aren't put away or the laundry to be down. So far, 2012 is a great year.

Farewell, 2011

And I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. What is it that always makes you think next year will be better? Ah, yes, Hope, and a belief in following the plan God set out for you. There are a lot of lessons in the events of the last year, including:

1. Love your family and be grateful for every second you have with them.
2. Remember that everyone has chosen a path, and if you can't agree with or support that path, let them go on. You cannot change them, you can only pray that the way they're going will lead them where they need to be.
3. Accept the fact that the house will never be completely clean, the work will never be done, and that the world doesn't really care if it is.
4. Make sure you spend at least some time every day doing something that you love.
5 Stop trying to make yourself the perfect person and appreciate the person that you already are.
6. There really aren't very many "things" that you need in your life. Be careful about which ones you let in.

My first goal for 2012 is to purge. I'm not sure how to measure this; all I know is that I'm surrounded by "stuff" that really means nothing to me, and in many ways it makes life harder. More stuff to clean around, more stuff to walk around. I'll check back on this one in a month. How are you starting the new year?

I hope everyone has a great 2012. Love you all.

Mission Accomplished!!

Phew, it's over! I ultimately met my reading goal - hurray!! But I have to admit it was close, and I just managed to squeak by by reading a couple of old mysteries that I've read and reread before. Couldn't help myself - I just couldn't bear to miss it. I'm not upping my goal for next year, but I am going to try not to leave it so late.

Christmas in Ireland?

The latest addition to my book list (Christmas in Wales) was loaned to me by my neighbor because it's a short read. But it left me with ideas - do you think we could do this some year? It would be nice to dream about.