This is Home

It took me a loooong time to call this place home (about 4 years!)

I came up with every excuse in the book as to why this wasn't a good place to live.

I'd say, "it's a great place to visit, but not to live"..."it's a great place to vacation, but not a place where I want to raise my kids".

Very gradually, this place became "home" to me.  And now, there isn't a single place that I'd rather be than right here.

Looking Forward: Resolutions for 2015

2015 Resolutions*

*in no particular order

1. Build Etsy Business: On a whim, back in 2013, I decided it would be fun to make a few burp cloths and try to sell them on Etsy.  I ended up with 23 orders for the year, had great reviews from customers and ended up being on the main page of the kids/baby section a couple times (probably pure luck).  This year, I want to start over and take this little business seriously.  I want to develop a business plan, make great products, have amazing photos & hopefully sell my products at craft fairs.  I have the opportunity to do something I love without having to worry about whether or not the business will succeed (because we base our budget solely off of my husband's salary).  Although, in the words of my little brother, as long as you go for it & try your best, you have succeeded.
Failure is not trying at all.

2. Make a quilt for our bed:  I've been scouring Pinterest for ideas and am leaning towards an all white quilt because I love things that are clean & simple. I've never made a quilt, but my Mom is only a skype call away for those times that I might need help!

3. Read at least 4 books: Now that I've gotten out of the "take a nap when the kids nap" phase, I need to get back to reading.  Any suggestions?  '

4. Run a 5K   Hike more often: Since I wrote this list, this one has changed.  For some reason, I can't justify paying $50 to run 3 miles when I could do it for free on my treadmill at home!  Hiking is just as great of a workout and it offers much more beautiful scenery.  And why wouldn't I go hiking more when I have a state park 10 minutes down the road!?!

Taken at Catalina State Park (only 10 minutes from our house!)

 5. After dinner devotions with family: This has seriously become my favorite part of the day.  It takes about two minutes, but the kids love it and we do too.  We use this Bible, which tells a short story that includes actions and a prayer at the end.  When we're eating, Elijah always says "devotion please".

6. Post on blog at least once a week: I know I've said this before, but this time I'm sticking to it!

7. Learn a new skill: I feel like my mind has gone to mush since becoming a stay at home Mom.  I multi-task all day long, but rarely is my mind challenged.  I've really been wanting to learn how to make tamales, so who knows, maybe that will be my new skill?

8. Do one thing that takes me outside of my comfort zone: It doesn't take much to make an introvert feel uncomfortable, so I shouldn't have to search too hard for this one.

The only reason I'm smiling is because we're back on the ground!

 I think that's enough resolutions to keep me busy for the year!  What are some of your resolutions for 2015? 

Looking Back

January 2015, a time to reflect on 2014 and make goals for 2015.  Looking back, the first couple months of 2014 were rough for us.  Honestly, I look back at pictures from January of last year and can't help but remember how depressed I was.  Postpartum depression hit me hard and adjusting to life with a newborn & an 18 month old was anything but easy.  After having a few major breakdowns, I caved and got help.  By the beginning of February, I was beginning to feel a lot better!

January and February brought about a few other changes in our house (as if having a newborn wasn't enough!).  After many months of talking, we decided to find a new home for Winston, our miniature dachshund.  After the birth of Elijah, we had noticed a major change in Winston's personality.  He began marking EVERYTHING in the house and would growl/try to nip if Elijah came too close to him.  After coming to the realization that we didn't have the time or money to invest in re-training Winston, we found a good home for him.  It was extremely hard to see him go.

As if that wasn't enough, Luther passed away a couple weeks after we had re-homed Winston.  This was really tough on me because Luther had been my companion for the past 8 years; he was with me during MANY life transitions.  It's been almost a year since he died and I still find myself missing him.

A couple weeks after Luther died, Dustin started struggling with a mysterious sickness that we still don't have an answer as to what it was.  To this day, I am convinced that he had valley fever, which I'm going to assume was caused by moving dirt when he had buried Luther.  For months, he had a fever every single day, sometimes accompanied by chills & throwing up.  We had several trips to the E.R. because of shortness of breath and many doctor's appointments.  One of his final boughts of it occurred on Easter morning and he slowly started to get better after that day.

By May, things started to calm around here.  We celebrated Dustin's 30th birthday and looked forward to celebrating Elijah's second birthday & our 5 year Anniversary in June.
 

Happy Birthday, Elijah!

A little getaway at Loews!

The rest of our year was pretty "normal", for which I'm thankful.  We ended our year with a bang, by taking a 2,000 mile road trip to Wisconsin.  We hadn't taken a vacation for a year and a half, so this trip was much needed.  I think the thing that I enjoyed the most about the trip was that we got to spend two and a half weeks together.  
 

Christmas in Wisconsin

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

And so, we say good-bye to another year and look forward to a great 2015!