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| Milwaukee's Red Arrow Park - photo credit |
Wow. I can't buh-LIEVE 2011 is just about over. The older I get, the faster the years fly by. This was a very good year for our family, filled with a million plus blessings. And of course there are those moments I would rather forget, though I know next year I may find myself laughing at the thought of them... maybe. Here's a super quick wrap up of 2011 for me:
- My daughters turned 2 and 8 years old this year.
- I won the Rock the Lakes t-shirt design contest over the summer (woot!)
- Finally found the perfect church for our family.
- Was baptized!
- Became a part of the children's ministy at our church.
- Lily (youngest) began sleeping through the night regularly (yes!)
- Went on more dates with my handsome than I can count - most dates this year than all of our married years combined!
- Reunited with my best friend, Jenny, in 2010, and used much of 2011 to catch up and see our kiddos play together. I'm still completely in awe at where God has led us through the years, together and apart.
- Surprised the girls with a trip to Disney World!
- Missed our flight to Disney - I can kind of laugh at the sight of me running through the terminals after screening, Lily in one arm (barely), barefoot, shoes in one hand along with carry ons, and a belt around my neck as I "cheer" Miki to keep running.
- Was asked if I was "expecting". (Nope. Can't laugh at that one yet.)
- Hello Lilypops was born.
I'm looking forward to 2012, and although I'm normally against New Year's resolutions, I do have a few things on my mind that I would like to take a look at in the New Year. More of that later. For now, I am finishing getting our house back in order after a very busy Christmas. It's amazing how much chaos can sweep through this place in the form of wrapping paper, bows, boxes, tissue paper, cookies and other things that make you go "yummm", toys and instruction manuals, and clothes. All blessings that are not taken for granted, but really makes for some frantic moments when all you're looking for is your phone while you're on you're way out to a third Christmas gathering. I spent today getting my little home back into shape, and am SO thankful for Money Saving Mom's: Whip Your House Into Shape in 2 Hours guide. I've mentioned Money Saving Mom in my Apple Butter post. She has so many helpful tools and ideas that I like to refer to from time to time, and her free, downloadable 2-hour House-Cleaning Checklist was a life saver. Confession: If I'm sinking in disarray, it's very hard for me to just pick one spot and get to work. I get overwhelmed at looking at an overflowing sink of dishes when the floor needs to be mopped, the laundry needs to be done, the sheets need to be changed, bills need to be payed, and... you get the point. Lists are my best friends (if I actually stick with them). Now, I'm sure it would have taken me 2 hours, but I had some play time with Lily and a coffee break after finishing the first half of the list in an hour. With other distractions and minor interruptions, it did take me most of my day to get through the list, BUT, my little home is BACK and I can relax, enjoy Christmas vacation with the girls, and hopefully get some early shut-eye tonight!
