Well - My blogging goal this year did NOT go well. Life goes on,and so will my blogging.
Here's what we've been up to since I the last time I blogged:
Andrew's Storm Camp went well, he enjoyed his time away and we had a blast, but everyone was glad when it was over. Andrew has continued with his Tae Kwon Do, and just recently advanced to his blue belt. He loves it and we love cheering him on.
I had an appointment in August with a plastic surgeon to talk about a reduction to help with my back pain. Insurance approved it as medically necessary, but even with insurance it was still a $3000-$4000 project, and put on a back burner, for some day down the road.
Em started Kindergarten and Nate started 4th grade. I have no idea how that happened. Weren't they just babies? Nate is thriving in his class. This is the first year he hasn't brought home mountains of homework because he was to busy living in Nathanland in class to get anything done. He's more focused, and doing well educationally. He has a really good buddy that lives a location convenient enough for the two to ride their bikes back and forth to play several times a week.
Em has a really really great teacher, but as I've been volunteering in her class, I noticed that the work in class in WAY below her current level. And she LOVES to learn. She comes home and all she wants to do is more school. She wants me to printout math work sheets. So we've started the process to move her to first grade. We hoped to do it right after Christmas break, but there are a few more hoops that have to be jumped through.
I started another season of choir, this time with a big change. Janna was taking the season off, but Mom joined the choir! It was a lot of fun singing with her. I can't wait for next season. Janna will be back and Mom will still be there, and we'll be doing showtunes!!!
In September several houses in our neighborhood went on the market, at prices FAR below market value. They sold, and killed our appraisal value on our house. The family that worked for 5 months to get our house had just been denied and the number of people coming to see our house had dwindled. So we took the house off the market and called it done. After 6 months of work, prayers, hoping, planning, dreaming, research, stress...It all just ended. So we stay, and hopefully in a few months we'll start finishing the bedrooms downstairs, and bring the house closer to what we want. We can't change the neighborhood, but we can keep working on the house.
In October Mom, Janna and I made a quick overnight run to Jackson, WY. It was GREAT, relaxing and rejuvenating, and we should not wait so long to do it again!
In early November we had Janna take family pictures for us. I think they turned out great. They are all over my wall. I also started getting even busier with sewing about this time, and nearly severed all ties to paid sewing. I didn't, and that's good, but in December I found out that my steady flow of jobs is going to cut drastically next month, and I need to decide what to do. Do I try for more private jobs? Do I get my name out at other wedding dress shops? Or will that make me too busy, which I hated? Do I get a little part time job at the school,like Janna did? Or do I start making bags and aprons and things and selling them at craft fairs and on etsy?
Andrew and the kids surprised me in November with a weekend trip to Bear Lake. We love these getaways to the condos that Andrew's Mom lets us use. We eat fun food, and play games, and watch cable TV, and swim, and relax. It was a great birthday surprise.
This month we celebrated Nate's 10th birthday, Em's 6th birthday, and Christmas. Because of sewing money, we didn't have to worry about where Christmas money was coming from. And Santa decided to give the kids a special Christmas. They got EVERYTHING on their wish list. We are blessed to have modest, reasonable kids, who didn't ask for much, but it was pretty memorable to get their list back from Santa with a big red check next to every single item.
It was an odd year, with so much of it wrapped up in the house selling adventure, that led nowhere. I'm anxious to see what 2015 brings our family!!
Em started Kindergarten and Nate started 4th grade. I have no idea how that happened. Weren't they just babies? Nate is thriving in his class. This is the first year he hasn't brought home mountains of homework because he was to busy living in Nathanland in class to get anything done. He's more focused, and doing well educationally. He has a really good buddy that lives a location convenient enough for the two to ride their bikes back and forth to play several times a week.
Em has a really really great teacher, but as I've been volunteering in her class, I noticed that the work in class in WAY below her current level. And she LOVES to learn. She comes home and all she wants to do is more school. She wants me to printout math work sheets. So we've started the process to move her to first grade. We hoped to do it right after Christmas break, but there are a few more hoops that have to be jumped through.
I started another season of choir, this time with a big change. Janna was taking the season off, but Mom joined the choir! It was a lot of fun singing with her. I can't wait for next season. Janna will be back and Mom will still be there, and we'll be doing showtunes!!!
In September several houses in our neighborhood went on the market, at prices FAR below market value. They sold, and killed our appraisal value on our house. The family that worked for 5 months to get our house had just been denied and the number of people coming to see our house had dwindled. So we took the house off the market and called it done. After 6 months of work, prayers, hoping, planning, dreaming, research, stress...It all just ended. So we stay, and hopefully in a few months we'll start finishing the bedrooms downstairs, and bring the house closer to what we want. We can't change the neighborhood, but we can keep working on the house.
In October Mom, Janna and I made a quick overnight run to Jackson, WY. It was GREAT, relaxing and rejuvenating, and we should not wait so long to do it again!
In early November we had Janna take family pictures for us. I think they turned out great. They are all over my wall. I also started getting even busier with sewing about this time, and nearly severed all ties to paid sewing. I didn't, and that's good, but in December I found out that my steady flow of jobs is going to cut drastically next month, and I need to decide what to do. Do I try for more private jobs? Do I get my name out at other wedding dress shops? Or will that make me too busy, which I hated? Do I get a little part time job at the school,like Janna did? Or do I start making bags and aprons and things and selling them at craft fairs and on etsy?
Andrew and the kids surprised me in November with a weekend trip to Bear Lake. We love these getaways to the condos that Andrew's Mom lets us use. We eat fun food, and play games, and watch cable TV, and swim, and relax. It was a great birthday surprise.
This month we celebrated Nate's 10th birthday, Em's 6th birthday, and Christmas. Because of sewing money, we didn't have to worry about where Christmas money was coming from. And Santa decided to give the kids a special Christmas. They got EVERYTHING on their wish list. We are blessed to have modest, reasonable kids, who didn't ask for much, but it was pretty memorable to get their list back from Santa with a big red check next to every single item.
It was an odd year, with so much of it wrapped up in the house selling adventure, that led nowhere. I'm anxious to see what 2015 brings our family!!
Comments