I'm Back!

After my unintentional break from blogging, thanks to several days without internet service and then dealing with a nasty flu virus, I'm back and ready to go.

The girls are still sick, but they're so much easier to care for than Buddy was. He wanted to be held constantly and by no one but me.

I had stopped making New Year's resolutions a long time ago. Maybe it was the goals I set that were too unrealistic, and then the feeling of failure and disappointment when I realized that I had broken them usually within the first few days that made me decide not to make any more.

Rosebud was enthused about making some New Year's resolutions and as we were discussing them we decided to make resolutions that involved the whole family. This year we are taking a slightly different approach and we're creating a list of twelve things we would like to do in 2013. The idea was to pick one thing off the list each month and concentrate on it.

January we'll be trying a new recipe every day. Another month we want to walk to the tunnel on a nearby hiking trail at least twice a week. Someone else chose for us to sing several songs every night before we go to bed.

For the first time ever I'm actually looking forward to achieving everything on our list, and having a lot of fun while doing so.

Fun Question and Answers ~ Part 2

How many cousins do you have?

I have ninety-seven cousins. The oldest is ten years younger than my mother and the youngest is a few months younger than Sunbeam. Since I was born close to the middle of this group I don't know the oldest or the youngest very well, but used to have so much fun with those close to my age.

Are you taller than your mother?

Yes, I'm almost two inches taller than she is.

Do you have any pets?

We're a family of dog people, but instead of a dog the only pet we have is a gray cat that someone dropped off. It adopted us and well, we all kind of like it. A lot.

Do you play an instrument?

Does a harmonica count as an instrument?

What is your favorite shampoo?

I don't have a favorite shampoo. I usually use one brand until my hair no longer reacts to it the way I want it too and then I switch to something else. Currently I'm using Total Care.

What did you do yesterday?

Besides the daily dozen I washed several loads of bedding, did a pile of mending, went grocery shopping, enjoyed digging through a box filled with Christmas goodies that the mailman delivered from my parents, took the children to their last pageant practice for the season and picked them up once it was over.

Fun Question and Answers ~ Part 1

Recently I received a long list of questions from someone who suggested I may want to answer them on my blog.

I won't be doing them all at once since there were more than a hundred of them.

Are you allergic to anything?

I get really, really sick when ever I eat peanuts, but strangely I can eat peanutbutter without anything happening. Several days ago I tried eating half of a peanut that was included in a basket filled with Christmas treats. They had a coating that everyone was decribing as really delicious and I wanted to see how it was. I paid dearly for eating that peanut half.

What was the first car you drove?

For years we had only one vehicle. An F-350. It was several years after we left the Amish before I drove an actual car. It was an old Monte Carlo that a friend loaned to us so I could care for their animals while they were on vacation.

What was your first job?

My first job was working as hired help for an overworked mother.  It wasn't a very good experience. You can read about it here.

What is the last book you read?

The last book I read was Tea and Trouble Brewing by Dorcas Smucker.  Currently I'm reading The Lesson by Suzanne Woods Fisher.  Both wonderful books!

Who is your favorite comedian?

I always enjoy a good laugh. Jeanne Robertson never fails to deliver. Here is one of my favorites from her

Scattered Thoughts

My mind seems to be going in so many different directions this morning that I decided instead of focusing only on one single topic I'll share a handful of different things I have been pondering.

~~~~~

A subject that has been weighing heavily on me, same as on millions of others is the senseless tragedy that occurred at Sandy Hook.  I won't even pretend to know or give answers why it happened or how it could have been prevented.

I will though hug my children a little closer and cherish everyday we have together.

~~~~~

Last night our children joined the rest of the children from our church to go to a nursing home to sing. When they got home Rosebud shared her experience in great detail. She felt sorry for everyone there and assured LV and I we would never have to live at a place like that.

Caring for the elderly is something I really admire that the Amish do. Older people are cherished, loved, and still very important part of the family. Once they can't care for themselves they can rest in the knowledge that they will be well taken care of by their children or grandchildren. For those that weren't blessed with children, nieces and nephews are more than willing to make those last years as pleasant as possible.

~~~~~

Our oven stopped working yesterday. I had been hoping to bake and decorate some Christmas cookies this week and I had also signed up to bring dessert to the Christmas pageant at church. My initial reaction after discovering that the stove doesn't work was deep frustration, but now I realize without the means to do all of the baking I had planned to do it will free up some more time to relax and enjoy the season.

I'm trying to view this as a blessing in disguise.

Mornings

I love mornings like this morning.

 

 

Now if we would get a generous layer of snow it would be perfect!