Things I'm Glad I Did This Year

Its the last day of 2012 and it has been an eventful year.  On the first day of the year, we said goodbye to Midtown Friends Community after we decided that we were to small to continue meeting as our own church and the changes kept on coming.  Here are some of the best changes:

Became part of a new church.  Even though Sacramento Friends was one of the parent churches of Midtown Friends, in many ways it couldn't be more different.  While there are so many things we loved and miss about Midtown Friends, we found new things to love in our new community.  I appreciate being a part of an intergenerational community again and it has been interesting path to accept the authenticity of the formal, yet remarkably informal style of worship. 

Ezra was born!  Need I say more?

I started reading again.  All it took was an iPad.  I read more books this year than I have since I finished school.  I didn't want an e-reader, I like real books with real pages, but my life is such that I don't finish reading real books and I incur library fines.  I do finish ebooks.  Unless they aren't good.  Here are some of the books I read in the order I remember them:

• The Count of Monte Cristo
• The Discipline Book
• Breakfast at Tiffany's
• Fifth Avenue, 4 A.M.: Audrey Heburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and The Dawn of the Modern Woman
• The Three Musketeers
• How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way
• Perelandra
• Montessori From the Start: The Child at Home from Birth to Age Three
• Little Women
• Pollyanna
• The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why
• Faith and Violence: Christian Teaching and Christian Practice
• Grow Great Grub: Organic Food for Small Spaces

The list might grow once I consult my iPad. 

Making my own stuff.  I know how to make lots of things, I just don't always find time to do it when buying things is faster, but I started this year and hope to expand my DIY endeavors next year. This year I made:

•  bedding for Ezra and curtains for the kids room.  
• I knitted and croched tons of things, mostly hats, blankets, and headbands.  It was something to do for the two months I spent sitting with a sleeping baby on my chest. Next year I am thinking about making a sweater.
• condiments - jam, fruit butter, sauerkraut, mayonaise, salsa, pesto
• baby food
• herbal tea (grown in the garden), homebrewed ginger ale, and the beginnings of kombucha (it will be finished in another week)
• beauty products - I've done this for a while.  This is the first year I made anything for others.
• laundry soap - been doing this for a while also

I am most proud that I made at least one Christmas gift for everyone in my family except Izzy (because I ran out of time).  One day, I hope to not buy any gifts for Christmas because I can make things that everyone wants or needs.   

Seven Quick Takes - Little Bits of Christmas

1.
Merry Christmas!  The last week was somewhat chaotic and passed too quickly, but we had a lovely time. Before Christmas, the children and I had the flu. This resulted in one more day off work than I planned.  I spent Thursday and Friday in bed with Phoebe listening to music on Pandora and napping.  In spite of all the vomiting, it was lovely and I enjoyed spending time with her while she was more relaxed than normal. 

2.
Sunday was Christmas service at church.  Our community follows the Quaker tradition of not having special services on Christmas Eve so the Christmas celebration was on Sunday with a lunch afterward.  I have to say that I really dislike holiday services at non-liturgical churches. I know people love them, but watching a string of performances, even if I enjoy them, does not help me worship or reflect on the Incarnation.  Call me Scrooge - my family already does.  I did really enjoy the potluck and wish my littles had been feeling better so we could have stayed and enjoyed the company longer.

3.
As part of the aforementioned service, Bee sang "Away in a Manger" with the other littles.  She still wasn't feeling well, and even wearing her sparkly tutu didn't help.   She frowned through the song, which made me a little sad because she loves singing so much usually and she always loves an audience.          

4.
We spent Monday and Tuesday at my parents' house and enjoyed time with my family.  I always wish we could have more time.  It seems that both of the children grew up a lot over those two days.  Probably I just noticed things that I don't usually see because I am at work for most of their waking hours. 

5.
Monday afternoon, my parents, Ezra and I visited my grandfather in the nursing home after we heard he was not doing well and he passed away Christmas morning.  While my mom was originally hoping that he would not pass until after Christmas, I think she ended up appreciating having people around and a lot to do that day.  I hadn't seen him in a while, so I am glad that I got to go say goodbye. 

6.
Ezra started communicating a lot more over the last week.  He holds his arms out to the people he wants, waves hello, and I think he is also signing for milk.  The milk sign looks a lot like a hello wave, but last night I decided they were different.

7.
I came back to work yesterday.  It is more difficult than normal to be here after I spent such a nice week with my children.

More Quick Takes found here. 

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