2015: Here We Come!

2014 is on it's way out (& will probably be officially gone by the time you read this)!
It's been a great year filled with love and laughter. I finished my second year of teaching and then became a stay-at-home mom. Dylan and I celebrated our one year anniversary and welcomed our sweet baby girl into the world. While there have certainly been some rough patches in the year, it was absolutely one of the most amazing years of my life and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Unfortunately we're ending this year and starting the new year with all three of us being sick. (Stupid germs!) But I'm confident that it's not a sign of how the rest of the year will go and that this year will bring its own new adventures and little miracles.

I've been thinking for the last couple of weeks about new year's resolutions and my goals in this next new year. For the first time in quite a few years, weight loss was not even on my mind when it came to my list, and I'm honestly a little proud of that. While some things on my list were "whole family" goals, some were more for me. At first I didn't want to include goals that didn't involve helping the rest of my family, but honestly, I've come to realize since having a baby that if I don't take a little time for myself every once in a while I can't be at my best to help take care of everyone else. So, I give you

Emily's 2015 New Year's Resolutions

• Make one new recipe a week.

• Blog twice a month.

• Read at least one book a month.

• Organize and declutter. (I know this goal is less measurable, but it needed to be included.)

• Become more "money smart." (Again, less measurable, but eventually it will become more measurable once I can break it down. Ultimately this goal comes down to budgeting better so that we aren't living paycheck-to-paycheck and can get a little more in savings.)

Well, that's it. Some of them may seem a little silly, but I feel like they take my family and our health into account as well as giving myself some more personal goals.  Once upon a time I would have laughed at saying I was going to read "at least one book a month," but anymore I'm lucky if I get one finished in two or three months. That one will definitely give me some built in "me time" aside from trips to the grocery store.

Well, 20 minutes until midnight. I think I'll go check on my sick sleeping Hubby and get in some more cuddles before having a New Year's toast with my parents and siblings.
I'd love to hear your New Year's resolutions. Feel free to share below!

Happy New Year's!!!

Christmas Day 3: a Christmas Wish List

So, did you think of anything for your wish list? Something you need? Did you think of anything someone else might need from you?

I think the thing at the top of my list this year is time spent with my family. And while I always enjoy that time, I'm especially thankful for it this year. I'll get to see my brother and his wife. We haven't seen them since June and most likely won't see them again for a while. And I've loved spending time with my grandparents on both sides of my family. Not only do I get to talk to them and hear stories, but I get to see them interact with Lissy and see the joy that she brings to them. This is especially true of my time spent with my Papa while Granny was visiting her family. With some health scares these last couple of years we are so lucky to still have him with us. Now, as he finishes up chemo, I feel like getting to see the great grandbabies is one of the things that has kept him fighting and made it worth it.


I think something I can give others is patience. All too often we get so caught up in our own lives and the things we're trying to get done that we sometimes forget to be patient with others. I find this to be true in my own life as well. To be perfectly honest, the people that I have the hardest time being patient with are my family. Sometimes I forget that they can't read my minds and that they have things of their own to get done and I get frustrated. Later I'll think back on it and say to myself, "I shouldn't have gotten upset there. That wasn't fair." And so, one of the things that I'm going to try to be more aware of this Christmas season is that I am patient with people.

I also thought about the physical things people might need from me. I'm not talking about putting presents under the tree, I'm talking about the things that I have that someone else could use. For me this shows up the most in my closet. My closet is full, but I often find myself looking at my closet and thinking, "I have nothing to wear." Why is that? To be honest, there are probably a few reasons, but there are a couple that stand out the most. First of all, I have plenty of clothes that don't fit any more, so why not donate them? Second, I have clothes that I don't wear. These clothes may fit size wise, but maybe they don't look good on me, or I have too many of a similar outfit that I like better. So, why not donate these as well? I'm sure there are other things I could clean out and donate as well, but the closet sounds like a great place to start for me. So I challenge myself (and you as well) to clean out some aspect of your life and to donate to someone in need! For me it'll be the closet. (Though you shouldn't expect to see the fruits of this challenge by my next post, because it won't happen that quickly.) You can choose anything! Maybe your pantry needs gone through. Maybe you want to get the kids involved and clean out the toy room! Not only will you make someone else happy and help them out, but you'll be happier because you're helping someone, and you'll feel better with less clutter!

Happy Advent!

Christmas Day 2: a Birthday Party for Jesus

At the end of my first post I left an open question: How would Jesus want us to celebrate his birthday?

Imagine a birthday party for a six year old boy. A Ninja Turtle cake depicting Mikee, Leo, Donnie & Ralphie jumping into action. A sign hangs in the doorway proclaiming "Happy Birthday!" Maybe there are gift bags on the table waiting for his friends. A stack of presents sit in front of the couch, the colorful paper and bows begging to be pulled open. All of this is exciting, and I'm sure the little boy will be thrilled, but what's missing?... The people! What fun is the party if there are no friends and family there to celebrate with? That would be a pretty sad party if no one where there to share it with.

So, how do you imagine Jesus might like us to celebrate his birthday? The thing that comes to mind for me is the Gospel reading Matthew 25:31-46, particularly the following lines:

"Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me [...] Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me!"

Wow! SO in summary, Christ is in each of us. We are all Jesus. and in turn, so is each person we meet. Think about that. Essentially, each person we meet is about to celebrate their "birthday." But rather than asking yourself what gift you can buy them or what toy or knick knack they might want, maybe we could each look a little deeper and ask what do they really need? And when it comes to our own Christmas wish list, what do we really need?