2011-2012 goals and recap

My Recap of 2011

January

I blogged about our Snow Days and started to blog 100 Things about myself (I ran out of steam at around 60).

I shared my thoughts on A House or a Home? and started the challenge to do 3 in 30 i lasted about 3 months.

February

I should have written out my adventures with an Exterminator and why we needed one, but did write about our Valentine's Day celebrations and my favourite dessert recipe Chocolate Skor Trifle.

I also should have written about my trip to visit friends in South Carolina and how healing it was for me, but didn't.

March

I un-intentionally began a new series New Reads which carried over through the rest of the year and also tackled one of the concepts I wrestled with all year in Where do you go to Church?

April

Wrote about more new Reads and tried some creative writing in Every Once in awhile...

May

I spent it Remembering... as its a pivotal month for our family. 5 anniversaries (including ours), 5 birthdays, 2 dads/grandpa's passings...

June

I shared about all the changes that contributed to my less than consistent blogging.

So much to figure out... What we've been up to - Changes

July

I shared a bit on the internal workings of the external "what we've been up to" in Revelation Road? and how the boys are Changing - Growing Up

I did not blog about how MY COMPUTER GOT A VIRUS and I lost all my photos and unpublished photobooks! I am still grieving. (yes we though everything had been backed up, but were wrong)

August

I shared about our Homeschool Room & Why we Chose to home school and also a little bit of our Summer Fun and more Reading as well as a nice End of Summer recap and shared my thoughts on Moving Days...

September

I finally got My Mantel and wrote about my thoughts on Doubt?. I also couldn't help but vent a bit on one of My Pet Peeves and linked to the Fall Nesting parties with my Fall Nesting post.

October

Was completely consumed with the posts for the 31 Days series and link parties with 31 Days of Fully Enjoying the Season.

This series incorporated our Thanksgiving and Halloween celebrations as well.

November

School & Life - over at The Heaslip Homestead Academy

This so far has been monthly recaps of our adventures since September.

December

I wrote about our home decor in A Home for the Holidays and how we celebrated in Glimpses of Christmas and finally did a Reading Recap.

My Goals for My Home in 2011 were...

1. Redo the Main Floor Bathroom:

Status - Done - though oddly I did not blog about it. You can see the after picture here.

2. Overhaul the Sunroom

Status - Not Done - no extra cash. Postponed until possibly 2012 or later.

3. Reorganize the Garage

Status - Done - also, did not blog about this. I think these things were done in the summer when my computer was dead.

4. Enjoy every room

Status - Done. We really did use the entire house better. Part of this I think is because we are home more now because of home school and not working/running around so much.

5. Keep up a changing seasonal theme or table.

Status - Done.

SUMMER. See the shells?

FALL - birds, nuts, books, etc. ( I added a couple things for Halloween later)

CHRISTMAS - which also morphed into...

CHRISTMAS PT. 2

6. Update the Boys’ Rooms and the Playroom for as little as possible.

Status - Partly Done & Done & Unexpected Blessing Done - we moved the boys in together, but I still need to tweak the room this year. The playroom, became the home school room and Grandpa Jim bought and together with Daddy, built the boys a play yard outside this summer too. (much more enjoyment of our outdoor space happened)

So most of the goals were met, which is GREAT! We've had a busy and productive year. I've also realized, I left a couple things UNFINISHED gah! So here's a few goals for 2012...

Home Goals for 2012

1. Do something significant with our Front Step.

My feeble attempts, need some serious help.

2. Finish the Boys' Bedroom.

3. Repairs on Guest Room and Student's Room Ceiling.

4. Blog more diligently:

A. Blog about the Little Projects More

For example I did a gallery wall, and never posted about it.

and a DIY wreathe, that I never posted about.

B. Blog about my garden more. Like how we made our own scarecrow.

C. Blog about what we're doing seasonally.

For example, I'm sure many of you would like to hear about our CRAZY MOMS CAMPING trips and how we survived a severe storm/ tornado.

Or our family trip to the National Museum of Play and the boys first baseball game in a stadium, or how we went up north or when I went to SC, etc... At the very least, I would like the record on here for posterity.

I also think I should finish up my 100 posts about me, before I hit 200 posts maybe?

Thank you for sharing this journey with me so far :) I have been so very blessed this past year and look forward to sharing the blessing in 2012!

What I read in 2011

Those who have read my blog regularly know I lovereading books. Here's a list of the books I read in 2011. I enjoyed most of them simply because I learned something with each one. Some I definitely learned more, some I will read again and again. Some I actually read more than once this year. I am always open to book recommendations so keep them coming please :)

Also I am linking up at Nesters site for Reading List Shares - I feel more books being added to my list for 2012...yikes

Tam's Top 5 (Based on the fact that I learned the most, read more than once or simply is timely based on where we are in our life's journey)

*Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne

*Pagan Christianity- Frank Viola & George Barna

*The Bonsai Conspiracy – Paul Anderson-Walsh

*From Eternity to Here - Frank Viola

*One Thousand Gifts - Ann Voskamp

Honourable Mention goes to:

*The Well Trained Mind – Wise-Bauer

*Boys Adrift - Leonard Sax

Books I read cover to cover (the ones with stars I recommend)

Developing the Leader Within -John Maxwell

Motherhood the Guilt that Keeps on Giving - Julie Ann Barnhill

The Girl…books – Steig Larsson

*Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne

*Pagan Christianity- Frank Viola &George Barna

Blue Like Jazz – Donald Miller

Love Wins – Rob Bell

And the Shofar Blew – Francine Rivers

*The Bonsai Conspiracy – Paul Anderson-Walsh

A New Kind of Christianity – Brian D McLaren

Chazown – Craig Groeschel

Weird – Craig Groeschel

The Organic Church – Neil Cole

*The Well Trained Mind – Wise-Bauer

Billy - William Paul McKay and Ken Abraham

Homeschooling Companion

Crazy Love – Francis Chan

Revolution – George Barna

A Charlotte Mason Companion

Large Family Logistics

Homewarming – Emilie Barnes

Driven By Eternity - John Bevere

Coaching Your Kids to Be Leaders

Finding Organic Church – Frank Viola

The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis

Inside My Heart - Robin McGraw

*From Eternity to Here - Frank Viola

*Boys Adrift - Leonard Sax

For the Children's Sake - Susan Schaeffer Macaulay

*One Thousand Gifts - Ann Voskamp

The Rhythm of Family - Amanda Blake Soule

Map of Bones; Ice Hunt; Excavation - James Rollins Books

Christmas in my Heart and Home - Robin McGraw

Celebrating Advent - Ann Hibbard

The Traditions of Christmas - Nancy J Skarmeas

Currently Reading

*Slow Death by Rubber Duck - Rick Smith & Bruce Lourie

The Beloved Disciple - Beth Moore

The Bourne Dominion - Eric Van Lustbader

Books I check in on Every Year

Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

Bringing Up Boys - Dr. James Dobson

Simple Abundance - Sarah Ban Breathnach

Grace Based Parenting - Tim Kimmel

Possibilities for 2012 (Ambitious I know... I can't help it)

Just As I Am – Billy Graham

The Strong Willed Child - Dr. James Dobson

The Power of a Whisper – Bill Hybels

The 22 Non-Negotiable Laws of Wellness

The Book of Negroes - Lawrence Hill

Choosing to See – Mary Beth Chapman

Love Revolution – Joyce Meyer

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table - Roger Lancelyn Green

My Hearts Cry - Anne Graham Lotz

The Power of Respect - Deborah Norville

Free - the Future of a Radical Price - Chris Anderson

Pursuing More of Jesus - Anne Graham Lotz

The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Organic Disciplemaking - Dennis McCallum

The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

While Europe Slept - Bruce Bawer

Einstein - Walter Isaacson

Prisoner in the Third Cell-Gene Edwards

Green - Ted Dekker

A Briefer History of Time – Stephen Hawking

A Short History of Everything - Bill Bryson

Infidel - Ayaan Hisi Ali

Tides of War - Steven Pressfield

Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield

Same Kind of Different as Me - Ron Hall

A Generous Orthodoxy - Brian McLaren

Spiritual Slavery to Sonship - Jack Frost

Becoming A True Sp. Community - Larry Crabb

The Pursuit of God – A W Tozer

The Works of Charles Dickens

Water for Elephants

The Help

Hunger Games Trilogy

Glimpses of Christmas

a Christmas concert in a little country church that moved me and help to heal my music starved soul...

an inspiring church service that my sister helped write the script for...

family time eating way too much...

excitement of boys who still believe in Santa...

shining eyes sharing at the Advent circle just before bed on Christmas Eve...

mistletoe moments...

smiling chocolate covered faces waiting for the digital clock to turn 7:30 after ripping through their stockings at 4:00 am

Christmas morning at home and making French Toast with eggnog...yum

all the brothers in law toasting my dad over ouzo shots in the kitchen (its our 4th year without him)...

Not having anything planned for centerpieces and pulling this off without spending money from stuff around the house...

squishing 12 adults and 5 kids into my kitchen/dining room and sadly realizing it's probably time we looked for another place to celebrate Christmas dinner :)

our "Bolovinos" family candle sharing time and seeing how remarkably God is working through each of our families in similar but completely different ways...

the squealing joy of my little nephews when we finally let the dog into the busy family room...

playing cards and laughing well into the night...

sitting quietly by the lit tree with a full and happy heart...

Merry Christmas to all and to all it was a Good Night!

with love,