Pregnancy Q&A take 2

I'm just going to jump right in:

1. How are you feeling?
I'm not sure anyone who asks a woman in her 9th month of pregnancy how she is feeling really wants to hear the answer. My generic answer is "uncomfortable." My main complaint is that my hands and feet hurt from the extra fluid and blood I'm carrying around. Did you know that a pregnant woman's blood volume increases by 50%? or that a pregnant woman has about 3-4 pounds of extra fluid, NOT amniotic fluid or anything associated with the baby ... just extra fluid ... just because. Thankfully the swelling is normal and not a sign of pre-eclampsia which is probably because Christopher has been forcing encouraging me to eat enough protein. Note to self: when you take your husband to pregnancy/birth classes, he's going to become an encyclopedia of pregnancy, labor and birth knowledge. (Lots of protein in a pregnant woman's diet is proven to drastically reduce the risk of per-eclampsia - and several other things, ask Christopher is you are interested.)

2. Are you ready? 
This is a loaded question since I don't have a real good idea of what life will be like with a baby. But the baby's room is all set up, we feel like we have an idea of what to expect during labor, we know who will take care of Loki and I have a bag half-packed on our bedroom floor.

But there is more to it than that. We'll leave the hospital with an infant - our infant - who can't do anything for him/herself.  Every so often one of us asks the other "how to you ____ (bathe a baby, for example)?" There's a lot about babies that we don't know and while we know we'll figure it out, we also know there will be a learning curve ... and that grandmas and the internet will be there to help. 

This question is usually followed up with the statement of "you'll be great parents" or something to that effect. The truth is, though, parenting probably wont come naturally. Like anything that involves self-sacrifice and another person, we will make mistakes and we will learn from those mistakes. In the same way that it takes work to have a good marriage, we are committed to do the work it takes to be good, responsible parents for our child.

3. When are you due? - or - You look like you've dropped. - or - Any day now, right?
Ugg. Baby's due date is Oct. 6th, next Sunday. And yes, I have dropped and yes, it should be any day now. But it may not be. It could be two weeks from today. And 14 days is a long time to think that you could have a baby today. Statistically, more first time moms go late than go early. As much as I'd love to have this baby TODAY, I keep reminding myself that I'll probably still be pregnant on my due date. We are in the midst of planning some fun things for the weekend so we don't just sit around and wait.

4. You still don't know the gender?
Nope, and yes, Christopher still does know the gender. =) Everyone (and I mean everyone - even my patients and people at the store) who sees me has an opinion ... boy/girl, low/high ... I don't really know how they make the determination. It makes more sense to me that the way one carries a baby has to do with the mother's body and if the baby is her first or subsequent and how the baby is positioned inside.  Almost all the unsolicited opinions say boy. I made a baby pool (you can go here to make guesses) and our family and friends lean very slightly towards the boy side too. I guess we'll all know soon.

in the nursery

Well, that's it. Either there will be a baby picture up soon or an update about the plan on how to encourage baby to come out!

Dear Amoeba

a letter to our unborn child

You have been many places little one. You've been to Arizona when you were multiplying cells, my only inkling being heart burn which was the first sign of my first pregnancy also. You've been to Kansas City to visit your uncle when you were still your daddy's and my secret.  You've been to your grandparents homes in Hastings and Rochester, to visit family in Wisconsin and to Crooked Lake. You've been hugged by your aunts and uncles and by our friends who we will call your aunts and uncles.

You are loved.

Even though no one except God has seen you yet and no one (except God and your daddy) knows your name, you are loved.

We can't wait to meet you although we know that it will be pretty disruptive for you to leave your free floating home and be pushed through a tiny hole into a bright noisy world. But, let's face it, we are both getting pretty uncomfortable and I think it's time your dad gets to carry you around all day. I bet you'll get pretty good at kicking him in the ribs too.

I am excited to hear your little voice and to watch your personality develop. I hope you have your dad's ears and that you are a lefty like him ('cuz that would make him SO happy). I hope you like to read and wear your dad's poor boy caps. I hope your first word Loki ... although I know it's realistic that at first you will see him as a black blob that makes loud noises every so often and he will see you as an intruder. But really, I want you to be you. And if you don't like to read or if you don't like Loki, we will find out what you do like and we'll teach Loki to keep his distance. I always want there to be room for you to just be you.

We don't know much about this parenting thing and we know that we'll need a lot of grace and forgiveness for the mistakes that we will make. We don't know how to teach you the important things about life and will rely on God to use us or to teach you these things in spite of ourselves. There are so many things for all of us to learn but at first, we'll settle for eating, sleeping and changing your diaper.

I believe that you are a gift and will be thankful for your life for the entirety of mine. I know that you - without a name on your birth certificate or a social security number - matter and are intimately known by God. Every day of your life is known by him. I pray that you will come to know his character and his love and seek his will for your life.

I don't know how long it will be before our bodies together decide that you are ready to make your entrance into this world. Your birth will be our first accomplishments together - you, me and your dad. And, just like eating and sleeping and teaching you about God and the world, birth will be challenging and hard and will stretch both of us (pun intended) but in the end we will know that it is good and that it was worth it.

Up North

We've been up north the last two weekends and it was wonderful - although the general state of our house has suffered, I consider that a good pay off. 

We went up with my whole family and enjoyed the time together. 

Scott took this picture and I love it.

Then we went up this past with friends. We are so thankful to be able to use the cottage like this and to bless our friends in this way. 

Seeing friends playing cards around the table that my grandpa made and sitting on the beach that holds so many memories for me makes my heart happy. 

Two babies joined our group this year. Props to their parents who showed us that doing cloth diapers up north is no big deal and that traveling with a 6 week old is do-able.

Lunch, babies and a dog on the beach. Perfect.

If we weren't already in love with this little guy, this weekend sealed the deal.

our friend, Kate, took most of these pictures.

Loki enjoyed being off his leash for several days and running around in the woods. 

 And once everyone left, he did a lot of this:

Christopher and I stayed an extra day and enjoyed the quiet of a weekday on the lake. We kayaked back to the dam, played cards and ate ice cream on the beach. 

It was all pretty wonderful.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

A quick update on life ...

Umm ... Life =) We've been sticking close to home the last few weeks mainly to get some work done. Christopher has been working on his learning goals and curriculum for the fall and so far he thinks he will like teaching even though he technically hasn't taught yet. Details, details ... He's also been working at a farm once a week with our friend to earn our weekly CSA box. They come home dirty but satisfied every day and they both really seem to enjoy the farm work. He's also been making some yummy meals this week and keeping the kitchen clean. =) I've mainly been working and trying to keep up with the household things. I think I have "summer fever" as the result of not taking any summer vacation while saving up for maternity leave. We'll be up north the next two weekends and I think that will help. I keep reminding myself that it will be worth it when I'm actually getting paid in the fall.

Eggplant Parmesan. I tell ya, my man is amazing!

BEER!

Garden Adventures and Mis-adventures  I've been telling our garden that I'd like it to stop growing quite so tall and actually produce some fruit. The summer here has actually been quite cool and I think that's affected our tomatoes and peppers. We do have some of each but they aren't ripe and there are not a lot. There have been clear winners (the cucumbers, beans and herbs) and clear losers (the dill and carrots). I dug up a carrot out of curiosity and it was about the size of a needle ... no lie. I find the trial and error part pretty fun though and will continue to hope for more warm weather.

Baby B. We had another ultrasound today and baby looks great. The heart arrhythmia is gone and baby had a nice regular rhythm. Perhaps baby just grew out of it or maybe it's because I haven't had A DROP of caffeine in about a month. The doctor still says nothing until baby is born and while it hasn't been a huge deal, it does make the 3am - 4am part of my night shifts difficult. Baby is super active and all the measurements check out right where they should be. We are going to birthing classes, organizing the baby's room and have decided upon names. By all accounts, we are ready for baby to join us outside of the womb, in about two months that is.

The cradle my grandpa made me.

We've decided to cloth diaper and I've been doing research and working on acquiring said diapers. I wont say much about them now since we haven't used them yet but I'm excited to use a couple of different kinds (I think one system would be boring) and seeing what works well for us.

On a some what related note, some of our friends, who are also pregnant, found out recently that their baby girl has some serious health issues. Our heart breaks for them as we pray for God's will along with His peace and healing. That baby girl is loved and we know that God holds her tightly.

Pregnancy Q&A

I thought this would be a fun post to answer some frequently asked questions and also to give me a place to write it all down.

27 weeks, at the Lake

How many weeks are you? Truth be told, I usually don't know; I don't get the weekly e-mails with the baby updates or things like that. For awhile now I've been saying "oh, around 6 months". My friend who is computer-smart made a "pregnancy tracker spreadsheet" so now I know that I am 28.3 weeks today. So this is the start of my third trimester.

When are you due? Oct 6th. Unlike most pregnant women, I'm convinced that I'll still be pregnant on my due date. Maybe this has something to do with wanting my 12 week maternity leave to extend past Christmas which it will as long as it doesn't start before Oct 5th. =)

How is baby doing? Baby is doing well. Normally I wouldn't know more than that but at my last check-up, baby had an irregular heartbeat and I was referred to a perinatologist for another ultrasound. So we had the ultrasound earlier this week and he took a good look at everything, especially that baby's heart. Baby is just under 3 lbs and all his/her measurements look great. The heartbeat was quite irregular with some missed beats and some extra beats but the doctor said the heart looks fine structurally and the arrhythmia is likely due to immature electrical pathways in the baby's heart and that should resolve either before birth or shortly after. We will get another ultrasound in three weeks to monitor that but there is no need to be concerned right now. Baby was curled up on my right side trying to suck it's toes. Silly baby!

How have you been feeling? Pretty good. I had some nausea for the first 16 weeks but that's all better now. Aside from some minor aches and heartburn , I have nothing to complain about. 

Do you know the gender? Nope but Christopher does. He wanted to find out and I didn't so that's what we did. I know it wouldn't work for most couples but it is working out for us. Many people have been guessing based on how I am carrying the baby but I think that my bump looks different when baby is laying transverse or vertical so I'm not sure that's reliable.

Can you feel the baby move? Yes. I began feeling the baby move a little before my 20 week appointment. Now s/he moves more frequently and is much stronger. Baby moves a lot when I drink ice water and I'm not sure if it is because baby likes the cold or dislikes it. I couldn't figure out why baby moved more when I was at work but I'm pretty sure that's why; I don't usually have ice in my drinks at home. Most of the time I think the baby is vertical with it's feet low and I can tell when it turns to it's side because then I can see the kicks as well as feel them. It's amazing that something so tiny can be so strong.

What are you going to do after the baby comes? Short answer: work (at the hospital) less. Long answer: I'm going to take my 12 weeks of maternity leave and then go back to work part time. Christopher is going to teach as an adjunct professor in the fall and that works out great because I should be on leave the whole fall semester. In the Spring, he got a Teaching Assistant-ship so he will do that while trying to write some of his dissertation. We aren't exactly sure what we will do for child care but we will figure that out so Loki doesn't have to watch the babe while I sleep.

Speaking of Loki ... How do you think he'll do with the baby? It is true that it may be a rude awakening for him at first; after all, he is the "baby" and our only responsibility right now. I feel bad that there is no way to prepare him ... that we'll leave for a few days and will come home with a noisy, time consuming person that will completely change his life. But he is smart and if we are consistent, we know we can help him understand his role in the baby's life. He usually just ignores our friends' babies and we think that's a good start.

 

 Whew! That's all I have to say about pregnancy for awhile! 

Dear Loki,
This is day 4 of 11 that you are in Minnesota and I am in Wisconsin. Yep, I've been counting. This is the longest you've been away from me since you became "mine." I think we were gone longer when we visited China but you didn't really become "mine" until later that year when we moved to Milwaukee. I'm sure if you could reason, you would agree. You are one of the best things that happened to me when I married Christopher but it took us awhile to really get to know one another.

I miss being greeted by you at the door and the little dance you do right before you get your food. I miss your warm little body on our bed when I'm sleeping and giving you apple cores. But I have enjoyed taking walks around town and going into the coffee shop and the library and sweeping without you walking through my pile of dirt. While the house seems way too quiet, I have slept really well without you prancing around or shaking your collar which I believe is usually an attempt to wake me up.

I am thankful that you can stay in Rochester with family while we do a wee bit of traveling (that isn't Loki-friendly) and a lot of working. And I know that since you will be at my in-laws when the rest of our family is visiting with their dog, it will probably be a little chaotic and that makes me appreciate it even more. And I know your little introverted personality will probably be a little overwhelmed. We will see you in a week and I think the saying will be true: absence will make our hearts fonder.

Garden saga, part 1

Inspired by this book, we decided to build a raised bed garden this year. Christopher worked hard building the garden plus a little bit extra and we ended up with a nice 4x12 bed. He also built a small 2x4 bed for some friends to put in some herbs.

While looking around for some soil - we wanted a mix of good compost and top soil - we came to the problem of how do we (with a fairly small car) haul well over 1,000 lbs of dirt back to our house. The big bags of soil are usually about 40 lbs and we'd need like 30. That just seemed like a lot of work and one could argue that a pregnant lady shouldn't lift that much (although the dr recently told me that I don't have a lifting "restriction" at this time in my pregnancy). In addition, buying compost in bags can be fairly expensive. So I found a local company that sells a compost and top soil mix especially for vegetable gardens. The price seemed reasonable and they delivered.

The two week wait seemed super long when I wanted to put our plants in the ground.  But the "soil guy" delivered our black gold yesterday and Christopher then hauled the dirt from our parking space to the garden using a 5 gallon bucket. Who needs a wheel barrow??

We had started some herbs and a couple of veggies from scratch:

Our helpers while planting. The red dog is our little friend, Lucy.

Progress!

I had planned our garden on paper but, unfortunately, the wait meant more time for me to dream about what else we could do and I bought a couple more plants and seeds that didn't really have a home.

Around this time I wondered if everything would fit. It didn't.

So yesterday the plan was altered slightly and I still have to go out and create a map of what actually went in. Who plants things is rows? Not this girl! We'll see how that works out. Oh, and those are strawberries on the side!

We are going to see if some herbs will come back as perennials with some love and mulch over our cold winter. (There wasn't really room in the garden for them anyway.) Most of the smaller plot is barley seeds for beer.

 Speaking of beer, Christopher's hops are racing up their poles. We will eventually run string from the front porch down to the poles and the hops should go up it. Hops don't produce much the first year but he should get plenty next year for all his brewing needs.

 It looks like today will be a nice day and there are still a few things to do. I have several herbs in small containers that need to find a home and I'm going to prep some soil in the front to plant carrots, beets, garlic and maybe lettuce, all from seed.

Birthday Surprise

The last time my husband told me that he was "cooking something up" for my birthday, he got a bunch of our friends and family together and they gave me the MacBook that I am typing on.

This time was a little bit different.

Maybe I should have figured it out when he told me that all our friends (who are students) had a mandatory lecture the evening of my birthday. Marquette usually doesn't have mandatory lectures, especially in the summer.

Maybe I also should have figured it out when my sneaky husband told me he wasn't going to said mandatory lecture. 

Or maybe I should have figured it out when my husband cleaned the bathroom and lite candles while we were talking with his family on google chat.

And maybe I should have known that something was up when he told me that my birthday gift was in the backyard, where we had just spent the afternoon working on our yard and garden.

But I didn't and he surprised me and we had lots of our friends over for ice cream.

It was a pretty great day.

Spring time at Crooked Lake

- It's Loki chasing the chipmunks and making friends with the neighbors dog.

- It's kayak runs with three layers and a life jacket.

- It's cake and ice cream.

- It's finishing a good book by the lake.

- It's my dad wearing white socks with his sandals.

- It's my mom making me a birthday dinner even though I'm going to be 32.

- It's sleeping under the (fading) stars put on the ceiling by my aunt and uncle.

- It's eagle watching, loon spotting and otter spying.

- It's meals and games around the round table my grandpa made.

- It's coming home with (much) more food than we brought up.

About 21 weeks pregnant. Perhaps I'll just do baby bump pictures up North. =)

Pregnancy: 20 weeks

After he woke me up barking, Loki has decided to redeem himself by being all cute and snuggly on the couch next to me and I just can't bring myself to get up and do the housework that is waiting - not just yet at least.  So...

This week marks the half way point of my pregnancy and that's pretty hard to believe. We had our ultrasound last week and the baby looks healthy. Baby was active and moving around quite a bit.  For those of you wondering, Christopher knows the gender but I do not as he wants to know and I don't. I know that may not work for most couples but we think it will work well for us. So far so good anyway! You can try to get it out of him -- I think he'll be a vault! In fact, if I wasn't going to deliver this baby in a couple of months, I don't think I'd ever know what it is. =)

sucking it's thumb

Lots of people want to know how I'm feeling and I've been feeling fine. The first few months were a little rough but nothing horrible and after about 16 weeks, both the nausea and the extreme tiredness were gone.

We have several fun things planned for the summer and I think time will just fly by til October when we get to meet him or her.  My due date and maternity leave correlates well with the fall semester when Christopher will teach a couple of classes as an adjunct at Marquette as I'll (hopefully) be off the entire semester.  I'm going back to work part time after my leave and I am very excited and grateful to be able to work less. I'll probably stay on night shifts and we'll see how that works for us.

So we are slowly accumulating baby things and are coming to grasp with the fact that we'll be taking care of a tiny human in a little over four months!

There is grace enough for every day

{I probably should have posted this several weeks ago when I wrote it but I didn't ...}

There is grace enough for every day

When flags across the country fly at half mass and first responders make the ultimate sacrifice,

there is grace enough for those days

When three abused children die in a house fire in Milwaukee (an small news story which tugged at my heart) and the earth moves in China,

there is grace enough for those days

 When my husband yields his desires to my own and when we exchange hurtful words and ask for forgiveness,

there is grace enough for those days

Sometimes knowing grace is easy - in the embrace of good friends, in a warm dog sleeping on my lap or in the tulips that unexpectedly break through the soil. 

And sometimes knowing grace is hard - when people grieve, when children die.

But the grace given is never-ending. It is as simple as it is complex. As overt as it is hidden. 

Our job is to not discount that grace; to only see it when it comes easy. 

Acknowledging grace is a form of worship, giving thanks for what comes.

There is grace enough for every day ... sometimes you just have to look for it. 

Projects! and some flowers, 'cuz we all need a little Spring!

I am happy to have finished some crafty projects:

This winter took a mitten class at a yarn shop and I'm super happy with how these turned out! They were a gift for my mom and they fit her perfectly. It was the first time I had any formal knitting instruction and I was so excited after each class about all the I had learned. I hope to take a sock class next!

I also finished and bought - thanks to a rocking deal from zulilly - a photo book for 2012. (There's no picture because I can't seem to find it in blogger's options from iPhoto.) Since we don't take tons of pictures, for now, we've been documenting our years in photo books and that has worked for us.

 Homemade laundry soap -- we bought a new washer (!!). Does anyone know if homemade laundry soap works in HE washers? Peanut Butter. After two failed attempts, I've found a good "recipe" for making my own peanut butter. And Loki underneath our thyme and oregano plants, just because he's cute!

And some pics from around Bay View: Church steeples against gray skies and geese walking on ice (taken last week when there was ice on the little pond).

And, as promised, some flowers from our recent trip to the Domes.

 And the flowers that have graced our table for a couple of weeks -- thanks Mom and Dad B!

This is real life ... also known as "my string of random thoughts."

I've worked a sting of night shifts this week with some overtime thrown in for good measure and the end result is that I can't sleep. The other results are a mostly messy house, no fresh food in our fridge, and a dog has spent much of the week sleeping next to me and not enough time on adventures spending energy.

Today after I woke up I remembered that Christopher had a friend over last night. Before I could let myself be embarrassed by the pile of mail mixed with dried flower petals taking over the dining room table or the remnants of our trip to MN last weekend still in the hallway I told myself that our friend is kind and wouldn't judge me based on the general disarray of my household. Then I walked into the bathroom and saw my under-things on the floor not at all hidden by my pajamas. I told Chris that I wished I hadn't left my bra and underwear on the floor for Nathan to see and that even though he's seen women's things before, he hasn't seen mine. Chris replied "now he has." Yes, yes he has.

We went to a gala tonight. Christopher is giving a couple of lectures at an Episcopal church in association with an Icon exhibit. I had never been to a gala before so we got dressed up, picked up our friend and milled around a beautiful, old Episcopal church looking at some contemporary and traditional icons. In my imagination, the gala was a front for a spy who comes into the event dressed as wait staff and then, in the elevator, takes off his top layer to reveal a tuxedo and breaks into a super secret, highly guarded vault to steal a device that could destroy the world from the bad guys. Isn't that what you think of when you hear the word "gala"?

After a few weeks of debate about our housing situation, we decided to stay put in our little rental for a while longer (hopefully the duration of our time in Milwaukee). We briefly looked at some houses to buy and realized that owning our own home will likely have to wait a few more years. And I added some criterion onto my previously blank list for our dream house to include: hardwood floors, a claw foot tub, an open staircase and a yard big enough for a nice garden and a chicken coup. Pretty much I want an old farm house. Do you think I can be a farm wife if my husband is a theologian/professor? Oh, and I'll add some kids running around barefoot and in overalls, please and thank you.

Speaking of kids ... (if you are still reading - and don't already know - you deserve this) ... we are going to be expanding our little family in the fall. Little Brenna (also known as "Amoeba" around here) will be joining us in October! More on that later ... =)

Five Minute Friday (on Wednesday): Cherished

I'm linking up again with the Gypsy Mama's Five Minute Friday ... finding some inspiration from my weekend.

Cherished ... 

The name on my place card says Brenna ... the only Brenna in a sea full of Schumanns. Even though my name is no longer the same as there's, I know my place is with them. And even though the one who gave me that name isn't here to dance with, I know my place is with him. 

He sends me six (SIX!) pictures of the dog while I'm gone ... and I look at them all multiple times. When I get home, he barely leaves my lap (in fact, he's sitting with me right now). 

Being cherished can mean different things. It can be family that generously and lovingly helps to make a trip possible. It can be beef stew for dinner and cookies after a day of travel. It can be game night with friends that is comfortable and encouraging. 


In fact, being cherished can also be an act of gratitude; recognizing the acts of service and offering thanksgiving for them. 

cousins...

seriously happy to spend some time with him!

Project #1: Picture Coasters

This post could also be titled "How to NOT use Mod Podge." 

or 

"How to remove glue (from a hot glue gun) from wood."

My first attempt was unsuccessful. And as these were supposed to be a Christmas gift for my Dad, that was a little frustrating. 

So I picked up another map from a rest stop on the drive home from MN and finished these last week.

And, even though this project was from last year, I am counting it for my 12 projects for 2013.

the front of our coaster

the back of our coaster - Milwaukee

work hard, play hard

In the last six days I worked 60 hours of night shift. (For you non-nursing friends, that means five 12 hour shifts with a day off somewhere in the middle.) Christopher cooked and cleaned as I did my level best simply to take the dog for a short walk each day.

At work though, where I usually just do my job and clock out, I finished up a small project (on how to swab for influenza), did some staff education on another project (about difficult airways) that I've gotten involved in and completed several mandatory on-line modules with names like "Emergent Gastrointestinal Disorders" and "Integument Disorders." Yep ... riveting. In fact, I brought home my notes on "Pediatric Emergencies, Part II" thinking that I would finish it at home. 

Holy over-achiever Batman!

But that is not meant to be. 

Because I'm leaving for Arizona in about an hour to join my family for my cousin's wedding on Saturday. I'm leaving Christopher and Loki and single digit temperatures to spend three days in seventy degree Tempe with a bunch of people that I love. Truth be told, I am the most excited that both my brothers will be there. How is it that we live so far away that we have to fly to AZ to spend a weekend together?!? When did we all grow up?

So, here's to a bunch of work hours that allows me to take a long weekend without PTO and to celebrating with family down South where it is warm. 

Hope you have a nice weekend, whatever it bring you!

Five Minute Friday: Dive

Two posts in one night?!? Linking up over here with the Gypsy Mama.

Dive {Start 0112}

Several years ago we were merely acquaintances with out a clue about how our lives would intertwine. We were both invited to a friend's cabin. It was summer but the night we decided to go swimming, the water was cold.

I dove under the calm/freezing water, not knowing that I was really diving into a relationship that would shape my life.

And afterwards, we sat on the end of the pier, each wrapped up in a towel, looking at the stars. We sat there til we couldn't feel our toes and our breath turned to steam. We sat there long enough to know that we both wanted more.

{Stop 0117}

Happy {almost} three years, baby! 

Goal wrap-up

My 2012 Goals: 
Make bread. Yep, I did this well and will continue to make bread. My favorite recipe is this one for sandwich bread.

Make a quilt. Nope, this didn't happen. Maybe I'll try again this year....

Have one internet free evening a week and one internet free day a month. This worked out great as long as I could remember to do it. Writing "internet free day" on my google calendar wasn't all that helpful since my reminder was on-line. I will continue this during this year with a paper reminder system.

Increase our giving. Check, did this.

Continue our "state of the union" weekly updates. We did this about 50% of the time in some form. It is really important for us.

Research CSAs and hopefully find a good fit for us. Done and done. I LOVED our CSA and we did well at cooking all the veggies. We may look for a farm that has a work share as Christopher is interested in working at a farm in exchange for our boxes. (Hopefully I'll tag along a few days but we think it would be too big of a commitment for me to do the whole thing.)

Finish memorizing Colossians. This did not happen. Will try again this year.

Be more intentional about building relationships. While this is a really vague goal, I think I did what I intended to do. 

2013 Goals: 
Record all credit card purchases. Per my husband's request as sorting out the budget is pretty difficult when the item simply says "Amazon" -- gift? household? misc? 

Plant and tend a vegetable garden. It doesn't have to big or grand ... just a garden.

Finish memorizing Colossians. I will try this one. more. year. 

Complete 12 projects, one each month. Finding and scheduling time to be creative is important and reflects positively on the rest of my life. 

Find a cleaning schedule that works for us. Working random days does not lend itself to consistent ... well, anything. Cleaning usually gets dropped off the list first although I know there is enough time in my week to clean, I just choose to do something else instead. 

Begin using a daily planner. I'm going to try this one first.  This does include a place for a gratitude journal also which will be a nice practice to start up again. 

Read a book a month. Specifically read the Chronicles of Narnia series and a book or two by Wendell Berry (any suggestions about where to start?). 

There you have it.