I was searching Ali Edwards' blog for some creative inspiration and I came across her Weekend Creative series she did quite a few years ago. I took pages of notes of ideas for some creative endeavors. One weekend she began a list she called 'the little & big list'. The prompt was to make a list of the little and big things that were a part of your year. The originator of the idea used her birthday age as how long the list would be.
Because I just recently turned 50 (I mean - 54) I thought I'd compile a list of the lovely, little, big, and the hard things that were my life this past year. The memorable, the challenging, the inspiring, those things that changed me, grew me.
It's a lovely little (long) list of the amazing, the best, and the good (and a few not-so-good ones, too).
1. a year long endeavor to give more - from the heart, with my 52 Weeks of Giving project.
2. began sponsoring a child, a little girl named Karellys, in Ecuador through Compassion International.
3. participated in a reading challenge (Modern Mrs. Darcy's 2017 Reading Challenge), however as of today I didn't quite finish.
4. read 91 fiction and non-fiction books (goal is 100 by the end of the year). I have no doubt I will accomplish this goal.
5. re-decorated my bedroom
6. teaching a homeschooled student meteorology
7. participated in a pistol safety course and loved the challenge so much we are making it a hobby
8. ate homemade roasted red pepper sauce for the first time - amazing!
9. completed a Bible study on the book of Esther with my daughter Ashley
10. had my first car accident, on Easter morning no less; tons of damage to my truck but no one hurt bad; stunned, yes; sore, most definitely
11. grew my mug collection to almost filling two mug trees
12. a GED homework coach for an adult studying for her GED
13. watched the sun rise and the sun set over the St John's River
14. saw Charlie Daniels strum his fiddle in concert
15. had a short but wonderful visit by Melanie and the kids
16. spent an early evening strolling through a big cat sanctuary and watching them feed
17. my left foot turned black from a side effect to a medication
18. my rheumatoid arthritis went into remission
19. completed a Whole 30 successfully
20. lost 26 pounds
21. began eating salads-in-a-jar
22. sat on my new front porch and read a book; stood on my new front porch and greeted my husband home
23. installed ledge book shelves for my grandkids
24. celebrated my 23rd wedding anniversary
25. had all four of my kids and all five of my grandkids under one roof at one time - glorious. And, loud. And, fun.
26. survived Hurricane Irma with only minor flooding
27. bought a new leather couch. Ours was only 20+ years old.
28. lingered in the botanical gardens of the Riverbanks Zoo
29. made a weekend trip to Ashley's
30. burned a yummy new candle, Iced Vanilla Woods, from Bath and Body Works
31. bought and wrapped 24 Christmas books for my daughter's kids and new Christmas tradition - Advent Christmas books
32. scrapbooked 165 pages (stories)
33. made 9 new recipes to share with the family
34. ate breakfast at this really awesome diner in Jacksonville and rejoiced when they opened a store in Pooler
35. removed all soda's from my diet
36. fell for a new-to-me author, Louise Penny, and her Chief Inspector Gamache series.
37. watched my grandson Noah dance in the rain
38. handmade a Yahtzee game
39. devoured a delicious, yummy, yet healthy snack: sliced banana, unsweetened applesauce, cinnamon.
40. baked the most amazing, decadent southern caramel cake and secretly smiled when there was more than half a cake left after sharing.
41. binge watched way to many shows to name them; ok, here are a few: Madam Secretary, Blue Bloods, Stargate SG-1, Merlin, Dowton Abbey, The West Wing...
42. created two new slider recipes; both were the bomb!
43. added two J.D. Robb books to my collection bringing the total in the series to 47 - that I own.
44. carry this way cool cognac-colored leather messenger bag
45. stayed in the lodge at Amicalola Falls and State Park with a gorgeous view of the Blue Ridge Mountains
46. had family movie and homemade pizza night 9 times
47. become a clothes horse, shamelessly
48. listened to Jeff read to his grandsons the Monster at the End of the Book - in character
49. learned from my primary care provider that Tramadol with Tylenol works better than simply Tramadol for pain; a life changing truth
50. learned how to spiralize and cook spiralized zucchini
51. lived out my One Little Word - Nourish; nourished a heart of giving, nourished relationships, nourished a heart of gratitude, nourished a physical life by eating better via Whole 30 and cleaner eating and losing weight, nourished my spiritual life through multiple Bible studies and nourished creativity through the stories I've told and the crafts I've made.
52. hosted Thanksgiving in our home for the first time ever with family coming in from out of town.
53. figured life out with Jeff working out of town for the past 6 months during the week and only coming home on weekends.