Final post for 2011…. Happy New Year!

Since I have to work tomorrow (New Year’s Eve) I decided it was time to do my final post of the year tonight.  Yes, I should (Lord willing) get home shortly after 9pm, but it’s probable that I won’t want to write in the blog after a long day at work, so, tonight’s the night!

Last year I had every intention to “go through every cupboard, closet, and dusty box in the garage” in an effort to DE-clutter my home.  I planned to give away everything I didn’t truly love or need.  Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn’t get through every single drawer, closet, and dusty box.  I did get through a fair amount of my stuff and we did actually give away quite a few bags and boxes of stuff.  It truly DOES feel great to de-clutter, and I will once again make it a priority in 2012 to finish the job, yet undone.

I mentioned briefly last year that I hoped to lose some weight – for lots of reasons.  Highest on my list was to help my “broken” hip.  Well, I did lose some weight and am happy to report that this New Year’s Eve I weigh 13 pounds less than I did last year at this time.  Okay, it’s not great and I did gain back some of the weight I managed to lose, but it’s all okay.  I will start again at the turn of the year, and maybe next year I can report similar progress.

Next year we have a major event in store!  The birth of our long awaited, dreamed for, hoped for, prayed for, grandbabies!  They are due in early May, but realistically we know they will arrive sooner.  I am praying that they will make it into April… the neonatal nurse in me knows WAAYYY too much about “what could happen” and I try very hard NOT to dwell on any of that.  Yesterday I went out into the garage, into my craft cupboard and found a cross stitch sampler I started when my youngest (now 33) was a baby.  I don’t quite remember just why I didn’t finish it, but now I have MAJOR motivation.  Here’s a snapshot of it, taken yesterday. Oh yeah, there’s another goal for next year!  Get this adorable sampler done and ready to hang!

I’m also going to go back to putting my book reviews under the “Books 2012″ tab at the top of the page.  I have a feeling that with the grandbabies (yup, a boy and a girl!) coming next year, that I will have lots and lots to put in the main section of the blog.

I’ve decided to get involved in a “reading challenge” also this coming year!  It’s called the “Historical Fiction Challenge 2012″.  I’ll be trying to read under Level Two – “Undoubtedly Obsessed” where I’ll be striving to read 15 historical books this year.  I think I’ll manage it, although believe it or not, I DO read more than just historical stuff, although it’s definitely my “go-to” genre.

I also have one final book review for this year.  Recently I finished reading a book on my phone.  Yep. I took advantage of the free Kindle app and it took me a year, but I finished it!  It was called “I Still Dream About You” by Fannie Flagg.  Her books are easy to follow… even though it would sometimes be days or weeks before I’d pick it up again.  I really enjoyed the book and will most definitely read more by her in the future! Well, that’s about it for my end of the year post.  As always, I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and wonderful new year 2012.  Stay tuned for frequent Twin updates… as well as much, much more!!

Books and babies

Here we are, nearly done with 2011.  Amazing.  I could write a novel about this past year, but I’ll spare my readers the ramblings – and cut to the chase!  By now you all know that Son #2 and Dear DIL are expecting twins, through the miracle and generosity of embryo adoption. Here are the two most recent baby bump photos:

Yesterday we found out the gender of the babies.  I was overjoyed to learn that we are having……. ONE OF EACH!  A boy AND a girl!!  Awesome!  Brilliant!  Can you tell I’m ecstatic?  Shoot, I would have been happy with two girls or two boys… but there is just something particularly lovely about having one of each.  We are all smiles here, that’s for sure.  And grateful.  And thankful.

Now for my end of year book reviews.  They will be short, they will be sweet.  Maybe not so sweet.  Here are the three books I finished recently:

This was the fourth or possibly the fifth in the “Irish Country Doctor” series by Patrick Taylor.  I have thoroughly enjoyed EVERY SINGLE ONE of these books.  I have listened to EVERY SINGLE ONE on CD and absolutely adore the reader/narrator.  This volume actually got specific in describing a few medical situations and of course I ate that stuff up.  Non-medical people might not be as thrilled as I was to read all those details.  I splurged and pre-ordered this one from Amazon.com.  Sure hope that the author, Dr Patrick Taylor (who now lives in Canada) will be coming out with another one VERY soon!

The Winthrop Woman, by Anya Seton… my first book by this beloved historical author.  This novel was written in the mid 1950′s and is set in both England and the New England (American) Colonies in the early 1600′s.  I enjoyed it very much, although it took me nearly forever to finish it.  I don’t often read books of this era, so a lot of the events and circumstances were fairly new to me.  Ahhhh, another reason I DO love reading historical books — I learn so much from them!  Okay, I said I’d keep this section “short and sweet”, so let’s move on to my final novel of the year….

Say When, by Elizabeth Berg.  Oh good heavens…. when will I learn?  I have read at least 3 Berg novels this year and none impressed me.  I guess I keep remembering some of her previous books that really WERE excellent.  Well, this one wasn’t.  I still do not understand the fantastic ratings most of her books receive on Amazon.  Maybe the women who read them and truly love them are lacking a few brain cells?  Well this was another novel that really lacked substance.  I most certainly DO NOT recommend this one…. it’s all about a couple who have been married 12 years (or thereabouts) and have a 6 yr old daughter…. the wife falls out of love with hubby, falls IN love with her local auto mechanic (lame!) and essentially how they break up and then make up.  End of story.  Blah.

I do plan to try and do one more post this year…. one that will briefly address my plans/goals (I refuse to use the word “resolution”) for next year… as well as a brief report on how I did with last year’s “plans and goals”!

Christmas and more….

I love the thought of an “old fashioned Christmas”… something sort of depicted on the picture here.  Do you have snow at your house?  We don’t.  I wouldn’t mind having about a foot of it arrive on Christmas Eve, and then depart on Boxing Day.  Have you ever been on a sleigh ride?  I haven’t.  I’d sure love to do that “someday” before I’m too old and would complain too much about being cold to enjoy it!  Have you put up all your Christmas decorations, got your home looking all cozy and Christmasy?  Not here.  Lots of reasons, but nope, it’s not done.  Every year I consider NOT doing it.  I highly doubt this will be my “year off” from decorating, but I’m sure not rushing into it.  Have you been baking cookies, making special candy, fudge, and treats?  These are all traditions from my own childhood… great memories of my mom in the kitchen EVERY day in December, baking something different,  making delicious homemade fudge, – and my dad’s favorite – penuche.  Well, I’ve thought about it, but haven’t baked a thing.  Got all your Christmas cards in the mail?  Not me.  I haven’t sent out one card.  Not one.  This is highly unusual for me, as I really DO love writing and receiving cards every year.  Have you got all your gifts purchased and wrapped?  Not done here.  Yes, I’ve got some stuff but I haven’t wrapped a thing.  Not one thing.   Don’t ask me why I have been dragging my feet all the way to Christmas this year.  My reasons are as lengthy as my husband’s long list of “Why I Won’t Eat Chicken”.   I’m hoping the spirit of the season hits me good and hard… and SOON!   We have all sorts of family members coming over next week ~ people who expect and DESERVE a merry Christmas family event.  I hope I can get in the mood, quick-like.

Time for another twin update!  Here are a photos from the past three weeks:

Still no word on the genders of the babies.  We will find out on December 27th after the next ultrasound.  I think it’s an understatement to say that we are all super excited to find out!  Tomorrow my dear daughter in law will be 20 weeks/5 months pregnant!  I’ll post that photo soon, and not wait for three weeks to show it.  I can barely put into words how happy we are, and thankful too that this has been a good pregnancy for her.  We are more than halfway there now… hoping the babies will wait to arrive until at least 37 weeks.   Be watching for gender announcement, coming in less than two weeks!!