One…

I can’t even believe it, and yet- I absolutely can… 
Another month, another year. Fresh start. Fresh breath. 
Beginning… 
While I feel content, mostly… Perhaps not as much as i would hope but far more than i was before- i find fingers crossed and hopes high at this thing known as january one. 
first… first of something. 
first of everything. 
one. number one month, number one day to this newness that is not really anything very new at all- except for a clean calendar slate and well- let’s face it- we all know what the Mayans said about that… 
Leave it to me to get my junk figured out right before the timer dings… 
Oh well.
I don’t really subscribe to that anyway… 
Me– 
– I want, no scratch that… i NEED to read at least two books for me. Work aside… for me. I am a better me, a better woman and a far better writer when I read. 
– I need to create. i have a list of paper projects, gift projects and a few slightly more daring furniture projects to work towards. Wish me luck? 
– I plan to see. See the world through the lens of my canon. See films. See people. See life. 
– live life. 
– breathe. Through affirmations. through prayer. through yoga. through calming. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. {Please remind me, should I need it.} 
– and of course- the obvious: WRITE. I must write. there is no “like to” or option here. 
Capture– 
– bowls of soup
– new drink and the year’s first book
– icicles
– winter bundled children
– Kaileigh’s bday
– the tree
– Chw’s smooth newness
– our first meal, this year, as a family
– first snow of the year. (one way, or another)
– snuggles
Us– 
– back to educating… Bittersweet. I’ll look to sweet. I am blessed. I choose cherish. 
– We’ll think on Ecology and Conservation. 
– We’ll strive to manage. Manage time. Manage Money. Manage Goals and possessions. 
– We are starting a new allowance system. I’m excited. Gen’s excited. We’re all excited really. 
– Weekend away. 
– Family dinners. Conversing. Love. Support. 
– We delve into classic literature, again, together. 
– We step out and make friends. We try new things. We journey. We cherish. We breathe. {Must continue remembering…}
– focus locally. local shops. local restaurants. businesses owned by people, who work in love for real people. 
– community. outreach. volunteer. serve. 
Heart– 
– i forgive. Me. Others. Life. 2011. Me. Me. Me… Always me, me who damages the most. 
– breathe. 
– pray. 
– read. 
– love. 
– community. outreach. volunteer. serve. {rinse and repeat…}
– sleep. 
Home– 
– organize for schooling. Creative, practical and simple spaces. 
– stock up our tea supply. We’ve dwindled it down. 
– discard the excessive. 
– restock and organize pantry for better feeding of loved family.
– dance in the kitchen, laugh at the table. We need this, everyday. 
– cook together. 
– loosen the kitchen reins. 
Health
– no soda. none. I’ve done it before. I’m doing this again. 
– cut back on wheat. a lot. 
– swim. 
– move. move in ways which help me love myself, not in ways in which I dread. 
– sleep. 
– breathe. {this is feeling repetitive.}
Love– 
– hold hands. 
– respect him. Consciously. Authentically. 
– kiss. 
– cook for him. 
– fold his socks. {which i hate to do.} 
– date him, and when we are dating- see him genuinely. 
– listen to him. 
– listen to him breathe. 
– recognize, remember and respect that he needs him time too. not for work, not with us in tow. 
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Why hello, twenty-twelve…

Not much of a fan of resolutions, I do like to give each year a theme and make a list of goals. {2009 was Simplicity, 2010 was Happiness, 2011 was living Authentically…} 
If you’ve been reading here long, it probably won’t surprise you that my theme for 2012 is: 
Health
By health, of course, I mean body/spirit/mind/relationships… 
After spending an entire week off, with Chw and the girls (granted, Amanda had to work, but I didn’t- which was my point) i’ve been thinking a lot about my goals in the year to come. With one girl heading off for training  education and adventure- and another one entering her teens- 2012 is sure to be a WILD ride of a year… 
Me and my health
– Cut back on wheat significantly, if not entirely. 
– Be more proactive with my naturopath. 
– lose at least one pound per week. 
Personal
– read, at least, one book a month FOR ME… 
– spend quiet/personal/devotional time, daily. 
– learn new things. 
– proceed fearlessly. 
– act intentionally, in everything. 
Professional
– Put an ending to Liar, and edit it. 
– QUERY!!!
– Attend a Writer’s Conference. 
– Be more disciplined about clearly dividing my work-at-home time and my home time. 
Financial
– Pay down debt significantly. 
– Increase my contributions. 
– Give more, and regularly. 
– Spend more thoughtfully/justifiably. 
Marital
– Plan with, dream with, talk with, pray with Chw- weekly. 
– Retreat, for a weekend, over both anniversaries. (April and November) 
– Conscience, constant efforts to respect him. 
As a Mother
– laugh with. 
– pray for.
– once again, educate.
– make effort to bridge the distance gaps. 
– make the in-present moments matter. 
As for hopes, I really hope that 2012 holds- 
– a book deal, (of course)!
– a vacation. 
– time with all three of my kids, together, in one location. 
– 365 days of everyone in my family remaining safe in body, heart and mind.
– less hardship and struggles than the last 3 years have held, for our family and extended family.
Do you have goals, hopes and plans for the new year? 
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What I have read, and loved…

Between being a wife, a mom, sick for the second half of the year and staying pretty busy with freelancing and reading for work- I didn’t have a lot of personal time for reading… When I did find time, {like over the summer when I read some really horrible books for books club} I often found myself disappointed. This is my (sadly small) list of books that I loved this year… 

Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington {novel}

One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp {memoir/Christian}

Dash and Lily’s book of dares by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow

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The Magic Room…

I was compensated for this BlogHer book club review, but the views expressed are all my own… 

The Magic Room is tucked into the second floor of a small town Michigan bridal boutique known as Becker’s Bridal. Once a bride-to-be has found the dress she loves, she is escorted to this room that is aesthetically designed to help her feel her most beautiful… 
It’s a lovely idea, this Magic Room, and it is the intended subject of Jeffrey Zaslow’s latest book, of the same title. Reading, at first, like a compilation of various news interviews and columns, what the Magic Room becomes is a story about life and living. From the personal and heart breaking stories of the six Becker brides he focus’s on, or the family tale of the Beckers themselves- the constant underlying theme to Jeffrey’s latest work is life. Somehow he manages to captures the perspectives of every person he mentions, in a way that is not at all unfocused, even though it seems like it would be. 
The early consumer reviews for the Magic Room don’t seem very favorable. I tried not to let that little Amazon star rating affect my perspective as I sat down and cracked the cover. I am really glad I didn’t because I fell deeply in love with this book. Perhaps I read it the way it’s author intended it- or maybe I got something different. I don’t know. I laughed with the funny, radiated a bit with the proud and beautiful and cried on multiple occasions with the heart ache. By the time I closed that back cover, I felt like I’d made 8 new friends and I knew that I wanted my daughter’s donning dresses from Becker’s Bridal- whenever their special days occurred… 
The Magic Room is a beautiful story for mothers. It is a beautiful book for daughters. It is poetry written in real life and circumstance. It taught me more in the afternoon that I read it, than I have learned from a book in a really long time. I am really looking forward to sharing this book with you, and engaging in the weeks of discussions ahead… 
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Twenty Five…

For seven days this blog has been blank. 
For seven days i have played and have loved. 
I’ve no excuse for such absence so to help you feel included- 
snippets and tidbits of 25 Wagner Christmas moments… 
1} Genny’s peppermint truffles… 

 2} Amazing hot cocoa stirrers…

 3} An array of homemade barks. {pictured is chocolate mint}

 4} Snacks, and pumpkin chocolate chip bread…

 5} Twirling in the kitchen at…

 6} An impromptu Genny “hosted” kid little kid party..
 7} With homemade pizza…

 8} And delicious, real milk cocoa… {face paint optional}

 9} Toys exploding everywhere…

 10} a beyond amazing Ray Charles impersonator!

 11} Wild and Crazy Genny led games. {Nearly neck breaking, literally, at times!}

 12} Somehow making glittery leg warmers seem ultra bad ass…

 13} Silly photo moments…

 14} Super cute adorableness…

 15} Forced puppy snuggling…

 16} Patiently waiting for friends to stop by on Christmas Eve so we could open gifts…

 17} Present time finally arriving…

18} Christmas morning pretty… 

19} Christmas morning stockings… 

 20} The only thing I asked for… {and SWOON!}

 21} Christmas brunch, (sadly, unphotographed) 
 22} Family tradition of seeing a movie… We saw this: 
WE LOVED IT!!!!! 

 23} Christmas afternoon sleeping beauties… {Note the pepsi can}

 {She counts… she just woke up. Ultra grumpy. Plus she’s in a 
sleeping beauty dress, so there.}
 So, remember the Pepsi can? She moved, Pepsi did not spill BUT 
Genny took it from her, and her hand stayed just as though 
she were still holding it. 
That Amanda, she’s cute… 

 24} Major quality togetherness… {Can you believe Ky and Gen are less than a year apart???}

 25} New pajamas all around…

 AND ADDED BONUS:
A new bike!

So, how was your Christmas? 
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