The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 12

Today marks the final day of The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge. I'm happy that I took the time to do this challenge and reflect each day on the questions posed.

On this twelfth day, the prompt focuses on the 12 Goals for 2017; or what you want to achieve throughout the year ahead.

Appearance
- Revamp my wardrobe by donating clothes that I no longer wear, and getting clothes that fit well and that I enjoy wearing.

Entertainment
- Continue to watch American Film Institute's Top 100 Funny Movies.

Financial
- Do a Financial Fast once per quarter.
- Build retirement accounts.

Friendship
- Do a crafting club – either work on an existing project, do a Pinterest project, or crafting with a purpose (e.g., for children living at Pine Ridge Reservation).

Hobbies
- Learn more crochet stitches.
- Try at least one new recipe per week.

Homeschooling
- Go on field trips twice a month.

Take a 365-Day Challenge
- Do some form of spiritual practice for 20 minutes a day, every day for a year.

Travel – Domestic
- Explore Arizona and Colorado, with brief visits to Utah and New Mexico. See the Four Corners (where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet) and the Grand Canyon as well as many National Parks along the way.

Volunteer
- Expand the ways that I volunteer at Northwoods Humane Society.

Writing
- Complete the 52 Weeks of Baking cookbook that I began many years ago, but never finished. All the recipes are done and photos are taken. It just needs to be formatted and printed.

These are only 12 of many goals that I would like to work on this year. I truly want to see 2016 be a year of completion and of reaching goals that I have set in the past, but never have done.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 11

For The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge, I'm on the eleventh prompt: "11 Memories From Christmastide Throughout Your Life."

The guiding thought is: "This time of year is often seen as one of reflection, so why not spend a few moments reflecting on your life so far and share eleven memories that occurred at some point during the various twelve days of Christmas you’ve lived through so far."

I looked back on photos I've taken throughout the years and put them in order by the December date (not the date of the year).

December 25, 2010 - Olivia, who is 7 years old, is being watched by Lucy. Every year, Olivia wakes up early on Christmas Day; and she and I open the gifts in our stockings. Often times, the pets are right by us curious as to what is in the wrapped packages.

December 26, 2011 - The girls enjoyed playing with their new toys and doing the hands-on activities of science kits they received. Here Olivia is using a hammer and chisel to reveal gems. Even though she was wearing glasses, she put the safety glasses on "just in case" something happened.

December 27, 2009 - Belated Christmas Dinner. There was a major snowstorm on Christmas Eve and morning that prevented us from leaving our farm on Christmas Day 2009. We spent the day shoveling out on the 25th and 26th; and Sophia, Olivia, and I were able to spend a nice belated Christmas with my parents and brother.

December 28, 2014 - Olivia decided it was time to cut her hair. Off came more than eight inches which was donated to Children with Hair Loss.

December 29, 2015 - Our 4-H club did a special multi-week program at the nursing home where the girls and I volunteer. The picture below is of Emily - who was 98 years old. She was an accomplished sewer and teacher. It was a joy to know her, and she always had a good story to share about her life. We learned so much from her during the time we knew her. She died on October 17, 2016. It was a loss for us all.

December 30, 2008 - Sophia's 8th Birthday. She wanted to be surprised about what her birthday cake looked like. So, in addition it to be hidden during the day, she wanted to be blindfolded as it came out. I'm not sure what we used for a blindfold...a napkin? A placemat? A piece of fabric? At any rate, it looks like we tied it with twine.

She had her favorite unicorn mug . The placemats we were using were actually napkins my mom made when she and my dad visited us when we were living in Charlotte, North Carolina.

There were fabric mills or outlets that we visited. You could purchase fabric quite inexpensively. It was fun to pick a bunch out and then have my mom (who enjoyed sewing) create tablecloths and matching napkins for our first apartment/home.

December 31, 2012 - Eagle in the front oak tree. This was a significant and meaningful bird to see on this particular day. It was the one-year anniversary of when I visited both my parents - my mom was in the hospital and my dad was in the nursing home.

Little did I know that the following day, I would be called by the nursing home to come in to visit. It looked like my dad was not doing well and wouldn't make it through the evening. It ended up that I stayed there for 3 1/2 more days until he died.

Seeing the eagle reminded me of one of my parents' favorite songs at church (On Eagle's Wings) and one of the songs we played at their 25th wedding anniversary (Wind Beneath My Wings).

January 1, 2013 - Annual Chinese dinner on New Year's Day at our favorite Chinese restaurant. We have gone out to eat at a Chinese restaurant on January 1st since we lived in San Francisco. It became a tradition that we have done each year since then (with the exception of 2012 when I was at the nursing home with my dad).

One of the things we encourage one another to do is to try one new thing that we haven't eaten before....or at least haven't eaten at that particular restaurant.

January 2, 2012 - My dad was dying on this day in 2012. I was by his bedside from January 1st through January 5th when he died. Family members and friends visited during this time period. We were with him around the clock to make sure he received the care he needed and that he was not alone.

January 3, 2011 - Crafting after New Year's Day. There's some time to relax and take it easy the first week of January. One year we made beeswax ornaments to hang in the window. They smelled so good and the sun illuminated the patterns of the ornaments which was beautiful to see each day...especially during cold winter days.

January 4, 2011. One of many meals that the girls ate at the granite table. It was a lower table so that Olivia's feet could reach the floor. It also was a suitable table at the time because we had dogs who were respectful of the food on the table and didn't try to take some for themselves.

When Olivia grew taller and we got a dog who was a bit too curious around meal time, we switched to the wood table.

I'm not sure why I took this picture. Perhaps it was because one of the girls made a new recipe for a homeschool project.

At any rate, it documents an ordinary day in our lives. Sometimes those ordinary days are just as enjoyable as the special days. It gives us time to connect as a family and relax.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 10 - Books to Read in 2017

This is the final stretch of The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge. For today's theme it is "10 Books You'd Like to Read in 2017."

The prompt says, "Maybe you’re itching to read an upcoming release or catch up on some literary classics. Whatever books you’re looking forward to reading, why not share them so others can add them to their list of books to read next year?"

Looking at my Goodreads list, I would like to start with these ten books:

- Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea by Steven Callahan (Done - January 17, 2017. Reviewed HERE.)
- The Art of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn (Done - March 14, 2017. Reviewed HERE.)
- The Creativity and Camaraderie Club Handbook: Have More Fun, Live More Wholeheartedly, Encourage Each Other by Mary Reilly Mathews
-Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Done - February 3, 2017. Reviewed HERE.)
- The Feast Nearby: How I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather (Done - January 25, 2017. Reviewed HERE.)
- Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal by Rachel Naomi Remen
- Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving by Lorilee Craker (Done - March 8, 2017. Reviewed HERE.)
- Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
- Recipes For A Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles by Rivvy Neshama
- Simple Food for the Good Life: Random Acts of Cooking & Pithy Quotations by Helen Nearing

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 9

Continuing with The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge, the focus today is 9 Places You'd Like to Visit in 2017.

The prompt says: "Take a moment in this hectic period to forget about your credit card statement and financial situation. If money were no object – where would you like to visit during the oncoming year."

I'd like to work on the goals on my Bucket List that focus on domestic travel. There are a few that I plan to do since Olivia and I will be accompanying Sophia on a trip she won to attend a leadership camp this summer in Arizona.

So, if all goes as planned, I'll like to be able to travel and see these items on my Bucket List:

- See the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
- Stand at Four Corners (where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet). Found out you need a permit to visit Four Corners since it is on Navajo land.

Although not on my original list, I'd like to be able to see these National Parks since we'll be relatively close to them because of the location of Sophia's camp that's 1 1/2 hours from Tucson:

- Saguaro (Tucson, AZ): According to the National Park Service, "Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset."

- Tumacácori (Tumacácori, AZ) - The NPS describes it as sitting "...at a cultural crossroads in the Santa Cruz River valley. Here O’odham, Yaqui, and Apache people met and mingled with European Jesuit and Franciscan missionaries, settlers, and soldiers, sometimes in conflict and sometimes in cooperation. Follow the timeworn paths and discover stories that connect us to enduring relationships, vibrant cultures, and traditions of long ago."

- Coronado (Hereford, AZ) - The NPS describes this park: "It was a journey of conquest filled with exploration, wonder - and cruelty. Inspired by tales of vast cities of gold, 339 European soldiers and over 1000 Aztec allies embarked on an epic journey through arid deserts and rugged mountains. They brought rich traditions and new technology into the region, irrevocably changing the lives of native peoples and continuing to influence the area today."
    What would be intriguing about this one is that there is a cave that can be explored there. You have to take two forms of light (not including a smartphone) and there are some pretty serious guidelines about what to do since the cave is pitch black without light.

There are a couple of National Monuments on the way from Tucson to the Grand Canyon:

- Casa Grande Ruins (Coolidge, AZ) - This monument is described by the NPS: "Explore the mystery and complexity of an extended network of communities and irrigation canals. An Ancient Sonoran Desert People's farming community and "Great House" are preserved at Casa Grande Ruins. Whether the Casa Grande was a gathering place for the Desert People or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of canals and trading partners is but part of the mystique of the Ruins." 

- Montezuma Castle (northeast of Phoenix: Camp Verde, AZ): The NPS website says, "Today we gaze through the windows of the past into one of the best preserved cliff dwellings in North America. This 20 room high-rise apartment, nestled into a towering limestone cliff, tells a story of ingenuity, survival and ultimately, prosperity in an unforgiving desert landscape. Come marvel at this enduring legacy of the Sinagua culture and reveal a people surprisingly similar to ourselves."

Following a map that shows how to drive from one national park to another, I'd like to see:

- Petrified Forest (Petrified Forest National Park, AZ). The NPS says, "Did you know that Petrified Forest is more spectacular than ever? While the park has all the wonders known for a century, there are many new adventures and discoveries to share. There are backcountry hikes into areas never open before such as Red Basin and little known areas like the Martha's Butte. There are new exhibits that bring the stories to life."

We would go to the 4 Corners (another item on my Bucket List). At this point, I looked at the distance of backtracking and going to Phoenix to fly back home or continue driving to Denver and fly out of that airport. There's only about a 40 mile difference in distance, so I thought it would be good to continue to explore another part of the United States.

There's an article from USA Today that lists some places to see along the way.

So, it's possible to see:

- Mesa Verde (Cortez and Mancos, CO). The NPS says, "Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from AD 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States."

All right...so that was 9 places. There's a tenth place if it's not too far from the main roads in Colorado heading to Denver:

- Great Sand Dunes (Mosca, CO) - The NPS describes this park: "The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Experience this diversity through hiking, sand sledding, splashing in Medano Creek, wildlife watching, and more!"

There are other places I'd love to travel to during 2017. However, the trip to Arizona and Colorado (plus driving through parts of Utah and New Mexico) will take quite a bit of time.

At this point, I don't see any other trips possible - unless they are short day trips in which the dogs come with us.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 8

For the eighth day of The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge, the prompt is to write 8 minutes about my opinion on New Year's Resolutions.

It goes on to say, "Some people swear by New Year’s Resolutions, others think they’re somewhat pointless. You have eight minutes of writing to outline what your thoughts on this annual tradition may be. And if you do make resolutions, why not share them?"

When I was younger, I used to do New Year's Resolutions. I thought it would be kind of fun to do - like predictions for the future. Would they come true? How many actually happened by the end of the year?

As a young adult, I didn't do resolutions because I saw them as predictions that often times didn't come true. So, why bother?

As an adult, I look at resolutions more as goals now. If I'm committed to the resolution - or goal - then I'll try to make it work. It has to be of value and meaningful to me, or else it is simply just an item on a "to do" list...a task...a chore.

In August 2012, I created a Bucket List that had a a wide variety of goals on it. My father had died in January 2012, so I felt a greater need to think carefully about what I wanted to do in the life that is given to me.

How could I make the best use of my time? What did I want to accomplish in the remaining time that I had?

I've also done different goal-setting activities and challenges in the past: 3 in 30 (where I worked on three specific goals for 30 days) and 52 Books in 52 Weeks. I also set nature goals which I did well on during 2015, but not so well on in 2016.

As I look at 2017, my overall goals are to:
- re-visit the Bucket List and determine what I want to realistically accomplish this year;
- re-visit hobbies that I enjoyed in the past and that I have taken a break from during the past year or so; and
- create a more realistic list of nature goals.

Collectively, these resolutions - or goals - would be meaningful guideposts as I enter into a new year.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge - Day 7

On the seventh day of The Twelve Days of Christmas Blog Challenge, the prompt is: 7 Wonderful Things that Happened in 2016. How many awesome things happened to you during the last twelve months? Surely picking just seven should be a piece of cake!

1. Flower bulbs that I planted in Fall 2015 came up in Spring 2016. I planted more bulbs than I ever planted in past year.

This Spring, they came up.

The tulips were so beautiful.

 
I wish I planted more bulbs for denser flower beds.

They were still eye-catching even though they a bit far apart. Not sure if tulips spread or not since the distance recommended between the bulbs is rather large. We'll see in 2017 what happens.

2.  Of the walks I took with the dogs, there was a fun and memorable one when I Aspen with me (Cooper was recovering from Lyme's Disease).

I parked the car on a rural road that we hadn't walked down before. There were cows in the distance that all came walking and running over to us.

Both the cows and Aspen were equally curious with one another.

As we walked down the road, the cows followed us along the fence line. As we walked further down the road, the cows went back to grazing. When we returned to where the cows were, they spotted us and again came walking and running towards us. I'm so happy I had my camera with me to remember these friendly cows and fun walk.

3. Listening to my daughters' music skills improve, and hearing them perform for others.

Both the girls take piano lessons and Sophia also takes harp lessons.

Having a house filled with music is wonderful.

I enjoy listening to both of them practice.

It's been equally as nice listening to Sophia perform throughout the year at churches, nursing homes, funerals, and weddings.

4. Going to Washington, Idaho, and Oregon with my sister.

My sister paid for my trip to these three states in June. It was such a great trip - not only traveling with her and seeing things I hadn't seen before - but doing things I would never have been able to do.

We both thoroughly enjoyed going to the Chihuly glass museum as well as touring the Seattle space needle.

We waited for about 30 minutes for a storm passed before being able to go inside a wind turbine in Washington.

As much as you see these from a distance, being right next to one makes one feel so small. I believe the tour guide said an entire school bus could fit into the rectangular part to which the blades are attached.

My sister also had booked a train ride from Seattle to Portland. It was a multi-hour trip, but we had our own room and could eat in the dining car.

A highlight of our time in Portland was seeing the thousands of roses at the rose garden.

5. Seeing wildlife up close.

It's a simple highlight of the year. I got to see a tiny fawn up close at Fawn Doe Rosa in Wisconsin.

During the same visit, a deer was leaping through the field and literally jumped a couple feet in front of me. Although startling, it was certainly a memorable experience.

The girls and I also trapped an opossum that was in our barn this fall. Since we have horses, having an opossum on the property isn't good. So, we had to do an "Opossum Relocation Program."

We had studying opossums during the 4-H Wildlife Project Bowl. We've seen dead ones on the road, but never a live one up close.

Through the process of capturing it, we also were able to see it play dead and bare its teeth (it has the most teeth of any North American mammal). It was an interesting experience.

6. Spending time with family and the pets.

Being able to spend time with family is always a highlight. It can be as simple as seeing a small town parade.

The floats, marching bands, and surprises - like the base of a hot air balloon - were memorable.

Spending time with the girls at the Minnesota State Fair and seeing them compete was definitely a highlight. Olivia competed in Shooting Sports. Her focus was on archery - a new sport she learned this year.

Sophia competed in Child Development. She shared what she did with creating three types of bags for children and teens in the foster care system.

Both the girls co-presented and competed in the club's Community Pride division. They did very well on behalf of the 4-H club.

Spending time with family members also meant working on special projects together - like the Barn Quilt Trail.

We painted and installed 11 barn quilts this year. It was such a feeling of satisfaction to get the project done by December 9th!

We also worked together on the final seeding and planting of perennials at the Pollinator Habitat Park that we had been working on since August 2015.

Prairie Restorations did all the major seeding and the girls seeded some areas by hand that the tractor didn't reach.

Spending time with family also meant celebrating Olivia's adoption day on November 17th.

Thanksgiving was on November 24th this year.

We celebrated Sophia's adoption day on November 27th this year because she was playing the harp at a wedding on her actual adoption day (November 26th).

Of course, for me, spending time with the pets is always special. Both the dogs have their own unique personality.

They enjoy one another's company and ours.

When we come home we can hear them howling like wolves as they look at us from the dining room window. I looked up why dogs do this. Apparently with wolves, one (or more) wolves will stay back while the others go hunting. The wolves call the others back home by howling.

I wonder if they consider us part of their pack and they are calling us back home.

7. Attending WE Day and being able to see the key speakers up close.

We were able to see Buzz Aldrin at WE Day. He had a lot of interesting stories and experiences to share.
 

Paula Abdul share her experiences about the challenges of growing up without having much money and always feeling like she wasn't good enough. She talked about how she overcame those challenges.

I was very proud of Sophia who received an award at WE Day and spoke in front of 18,000+ youth and educators. She will be heading to Arizona in 2017 to attend a leadership camp.

The last key speaker was George Takei.

He spoke about living in the Japanese internment camp during WWII. It was a powerful talk.

*~*~*~*

So, I would consider those experiences highlights of my year.