The Best Year: Out with the old, In with the new

I found a fill-in-the-blank worksheet online that helps us summarize the best of 2015 and set goals for 2016. I didn't require anyone to fill it out, but I thought it might be fun (for some). The responses were fun to discuss and I thought they'd make a great end-of-the-year blog post.

Ben's answers (I hope think he ignored the numbers)

• 3 Things I'm grateful for: Mom, Dad, Jon, Maddie, Will
  
• 3 Places I want to go: Hawiie [sic]
• 1 Thing I want to get better at: biking, pottery, piano
• 3 New things I want to try: acrobatics

Will's answers

• 2 Favorite memories: Rock climbing and Florida
• 
• 3 Things I'm grateful for: food and games
• 1 Hard lesson I learned: don't put a fork in the microwave
• 3 Places I want to go:  Boston, Seattle, and Gotham
• 1 Thing I want to get better at: Everything

Maddie's answers

• 2 Favorite memories: Swimming with dolphins and Indianapolis (for AHG convention)
  
• 3 Things I'm grateful for: Family, Jesus, and Santa
• 1 Hard lesson I learned: Alerbra [sic - algebra]
• 1 Thing I did this year I'm proud of: swimming in over 15-feet of water
• 3 Places I want to go: Colorado, Washington, DC, and Mt. Rushmore
• 1 Thing I want to get better at: Painting pictures
• 2 Ways I can help others: Cook and serve
• 2 Things I am looking forward to: Kids Camp and school
• 3 New things I want to try: Make a basket, make soap, and read 100 books

Jon's answers

• 2 Favorite memories: Florida trip, Six Flags, rock climbing, and camping
  
• 3 Things I'm grateful for: God, Jesus, family
• 1 Hard lesson I learned: Not to wrestle with Will
• 1 Thing I did this year I'm proud of: Praising God
• 3 Places I want to go: To a rocket museum, Colorado, New Mexico (Angelfire)
• 1 Thing I want to get better at: Helping others
• 2 Ways I can help others: Doing chores and being together
• 2 Things I am looking forward to: Going to use my 4th grade [National] park pass and getting an iPad
• 3 New things I want to try: Figure out my Ozobot, play basketball, and doing ALL the chores

Allen's answers

• 2 Favorite memories: Easter weekend camping and reunion weekend
  
• 3 Things I'm grateful for: Family, friends, and faith
• 1 Hard lesson I learned: Don't assume people know how to manage others
• 1 Thing I did this year I'm proud of: The growth our family has made in our ability to be a team
• 3 Places I want to go: Southern Utah, Banff, and BGGCon (a board gaming convention)
• 1 Thing I want to get better at: Understanding others
• 2 Ways I can help others: Spend more time with them and hug my family more
• 2 Things I am looking forward to: Camping in the spring and vacation with family
• 3 New things I want to try: Pecan pie from scratch, model painting, and come home on time consistently

Sarah's answers (maybe Ben counts as well as I do...?)

• 2 Favorite memories: Hosting PCM choir concert at our church, camping with family at Easter, and 20th year class reunion weekend
  
• 3 Things I'm grateful for: Jesus, Allen, our kids, our pets
• 1 Hard lesson I learned: I need more margins in our calendar
• 3 Places I want to go: Uganda, Paris and Swiss Alps, Banff and US National parks
• 1 Thing I want to get better at: Painting and teaching
• 2 Ways I can help others: PATIENCE
• 2 Things I am looking forward to: Uganda trip and time away with Allen

Turning the Pages: 2015

I feel like I have NOT read much this year, but when I look at the list I've been building as I finish a book, it seems I'm reading about as much as I normally do. My 2016 resolution may need to be to finish the tall pile of UNfinished books. When I am surrounded by lots of great books, I seem to love to start all of them :)

The green books are nonfiction. I read several books with Will and Ben as I was homeschooling them this fall.

January
1. Red Mist (Patricia Cornwell)
2. Essential Oils for Beginners (Lisa Johnson)
3. Bone Bed (Patricia Cornwell)
4. Dust (Patricia Cornwell)

February
5. Carved in Bone (Jefferson Bass)
6. Pictures of Hollis Woods (Patricia Reilly Giff)
7. Flesh and Bone (Jefferson Bass)
8. American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S.Military History (Chris Kyle and Scott McEwan)
9. Olive Kitteridge (Elizabeth Strout)

March
10. Hands Free Mama (Rachel Macy Stafford)
11. Six Years (Harlan Coben)
12. Let. It. Go.: How to Stop Running the Show and Start Walking in Faith (Karen Ehman
13. Nick of Time (Ted Bell)

April
14. Visioneering: God's Blueprint for Developing and Maintaining Vision (Andy Stanley)
15. The Bible (after a 3-year book-by-book study)
16. The Unquenchable Worshipper (Matt Redman)

May
17. Mary, Mary (James Patterson)
18. The Good and Beautiful Life: Putting on the Character of Christ (James Bryan Smith) - new book club
19. The Whole-Brain Child (Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson)

June
20. The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to be Perfect to be Beautiful (Myquillan Smith)
21. The Housewife Assassin's Handbook (Josie Brown)
22. A Severe Mercy (Shelden Vanauken) - book club
23. Tutti Fruity (Mike Faricy)

July
24. Amelia's Story: A Childhood Lost (D.G. Torrens)
25. Caught (Harlan Coben)
26. All Roads Lead Home (Diane Greenwood Muir)
27. Polly's First Christmas (Diane Greenwood Muir)

28. A Big Life in a Small Town (Diane Greenwood Muir)
29. Treasure Uncovered (Diane Greenwood Muir)
30. Gone (James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge)
31. Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World (Richard Rhodes)
32. Murder is Family Business (Heather Haven)

August
33. Organizing the Disorganized Child: Simple Strategies to Succeed in School (Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran)
34. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (Marie Kondo)
35. Murder in the Library (Steve Demaree)
36. That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week: Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Success in School and Life (Ana Homayoun)
37. Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes (Tim Elmore)
38. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
39. The Hidden Life: Revelations from a Holy Journey (Kitty Crenshaw and Catherine Snapp) - book club

September
40. Pedro's Journal: A Voyage with Christopher Columbus (Pam Conrad) - with Ben
41. A Lion to Guard Us (Clyde Robert Bulla) - with Ben
42. The Heretic's Daughter (Kathleen Kent)
43. Walk the World's Rim (Betty Baker) - with Ben

October
44. Pocahontas and the Strangers (Clyde Robert Bulla) - with Ben
45. The Sign of the Beaver (Elizabeth George Speare) - with Ben
46. Incas, Aztecs, and Mayans (John Holzmann) - with Ben
47. The Rest of God...Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath (Mark Buchanan)
48. Bones Never Lie (Kathy Reichs)

November
49. Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims (Clyde Robert Bulla) - with Ben
50. Teaching from Rest: A Homeschoolers Guide to Unshakable Peace (Sarah Mackenzie)
51. The Courage of Sarah Noble (Alice Dagliesh) - with Ben
52. Dead in the Water (Jack Patterson)
53. The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth George Speare) - with Ben
54. The Matchlock Gun (Walter D. Edmonds) - with Ben
55. You and Me Forever: Marriage in Light of Eternity (Francis Chan and Lisa Chan)

December
56. Johnny Tremain (Esther Forbes) - with Will and Ben
57. In Between (Jenny B. Jones)
58. Murder at the Book Fair (Steve Demaree)
59. Only Time Will Tell (Jeffrey Archer)
60. Murder at Breakfast (Steve Demaree)

Merry Christmas

I still love having Christmas in our own home. This year, the decorations were not as elaborate as I've been worn out by our too-busy lifestyle. We did have just enough out to make it feel like a holiday, though. Randy and Shelley were here before breakfast began, and our day started with lots of yummy food -- asparagus and ham casserole, fruit, cinnamon monkey bread, coffee, mmmmm....

Like we have done the last many years, the six of us trade names and get each other gifts.
Will got Maddie a MP4 player for her music.
Maddie got Jon a chess and checkers set and a Lego Superman light.
Jon got Allen a Machi Koro game expansion.
Allen got Will Dr. Who bobbleheads.
Ben got me a birdhouse and made me a painted plate at school.
I got Ben origami sea creatures and paper airplane books and origami paper.

Normally we do a big lunch on Christmas, but this year Santa brought us tickets to see Star Wars at Studio Movie Grill, and we ended up eating a late lunch during the show. By the time we got home around 5, we weren't hungry for dinner, either. I think I may really like this movie and meal option as a way to celebrate future Christmases if there are any good movie options. It was wonderful to not cook and clean all day! Randy and Shelley headed out after the show -- and YES, we really liked the movie!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Gingerbread City

Previous years, I could say we created a Christmas gingerbread village, but with Cowboys Stadium being built this year, I am calling this one a city. The kids and I spent the afternoon making and decorating graham cracker houses today. This time, I tried making royal icing to use as the "glue" and I decided that's what I'm using from now on when we make this edible sculptures. Will's friend Nick was over helping create -- he and Will made a Cowboys' stadium, complete with a star on the field, and candy players running down the field.

Cowboys' star and football players

Sarah's

Cowboys' Stadium by Will and Nick

Maddie's house

 

Ben's cabin

Jon's cottage