Welcome back again.....

 Well it's been a minute....lol

I feel like my my yearly post is to say I am going to start blogging again, and then never do.  

I hope this is the year that consistency is in my wheel house so to speak.  I have again changed career paths.  Not completely though.  I am now the School Librarian in one of local schools. I LOVE IT! 

I am looking at utilizing all my degrees in some form or another this year: Teacher cert in Family and Consumer Sciences, Reading Teacher, Library Information Specialist, Psychology, and maybe even Cosmetology.  In know, I know.... it may sound like how? but really, I use all of them every single day,  and I have some ideas on how to use them to benefit more people than those in my inner circle.  I will share more as it develops. 

So in my world nothing says back again like a currently post, so here goes:

Currently reading:

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magic by Breanne Randall

All the hype surrounding this one was well deserved, I am Loving it.

Currently listening to: 

My dogs playing.  This sounds cuter than it is...they are barking at each other like two siblings in a full on war.  Ugghhhh..... children (of the fur baby variety)

Eating.....

Some leftover Oyster Stew from New Year's Eve

Haters gonna hate, but me and the farmer love it.

Welcome 2024, you have a lot of potential, I look forward to making friends with my past and enjoying the future and the hope that it brings. 

Find Your Passion Question #2

 Questions #2 is 

When you were a child, what did you dream of doing when you grew up?

Like most little girls I use to play school a lot when I was little, but I don't think it was as much of a passion as it was modeling some pretty amazing influencers in my life. I also liked to play librarian and my mom got me library cards and pockets that I could put in my books, this was so fun.  But ultimately I just wanted to be a mom.  I really always thought I would just be a stay at home mom, girl scout leader, Sunday school teacher, etc.  

When I was in Junior High during the 80's the idea of being a stay at home mom didn't even seem to be a consideration anymore.  There was the whole push of what are you going to do, where will you go to college, etc.  I think at that point I only thought about where I would go to college, still not "what would I do".  I figured I would go to the local State University (where I eventually did go) and decided I would like to be a psychiatrist like Marlana on Days of Our Lives... yep that was how I was choosing my career path...lol   I never stopped wanting to be a stay at home mom, girl scout leader, Sunday school teacher, etc.

High School... I didn't really put too much thought into it.  I just stuck with the EIU/Social Worker thing.  Not much passion just what I was most interested in.

 Senior Year I went to the local community college for a college day because everyone did that.  I came home with a pit in my stomach and told my parents that night I did not want to go to college....

I had good grades, was National Honor Society, had won several academic awards, and knew in my heart the only award I was most proud of was my Home Economics/HERO outstanding member award.  

My parents were disappointed.  My Dad said I had to go to school for one year, he didn't care what I majored in, it could be Basket Weaving for all he cared.  I chose Cosmetology.  I figured if nothing else it would be fun and I could have a salon in my house if I wanted to.  So that is the route I took.

About right out of the gate, I knew this was not the career path for me.  However, I did love the classes, the friends I was making , and I don't like to not finish what I start.  So, I continued on, graduated the program with honors and started on my bachelors the next fall.  I did cut some hair on the side for friends and family, but never used it for a career path.  I graduated four years after that with a degree in Home Economics, Psych minor, again with honors.

I have used this degree in many different ways over the past 25 years.  I have worked in the mental health field, as a substitute teacher, in the child development field, and now as a Parent Educator/Home Visitor in the school system.  I also use my Cosmetology knowledge to keep my family looking good between hair appointments, when my girls were little, and during the pandemic.  So I feel both of my degrees have paid for themselves and served me and my family well.  

I would still prefer to be a stay at home homemaker and now that we will be living on our farm, I would like to expand my knowledge as a farm wife/helper, but for now I am so blessed to have a job that I love and that works for my family as well.   

I have still been a Sunday school teacher, a girl scout leader, and even a JH cheer coach.  Home Economics also gave me  valuable information I used in caring for my own family.  I may not have wanted to go to college but I did make wise choices and have never regretted the information or the degree I have earned and most importantly used.

"Resolutions"

 So I am not going to write my resolutions here because I feel resolutions are better kept to oneself.  I don't necessarily wish to have someone else's accountability because if they fall through the cracks then I will feel defeated and that is not something I need to sign up for and also sometimes what I think I want actually changes the more I work on it.  Sometimes it evolves into something a little different and my success is measured differently. 

 I will tell you what areas of my life I try to look at when thinking about my resolutions for the year:

Personal

Career

Financial

Family/Home

I try to have at least 1 if not more for each area.  Some areas have 4-5 but they usually tie together as more of many goals or steps.  I do not have diet goals specifically but I  do always strive to add something health related.  Last year my health goal ended up being following through with a surgery that I have not wanted to have.  It ended up being the best thing for me and my over all health has been much better.  However, the Pandemic really did result in some weight gain for this stressed mama so I do hope some life style changes help improve that over the year.  

My progress will hopefully be recorded through the blog more as life improvements, etc.  I probably will not reference them as resolutions.

I do feel it is important to find a time of year when you reflect on where you are and where you want to be in six months or a year.  This self evaluation keeps us moving forward in life and not just stagnant.  We all have areas that could be improved and those improvements help us to be better people.  

Word for 2021

 Word or Words for 2021

I have put a lot of thought and prayer into my word for 2021.  I decided on the final three but since they all go together, I have decided to use them all. 

Drum Roll please........

Hopes

Dreams

Goals

I am ready to do some reevaluation, some work towards growth, and thinking outside the box.  I could have added faith as well because I know that faith will help with learning to hope and dream again.

It has been a long time since I have allowed myself to truly hope and dream.  I try to live in my current reality but in doing so, I have forgot that without hopes and dreams, goals are kind of boring and not always what I really want from life.  

I am HOPING that this year will bring more sunshine and less rain, more flowers and less weeds, more smiles and less tears, more butterflies and less stomach flips.  

2021 Let's call a truce, maybe during all the craziness I can call you "My Year"

Find Your Passion Question 1

 On Pintrest I found a journal writing prompt list from www.solutionstoallyourproblems.com for Finding Your Passion. There are 10 Questions and I am going to answer each one post at a time.  So here goes with Question #1

What was your favorite thing to do growing up?

So without saying this would have been different for different ages.  From about as young as I can remember to at least 10 years old (maybe longer if I admit) was to play Barbies.  I LOVED playing Barbies all.the.time.  I loved her clothes, camper, plane, dream house, tiny accessories, carasel kitchen, car, dog, cat, boat, pool, horse, and on and on.  I had all the stuff.  When I was little my dad was a drill sergeant in the army and when families with older girls would move and purge their toys, I got all the barbie stuff.  I was over the moon.  I think it was partly due to the fact that it was something I could play all by myself, since my only sibling was male and 13 years older than me.  Having 4 daughters I thought at least one would love Barbie as much as me, but none really took to her the way I did.  and that is ok.  We all have our thing.  I did not grow up to want to be Barbie, but would have loved to have one of those carasel kitchens.  

High School age I was more into staying in my room, watching dramas such as Knots Landing or soap operas, My fave soap was As The World Turns but also was obsessed with Bold and the Beautiful, Guiding Light, and Days of Our Lives.  I was a magazine junkie as well.  I enjoyed writing, being fashionable, and talking on the phone (which I actually hate to do now).  Shopping of course was a favorite and back in the day the Mall was full of excitement, great food, and socialization.  Online shopping has changed the mall atmosphere and I do miss that.  

College.....well let's be honest.  Socialization usually happened at bars and I was actually a pretty good dart player and beer drinker because of it.  That's enough on that one.  

I guess that takes me into adulthood, and what I enjoy doing now will be a different post.  I am still all of those things in different ways and with a lot more maturity involved.  

Winter Goals

 Winter Goals:

Try a Hot Chocolate Bomb and document on here.  These look so amazing 💓

Maybe make a Ginger Bread House.  I have not done this since my girls were really little.  

Actually go out and document the first real snow.  We had a small dusting the other day but I plan to document the next one and try to make a new relationship with winter.  Since moving to Illinois at 7 years old, I have never really developed a friendship with the white stuff.  Maybe at 50, I can call a truce.  

Make a specific home office area in my living room.  I am pretty sure this is going to be a necessity and if not, I am sure we will still use and appreciate it. 

Almost Christimas

Who would thought that this year would have flown by when it seemed like the whole world came to a stand still. 

I feel like  Spring just started even though it is December.  We have been living virtually most of the year, not much action to look back on.   No sporting events, school events, or much organized activities but we still manage to be busy and on the go a lot.  

I know part of this is because we have a big family, both nuclear and extended.  In fact, if we want to keep a family gathering small, we basically can't get together.  We are 13 on our own! Wow, our family has always seemed big and noisy, but with all the grandkids, I didn't realize what big was.  I love it, I know my quiver is  abundant and I am so blessed.   

I am hoping after the first of the year to add some new content to this blog because we will be doing more with getting our farm and farmhouse ready for our family.  I think it will be a fun journey to document and look back on.  I have also been thinking and praying about my words to focus on for 2021.  Rather than one, I have three.  I feel they all go together so I am not planning to eliminate my focus on any of the ones that my heart and God is leading me too.  I will share those at the beginning of the year.  

 I am looking forward to a new year, a new focus, a fresh start.  Some people know that Doug and I have lead a lifetime of difficulties  and trying to work through crisis mode has been hard, but looking back I see the blessings that have come from those storms, lessons that were learned, God's grace and provision through all, and a deepening of both love and faith.  Storms have made us who we are and I love who we are.  God knew exactly who I needed to get through the hard times!  

Blessings abound when we open our eyes to gratitude and thanksgiving, they are there all along. God is good all the time and all the time God is good.