A New Year

2013. A new year. For some, a new start. For others, an opportunity to practice the fine art of correcting mistakes.

I don't know about you, but I fall into this category. Call it brain fog, old age, or denial that time's-a-flyin', but I'm not a lover of change. As with any new year, change does come. It must or we fail to grow.

Over the last few months, my blog is one thing that hasn't really grown. Not because there aren't people reading it, but because I haven't had the energy, time, or inspiration to put into it. I contemplated closing this blog and devoting my down time to napping and watching old Malcolm in the Middle reruns, but after a month of that, it got old. So, with this new year, I won't be focusing on resolutions that are made to be broken. I'll be focusing on goals. On growth.

And on getting myself off of the couch.

The pity party is over. No more woe is me attitude. Life is what it is. You learn to adjust and adapt. You grow and hopefully inspire others by just living life in all its glory...to the fullest.

Here are some 2012 2013 goals I have:

For the farm

1. Downsize our farm. *Gasp!* (Did I just say that out loud?) We have too many free-loaders that are costing us big bucks in the feed department. At least half of the chickens and all but 4 of the turkeys will be heading to freezer camp, as will our 14 year old arthritic cow, Bailey.

2. Butcher the hogs. Those once cute little piglets have turned into 170-266 lbs. of ravenous, dirt-plowin', eating machines. And quite honestly, they scare me. Especially Porky, who is our largest and most aggressive eater.

3. Repair/replace water lines at the barn. The pigs decided to turn their once dry pen into a spa-like environment by rooting up the water lines which caused their home to flood. Of course, they did this while the Mister was in the middle of his work week. For now, our water comes from a waterfall behind the barn and is hauled with buckets. Can't really get more homesteady than that.

4. Start our tomato seeds by the end of January. This is a goal I make every year, and every year I forget to order the seeds in time. Not this year. This will be the year of tomatoes. Which reminds me that I need to place my seed order in the mailbox...

5. Help the Mister build a hoop house. By help, I really mean nag-until-it-gets-done. Because really, I am not a very good hoop house builder.

My pathetic attempt is still sort of standing. In a leaning-to-the-East kind of way.

For the home/kitchen

1. Repurpose. This is a big one because I have a lot of ugly old junk. Dressers, tables, even old lamp bases are going to get an overhaul. I plan on getting to know the paint people at Lowe's very well.

2. Spend more time in the kitchen. Yes, I'm weird that way. Fact is, I love my kitchen. I love my pots & pans. And I especially love to get creative. Expect lots of new recipes this year. And thanks to my children, better pictures with the new camera they bought me for Christmas.

3. Organize. In the next month or so, the last of our adult married children will be moving into their new home. While it has been so fun having the rooms full again, I have realized just how unorganized I really am. The first project on the list: Get rid of all the homeschooling supplies I no longer need so I can repurpose some of those bookshelves into a functional pieces of furniture.

4. Learn to make hard cheeses. Is it just me, or do cheese presses look like something from Medieval times? And how come every single cheddar recipe out there is different than the one before? Is it because there's lots of room for error or because no one wants to admit that their cheese-making adventure was an epic fail? Oi.

For our homeschool

1. Update transcripts. I have an entire year of grades still on paper. Since we have a senior this year, I need to get on this pronto.

2. Plan ahead. I'm a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-and-hope-you-land-on-something-soft kind of gal. Some would call it "unschooling," I just call it procrastination. We will still have a more laid back school year, but I need to be better prepared for all of the "what's next" questions.

3. Graduate Mandie. Even if I'm not emotionally ready to do so.

For me

1. Be quick to forgive. It's getting easier with age, since I don't really remember most of the day anyway, but I want to be a purposeful forgiver. Life's too short to waste being angry or hurt by words said in the moment. Let it go.

2. Continue to heal. Right now I am reading the book, "Autoimmune, The Cause and the Cure." (Review to come.) I'm lacto-fermenting veggies, drinking raw milk kefir, kombucha, and avoiding all foods that cause an inflammatory response. I'm walking more, listening when my body says to rest, and letting go of the things that I cannot change. Like my height. And how fast my leg hair grows.

3. Be patient. Because all good things come to those who wait. Just as I waited 44 years for a milk cow, I can wait for those moments when my patience is rewarded.

4. Listen more. Let my actions speak for themselves. And dear Lord, let my actions speak only good things. And my temper tantrums be behind my closed bathroom door.

5. Enjoy every single moment. Every breath. Every joy. Every tear. Even the tears that come from sorrow. Because in our sorrow, there is life. It means that we are feeling. That we are living. And that we are loving.

Happy New Year, from my home to yours!

2013~Bring it on!