A Survey of 2009

2009 Survey for the New Year

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Adopted a child. Traveled to Africa. Was away from my children for more than 2 1/2 weeks.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I kept some resolutions and not others. It is just not New Year's without a resolution or ten.


3. Did anyone close to you give birth or get pregnant?
Our adoption is in many ways like giving birth, so, yes.


4. Did anyone close to you get married?
no

5. Did anyone close to you die?
yes. A dear man from church whose presence is sorely missed.

6. Travel?
Ghana, West Africa!

7. Did you move anywhere?
No, but we hope to before 2009 is over.

8. What was the best month?
April - we were all home together for a whole month. I'd finally made it home from Ghana. Hubby was on paternity leave and the kids were done with school. It was AWESOME!


9. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Acreage. Humility. I wish humility was as easy to procure as acreage.


10. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
January 21st - finding out we'd passed court the day before. January 24th - surprise baby shower. February 4th - we left for Ghana. February 5th - we met Baby L. March 21st - I was reunited with my kids after 6+ weeks and with hubby after 2. May 14th - Eldest son turning 13 and his Intro to Manhood weekend. Aug 26 - my 39th birthday

11. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Flying home solo with Baby L - who didn't sleep more than 20-30 minutes during our 20-some hours of travel. I get nervous traveling with hubby...this time I was entirely alone with baby and all that immigration to deal with. I was a little anxious about it, but it went fine. There were a number of God-sent helpers along the way.

12. What was your biggest failure?
Failing to be proactive to protect my middle daughter from the stress of having a new baby sister who gets LOTS of attention from strangers and friends. She seemed to be doing so well and then suddenly felt entirely overlooked. I'm trying to change that as best I can, or at least provide some sort of counterbalance.

13. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major - just the run-of-the-mill cold, flu, etc.


14. What was the best thing you bought?
2 yards of batik cloth from Ghana - it was quite inexpensive and made the most perfect baby wrap.


15. Whose behavior merited celebration?
All my kids - great helps to us with the new baby!


16. Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?
appalled - politicians. depressed - our church vestry


17. Where did most of your money go?
adoption (fees and travel)


18. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Baby L!

19. What song will always remind you of 2009?
"Some Kind of African Beauty"


20. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? ii. richer or poorer?

i. happier in some ways; sadder in others. My parents divorce is final - that makes me sad. Baby L is doing so well and we love her so much - that makes me happy. My dear neighbor has moved - that makes me sad and happy (sad: we miss them, happy: they've got an awesome property).

ii. Easily poorer. However, we are making headway in paying off adoption debt and we are doing (rather I am doing) much better on our cash budget.


21. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Reading.

22. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Blog reading. (can you believe I'd say that? I do enjoy writing a blog and reading a few, but I get sucked into my GoogleReader far to easily)

23. How will you be spending New Year's Eve/Day?
No idea. Would love to have some friends over for family games and such - or go somewhere...but don't know it that will happen. If not, hubby and I will enjoy champagne and maybe some episodes of Bleak House. New Year's Day - I'm making Hoppin' John and doing some school planning.


24. What was an unexpected surprise?
Getting Baby L's Certificate of Citizenship weeks after we returned home (without the expected extra paperwork).

25. Did you fall in love in 2009?
with Baby L - totally.


26. What was the best concert you've been to this year?
I'm not really a concert-goer these days - but we did go to see The Messiah, and it was wonderful.


27. What was your favorite TV program?
House and M*A*S*H reruns.


28. Do you dislike anyone now that you didn't dislike this time last year?
Yes, unfortunately. That's all I'm saying.


29. What was the best book you read?
The Good Earth. I really loved this book.


30. What was your greatest musical discovery?
African "High Life" music


31. What did you want and get?
an iPod Nano.


32. What did you want and not get?
an iPod Nano with a radio (the new one with the radio came out about a month after I got mine for my birthday. Oh, well!)


33. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Visitor. There have been a few others, but this is the one that popped into my mind.


34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 39 - my last year in my 30s! Hubby took me out for an early morning coffee date in our sporty '69 Datsun convertible. It was a Perfect Start to my 40th year.

35. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Not losing large portions of data and pictures in a computer crash.

36. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Layered and slightly bohemian, I guess.

37. What kept you sane?
Being able to get mini-escapes to the coffee house with hubby or alone.

38. What political issue stirred you the most?
Health care bill. Obama's messiah-esque persona.


39. Who did you miss?
My Dear Neighbor!


40. Random Memories from 2009?
~ A frantic target trip to get baby supplies the day after our adoption was finalized.

~ Discovering coconut water as a rehydration drink.

~ The guy who carried my luggage off the airplane and all the way to baggage claim.

~ Middle daughter getting a shortish haircut and earrings. First rides around the neighborhood in the Datsun.

~ The hummingbird that got caught in our garage and our attempt to coax him out.

~ Middle daughter lining up 4 cheerios from largest to smallest each morning (representing our soon-to-be family of 4 kids).

~ Boys stacking dixie cups up into a "great wall".

I borrowed this survey from The Common Room.

A Sunday Afternoon Well-Spent

A few good books. My day planner. And a glass of iced tea in my Tervis tumbler.

Oh, and a nap.

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Jangley

Jangley - that is a new word a made up to describe how I felt yesterday. To describe it further, it feels like I am a little jingle ball that someone has just taken hold of and shaken like crazy - I'm JANGLEY. It's just been that way lately - good and not-so-good reasons.

I'll give you a quick run down, because, honestly I do't have the energy for more than that. *sigh*.

• helping hubbie with his new business (a ministry, really to offer financial/donation reporting support to missionaries)
• getting used to Jr High work with eldest son
• working on our Women's Retreat (can't wait!!)
• preparing for our neighbors and dear friends to move (not far, but another part of town) - while we are SO EXCITED for them, it is a major change in the way our days look. I'm so used to slipping over for a little "gab" or when I need an ingredient. LOL!
• taping a cable TV show on educational choices (group conversation on homeschooling)
• looking at a potential new home - a late 1950's ranch on some acreage (lots of updates have been done, but some were not great and need to be re-addressed - original fixtures in bathrooms). I hope we get this place just so I can show you some really interesting wall treatments. *heh*
• a number of issues in my extended family - (I'm not ready to talk about all this on the blog yet - it isn't entirely my story to tell and I don't feel it is right to share about that while we are all still in the middle of it)
• a major change in the direction of our adoption - we are still in the preliminary stage of this change, but I will share all the details when we make the final decision.
• and I'm planning on traveling this weekend to give some assistance in the family situation.

I came home from a good, but long day at Classical Conversations (a bunch of us went out for ice cream afterwards) and just felt "jangley". I was just tired and overwhelmed by it all. Sweet hubby let me hide out in bed the rest of the evening. Feeling better now. I'll try to fill in some details soon...

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Heh - I am the Tin Man

Just for fun...

One of the "famous" INFJ's is the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. So, I guess that is why I always liked the Tin Man. If you take the test (a very shortened one based on Myers-Briggs), leave your type in the comments!



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7 Brilliante Bloggers

Not sure that I'm a brilliant blogger, but I've been given an award that says so. I feel a little like the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz when he gets his "Diploma" stating that he DOES have a brain.

Actually, two bloggers who are fairly new to me have sent me this award in the last week or two: The Gour Family - an awesome family and adoption blog and Beth from Pages of Our Life - who blogs about homeschooling and the Classical model.

So, according to Blog rules, I should:

Put the logo on my blog
Link to the person you received your award from
Nominate at least 7 other blogs
Put links to those blogs on your site
Leave messages on the blogs you've nominated

My nominees are:

1. Dad2Three - this guys is really quite funny. He blogs about life with three kids, home education, southern life, and his faith. I especially love hearing about his life in East Tennessee!

2. Two Square Meals - a fellow anglican, mom-blogger. The stories about her two young boys are funny, sweet, poignant. You'll enjoy her honesty and excellent conversations.

3. MoziEsme - missionary baby blogs from Mozambique. Talk about a niche blog - how many blogs do you know that are written from the perspective of a baby? And a missionary baby at that? Then throw in the life in Mozambique...lots of interesting stuff there!

4. OhBeCareful! - Jamie is a funny homeschooling mama! Don't miss her website - she has a great sense of humor that shines through her writing.

5. A Telling Place - an American woman married and living in Scotland. Kate is also a fellow Anglican. Lately, she's been dealing with infertility - and a pretty sobering diagnosis - sharing honest evaluations of her emotions, thoughts, experiences. But, she'd want me to say, that isn't all she blogs about!

6. On a Joyful Journey - Amy blogs about home education, special needs children, and life. If you have a special needs child in your life, be sure to visit Amy. Even if you don't, be sure to visit Amy.

7. Palm Tree Pundit - Anne blogs about home education...from HAWAII! Do I need to say more?

These are all blogs I read very regularly - and look forward to seeing updated in my RSS reader. I think you will enjoy reading them, too! Congratulations, friends!

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A thoughtful meme

Deb posted this meme today and invited anyone to join in. The adoption has kept me crazy busy the past couple of weeks, so I can use the blog material! :)

Outside my window - my grass is getting taller by the minute.

I am thinking - about what I can get done on my dossier today.

I am thankful - that my neighbor and I have started walking again.

From the kitchen - I have shooed the children so that I can have a moment of quiet.

I am wearing - my husband's favorite shirt of mine.

I am creating - a lavendar, crochet baby blanket for our future daughter.

I am going - to do lots of laundry today (and finally get last week's all put away).

I am reading - Black Dog of Fate: An American Son Uncovers His Armenian Past

I am hoping - to get some blog post brainstorming done today and do some silver polishing. (odd combination, I know).

I am hearing - my husband on the phone talking with our missionary friends who need to borrow our van and my kids upstairs building a "rainy day fort".

Around the house - our whole family is home most days now with homeschooled students and a hubby working from home. It's nice.

One of my favorite things - the quiet house early in the morning as the sun is just coming up.

A few plans for the week/weekend - one of my daughter's little friends is having a birthday party with a petting zoo. Also, it is Pentecost, so we'll be donning RED on Sunday!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing -

That is a scene from a sidewalk along the Pearl River in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China. So peaceful, isn't it? (Yes, I took that photo!)

If you want to tag yourself, please do and leave a link to your post in the comments.

I'd like to thank the academy...

What a delightful thing - Laura from My Quotidian Mysteries has honored me with a "Blogging with a Purpose" award! Which is so funny, because as I was reading the announcement post on her blog (not knowing I'd soon see my name and blog there) I was thinking, "Hmmm...do I blog with a purpose?" Gee whiz, I guess I do!



It didn't really start out that way, but over the past year, I've naturally come to focus in on a few areas: homeschooling, Anglicanism, and family faith. I want to do more blogging about Christian stewardship ("being green"). As Laura mentioned, one of my purposes for blogging is to get to know more Anglicans (and other liturgical types), which Jeanne and I have tried to do very purposefully through the Anglican Family Carnivals (here and here).



So, wow, I do have a purpose to this madness that is blogging!



One of the rules of accepting this award is that it must then be passed along to 5 other bloggers. This is both fun and hard! There are so many GREAT bloggers out there, and so many that I read and love - how do I choose? Well, it was very hard to choose, but here are some bloggers whose blogs are lovely gems and wonderful examples of "blogging with a purpose":



1. My friend at Two Square Meals is a lovely a blogger. While her entire blog is not geared toward this particular purpose, she is quite an advocate for the Appalachian Mountains. There are some must read links on her blog. She also posts lots about life with her two boys: Calvin and Hobbes (not their real names, silly) and life in general. And she's an Anglican!



2. Jen at Et tu? blogs with such honesty and beauty about her journey from atheism to Christianity. Everytime I read her posts I am inspired and challenged. She deserves this award for being thoroughly purposeful about being transparent with her faith walk. I love her blog and you will, too.



3. Another purposeful blog I love to visit is One Child Policy Homeschool. Jimmie is an American blogger living in China with her American hubbie and only child. Obviously, from her blog title you might guess her main purpose for blogging is sharing her homeschool ideas and you'd be correct. But another purpose of her blog is to share life in China. Her photos (especially the funny translation signs) are wonderful! While life in China has it's downside, it is obvious that Jimmie takes it all in stride and has a sincere love for the country's people.



4. Dana at Principled Discovery has been smokin' up the keyboard with her recent coverage of homeschool legislation in her state. She's a wonderful homeschool blogger with a wonderful mix of humor, encouragement, and activism.



5. Meredith is a frugal wonder and she loves sharing it all with us on her blog Like Merchant Ships. Her photos are gorgeous and she is really a gifted hostess. She will inspire you to be beautifully frugal, too!



5...have I gotten to 5 already? Well, I'm breaking the rules and going to 6. ("But this award will go to 6!" - sorry a Spinal Tap moment there.)



6. My last award (last, but not least) goes to Jeanne from At A Hen's Pace, who has been so gracious with me, a new blogger. She blogs about life as an Anglican, wife of a priest, homeschooler - and shares so much with us about living out our faith. I've especially enjoyed reading her posts about the liturgical year, her devotional thoughts , and the sacred everyday.



Enjoy getting to "meet" some of my favorite bloggers!

UPDATED: to say a thank you to my other blogger friend Megan from Half Pint House who is a dear for keeping me honest. She noticed I'd made a mistake and sweetly corrected me. Thank you, Megan. :)

Another day, another journal

Can I tell you how many, many, many journals I've had around my house?

Well, I have a lot.

Why? Well, I love the idea of journaling, but I just can't keep it up for very long. I start a journal and keep it up for a couple of weeks or even months, and then before long... my discipline wanes.
Then a few months later, I decide I need to "do that journaling" thing again. But, one must have a shiny, clean, new journal...can't use the old one. Thus I have a number of partially-filled notebooks. I find that depressing...it seems such a failed task.

A couple of months ago, I gathered all those journals (I think there were 8 or 9) and looked over them. I ripped out all the pages, put them in order, and stapled them together. What a difference that made! What had seemed a collection of fits and starts...was actually a fairly good journal covering the last 5 or 6 years. Sure there are some huge gaps, but all in all, I have a decent account of my thoughts and experiences. That was a great encouragement!

Journalling is a discipline I want to incorporate into my daily life...but, I have yet to find a method that suits me. Perhaps I am too perfectionistic. This perfectionism means I desire to have a journal that is "just so"...orderly, comprehensive, disicplined, and yet, that doesn't really reflect me. It also doesn't suit me. And when I cannot maintain that level of order and discipline, I give up!

I need to let go the desire to produce a perfect journal. I need to just JOURNAL. So, I'm going to try once again. However, this time, I'm going to control my desire for perfection. This time, I'm going to keep these words in mind...

"What sort of diary should I like mine to be? Something loose knit and yet not slovenly, so elastic that it will embrace anything, solemn, slight or beautiful that comes into my mind. I should like it to resemble some deep old desk, or capacious hold-all, in which one flings a mass of odds and ends without looking them through. I should like to come back, after a year or two, and find that the collection had sorted itself and refined itself and coalesced, as such deposits so mysteriously do, into a mould, transparent enough to reflect the light of our life, and yet steady, tranquil compounds with the aloofness of a work of art."

~Virginia Woolf, from A Writer's Diary
(As quoted in "Some Deep Old Desk or Capacious Hold-All": Form and Women's Autobiography, Suzanne Juhasz, College English, Vol. 39, No. 6. (Feb., 1978), pp. 663-669.)

(Hat tip: Holy Experience)

I have a new journal (well, really it is an old one that was a gift, but has never been used). I hope it will be a place to record any sort of "solemn, slight or beautiful thing" that I find delight in.

And I'm going to allow it to be imperfect.

Don't tell the *other* side of the family, but....

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

Mais, bien sur!

Some Friday Fun -

Take the Quiz here!

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Because it is a rainy Friday (finally!) and I'm trying to waste time.

If you read this - consider yourself tagged and leave a comment with a link to your quiz results!

8 Things!

Nissa posted an open invitation to be "tagged" for this meme. As I'm not above begging for links and such, I'm taking her up on that. Thanks, Nissa. Go by and check out her lovely blog!

So, here it is - 8 things you may not know about me...

1) When I was 2 I knocked both of my front teeth, not out, but UP into my gums. Remarkably, they did come back down perfectly straight and whole.

2) Despite the above occurance, I never needed braces. Secretly, I wanted braces.

3) During high school, I got my lifesaving certificate and worked as a lifeguard during summer break. I still have my whistle!

4) My college career started and ended as an Art History major; however, in between I changed my major 4 times.

5) After college, I worked in Washington, DC for 3 years. Within sight was: the FBI building, the National Archives, the Capitol Building, and the Mall with all the Smithsonian museums.

6) I turned down a chance to live in both London, England and New Zealand. I really regret that now.

8) One side of my family has ancestors who were in Jamestown. The other side has a deported mafiuso (small time, but "ratted out" some bigger guys).

K-12 Meme

Here's a fun meme from "A Gracious Home"

Apple Jacks or Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries
HA! I had "health nut" parents. I only got to eat these at friends' houses!

Band or Choir
Some band - a flag twirler, but then I got too "cool" for my boots. (Or thought I did)

Class Ring
Yes!

Ducks or Battleships
Yea, I don't know. Neither? I did enjoy the game "Battleship", but that is about as close as it comes.

Earning Money
Lifeguarded for most of highschool

Favorite Teacher
A few - most of my elementary teachers were "favorites". In Jr High - I've no idea. In Sr. High - Mrs. Crommelin (English). She was one of the toughest teachers in school.

Go Back and Do Over
Maybe - I enjoyed high school. If I could do it knowing what I know now and avoid all the "emotional angst".

Home Economics
I flunked out in Jr. High - no kidding. I seriously think my teacher had an axe to grind with me. I was such a "goody two shoes" and tried so hard to get her approval. In Sr. High, I took Interior Design and loved that.

Indoor Recess
what? I guess that would be when we stayed in our class rooms and played games like "Seven Up" and "Four Corners".

Jacks or Jump Rope
Either - I guess I liked jacks better.

Kickball or Dodgeball
YUCK.

Lunchbox
I'm sure I had some wonderful one in elementary - I don't remember it. I did buy most of my lunches 'cause mom was a teacher and didn't have time to make lunches. Same for Jr and Sr. - I always bought a lunch.

Number of School Districts
1, but it was large - around 6-8 high schools.

Orange or Apple
apple

Playground Equipment
Swings!

Quiz Team or Debate
Bleck.

Recess
Spent hanging upside down on the monkey bars, swinging on swings, making daisy chains, etc.

Spring Break
I lived at the beach, so we tended to go see family for spring break.

Team Sports
No.

Unfulfilled Dream
Planned to do lots of world traveling and hoped to live for some extended time overseas. I've done some traveling (Sweden, Finland, Greece, Turkey, China) but have yet to live overseas.

Valuable
My best friend in Jr and Sr high and I still keep up with each other. It helps that we were also roomies in college.

Walk or Bus
Bus only when I had to in Elementary, otherwise I rode with my mom, who taught at my elementary school. Jr. High -had to ride the bus. Sr. High - caught rides or drove myself.

X Country or Basketball
Had a boyfriend who was a basketball player.

Year
Sr. year was really my favorite!

Zzzzzz’s
Who had time to sleep? There was too much sneaking out to do at night!

A Literary Meme

I saw this at The Common Room blog.

Here's what you do:
1. grab the book closest to you
2. open it to page 161
3. find the fifth full sentence
4. post the text of the sentence to your blog
5. don't search around for the coolest book you have, use the one that is really next to you.

The book right beside my computer is The Latin Centered Curriclum by Andrew Campbell. I'm working on next year's (and this summer's) lessons and am referring to it frequently as I type our lesson plans. I really recommend it to anyone currently or considering a classical education for their family.

Ok, when I turn to p 161, there are only 3 complete sentences and some lists of books, so I'm going to find the fifth full sentence on the next page that has a fifth sentence. That would be page 165. Here is the sentence:

Is it accurate to claim, as one Christian curriculum publisher does, that the "classical Greek approach focuses on Greek literature and man's reasoning. The Hebrew methods focus on God's Word and faith"?

If you post the meme on your blog, let me know!