Measuring up in 2011: Reflecting on Last Year

I am a HUGE New Years Resolutions fan! HUGE! (but you probably already knew that....) In my case, they truly DO help me to grow and stretch and challenge myself in ways I wouldn't ordinarily. I know this isn't the case for everyone. But for me, it is. And I will submit that nothing but GOOD can result from reflecting on how you have been living and ways you can improve. Yearly. Or monthly. And even daily. I have found that looking back always help point the way to what is next.


My tradition, about this time of year, is to look back upon last years goals and see how I measured up.

Imagine my surprise then, when I couldn't find my 2011 resolutions post! Where did it GO? Well, searching my blogger dashboard, I found that I had the post written but had never actually POSTED it. (doy.) And the post spoke of how I had measured up to my 2010 resolutions but had not a.SINGLE.GOAL for the coming year.

The end of the post was " So what are my goals for this year, you ask???" and then nothing.

Apparently, you DIDN'T ask. ;-)

Truth be told, I don't know that I would have measured up to any real goals this past year anyway, what with the new business venture, and then returning back to work, the flood, the emptying of Grams house and the moving into it as our own. All of it, unknown territory. It was one crazy year.

While I don't have any specific goals to measure up to this past year, nevertheless I would like to reflect on the past year a bit.

Because you DIDN'T ask:








On Finances~ Matt was able to quit a job and start a new one using money we had saved in preparation for the business~ The Network Dragon Fund. During those 5 months, we had to dip into our savings fund only once but that dip did not exhaust the fund. Paying off our car and all debts was an incredible burden lifted. I am immensely proud of us for this feat.

The Lord opened up some great ways for me to make money during this time too, allowing me to help contribute financially over $2,300.00 by taking photographs for a magazine and a few individuals, having yard sales, selling clothes to consignment shops, cleaning a church, and selling a few craft goods. Along with using it for groceries, I was able to buy a topnotch dehydrator (ours broke) and a fabulous used grain mill, two things we have been needing in our putting-by repertoire for some time.

Also during this time, I stopped my weekly shopping trips and only would go to town for diapers and milk or cheese. The cash only budget system went down the drain when Matt began his home business because we were on a strict no-spending budget, as money coming in was very unreliable. It was a time of very tight belts, making me realize anew how easy money can (and does) pilfer away little by little without you even realizing it when you don't have a budget and/or go to town often.

Matt did accrue some some business debt~ not much~ but you know how I am with debt. And we bought a house so for the first time ever, we have a mortgage to worry about. Thankfully, mortgage payments and rent checks look an awful lot alike with the exception of your name on the deed, so we can deal with it.






On Health~ Since I still have about 20 pounds to lose since Judah was born (YES, he IS a year old. sigh) , you can see I have a big L on my forehead in this department. I wasn't doing so bad until the stress of Matts' going back to work and the reality of moving hit me. We ate more junk during those months and I drank more soda than all year. COMBINED. What can I say? I have to do better. HAVE TO.

On a positive note~ last year I became very interested in herbs and learning the benefits of certain foods to your system and healing properties of herbs. Unfortunately for me, sugar doesn't fit into any of those medicinal, healing or healthy categories.




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On Preparedness~ We opened up our home during a devastating flood to a family of 7 for a week and had provision to do so. And before that, we had staples enough for us not to worry about not being able to get to a store at a time when a great many people were very very worried.

We butchered two cows and two pigs and got TONS of meat from it. I wished, too late, that I had kept detailed books on the cost of feed and butchering so I would have a good idea how much our (quality) meat ended up costing us. I didn't even record how MUCH meat was our return! (shirk) I don't know if it was financially worth it, but money isn't everything. I certainly know better for the next time.

We had a great garden harvest but I regretted not planting certain things-like potatoes. What family garden does not include potatoes?!?!

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On Education~ I feel always the failure when it comes to education, and no more so than this year, when so many things seemed to thwart my good intentions. I have fallen so short this year on my own expectations for myself and my hopes for my children that I can hardly wonder at what I have done RIGHT this year. I fail miserably at making education what I want it to be in my mind and sometimes have to fight the doubt that I am just NOT the best option. I know that many homeschoolers struggle with these same feelings and I wonder if my perfectionist tendencies seem to harden the blow.

No one is perfect, but to hold myself to that standard means that I will ALWAYS FAIL and will always be unhappy with what I HAVE accomplished.

That said, Corynn and I found the groove we needed to get math (her most frustrating subject) done and done well. Andrew is excited and ready to read and is well on his way. He knows his letter sounds and can sound short words out~ so it is only a matter of patience and perseverance before we have TWO bookworms on our hands. We are catching up on the work we missed during our move, and are on the fast track to a great rest of the year. In this area, more than all others, I call for the grace of God and thank Him for his mercies, new, each morning.





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On One Anothering One another~ our pastor says (and I often chuckle) that the Greek word Koinonia is a call to "One-another one another". I chuckle because it is funny (it is!) but it is also a great challenge for Christians to hold fast to the body of believers. I have loved holding to a tradition of writing widows and the elderly (and friends and family) on Sunday afternoons as a way to keep the Sabbath and did well at it in the beginning of the year. Several of those I wrote to passed away this year and then the latter half of the year happened and I was too busy even to write the few people left. I miss that.

I tried (and pretty much failed) to counsel some loved ones with great difficulties in their lives.

We gave financial gifts as we were able.

Matt helped neighbors repair their driveways when flooding happened (even though he was sick! Sorry, brag moment.) and we helped his family empty his grandmothers house, a daunting task to be sure.

But it all seems inconsequential when I look at the whole of things. I can't help but feel discouraged about the fact that we could have done so much more to help, encourage, uplift and bless the saints around us. Even in the small, hidden things like not taking offense when I do. In forgiving. In judging myself rather than my brother. In praying, without ceasing, for those in need. In giving of my time and myself, even in the messy, dirty times. In letting my faith alight upon my sleeve, so without fail, without question, I can declare God in all things.






This leads me to:

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On Spiritual things~ I learned one thing this year, what with the home business and all~ there is never enough time for worship unless you MAKE time for worship. Even when Matt began a home business, time was precious and it was a challenge to make time for family worship. We didn't do it every single night, sadly, but I did see great improvement from last year. So thankful that even as he has gone back to work, that has continued.

I continue to read, discuss and quiz scripture, pray and sing to/with the children during the day, but I need to make a concerted effort when he is away on business trips, to lead the family in worship during the evening meal. I hate leading evening meal worship alone. I hate eating our evening meal alone those nights.

I didn't do as much memorization as I would have liked either. For myself OR the children.


There it is in a nutshell. How we failed, succeeded and everything in between.

Coming up next~ my goals for the new year.

Whether you like it or not.

wink

PS. All photos in this post are taken the month we moved in, when my father-in-law gave us the tractor tour of our new property. Which, as you can see, has just about everything from fields to corn, to quarries, to woods. Including a secret cabin in the woods!