Happy New Year!!

I have high hopes for this year. The latter part of 2018 was all about going back to our roots: prioritising family; saying no to more things; being more protective over the time we spend together as a family; keeping it simple with school work and reintroducing all the great habits which were lost due to the sheer craziness which was our life over the prior eighteen months: habits such as quiet time, walks in the village, early nights, decreased screen time..

Since September, we have been returning to our roots and it has been so wonderful and so full of goodness. We now have the balance which had been lacking. And that is why I have high hopes for this year.

Joyful Christmas Times

Christmas was a time of recuperation, relaxation and healing. My incredible mum took us all out on Christmas day for a seven course meal. My brother came over from Switzerland with his partner, and it was lovely to see how happy and settled they both are. They have bought an apartment overlooking the Swiss mountains, and have a huge allotment flanked on all sides by mountains and a brook. They grow all manner of fruit and vegetables successfully and Gabby (Rob’s girlfriend) really inspired me in my own growing endeavours (you all know how woefully bad I am at keeping plants alive!)

Gary had some holiday pay this year when he left his old job and this allowed us to buy some very extravagant presents. I had already hand-made all our stocking presents, and we bought each child a special extra present each.

Thomas received a van (we had popped the ownership documents, some driving theory books, a learning to drive CDRom, L plates and the keys to the van in a box – the picture above shows his reaction at finding the keys); Lillie a vintage record player:

Charlotte was over the moon at receiving a lap-top with a program she can use to write her book, her school work and work online using only her voice (meaning she won’t have to use her hands to type when they are painful); Abigail was given two science subscriptions from Curiosity Box and from MEL Science and last but not least, Gary and I plotted to get Becca (and Abigail) out of their room Christmas Eve (they went for a sleep-over at Granny’s house) and magically changed part of their walk-in wardrobe into an arts and craft area for Becs to create in. She had mentioned one day that although the bedroom she shared with Abigail was nice, it was more geared to Abigail’s tastes than her own (it is nature themed, so she is right!). She said that she was more of a pink and purple girl with lots of hearts. So I took this on board and created just that in the wardrobe. Her very own pink and purple office area with lots of hand/finger painted hearts and polka dots. She was beyond ecstatic and has spent every waking moment in there ever since!

Glowing Health

I think this year is going to be a great year health wise. Already this winter we have had practically no infectious illnesses in the family, in harsh contrast to last year when it was one infection after another. Charlotte has been pain free now for seven days. For the past year she has been on pain killers 24 hours a day and she has had none over the past week. She is also not exhausted even though she worked new year’s eve and then stayed up ’til midnight last night and bounded down stairs this morning proclaiming to all who will listen just how well she was feeling! Again, I have high hopes for this year 🙂

New Year’s Resolution

Our pastor, on Sunday, encouraged us to imagine what it would be like if we only had this coming year left to live. Just twelve months. What would we do with them? Thinking this way gets rid of the noise and helps us to focus on that which is important to us.

I think he was hoping we would say we would read the Bible more, pray more and get to know the God we would be meeting twelve months hence. But I have to be honest and say that didn’t figure on my radar. I just felt immense Peace, because I knew that what we had been doing lately, as a family, is exactly what I would be wanting to do over the next twelve months. Draw my mum, my husband, my children, my best friends even closer. Love them just a little bit more. Laugh with them, soak up life with them and find joy in the simplicity of our relationships.

Relationships, relationships, relationships….yup, if I had just one more year to live it would be spent with the people I love most in the world. And therein lies my treasure.

So this new year I am not setting any resolutions. I’m just gonna keep doin’ what I’m doin’. And I have Peace, calm and great joy.

I hope you all have a wonderful year this year, full of the people you love, full of all you find dear. This is going to be a great year!