Happy New Year! Yay 2015!

... or "2014: The Year That Got Away From Me".

Either way. The urge to shed this past year and get organized and prioritized for next year (is it weird that I'm excited that it's a year divisible by 5? Just seems so much more manageable that way!) set it at 9:00pm on New Year's Eve. Needless to say. So there's that.

Oh wow 2014 - SO MUCH SHIT HAPPENED. Or did it? It felt like a year that whizzed by in a blur of activity rushed together, pieced together, with 60% of my attention because the other 40% had already moved on to the next thing... or was still reeling from the last thing.... I have regrets. And if you know me at all, you know that my one goal is to try to live without regrets. Regrettably something that is getting tougher and tougher to do as I get older (having kids doesn't help!).

Ha. I'm hilarious.

No, But seriously - I let too much escape me this year - too many moments with my kids and family by, too many opportunities to DO things slip by, too many priorities out of whack.

Not this year. NOSIREEBOB. I don't know who the hell Bob is, but he's gonna stop the siree's from fucking it all up. Or stop me, at least.

Now, the good things. Because SO MANY good things DID happen this year amidst the turmoil and trudgery. (Trudge + Drudgery. Come on Lone Reader (hi mom!) - keep up!)

A year ago! Such a baby!

The year started with a snow storm

Cold enough the chickens tried to steal the dog house

BUTI'MAGOODDOG!

60 degrees the day after the snow storm. Dinner al fresco!

First turkeys at Stoneyhaw!

Happy boys!

Naturally-dyed eggs. Kinda. I got it figured out now.

Warm sunshine makes Zora sleeeeeepy.

My only garden this year... :( And they did all the work...

I had the honor of making a friend's wedding cake

Double trouble at Biscuitville.

More cousin shenanigans

Fish are awesome.

So are penguins!

But mostly (drunken) tandem sister lawnmower driving

First selfie. (He got loads of practice in the months to come...)

Stoneyhaw blueberries still going strong!

Thanksgiving and Christmas (Bob and Spare-in-case-we-fuck-up didn't make it)

Blueberry hoarder

We love sissy!

Waiting for a train. The CITY PARK TRAIN!

:)

Days got colder... boys got sillier....

So excited to build the house. Safety goggles!

I'MSTILLAGOODBOY!

Mystery turned four.

We learned how to go down slides.

...and love to rider the mower.

The eastereggers started laying!

We went to the state fair!

I'm in love with my new kitchen!

Almost there.

Date afternoon = kitchen counter making.

...which the man finished after I went to sleep :)

Toilets went in.

My awesome sink went in.

And our stove is in :)

We sang along to White Christmas with our grandmother

We grew long curly locks...

...and got our first haircut!

Family portraits weren't really a thing this year.

But Santa brought us some good shit.

Ready to build.

The middle of the train track is the BEST place to get some computer work done.

Stairs are almost done!

Stoneyhaw has a (someday-will-be) steamboat-farmhouse! Almost :)

So I have my goals and priorities laid out - I have a bunch of things I want to tackle, and for the first time in a long time I feel like I *might* actually get to. I am starting to see the light at the end of the housebuilding tunnel, and that means I can DO things again. I will have a "proper" kitchen again for the first time in over 4 years! I can do the things I miss doing so so much. Fermenting this, culturing things, baking things - soap making, canning, preserving, the list goes on and on.... And at the top and foremost on my list is my family. The redneck has done so much and sacrificed so much to build us this beautiful home.... I'm going to make the time to fucking enjoy it!

And I got my shit together before midnight. Yes. Things are looking good.