"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15

Sunday, December 31, 2023

Share Four Somethings November/December 2023

Happy New Year's Eve! Can you believe we will wake up tomorrow to a whole new year? I can't. I don't know where this year went, but in a lot of ways I am glad for it to
be over.
Anyway, I am happy to be able to look back over the month and link up with Jennifer to share my Four Somethings. I will be sharing things I've loved, learned, read, and ate!

 Something Loved

I have loved traveling over the past few months. I went to Tennessee, taking my mom with me, and got to meet my great-niece. We also traveled to VA to see our friends who are like family for Thanksgiving, which was wonderful! You can see some pictures and details here.

Something Learned 

So much about my health. I am still working on getting my body back in whack, and my functional medicine doctor said it would take at least 6-months. (Cindy says probably longer if she doesn't stop the stress eating!)

Something Read

I did not have any five star reads in November, but I have had a few in December. You can click on the cover to see my reviews.

Something I Ate Personal Updates

You may or may not have noticed that I did not post in November. These past few months have been HARD. Elijah's surprise surgery in October was supposed to have a very quick recovery, long story short, it did not. He had his final follow-up visit in December, 10 weeks after the surgery. He is still not 100% healed, but is doing great. I ended up getting sick with bronchitis and fought it for 5 weeks. In the midst of these things a family member had a cancer diagnosis, has had surgery, and begins radiation in January (prayers appreciated, this is all I can say about this on a public forum). Also, in November, coming back from Indiana to get my mom, to take her with me on my trip to TN, my car broke down an hour from home. IT IS STILL in the shop. It has been weeks of rental cars (until Kayla come home from college), and sharing cars. My car is supposed to be fixed by the end of this week (January 5th), which will be 8 full weeks of it being in the shop. They have told us several times it would be done, but we are pretty confident this time it will be. There has been quite a bit of travel over the past few weeks, transition to a new job, working Monday and Tuesday from 8-5, and with my health the way it is, that has been beyond exhausting. So much so that I have debated quitting multiple times (which is hard because I am not a quitter). I also had my previous employer reach out to me and wanted to me to start a small preschool, so I could teach her son and a few other kids. We have been back and forth on that for two months, and it is on hold for now. I like the idea, but there is so much with that, and yeah, just so much. I am hoping that things get easier. We are still trying to get our sewing business to grow. We are adding two new students next week, which is exciting. I was asked recently if it was a full-time business, and the answer is yes/no. Yes, because I work on it EVERY SINGLE day, and no, because we do not have enough business for it to be full-time. We have not recouped the start up costs this year, which for a new business, is not surprising. We will see how 2024 does for us. We celebrated Christmas at home and it was a wonderfully, relaxing day. Kayla's boyfriend came mid-day, we had a fabulous meal, played a bunch of games, and just had a nice time. Anyway, we are still in a season of high stress, but we have Kayla home for another week and a half, so the holidays don't quite feel like they are over yet 😉 I hope you and yours are doing well. Happy New Year!

"To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen." Philippians 4:20

 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17
 
What is something you have loved, learned, read, or ate this month?? To see what other bloggers are sharing this month head over to Jennifer's blog.

Friday, December 22, 2023

Favorite Picture from November

Yes, I know, we are well into December. But, December isn't over yet, so I can still post November's picture, LOL! November was another rough month, with my car going into the shop (and is still there!!), but there was good in the month as well.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

No going back

 When I get down, things get stressful, or I get overwhelmed, I get quiet. I hate that I missed the Share Four Somethings for November, because it is something I enjoy doing. But, every time I thought to do it, I just couldn't I will still post my favorite picture from November, and move on from here. I am still on the struggle bus, still very stressed, but hoping to catch up on a few things in the next few days. I hope you all are doing well.