Oh my, this poor neglected blog. I have no idea why I quit writing, but I did. It felt like the thing to do, or undo. Simply put, I didn't feel like writing. Very odd for me, but I went with it.
I poured my heart and soul into sewing and embroidery. I am glad I did too because 2015 was a growing year for me in textile creativity. I loved almost everything I made! Most things, I made two or three. I participated in a couple of craft fairs, both went poorly as far as profits, but they were a lot of fun and good experiences. I sold a few things via Etsy and Facebook too, just enough to keep me in thread, which works out just fine! I made loads of gifts for friends and family. And I made lots of tote bags for shopping and toting things around. Those were fun, luckily, I saved a few for myself.
The kids are doing well. They have all grown so much that I have recently cleared out their closets and dresser drawers. Nearly everything went in the "Too Small" bin. I hate to toss out nice clothes that my daughter has been wearing for three years, but in reality, three years is an awfully long time for a child to keep anything. Good thing Santa brought longer pants for everyone!
Grace has decided to give up the i in her name, she's growing up and it sounds too cute. Dear me. She started going to public school for 4th grade after graduating from Lower Elementary in the Montessori school. She loves it! She is doing very well too! She does her homework without complaint and she works hard. We didn't see this in Lower El, so it's very refreshing! Libby is growing bored of Montessori. I'm sad about that because I always thought it was her style. I might send her to public next year for 3rd grade, but she needs to finish 2nd and then we'll see. She's doing really well and loves Math the most. Charlie is doing too well in Kindy. He's bored and not enjoying it. He is reading books that are marked 3rd grade reading level at home, so it's no wonder that he is bored at school. It's sure nice to have intelligent kiddos, their problems are the kind every parent hopes to have.
Keith is succeeding in his doctoral program! He is earning almost every point in the entire program of coursework. I'm very proud! His accomplishments aren't easy; he works two jobs and overloads on classes so that he can finish earlier (thus saving tuition). He'll be finished with the coursework soon, then he has comprehensive exams, then he'll start his dissertation. The dissertation phase should begin in May or June, and then he'll probably take a year to write it. Which is astonishing! Pretty soon, I'll be "Mrs. Doctor".
We have been discussing our future a lot lately. It's been fun to think about the kids being teens. These things tend to creep up on a mom and I really love their ages that they are now, but it's good to think ahead and I imagine them all growing into smart, healthy, responsible teens (mostly). And tall, I imagine that I will be the shortest one in the family again. I've also been thinking about getting a resume written and jumping back into the world of working adults. It'll feel like a foreign land after 14 years of being a stay-home-mom, but I'm the adventurous type.
My favorite thing about 2015 was camping. We bought a pop up camper and took it halfway across America and back. I didn't sleep good in it, not even once, but I sure loved going camping with my family. I have to remember to bring my own pillow. I am looking forward to another summer of camping in '16.
My health is good. I have been cancer free all year. I finished Herceptin in May, had a heart health scare in June, and I got my port out in September. I'm on Tamoxifen now, which has side effects that are annoying, but nothing too terrible. I have to have a scar revision and I have to have a total hysterectomy. I tested positive for Brca2, which increases my chances of ovarian cancer. So, still battling the battle, but if we can keep cancer out of the equation, it's all good. Along with that, I need to get into the dentist. Ugh. The thought of going to the dentist makes me groan and slump.
That's pretty much the 2015 wrap up, with the 2016 forecast. Nothing too exciting, just living the life with sprinkles of this and that thrown in. This is good! Hopefully, we will have a boring year. Boring is a good thing! Boring is peaceful. I don't know how much I will write, if at all, but I am pretty sure that I will be sewing miles and miles of stitches. I did start up a sewing Instagram account to document my projects. I don't really say anything about them, I just post up a picture once in a while.
