This has been the most amazing year--chock full of all kinds of amazing discoveries.  What better way to come upon the year's end than to reflect on a few, remember them for posterity, and share them with a few friends!

Goods and services:

·         This year we discovered ChristianCinema.com--Christian/family movie rentals that have blessed us and saved us a fortune in DVDs!

·         If you've never tried Burt's Bees products, you are missing out.  These unprotentious products actually DO what they are intended to and they are (mostly) all-natural which makes us all very happy.

·         MPIX free downloadable scrapbook designer!  Fabulous!

New Discoveries:

·         New knowledge regarding vitamin supplements...and with that, supplements that actually have had a positive affect.

·         Raw honey!  Yum!

·         Coconut oil--fabulously good for you!

·         Herbal tea!  Yum!  I think herbal tea is one of those things you grow to appreciate.

·         Stevia! This herbal sweetener (along with raw honey)  got us off of all artificial and processed sweeteners.

·         The Biblical holidays & feasts--learning about them and beginning to reflect on them, if not fully incorporate them, into our lives.

·         Re-Discoveries:
The joys of board games. 

·         The joys of poetry.  Our addition of a poem a day (Ambleside Online) has been so great!

·         Hymns really are better!  We've incorporated more hymns and less K-LOVE in our music listening. We've really enjoyed Selah's recordings of hymns and the Douglas Bond book series Mr. Pipes.

·         Picked up crocheting again!  Whoo-eeee!  That is fun!  AND I've found some great free patterns from the web and library books.  Love it!  Crocheting is not just for granny-square afghans anymore!

·         Also picked up my soprano and alto recorders again to bring some musical flavor to our home. 

·         The love of sewing.

·         MOTH: Managers of Their Homes

·         Lavender: Growing it, smelling it, and using it in the home!  Thank you, Mrs. Meyers!

·         Quiet times. 

·         Stove popped Popcorn!  Especially Black Jewel Popcorn--non-genetically modified popcorn without the "pain" of too many hulls!  You can save a lot of money getting "off" of microwave popcorn!  Stove top is easy--I'll post about that soon!

Accomplishments:

·         The purging of all processed foods from our home-life.  Still working on what happens when we leave home!

·         Learned how to bake my own healthy bread and now do so regularly. 

·         Learning how to cook real, raw foods--no cans, boxes or freezer bags.

·         Meal planning is a GO!

·         The continuing progress of establishing good habits--Laying Down Rails!

·         I'm not sure if this qualifies as an accomplishment...but coming to terms with blogging and what my hopes are for this hobby that has been sometimes good, sometimes ugly.  I'm hoping to stick with the good!

Personally Speaking:

·         I've thoroughly enjoyed getting back into the Word on a daily basis!  WoW!  God is good!  I've so enjoyed the journey of finding out why God created me the way I am--what purpose's he has for me and my individual gifts--how I'm to grow as a wife, mother, caretaker of the home, child of the King. 

·         It's been a year of change--God-induced, God directed, God and all His infinite mercies.  I'm excited for 2008 only to receive more of the same!  Laying it all at His feet--that is how I hope to worship Him with all we do.