Lists of 2011 - #52

Listography #52 - Favourite Photos of 2011

The last list of the year!  What a great project this has been - I'm looking forward to collecting these lists and saving them in a mini-album.  I think they'll be so interesting in the years to come.

Oh, my!  Where to start with this last prompt??  It was fun looking back through this year's archives and smiling at so many wonderful memories.  Here is our year in review:

January:

Snowshoeing in Fairmount

Huge snowbanks

So much fun to play on

February:

Tobogganing and snowmobiling

Sewing projects

March:

Starting seeds

Gymnastics

Baby lambs

April:

Baby M arrived

Easter egg hunting

May:

Potatoes planted in sacks and first eaten on May 28th

Little helper at the greenhouse

June:

Inside the greenhouse

4 Birthdays

July:

Quadding in the foothills

Picking raspberries in New Brunswick

Little boys on tractors

Little girls on hoodoos

August:

Silaging

Summer skies

September:

Peaches in the Okanagan

Birthday fun

First days of school

Canning and preserving

Checking the grain with Great-Grampa

October:

Fall hikes

Thanksgiving

Tired little boys

Sunrise on the farm

Exciting news

November:

Last tomatoes picked in the greenhouse

Baby M growing up

December:

School assemblies and awards

New homes

Christmas

Family gatherings

It's been an amazing year, full of blessings, fun and great times!

Lists of 2011 - #51

Listography #51 - Best Christmas Gifts

1.  our family all gathered together

2. an overnight Christmas day trip to Jasper,  just Bob and I

3.  a pair of diamond studs

4.  my first laptop computer

5.  photobooks

6.  scrapbooking mini-albums

7.  hardwood floors

8.  cameras (I've received a few of them over the years)

9.  snowshoes

10.  books

11.  pyjamas

12.  a handcrafted necklace with our children's names on it

and from long ago -

13.  a green plastic lunch kit with a new hairbrush inside from my Dad when I was in grade two

14.  brand new white figure skates

15.  a new Christmas dress, sewed by my Mom,  every year

Lists of 2011 - #50

Listography #50 - The Best Part of the Holidays

1.  God sent Jesus to us.

2.  All of our children (or most of them this year!) coming home with their partners and families.

3.  Christmas Eve candlelight church service.

4.  Sharing gifts.

5.  Baking and eating cookies and special treats.

6.  Beautiful music.

7.  Colored lights on trees and houses.

8.  Decorations and ornaments collected over the years.

9.  Delivering Santa's Anonymous gifts.

10.  Cards and letters from friends and family.

11.  Candles.

12.  Special food.

13.  Special events like concerts and gatherings.

14.  Reading the Christmas story again.

15.  Sewing special projects to give to others.

16.  Watching our grandchildren get excited about Christmas and seeing how they can be involved in every aspect of it.

Lists of 2011 - #49

Listography #49 - Things I Wish I Didn't Know

I had a hard time with this list.  I didn't want to list things that made it appear like I want to bury my head in the sand and pretend that I live in this isolated world that has no connection to others.  So my take on the prompt is more one of "things that I wish (didn't exist) so I didn't have to know about them".

1.  human trafficking

2.  poverty

3.  abuse of any kind

4.  violence in sport

5.  corruption

6.  injustices done to Aboriginal peoples

7.  lack of clean water and proper sanitation

8.  war

9.  chemicals sprayed on food

10.  genetic modification of plants

Lists of 2011 - #48

Listography #48 - If I Never Had to Sleep, I Would - - -

1.  Sew all night long!  Just imagine how much I could get done :))

2.  Or scrapbook sometimes

3.  Read

4.  Finish painting the house

5.  Write letters

6.  Learn to knit and crochet

7.  Renovate the bathroom

8.  Create some photobooks

9.  Bake bread, buns and donuts

10.  Entertain friends - the ones that wouldn't need to sleep either!

Lists of 2011 - #47

Listography #47 - Things I Am Thankful For

It's just a little list but it holds so much meaning -

1.  Good health

2.  A place to call home

3.  Our amazing children and their families

4.  Peace in our country

5.  Living in a rural location

6.  Electronic communications - especially email and cell phones

7.  The ability to read

8.  Pictures and scrapbooks

9.  Time - to use in so many ways

10.  Enthusiasm all around me - from children, friends and family to share and pass on

11.  Smiles

12.  Abundant food

Lists of 2011 - #46

Listography #46 - People That I Love

In random order:

1.  Our (soon-to-be 8) grandchildren - Meadow, Helayna, Silas, Samuel, Blake and Maëlle

2.  Our four children and their amazing partners:  Darrin and Kelsey, Heather and Jonathan, Melinda and Tyler, Naomi and Gerald

3.  My husband, Bob

4.  My parents, Gus and Elfriende

5.  My sisters, Teresa and Esther, and their families

6.  My brothers, Del and Brent, and their families

7.  Our amazing friends - so, so many of them and so, so many memories

8.  Our Compassion sponsored children, Helene in Brazil and Dinknesh in Ethiopia

9.  Doctors and nurses who work tirelessly to help people feel better

10.  People who work hard in service industries and who can still smile and be courteous

I could go on and on but I'll leave it at that :)

Lists of 2011 - #45

Listography #45 - Things I Have Broken or Lost

1.  My glasses - only once!  I was on a 4-H awards trip to Chicago and near the end of the 10 day trip I lost my glasses.  I still have no idea where they went.  Maybe got left behind while visiting with other delegates - we did do lots of circulating between different state rooms!  My mom was less than impressed when I got home.

2.  Drinking glasses of all shapes and sizes - they just seem to slip out of my hands!  And in the kitchen they are the most likely item to bite the dust.

3.  A navy-blue fleece half-zip jacket - I wore it one winter and it was never seen again.

4.  If I can stretch the word "broken" to include vehicles - our red Dodge Caravan that was written off after hitting a tree in the ditch just a few winters ago.  It was a sad day indeed!

5.  The handle on the cream pitcher for my set of Royal Albert china.

6.  Not all of them have really been my fault, but a "few" repairs have been required on the forage harvester and hy-dump when I've been driving during silage season.

7.  A fence post that was clipped off by the riding lawn mower when I was cutting the grass.

I'm sure Bob could add to this list of mine - if you asked him!

Lists of 2011 - #44

Listography #44 - Best Desserts

1.  pumpkin or apple pie

2.  brownie pudding

3.  rhubarb crisp, especially the first one of the spring

4.  berries + brown sugar + cream

5.  strawberry shortcake

6.  pumpkin cheesecake

7.  raspberry mallow squares

8.  ginger ice cream sandwiches

9.  Christmas pudding with warm caramel sauce

10.  cream puffs

Lists of 2011 - #43

Listography #43 - 10 Halloween Costumes You Have Worn

1.  Wicked witch

2.  Hockey referee

3.  Ketchup bottle

4.  Construction worker

5.  Farmer

6.  Clown

7.  Old lady

8.  Hobo

9.  Nurse

10.  Teacher

(This year the teachers at one school I sub at are all dressing up as characters from Robert Munsch stories - very clever, don't you think?!)

Lists of 2011 - #42

Listography #42 - Things I Wish I Could Do Better

1.  Swim

2.  Play musical instruments including the piano and guitar

3.  Climb and hike

4.  Draw

5.  Make pastry

6.  Home renovation projects

7.  Keep the weeds out of flowerbeds and gardens

8.  Keep my house clean

9.  Photography

10.  Recite scriptures from memory

Lists of 2011 - #41

Listography #41 - Things I Like To Wear

1.  Scarves

2.  Earrings and bracelets

3.  Capris

4.  High heels (even though my feet don't always agree!)

5.  Jeans

6.  Down-filled vests

7.  Dresses or skirts

8.  My gramma's pearls

9.  Warm jackets and coats (in the winter)

10.  Leather gloves (especially for driving)

Lists of 2011 - #40

Listography #40 - Things That Inspire Me

1.  Knowing that God does it all for me

2.  Encouragement and examples from others, including those in blogland

3.  Wanting no regrets and loose ends when my life here ends

4.  Our grandchildren and children - their love, their curiousity, their smiles and hugs

5.  Colours

6.  Sharing my talents and what I make

7.  Friendship and neighborliness

8.  Travel and seeing people around the world

9.  Music and scripture

10.  Projects and deadlines :)

Lists of 2011 - #39

Lists of 2011 - #39 - Causes I Favour

1.  Compassion International

2.  Canadian Lutheran World Relief

3.  Samaritan's Purse

4.  Women's Shelters

5.  The Mustard Seed 

6.  Santa's Anonymous

7.  Libraries and getting books to children

8.  Women for Women

9.  Fair trade organizations

10.  Farmer run markets, stores and shops around the world

Lists of 2011 - #38

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Listography #38 - People I'd Like to Meet

1.  Jesus

2.  Mother Teresa

3.  Princess Diana

4.  Marie Currie

5.  Wayne Gretzky

6.  Celine Dion

7.  Jack Layton

8.  Ann Voskamp

9.  Cleopatra

10.  Mary, mother of Jesus

Lists of 2011 - #37

Listography #37 - More Things I Love (continuing on from June 2 - #22)

1.  Smiles, hugs and kisses from my children and grandchildren

2.  Sweetpeas in vases

3.  Autumn colors just beginning to show

4.  Picking fresh produce and eating it within minutes

5. The thought of apple pies in the freezer

6.  Ripening pumpkins and squash

7.  Corn on the cob, dripping with butter

8.  Peaches and cream with brown sugar

9.  Jars full of fruit and vegetables, lining the shelves

10.  Beets, in all their red glory

Lists of 2011 - #36

Listography #36 - Things I Cannot Live Without

1.  A camera and photographs

2.  Fresh fruit and vegetables

3.  A telephone - for staying in touch with others (not that I really love to be on the phone)

4.  Chai lattes

5.  A sewing machine

6.  Running water

7.  Appliances like the fridge, dishwasher and washing machine

8.  Blooming flowers

9.  Cheese (in all forms)

10.  Books, any books - for reading and writing and savouring

Lists of 2011 - #35

Listography #35 - Material Things I Value Most

1.  Our farm

2.  My Grandma's pearls, my wedding rings, a diamond band and a jade necklace (all of my fine jewellery!)

3.  Photographs (especially our wedding photos, pictures of our children when they were little, heritage photos from my grandparents, a family picture taken when I was 7 - I could go on and on with this list!)

4.  Cameras

5.  My MAC laptop

6.  Appliances, especially the fridge and stove

7.  The rocking chair my grandparents gave us for a wedding gift

8. An Old Country Roses teacup that my Grampa L. gave me after Gramma died

9.  Photobooks and mini-albums from our kids

10.  My Bible and other books

Lists of 2011 - #34

Listography #34 - Things I Dream of Doing When the Day Turns Sour

1.  Going back to bed and starting again tomorrow

2.  Jetting far, far away

3.  Somehow, anyhow! making him see it from my point of view!

4.  Sending flowers to me

5.  Eating chocolate, lots of chocolate!

6.  Ringing the bell and calling the maid to deal with it

7.  Waving a magic wand and making it 'all better'

8.  Crying on my sister's shoulder

9.  Getting hugs from my kids

10.  Spending days and days with my grandchildren, no cares, no worries - just being like one of them :)

Lists of 2011 - #33

Listography #33 - 10 Things I'd Tell My 17-year-old Self

1.  Wear that bathing suit!  Wear it again and again - and don't worry about looking fat.  You will be fat one day but you aren't right now.  Trust me on this one!

2.  Those mini-skirts look great on you!  Way to go!

3.  Don't worry about fitting in with the party crew.  They will still be partying when they are 50 - is that what you want?

4.  Try everything!  Learn to ski, learn to swim, learn to play guitar.  You won't get good at anything if you never start it.

5.  Spend more time with your grandparents and write down some of their stories.  They will soon be gone.

6.  Pay attention to how Dad carves a chicken.  One day you may need to carve one in your own home!

7.  You really, really should go to France.  These chances only come once in a lifetime.

8.  You will be so glad that you learned to type.

9.  Don't worry about guys.  The really good ones will still be around when you are in your 20's.  Only go out with the ones that you'd like to be married to - don't waste your time on any others.

10.  Get rid of the sarcasm.  It doesn't do a thing for you or anyone else for that matter.