Lists of 2012 - #50

Listography #50 - Favourite Christmas Ornaments

1.  Creche from Peru

2.  Porcelain Nativity

3.  Holy Family that my Mom and Dad brought from Philadelphia when I was 16

4.  Gramma snowman from grandchildren

5.  Pewter Chickadees from our good friends in Nova Scotia

6.  Set of red glass balls from Darrin and Kelsey

7.  Cloissone' hearts from China

8.  Metal star from 10000 Villages

9.   China bell from Krakow, Poland

10.  Wooden family from my Mom

11.  Stained glass angel from Shelley, Mel's friend

12.  White porcelain angel from Poland

Lists of 2012 - #49

Listography 2012 - #49 - Books I Read This Year

For book club:

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Purge by Sofi Oksanen

A Walk Across the Sun by Corbin Addison

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

The Virgin Cure by Amy Mckay

The School of Essential Ingredient by Erica Bauermeister

The Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Others:

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

Earth's Children (re-read) - Jean Auel
       Clan of the Cave Bear
       Valley of Horses
       The Mammoth Hunters
       The Plains of Passage
     
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

7 : An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother  by Amy Chua

Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan

Bloom by Kelle Hampton

The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbi Ann Mason

Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis

The News from Paraguay by Lily Tuck

In progress:

Priceless by Tom Davis

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

24 - that's 2 a month!  Wow - I didn't realize I had read that many.  If I had to pick only one to take with me to a desert island, I don't know which one it would be!  The book club reads were all good. (There was 1 book I didn't read this year - long story - I moved on!)  And if you only read one book in the next year, pick The Five Love Languages - it's relationship changing.

Thank you to Shelfari for helping me to keep track of this year's list!  I don't think I would have remembered all of them on my own.

Lists of 2012 - #48

Listography 2012 - #48 - Favourite Memories from 2012

1.  Peyton's birth, holding her for the first time and having a Canada Day baby shower for her - and watching our son become a Dad!

2.  Malachi's birth and holding him for the first time

3.  Going to New Brunswick for 10 days

4.  Our grandchildren and the chickens

5.  My Dad's 80th birthday

6.  Melinda, Tyler, Samuel and Malachi visiting for 3 weeks

7.  Taking a family photo with all 18 of us!

8.  Growing so many pumpkins and squash

9.  Having our grandchildren stay with us

10.  Maëlle's baptism

11.  Going to BC with my friend

12.  Garden and house tours

Lists of 2012 - #46

Listography 2012 - #46 - What's On My Wishlist

1.  New faucet set for the kitchen sink

2.  Complete painting for the inside of the house

3.  Bathroom reno (This is a no holds barred list!)

4.  Upgrade on the patio and outside landscaping

5.  Insert for our fireplace so it's more efficient

6.  Two accent chairs for the living room

7.  New coffee table for the living room

8.  Winter boots - dress and casual

9.  New sweaters

10.  Food processor

11.  New teapot for my Old Country Roses set of china

12.  Photobooks of our trips to South America and Africa

Lots of stuff but it's just a list, right?!

Lists of 2012 - #45

Listography 2012 - #45 - Things I've Spent Money on This Week

1.  Beads for Life necklaces and bracelets

2.  Sunday offering

3.  Christmas gift at Canadian Tire

4.  Candy canes for Christmas baking

5.  Milk, yogurt, bananas, oranges - groceries

6.  Magazine subscriptions

7.  Fresh ginger for chai mix

8.  Almonds to make poppycock

9.  Developing pictures at Costco

10.  Amaryllis bulbs for Christmas gifts

11.  Stamps to mail some letters

12.  Gift to Compassion for our sponsor child in Brazil

Lists of 2012 - #44

Listography 2012 - #44 - Things I'm Feeling Stressed About (but really in pretty small ways)

1.  painting our main living area

2.  using up the rest of the tomatoes

3.  not having the garden completely cleaned out and rototilled

4.  the state of chaos in part of our basement

5.  what to give our son and son-in-laws for Christmas

6.  how much time to devote to a volunteer committee that's demanding alot

7.  re-doing our patio area (someday!)

8.  wrinkles!

9.  time to finish my sewing projects wish-list

10.  the causes to support this Christmas

11.  creating some photobooks

12.  farm accounting

Lists of 2012 - #43

Listography - #43 - Random Happy Memories

1.  Getting the phone calls that told us about the birth of each of our grandchildren.

2.  The wedding days of our children.

3.  Quading trips with my family.

4.  Seeing animals on safari, especially the first giraffes, zebras and lions.

5.  Working with teachers on professional development in Belize.

6.  Climbing the Great Wall of China.

7.  Taking the train through Poland and the Czech Republic.

8.  Driving through Austria and seeing the beautiful mountains and architecture.

9.  Staying at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City.

10.  Seeing the incredible farms of Brazil and Argentina.

11.  Sea kayaking around the shore in Nova Scotia.

12.  Summers spent with my grandparents at the farm.

Lists of 2012 - #42

Listography 2012 - #42 - Answered Prayers

1.  For safety while driving daily

2.  For guiding our decisions and actions while being stewards of the land and farming

3.  For continuing good health for me and those I love

4.  For dignity for our parents while they age

5.  For energy, strength, curiosity and the ability to learn for our grandchildren

6.  For bountiful food that we've produced

7.  For wisdom in finances

8.  For patience - moment by moment some days

9.  For days of subbing

10.  For simpler, quieter, intentional living

11.  For opportunities to serve in many places in many ways

12.  For grace day after day

Lists of 2012 - #40

Listography 2012 - #40 - Favourite Recipes

This could be a very long list!  But in the spirit of my lists this year, I'll limit it to 12 favourites.
(H) means a heritage recipe unique to our family - kind of a family secret :)
If you are interested in any of the others, let me know and I'll be happy to share.

1.  Brownies (H)

2.  Poppycock (H)

3.  Banana Oatmeal Muffins (H)

4.  Chicken Cacciatorie

5.  Raspberry Cheesecake

6.  Honey Wheat Buns (H)

7.  Swarties' Hash Browns

8.  Sauerkraut and Ribs

9.  Mom's Apple Pie

10.  Green Rice

11.  Tortilla Espanola

12.  Shortbread (H)

Lists of 2012 - #39

Listography 2012 - #39 - Things I'm Grateful For

1.  God's love and Jesus who saved me

2.  My health - and the health of my whole family

3.  Freedom

4.  Abundance - of food, shelter, clothing - everything I need

5.  Our grandchildren and their parents (our children)

6.  My senses

7.  My parents and my siblings

8.  Education

9.  Universal health care

10.  Literacy and books

11.  Friends

12.  My camera :)

Lists of 2012 - #38

Listography 2012 - #38 - Photos I Wish I'd Taken

I only have a few regrets in my life and this week's topic reveals one of them!

1.  Newborn photos of our son and daughters

2.  Little fingers, toes, ears, smiles - the closeups of babies

3.  All the firsts - first smile, first rollover, first sitting, first crawling, first steps, first tooth - and so on.

4.  Reading together when they were little

5.  My pregnancies - I have 1 photo from 36 months total of being pregnant.

6.  More people pictures when we were on vacations (seriously - I have more pictures of elk in the mountains than of the people who were on the trip!,

7.  Pictures of our parents with our children when they were little - I have some from birthdays but didn't do it regularly.

8.  Farm pictures of Bob working, especially in the dairy barn

9.  Photos of the kids helping me in the kitchen and the garden

10.  Pictures of our vehicles through the years

11.  Photos of building our house

12.  Everyday photos of the things we ate, the games we played, the people who were in our lives.

I guess the lesson learned from this is that when you know better, you do better.  So our grandchildren are blessed - I take lots of photos of them and their parents take even more!  And each one is just a precious reminder of their days.

Lists of 2012 - #38

Listography 2012 - #38 - Favourite Meals

1.  Shrimp and mushroom pizza

2.  Sweet and sour spareribs

3.  Roast chicken with dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy

4.  Homemade soup with fresh bread

5.  Sauerkraut with spareribs

6.  Ham with scalloped potatoes

7.  Taco salad

8.  Barbecued burgers and potato salad

9.  Chicken cacciatorie with mashed potatoes

10.  Lasagne

11.  Meatloaf and baked potatoes

12.  Salads (of all kinds)

Lists of 2012 - #37

Listography 2012 - #37 - What I Want to be Remembered For

1.  loving my God and Saviour

2.  sharing what I have

3.  kindness in words and deeds

4.  time and sharing this precious resource

5.  good food in taste, in producing and preserving

6.  love of reading and writing

7.  memories recorded with photos

8.  laughter and playing

9.  baking brownies

10.  an open door to our home

11.  handmade with fabric and with paper

12.   curious and open to adventures, big and small

Lists of 2012 - #36

Listography 2012 - #36 - More Things I Love

1.  Sunshine

2.  Fresh peaches and cream

3.  Sunflowers in my garden

4.  Reflections in mountain lakes

5.  Babies

6.  The curiousity of children

7.  Hugs

8.  Little voices talking to me on the telephone

9.  My scrapbooks

10.  Any kind of double crust fruit pie

11.  Happy mail

12.  The colours of autumn in nature

13.  New books of any kind

Lists of 2012 - #35

Listography 2012 - #35 - Things to Do This Fall

1.  Can BC fruit and tomatoes

2.  Make apple pies with my Mom and my friend

3.  Make tomato salsa and peach salsa

4.  Get back in to the swing of subbing

5.  Take a road trip to the mountains

6.  Have fun with my camera

7.  Change out seasonal decorations in the house

8.  Clean out the garden

9.  Attend Bob's parents moving-out auction sale

10.  Enjoy autumn colours and the sunflowers

11.  Make cards and send happy mail

12.  Be a go-fer for Bob during harvest

13.  Survive the craziness!!

Lists of 2012 - #34

Listography 2012 - #34 - Things I Love About My Son

1.  He loves his wife and daughter and is affectionate with both of them.

2.  He is smart and asks questions and continues learning.

3.  He loves kids, plays with them and teases them.

4.  He is a careful driver.

5.  He has a creative side that we are seeing more and more.

6.  He is organized - his closet is awesome - and he rarely leaves things laying around.

7.  He is a man of integrity - his word is his word.

8.  He is adventurous and athletic.

9.  He helps in the kitchen and around the house.

10.  He helps others whether it's moving, building fence or painting.

11.  He reminds me of my Dad.

12.  He is conscientious about staying healthy.

Love you, D!

Lists of 2012 - #33

Listography 2012 - #33 - The Best Snacks

1.  Nachos and cheese

2.  Fresh fruit

3.  Cheese, crackers and pickles

4.  Chocolate covered almonds

5.  Salted nuts

6.  Shrimp dip on crackers

7.  Seven layer Mexican dip

8.  Chicken wings

9.  Surprise spread

10.  Popcorn with butter

11.  Cookies

12.  Fresh veggies - yes, with dip :)

Lists of 2012 - #32

Listography 2012 - #32 - If I Could I Would

1.  make sure that everyone in the world had enough food every day.

2.  have peace and tolerance on earth.

3.  help Compassion with major projects around the world.

4.  renovate our bathroom.

5.  take our whole family to Disneyland.

6.  travel to every state in the US.

7.  go to visit my blog friend, Linds, in Great Britain.

8.  visit Antarctica and Australia (then I will have visited all 7 continents!)

9.  take each of our grandchildren on a major trip as a high school graduation celebration.

10.  pay off every. single. penny. that. we. owe.

11.  learn to speak French and Spanish fluently.

12.  deliver shoeboxes with Operation Christmas Child.

13.  learn to play guitar.

14.  find a cure for cancer and other diseases like MS and Parkinson's.

15.  implement universal education and universal health care.

16.  teach in Afghanistan or Mongolia.

17.  have a year-round greenhouse.

18.  have a weekly cleaning service come to our house.

19.  hire a professional to re-do our patio and landscaping.

20.  have full-grown trees on our front lawn (so we could sit in their shade).

Lists of 2012 - #29

Listography 2012 - #29 - (Just Some of the) Books I Want to Read

1.  The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean

2.  Gold by Chris Cleave

3. Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard by Nigel Slater

4.  Chocolat, The Girl With No Shadow, Peaches for Monsieur le Cure' (2 more books that continue the story begun in Chocolat) by Joanne Harris

5.  Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen

6.  The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

7.  The Golden Scales by Parker Bilal

8.  Earth's Children #5 - Shelter's of Stone by Jean Auel

     Earth's Children #6 - The Land of Painted Caves by Jean Auel

9.  Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately

10.  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

11.  Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof

12.  Cinderella Ate My Daughter:  Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein

Lists of 2012 - #28

Listography 2012 - #28 - The Best Part About Getting Older

1.  I get to be the adoring grandmother of 8 wonderful little people!

2.  Playing pretend games, jumping on the trampoline, building forts, dancing and singing, reading books and making messes are wonderful ways to spend a day.

3.  Staying up late and sleeping in.

4.  Time takes on a new meaning and new perspectives.

5.  Helping others and sharing what I have.

6.  Having an attitude of adventure + a longing to learn more = great travel opportunities.

7.  Knowing what I like to be surrounded with in my home including photos of those I love, books, bright colours, and fresh flowers.

8.  Memories of childhood that creep back into my thoughts.

9.  Watching my children marry their life partners and become amazing parents.

10.  Knowing that laughter and tears are good for the soul.

11.  Resting in God's assurance that He has it all under control and I only need to love and trust Him.

12.  Having so many friends and family members to share my life's journey.