and --- that's a wrap

Well.

That's that.

Another year down.

Can't say I'm sad to see 2018 end,

though.

~

It's been gloomy and rainy for days,

so it's sort of hard to even think straight.

I have made no plans for the new year.

No 'word', or 'intention', either.

I can tell you though,

I'd really like to do more than just survive.

I've already had plenty of years of that.

~

 Looking back over December:

I sold the Razorback Quilt,

I'm so tickled with where it went, who bought it, and how the purchase came about.
And I am continually humbled that it isn't the wealthy
who partner with me, but ordinary people - with hearts bigger than their wallets 💝

made excellent progress on my current commissioned project

and

finished the circle centered granny square blanket

that I started in September of '17.

I'm pretty proud of myself - learning something new,

and having it turn out so beautifully.

But then I remember that I am 50

(Fifty!?!)

and I feel a bit silly about being proud 

that I learned a little bit of crochet.

~

House-wise:

We finally hung a mirror in the upstairs bathroom

(which sounds way easier than it was...)

but the island/bar received most of the attention.

It was a multi-phase project, and still not complete,

but it's completely usable already :-)

Some day, we'll put black walnut on the bar top,

but this pine should serve us well for many years.

One of the benefits of the bar

that came as a complete surprise,

is that it invites people

(my man, guests....)

to sit and visit with me as I work.

That makes me so happy!!

And, of course, 

I love working in the kitchen

while people I love

play games at the table

across the bar.

~

We also spent a bit of time

adding just a few things to the mudroom 

to help it function properly.

We did okay without a bench and coat hooks

spring thru fall,

but they became more important as the temperature dropped.

I know.
Y'all are so envious of both my 'styling'
and my photography skills.
When I tell you the picture of the other coat rack was too bad to post,
you know it's really bad.

We hosted (most of) Tyler's family 

a few days before Christmas

and it thrilled my heart to look in there

and see the coat racks loaded down

and 25+ pairs of shoes in a jumbled heap.

~

Interestingly,

there was exactly the same number of people

at my sister's house the next day,

when she hosted our side of the family.

I"m not going to do an end of the year round up post; 

there's just not enough energy for that.

But in scrolling through my blog and Instagram feed

I am reminded of just how much we accomplished this year,

in spite of what a long, and challenging year it's been.

I would've liked for the end of 2018

 to have felt more celebratory,

as there really was a lot to celebrate.

I mean -

we hadn't even moved into the house a year ago!

And when we did (all) get moved in

in February,

it was another couple of  months

 before we had a kitchen...

Instead,

I just feel worn out and weary.

The loss of my dad has just sort of made everything 

flat.

Don't misunderstand - I *do* feel blessed,

I just also feel very flat 

(it's really the only way I can describe it)

I find that, 

after almost 11 years

(can you even believe I've had the blog this long?!!)

I am still

pursuing joy.