. 194/365 .

it has rained here all week long and i absolutely LOVE it.  thankfully, so do my girls.  any chance they get to run in the rain or play with an umbrella is perfect for them.  see mykah's attire?  i cannot keep clothes on this girl.  one minute she is fully dressed.  the next she's missing something.  at one point today she had a skirt on and no shirt.  shortly after, this is how she looked.  i have no clue.

. 1/365 .

you got it.  i'm definitely doing project365 for another year.  if i don't, i may never blog again.  it keeps me going and i'm certainly going to love having 2011's blog book to look at.

my main goal of 2012 is to grow closer to God.  2011 sucked.  just to be honest.  there definitely were highlights and wonderful times with my little family.  karsyn got to play soccer for the first time and loved it.  david finished his master's degree.  LOTS of firsts and LOTS of great memories.  but when the year ended with one miscarriage and one tubal pregnancy and emergency surgery, that's what my mind has been focused on. 

my verse for this new year .. a verse that i want my children to learn .. a verse that i want my house to run on .. a verse that i want to remember always .. a verse that i want to share with you is this ...

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, the new has come."  2 Corinthians 5:17

what wonderful encouragement that is for me.  it reminds us that a new year is upon us.  new chances.  new opportunities.  new creations in Christ. 

. 365/365 .

amazingly it has been 365 days since i started project365 on here.  this year, thankfully, has flown by.  it wasn't the best year for me and i'm so ready to see what 2012 has in store.  of course we had some wonderful times that were such blessings for me and my family, but somehow the bad outweighs the good in my mind, most likely because the bad all happened at the end of the year.  this new year's eve we spent going to laundromats to drop quarters in the machines for people who would be coming in to do their laundry.  it's one of my random acts of kindness that i'm doing for my birthday.  so the last picture of project 365 ...

yep.  a stack of quarters.  i would pay a million dollars for this next year to be the best year ever.  and i'm hoping that even the small amount of quarters that we gave out tonight would help just one person in the biggest way.  you never know.

. 364/365 .

it's been a lazy day here.  my mister has been out all afternoon dove hunting for the first time ever.  i just received word that he's on his way home, which is a good sign.  mainly a sign that he's alive.  the girls and i haven't done anything and mommy needed some fresh air, so 4-wheelers were the best option for entertainment.  they love these things and i'm so very glad santa brought them this year.

. 363/365 .

as i post this one, i'm in shock that we're at day 363 for the year 2011.  time just goes by way too fast these days.  only 2 more days until this year is over and 2012 is here.  it's just so crazy to think about!  so, here i am tonight.  another quiet night in our house.  the girls are tucked in bed, but probably playing with barbies like they do every night.  this picture is of my desk.  it has a new home now because it's previous location now houses the girls new table and chairs that that they got for christmas.  they get something new and my stuff gets booted.  so, i'm now in my living room. 

here's where i blog though.  tonight i'm having to catch up.  i'm a little behind.  life's been a little crazy, ya know?!?  and the blog always gets put on the back burner.  don't worry, i have 2012 goals for the ol' blog too.  and this picture also shows me a lot ...

*since i took it, i turned the lamp so the seam of the lamp shade wasn't showing.

*i remember now that i still need a knob on the little drawer.

*i certainly am eating coconut cream pie made for me by a sweet friend.  and i have a cup of hot apple cider nearby as well.  i was going cozy tonight.

*that black computer cord has got to go.  if it's in the living room where everyone can see, it has to stay clean and organized for sure.  kind of like that notebook sitting in the corner.  the mister forgot to put that up earlier.  tisk tisk.

so.  there you have it.  where the blog magic happens.  it is what it is.

. 362/365 .

i love seeing the joy in my girls' eyes at christmas.  it really makes me sit back and think about life.  i wish i was able to see the little things as things of pure joy and happiness.

. 361/365 .

apparently, izzy wanted to drive too.

. 360/365 .

in their pajamas, boots, and jackets ... headed out on an early morning ride with no time to change clothes.  my parents live in the country and just a short ride down their road is my grandparents house.  they drove their 4-wheelers all around the land today.

. 359/365 .

santa came!  this year, the girls really wanted one of those big battery-powered jeeps for christmas, but we talked them into asking santa for their own 4-wheelers to prevent future arguments over who gets to drive.  yes, sometimes i do think ahead.  i really think they'll love these.

. 358/365 .

i can't believe it's christmas eve!  the girls choice this year was a brownie and milk for santa.

. 357/365 .

here's the note to the tooth fairy.  i think she told my sister what she wanted to say, my sister wrote it down, then karsyn copied it.  that girl cracks me up.  i'm sure you can read it, but just in case, it says ..

"dear tooth fairy.  i lost my tooth.  sorry.  love karsyn."

. 356/365 .

this picture cracks me up.  that's my girl.  always hates having to take a picture and requires a good bribe.  so, karsyn is at my parents house while i'm at home recovering from surgery.  wouldn't you know the stinker would wait till i'm not there to lose her first tooth.  yes, i cried.  then, my sister sent me this picture and i laughed.  here's the story i go ...

she was brushing her teeth after lunch on december 20th.  her tooth was still there.  it's been loose for about a week now.  she went to lay down for rest time and to watch a movie, sat up and said "my tooth is gone!"  and it's literally gone.  nowhere to be found.  we're assuming she swallowed it and didn't realize.  so she wrote a note to the tooth fairy and got $2.00 under her pillow the next morning.  and apparently the tooth fairy only gives you a gold dollar on your first tooth. 

AND ... the tooth next to that one is loose now.  i'm determined to be there for that one.

. 355/365 .

we leave tomorrow to go to my parents house for karsyn's birthday and for christmas and i just now started wrapping presents.  i've been a little busy ... or, i guess i should say, busy being not busy.  wrapping presents has been the least of my worries.  and wrapping presents is my least favorite christmas thing to do.  if i could hire someone to do it for me, i would.

. 354/365 .

my in-laws got me a new jo totes camera bag for christmas!  i LOVE it.

. 353/365 .

it's 4 days post-op and i've done nothing.  literally.  for 4 days.  so, here's another picture of our christmas tree. 

. 352/365 .

my sweet, sweet friend crystal made this for me and i cannot wait to hang it up!  i saw that printable sign on pinterest and immediately loved it.  i had it on my phone for the longest time as my welcome picture.  the frame it's on is actually aqua and matches my house perfectly.  i'm just looking for the best spot.  i want it to be seen for sure. 

. 351/365 .

beautiful flowers that a friend brought after my surgery.  i have been so very blessed with the sweetest family and friends.  some of you have gone above and beyond what i imagined.  and i thank you.

. 350/365 .

i don't have a picture to post that i actually took today because i'm stuck in the hospital, but i couldn't pass up sharing this project that we did with the kids.  it was my mother-in-law's idea and was perfect!  the kids loved it.  it's a sugar cone, green icing, m&m's, marshmellows, and a gummy star.  how cute (and yummy)!

. 349/365 .

the quality of this picture is horrible, but it's a memory that i want to cherish forever.  right now, mykah wants to hold my hand all the time.  and i let her because i love it more than anything.  this particular time, we were eating dinner and we held hands while we ate.  it's the sweetest thing in the world.  it always has to be with our fingers intertwined like this. 

. 348/365 .

the new addition to my living room.  i've had this frame for a while and just had no idea where to put it.  i've also had a bare wall in my living room with no idea what to do with it.  put them together and you get a wonderfully decorated wall.  i stapled and tied a few strands of twine, added some tiny clothes pins that were already painted aqua, added some pictures and a bunting.  it's fabulous and one of my new favorite things in my house.  i want to add several black and white pictures, but this is all i could find at the time.  i'm sure the contents hanging there will change a million times anyway.