My word for 2013

  I stopped setting new year resolutions for myself probably two years ago.  Let's face it- they lasted through January but as soon as that Valentine's candy hit the shelves, resolutions to eat healthier and exercise weren't held.  Then I would just feel ashamed of my lack of will power and I don't want to feel that way.

  I have found that when dealing with myself, the best way to go, and this rings true for my children as well, is to not tell myself all the things I can no longer do, but to tell myself the things to add to my life.  Eat healthier as opposed to no junk food.  Walk more instead of a strict exercise regime.  In 2012 I have certainly made some improvements to our lives and health- due to necessity and not just wanting to.

  I've been pregnant most of the year.  Incorporated more healthy choices and ingredients into our diets.  Dylan got sick and has endured weekly steroid treatments since October.  That put a strain on our family and our relationship.  Something I haven't shared with you guys is that Dylan is not yet done with his steroid treatments.  The day after Christmas, I received a phone call from Infusion Partners asking me if I would accept delivery for the new order and I told them I needed to check with the doctor because Dylan was done.  Turns out, Dylan's doctor had ordered more treatments through February (the next time we visit him).  I was extremely upset that day and am still having trouble digesting it.  It hurt me because nobody told me that Dylan couldn't just stop them, he had to be tapered off of them.  He now takes half the dose he was taking, but still, some mental preparations would have been nice.

  I've decided to pick one word to embrace during 2013.  That word is Patience.

  Wildboy #4 will be here a week into 2013 and I will need to practice a lot of patience in everything.  Patience with the fact that the house may just have to be strewed, the dishes in the sink, the projects left unfinished and homeschooling may operate best during nap times.  We'll get through this, and with a little patience, we'll be better for it.  Steroids be damned.

  Wishing you and yours a Happy New Year and much awesomeness to come in 2013. 

Taking a break, end of the year ramblings.

  Taking a moment to stop by here and say a few words.  I'm taking a little break from blogging and social media.  Well, not a complete break from social media, but certainly reduced.  In the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut, I feel it is necessary.  I am extremely empathetic with the parents that lost their children Friday.  So much so that I was crying while watching the news coverage.  My children were playing in the house, as naive as can be, under my mama wing... while twenty sets of parents were finding out that they wouldn't be tucking their kids in to bed that night.. or ever again.  One little boy, named Dylan was born three days after Hayden.  I still have my 6 year old... but they don't.  That pain of knowing how that would hurt me still sends sharp pains up my spine.  This world can be so scary, and getting so caught up in it will drag us right down.  All the news coverage, the interviews with the children, the gun control and mental health care arguments, I just can't read or hear it anymore.  I will pray and light candles for the victims and their families and then I need to get back to mine.  I haven't told my children about what happened.  Because we homeschool, I don't feel like I need to tell them.  Let them be naive as long as they can.  Isn't that what childhood is all about?  Children should feel safe as long as possible, this scary world will creep in soon enough.

  The Holidays are upon us!  My kids are so excited.  We are baking cookies and making crafts and homeschooling and planning... I just love this time of year.  Christmas is one week from today.  Dylan will receive his last steroid treatment tomorrow at 1pm (dear god please let it be the last one) and I am looking forward to it being behind us.  I'm thinking about baking him a cake and writing on it "we survived steroids! Yay!"   Ha Ha!!  Probably won't do that, but certainly we need to mark this end to a season.  It's been twelve long weeks that have made us stronger and strained our relationship some.  I'm hoping as the 'roids leave his body, the rage will too.  Excited about getting my Dylan back.  (I'm mostly exaggerating, but when you take steroids they can make you mean and Dylan certainly gets that side effect and it is hard on a family to have one child going through that- and it's something he can't help- he's not a mean child, but the steroids don't bring out the best in him so we are happily kissing them goodbye.) 

  We'll have a new Wildboy in 3 weeks! I am most excited about that.  I can't wait to hold him and smell him and just have him out of my body, LOL.  Excited about nursing again too.  I need to start washing his clothes and getting those sorts of things in order so I guess I'll be tending to that some as well.  Normally I would have done that by now, but I have mandatory laundry to do which can overshadow "nesting" laundry.  Especially when it's for 5 people. 

  I probably won't post here again until Wesley is here.  Unless something super awesome amazing happens. 

  So until then, Happy Holiday from the Brunney family.  Hold your loved ones tight and enjoy the season.

The quilt that took a year to finish.

   Yesterday, I finished a quilt that has been a year in the making.  It felt great to get it done, and I felt kind of stupid for dragging it out so long.

  I started on it last December, made the face of the quilt in one day.  I added the batting the next day.  Then I folded it up and set it aside until I put the back on it. 

  Christmas came and went.  The quilt had no back.  Poor quilt.

  Seasons came and went. Spring, Summer.... fall.  I drug it out of the closet late November so that it would jar my mind to put a back on it.  I got a sheet to use for the back from the thrift store.  The quilt sat there and sat there. 

 Until last night. I laid that sucker out on the floor, cut the sheet to fit the back of the quilt plus 2 inches wider to bind it with the backing (super easy trick I learned from Pinterest).  Pinned it all up and in 30 minutes the quilt was done. 

  It's so fluffy and warm.  It's throw sized, not bed sized so it will stay on our couch this Holiday season. 

  Don't you hate dragging out projects like that?

P.S.  Remember my cousin Stephanie and her daughter Addie that had kidney transplants?  Well today is her husband Al and their sons turn to transplant!  I know I'm late to ask for prayers and well wishes, but if you could keep them in your thoughts today while they are undergoing surgery and recovering, it would be appreciated.  Here is a link to her blog Medicines, Miracles and Madness.  You can read all about it there and catch up on their story.