Things that made my year

I have seen people documenting by making lists of things that made their year and last year I started jotting my list down.  I had planned to make 100 but I ended with 72. 

things that made my year 2023 by KJB

1. Olaf and Smolaf our snowmen.
2. Chocolate taste testing.
3. Rodeo night at kids night out.
4. Shooting buckets on the floor of Millet.
5. All the kids who gave me hugs when I volunteered at school.
6. A Harry Potter Birthday crafting party.
7. Spring break stay-cation and discovering “gummy teeth”.
8. Jones delight in making the travel hockey team.  
9. Learning to use Rise360 holy cow was it simple after using other authoring tools.
10. Gus Gus sightings.
11. Visiting Thomas Dambo trolls.
12. When a friend drops off anti-nausea meds for my daughter who was getting sick all night.   
13. Auntie Kathleen got married and I gave a toast I might have cried. 
14. Jones goes to sleepover camp for first time me being nervous him not.  
15. Thea’s desire to help me paint a “Muriel” it is so hard to let go of control but also so rewarding. 
16. Seeing jones make new friends at hockey school and seeming so much more mature.
17. Reading a book while my kids at at the pool independently. 
18. When my little sister is having a baby.
19. The number of compliments I got on Thea and Is matching dresses for Kelly’s wedding.
20. When Jones said “this art installation isn’t so bad it’s cool” at Paso Robles field of lights
21. Playing pool at the Aloft.
22. Having Jones tell me he was “sad camp was over”
23. The wind and the sun at Half moon bay. 
24. Thea deciding to try out for a play and contemplating if she should sing “my lipstick is popping” or “Jolene”
25. End of summer neighborhood sleepover.
26. Barbie movie. Hi Barbie!
27. Impromptu pool party at Natasha’s.
28. Practice walks.
29. New pink moccasins.
30. School supplies.
31. Cheerful greetings during RAH cart.
32. Thea trying something new being a Jungle Bush in Jungle Book.
33. Orange whippy dip
34. Jones first bengals game.
35. Jones top golf hockey swing.
36. Halloween skate with football player and zombie figure skater.
37. Carpool!!
38. Practice Chicken dinner with all the mom friends.
39. Friend pumpkin patch
40. Viking ship ride at dusk.
41. Icy cold halloween.
42. Audiobooks 
43. Good markers.
44. Perry Park hockey with friends and family. 
45. Jonesy writing a speech to give his hockey team to motivate them.  
46. My kids carving their own pumpkins.
47. Thea’s moment being picked as cheer captain.
48. Jones comforting his teammates as they lost the playoff game. 
49. Airplane shoot off at Louisville Science Center.
50. The giant world at the pool. 
51. When the kids think the Cirque du Solieil will be boring and then see it and think it’s awesome! 
52. Thanksgiving break sleepless water park trips.
53. Cheese sample day at Costco. 
54. Thanksgiving at a friends.
55. Watching the hawk that visited the tree outside my work window.
56. Doughnuts at dawn.
57. Thea joining in at the winterfest lights parade at Kings Island.
58. Making crafts with my niece and nephew.  
59. Mini van pizza and Christmas light displays.
60. Christmas nachos with smoked meat by Joe.
61. Jonesy joining us to play games while the kids play downstairs.
62. When my friend text and ask me to take her to church on Christmas Eve. 
63. When your friend saved you from throwing a baby shower in burger king
64. Baby shower for lita and wolfie.
65. 45 beaver signal.
66. 4 of 5 siblings being in Oxford.  
67. Multiple conversations in the beechpoint haus living room.  
68. Getting complemented on my cup holders.
69. Finishing not one but 3 quilts in 2023.
70. Jonesy sliding me notes while I am on conference calls.
71. Pools sooooo cold you can’t dip your toes in and the company on the pool deck.
72. “Fancy” dresses with Thea on new years Eve

2023 Let’s do this.

New years showed up and we wrote lists out of paper with some goals.  I incorporated mine and a few family goals and kids goals into my big list this year.  So without future ado here’s my list…

2023

1. Monthly other country dish
2. Cincinnati Chili Parlor Tour
3. Topiary Park - Columbus
4. Host an Art club - completed
5. Bike new trail 
6. Hang a disco ball
7. Start a new art journal
8. Remove the carpet from the stairs
9. Visit Thomas Dambo in Dayton - done 
10. Make new stockings
11. Plant sunflowers - done 
12. Buy the bud press jumpsuit 
13. Rearrange bedroom
14. Paint guest room
15. Make bread
16. Buy pool passes - done
17. Monthly meal plans 
18. Jones to see Bengals 
19. Layover with Jono
20. Take kids to dairy
21. Ladies night with Thea - Done
22. Weekend trip
23. Family vacation
24. Visit summit park - done 
25. Get (renew) passports
26. Make a friend a cake 
27. Get pretzels with Kathleen 
28. Finish 5 months of project life
29. Sleepover with Brooks
30. Adventure with Ollie & Marlow
31. Football Moms night 
32. Finish a quilt - done 
33. Add new art to walls
34. Visit new place.
35. Donate to 23 small charities 
36. Spring purge (100 items)
37. Sign jones up for hockey school - done 
38. Visit JJ and Rob
39. Read 15 books
40. Mini dance parties (maybe weekly)
41. Week of no technology evenings 
42. Make new soup - complete
43. Complete puzzle - complete
44. Donate trampoline
45. Rehang towel hooks
46. Move raspberry bushes - completed
47. Pressure wash siding
48. Feed the birds
49. Make Christmas cutouts
50. Help Jones with his list
51. Help Thea with her list
52. Make new list

Tuesday 10 - Just for Fun

1. These kids.  Photo from yesterday after school when jones cut an entire bag of lemons to make lemonade.  He almost forgot to add simple syrup.

2. My new red tom’s they have the thicker sole I dig them. 

3. Creative spelling

4. Rainbow organized closets - mine would be all black and Gray almost.

5. Second Vax done.

6. Everything about this!  Oh girl you are awesome.

7.  His freckles.

8. New needle art project almost done.

9.  My new bike ordered in Feb finally shipped.

10. Mom crowns.  

2021 List - Guess what it’s shorter!

This year we are kicking off the year in Pandemic and so things are very “questionable”.  Last year I had a bunch of things cancelled or changed because of the quarantine.  So this year I am putting letting less things on my list, but some things are more time intensive.  So for example I am planning to make or do something creative 365 days a year, I also want to average 10k steps which means I might take daily walks to get there. Both of these items I am doing a tracker with so hopefully I get there.  

So here’s my list:

1. Family Vacation
2. Finish out my 40 donation 12 to go
3. Try Punch art
4. Finish city Sampler 
5. Finish Charm Square Quilt - COMPLETE
6. Quilt for new niece - done
7. Make 365
8. Paint cabinets
9. 10,000 steps a day (the end of 2020 I was averaging about 9k so maybe this is achievable) 
10. Get the extra frames put up or donated
11. Hang the school photos - Complete
12. Finish paying for daycare :)
13. Plant back garden 
14. Builtin or Shelves for TV wall
15. Hang the barn door for master bath - complete
16. 50 Cheese tasting
17. Art journalling 
18. Paint shed 
19. Bike the whole connector trail
20. New desk -Bought
21. Launch the work book club at work
22. Document kid stories
23. Get a clothes line
24. New friend invitations x3 (S&A, M&A)
25. Make new list

Tuesday 10 - October

1. Fall leaves.  We have a bazillion trees and so we have a bazillion leaves. 

2. Youth soccer.  Jones is doing so good he’s scored 4 goals this shortened season this year.  Thea however sometimes seems disinterested she would much rather have done dance but it’s an inside sport, with the pandemic we need outside sports.

3. Graveyard Elsa got some clothes on.  Thea did the sweater and I gave her pants

4. After 5 long months we finally got our sofa!  Now I want to paint the walls. 

5. The trapeze swing.  I have debated whether or not it’s worth the costs to update the clubhouse or not.  In the meantime I bought a trapeze swing which was well worth the $20 already! They practice flips and tricks and it’s perfect addition to our other swings.

6. The new bike trail in oxford.  It’s got a starting point super close to the house it’s super convenient and sooooo pretty in the fall.
7. Preschool field trip!  Say what!  Theas class got to take a field trip to the pumpkin patch because it’s outside and they can transport the tues/thurs kids (there are only 7) in the schools bus and still space them.

8. My Halloween sweater.  

9.  Jones will return to school.  I am some what apprehensive but honestly he NEEDS school so we will take precautions and hopefully it will be okay. 

10. Theas makeup skills.  She did “nice” makeup for me.  I look like a forth witch from hocus pocus?

40 List

I made a list for my 40th birthday.  I had planned to go on a trip with my friends but in a pandemic that seemed ridiculous.  Then I wanted to have a day without my kids but that didn’t happen either.  Babysitting in a pandemic is ridiculously impossible, when you are a single mom it’s ever harder.  I miss it sooooo much enough of that wallowing.   So instead I made a list of other things.  Things I like I want to do. I refined this list down from 30+ items.  

40 birthday list

Make lemonade

Watch Hamilton

40th Jar

40 works of art

40 donations

40 Take 3 trash pickup

Work on Secret Garden

Drink lambic Framboise

Send Cards

Hang Art

Thrift Store

Geocaching 

One thing I didn’t add was that i wanted to resume writing here more.  I still want to do it but i couldn’t quantify how much, just that i wanted to.  

I already got a jump start on my list too.  I picked up this trash:

I started my jar:

I made a donation actually two:

I made lemonade (which was so delicious):

Edited** this item was actually on my list for 2020 too.  I have completely forgotten and lost track of my list since this pandemic has derailed all things.

2020 List

It only took me almost a week to write up my list.  I feel like 2019 was a year of accomplishing things so here’s to continuing this trend.  

2020 List

1. MOVE
2. Make bruschetta - complete
3. 40th List - made
4. Old fashion photo booth
5. Monthly Thrift Store Excursion - sept, oct
6. 40 before 40 - complete
7. Family Vacation 
8. 4th Birthday Party Thea - done 
9. 6th Birthday Party Jones - done
10. Buy some “patterned clothes” - some
11. Buy/Make new bed frame - done
12. Up Average step count (currently it’s about 6000 on weekday and 10,000 on weekend) - averaging about 7k and 14k
13. Listen to a new podcast
14. Launch a new training program at work
15. Read 20 Books
16. Finish charm square quilt
17. Finish city sampler
18. Finish improv quilt 
19. Quilt as You Go a Quilt 
20. New quilt
21. Repair my pink/yellow quilt - done 
22. Finish year 1 of kids baby books.
23. Visit zoo
24. Cross stitch something - 100 day project 
25. Get big calendar
26. Visit the King Makerspace 
27. Put $2500 in my savings not for the house/move. 
28. Vote 
29. Monthly “hikes” with my kids.   
30. Fairy house - done
31. Donate socks
32. Make blessing bags
33. 5 awkward invites 
34. Get Chai with Kathleen - done
35. Play date with Ollie and Marlow
36. Play date with Brooks
37. One second Everyday
38. Help jones with his you tube channel
39. See Theas dance recital - cancelled pandemic 
40. Swim laps - once 
41. Sell old bike and get new bike
42. Bike the kids to school- moved where it’s not safe to bike on the road
43. Make myself a garment
44. Weekend trip w/kids
45. Build/kids a clubhouse/swing set
46. Make doughnuts - done 
47. Summer bucket list - fall instead 
48. Find Jones a Summer camp - found and then pandemic 
49. Boat ride 
50. Music jar. - in progress 
51. Go to an movie
52. Make new list

Tuesday 10 - Halloween

Look I am back this week with a list too.  Around here halloween lasts at least a week.  Lots of Halloween events many which are on my list today.

1. Sportsball for All our trunk at Trunk or Treat.  We had such fun with this theme and the kids. thea is wearing her elsa costume refusing all other options.  Jones peyton manning and Garrett some other football player.  Lita and I fans.  

2. Fake eyelashes!  Check out these puppies from Target.

3. Our towns halloween parade.  Here are two Theas as Elsa.

4. Packing lunches with eyeballs.

5. Helping at Jones’s class and getting to spend one on one time with him.

6. This cuties new haircut

7. 5 cousins at two months.  Oh gosh they have changed.

8. Pop rocks!!

9, umbrellas.

10. halloween decor!  We have a handful of pieces but I love to see other people’s up in their houses and outside.

Tuesday 10 - Fall

I felt the need to make a good old Tuesday 10 today.  10 things I am loving right now.

1. Neighborhood football games.  The other day we had kids of all ages playing from high school to three year olds & Lita and I too.

2. Art for Kids Hub YouTube Videos that show kids how to draw things.  Amazing!

3. I mean check out Jones’s haunted house and sugar skulls??

4. Pumpkins everywhere. We have 9!

5. The end of soccer.  This season has been challenging - Thea has been struggling with following the game, so that was an extra struggle.

6. My rothys.  Perfect for fall 50-70 degree days and I don’t need to bother finding socks or tying my tennis shoes.

7. Jones knows how to pump when swinging!  This makes my day.

8. soup.  File this under all I want to eat.

9. When my kids play independently! 

10. halloween costumes!!!  They are now done photos soon of that but it makes room for me to resume quilt projects.  I am so excited to finish a few projects.  

Our Summer Bucket List

We made our summer bucket list recently (we actually already started crossing things off).  Theas contributions were so funny she wants to Karoke, Parades, band concerts and sandcastle.  Jones wants indoor playground, s’mores, wildberry.  

Anyhow we are already well into having fun we have hit up chuckecheese and picked berries too.  My kids enjoyed both events thoroughly. 


We tried another Berry farm but we prefer freels farm and it’s much closer.

Favorite Podcasts

My “top nine” favorite podcasts I didn’t put them into any order it’s just too hard for that.

keep It - I love Louis Virtel.  His movie knowledge is amazing.  I also enjoy Kara and Ira together in this trio.

Pop culture Happy Hour- I try to keep up on pop culture even though i literally never get to movies.

The Daily - my news fix I literally listen to these first.

Pod save the people - Brittney some serious strong women I love her.  And Deray too even though it’s a podcast I appreciate that he wears his puffy vest every single day and his questioning style is on point.

Terrible Thanks for Asking - Sad stories but so true life

The Dream - about MLMs I love these in-depth news stories.   

getting Curious with JVN - The topics are always so random but literally I learn something every episode.

In the Dark - Season 2 crazy pants and I am not really a true crime person

Lovett of Leave It - political + comedy show two things I never thought I would listen too but I enjoy John Lovett 

Also shout outs two Uncover and Serial as well.  

Tuesday 10 - November

I really miss these.  Here’s a little list :

1.  tang juice mix in.  This is my new favorite water flavor.

2.  We booked our family vacation for next year.  We are heading to to Hilton Head SC next Summer.  Can’t wait already. Here’s a snap of our house we are renting.

3.  These kids personalities.  Here we are crying because mommy threw away our pumpkins.  (I had to buy a fake one to replace them)

4. Getting ready for the return of our elf on the shelf.

5. These cousins pics.  all our babies at 8 months
6. Makeup by Thea
7. The above red hoodie it’s soooo soft - I think it’s ASOS or target. 

8. Already seeing progress in swim class.

9. Kids drawings.  These are monsters by Jones.

10. Last but not least Halls cough drops for my cold that just won’t return my voice yet.