Smile its 2021!!

We want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and welcome to 2021! Like all of you we are very happy to see us all move past 2020. No doubt it was an insane year, but I decided to take a look back on the good and bad of 2020 instead of just the bad. So let’s start a little breakdown:

January: My oldest officially became a teenager. The youngest started trombone lessons (none of us will ever recover from this). Big snow days. Both boys got the flu. Chris got kicked in the head and arm by Cider and survived with only a few bruises. Ok maybe all those weren’t great, but memorable

February: The youngest started private violin lessons (because playing 1 instrument as a 10 year old just isn’t enough torture to us as parents I guess!). I turned another year older. I put in a deposit on my birthday present to arrive in March.

March: My birthday present arrives…welcome home Cooper the Weimaraner! Not sure what we were thinking adding another puppy to the mix but dang he’s cute! Happy Birthday to Chris! The boys school shuts down for a 2-week early spring break as covid hits. We started homeschool/virtual learning…boy that was a mess! We found a bright side of being stuck at home as spring started arriving. I got to start doing live events with Janome…I felt like a kid in a candy store with that invitation! We all learned how to make and wear masks.

April: Still stuck at home as COVID rises in Maryland. We started finding the bright side of the days whether it be a spring flower, crazy puppy antics, or finding ways for the oldest to practice riding his horse at home. We hatched chicks. Cider kicked me in the leg…bad but not broken. More Janome videos!

May: More riding time in our pastures for the kid. My poor kicked leg looked horrible, but was healing. Chris brought home a case of Ranch Style Beans to help us feel a little bit more like Texas. Mother’s Day was filled with homemade gifts (which were absolutely perfect). I got some Whataburger boots! We built new paddocks for the horses. We started trying to have family game nights to help with the boredom of being stuck at home…hello Golden Girls Monopoly! More Janome videos!

June: Bright beautiful flowers everywhere to remind us there are bright sides to the days ahead. My Niece graduated High School! We tackled the basement cleanup/remodel project for my downstairs studio. Happy Father’s Day to the husband!

July: Kids got notice that they were both accepted into the schools Advanced/Gifted Talented programs in multiple courses! Super Proud Mom moment! Oldest horse is diagnosed as a diabetic and we have to change EVERYTHING for him! Oldest kid finally starts getting to take his horse back to lessons at the barn and got to even participate in a show! More baby chicks were born. We gave the kids bathroom a refresh/remodel (wow boys are gross)! More Janome videos and big news from Janome was coming! Wrapped up the month with the youngest getting back on the baseball field!

August: I made the husband make me a shiplap wall in my studio and repaint. He didn’t complain too much! :-). I was named an Artisan for Janome Sewing Machines!!! Major had a fall after a storm one night and was put on stall rest, so I got to sleep in the barn a little bit while on horse watch. We played the Oregon Trail on game night, Chris died quickly of Dysentery (lucky him, it was a long game). My laundry room got moved to another location and a gorgeous remodel to make us more room! Janome sent me a Horizon Quilt Maker MC 15000 when I was named Artisan (I still can’t believe this happened). The youngest was kicking butt as a first year catcher on the baseball field. The oldest found out he was getting braces.

September: Kids began virtually learning since the school couldn’t open back up. Chris and I celebrated 16 years since we started dating. Youngest keeps rocking it on the baseball field as a catcher. The oldest got his braces put on. June the cat slipped outside and went missing for 3 days (I was a wreck trying to find her and finally was able to trap her).

October: More quilts made. Chris and I actually got to go out for a date night (masked and all). Happy Birthday to the youngest! I went on my first trail ride with the oldest and friends in close to two decades. I was a little sore the next day! Cider gets started on hormone therapy to try to make her a not so hateful horse (it’s helped a little). Zach slices his leg open while out in the pasture and has to be stitched up and now on stall rest for weeks…no more shows for him and the oldest through the rest of the year). The leaves are changing and falling. We cast our vote for President.

November: The youngest tries out for travel team in baseball. Election Day comes and goes. Lots of fun quilting happens. We move studios again when I realize we don’t have room for a Christmas tree the size of ours with the current arrangement. More home updating and remodeling to fit everything. Another Veterans Day where we celebrate Chris. We celebrated another wedding anniversary. We start getting cold days. The boys build me a round pen for working horses as an early Christmas present. The annual Bacon Wrapped Turkey for Thanksgiving was once again a success.

December: Its cold! Discovered the oldest has officially gotten taller than both of us. I made a quilt that made me beyond proud to be part of the Janome America team. We got a lot of snow! We had a great Christmas, just the 4 of us at home. We had baby goats born.

So our summary of 2020: we became closer as a family. We learned how to all work and go to school at the same time, in the same house, on different floors and rooms and do our best to make it all happen. We found ways to improve ourselves, our home, our relationships. We found ways to be a stronger family, to work together on the farm, to be better friends, kids, and parents. We did it all together. There was plenty of bad, good, and craziness to 2020, but we made it. So as we move into 2021 we will just focus on being a better family and finding way to show each other how much we love and appreciate them every single day. So let’s just focus on all the smiles from the crazy year 2020!