2011 in Review + What’s to Come in 2012

by Jenni

Tomorrow we begin another new year. Twenty-eleven held many changes and big moments for this gal: my first pregnancy, my husband finishing his masters degree & landing a new job in another town, moving to this farmhouse, starting this blog, and best of all meeting our son eight weeks ago.

I love the fresh start we all get with a new year. Everyone needs a new beginning, a blank slate, at times. That’s why one of my all-time favorite verses is “His mercies never come to an end–they are new every morning!” (Lamentations 3:22).

On the other side of the coin, I think there’s great power in reflecting on the past; when I honestly examine how I lived last year–the beautiful moments I would relive if I could, as well as those “oops” moments I just wish I could do-over–I gain clarity and strength to press more deeply into the life I want to live, the life I was born for. I usually spend a lot of time with an empty new moleskine journal the days surrounding the start of a new year, filling its pages with reflections on my previous year and dreams & goals for the coming year. I have to work harder these days to carve out that kind of space for myself, but Seth is planning to be on daddy duty for a couple hours tomorrow while I go on a “date” with my journal. I look forward to that time, and hope you are able to  find a comfy chair in a quiet place, too.

There are several things I’m looking forward to experiencing with you in 2012 here on the blog: photographs of the farm through the changing seasons; my first attempt to grow from seed a vegetable garden to feed our family through the summer & fall; a few culinary adventures including forgotten woodstove/cast iron cooking techniques & investigating a local “raw” dairy farm; interior decorating to create a peaceful sanctuary with authentic charm; book reviews & recommendations; a secret project Seth and I have undertaken together; and of course, moments just to pause and savor with you the richness of simple living. Ahh. So many good times ahead!

Well, we’ve 90 minutes to go on the West Coast, but it’s twelve o’clock somewhere. Happy New Year, friend!!!

~Jenni

PS…if you have any geek tendencies like me and get a kick out of stats & such things, you might find interesting the 2011 annual report the WordPress.com helper monkeys prepared for this blog, below. Sure was nice of those monkeys. (A huge thank you to my readers and top commenters, as well as hosts of referring sites!)

Here’s an excerpt:

“The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 26,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 10 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.”

Click here to see the complete report.