Sunday, December 31, 2017

Saying goodbye to 2017.......


Like many of you I am not sad to see 2017 leave.  It seems to have been a rough year for many.  I know I am genuinely fatigued from work, from life, and from all the horrible news reaching my brain every single day.  All of the natural disasters have been horrendous, but I fear the man made disasters within our government will be far worse in the long run.  It seems like you can never catch your breath before another bit of hopeless news comes over the screen.  Are you as fatigued as I am?  The problem with that, as we all know, is the more tired you get the less you want to listen and stand up for what is right.  I won't let myself get to that point but it would be nice to get a break.

I worked three days this week and the kids were all crazy, and the parents even worse.  I found out two of the kids that I have worked with for years will be cut in their services.  They need help so I am not sure if it was what I wrote or the Medicaid system in Florida wanting to reduce services.  Either way I feel I have let them down, not the way I wanted to end my year.  This has never happened to me before so I fear I am losing my touch a bit.

 I have been cleaning like a mad woman the last two days since I have been off work.  All of Christmas has been put away again for another year.  Floridian homes are famous for their large shelves to but up decorations.  We call them planter shelves and as far as I can tell they mostly collect dust.  Once a year I climb on my ladder and get the dust all swept off.  Well you can imagine the whole room needs to be cleaned after that. It is a grueling process, but needs to be done.  I like to start my New Year clean, all the dust and rubbish from the last year needs to be gone.  I clean our sheets, I clean our towels, bath mats and whatever I can get my hands on.  I want to start the New Year with nothing hanging over from the year before.  Of course all that cleaning landed me in bed with a massive headache last night, Lord knows I don't want to start my New Year off in pain either!


I am not one to look back too seriously at the year as it ends but I do have a favorite make, my Mezzaluna Wrap, made with yarn I bought on a whim.  It makes me happy just to look at it.  Overall I used up 13,495 yards of yarn, making 36 finished projects.  I was down in yarn usage from last year but worked a lot more so that makes a lot of sense, there is only so much time in the day.


We lost our dear Max in September.  I am still grieving and am feeling the loss of my beautiful boy.  I am sure this year will bring us a new puppy, I think Little Buddy needs a special friend to grow up with.  I needed to get through the holidays before I got to thinking about it seriously.  Do I have the energy for a puppy?  No way, but I think it is important that Little Buddy have a furry friend to grow up with, there are no other little ones in our family, and no little ones in our neighborhood.  I am not sure how an adult dog will treat him, with a puppy I have a bit more control.  Still I will miss my beautiful Max forever.  He had the kindest soul, well that is until you got him around children or the pool, then he got quite cranky.


As much as I hoped to be further along on this new project I'm not.  I seem to be as busy as ever this past week and rarely had a second to sit down and work on it.  I do realize that very little knitting occurred in 2017.  I was much more comfortable with a hook in my hand.  I hope to knit a sweater in 2018, I have beautiful yarn in my stash calling out to me.   That is my only creative goal for the year, one simple knitted sweater.  By the way even though yarn was added to my stash, with the 13,495 yards used and all the yarn I donated, much more yarn left my house than entered.  I am going to try to whittle the stash down even more this next year.  I'm not going to be all crazy restricting myself, just more aware of my purchases.

Along with projects and yarn used I always keep a list of the books I have listened to or read.  I am in my car a LOT for work, so I listen to a lot of audio books.  The best audio book I listened to this year was, The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah, it was incredible.  The best book read was, Glass Houses by Louise Penny.  The best series read was the Women's Murder Club by James Patterson.  I started at, 1st to Die and ended with, The 16th Seduction, read one after another.  They were wonderful.  After you finish a series don't you feel like you are missing good friends?


Once again this little boy of ours made life merrier for all of us.  He is a pistol and so much fun all at the same time.  He is excelling in school, learning to be more social with his peers and advancing slowly but steadily with his motor delays.  Of course you have no idea who I am talking about  do you?  This boy has many disguises and is constantly trying to trick us.


Well who could ever not recognize that crooked smile?  Little Buddy is the best!

Wishing you all a happy New Year.  My wish for all of us is peace, safety, happiness, security and love.  I want my country to be kinder, our world, too.

Thank you for sharing your lives with me this past year, and thank you for coming to visit.  You all mean a great deal to me.

43 comments:

Mac n' Janet said...

This last year was a shocker, just when you think he can't do anything crazier he finds a way to do it. We'll just have to keep plugging along taking care of our families. Happy New Year to you and all your boys.

busybusybeejay said...

Happy New Year to you and all your family.C and I sat this afternoon talking about 2017 and whether it had been a good year or not.The news is always depressing,very little good news but when we got down to the nitty gritty we decided that the best bit was that we had stayed reasonably healthy(I am full of a cold now but that is just a nuisance).There was potential in the wider family for things to go wrong but we seem to have weathered it.We start the New Year tomorrow with a visit from our daughter,son in law and two of our granddaughters.There will be lots of love and laughter.What more could you ask for.
I hope you have a good year.Little Buddy is making amazing progress but you need to look after yourself too.Promise me?Lots of love to you all and I look forward to hearing about a new puppy!Barbaraxx

Jo said...

A lovely round up for the end of the year. A beautiful smile from Little Buddy to end on and nice to see Max on the blog, bless him. Wishing you and your lovely family all the very best for 2018.

Wendy T said...

Hope 2018 is kinder yet full of fun for you and yours. So happy LB is growing in all aspects. About your decorative “shelves”...I read that lining them with newspaper, and changing that out regularly (you’ll discover the best timing for that) by carefully folding them up and discarding makes less of a mess than sweeping.

Between Me and You said...

Your sentiments about the horrendous state of the world completely echo mine, Dearest Meredith. It feels like we're really clinging on to what matters to us most with all fingernails in the hope of keeping everyone safe and free from harm. It's an extremely sad state of affairs that we find ourselves in this festering condition in this modern world. It's really important not to let it affect our own personal lives and happiness too much. Happy New Year to you and yours, my friend. xoxoxo

Joyful said...

Fabulous photos of little Buddy and your beautiful Max, may he rest in peace. I think you did wonderfully with your yarn work over the year. You certainly put me to shame. I do understand what you mean about feeling tired and needing a break. I felt like that in 2017. I am not fully over it. I'm hoping you and many others have a much better 2018. Hugs. xx

My Creative Life said...

My heart goes out to you in your frustrations in budget cuts for important needs and depressing world news. It's a sickening wicked world in which we live. As a Christian, Jesus gives me peace. I'm not religious and have no intention of bible bashing anyone. Take care. I've enjoyed visiting your blog and wish you all the best for 2018 x

Tracey said...

Wishing you and your family a very happy New year :)

Jodiebodie said...

Happy New Year Meredith!
Wishing you and your family a safe, happy and healthy 2018.

Have you managed to have a proper break for yourself yet?

In answer to your question, I too found myself at the end of the year fatigued in every way and couldn't muster up any enthusiasm for the season at all - very unlike me. Even crochet seemed all too hard and I was worried that the relentless stress of the year might be brewing depression.

If we can't get a break at this time of the year when a lot of the world has slowed down, when else are we going to get it? Now's the time. I was going to suggest delegating laundry, cooking and cleaning for a day or two but you have already beaten me to it!

I totally understand the urge to clean out for a fresh start. Then you can relax. Make sure you do! I did absolutely nothing on Boxing Day then not much the next as I had Boxing Day-itis. But on the third day, I felt my 'crojo' returning, found that hook in my hands again and sent the depression stalker packing. It's amazing how just a day or two can break a cycle of stress.

I know that there will be more stress to come this year but I am feeling much more able to cope now after some decent rest.

It is a reminder for both of us to prioritise our own rest more often to avoid ending up as fatigued as we did.

You have shared some beautiful photos today. The mere act of looking at delightful images make one feel better. I agree that your Mezzaluna Wrap is a wonderful make from 2017. I love the dangly motifs in the edging and the cheerful colours.

Keep smiling. I know that there are more people in the world than not who want the same as us - peace, happiness, safety, kindness, love and security etc. and that gives me hope.

Look after yourself Meredith. Here's to taking on the challenge of 2018 - rested and recharged!

Jodie xxx

Judy S. said...

Happy New Year, Mere! Give that LB an extra hug from the PNW!

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Here's to a hopeful 2018! Wishing you and yours all the best!

Vicki @ lifeinmyemptynest said...

Happy New Year! I know what you mean about a series when it ends - so sad. I was especially sad to hear of the death of Sue Grafton the other day. I just loved her Alphabet series and now there will be no Z to finish it out.

Melanie said...

I hope the New Year is kinder to us all...but with The Orange Man in office, I am holding my breath. I have spent the past couple of days deep cleaning, too. Like you, I like to start the New Year with everything clean and tidy. Blessings to you and your family for 2018!

Lisa said...

I love starting the new year all clean and tidy. I’m all for a more kind year ahead. I won’t hold my breath but I will hope. Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year!

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

I did a bit of clean up today. Will work on taking the tree down tomorrow although I still like it...so pretty for such a little time this year. I got a late start. Glad Buddy is smiley and happy in your family! Life has thrown us loops this year for sure. Thankful that God is constant, never changing. Crocheting is faster so you can make more things than knitting. I would like to do a few knitting projects in 2018. Have a safe, peaceful, joyous new year.

Araignee said...

Oh, sweet Max. It was so good to see his smiling face!
Happy New Year!

Mrs. Micawber said...

Thank you for making this such a happy place to visit, Mere! That is a lovely wrap. It looks like Florida sunshine and orange groves to me. :)

Dear Max. How you must miss his sweet furry face and loving doggy heart. I hope a puppy will be able to fill some of that void.

LB gets handsomer every day. I'm so glad to hear he's excelling in school and making progress with motor skills.

Happy New Year to you all!

Babajeza said...

Happy New Year, Meredith. May your wishes come true. All the best, Regula

Anonymous said...

My wish for you is that life in general gets kinder and easier to you. It seems to me that you're heading towards a crash... That makes me worry about you, take good care of yourself! I'm sending you peace, rest, energy and courage with all my heart.
Ofcourse you still miss your beloved dog and no other dog or pup can ever replace him. But I'm sure your hearts are big enough to love another dog.
As far as the cleaning story... you've spoken out how I feel at New Year! All Christmas decoration is tucked away too, whereas most people around here keep their tree at least until January 6th. Every time Christmas is over, I'm ready to clean everything and start over.
So let's start the new year with fresh courage and believe.
And I hope to read your blog a lot in 2018 xxx

Betsy said...

Happy New Year Meredith. I’m sorry to hear about your little charges. I know that is heartbreaking for you. Loved the picture of Max. He was a beautiful dog. I took down the decorations the day after Christmas. Like you I prefer everything cleaned up and put away for the new year. It was also too hard to look at after the grand babies went home. Wishing you a wonderful 2018 my friend. Full of God’s blessings. Also praying for you, that your headache is gone. I know how awful they are for you.
Blessings always dear Meredith.
Betys

Ryoma Sakamoto.Japan said...

May this New Year be special in every way… bringing you the gift of love and excitement.
(01/01)From Japan to friends all over the world; Happy New Year! ! https://ryoma2sakamoto.wordpress.com/2018/01/01/01-01from-japan-to-friends-all-over-the-world-happy-new-year/ @Sakamoto2Ryouma

Nance said...

Happy New Year. I share all of your sentiments, and wish you the best in 2018. Here's to the Kindness of our collective spirits making our world a better place.

Jeannie Gray Knits said...

Little Buddy needs a dog! I drove my dad crazy with 90% of the life decisions I made and over the years we had lots of talks about how he was disappointed in my decision but that it was my life to do as I pleased.... how he'd be there for me when my decision crashed & burned.... but the one thing he put his foot down on and wouldn't allow me to make the 'wrong' decision was... my kids, specially my son, needed a dog. The family dog benefits everyone, but they are extra important for boys. According to Dad, having a dog will teach boys to love unconditionally, to respect and earn respect, to take care of another, the dog will be a boy's friend, companion and confidant. Also according to Dad, who, granted was old and sexist, girls have dolls, a boy needs a dog. :)

Happy New Year! Hope 2018 treats you better than 2017.

kathy b said...

What a beautiful thought provoking wrap up post! I enjoy all of your knitting and crochet. I do wish you would model JUST ONCE this year. My neighbors the OBriens used to give each oTHER their resolutions. YIKES!
We need a better year for all who need special care. Im praying on it.
Little Buddy is THE best. I agree.
A new puppy! Oh!!!! How about you send it to me and I train it for you for 4 months? Then I'll give it back. LOL. Actually my breeder used to do this. She was excellent and it was worth every penny. Huck came to us at 4 months of age, potty trained, and knew to sit, wait, go lay on a rug and stay until we called him. Its a long story but I couldnt do baby puppyhood and we could hardly afford it , but like i say it was the best investment !!! Thoughts?

Jo said...

I have loved sharing your life news with you this year. Best Wishes for 2018.

CJ said...

Dear little man, rarely without a smile it seems to me, although I do seem to remember he sometimes says he won't. I'm sorry it hasn't been the best year, I'm wishing happiness to you all for 2018. CJ xx

Lee said...

Wishing you Peace and Happiness for 2018.The photo of Darling Max brought tears to my eyes.he was so Special I can see that and feel it.Take time for yourself and BREATH DEEPLY.thinking of you.hugs xx

Linda @ A La Carte said...

2017 is a year I'm glad to say goodbye too. Hoping 2018 brings us all happiness and joy!

Teresa Kasner said...

I am so with you on this year. We can only hope that the people that support the human who is bringing all of us down will get some spines and remove him before it's too late. It should have never gotten to the point that someone that lacking in humanity would be put in such a position of power. I just shake my head. But I'm with you, I will RESIST what is going on in any way I can in a peaceful manner.

A puppy! Oh my goodness.. that is exciting! Have you decided on a breed as yet? Wouldn't a Corgi be a good dog for Little Buddy? Our Buddy dog is getting very senior.. it's scary for me.

I'm glad we are friends. I hope for a wonderful new year for you and your family. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Anonymous said...

2017 certainly was a tumultuous year. Hoping for better in 2018.

I wish you a gentle 2018 with plenty of hugs and good times with Little Buddy.

mamasmercantile said...

Such terrible news that budgets are to be cut once again for your little ones, we are certainly living in uncertain times. A joy as always to visit and see Little Buddys smiling face. Best wishes for 2018.

Delighted Hands said...

Great post-I do know that the best thing you can do for the world stage is just what you are doing-caring for those you come in contact every day and make a difference there-you are a success in that arena!
We will look forward to the growing accomplishments of lil Buddy, a new puppy (wow!), and knitting!!!! Sending a hug for the new year!

elns said...

Happy New Year Mere! I want to be optimistic for the new year, but I feel ... wary. I am looking forward to small accomplishments and a push forward. LB is such a sweet boy, I love seeing him bring the love and happy in your lives on the blog. I completely understand not wanting to think about another furry friend until after the New Year. Max will always be your love. Sending my best.

Needles and Wool said...

Thank you for sharing your year in review and also hopes for the new year. A new puppy would be a lot of fun for the family and especially Buddy. Happy New Year Meredith!

Pradeepa said...

I was very glad to say goodbye to 2017, but 2018 has already begun to piss me off. Anyway it's been only 3 days and I hope it gets better. Happy New Year to you!

Tanna said...

Little Buddy is precious! He alone makes for a pretty darn good year! ;) Wishing a better, more peaceful, more loving year for all of us. blessings ~ tanna

deb said...

Oh Meredith - catching up and heartbroken to read that you lost your precious Max xo
In time I know another sweet and very lucky dog will join your family.
Sending love to you ~ Happy New Year.

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

How handsome is that sweet Max. I still haven't gotten over losing my Toni dog. We got her when I was 2 years old and she died when I was 17, so I know exactly how you are feeling. Glad to hear that Little B is doing so well. Don't beat yourself up about the loss of services for those kids. I sincerely doubt you are losing your touch. I was definitely ready for a new year to start. And am trying not to watch the news because it's all just too ridiculous most of the time. Wishing you and yours a bright and sparkly new year.

handmade by amalia said...

In my culture 18 is a lucky number and I have great hopes for the coming year. We all deserve a good one. I've been cleaning like mad as well - it always amazes me the satisfaction I get from a clean and tidy home.
Amalia
xo

linda said...

Happy New Year Dear Meredith, I sincerely hope that 2018 will be a better one for all of us. :) xxx

Neighborhood Watch said...

Happy New Year to you as well! It was indeed a difficult 2017. I had more kids fail my classes than I ever have in my whole career as a teacher. Terrible. I am working on some serious reflection and changes for 2018. Thanks for the book recommends. I drive a lot too and listen to many audio books. I've found that I am enjoying detective type novels in a way I never have before and will definitely look into your suggestions.

Toni said...

I hope 2018 is a MUCH better year. I'm so sorry about the loss of Max--he looks like such a sweet boy in all the pictures--there's just a special place in our hearts for loving pets, and it's so difficult when we lose them. Lots of hugs!!!

Gracie Saylor said...

You continue to inspire me, Meredith, with your caring energy making the world more beautiful. I can imagine you and your family welcoming a new puppy, and I look forward to meeting him through your posts. May the Lord bless you and yours now and always. xx