Taking Inventory 2022

Inside: I’m looking back over the past year to bring perspective, as well as closure. . . Taking inventory 2022.

winter scene light snow and bare trees
Time to take a look back.

Looking Back and Taking Inventory 2022

If you’ve landed on this page and are unfamiliar with this blog, each year I take the time to try and process the previous twelve months to bring perspective and closure. These ten questions are a great place to start. (If you’d like to answer these questions for yourself, click here for a printable copy.)

In many ways this year felt like 2021 version 2.0. I find I’ve moved past being hungry for change to being more like starving at times! Maybe next year.

 

1. What worked?

Praying more, especially focusing on being thankful. Doing steps while praying.

Picking up a gallon of raw milk every other week at a local small dairy. One of the best things we started doing this year because it keeps me in touch with my dairy farming roots.

Grocery shopping Mondays with Mom.

Eating whole foods.

Watching classic television to unwind.

 

2. What didn’t work?

Focusing too much on one person’s advice for health and diet.

Struggling to lose weight and get in shape.

Reading too much negative news.

Letting the dishes and laundry pile up.

Eating too much sugar this Christmas.

 

3. What surprised you? (Whether good or bad.)

The unrelenting barrage of hardships we have encountered this year. Part of me feels like I’m making way too much out of it because I haven’t dealt with major illness or death or crippling financial problems like other folks have. It’s been a lot of breakdowns and rodent infestations and strife and frustrations seemingly one thing after another. December has been particularly difficult.

I am hoping next year that I will actually have something good to say when answering this question.

 

4. What disappointed you?

Unanswered prayer. I will leave it at that. Hopefully one of these days I can be more specific.

 

5. What were you most proud of?

That I got some work done on one of my novels.

 

6. What gave you the most joy?

Spending time with my nephews. Shopping for and planting flowers.

 

7. What drained you?

See #3. The unrelenting barrage of hardships.

 

8. What wasted your time?

Too much reading news and political commentaries.

Too much television (at times).

 

9. Who did you enjoy spending time (or connecting) with?

Mike, Mom, Emily, Jared, my brothers and their families, Patty, my critique group, Joy. Video chats with Karisa.

 

10. What gave you the most peace?

Trusting that God’s plan is turning things around, not only for me but for our country.

 

Again, not much different than last year. That tells me I’m in a rut. I’d like to do better. Hoping some good changes will be a part of 2023!

 

If you would like a copy of these questions to take your own inventory, click below:

Taking Inventory 2022

 

Related posts:

Taking Inventory of 2017

Taking Inventory 2021

My Word for 2022

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 11: Born in a Barn

Inside: Ever been asked if you were born in a barn? Imagine that for real, traveling far from home to give birth in such humble surroundings. . . 

stable reflections
Oh, holy night. . .

 

Note from me: This a repost entitled “Stable Reflections” from a few years ago, one of my favorites.

Born in a Barn

Can you imagine traveling for days by donkey, subject to climate and road conditions, very pregnant? No Holiday Inns along the way, not even a Motel 6. And once you get to the “big city”–that being Bethlehem–you can’t find a place to stay. As an afterthought, an innkeeper tells you there’s room in a stable out back. If you don’t mind the animals.

This couple is young. Desperate. They have no other choice. But I wonder. . .

As they went from one inn to the next, and the contractions came closer together, did Mary think to herself, This is God’s Son. Surely He will provide a nice place for us to stay now!

Was she disappointed with God’s choice of birthplace? Sharing a room, if you could call it that, with cows and donkeys, the sweet smell of hay mingling with manure. Her Child’s first cradle a hay box. Strips of cloth to wear instead of footie pajamas. No doctor or nurse. Not even a midwife. Just an anxious young husband unfamiliar with female issues.

Perhaps I look at it with modern, western eyes. Maybe Mary was just thankful to have a place to lie down and a kind husband to help her through this unfamiliar, painful, joyful experience. But a stable?

And yet, this crude setting with all the familiar characters and animals has endeared the story of Christ’s birth to millions of people over hundreds of years. If they’d gotten a room in the inn, would it have been as special?

I wonder.

Nativity scene. Stable reflections.
Oh come let us adore Him!

 

Related posts:

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 11: Our Family’s Christmas Eve Traditions 2019

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 12: Reflections 2017

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 11: Different Reasons, Different Seasons 2021

 

This year’s 12 Posts of Christmas:

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 1: Our Hillbilly Christmas Wreath 2022

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 2: Tortilla Cinnamon Rolls Revisited

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 3: A Truly Southern Christmas Essay

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 4: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman, a history

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 5: Christmas Ball Ornaments

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 6: Revisiting My Christmas Movie List

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 7: When Traditions Change

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 8: Memories of Christmas Cookie Baking

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 9: Christmas Tree Forest

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 10: Brownie Christmas Trees

 

 

 

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 10: Brownie Christmas Trees

Inside: Need something quick and easy to bring at the last minute or something fun to do with the kids? Give Brownie Christmas Trees a try!

Brownies shaped and decorated like Christmas trees.
Easy and delicious!

Easy Brownie Christmas Trees

I was looking through a grocery sales flier when I saw some brownie-shaped Christmas trees just like above. They didn’t include directions–no need for it. Once I saw that picture, I knew I had a great idea for a post. In fact, I’m not even going to put it into the recipe format because it’s really not a recipe, per se. You can buy a brownie mix, but I imagine it would work just as well to buy an already made square pan of brownies and just cut them into triangles.

Here is what I did:

You will need:

A brownie mix or pre-made pan of brownies from the bakery (I used a mix.)

Peppermint sticks (You will need a small piece to serve as a trunk for each brownie.)

Green cookie icing for piping

Small candy sprinkles for decorating the trees

 

Directions:

Bake your brownies in a pie or cake pan. Once cool, cut into wedges or triangles to make the trees.

Break the peppermint sticks into little trunks and insert in the bottom of the tree.

Draw a squiggly green line on the tree with the icing.

Decorate with sprinkles.

Brownies shaped like Christmas trees.
You gotta try these!

Notes:

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it as homemade as you want. You could bake your favorite brownies from scratch or you could use a mix or premade pan of these gems. You could make your own icing or buy icing in a bottle, as I did. You could use a different colored icing than the green. Truly you can make these your own!

Try these Brownie Christmas Trees with the kids before Christmas and be sure to sample a little, too. After all, they’re brownies!

Enjoy!

 

Related posts:

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 10: Chocolate Orange Fudge 2021

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 9: Nutballs 2019

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 6: Peppermint Mocha Pie 2020

 

This year’s 12 Posts of Christmas:

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 1: Our Hillbilly Christmas Wreath 2022

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 2: Tortilla Cinnamon Rolls Revisited

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 3: A Truly Southern Christmas Essay

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 4: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman, a history

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 5: Christmas Ball Ornaments

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 6: Revisiting My Christmas Movie List

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 7: When Traditions Change

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 8: Memories of Christmas Cookie Baking

The 12 Posts of Christmas, Day 9: Christmas Tree Forest