The End of One Year, the Beginning of Another

Looking back at the year seems to be a common way to end it. It somehow helps close the year to be able to categorize it. Was it a good year? A bad year?

It's hard to say what kind of year I had. It was both good and bad. It brought endings and beginnings. There was a lot of change, but it was mostly good change.  I've learned a lot, done a lot, been very busy.

We've now been at Door of Hope for a full year. What a blessing this church has been to our family! I am so thankful the Lord brought us here; even though the road to get here was difficult and even painful, it was worth it.

We moved (again) this year. Again, a blessing from the Lord. As our family grows, He provides the perfect home for us.

I had my third sock book published; and am almost done with a big book of patterns- stepping away from socks at last. (You can get the sock book here, if you're interested....)

But the biggest thing the Lord has brought into this year is healing.

Through much prayer from friends, family, and our amazing church; the Lord led us to the GAPS diet. (Well, it's more than a diet, really, it's a lifestyle- but the diet is our current focus. The rest is coming about.)  And from this diet, my body has drastically changed. I have energy again. I can eat without wondering if I have to go the ER this time. It's been so wonderful. A lot of hard work, but truly wonderful.   And my daughter is feeling better too. I think the boys are as well, but it's hard to tell with all the winter colds hitting us at the same time as they are going through the beginning stages of this. ;)

Now we're starting a New Year, and I'm excited about it. I'm looking forward to seeing with the Lord has in store for us this year. More endings, more beginnings, more change- because those are what life is made of. But I am excited. I have energy to face the year, and that makes it so much more fun to look ahead and anticipate.

I don't have any New Year's Resolutions, really. I'm just going into this year with a desire to learn, to grow, to do. And I think I've started already....

My loving husband worked 2 60 hour weeks and a few 12 hr weekends to get me my Christmas present this year.
And this is what he got me:

A 16cup Breville food processor.  (The king of food processors. Have I mentioned that my husband loves me? 'Cause he does.)

And I have been LOVING it. I am learning all kinds of new things!! In 4 days, I have taken this:

raw almonds

to this:

almond meal (flour)

to this:

almond butter (which looks awful, but it's good)

And raw coconuts (which I don't have a picture of, but you can figure it out) to this:

And then this:

homemade coconut milk from raw coconuts

And the remnant is currently in my dehydrator becoming coconut flour. 

That's just the stuff I have pictures of. I've made sauerkraut, grated ginger, pickles, hash browns from turnips, chopped my dried fruit to add to my new GAPS version of homemade granola:

One version with nuts and one without for my Daisy that can't have nuts.

(which I have to say is fantastically yummy and addicting, and I can't get enough of- and now I get to eat it with homemade coconut milk, which is just so incredibly good- you have no idea how jealous you should be. ;))

And all kinds of other things I've done with it already, and that food processor is making my kitchen time less, and my play time more, and I can actually look ahead at doing school and GAPS without dread anymore. So we enter the new year with excitement, ready to learn and do- and be healthy. 

Happy New Year!!! I hope your year is full of blessings and rich with evidence of the love of Jesus Christ our Lord!