It has been a good year for the Fox family. The only real downside was the loss of our beloved fur-person Brigit in November. She was a sweet, funny, stubborn, wonderful friend and we love and miss her so much.
This year Chuck learned to play the guitar and as he is the Cantor at church, he can now sing and play the guitar which comes in handy when both of the keyboard players are not available. While he has a musical background (he was a concert trumpet player in his younger days), his progress at playing has been quite remarkable to me. He is also training for his second California Coast Classic this coming September. This is a bicycle tour from the San Francisco Pier to the Santa Monica Pier over 8 days and 500 miles to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. He will make this ride just after his 70th birthday!!!
Mom crocheted over 2,000 afghan squares this year for Warm Up America! along with 10 or 12 complete afghans and wheelchair lap blankets. These go to disaster stricken areas, battered women's shelters, homeless, etc. Mom has crafted most of her life and we have so many lovely things around the house that she made. She is an inspiration to me that I might continue to do God's work regardless of my age and maybe even through my passion of paper crafting.
As for me, my most important accomplishment was creating over 850 cards for Operation Write Home. Many of them are posted on my blog which I started in February of this year. I have made many new friends and increased my stamping knowledge (and stash) by leaps and bounds! I underwent a total hip replacement due to osteoarthritis and have a hip that is as good and functional as when I was a teenager. This has allowed me to begin walking in a serious way and so far I have lost 25 pounds!
All in all it has been a great year for us!
Now for what will be my final cards for the year. I made several of these as I do almost all of my cards. It was a fun card to make and I just loved the DP which came from the Best of K Collection. The stamp is from Cherry Blossom by Flourishes. The ink color is More Mustard and the sentiment from Sincere Situations is by Stampin' Up.
I thank all of you for your continual support and inspiration. A special thanks to Sandy of Operation Write Home and her team who work so hard for our heroes and to create a fun, informative, and inspirational environment for all of us stampers.And last, but certainly not least, I wish for all of you great peace and joy in this coming year.
Gorgeous cards as usual Louise! That DP is stunning. I am so happy to hear that it was a wonderful year for you and hope that 2011 is even better. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteTFS a little about you and your family and special MIL. You're all blessed and may your blessings continue into the new year! Hugs to you in the loss of your precious doggie - she's so cute :)
ReplyDeleteHi Louise! I am so sorry to hear about your little Brigit, they truly are such a huge part of the family! I love the pictures of your hubby and MIL! 500 miles on a bike that is awesome and your MIL sounds like a true blessing! Gorgeous cards as always! Take care of yourself and Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Tammy
Happy New Year Louise! I'm very sorry to hear of your little Brigit's passing, it's so difficult to lose a beloved family member.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post today, it has been a good year. I'm so glad you are blogging because I love stopping by to see what you've been working on :) God Bless You in 2011 my friend!
Hi Louise, I'm so happy to hear you are doing well and how lovely to see the pics of Chuck and your m-i-l. My hat is off to both of them for their accomplishments, and to you too for all you've done, both personally and in the way you think of others with the huge number of cards you've made!
ReplyDeleteTFS, beautiful cards too!
ReplyDelete