•19 min read

2024: A year in review

At the close of each year, or more often, the start of a new one – I write out a rather link-heavy post reflecting on the year gone by. Reviewing many of the details of our life, a "summary" of sorts. It's amazing how much can happen in a year, and that surprises me every time I write one of these. For many of the sections, I'll link to posts where I go into more details. And many of the things I like to sift through and remember are rather the small things, but so much of life is made of the small things, isn't it?

Knitting

I already shared my 2024: A knitting year in review post, but I will summarize a few key points here, as well. I knit two sweaters for myself that I love! Much of my knitting was done in the evenings, or squeezed into my day while the boys played outside, or while driving in the car (Nicholas driving, of course). It brought comfort to me while grieving our miscarriage in February, and was a creative outlet and source of great satisfaction at other times. I knit at the beach, on the way to and from Minnesota, at our campsite on our first family camping trip, at a minor league baseball game, on our couch at home, and at any number of parks.

Crochet

I crocheted quite a lot this year, as well, especially in the first half of the year. Honestly, none of my projects were particularly adventurous, but I spent a lot of time trying out new stitches and making useful things (namely, dishcloths and potholders to use or gift). I did learn how to crochet in the round, and just before Christmas, I crocheted something 3D: a little turtle for Cooper for his Christmas stocking. I am comfortable with slowly getting better at a new-to-me craft; it's okay to be a beginner at something!

Sewing

While I didn't complete a single sewn item that was on my list of creative goals for 2024, I did have a few "sewing bursts" this year. That seems to be the trend for me: I don't sew for months and then I finish several projects within a short span of time. I sewed a green floral zippered project bag and a few tiny drawstring pouches. I sewed two carrying/storage cases for Amish-style wooden tabletop swifts (one for me and one for a friend), that I self -drafted these and I was so proud of how they turned out. In the fall, I sewed a few more project bags, including an orange flannel zippered bag, and a drawstring bag in a blue woven fabric. And while I was pregnant and we hadn't yet met Arlo, I sewed a fifth Christmas stocking for him.

And since I haven't previously mentioned them, in November, I sewed a project bag for a dear friend in some beautiful floral canvas. I made this one the same size as the blue drawstring bag mentioned about. I love this size for smaller sweater projects, and since they are less structured, they fit well into other totes or backpacks.

Then in December, I sewed a patchwork Christmas project bag, because I really wanted to feature the center fabric in a project, and I really enjoyed putting this bag together. I may not have lot of seasonal decor, but I do have seasonal project bags.

Work

This was another year of being full-time at home, as a mama and caretaker of our home. I got into rhythms with sourdough, and laundry, and cooking. And because I felt so sick during my pregnancy with Arlo, I also spent a lot of time not keeping up with everything and feeling behind. Practically, I tried to be intentional about "closing the loop with tasks," aka finishing one task before prematurely launching into another. When I do this, I get more done and feel far less overwhelm.

This was the first year of homeschool for our family! I started kindergarten at home with Cooper. And so that's a new role for and a new rhythm. We are learning a lot – both material-wise (Cooper) and what timing and structure works best for his learning (me). And so far, we are really enjoying it! It has brought a better balance and routine to our days.

In the kitchen

In March, I wrote a post all about what I was up to in our kitchen lately (recipes, routines, go-to meal, etc). The overarching theme is we like high quality ingredients prepared simply, and we don't mind meal repeats. Some favorite meals from this year include pasties (sourdough pie crust with a meat and veggie filling), chicken stir fry, hamburgers on the grill, quiche lorraine, and sweet potato shepherd's pie.

I had a major sourdough slump, mid-year. Thankfully, my friend, Greta gave me some more of her starter and I got "back on the wagon" with it, so to speak. When I had first trimester nausea, we ate a lot of eggs (scrambled, fried, hard boiled, you name it). And I frequently ate egg salad as a bedtime snack.

I made a lot of homemade granola, and once I had a healthy starter again, I baked sourdough dinner rolls, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, bagels, and my go-to bread.

These apple cider donuts were one of my favorite things I made this year.

In coffee-related news, Nicholas gave me a stovetop milk/butter warmer and a handheld frother as birthday gifts, so I've been making us lattes at home with organic coffee, collagen powder, and either raw, grass-fed milk, or grass-fed milk from the grocery store. I still enjoy getting a coffee out, now and again, but it is far less tempting than it once was, since we enjoy the taste and quality of a homemade version so much. And we love to have fika at home!

Beauty

In the same theme as the last few years, I didn't wear much makeup. When I did, it was typically just concealer, mascara, powder, bronzer, and brow gel, and only on special occasions: a tiny bit of eyeliner. After washing my hair, I wore it braided on Day 1 and then wavy on Day 2, typically washing every other day. This was the first year that I asked for "skincare" for Christmas – in this instance, it is a skin brightener. The jury is still out, but I love the scent of it, and I am doing my best to be consistent with it.

I still love tallow balm for when my skin feels dry (the whole family uses it too), and this salt scrub is still a favorite.

I had balayage done once this year, since I love a little bit more brightness in my hair.

And I practically lived in two of these dresses (I have it in black and a print and couldn't get enough of them). Easy to wear, flattering, could be dressed up or down, and worked well with a growing belly.

Favorite music

I listened to a lot of Noah Kahan this year, and for good reason – I got to see him live in Indianapolis with my SIL, Katelyn! I drove down for a whirlwind daytrip for the concert. We ate dinner, went to the concert, and then I drove home late that night. Absolutely worth it for the quality time with Katelyn, and plus, it was such a good show. I also listened to a lot of Zach Winters, Chris Renzema, Northwest Stories, Judah & the Lion, The National Forest, Henrik, Roo Panes, Anberlin (the nostalgia pick, of course), and Novo Amor.

Favorite reads

It was another year of, well, not a lot of reading. I tend to opt for knitting and watching something in the evenings (maybe I need to try audio books?). I did read through nearly all of the Anne of Green Gables series, loving them so much. Specifically, I read Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, Anne of Windy Poplars, and I made it partway through Anne's House of Dreams before pregnancy exhaustion took over. Something to revisit this year! I do love a good series, especially one driven by character development and nostalgic themes.

Also! Beginning in March 2024, I started a Bible reading plan called the Bible Recap. It takes you through the entire Bible in a year, and daily readings are paired with short podcast episodes. Even as someone who struggles to make it through podcast episodes, I have managed these daily! Some days, I listened to the daily readings, some days, I read them, sometimes I did both simultaneously. It has made a huge difference in my understanding of the Gospel and the character of God. I would highly recommend it.

Movies, TV, and other things we watched

We had a few favorite TV shows throughout the year. We loved All Creatures Great and Small(for a feel-good show), Slow Horses for an action-based series, and we always enjoy The Great British Bake Off (the only "reality" show we watch).

That said, we subscribe to a lot of channels on YouTube, and follow along with those more closely. Our absolute favorite is Simple Living Alaska. We also watched a lot of channels that follow the process of building a home, etc. And the boys really enjoyed videos from M. Bjoernstroem (based in Northern Sweden) and Andrew Camarata (based in upstate NY), since both have a myriad of topics they cover including repairing and using heavy machinery and maintaining and driving ATVs, etc. Any channel where someone is fixing something is typically of interest to them. And as a family, we enjoy watching Bourbon Moth Woodworking videos, since we find most of his projects interesting.

Traveling

I drove with my parents and brother to Ohio for a funeral. It was so good to be together with my family – uninterrupted conversation in the car, as well as hug and just be with our family friends (who are basically family) in the midst of grieving.

In mid-September, we went on our first family camping trip to a state park in southern Indiana. We had a wonderful and spacious campsite, and ate some of our go-to meals. We hiked in sandstone caverns and climbed large ladders, Finn took a nap on me, and we ate lunch on the trail. Camping with a toddler and preschooler while pregnant wasn't entirely smooth and we didn't get lots of sleep, but we did some very fun hikes and the boys absolutely loved it. We will go again sometime!

In late October we drove up to Minnesota to see some family and friends. I was very pregnant, and knowing how traveling with a newborn is trickier, we wanted to squeeze in a road trip before the baby (Arlo!) was born. The weather was absolutely incredible, and we spent a lot of time outside with my family, visiting two different parks. Nicholas played Mancala and chess with Cooper. My mom made us meals, and we went to church with them. My brother took some beautiful family photos of us, as well. And then we spent an afternoon with our friends Lauren and Josh and their kids, and we had such a wonderful time. We don't make it up to Minnesota that often, and it was so good to be there.

In November, shortly after my SIL, Katelyn and her (then boyfriend), Devin got engaged(!) we drove down to Indy for a little overnight trip. I went dress shopping with Katelyn and a few other women in her bridal party, and Nicholas took the boys to the children's museum before we all met up for dinner. We visited the pool at our hotel (first hotel experience for the boys) and then after breakfast with Katelyn and Devin the next morning, we headed home.

Locally

We had a lot of little local adventures! Some of my favorites:

Visitors

My family visited in January, for a belated Christmas celebration. And then again in May to celebrate Finn's second birthday. We visited our local arboretum and they joined us for a trip to our local farm store. The daffodils bloomed and it was a wonderful visit.

In August, my family visited again so that I could drive with my parents and brother to attend a funeral of a close childhood family friend in Ohio.

My friend Rachael visited us from Texas in August! We stopped for at a sourdough bagel place in Chicago after the airport, went to the beach the next morning and out for coffee downtown that afternoon, and then she flew home the next day. How sweet to spend time together in person after so much time apart.

And then in September, our friend Andrew (also from Texas) came to visit us. We visited a local apple orchard, went on a hike, played legos, worked on puzzles, and played games. It was a great visit.

My friend Clara visited us for an afternoon and dinner on her way through town. We had soup and bread and cookies and she played Legos for hours with Cooper (scoring major points with him). And while Nicholas entertained the boys, we had some very-overdue and life-giving time to talk about so many things of our adult lives: marriage and parenthood and unexpected hardships and joys. What a gift to have that time with her.

And although it technically was in January, my family visited to celebrate a belated Christmas 2024 with us, so I'll link the blog post about that visit as well!

Finances, practical things, and home projects

This was the first full year that we spent in our new home! I enjoyed noticing the patterns of light in the house that change with the seasons.

We hired a local nursery to design and install landscaping around our home. It's been wonderful for the house to look more "finished," and it's been much easier for Nicholas to do yardwork and maintain when there isn't dirt right up the foundation.

In January, Nicholas hung cabinets in our laundry room, since the room was otherwise empty, apart from the washer, dryer, and utility sink.

Nicholas also spent at least five weekends over the summer painting the basement, since it was all flat paint and a large portion of it was a pale peachy pink. It made a huge difference. It all feels brighter, cleaner, and more to our taste. And along with that, we were about to make the boys' room feel more "finished." In that same theme–

We bought a bunk bed for Cooper and Finn! And the transition from our bed to their own room was remarkably (and surprisingly) smooth, just in time for Arlo's arrival.

Big life events

In February, I had another miscarriage. And then, in the spring, we found out we were pregnant with another baby (Arlo!) And of course, right before Christmas, he arrived and we finally met the little one we'd been so expectant for.

We started homeschool kindergarten for Cooper! And Finn potty-trained and weaned, plus we got bunk beds for the boys and they now sleep in their own room. So much development and family transition (all good)!

And some other events:

  • I turned thirty-four, my friend Molly came over for coffee and she took some precious portraits of me and my (three!) boys, since I was very pregnant with Arlo. I made sourdough cardamom bread, and I wrote about some of the best things in my life, here and now, and the goodness of God that I've seen in my life.
  • We had a miscarriage in February, and then welcomed another rainbow baby, Arlo, in December.

Living in light of the seasons

It was an unseasonably warm winter at the start of 2024, so we spent a lot of time outside: visiting parks, playing in creeks, going on family walks.

In the spring, we used the (free) Merlin app a lot to listen for and identify birdsong, watched the solar eclipse (partial, where we live), I bought grocery store tulips, admired flowers at a local garden, visited parks with friends, and we went on lots of walks.

We discovered wild black raspberry and wild blackberry bushes in our yard! We made the near-daily trek to pick (and eat) so many. The boys are already talking about berry season this year.

The cicadas emerged, with almost a deafening amount of noise. For several weeks, it was actually unpleasant to go outside because of the sound, and the likelihood that several cicadas would mistake you for a tree and choose to land on you.

Nicholas made a more permanent setup for our fire pit, and we had a lot of fires and s'mores. He also spent a lot of time cutting fallen trees into rounds with his chainsaw and then splitting them into firewood for our fire pit and wood stove.

In the summer, we did a backyard campout as a soft intro to family car camping. The boys had a blast and it prepared us a bit for a family trip we took later in the summer.

We went to the beach, took the boys to their first minor league baseball game, had cookouts with family and friends, grilled hamburgers (often), and the boys played outside a ton.

We spent many fall days looking out the car windows during errands for "signs of fall," which turned into a repeated phrase for Cooper – he was always on the hunt for red leaves (our favorite), berries, pumpkins on front porches, etc.

I wrote about little December joys and the advent season: a post with lots of little items or recipes I or my family was especially enjoying in the lead up to Christmas (freshly knitted mittens, a sourdough sugar cookie recipe, a puzzle advent calendar, freshly washed handknit socks, my favorite hand cream, etc).

Before Christmas, we had our first big snow of the season! For Cooper and I, that means it's a good day. We had snow-themed homeschool, and played outside for hours, coming in for hot cocoa with candy canes.

We celebrated Christmas rather quietly with immediate family on Nicholas' side, since Arlo was only a week old. And then in early January (2025), my family came down to celebrate Christmas 2024 and to meet Arlo.

Motherhood

This year marked five years of being a mom.

Finn turned two! And suddenly, we had a chatterbox who is darling, smart, and very funny. His pronounciation of "Cooper" went from "tee-pooh," to "tooper." And his way of referencing "wheel" went from "bomph" to "wheel." So fun and fleeting– all the little milestones in language development.

Cooper turned five! We celebrated with mini golf and go kart driving and sourdough cardamom knots. He had a blast, as did all of us. He is so observant and clever, noticing things Nicholas and I fail to. He loves catching toads and (some bugs), building legos, snuggling his mom and dad, and reading books. He learned to ride a bike this year! And he was ready to remove the training wheels after about a week. I was his teacher this year: a new rhythm for both of us that has resulted in both of us learning a lot. It is something we both look forward to – some quality time together and connection, while we do school.

In August, I shared that I was pregnant and we were expecting another baby in December. And I wrote about savoring the snuggles with my two "big" boys before baby's arrival. In the lead up to my due date, I wrote about my preparations for another home birth, as well as preparations for the postpartum period.

And of course, I delivered Arlo in mid-December. So wonderful and unbelievable that we have three little boys. Being a parent has been the most refining role I've ever had (and arguably, the most rewarding). So grateful to have Nicholas at my side as we navigate things together, and the prayer that our boys ultimately belong to our Heavenly Father. Thank you, for making me a mama and for this family.

Love and marriage

I wrote my annual love letter to Nicholas on his birthday in January,

In May, Nicholas and I attended his company party in Chicago. It was so much fun to have a night out together, in the city. And it was a very late night for us homebodies!

In August, we celebrated eleven years of marriage with a family date on the actual date where Nicholas and I got coffee and the boys played yard games. The day after, we celebrated with a date out for Neapolitan pizza and uninterrupted conversation.

I've written about him before, but I can't underemphasize what a wonderful father he is to our boys: fun, attentive, empathetic, wise. And what a wonderful friend, companion, and husband he is to me. The best! I love him.

Heart lessons

  • In Christ, there is redemption of all our losses (even the most difficult ones).
  • It is okay to be a beginner at something. Just because I'm an adult doesn't mean I should expect expert level performance at something I'm new at (I'm specifically referencing crochet, but I apply this to many other things as well).
  • There is great joy that can be found in a "little life" – the unassuming daily routines and rituals of a family with small children. A fresh baked treat, a cup of hot coffee, an unexpected hug from my husband, an encouraging conversation with a friend, a pair of handknit socks. Joy isn't limited to big and flashy moment.
  • "All that to say, I yet again remind myself that I can feel more than one emotion at once. And news that feels precious and scary at first, shared with only close family and friends – can later be shared with joy and openness."

Another year of loss, growth, joy. Good things, hard things, things that made me grow. I love the lyrics to Chris Renzema's song, Manna (After All These Years) :

'Cause after all these years, I still love You
And after all these years, I'll still praise Your holy name
'Cause even when I've lost my taste for manna
It comes from Heaven all the same (comes from Heaven all the same)
Even when I've lost my taste for manna
It comes from Heaven all the same, every day
It comes from Heaven all the same
Whether or not I recognize the miracle hidden in the mundane
Oh, the bread of Heaven's offered either way

Thank you, Lord for another year on this earth. For family and community and the gift of your Son, Jesus. For the seasons in your creation, and the hope of the heaven!

If you've made it to the end of this novel, and you want to read previous "year-in-review" posts, here is a link to all my previous Year-in-Review posts since 2015.

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Celebrating Christmas 2024, Part 2
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Bright, a word for 2025

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