Just like everyone else, I’m surprised to see the year 2015 over and done with so quickly. And frankly we are glad to see the back end of it. We were able to get some minor travel under our belts way back in January and April, but after that things fell apart when J’s Father passed away suddenly and he needed to make an emergency trip to England. Ever buy an international flight on short notice? It was ugly. We were shocked by the unexpected death of J’s father, only to then have his mother pass away just as suddenly in Ireland mere weeks later. We had 3 home repair emergencies which also required big funds, and everything following those events really paled in comparison so we spent a lot of time laying low. We did, however, manage to get some more of our projects done and here is the post where I summarize!

Travel:
-We went to Honolulu in January, which was a first for both of us.
-Then I went to Los Angeles
-And we did some more local exploration

Animals:
-In 2015 we welcomed some new animals (I say “some” but really mean an Ark load); say hi to Brienne, Danaerys, Cersei, and Arya, El Hefe, Tonks and Lupin, Momo, Zapp, Brody, Ozzy
-We also had a few deaths: RIP Selma and Pickles, and Flip and Butters 😦
-We had a sick chicken, but we fixed her!
-Our chickens had their first chick!
-Then we were given a second little chickie
-2015 was the year of Bunny Bonding which left us with 4 solid pairs (all the videos and posts are collected in this one place, and they are super cute)

Home Repair:
-Our septic tank backed up in January while we were away ($500!)
-Our pressure tank died in June (Another $500!)
-And we had to install a new well pump, switch, wiring, and other stuffs in December ($1200!)

Projects Progress:
-In February J started our new fence using a design he came up with on his own
-We fixed up the laundry room!
-We made some DIY wine with our plums
-J built a a new deck on the side of the house with recycled boards
-I turned the sun room into a studio for myself
–We created a bunny castle for the fluffies that we were able to mostly complete
-J painted the downstairs
-We installed some new wall sconces and a new dining table pendant
-We set up an herbal area in the laundry room
-J finished the fenced area and the plants went mad
-The chicken coop got new (free-cycled!) siding and is even closer to completion (for now)
-We fixed up the stairs!

Garden Stuffs:
-In March the garden started waking up
-We installed some rain barrels
-J built a bunch of raised beds and continued the fence
-We put some hay down in the garden
-We got ready to grow hops next year

Crafting:
–I fixed up a chair
–I made some cushions
–We built a bench and I upholstered it (twice!)
-I started a weaving (that I didn’t finish, ha)
-But I did finish this Red Dwarf cross stitch
-I made a pair of Hobbit capes that were pretty great
-I did a Lisa Simpson cross stitch (SOLD)
-And some bunting (SOLD)
-A Marge Simpson cross stitch (SOLD)
-A Moe Szyslak cross stitch (SOLD)
-A Milhouse van Houten cross stitch (SOLD)
-I fixed up a pair of free wooden chairs
-A Patty and Selma cross stitch (AVAILABLE)
-A free hand palmistry cross stitch (SOLD)
-I prepped some angora fibre for sale
-AND I learned how to spin a little
-I worked some more on the WIP that never ended (but it still hasn’t ended)

Life Stuff:
–I went vegan!
–I read a lot of books!
-I made big improvements on my anxiety! (There’s no post for this, but trust me it happened)
–I got better at feeding myself!

Before and Afters:
-Our living room evolved from this to this!

-Our garden evolved from this to this!

I’m sure there are more before and afters but I can’t think of anything as neat as the garden transformation so I’ll end on a high note. Resolutions to come in a separate post.