27 things I've learned this year

Today's my 27th birthday, and the following is a list of 27 things I've learned and discovered this last year. In no particular order.

1. The berries inside pomegranates are called arils. And that there's an easier way to cut them up.

2. How to diaper a baby boy.

3. That I don't have to type "130" when I want to microwave something for a minute and thirty seconds. I can type "90."

4. The fabulous writings of Sarah Sundin.

5. That natural child birth is quite painful. Even when it only lasts 90 minutes.

6. In that same vein, having a book and a baby come out in the same month makes life pretty

crazy. (I could've guessed that one...)

7. How to make pancakes just as yummy and fluffy as my husbands. I still don't do shapes, though. That's his thing.

8. More about the line up on Nickelodeon Jr. than I ever wanted to know... ("Wonder Pets, Wonder Pets, we're on our way...")

9. How to be more hospitable. I'm not going to win any awards or anything, but at the start of the year, I prayed God would help make me a better, more cheerful hostess, and he certainly did. (I've done a little backsliding since Connor was born, but that'll get better.)

10. How to manage my author blog, my teen writers blog, and contribute here at Girls, God, and the Good Life.

11. How to say no to things that take away time from the three roles God has given me - wife, mommy, and author.

12. The crazy world of Mad Men. We finished up season 2 last night and will be starting season 3 soonish.

13. The meaning of the word esoteric. My pastor used it 6 times in a sermon on Sunday. After time number 3, I finally had to look it up. (esoteric: adj. Understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest.)

14. That there can be beauty in death. My favorite season, autumn, is a good example of this. Better ones are my dear friend Christy Kirven and my aunt Penny. I lost both ladies this year to cancer, and until the day they died, both of them were wonderful examples of being Christ's hands and feet here on earth.

15. Many knew her already, but I did not. You should totally check out the writings of Siri Mitchell. I adored She Walks in Beauty.

16. And another phenomenon that I knew nothing of until a few months ago, www.ThePioneerWoman.com.

17. The dictionary.com app. I almost always have my phone handy when I'm reading. I've gotten in the habit of looking up words I don't know.

18. To love my husband more fully. Something about having a little boy of my own opened up this whole new dimension of love for Ben.

19. How to make lasagna that doesn't slide when you cut it. (Thank you to my mother-in-law on that one!)

20. My favorite book changed this year. Well, Pride and Prejudice is still my all-time fave, and nothing's ever topped This Lullaby for YA. But I adored Lisa Samson's The Passion of Mary-Margaret. It reigns as my favorite uh... regular book?

21. Both the sting and the reward of disciplining a child.

22. The sheer awesomeness of the library. Somehow I'd forgotten...

23. How to make killer pot roast.

24. The joy of conversing with McKenna. I love babies, and I was sad when she was officially Not a Baby anymore. But we have some of the best conversations. Especially about her favorite baseball player, Zack Greinke.

25. There was a new addition to my "favorite craft books" list. I adore James Scott Bell's The Art of War for Writers.

26. Starbucks's dark cherry mochas over ice. Those java chip frappuccinos aren't too bad either. Mmm...

27. And finally, I'm never going to find a way to organize my time that magically fixes everything. This little nugget of wisdom came from my husband, who continues to startle me with his intelligence. I kept saying to him, "I feel like if I could just organize everything in the right way, that I could stay on top of all the stuff I need to do." And he said, "That's your problem. That you keep expecting to find something to fix it all."

Changed my life. I've become much better about just doing the best I can with the amount of time I have. If God expected me to get everything on my list done, He would've given me more hours of the day.

I enjoyed age 26 quite a bit. Even though I spent half the year saying I was 25, and the last month or two saying I was 27. The memory has apparently started to go. Along with my natural hair color.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Stephanie Morrill is a twenty-something living in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and two kids. Her only talents are reading, writing, and drinking coffee, so career options were somewhat limited. Fortunately, she discovered a passion for young adult novels a few years ago and has been writing them ever since. Stephanie is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series and is currently working on other young adult projects. To check out her blog and read samples of her books, check out www.StephanieMorrillBooks.com and www.GoTeenWriters.com.