2016: By The Numbers

Summer 2016; Wine in the garden

Well, well, well. Here it is the first day of 2017 and I'm going to wrap-up the year of 2016 before I even wrap up the month of December 2016. Why? Because I want to. Because I'm a rebel. But mostly because, as per usual this year, I'm running behind. The story of my life 😄

Now that the holidays are almost over and the hubby and I are tucked back into our own house again, it's time to make it a better year. I mean, there's no election this year so we already know it's got to be a superior year, right? 😉 Right. I'm going to save my New Year's goals (and 2016's learning experiences) for another day, and simply talk numbers. Here's 2016 by the numbers-

55- high in degrees on Jan 1
9- sprouted tulips on Jan 3
15- high in degrees on Jan 11
1- inches of snow on January 12

4- days it took the hubby and I to binge Netflix's "Jessica Jones"

image source: Netflix

8- inches of snow during Winter Storm Jonas

0- Mariota's patience with The Blizzard of 2016

1.5- boxes of wine the hubby and I went through during the snowstorm
7- hot flashes the first night of steroid shots
3- showers taken the next day
65- minutes of yoga I was doing before the steroid shots
25- mintes I was able to do yoga the first couple of days after steroid shots
0- miles ran in 2016
7- physical therapy appointments
2- spine adjustments
90- minutes I was at my MRI appointment in Lexington

Post MRI in Lexington

6- days the hubby and I spent discussing "Making A Murderer"

image source: TheWrap

38- types of organic seeds bought in January to start the 2016 garden
0.5- books read in January (yikes!)
26- Day in February we attended beekeeping school

4.3- inches of snow the first week of February
66- % of stray dogs roaming the homestead in March that we found homes for (2 out of 3 ain't bad!)

10- Day in March the chipmunks returned (I found a chipmunk highway out in the woods!)

32- tomato sprouts that sprouted and then mysteriously died

5- number of curse words uttered when I realized the 2nd batch of seedlings had failed
2- fists shook angrily at the ceiling at that point
1.5- glasses of wine drunk before I threw in the towel and decided to buy tomato starts
16- day in April we got our bees!

35- minutes it took after getting the bees for the hubby to get stung

22- day in April the hummingbirds returned (exactly 1 week later than last year)

27- day in April I saw my very first fox!

17- day in August I saw my very first baby fox!
50+- plants we bought for landscaping the yard

3- loads of dirt we had brought in
2- guys we had to hire to move that dirt
13- weeks it took to do the landscaping

countless- butterflies, bees, and birds the landscaping attracted
40+- bags of mulch bought for the yard

8- organic tomato starts bought

6- organic tomato plants that made it to planting
32- ounces of organic homegrown chamomile blossoms collected

12- pesto's made and froze
11- marigold plants that took over the garden
5.5- plants killed in the attempt to grow a zucchini (I'm counting some seedlings in that number)
5- amount of cucumbers harvested

1- wild animal injuries! Just a squirrel 😁

132- glorious days of strawberry picking

2555- on July 23, this was how many days the hubby and I'd been married (7 years!)

Anniversary dinner with my parents

21- days my family was in visiting over the summer
38.2- miles we drove to Serpent Mound State Park one Sunday with my mom and dad

2- restaurants we went to in town looking for margaritas that Sunday
12- tacos devoured by the family when I took them to Black Sheep Burritos and Brew in Huntington

Black Sheep Burritos & Brews, Huntington, WV

14- people we had playing corn hole at our house for our family barbecue in August

53-% over what I'd budgeted to spend on the niece's birthday that I spent 😬

4- amount of crab legs the niece devoured at Red Lobster on her birthday
1/8- inches of ice we had to scrape of our car the morning we were flying out to Oregon

95- minutes late our plane was leaving Columbus for our trip (luckily, we made our connecting flight!)
45- minutes they spent deicing the plane that morning
34- the age I turned this year
1 million- amount of money the birthday dinner with my family tasted like. Halibut, jumbo shrimp, and mushroom wellingtons, oh my!
4.5- mushroom wellingtons I ate that night

1- mushroom wellington serving suggestion
2- hummingbirds seen in Oregon in December (I saw them more than once but there were 2 birds)

13- books read in 2016 (cue sad noise)
15- books already bought to read in 2017 (it will be a better year!)
50- Percentage of hives that made it in 2016 (we lost 1 hive due to swarming)
1460- Days we've lived in our house

December 2012

December 2015 (Due to the Oregon trip, we didn't put up lights this year 😢)

201- Google followers gained
11- Blogger followers gained
102- FaceBook followers gained
25- Instagram followers gained
277,967- Views of Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake (most popular recipe of 2016)
9368- Views of Shrimp Pad Thai (2nd most popular recipe of 2016)
752,359- Views of the blog, all time

Favorite Posts of the Year-

My 2016 Goal: Authenticity

It's Not Always Pretty

Be the Change You Want to See in the World

(Personal) Favorite Recipes of the Year-

Spicy Sesame Beef Rice Bowls

Arancini with Homemade Marinara

Pumpkin Cognac Cheesecake

~That's it for 2016 folks! Here's to a terrific 2017!~
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