I’m taking a cue from Vicki and wrapping up my year of blogging in words (the first sentence of the first post of each month) and pictures (a favorite photo from each month) — the two are not necessarily related.

January 2018:
As I have for the past several years, I have chosen a word for 2018 and that word is kind.

February 2018:
Your mileage may vary but to me it felt like January just draggggged itself out longer than usual.

March 2018:
You know what’s coming up this Sunday, right? It’s THE OSCARS!

April 2018:
It was another whirlwind weekend of fun, campaigning and more.

May 2018:
I’m going to warn you right now – if you are hungry don’t continue any further.

June 2018:
This picture of the bridal wreath in our front yard is from about a week ago, the shrub is past it’s peak now.

July 2018:
I’m back and want you to know that we had an absolutely wonderful week in Maine!

August 2018:
It’s hard to believe that today is August 1st.

September 2018:
August was a really great month full of family and fun, vacation and good food, plenty of cocktails and plenty of time outside.

October 2018:
Sometimes Mondays aren’t just the start of a new week they are also the start of a new month.

November 2018:
This week on Three on Thursday I’ve got three random photos (with explanations) for you.

December 2018:
We had a super Christmas-y weekend here at Carole Knits!

I don’t know if you loved this or not but it was a super fun look back over the year for me. And it was really hard to choose just one photo for each month. I tried not to let it be All-Jackie-All-the-Time but I definitely wanted to choose a photo of people each month and not just food or flowers!

And with that I am taking the rest of the year off. Good bye 2018!

I’ll catch you all on January 1, 2019.

It’s just about time for our Kiwanis club’s annual Field of Flags event and today, as a shameless plug, I’m going to tell you three reasons why this is a fundraiser YOU may want to support.

1. We place 1000 flags on our town common. 1000 flags. That’s a lot of flags, friends, and it’s a beautiful thing to see for two whole weeks. Each flag placed on the common is in memory or honor of someone special – a beloved husband or father, a courageous soldier, an honored friend. When I drive past the common I see so much more than flags – I see a community that has come together, I see the faces of soldiers that have given the ultimate sacrifice for us, and I see the faces of families who desperately need the services that Fisher House has to offer them. I feel a huge sense of pride every time I drive by and see them all waving in the wind. Pride in our flag but also pride in this club for organizing this event every year.
2. We give away all of the money we raise from this event. Each flag is $10 but we also take donations in any amount and all of the money  we collect is ultimately split between our club and The Fisher House of Boston. I’ve talked about The Fisher House before but the amazing work they do really hit home for us when my father-in-law was at the VA Hospital in Boston for weeks and weeks last summer. We met people staying at The Fisher House and their praise and appreciation for that place was beyond measure. It was wonderful to hear about the great work that is done by the people who work at and volunteer at The Fisher House and know that we had a part in that due to this very special fundraiser. The money that stays in our town goes to support all of the charities we help, from scholarships for graduating seniors to our two food pantries and more. I love that this fundraiser gives us the ability to spread that money around!
3. Dale is President of Kiwanis right now and our friend Chuck is the Chair of this event and I’d love to see it be hugely successful for them. Yes, this is pretty much a selfish reason on my part but given all the good that ultimately comes from this I think it’s okay to have one tiny selfish reason for wanting lots of donations.

If you’re inclined to make a donation (in any amount, it doesn’t have to be $10) you can do so here. Or, if you don’t want to make an online donation, leave me a comment and I’ll tell you where you can send a check. Thanks, friends.

Did you write a post for today? Be sure and add your link below!

I’m extending the weekend a smidge. I’ll catch you up tomorrow!

In the meantime, Happy Monday!