And Happy New Year to You!

Happy New Year!  Gosh, it has been so long since my last post I had to stop for a minute to try and remember my login.  Yeah, yeah I know, I know.  I mean what the heck have I been doing?  Sometimes I wonder myself.  Where does all the time go?  Well, it has been a whirlwind of events for what seems like months, but I am optimistic that life is headed back into a more normal routine, which will allow for more blogging.  However, one of my goals for 2012 is to spend less time on the Internet.  People, I am an addict.  I am constantly looking for something, researching something, checking on something, etc.  It's ridiculous really.  I spend so much time looking for things that I can't get anything done.  Oh well, I am having a good time, people have clean clothes and good food so at least I'm not falling down on my responsibilities.  Silver lining I guess.

Ok, so being the beginning of a new year people are all about resolutions.  I usually don't make resolutions.  Not that I boycott them or anything, I just don't mark any.  Sure I follow just about everyone else and say that I am going to eat better and exercise more, but I don't come up with much else.  This year I thought I would have a living list.  What is that?  Well, you know a list that is allowed to evolve and be changed if something isn't quite working out.  I started making lists a couple of years ago.  Totally, out of character for me, but I have lived with Mark for over 8 years and have learned the value in them.  However, I have also learned that a list can make you feel awfully crummy if you keep carrying something over to the next day, or the next week, or the week after that.  So I have learned that if that happens, it obviously isn't all that important so I just mark it off the list and move on.  If it becomes important again then I will add it to the list.  So, my list or resolutions may be changing constantly, but hey, that should be A OK.  So here are a few of the things I would like to do this year.

• Read more.
• Master the art of homemade bread.
• Take one picture of my children per day.  Good or bad.
• Organize our pictures and make at least one digital photo book.  I am several years behind.
• Spend less time on the computer/Internet.
• Spend at least 1 hour or more a week doing projects with my kids.
• Exercise at least 3x per week.
• Keep my car clean.  Why is that so difficult?
• Have at least one date a month with my sweet husband.  You would be surprised how difficult that is to do.
• Reduce my grocery shopping trips to once a week.  I spend A LOT of time at the grocery store.
• Plan a whole weeks worth of meals on Sunday so that I am not scrambling for dinner ideas at the last minute.
• Paint my fingernails.  
• Resist the urge to check my phone every 35 seconds.
• Learn to use my new Silhouette.  Simply fabulous new toy.
• Wear more red lipstick.
• Spend more girl time with my friends.
• Have more lunch dates with my mom.
• Take better care of my garden this spring/summer.
• Learn to can the things that we grow (see above)
• Keep my planning area cleaned.  Currently more of a junk station.  Drives my husband nuts.  
• Start planning my Christmas gifts early in the year.
• Write more letters.  I love letters.
• Travel to Boston, New York, Chicago, Seattle or California (sorry kids, adults only).  Certainly all of the above is acceptable too.
• Plan our family summer vacation by April.
• Find a paint color for my dining room (surprisingly difficult)
• Finish decorating our spare room.
• Run a 5K race.
• Make plans to see Mark play with the Brushlanders.  Again, another difficult thing to do.
• Plan a camping trip.
• Learn to let things go.
• Resist the urge to put things off until later.
• Pray more.
• Learn to meditate or at least learn to just sit in silence.
• Lose 30 pounds.  Oh yeah people, I said 30.  Trust me, I will not be too thin.  
• Re-read the Harry Potter books.  Why?  Because I love them so AND Jack keeps asking questions and I don't remember much.  You know, the whole poor memory thing.
• Learn to be a little more forgiving of myself.  
• Be less critical of others and their ridiculous decisions.  Ha, that was a joke folks.  
• Open myself up for new opportunities and ideas.  
• Finish all of my photography books on techniques/skills.  I have about 5 of them.

So what are some of the things that you would like to do this year?  Big or small, I would love to hear them.  

And because no post is complete without a picture.  Here are pictures of two of our homemade gifts this year.  I had plans for more, therefore the reason for wanting to start earlier this year.

This is a washer box that Mark made for his dad.  This is like a fine piece of furniture.  The picture simply doesn't do it justice.  He did such a fabulous job.

This is a lamp made from a wine bottle.  I simply love these.  These were so fun to make and I was thrilled with the results.  We drank the wine, that was easy enough.  Then Mark drilled a hole to string the lights.  I made the bag and tied it up with rope.  Looks great in the kitchen!  We made about 10 of these.  They were so popular that a friend from work came over to have  one made as a gift.  I have many more plans for wine bottles.