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year in review

As the year draws rapidly to a close, I thought it might be fun to take a look at my New Year’s Resolutions from the beginning of 2012 to see what I did/did not accomplish. I’m not doing this to make myself feel bad, but I think it will be enlightening, and entertaining.

2012 687

1. Unpack our stuff, and organize the basement.
Yes! I did this!
2. Learn to crochet.
Nope.
3. Knit something that a person (or animal, I suppose) can actually wear or use.
Sadly, no.
4. Organize my craft supplies.
No.
5. Help my kids to sleep in their own beds.
Sort of, but not really. Lillia still wakes us up most nights, and Zane is still sleeping in our bed (though he does sleep in his crib for naps).
6. Finish thank you notes for the wedding (yikes! that was in 2010!).
Ha! Never gonna happen.
7. Send out thank you notes for the baby gifts.
I hope I did this, but I can’t remember which means I probably didn’t :(
8. Blog for confidence (see button on the side).
I didn’t really do this as a formal project, but blogging has become an integral part of my self-identity.
9. Do a 365 day photo project.
I made it 16 days. I’m just not a joiner.
10. Do a major clothing purge and donate what we don’t want.
I did do a major clothing purge, but everything I discarded is now in plastic bins in the garage!
11. Do something special with my husband on our anniversary, sans kids.
Yep! We went out to dinner at the restaurant we went to on the night we were engaged.
12. Give something to charity every month, even if it’s only a dollar.
Yes! I’ve been donating $5.00 a month to Vermont Public Radio all year.
13. Participate in some political activism.
Yes. I helped get the Green Party of NH up and running, but I had to step back when I started classes.
14. Save $20 a week for an iPad, as my current computer is on its way out.
No. I’m really bad at saving money. And, my laptop is fine.
15. Create a handmade gift for every member of my immediate family next Christmas.
What was I thinking?!?!
16. Have a ridiculously immature birthday party for myself (turning 31!).
It wasn’t too immature, but I did get my pink cake!
17. Write letters to my grandmother at least once a month.
I wish I had done this…
18. Find time to read to both of my kids everyday.
Yes – most days – I made a real effort!
19. Explore all of Walpole’s nature preserves.
Still want to do this, but will have to wait for Spring.
20. Cook dinner with my husband once a month.
We did this once. It was fun.
21. Be better about blogging! and make this my own space.
Oh heck yeah! I love my blog :)
22. Overcome my fear of tofu, and use it more in my cooking.
Hmmm…I didn’t really do much with tofu, but I did experiment with some other fake meat. Tofurkey hot dogs are awesome!
23. Read at least two new fiction books. Doesn’t seem like much but, trust me, that would be an accomplishment!
Yes…and then some! I did A LOT of reading for my class, mostly fiction. I think I actually read about 8 fiction books this past year.

It’s interesting to observe what types of goals I accomplished, how hard I worked to accomplish them, and what types of goals were just not even attempted. I can see that I did pretty well with cleaning/organizing, reading, blogging, and interpersonal relationships, but I didn’t accomplish any of the goals that involved crafts. I think that says a lot about my priorities (and perhaps the amount – or lack thereof – of free time I have!). I’ll definitely use this information when planning my 2013 goals, which I’ll be posting very soon. I’d love to hear yours!

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2012!

Remember when 2012 was in the unimaginable future? We would all be driving hover cars, and eating astronaut ice cream for breakfast, lunch and, dinner. Well, I woke up this morning to find that my car is still solidly on the ground and, thankfully, my ice cream isn’t dehydrated. Still, it does seem hard to believe that we’re already here.

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Yesterday, my husband asked me what my New Year’s resolutions were going to be. I told him, “None! I hate resolutions!” But, then I started thinking about why I hate them, and it occurred to me that they are most often tied to losing weight or giving up whole food groups (yes, dessert IS a food group!), and they most often fail. However, after reading some year-end recaps on some of my favorite blogs, and seeing how much these other ladies accomplished over the course of the year, I decided that maybe resolutions aren’t so bad after all.

So, how about a year of gaining and giving instead of losing and taking away? For myself, and for others, here is what I hope to accomplish this year:

1. Unpack our stuff, and organize the basement.
2. Learn to crochet.
3. Knit something that a person (or animal, I suppose) can actually wear or use.
4. Organize my craft supplies.
5. Help my kids to sleep in their own beds.
6. Finish thank you notes for the wedding (yikes! that was in 2010!).
7. Send out thank you notes for the baby gifts.
8. Blog for confidence (see button on the side).
9. Do a 365 day photo project.
10. Do a major clothing purge and donate what we don’t want.
11. Do something special with my husband on our anniversary, sans kids.
12. Give something to charity every month, even if it’s only a dollar.
13. Participate in some political activism.
14. Save $20 a week for an iPad, as my current computer is on its way out.
15. Create a handmade gift for every member of my immediate family next Christmas.
16. Have a ridiculously immature birthday party for myself (turning 31!).
17. Write letters to my grandmother at least once a month.
18. Find time to read to both of my kids everyday.
19. Explore all of Walpole’s nature preserves.
20. Cook dinner with my husband once a month.
21. Be better about blogging!…and make this my own space.
22. Overcome my fear of tofu, and use it more in my cooking.
23. Read at least two new fiction books. Doesn’t seem like much but,
trust me, that would be an accomplishment!

I guess twenty-three resolutions is probably enough, though I am reserving the right to add to this list if I think of anything else. And, I would love to hear what yours are, if you’re making any!

I hope 2012 brings you happiness, joy, and fulfillment (and a few challenges, to keep it interesting).

Happy New Year! Prospero año nuevo! Bonne année et bonne santé!

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