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Friday, December 30, 2011

do better

Here we are, another year gone, another year eagerly awaiting.  And what comes with the new year?  New Year Resolutions of course.  I've never been one to join in in the whole resolution thing but this year I think it would do me a bit of good to give it a go.

So what's mine you ask?  To do better.  That's it, simple and to the point.  There are so many things that I could "do better" and this is the year I'm going to.  

I'm going to read more, blog more, eat better, feed my family better.  I want to spend better and ultimately save better.  I want to take time to knit, and learn to crochet.  I want to get organized, to clean better, run this house better.  Yeah I know that's a whole lot in one little resolution, my first one none the less, but the way I figure the more it includes the better my chances are to follow through with something in it.

I have a few concrete plans...I want to commit to read a book a week, blog twice a week...ok ok once a week, twice would be a bonus in which I would earn a cookie, start planning a menu each week/month.  The hubs and I have already decided that this January is no spending month, and one place I shamelessly admit to wasting money is fast food, so January I am going to eat out at most....once!  I would say none but as soon as I do the hubs will want to go out to eat so I will give myself one meal out.  This isn't the only way I/we will be saving and lessening spending, it's more of a tid bit of info for the time being.

I already have my first crochet project picked out.
Pattern
Obviously this isn't my picture, it is a picture I found on flickr of this blanket.  I can only hope mine turns out half this nice.
I must say that I have taken a crochet class, and did well.  I have also crocheted a pot holder.  So maybe "learn to crochet" isn't exactly the best terminology, but I wouldn't go as far to say that I "know how to crochet", so I'm sticking with it, maybe I'll just add a disclaimer.  I want to learn to crochet...even though I know how to chain and technically do not only a single crochet but also a double crochet, however I haven't the slightest clue as to how to read a pattern or how to actually construct something!  Anyway you look at it I want to have this finished by the end of the year.  I have no concrete way of adding in more knitting time, all I know is that I haven't knit anything the entire month of December, and not much prior to that, so at this point anything would be an improvement.  Honestly I love knitting and I want to make my lazy self get out the pointy sticks while I'm watching my trash tv in the evenings, that's really as simple as it is.

Organization...oh how I've let you go.  I want to find you again...  You know really a meal plan has to be one of the simplest things you could do around the house.  I mean it takes 5 minutes to come up with a week worth of food, so why don't I do it...LAZY!!!  That's it.  I've also come up with a plan to make next month, year, ect. even easier.  Simply keep up with what we are having each night and copy it the next month.  Obviously switch it up with the season or change a meal here or there depending on grocery sales but really this takes 99% of the work out of meal planning.  2012 will also be the year of decluttering.  Our house is shrinking, ok fine my stuff is growing.  Either way I have to do something about it.  I found this great calendar for decluttering in the year 2012, so here is where I'm going to start.  Also I'm going to create and stick to a cleaning/chore calendar.  

This is just a small sample of all the things that are floating around in my head for the upcoming year.  It's not really as broad and general as "do better", but do better just covers it all.  So here's to a new year, hope yours is even better than the last.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

a christmas cheat

Ok you caught me.  I'm adding in our Christmas photos in February, oh yeah it's March now.  I'm totally back dating it though, hence the "cheat".


 Little man was not cooperating for the photo taking this day.  Apparently there was something on TV that was more interesting than the lens of my camera.


I don't think I got a single picture of him looking at the camera.

My sister in law told me that the older your kids get the more excited you are at Christmas.  Well Christmas has always been a fun time in my of the family, we have always found the holiday spirit, but even so she was definitely right.  This year was so much more fun than last.  This year Gammy, Aunt Heather, myself, and the kiddos loaded up one night to drive around and check out the Christmas lights.  I hope I never forget the image of Heather and Cohen, she calls it car dancing, I call it seizures, whatever it was it was some funny hand movements, in the back of the car jamming away to Christmas Carols.  The kids really seemed to enjoy the lights.  I can't wait to do it again next year.  And of course we have our second annual Santa pic...



Heather and I are going to have to start dressing all holiday-y if these kids don't man up and start getting their picture taken with Santa by themselves.  That was the picture Gammy liked, I think it was because of Morgan.  I mean who can blame Gammy really, your eyes go straight for her, she is so happy.  Heather however preferred this picture...


And who can blame her.  I mean what was she doing in that first pic.  I, on the other hand, would prefer if the kids would've sat with Santa alone.



It was so great to see Cohen wake up and stumble out to see the tree.  He had woke up in the middle of the night and I carried him into our room to go sleep in our bed.  For some reason Jody had gone outside after we woke up that morning, I'm sure he had good reason, I think he was checking something out.  I was trying to keep Cohen in our room until he came back in, without being too obvious, because when your kid is 2 you don't want to be too obvious I guess.  Anyway I failed.  I didn't get to see his expression because I was behind him, but I could picture it.  He walked to our door and just froze in awe.  Then the rest of the day was just kind of chill.  We opened presents, played, ate, and just hung out.  It was really nice.  PS, the tool bench is from Aunt HC, Uncle Rob, and Morgan and there were a couple presents under the tree from Gams as well.  


I can't decide which of these is my fave, this one of the first (the one that is pulled back a bit).