Reflections: 2010 Resolutions

I had this post half written and with plans to post on 1-4-11, but I got a little sidetracked with the whole labor/motherhood/survival with a newborn phase of life I entered. But now that I'm sorta sometimes finding a few minutes to myself (hands free pumping bra = NECESSITY! How did I not have one for 3 weeks?!?!) I'm hoping to actually get back to the blog, and this is a decent place to start - looking back, and planning ahead.

So, how did you do in 2010? Was it everything you wanted it to be and more? Did you find your true calling and move mountains and sing about lollipops and rainbows?

Mine wasn't quite that grand (definitely fades in comparison to 2011 already), but I give myself a solid C+ when it comes to my resolutions for this past year. In case you forget:

Original resolution posting
Mid year resolution check

I managed to hit a home run on a few of these:

- Cross at least 6 items off of my Bucket List (that's 1 every 2 months)
BIG WIN! In 2010 I: attended a roller derby bout, flew on a trapeze, won at bingo, helped throw a surprise party, officiated a wedding, and had my fortune told. I definitely get a gold star on that resolution!

- Take more photos, learn to take better ones
Though I've been pretty terrible lately about uploading & blogging them, I have definitely taken more photos this year, and I *think* I can say I'm getting a little better. The most important thing I've learned is to force people to stop and smile for me, which I generally do by threatening to post everything on facebook whether or not they smile - and clearly, they're going to look better if they cooperate :) Though my favorite photo of the year doesn't involve ANYONE smiling, I'm in love with this image from Halloween:



- Keep up with photo albums - within 1 month of events
This is another one I feel AWESOME about accomplishing! Other than being behind on the weddings of 2009 (we had 6...and I only have photos of 3...but I'm getting bolder about harassing people into handing over a few pics, i.e. Jen/Jess/Pat :) I'm coming for you!) I'm really doing excellent on my digital scrapbooking! I am still technically a representative for Heritage Makers, and I have LOVED using their system to keep everything organized, I try to upload pics there within a week of the event, and get to the journaling ASAP before I forget everything. I've gotten quicker and more efficient on the embellishments, and I really love what I've been creating lately.

- Take a real vacation with my husband. Actually go somewhere, just the two of us. We've been together 10 years (in January 2010), and never had a big solo vacation!

We almost scrapped this one when we found out I was pregnant with The Cupcake, but after much waffling (and since we already had expensive airline tickets) we decided to push forward with a trip to New York. It was a little difficult being 10 weeks or so along(I was really sick & pretty exhausted), but who knows now when we'd get the opportunity again, so I'm glad we went for it. Highlights were seeing friends and eating some AMAZING meals, seeing the Broadway production of American Idiot and visiting the Bronx Zoo.



- Bring my lunch to work more often. Like at least sometimes :) I'm so bad at this.

Getting pregnant actually helped significantly with this! The further along I got, the worse my heartburn was, so I had a fairly limited diet towards the end. I was drinking 1/2 gallon of milk per day, lots of jell-o, oatmeal, and other bland foods. It was easier to bring in a huge stash and eat throughout the day than exert the energy (and money) to go out for a full meal.

And then we reach the less successful resolutions...

- Organize my craft room again, and keep it that way for the whole year

Massive fail. It's a deathtrap up there. Probably not likely to be cleared up for quite a while. Yay for closing the door and letting it sit till I can catch up :)


- Stick to a realistic budget this Halloween, while still having the best party ever

Hmmm...how to judge. I massively blew my budget. But I enjoyed the party :)




- Develop a career plan. Decide what I want to be...now that I AM grown up!
No idea. For the time being, I'm going to try and survive my new post as mom :)


- File my receipts and bills at least monthly...and catch up with the ones thrown in a box from the past many years.
Fail. Though I have started to sort through some of it now that I'm on maternity leave, mostly because I have no idea where all my tax documents are (that I'll need soon).


- Create and pursue happiness actively

Work in progress. But I'm getting better at it. I'm finding joy in small things, and making time for what makes me happy, not just what I feel I should do.





- Start writing letters. Real letters on paper.

Fell off the priority list. Refile for a few years in the future :)


- Pay down debt. Significantly. Maybe even start saving.

Progress made. 2011 is starting off good in this area, which makes everything else more attainable.


I'm not making resolutions for 2011. I don't need to. I have so many changes and adventures ahead of me, I just hope to survive, keep an open mind, and enjoy as much of it as I can. Happy New Year to me:

You Spin Me Right Round Baby Right Round...

I seem to be spinning in a few circles right now with all the different directions I'm trying to go, and I can't be sure I'm actually moving anywhere...but regardless, time keeps marching on! Today marks just SEVEN WEEKS till the Cupcake's due date!?!?! I can't quite believe it.

So here's what's going on:

- still planning on finishing up the Halloween party recaps & tutorials, it hasn't quite been a month since the party so I don't feel too bad...yet :)

- had an EPIC and AMAZING baby shower this past weekend, thrown by my dear sweet BFF Alison, and I can't wait to share all of her adorable little touches, as well as show off Cupcake's giant new wardrobe.

- now I probably should get a move on with all the "other stuff" we need to start buying up, mainly the super glamorous stuff like "rectal thermometers" and "diaper bags", and lots of sheets and mattress pads.

- finally took down all of the voodoo decorations from the nursery, so I can get back to the mermaids & pirates theme we had intended :) I have a few ideas in mind, and a lot of Etsy listings bookmarked, so hopefully this weekend will bring a lot of progress.

- decided that I had to put up at least a few holiday decorations this year, and started to assemble the medium sized Christmas tree. Remember when I bought all of these "sweets" ornaments last year? I'm dying to break them out...but I can't seem to FIND them! I spent a few hours going through the Xmas boxes last week, but I did such a "tetris"-like job fitting everything in, I was scared to take it all apart and really look for what I needed. Maybe I'll have some time this weekend to track them down.

- I have yet to address the blue screen of death on my laptop. Probably should get on that. I really miss it already :( I think I'm in the avoidance stage of grieving...

- and according to "the books," I'm supposed to have my hospital bag packed and my birth plan printed out by this time...so...uh...yeah, maybe I'll start thinking about that sometime...STAY, Cupcake, STAY PUT! At least until I can catch up at little! Though I can understand if you are in a hurry to see all your cute things, such as this little romper which might be my favorite:



Happy Thanksgiving, happy long holiday weekend, and happy short work week to you all!

The glass is half full...of milk...with a Tums chaser :)

Things I did wrong this weekend:



- thought a few dips of cheese bread in pizza sauce couldn't possibly give me raging heartburn...till I was up from midnight - 4am praying for a quick death.

- assumed the pizza sauce was the culprit of said heartburn disaster, and there was no harm in finishing the cheesebread by itself the next day...turns out, the garlic alone is perfectly capable of causing great pain. If this keeps up, I fully expect my child to look like Rapunzel.

- figured that with my new pregnancy blood volume (150% of a normal person) and the space heater growing in my belly, I'd be plenty warm on a 39 degree evening without the heat on. And then I woke up shivering violently at 4am, contemplating any and all alternatives to leaving my blankets for a potty break.

Funny how they all result in a significant lack of sleep :) Oh well, guess if I can wean myself off of needing rest now, it'll all be easier later, right?!?!

And now that the negatives are out of the way, can I please get one of these:



Actually, I might need five or six of them, because there were a helluva lotta things I did RIGHT this weekend too! WHOO HOO! Namely:

- Finally returned leftover invitation materials to Michael's...after driving them around in my car for a month!

- Battled the "free sample Saturday" crowd at Costco to scoop up the savory dips for my party (lobster spread and spinach dip, yum!), as well as Christmas gifts for all the nieces - double "to do list" success!

- Made a list of all the serving utensils & dishes I need for the Halloween party and borrowed most of it from my mother (I love that she has a whole drawer of ladles. And another one of trays. And a whole cupboard for chafing dishes).

- Stopped by Cajun Potluck to put a down payment on the Cajun catering, as well as snag some Cajun BBQ sauce and Cajun seasoning for other dishes I'm making.

- Threw a Mardi Gras parade in my living room. 9 1/2 hours of work and the decorating is *mostly* done...in that first room. As usual, my plan was much more time consuming than I had thought, but it's off to a good start. Now if only I had a few more weekends...and could still take ibuprofen for my aching back...

I'm realistic in doubting I'll get much accomplished this evening, in general Mondays are just about survival for me right now :) But with only one more weekend to actually work (and one of those days already tied up) I'll have to push through some of these evenings and pick up the pace. Only 12 days left!!!!

EDIT:

I totally forgot to mention I solved 1/2 of my costume crisis! Goodwill to the rescue once again, I scooped up a $20 ballgown, grabbed some accessories at Party City, and I'm on my way to a classic Mardi Gras Ball outfit :) Whoo hoo!

One step forward, two steps back...

That sounds more melancholy than I actually feel right now, but it's still true. Last night things were accomplished, then other things were dis-accomplished. Unaccomplished. Moved back onto the "to do" list. Drat!

Good news first:

- assembled two big wire shelving units for the laundry room



- moved the giant pile of clean blankets, sheets, tablecloths, and pillowcases off the bar, where they've been living for far too long to their new home on the laundry room shelves

- washed 2 loads of laundry, put away 4

- took down the blacklights from last year's party, the remaining 3M hooks, and replaced the ceiling tiles in the basement - so it's ready to decorate for this year!

- replaced all lights around the bar with red bulbs

- ate a few cheeseburgers

...and then I decided to try on my costume.

...and it wasn't very cute. Definitely not cute enough. Hmmmm.

...so while I was thinking of it, I had hubby try on his costume...which didn't fit.

AT ALL. He couldn't even get into it, let alone zip it up.

So...there was definitely progress made, after which I was feeling pretty proud of myself, and even the things that ended up undone (back to the drawing board on costumes) were better discovered at this point than in the hours just before the party. Guess I have some more shopping to do!

Sweet Thoughts

I just drank a big gulp of expired milk, but I'm willing to look past it because I'm munching another one of these:




Mmmmm, monster cookie.

I'm in a particularly cheerful (and uncharacteristic) mood today, most likely because I slept for 14 hours last night. I will eventually regret that move and begin to stress double time about everything I'm behind on and should have been doing, i.e. I had hoped to have my menu nailed down yesterday and that is not quite the truth. Food has basically been my nemesis for 6+ months now, so I'm finding it hard to take joy in the planning. Also complicating factors is my inner Martha wanting to make adorable theme-related Cajun dishes, and my outward picky eater knowing I won't actually eat any of them :) Ahh, dilemma...

Luckily Cajun DESSERTS seem to pass my muster just fine, I'm currently contemplating these fine treats:

Pralines
Crockpot Bananas Foster
Beignets
Mardi Gras Cupcakes

(Cupcakes had to be in there somewhere, I can't resist. And luckily, neither can most of my guests!)

This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course, but hopefully it's a little something to look forward to - in just 18 days! Eek!

Halloween is HAPPENING (finally!)

Huzzah! Finally, a productive day! I still went to bed at 9pm, but at least I had gotten a few things accomplished at that point! Without giving too much away yet, Halloween is finally unfolding and I'm feeling much more hopeful than last week:

1. I settled on a costume - it was my 35th different idea, and not the most creative, but with the time and budget crunch I've found myself in, decisions needed to be made - I settled for practical. I'm using a few pieces I already have, and ordered a maternity dress on Ebay for the base that I'll hopefully be able to wear a few more times over the holidays - that makes my $$ go a little further, and I don't have to find time to sew/build/glue anything together. Here's the dress (hope it fits!):



You'll just have to wonder about the rest of the ensemble for a while. :)

2. I finished the invitations! Major celebration! I'll be hand-delivering about half of them as I see people this week, and the rest should go in the mail tomorrow - be on the look out, they involve army of these little dudes:



They've been stuffed, sewed, and shipped off with the party details, but be careful when casting your voodoo spells, I can't be held liable for unstoppable curses :)


3. I contacted a Cajun caterer:

and started planning my menu. Not sure how much I'll be "outsourcing" this year, but I've never even tasted much creole food, let alone tried to cook it. Take out for the theme-related dishes just may be the safest option for all of us :) I also know there is no way I'll have the time/energy for the baking spree the past few years have brought, so this is my time management solution. Let's hope it's worth it!

These were three pretty major items to check off my list, and let's hope the momentum keeps up!

What Not to Name a Baby in 2010

To set this up: we are not sharing, nor interested in feedback on our baby names. This isn't because we think anyone will steal them (go ahead, I'll still name my kid the same thing - there is no first come, first served rule with names. I work in an office with 2 Heathers (out of 3 people) and once had 5 on my soccer team) nor because we're going totally whackadoo (though there was a brief "Beefsteak Tomato" discussion via Facebook), but simply because "I don't effing care what you think." If you would like input, feel free to get your own child/dog/houseplant, and go nuts.

That said, I find this humorous - and no, none of these are on our list:


What Not to Name a Baby in 2010
(source)

It's a big decision: What to name a little baby who just landed on this very overpopulated Earth?

Sure, it's easy if you hew to tradition and christen little Peter, Paul or Mary the III. But most moms we know want a name that's, at once, cute, special, nice-sounding, sweet-smelling, not too weird, and something everyone else in A.P. Montessori isn't named.

Then a funny thing happens, as any child of the '80s who was named Jennifer or Michael can attest: Somehow, mysteriously, in any given year, every parent on the planet chooses the Same. Damn. Names.

We were curious: First, how does that happen? Is it in the water? Nefarious marketing? Or, can we blame Angelina? And -- more helpfully, if you're about to pop out your own little bundle of unnamed joy now or in the near future -- what shouldn't you name the kid, to ensure little it stands out?

So we asked the experts: Laura Wattenberg is the creator of The Baby Name Wizard and Parentdish's "Ask the Name Lady"; and Pamela Redmond Satran has not only authored 10 books on names, she shares all that know-how on Nameberry.

Two things they both agree on: Naming your kid something no one else is isn't easy -- and, if you're curious, there are monikers that should be off your list.

"A lot of these are names that parents are interested in now because they're not seeing them on the Top 1,000 list," says Satran. "They're not visible in kids that are in kindergarten now, but five years from now they're going to feel epidemic."

So, how does it happen? The truth is no one knows, but pop culture can breed same-named kids faster than Drosophila.

"A great example, looking to the past is 'Madison,'" says Wattenberg, "which was not a girl's name at all until the movie 'Splash.' This beautiful mermaid looks up at the street name in Manhattan and says, 'My name is Madison.' A generation later it's a girl's name. Bang."

But the weirdest part, she says, is the way we all unwittingly become name lemmings: "It's amazing. There's no company out there putting millions of dollars into advertising to get us to name our daughters 'Miley.'"

Which, by the way, made the Don't list -- twice -- but not for the reasons you think. Herewith, in no particular order, what not to name a kid this year, or next:

1. Cullen
"'Twilight' is the perfect storm when it comes to baby names," says Wattenberg. "First of all, it's a huge cultural phenomenon, but it's also aiming directly at the people who are going to be having babies in the next 10 years. Today's 17-year-old is getting her sense of baby-name style stamped."
See also: Emmett, Kullan. Kellan. Really, the name of any "Twilight" character -- or an actor who plays one. "These were also in the top 10," says Wattenberg. "It's a huge circle of undead coolness."

2. Piper
"Another name that just a few short years ago was really cool and creative," says Wattenberg, "and Sarah Palin nixed that. One of her kids is a Piper." Politics aside, it's really the vowel sound you should eschew. "The hot sound that is going to trap people is the long 'I' sound," she says. "Long vowel sounds are really in right now, and the 'I' is coming up as something that people haven't used as much."
See also: Wyatt. Lilah. Aidan. Miles. "Names like that you're gong to start hearing a lot," says Wattenberg. "All of these names are climbing together."

3. Miley
Blackballed twice -- for her long "I" and her ending "lee." "There's a whole raft of names ending in 'lee' that are moving up the list. You can really spell a lot of these names a lot of different ways," says Satran. "The parents are trying to be innovative, but there are so many names with that quality, they all run together."
See also: Kaylee, Byley, Paisley

4. Sookie
"It's one of the most searched names on my website," says Wattenberg. "It's a name from the 'True Blood' vampire mysteries." And the old-fashioned nickname for Susan, it turns out, has all the makings of a hit: "Your recipe for a pop culture name phenomenon? You have a movie or a TV show with attractive young people who have supernatural powers," says Wattenberg. "'Bewitched' launched names. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer,' even 'Charmed' -- which wasn't even a very popular show."
See also: Sookeh, Snooki (because we said so)

5. Emma/Emily
"They've both been number one names, and they're still in the top five and have been for many years," says Satran. "Parents kind of get that they shouldn't use Emma or Emily because there have been so many for so long, so Emiline, Amelia, and even for boys, Emmett, is really leaping up. You're trying to be different, but it's not very different, so the result is just more kids."
See also: Pretty much any name that starts with "Em"

6. Isla
Aka, Mrs. Borat. "It's been really thanks to Isla Fisher, but also thanks to its similarity to names that are short and start with vowels," says Satran. "That name came from nowhere. It's gone from obscurity to overplayed in 10 seconds flat."
See also: Eva, Ava

7. Malia
"It's one of those names that can be spelled a lot of different ways, and people have an impulse to make it, quote, different," says Satran. "But it all goes back to Malia and the Obamas."
See also: Maliyah, Malea

8. Isabel/Isabella
"Isabella became number this year," says Satran. "That's a name that, like Sophia and Olivia, appeals to a lot of people for a lot of reasons. It's classic, but it's feminine, it's distinctive, but it's strong. It appeals to WASPs and Hispanics. It can be Jewish or Christian. For a name to be number one, it has to have appeal for many types of parents."
See also: Arabella, Anabelle. "The name 'Isabelle' was was already popular, but Stephenie Meyer made it more so," she says. "Now parents are looking to Arabelle, Anabelle -- just to get that 'bell' feeling."

9. Jet
And, really, any of what Satran calls the new "tough boy names." "They're a weird combo of really hardcore macho-ness and futuristic or reinvented maleness," she says. They differ from traditional guy names like Frederick or George, but also diverge from what she calls "androgynous male names," like Logan or Connor or Jordan that are sometimes used for girls. "Those have a softer male image," she says. "These are new, they're different, but if anything, they're macho."
See also: Colt, Gunner, Riker, Rider

10. Anything With an 'X'
"I blame this on Angelina Jolie," says Satran, who points out that all three of her boys have 'x' names: Maddox, Pax and Knox. "People have copied that, or unconsciously jumped on this trend." What attracts them to the 'X,' she says, is the fact that it feels irreverent and cool. Why you might want to nix the 'X' factor? "I think," says Satran, "it's a trend that's going to feel dated by kindergarten."
See also: Jax, Jaxson (with or with or without the "S"), Paxton

11. Lola
"The last ones I would say are 'LL' names," says Satran. "This is a classier trend. A lot of these are old-fashioned names, and that "double L" is lovely, but there are going to be a lot of them."
See also: Lila, Tallulah

As for what's still unclaimed, for boys, at least, you can always try Landon or Lionel or Iker or, well, Kaka -- "I don't think America is ready for soccer names," says Satran. "Here, I'm not seeing it so far."


Carrie Sloan is the editor of Lemondrop. She was not named after the movie of the same name -- or so she thinks.

Mid-Year Resolution Check

The scary/convenient double edged sword that is blogging your resolutions means that it's easy to see each day your failures and/or accomplishments. Being more than 1/2 way through the adventure that is 2010, it's not a bad time to check in on the wistful ideals I had all the way back at the beginning of the year. Because, you know, the fact that I cried over a lack of ice cream toppings in the fridge last night in no way dissuades me from serious philosophical discussions of my life's trajectory...

2010 Resolutions

- Cross at least 6 items off of my Bucket List (that's 1 every 2 months)

Three down, so I'm roughly on track though in pursuit of #2 I've sort of knocked out the likelihood of working on about half of the rest of the list, such as #41 (roller coaster tour - people get all nervous and picture scrambled eggs or something. Or maybe they just know how much we puke and don't want to tempt fate), and ditto #49 (run on a log like in a lumberjack competition). All of the big money items (anything with travel, buy, own...) are on the DL until further notice, and let's face it, #64 was always a long shot (be proud of my government). All that said, I have a few items in the works, and especially if this mythical 2nd trimester reprieve ever kicks in, I just *might* be able to pull this resolution off.

- Organize my craft room again, and keep it that way for the whole year

Massive fail. And getting worse all the time. I cleaned it once...for about 10 minutes. Then with each large project, I've destroyed all sense of order and had zero energy or drive to repair it. Hmmm. Even were I to get to this soon, I'm not sure I could ever claim it as a win...though I hope to have it at least functional before the big B drops on our lives...

- Take more photos, learn to take better ones

Also not going great. The clear side effect of cutting our Internet access was a decrease in my overall computer time - that means uploading photos, blogging, scrapbooking...also my lack of "doing anything interesting" may be a factor. With Halloween coming up, and back into the holidays maybe I'll get better. And I still hold out hope of taking a photo class.


- Keep up with photo albums - within 1 month of events

I'm actually caught up with current events, and within reasonable sight of finishing up the few I've dilly-dallied on, so I can declare this a clear win so far! WHOO HOO!


- Stick to a realistic budget this Halloween, while still having the best party ever

How can this be right around the corner already?!?! Though I've chosen a theme, I've yet to really get moving on anything...but that also means I haven't blown my budget yet, so once I make one...it's still possible to accomplish this.


- Develop a career plan. Decide what I want to be...now that I AM grown up!

Getting further and further away, and definitely will not be changing any time soon. While I suppose it doesn't preclude me from PLANNING, I can't switch jobs (or more importantly, INSURANCE) during the pregnancy, so this one...not really going to happen.


- File my receipts and bills at least monthly...and catch up with the ones thrown in a box from the past many years.

HA HA HA HA HA. Yeah, right.


-Create and pursue happiness actively

This is more of a mantra, and I'm sometimes okay about it. Especially if I can consider happiness to be a nap, or ice cream...I'm pursuing them with a vengeance.


- Start writing letters. Real letters on paper.

I wrote one. To my grandma. Is that a "start"?


- Pay down debt. Significantly. Maybe even start saving.

Even more important to me now, and even less attainable. Though I've tightened the reigns as much as possible, our impending costs are really going to offset any progress thus far. But it's still a major goal.


- Bring my lunch to work more often. Like at least sometimes :) I'm so bad at this.

This was an on again/off again battle pre-pregnancy, and now that I'm epically tired (not to mention broke) I'm actually doing much better at bringing things from home to avoid having to trek around at lunch time savaging. Also a factor: I'm supposed to eat 6 smaller meals a day, as opposed to 3 larger, in an attempt to actually retain some of my stomach contents. So far the results are debatable, but it *could* finally be looking up...


- Take a real vacation with my husband. Actually go somewhere, just the two of us. We've been together 10 years (in January 2010), and never had a big solo vacation!

Well, it probably wasn't ideal to travel to a crazy busy walking-heavy city at 10 weeks, but the airfare was booked, the show tickets were purchased, and the mermaids were waiting! Somehow we survived 8 days in NYC - we ate great meals, caught up with amazing friends, and remembered just how important "Minnesota Nice" is (when you don't see it).



Here's hoping we can make vacations a bit more of a priority in the next 10 years.


So, in summary: 12 resolutions
4 clear failures
4 solid wins
4 with the potential to swing either way

Could be worse. How are you doing on your resolutions?

Excellent Events, coming soon!

This marks the first Saturday in months that I've been free, and I'd love to promise all sorts of cleaning and crafting, but it's much more likely that I'll stumble across some bad tv marathon and spend most of the day in my pj's. It's a recurring theme on my Sundays so far. And I won't be too terribly sad if that's how today goes, though I'd hope to a few things organized around the house.

And I do have a couple fun adventures planned, yay spring!

First off, this evening we're rounding out our derby tour by taking in the MEN'S bout @ Cheapskate:



This poster has no time (uh...duh?) but the website says it starts round 7, let's hope that's right. I'm quite interested to see how the men match up to the two women's leagues we've seen so far.

Then, a bit farther down the road, I'm looking forward to Krista's Goth Dinner Party. How awesome does that sound?!?!? There are far too few theme parties these days, or at least I never seem to get invited to any, so this is EPICALLY exciting in my book. I've also been a secret goth admirer, though much too perky to ever pull it off, so I'm very curious to finally try out a goth look, and already have a few ideas in mind. I'm terrible with makeup, but found this handy dandy little "map"



What do you think, can I pull something like that off? :)

Speaking of costumes, I also have to get moving on the 2nd (annual?) Coney Island Mermaid Parade ensemble for 2010! This time hubby is coming along, though I wouldn't expect a costume out of him, it'll definitely be easier to get photos with him there to snap them. I've got an idea (TBA) and a pattern, now I need to actually hit the fabric store (and then probably just ship all the pieces off to Ryan :) It would be awesome to get it started this weekend.

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."
~Mark Twain

Resolution Update:

One of my goals this year was to bring my lunch more often, mainly to help control my budget. Going out for lunch costs a minimum of $6 if I go fastfood, $10-$14 after tip if I go to a sit down place or even Noodles & Co. Sticking to fast food isn't a good option either, even if it's cheaper I'm assuming the clogged arteries and excess fat grams will eventually take their toll. So, how have I been doing? Not bad. Perhaps better than expected:

First I should say that I'm currently enforcing this rule only M-W-F, because on Tuesdays and Thursdays I leave my "normal" job early to head off to my coaching gig, and usually have to eat in the car. I feel this entitles me to swing through a drive through, at least for a while.

So, the first Monday of January I failed, and as I struggled into work bleary eyed with a holiday hangover, lunch was not even a thought in my head. So I ordered a pizza. But then I ate the leftover pizza for lunch the next two days, which I count as a win!

The next week I had a lunch meeting one day, and brought leftovers the other two - leftover shredded pork sandwiches from the weekend's memorial. The week after that I had Monday off, but brought lunch W & F, deli-style Lunchables that were on sale for under $2. And last week I came in after lunch one day and brought a meal the other 2 days - leftover pasta was one, and I just can't remember the other.

Today, to kick off February, I'm still looking strong! Despite my crazy busy weekend, I managed to grab oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and milk for breakfast (double win!), and a can of Spaghetti O's, two cherry cokes, a granola bar, and fruit snacks for lunch. I'm not saying they are the most balanced or healthy lunches, but they're MUCH cheaper and I don't have to brave the cold to go get them!

Throwing down my own personal gauntlet: ORGANIZE!

Hello world, once again I have no new photos to share with you. I apologize for my craftastic failures. But I have a plan this weekend: CATCH UP!

I can't believe we just started the new year and I feel so behind already! This is my last free weekend before a major Saturday commitment starts up again, so I simply HAVE to make the most of it. At the top of my list:

1. Correspondence - I haven't yet done my thank you cards for Xmas or my birthday - some people say "you have plenty more time", but I usually get them out within a week, so I feel majorly negligent right now. Especially when I received such wonderful gifts! Sorry peeps, I promise they are coming soon, and I am so appreciative of all your kind gestures!

2. Porch - this is a disaster, and one I have to walk through every day when I leave and enter the house. But of course, with how cold it has been (sub zero) I haven't wanted to spend any time out there cleaning it up. I bought two new shoe racks over a week ago, and totally forgot about them in the trunk of my car. This weekend they need to make it in to the house, get assembled, and finally bring some order to the sea of shoes spread across the floor. To be fair, I caused this disaster during the cookie exchange when I hurriedly yanked the existing shoe rack to put it by the front door. And then never put it or the shoes back :)

3. CRAFT ROOM AKA WITCH'S TOWER: The biggest tragedy of the whole house. At Halloween, it was spotless and open in case anyone needed to crash there. Then I took down all the Halloween decor, and never got it put away, so it's languishing in various piles up there. For Thanksgiving, I had to take the tables which had piles of stuff on them downstairs to use for the meal - so more piles, this time on the floor. Add Xmas decor, craft fair/mosaic boxes, and I have one giant heap going. It's totally unusable, and that needs to change - I plan a full out organizational assault! All of the seasonal decorations will be packed away neatly, and the craft supplies once again organized and usable. I've even invested in more clear storage boxes to accomodate all my new "goodies."

In writing this I now feel like I have to be accountable, so hopefully I'm able to make significant progress. I'll try to do some "before" and "after" photos to illustrate the progress - just don't judge me too harshly on the "before"!

Resolved

Resolutions. People are fairly split on the issue. Do you make them? Are you against them? I find I place little stock in resolutions, but aren't they really, at heart, just a great big "to do" list? I love to do lists, so here's mine for the upcoming year:




2010 "Resolutions:"
- Cross at least 6 items off of my Bucket List (that's 1 every 2 months)

- Organize my craft room again, and keep it that way for the whole year

- Take more photos, learn to take better ones

- Keep up with photo albums - within 1 month of events

- Stick to a realistic budget this Halloween, while still having the best party ever

- Develop a career plan. Decide what I want to be...now that I AM grown up...

- File my receipts and bills at least monthly...and catch up with the ones thrown in a box from the past many years.

- Start writing letters. Real letters on paper.

- Pay down debt. Significantly. Maybe even start saving.

- Bring my lunch to work more often. Like at least sometimes :) I'm so bad at this.

- Take a real vacation with my husband. Actually go somewhere, just the two of us. We've been together 10 years (in January), and never had a big solo vacation!

I'm workin' on it...

Hello again world!

I'm in an uber-festive mood today, as the first real snowfall of the season hangs overhead. I'm not nearly ready for it, but I did manage to fish out a cheap thin hat and gloves set this morning, so I'm headed in the right direction. The new snow blower has yet to be un-packed, but I did catch a glimpse of where the shovels are hanging in case I need to pull them out. I'm still hoping to get the outdoor tables & chairs put away before they become part of the Winter Wonderland, but we'll see. I notice there's a light dusting already, so I might just cut my losses there :)

I'm headed home early today and planning to spend the afternoon getting the rest of my holiday decor in order - very important, considering my cookie exchange is just a week away! If time allows I have plenty of updates to post - new glasses, the last of my Amazon prizes, Xmas decor, cookie recipes - and my Xmas cards should be delivered today as well! Can't wait to see them, and get them out.

Living and Learning - and Looking Ahead

Just in case you were wondering, no, my craft fair yesterday didn't pick up in its final hours. In fact, people mostly packed up their wares early, which is a HUGE no-no in the craft community, but nobody even dared stop them. Tempers and frustrations were fairly high. I can't say I totally blame the promoters for the lack of traffic - it's bound to happen in a down economy, the Vikings were playing, it was a Sunday show...blah blah. And having put together a craft fair before myself, I know how nerve wracking it is to sit and wait for traffic after you have done all your promoting. Even the best efforts (not to say that these were the best) can go awry. C'est la vie.

So here are a few of my favorites that are STILL AVAILABLE of course :)






See all these and more in the slideshow I just set up as an application to another craft fair here.
Or, better yet, come see me at Roseville this weekend!

I'm really looking forward to this next holiday craft fair. First, it's a long standing show, with decent community support. The promoter and I worked together when I did the Women of Today Craft Fair on the same weekend as theirs (in the same community) a few years ago, we cross-promoted and shared the costs. I know she carefully screens her entries, only allows homemade crafts and maintains a good balance of vendors. AND she does smart stuff like having a local orchestra perform (bringing their parents to listen & shop then). So keep your fingers crossed! Or, better yet, come VISIT me :) My mom will be booth-sitting most of Saturday as I herd our little debaters through their final tournament, and then Sunday I'll be there all day. I'll have a few new pieces including 2 more jumbo ready-to-hang mirrors (about 18" x 24") that I'm grouting this week, hopefully displayed on my new stands which UPS supposedly delivered today!

Hope to see you this weekend in Roseville! Again, it's 10-4 Saturday AND 11-4 Sunday at Roseville City Hall, on County Road C between Snelling and Lexington.

Monday: Craftily Conquered Quite Fully

I've probably mentioned before that I go to bed early. Like GRANDMA early. I haven't always been like this, but sometime after college my internal clock did a total re-set and now I'm generally snoozing before the news. So nights like tonight when I stay up crafting until 11:30 are fairly rare. That said, I've got not other choice than to stretch my days right now and get as much done as I can!

First, I stopped at Costco to pick up the prints I ordered. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! I'll admit, when I first got our previews I wasn't blown away, but the more I look at these the happier I am. I took them right home and switched them into my large collage frame that sits on the mantle. It's hard to get a good photo of because of the glare off the glass, but suffice to say I am VERY happy. The red & green go perfect with our living room accents, and I think we look adorable and loving in all of the photos. Can I get an "Awwwww!" ?

Also at Costco, I scooped up one of these:

Yup, couldn't resist. My husband called it "cheating," I call it "outsourcing" - this gorgeous pumpkin cheesecake was only $14, I couldn't pass it up. Now I have one less major task to worry about this week, and more time to allocate to everything else! Thanks for all the good recipes, I promise to try them when I have more time and less panic :)

Next I spent a couple hours re-arranging the furniture to fit two banquet tables into our living room, and digging out china and serving pieces for the big meal. I like to get it all ready and set aside early to minimize scrambling when the stress is already out of control. Though, since Hubby is cooking this year, I get to sit downstairs and watch TV, right? :)


I still need to find out where the tablecloths are hiding, but this is my china pattern - "Treetops" by Mikasa. I inherited it from my grandmother, and it's full service for 12, and even has the gravy boat. Very important for occasions which actually involve gravy, such as this week :) Martha would be so proud. I love that I can intermingle green and white serving pieces and it still looks cohesive and classy - plus I'm a sucker for green.

Once most of the Thanksgiving prep was squared away, I headed up to "the witch's tower" and packed away most of the Halloween tubs so I had room to finish up mosaics. This was slightly complicated because I stole one of my craft room tables for Thanksgiving, so there's a bit more mess to maneuver around, but luckily it's all MY mess and I'm okay with it :) My glue still hasn't arrived (d'oh!) so I busied myself polishing, pricing, and bubble wrapping finished frames. Oh man is this a lot of work! I think I only got 10 or so packed up, and have twice that many left. Thank goodness for the short work week!

Wicked Wonderland Menu Teaser

Okay, I'm just bursting at the seams to get on with the weekend, on one hand I feel like I need a ton more time to get everything done, and on the other I just want to get to the party already! So to put you in a truly festive mood, I thought I'd post a teaser of my menu plans - as of right now, this is what I'm planning on putting out:







Baby Bread Bowls with Shrunken Spinach Dip

Tiny Tea Sandwiches - PB & J, Turkey Bacon, Ham & Cheese

Teenie Weenies in BBQ Sauce

Magic Mushroom Turnovers

Peppered Pigs in a Blanket

Puking Pumpkin Veggie Platter

Fresh Fanciful Fruit Platter

The Queen's Stolen Tarts

"Eat Me" Sweets - my infamous cupcakes, brownies, cream puffs, mini cheesecakes, and more!

There will likely be a few more munchies with less whimsical names, but here's the core of my spread - what do you think? I played a lot with proportions, since Alice keeps changing size in the story from huge to tiny, I did a lot of tiny foods - which I also just happen to think are adorable. I have several vegetarians in the mix, so I tried to keep that in mind, and last year I noticed that the "savory" food went much faster than the sweets, so I put more emphasis there - but of course I couldn't stop myself from making all my favorite sweets, so I moved them to the goodie boxes - guests lucky enough to get one (hope you RSVP'd!) will receive all these handmade goodies:

-Four varieties of Chocolate Dipped Pretzels
-Six Peanut Butter Balls
-3 S'mores on a Stick
-2 Candy Chess Pieces
-2 Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Marshmallows
-1 Candy Lollipop
-1 Mushroom Keychain

Anybody else getting hungry?

I've hit the proverbial wall...

and I'm suddenly feeling entirely unmotivated to finish Halloween crafts and decor. Don't worry, the party will still go on and it'll all come together, I've just fallen into a funk where things I've done already are falling down, and putting them back up seems like too much work. It's still too early to tackle much in the "man cave" without ruffling the hubby's feathers, and definitely too early to start baking anything. I should be finishing up the living room and start on the porch & hallway, maybe get a plan for the bathroom...but I don't think that's going to happen for a while. It doesn't help that people all around me are sick, and I'm still shooting OJ and trying to get lots of sleep - not sick yet, but not energetic either.

Luckily, Ryan comes on Sunday! I'm counting on his AMAZING talents and overall enthusiasm to get me back into the swing of things. I'm hoping we'll have time to rock out my coat & collar, and maybe even alter my skirt. Getting a fab costume nailed down is sure to raise my spirits.

Sneezing & such...

Well, I'm not quite sick but definitely fighting something; yesterday I never got out of bed so that explains the lack of crafting & posting. I'm hoping that my 36 hours of sleep + this huge carton of OJ I'm drinking will magically ward off all of the "crud" all my nearest and dearest have been passing around. This is exactly why I start decorating & crafting early - something always comes in and steals a few days you thought would be productive...

Anyways, since I accomplished nothing yesterday I have little to write about today, so I've decided to do some research instead. I've been struggling for an appetizer that involves peppered bacon - evoking the pig baby the Duchess keeps peppering. Here are a few I'm considering (typos and "creative grammar" are to be attributed to the original sites please), any feedback?


Peppered Bacon Twists
Ingredients
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 can refrigerated 11 ounces pillsbury cornbread twists (bought next to biscuits in store)
8 slices of any ready to serve bacon heated as directed on pkg

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees f.
mix brown sugar ,pepper in shallow pan dish, set aside
unroll corn twists dough, separate into 8 long strips; press perforations together in each strip to seal, top each dough strip with bacon slice. and to sugar and pepper mixture turning and coating it all over, then twist topped dough strips slightly, then place on greased baking sheet
bake 11 to 13 min or until lightly brown , don't over cook them lightly brown.

Sounds easy enough, I don't love corn bread but I bet it would be fine with regular bread stick dough.

No photo for this one, but I like the idea of being able to make it ahead and freeze - and that I don't have to be baking it during the party:

Mini Bacon Pinwheel Appetizers
Take some time to make a batch of these little savory appetizers and freeze them for holiday entertaining.
Prep Time: :25
Cook Time: :13
Ingredients:
1 lb. loaf firm white sandwich bread
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1 lb. smoked bacon
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheet and set aside.
Cut the crusts off bread slices, then cut each piece into three equal rectangles.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic powder, parsley, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Spread an even, thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on each bread rectangle, and roll it up, starting with the short side.

Cut each slice of bacon in half crosswise, and wrap a half slice of bacon around each of the bread rolls. Secure the rolls with toothpicks and arrange on prepared baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees until the bacon is crisp, 8-11 minutes. Makes 25 appetizers.

To freeze ahead, prepare rolls, then freeze in single layer on cookie sheet without baking them. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. Store in single layer in freezer containers, separating layers with waxed paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 11-16 minutes until hot and browned.


If I had a lot of money I'd buy these Pepper Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon from costco:



These also sound savory and simple:

Bacon and Tomato Cups
INGREDIENTS
8 slices bacon
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a mini muffin pan.
In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until evenly brown. Drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon into a medium mixing bowl, and mix with tomato, onion, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise and basil.
Separate biscuits into halves horizontally. Place each half into cups of the prepared mini muffin pan. Fill each biscuit half with the bacon mixture.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven , or until golden brown.

Any reviews or requests?

Looking Ahead - Locks of Love

I'm waffling on my hairstyle right now, as it seems a lot of my nearest and dearest are. My hair grows very quickly and I wanted to keep it long through the "wedding season" so I could do fun updos, but for my daily life a stacked bob is really more practical. That would mean taking off around 5" from where I'm at right now, but I'm wondering if I should just stick it out until I get enough to do #51 on my bucketlist, donate a chunk of hair to Locks of Love.

Locks of Love makes custom hair pieces for kids with alopecia, cancer, and other diseases. These hair pieces would retail upwards of $3500, so you can imagine how difficult that might be for a family to try and provide them as their child grows, or how heartbreaking it might be for a child not to be able to afford a hair piece if that is what they need to feel confident about their appearance.

Donating to Locks of Love requires a little planning and forethought - some interesting points I picked up from their FAQ website:

1. Most of their recipients are little girls, and most of them want long hair. The manufacturing process takes up 2" right off the bat, and the minimum donation of 10" only ends up about chin length in a hair piece. Clearly longer donations are harder to come by, but most in demand.

2. It takes 6-10 donated ponytails to make a single hair piece.

3. Hair can be colored, but not bleached. "The bleach causes the hair to dissolve as it goes through the manufacturing process. Note: Many times highlights are done with bleach." Wow, that's something to think about well in advance if you want to donate.

So what should I do? Right now my hair is about 18" and very thick. I rarely blow dry it or style it, and would much prefer a "wash & go" lifestyle. It's fun to have long hair when I DO style it for special events, but that isn't very often. Supposedly average hair grows 6" a year - mine seems to grow a little faster, but then you'd lose a little on trims for upkeep. Should I stick it out for another year and cross one more thing off my bucket list (while helping a good cause)? Or should I just make my daily life a lot easier.

Conundrum.

Super powers would come in handy about now...

Guess which day we rescheduled our skydiving to? Yup - Tuesday! The only day this week with a chance of thunderstorms! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!