hello 2008

Ahh. It has been a nice break. I had planned on getting back to the blog a bit sooner, but I was just so enjoying the break from the computer. Jared and I had a really nice time in Florida with his family and then after a quiet New Year's Eve back in Minneapolis, we had a quick trip to visit an old friend of mine over in Madison, WI. I'm very happy to be back home and to have a few more days of rest and recuperation (my apartment is still a bit of a wreck from the holiday gift-making extravaganza that was December) before going back to work next week.

In the spirit of the new year, I have made some resolutions for the coming 12 months and I figured I'd share them with you all. You might notice that these resolutions aren't your typical (or what I think seems to be the typical) ones of chores like lose weight or save more money. Not that there's anything wrong with anyone else's resolutions-to each his own. But I've been thinking a lot about this past year lately and I've weeded out the things about the year that I really enjoyed and the things that I wish I'd done more of and that I look forward to doing more of this next year.

::Slow down. Aka be less busy, aka get better at planning ahead. I certainly don't regret any of the things that I got involved in over the last year, but it has been quite action packed, and I'm looking forward to slowing down a bit this year and taking some more time to enjoy and savor the "little" things.

::Cook more. Maybe from the recipes that I share here you all think that I'm a regular everynight cook. But that is far from the case- especially during the aforementioned busy times (see above). There have been plenty of (meaning too many) popcorn for dinner nights around here, and I can't even count the number of beans and chips for dinner nights. Hopefully this beauty that I picked up today will help. In an effort to meet this resolution and also be realistic, I'm making a goal of cooking two proper meals each week (this will actually create more meals because of leftovers, etc...)

::Send more mail. I had so much fun mailing off all of my holiday presents this past month and I think I've been doing a pretty good job of writing more letters, but I'd like to continue this trend even more this year.

::Continue to work on all my crafting with an emphasis on continuing to learn more all the time. Last year I learned a lot--how to follow a sewing pattern, how to insert a zipper, embroider, make clothes that actually fit, how to quilt something, make a softie, I figured out what interfacing is and why it's important, how to put on a snap, and much more. My photography has also improved immensely and I know that's because of this blog and my reading of other beautiful craft blogs and flickr pages. I hope to take even more photos this year and improve the quality.

::Nesting-it's been over a year since we moved into our apartment and there are still photos and other art waiting to be hung on the walls. I spend so much time at home and I would love to continue to really make our house a home. Even though we foresee moving before the end of this year, I'd still like to work on making our home more home-y.

Phew. Okay, that's a lot to work on. I've already got the post-holiday projects list going and I should have some new craftiness for your viewing soon. Hope you all had happy, healthy and safe holidays and are as ready for 2008 as I am. Have a great weekend and we'll be back to regular posting next week.