Welcome 2013!

The bubbly has been drunk and the New Year rang in.

Last year I declared some resolutions and didn’t fare too badly. Our garden did great with plenty of red and green bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and mixed peppers from this summer that are still thriving. We exercised, ate healthy and ate dessert! All of our Christmas gifts this year were homemade or bought at small businesses. We put our design work to use and created wall art, candles, jewelry and ornaments made from reclaimed wood, and showed them off at local craft shows. I didn’t sew more, or make my first dress from scratch. I did take a basics tailoring class, a camera class to get to better get to know my SLR, and a canning class to preserve sweet goodness. I even learned how to solder.

With another 365 days to come, I’m going to follow some advice and make goals and habits instead of resolutions. I haven’t quite decided on my new habits yet, but I’ve got 10 goals chosen.

 

With another 365 days to come, I’m going to follow some advice and make goals and habits instead of resolutions. I haven’t quite decided on my new habits yet, but I’ve got 10 goals chosen. I’ll be honest and say that my goals aren’t new things, but taking things I already do to a new level of awesomeness. I already work out 5 times a week, so it couldn’t hurt to add another day from time to time. I’ve been clocking in more hours in the kitchen with canning, so I might as well start making some homemade meals too. I had a great tan this year from spending time out in the garden or running outside. I never got around to riding my new bike much and would love to ride some of the river trails I live by.

My trainer suggested that I cut out carbs after lunch, to which I first laughed at and then after trying it, realized it really wasn’t too difficult to do. With so many grain options out there, I really need to try alternatives to regular wheat flour. Any suggestions?

I’ve read plenty of fiction this year, but would love to add some history, and keep taking fun DIY classes. In 2011 I revamped our toiletries to make sure we were using low chemical items on our body. This year, I want to pay more attention to other things, like household cleaners and packaging. Aside from helping myself, I want to help the community too with volunteering. The volunteer opportunities I took last year were fun and I met new people, so I’m looking forward to doing more.

I never learned how to knit, mainly because my grandmother has allergies to wool yarn. With the release of cotton yarn, I have a feeling we’ll be knitting our way through Spring. With learning how to can, I’ve realized how easy it is to make, rather than buy. It might be messy and time consuming, but in the end the quality and taste is usually better because it is wholesome.

And of course, I’ll share my adventures and year here. I do have some surprises for later this year and hope to integrate more vintage inspirations.