So! Happy New Year all!
2007 was proclaimed as “The Year of Suckiness” by one of my BFFs (hey, BFFs are like potato chips… you can’t have just one), Betsy, and it seems that other out in blogland agree with her! I can’t say it completely sucked, after all, I finished school and now have my masters degree so that rocked and I had other great things happen but I can totally agree that I am happy to have the year over and a brand new fresh one begin!
And so, here it is, a brand new fresh year, 2008. I have proclaimed it:
“The Year of Decluttering and Organization!”
I went for an interview on January 3rd… and as a result, I started subbing at a middle / high school on Friday… I don’t know how long I’ll last there… they can’t be bribed with stickers like elementary! LOL! Here’s me in my interview outfit… nothing like a picture to point out how I really need to take in my clothes! ICK! But there are worse clothing issues to have…
Finishing with school has done wonders for my crafting time! I’ve been knitting right along on some socks that I started ages ago and am now almost down to the balls of the feet!
I want to get all the socks I have on the needles done (there’s another pair waiting in the wings on needles that haven’t been touched in months) so that I can cast on the yummy Noro sock yarn that Cheryl gave me for Christmas… Oh my goodness… Noro and sock yarn… that’s like the marriage of chocolate and peanut butter in a Reese’s cup!
Betsy was over one night and helped me block out my Pi Shawl that had been sitting in a heap since I finished it months ago. It felt good to weave in the ends and get it laid out nicely!
I made Montey four pairs of flannel pajama pants and made me three flannel nightgowns… which used up ALL of the flannel I bought at the JoAnn’s, day after Thanksgiving, 99¢ a yard flannel, sale… I felt good about using it all up rather then stashing it!
These are five of the seven flannels used…
Just got an order in from Michael’s Fabrics… YUM! They have awesome sales and their Zegna fabrics are very drool worthy! Now I have an order from Fashion Fabrics Club coming which is linings for the fabrics from Michaels… I’m planning on making Simplicity 3688 and 4044, Butterick 5147 and who knows what else… I’m currently doing a wearable muslin of Simplicity 3688 out of some twill I got at JoAnns… I wanted to practice collars and lapels before I cut into the fancier fabrics…
The kittens are doing great… all the cats get along and play together which is quite wonderful!
Here’s a cute “action shot” of China attacking / pushing / love tapping Linny.
And one of Slim and China playing in paper…
Not to be left out… Tippy, being half awaken from her comatose state to have her picture taken…
No new llama pictures… they are doing well but it is winter and they are looking wet and bedraggled and therefore not so photogenic! LOL!
Montey’s doing okay, he’s going back in for some more surgery this week, he had another stent done right before Christmas… Here he is with his imitation parrot…
China loves to ride on his shoulder and he has to be careful if he walks by her with just a tshirt on as she will jump and grab hold whenever she can! It is really cute! She loves to snuggle up under his beard when he’s on the couch too.
Just got an email from my cousin, Matt, the other day. He’s off to Uganda again. He went last year, you can see him in this picture from one of the blog posts from their 2007 trip blog. Here is the link to their 2008 trip blog. He went as part of a team from the University of San Diego where he is getting his Masters in Nursing.
Now… as I wind up this first post of 2008… I feel like sharing my goals of 2008… not resolutions per se, but overall goals…
- Lose fifty pounds… This may seem to be a lofty goal but it is really very doable considering the assistance I get from my band… the only obstacle to success is my ability to “eat around” the band with crap food which is an issue to work on as well…
- Organize my clutter, parse through the clutter… sell what’s worth selling and give away what’s not worth selling and only keep that which I will actually use, need, or really want to keep… This is an ongoing struggle, always has been… I feel optimistic about it this year though…
- Remember, when sewing, knitting, or crocheting… it is not about how quick I can get things done… or how many things I can get done… it is about the quality of that which I produce and the process of doing it…
That’s about it for now. Hope your 2008 is starting out great and continues as such!
Oh? The title of this post? Well, yesterday, at Half Price Books, I said to the counter guy that had just finished going through the books I’d brought in, “Now that 2007 is over… 2006 is the year of organization!”