End of the Year Update

Soooo, 2012 didn't exactly turn out how I had planned. The evidence is clear in the "Goals Update" we are about to see below.  Here's to having a more productive 2013!

1. Learn to crochet - Nope.  Did not happen.  My newly diagnosed arthritis had quite a bit to say about that.

2. Write in my journal daily - Nope.  Also didn't happen.  I did write in it a few times.  Maybe daily just isn't for me anymore.

3. Write more thank you notes and letters - Now this, this DID happen. Most people were surprised by the thank you note and that was enjoyable. I'll keep this up.  It's also a reason to make/buy more stationary. It's a keeper.

Here is some proof for that one!

4. Volunteer at least once per quarter - I donated money to charity... ONCE. Total failure there.

5. Read at least 4 books ( I used to read all of the time, but I just haven't been making time for it lately.) - Did this too! I actually read SIX books, so I'm calling that a big win in this category.

6. Make a lasagna from scratch - No, but I got one step closer.  I got the recipe from my grandmother. Baby steps.

7. Go to at least one concert (another thing I used to do quite often and haven't made time for) - No. Blah

8. Organize my closet and the linen closet (I'm dreading this one) - Sort of, kind of did this.  They aren't majestic or anything, but I got rid of a lot of crap that was just taking up space. Yay for half victory!

9. Juice at least once a week - I juiced maybe 2 more times after I did a post on it. The juicer now lives in the closet so we could make room for the new coffee pot.  Priorities people, priorities.

10. Get a massage - Another in the "sort of, kind of" category.  I got a gift card for a massage, but I haven't cashed that sucker in just yet.  It will happen soon, but it might fall over into 2013.

11. Send someone flowers on their birthday (I love getting flowers, so I'm going to share the joy!) - Nope, didn't share any joy. Get your own flowers, jerks.

Just kidding! Got you this Christmas bouquet! Enjoy!!

12. Take some sort of class - Again, NO. However, I was perusing Coursera and came upon a few things I may be interested in taking in 2013. Also, I have promised to help the Mister with one of his classes next semester, so this will be on next year's agenda. 

So, clearly not my most productive year on the ol' "to-do" list.  It's OK though.  I am entering 2013 motivated and looking forward to setting new goals for myself.  I'm still on a quest for even more awesomeness in the life I am already blessed by.

How did your goals for 2012 go?

20 Days Have Already Passed!?

The month of January is quickly flying by, and I haven't updated my blog at all! I am happy to say that 2 of the things on my list have (sort of) happened.  First off, I sent out some thank you notes to some wonderful ladies that helped me with planning the baby shower of my very best friend in the world. I have tons of notecards and stationary that I don't put to use nearly enough, so it was nice to choose some pretty cards to send out to friends.  Does anyone else have 10,000 address labels that they have received from various charities and organizations?  Places I have never even heard of send me address labels.  I'll never in a million years use them all before we move.  Anyway, here are the letters I sent out!

The second thing from the list that I have managed to do (sort of) is juicing.  I've only done it once, but that is exactly half of the amount that I did it all year in 2011, so I think I'm off to a solid start!  I managed to score a practically new juicer from a coworker for $20 last year and I've hardly even used it.  I'm working on changing that though! Now, I'm no juicing expert, obviously.  I have only done a bit of research online and I've seen the late-night infomercials just like everyone else.  I can say that even after once batch of juice, I was feeling pretty healthy.  Here is what I used...

What you see here is:

• 2 Carrots
• 1 Red Delicious Apple
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 2 Plums

This is what I got from all of that goodness:

Almost one and a half cups of foamy, fruity deliciousness.  I have to admit, the room temperature juice is a little off-putting.  Perhaps next time I will make sure to refrigerate everything before I juice it. The urge to juice was sudden, so I just ran over to the little store across the street to pick up the fruits & veggies. The cucumber in this mix was a bit overpowering, so I will probably omit that next time.  Overall, not too shabby.  I tried to convince Mr. Nerd to try it, but he was not having it.  At least he helped me clean the juicer afterward!

So, 22 days into the new year and I've already done 2 things on my list. Not too bad! I can say that the past 22 days have been pretty awesome, so it seems that I'm moving in the right direction!