A beginning

So excited for what is coming next

Upcoming

This next year I want to...

Create more:
The sewing shop down my street and I have a love/hate relationship. I love love love that shop. My budget, not so much.
They host workshops. Excited to learn new tricks, excited to figure out my machine.

     Sewing list:
     Baby gifts (cause friends keep making em!)
     Pouches to replace ziplocs, cause someone has a nasty habit of using like 3 a day
     Getting through my mending stash, I miss my favorites!

I've fallen into a cooking rut. The plan? Starting with 31 days of veggies. Making a concentrated effort to try new recipes. Hoping by the end of winter to feel refreshed and inspired in my kitchen.

Speaking of refreshed in the kitchen! Our thinking? Spend 500 and give the kitchen a whole new feel to tide us over until we do our big dramatic (tearing walls down) makeover. Newly painted walls, cabinets and countertops will go a long way to making the space feel new.

Do something after dinner. Too many nights I get pulled in by the food coma and TV. Instead I want to accomplish something after dinner. Starting small with some laundry or a project. Perhaps adding in some yoga or (heaven help me) cardio.

Keep an open book on my nightstand.  During the move we got into the habit of watching TV in bed.  Now that we are settled I want to get back into the habit of reading before I fall asleep.

First week

And someone (coughjessecough) has already cheated. Not to worry I told him, we'll just add some more days at the end bwah ha ha!

Favorite recipe this week?
Kale pesto pasta minus the shrimp and loaded with lots of fresh veggies...yum yum

A close second?

Vegetarian Jambalaya

Although Jesse called it right, this is yummy but not really jambalaya.  Probably due to the lack of 3 different kinds of meat

Some filler recipes
ie: recipes we've made a million times, easy meals we can pull off after a long day of work
Breakfast burritos...I do love me some Mexican mmmm mmmm

Beans & Rice and Quesadillas

Cause did I mention, I love Mexican?

Most disappointing recipe this week?
The meatless hopping John: annoyed because I followed the recipe and it just didn't have much flavor. Usually I go rouge and throw in a bit of this and that. Lesson learned. Trust my cooking instincts.

Excited to see what next week will bring!
Including the challenge of cooking for my Father in Law who declared
No meat?  I'll bring my own!

there were times of no dryer

no dishwasher

no power

there were picnics and festivals

and spontaneous roadtrips

and stopping for tacos at 4am

there was dressing up and cheering

     glad for access to bells and whistles and paint and glitter

the year was full of ordinary moments
and then there were some pretty big moments too

an incredible vacation that we had dreamed about for years
the sun, the sand, the adventure!
I still think about this every day

the phone call that began with, so I may have hurt my knee
followed by yep, torn ACL
surgery, trying to keep down pain meds, a long (bumpy) car ride home
and finally pulling out the last stitch 6 months later (must have gotten lost in there somewhere)

looking, looking, looking for a house
getting excited, then disappointed
then walking into our house and pulling the trigger

fixing up and filling up the house

     yay for family expertise

     yay for flat packed furniture

It has been an incredible year

I can't wait to see what 2013 brings!

It starts with an idea

And a mason jar chocked full of ideas

Vegetarian for a month
Alongside great friends
Helpful that Jesse will be out of town for half of it

A new cookbook for Christmas
And Pinterest
Plus a pretty jar full of inspiration

First up? Meatless Hopping John
Rice, black eyed peas and veggies
A great way to begin a year

This year the holidays were

A weekend away
Relaxing in jammies
Experimenting with new recipes
        3 parts ginger beer 1.5 parts dark rum and a splash of lime: delish!
Battling against the ladybugs who decided to join us on our cabin retreat

Cooking
Zucchini and feta muffins with rosemary and black pepper dusted cream cheese frosting

And crafting
Napkins and a rocking hat
Cause boys need sparkly things too

Lots of time with family and friends
And an extra day playing in the snow

Welcome to November

Love the tradition of taking time to pause and be grateful for...

Our home and finally starting to feel like this is our space

     most of the boxes are unpacked

     decorations are beginning to be placed

Men who get excited about old furniture
     and driving them into Columbus
     and figuring out how to make it work

Fall weather and soups
     nothing that I love more than a big pot of soup on the stove
     and bringing my own bowl to the tailgate
     and contests with cousins to see who can eat the most
              declaring myself the winner after finishing my 5th bowl

City services that haul away my junk
     30 bags of leaves (what we did all weekend)
     We were those trashy neighbors waiting for bulk pickup
     Recycling bins are inching their way closer
             15 blocks and counting

Voting by mail

     and avoiding the lines

     and sitting with my computer being able to research each issue

     and feeling like I actually get a say in our future