33 is LUCKY!

I usually make a list on my birthday of all the things I did over the last year of my life. This year, my 33rd, I am going to do something different because 3 is my lucky number and that luck will help me complete 33 goals during this next year. Hold on to your muffin tops folks, the list...

1. I am going to post more photos, REAL photos. I am good, all most great, at taking a real picture (gotta toot my own horn) but I rarely post pictures, especially of myself. So from now on, more pictures, even the ones that are technically good but I don't like because they show you how fat I have gotten. So I am starting with the above picture that I took last Sunday in the car on the way up to Austin. My hair is frizzy due to rain, my double chin is still hanging out there, and my wandering eye is really wandering because I was super tired. BUT this is ME and I am really trying to LOVE me as I AM.
2. Weight Control: Seriously I have let myself go, and not in the good way like that country song, I am heavier than I have ever been (even when I was pregnant!) and I am feeling really unhealthy and sluggish and unhappy. Lots of "un's" come with being over weight. Time to lose it. A specific goal to come on this soon.
3. I am going to cook my way through my cookbook library, there is no reason for us to be eating the same meals over and over. My only excuse is that I get lazy (surprise!) and don't make a plan. No more, those books are coming out and are going to be used!
4. Get a 4.0 each semester. There are three more semesters in this birthday year, so I am going to stick with my academic goal of a 4.0.
5. Write more, I need to get out of my head and what typically holds my attention in my head are my thoughts. So LOGICALLY if those thoughts are down on paper (or screen) I can focus more on reality. Makes sense right? :)
6. Increase our garden space and usage. I want a serious harvest this year, which means working the beds.
7. FINISH painting in the house. Our downstairs has been incomplete for over a year. No more, time to bust it out and do it right.
8. Be nicer to those I love. I am a serious BITCH. I have never understood the phenomenon where people are nastiest to those they are closest too. Time to show the love and care.
9. Budget Queen. Once again bringing my attention to the financials.
10. Branch out our business. Super expanding outside of my comfort zone. More to come on this.
11. Write more letters and send more cards. I love snail mail and so does everyone else. Time to bust out the stamps and visit Hallmark.
12. Make our house smell clean. Casey returned a piece of misdelivered mail to a neighbor last week and his first response to the visit was that her house smelled CLEAN, like lemons and soap and fresh air. Ummm... our house, not so much.
13. Setup and use a serious cleaning plan. Might just hop back on the Flylady wagon, she has all ready done all the work, I just have to follow it.
14. Knit and Crochet MUCH more. I want to finish the projects that I have on my sticks. So many partially started items.
15. Purge 33 items from our house EACH MONTH. Should end up with 396 clutter items removed by the birthyear end.
16. Take better care of my skin. Starting with a facial at the end of the month.
17. Finish my "To Be Prepared" list. I wrote it a year and a half ago, but haven't crossed off a single item.
18. Put my FAMILY first.
19. Find my mojo.
20. Repurpose and EAT the leftovers. I am so bad about this.
21. Keep up a yoga routine, I fell off the yoga wagon forever ago. Well to be honest I wasn't really on it, more like looking at it as it drove away.
22. Be HONEST. No lies, white lies, half truths, exaggerations, embellishments or manipulations.
23. Save money.
24. Watch less TV, because honestly it is mostly trash. Which means I need to teach myself that trash isn't good. But it sure can be fun to watch!
25. Stop going to fast food places. A true weakness for me. I bet if I don't eat at a fast food place for an entire year I could lose at least 20 pounds from that act alone.
26. No more SODA. It's the Devils drink. :)
27. Go to church regularly. I miss it, I miss getting into the Word, I miss prayers and forgiveness.
28. Stop believing hurtful words. Stick and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. (Unless I believe them).
29. Remember who really matters and look to them.
30. Enjoy EVERYDAY.
31. Wake up happy. It is a choice and I need to stop choosing the Mega bitch role.
32. Walk the pups, they deserve to see the world.
33. Love myself even though the low points.

Happy Birthday Me!

A bit of comfort and 2007

Let's say it all together, "Home made Macaroni and Cheese" YUMMERS!! Super easy to boot!

And yhis lovely is my 2007 goals mini book. I love it, it makes me happy. It will hang on my bullentine board right where I can see it every day. Here are my goals:

• Budget
• Prayer
• Give Love
• Cook
• Create
• Write
• Exercise

Happy New Year!!

New Years New Ways

With a fresh start in 2007 right around the corner, I have been prepping by working on one major thing for me, a Budget. Yes, I Nicole, am all most done with a well balanced budget that reflects are spending habits (good and bad) and plan on sticking to it. We have some areas that need some major cut backs, and some areas that I need to get creative on, and some areas that I know I am forgetting about, but I am working on it, thinking about it, I even dreamt about it last night. I am even starting to think about how much it costs me to run certain appliances (our washer and dryer are consistent slaves), how much those yummy and loved foods we eat cost (especially Alex convenience foods, the horrors in mini packages), and what that dinner I fixed last night really cost to put on our table. There is just a lot of thinking going on here. Can you smell the smoke?