Messes and Successes of 2012

This has been a year. I feel like I've had more successes than messes, but, then, I'm an optimist so that's what you get.

(There are lots of links here, so pay attention.)

1. This summer, between overexcited pepper plants and Grandpa's wonderful garden, we ended up with 25 end-of-the-season green peppers. I took all of these, chopped them and froze them in 1/4 cup layers of wax paper and pull them out to season everything from eggs to pizza. I used the last of them in sadness this morning. This was an awesomely successful idea and I plan on doing it much more this year. We've already started discussing and planning our garden - score.

2. I ventured into the homemade laundry detergent arena.

 

This was a $16 dollar adventure, that lasted six months (about 175 loads for us. This house is laundry crazy, especially in the summer!). I loved the soap and the process of knowing exactly what was in there. I will certainly be doing this again.

3. Even though I cooled on Pinterest as my time was confiscated by graduate school work, this didn't stop some cool projects at the beginning of the year (not sure I've completed a craft since August. Eek!). I LOVED this necklace and still get a tons of compliments and requests for it.

Four37 Designs

 These fabric-covered cork boards were a super Ikea-hack and made for cute gifts.

Pinned it, Made it, Love it: Cork

This t-shirt makover project was great for removing funky shirts from my drawer and into my workout stash.

Pinned it, Made it, Love it: T-shirt Makeover Project

3. This year, we've established a lasting family traditions: Going to Disney for Thanksgiving. This was an amazing start to a wonderful holiday season and completely took away the stress of traveling (and staying at home. Staying at home stresses me out, too). We will be doing this for years.

4. I added a couple of lasting dishes to my chili/stew - baked chicken - tacos - spaghetti dinner routine. We love the pinned recipe: White Chicken Enchiladas. Delish.

Source: joyful-mommas-kitchen.blogspot.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I also found new tuna casserole, zucchini cakes, dill pickles, and salmon patties. And we loved this great breakfast granola.

5. Mellow's highlights of the year were probably his birthday, Disney, and The Elf. I have a lot to learn from that elf, Georgia. For example, bribery is an amazingly powerful motivational tool. Excitement is infectious, especially to grandparents who love the elf's arrival. Creativity can come at 3:00am but may not include foresight.

the elf turned the milk green = green coffee and gravy for the week.

6. The biggest mess of the year, is my addiction to coffee.

 

Despite our relatively healthy lifestyle, I am finding that I have a serious two-cup-a-day habit. A habit that includes the right amount of creamer and milk. A habit that reinforces itself with a mid-afternoon headache if ignored. We don't drink a lot of soda (but a LOT of sweet tea) or other crap, but certainly have a lot of coffee. A. Lot. Of. Coffee.

As a side note, my most popular posts of 2012:

1. Nursery Printables Round-up (1197 views!). This was a super fun post because I was looking for great prints to give as a nursery-warming gift for the pending appereance of Merely Peeking's new little one. I may have gotten a little carried away, but is that ever really possible when decorating for a baby? I think not.

2. Introspect: A Popular Post. I love the scene in the movie "The Banger Sisters" where the lady is yelling at her family: You don't even know who I am. This year, I have gotten more free time than ever. B has loved running off to the country for the weekend, Mellow in tow. Although this usually leaves me to work on mind-numbing schoolwork or work-work or housework, it also leaves me to me. These weekends make B a better dad (possible?) and me a bettter mom (ok, I might need twenty of these weekends for that - but there's hope). I'm thankful, too, that two of my best friends had babies this year - the more to connect with the better.

3. Pinned it, Made it, Love it: Fabric Charms was truly a great project because it seriously took ten minutes and scraps. And, as much as I hate hand-sewing, this was worth it.

 

Thanks, dearest readers, for humoring me, ignoring me, cheering me on, and supporting me. I appreciate your comments and anonymous views. I appreciate writing. I appreciate a new year.