Dwelling on 2007 and Plans for 2008

There's been good reason for my absence here, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to share my thoughts just yet. I'm still thinking through it and I don't want to risk putting my thoughts into written words just yet. But I will say that this... dilemma let's call it... has gotten me all twisted up about wanting to blog and what to report on when I do. So I've been avoiding it. This morning I layed in fear that I'm loosing my blogging energy because I'm having trouble getting my thoughts together to get through this. But then I thought about all the wonderful people out there in blog land that I've met and who have commented on how blogging has gotten them through some tough times. So here I am, busting through the walls I'm building around myself to return to the life of a blogger. Rather than spend my time here dwelling on my twisted thoughts, I think I'll just focus on the positive.

First some holiday knifty gifties! Feast your eyes on these beauties! (Chan, don't be too jealous over the polka dots.)

It's a Knitpickers Carry All Traveler from Michael's. While I was home for the holidays I started on the Chevron Fantastic Afghan with the yarn Mom sent me for my birthday. I'm adapting the pattern a little bit by only using three colors and only using the first two chevron patterns instead of all six. So far, I'm enjoying the mindless energy going into a project like this. And best of all it fits perfectly in my new bag! (at least for now it does!) The bag is great! Is has to external large pockets and two internal ones plus lots of room for projects and yarn. To go along with this bag, Mom also got me this:

It's a matching sock bag! And lookie what's inside! Two skeins each of two fabulous colorways of ShiBui sock yarn - Autumn and Stone. Mom's are the best! In another beautifully wrapped package were these to add to the bookshelf:
A trip to the largest JoAnn's that I've ever seen had me walking away with a slight additional build of the yarn stash, including :
for a felted bag project,

for a nice scarf maybe hat project, and some great organic cotton that I'm planning on using to knit up some great spa gifts for friends for next Christmas. (Hoping to get a little jump on things.) To top it all off, my annual tree ornament: Perfect! Don't you think?!

And so now we're on to 2008. Can you believe it already? Crazy, I tell you, just crazy how the time flies!

So I think this year rather than make New Year's Resolutions that I'll never keep, I think I'm going to try to make monthly goals. Take smaller, more manageable steps.

My goals for January include:

1. develop an exercise plan for two to three days a week - and stick to it!

2. reinvest myself in the WW program - actually start following the Flex Plan to a T again.

3. take my vitamins every day.

4. finish (or at least work on) all unfinished knit projects from 2007. Maybe I'll even add a little something to the side bar to help keep track of this one.

Here's to a new year filled with new experiences, new challenges, and hopefully new joys!

SITMT: Holiday Memories and Holiday Knitting

Childhood holiday memories:
I have so many wonderful childhood memories of the holidays. I grew up with the most loving parents anyone could ever ask for and two younger brothers that nothing could top. My parents have always believed in us no matter what path we decided to take. They taught us to weight our decisions and follow through with what we believed in. They've always stood by us even when we might have made the wrong decisions because they were our decisions to make. They taught us how to be our own person.

Growing up in a house of Italian, Czech, Irish, and German descendants means a lot of traditions around the holidays. Even though I now have my own home and my own tree and decorations to put up, I often reminisce about my childhood as I make the yearly preparations. I feel lucky that I have a job that allows me to travel home each year for Christmas and spend about a week with the people I care about more than anything in the world. The people who made me who I am today.

Holiday traditions:
Our holiday traditions begin the day after Thanksgiving. Since everyone had time off Turkey Day weekend, we always put our tree up that weekend. Even now, I put my tree up on the Sunday after T-day when I get back home.

We grew up as a BIG family - grandparents on down. So there's a lot of family stuff to do for Christmas. On Christmas Eve we celebrate on Mom's side of the family with all sorts of Czech foods that we only get once a year. Mushroom and sauerkraut soup, paska, rice pudding, nut roll and other goodies adorn the table. The eldest male aways gives a blessing and uses honey to put a cross on everyone's forehead and everyone takes a piece of wafer with honey and garlic before the meal begins. There are so many other traditions here (gifts - both name exchanges and gag gifts - mass, etc) that I fear I could go on forever... so we'll move on to Christmas day.

(You can check out other Czech traditions here and here. )

On Christmas day, our household wakes up and someone makes a trip to Sheets for free coffee and we exchanges gifts. Then we nap before getting ready for the day. We get together with Dad's side of the family for an early Christmas dinner. (Well, actually for people in their area, 3:00 is an acceptable time for dinner so it's really not an unusual time for them.) Things are a little more low key with this side of the family as they have been in the states longer and have lost a lot of the home country traditions. But most importantly it's spending time with cherished family.

Now that my brother has his own family, we've added another 'Christmas' usually the day after or the next to exchange gifts with them and have a meal together. There are always sugar cookies, chocolate peanut butter balls (buckeyes), lady locks, and nut roll.

Christmas knitting 2007:
socks for me... check!

fingerless mitts for GD#1... check!

fingerless mitts for GD#2... check!

fingerless mitts for GD#2's bro... check!

felted bag for cousin... check!

game day scarf for sister-in-law... check!scarves for the in-laws... check!

And if you've read all the way to the bottom of this post, head over to http://cynicalgal.blogspot.com/ for a contest regarding blog naming her brother and sister.

Holiday Wishes

Make a postcard - it's easy!

Holidayness and all that jazz

I just didn't have the heart to go all out this year with the Christmas decorations. But I did make sure to provide our home with the holidayness basics. And as a bonus, I'm watching A Charlie Brown Christmas and bobbing around to the dance scene as I type this - my favorite part!!! They dance just like me!!!
You gotta check this version out!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGnYw-OuCnI

And you know Honey and I are Scrubs freaks as it is on the telly more than anything else. So check this one out too!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20Of_mna-Rs

Charlie Brown will always remain in my heart as one of those childhood classics that never go out of style.

Now back to the house prep stuff. I mentioned in an earlier posting about collecting mittens as Christmas decorations. I don't know if it's much of a collection really. But a few years ago someone gave me this little lovely bear and I fell in love with his little mittens.
So I have since collected a few little mits to decorate the tree and table:

And the final fixins of the tree: (What's wrong with me that I can't get my photos to turn the right way? Never mind, don't answer that.)
Well, that's all for now. Gotta get ready for House. Maybe afterwards (or maybe tomorrow) I'll post the fingerless gloves for Alex. They turned out pretty cool I think.