Hollie's New Year's Resolutions

Being the list-maker that I am, I could probably come up with a dreamy list of how many things I am going to do differently this year. BUT...that wouldn't be realistic, and I'd set myself up for failure. I'm a dreamer at heart anyways, so boiling my "wants" and "desires" down to just the bare bones is somewhat difficult. But I'll give you five biggies. These are domestic in nature. My spiritual resolutions will need another post! I might add a few more resolutions as the week goes on. Here they are:

1.) Plan out my meals (round two): I started doing this a while back, but didn't follow through with it. Any kind of new, drastic change in my lifestyle that demands continuous attention and planning, usually takes a few times for it to really "stick." And if I really want it, I'll come back for round two or three. Eventually, it happens. I can't think of anything more liberating for me than this. I told my husband Hugh the other night that I didn't find cooking as enjoyable as I did when we first got married, and I am a lover of home-cooked foods. But the joys are gone because I see it more of a mundane task that I'm obligated to instead of an opportunity to explore new worlds and send my taste buds dancing. Part of the reason might be that my daughter is quite the picky eater, and I don't have the desire or the energy to make two different meals at dinner-time. I LOVE food. I really do. I've met people who just aren't "food lovers," and I seriously cannot comprehend how they just don't get excited over food. Mmm! I think that making this change in our home will once again relight that flame of enjoying cooking once again. That leads me to my next resolution...

2.) Opening my home: If I can tackle resolution number one, then number two will follow suite so much more easily. When I was younger, I always hoped to have a very "open" home for my kids and their friends at which to hang out. I always wanted the "hang out" house growing up. And to this day, I still desire that for my family. But I can't wait until my children are all grown up and in high school. If I wait that long, it'll never happen. I'll be too set in my ways by then. I have to start now. I want to have people/families once a week or a few times a month. And since people love to eat, if I can get organized with meals, then I can feel the freedom to invite until my heart's content and it not be a stressful burden on me. Want to hear an awful confession? We've lived in our home for three years now and have not ONCE had our neighbors over for dinner. Ouch! Man, that hurts to even confess that to myself, much less the blogging POH world. But now that I've said it, I'm accountable to it. Whew. We absolutely LOVE our neighbors, hang out in our yards in the hot, Summery and Fall months, and even email at times. But just going to the yard and chatting it up for 20 minutes doesn't cut it with me. I want our children growing up knowing that it's a normal thing to have friends and family over to "do life" together. Not only neighbors, but younger couples and couples that after which we want to pattern our lives/marriage. So, who's first? :)

3.) Clearing the Clutter: I'm a crammer. I can't stand to "see" clutter in my living spaces, so my living room, kitchen, and other rooms mostly have things off the ground, in their cubby or place. But don't YOU DARE open my coat/shoes closet, can cabinet, spice cabinet, linen or sewing closet. You might get bonked in the head. And here's the ironic part, I LOVE organization, and I'll organize to a "T". But if you don't maintain well, you won't be organized. When push comes to shove, I shove. Ha! When people come over with their toddlers, the little cutie pies that love opening doors and cabinets, I start sweating. When I see those chubby, dimpled fingers heading for the knobs on my buffet, I start hearing the music to "Jaws". (Duh-nunt, duh-nunt, duh-nunt....) My eyes get big and everything goes into slow motion. About that time, I'm screaming in my head "Noooooo!!!!!! Don't open that door!" That might be a little bit of an exaggeration, but I have indeed been there before. When I do my homework and everything is organized, I really am so excited when those chubby fingers open the cabinet doors. I love it! It's like a pat on the back!

4.) Embrace a hobby: I love to sew and create. It's a "high" for me. I love to step back and see my finished product with pride in my heart. I want the next seven months to be saturated with sewing. Why just seven months and not the whole year? For all of you who don't know, I'm two months pregnant! There will be no sewing from Sept-Dec 2009 and well into 2010, so I really want to seize this desire to sew to the fullest. I'm in the middle of a few projects right now, but I'm so so tired being that I'm only 8 weeks along and in the thick of "morning sickness" and fatigue. Whew! I want to be able to give homemade gifts, so I need to be organized in knowing birthdays and knowing what I want to give to my family for Christmas.

5.) Home-made Pasta/tortillas: Last year I was determined to start making our own, incredibly nutritious bread and never have to feel tied to buying stale store-bought bread again. I did it and haven't looked back. Is it tough and tiresome at times? Heck yeah it is, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. I was so overwhelmed last year, wanting to make all of these changes at once, which is impossible. This year I want to make our own pasta. Why? I know the benefits of freshly-milled grain and not just that but freshly milled grain that has been soaked overnight. It's so amazingly beneficial for you. So, I want to soak my grain and using my Kitchen Aid Mixer (with the pasta attachments that I don't have yet), I would make my own pasta. I'm telling you, I get excited just thinking about it! I also just ordered a tortilla press where I can make my own corn tortillas/shells/chips! I might can only do one of these, but I want to at least tackle one. If I had my preference, it would be the pasta, but buying these attachments isn't cheap.

We would LOVE to hear from you, even if it's just ONE New Years Resolution that you're determined to tackle! Stay tuned for more.....I just might be back to add to this list!