declaration

Okay, so here we go with the obligatory New Years resolution post. If this bores you to tears, feel free to move along, or leave the page for a few days until my slacker butt updates again.

So, I just looked over last year's resolutions and, surprisingly, I was a relatively good girl in 2009. Let's review, shall we?

1) I resolve to do something crafty every day. Okay, okay, so I didn't do something creative EVERY day, but pretty darn close. I learned a few new things, used my camera a lot more and worked my butt off to keep the shop stocked as well as I could. In 2010, I plan to take a class or two, come up with some new items to sell in the shop, and really, really study the manual to my camera and learn what all of those finicky little buttons and doo-hickeys can do for me. Overall, I give myself a B- on resolution #1 for 2009.

2) I resolve to clean up my diet. And oh boy did I! I originally planned to stop eating fast food, processed food, and just junk in general and replace it with whole grains, fruits and veggies and lean meats. Not only did I accomplish this (with a few little sneak days here and there) but I've been following Weight Watchers since February 1st of 2009, and hit the 70 pound loss mark right before we left for Florida in October. With the holidays lingering around here now, I'm sure the scale would give me a good old fashioned slap on the ass for slacking off. But immediately following Christmas I jumped back on plan, and my goal is to finish this journey of mine by spring/early summer of 2010. Overall, I give myself an A- on resolution #2 for 2009. I could have been better, but I also could have just skipped this one altogether...and I didn't.

3) I resolve to turn off the television. Ha ha, I deserve a big fat F for this one. Not only have I been watching more television, but the quality of said tv is really, really bad. I refuse to embarrass myself by admitting exactly what it is that I've been watching, and I won't try to bullshit you by feeding you the line that some reality television shows are simplified versions of sociology and humanities experiments (see, you can learn and laugh at people all at the same time!), even though I truly feel that they are. The fact is, I'm ashamed to admit it and I've trimmed my television viewing list/schedule drastically for 2010. More books! More crafting! Hell, if I had seen this resolution through, I would have been able to give myself an A+++ for resolutions #1 and #2, simply because I would have had the time for them. Kill your television!!! Overall, I give myself a nasty, shame-filled F for resolution #3 in 2009.

4) I resolve to learn a new hobby. This one really worked for me this year. My mom taught me how to make jewelry and I'm loving it. In fact, I'm seriously considering taking an Intro to Jewelry Making class over the course of this winter, just to learn the basics and brush up on my welding/soldering/filing skills. Money is the only obstacle, of course, but I'm working on it. Aside from the jewelry stuff, I've worked a bit on my quilting skills and am still slowly learning the ins and outs of my camera. Kate promised to teach me how to knit while she's home with the baby. I want my mom to teach me how to make crocheted cardigan sweaters like the ones she sells at the shop (I want to make them in adult sizes). I'd love to learn how to make soap and cheese, too. If you know of any classes on either of these things in the area, please share the knowledge! Overall, I give myself an A for resolution #4 in 2009. Hopefully it will be more like an A+ in 2010.

5) I resolve to spend more time with my family. Totally dropped the ball on this one. I see my immediate family pretty often. I've seen my sister more this year than in years past, not only because of the kids, but because of the incident with Jeremie being sick and all. I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't really gone out of my way to get together with certain family members that I really should reach out to. But, I did see my aunt, uncle and cousin in Florida this fall, and made a point to spend time with my grandmother to learn how to make her pierogis and her famous Thanksgiving stuffing. I really plan to work on this resolution in 2010. I'm also planning to spend more time with friends, too. We all agree that we should get together more, and we're going to make this happen. For real. Overall, I give myself a C for resolution #5 in 2009. Yeah, I suck.

6) I resolve to become more involved with charity. Again, could have been better, but could have been much, much worse! The obvious one here was the fundraiser for my sister and her family. This was a lot of work put out there on behalf of a lot of people and we all pulled it off. Amazing. I've been doing the Kiva thing for a few years now and that's working out well. I sponsored three different people in 2009, two for business capital and one for a personal loan. I love this organization. If you're looking to try something new in 2010, check them out! $25 can totally turn someones life around. AND, you get the money back. Aside from the fundraiser and Kiva, I've made a ton of donations through the shop. I won't list them all here, but 2009 saw thirteen different charities receive donations through The Paper Sparrow. Hopefully I can do more in 2010. Overall, I give myself a B for resolution #6 in 2009.

7) I resolve to start up movie day again. FAIL. Big time fail. I think the only way this is going to happen again is if Randi and Keith move home and Randi does this with me weekly. Mondays really mean nothing more to me than the opportunity to be a complete and total slacker, and driving to Albany always seems like a bad idea when it's time to get in the car and head to The Spectrum. A big fat F for me on this one too. We'll see about 2010.

8) I resolve to clean out the clutter in my life. Eh, we've done so-so with this one this year. A few different floods in our basement forced us to purge a lot of crap down there, but there's still a ton left over. I see this as something that shouldn't take a lot of time...just the will to do it. Maybe one of these days I'll just go ahead and do it. But unfortunately, 2009 just wasn't the year for it. I'll give myself a D- for this one with the hope that it'll happen in 2010. It certainly needs to.

9) Get rich. Grade = F. And that's all there is to say about that.

So that's that. I guess I can work on these same resolutions in the coming year. I don't really have any to add. What are your plans???

Here's hoping you all have a safe celebration on the 31st. And here's to a prosperous and healthy year ahead! Happy New Year!!!