2012 Goals

1. Exercise Regularly - Last year I said I would run and I'll do some of that, but I want to keep to broad this year.

2. Read 1 Book a Month - This should not be hard as I love reading!

3. More Variety with Dinner - I have been cooking a lot more, but it's pretty much the same thing week after week. I need to change it up!

4. Continue to Pay Down Debt - We made a dent this past year, but now that we are done with moving expenses and living in a less expensive place we can knock a ton more out this year! We want to be looking at houses this time next year, so we need to pay down debt and save for a down payment.

5. Finish Sewing Projects & Complete New Projects - I've got several projects I need to finish. I need to get my butt in gear. I also want to work on new projects. I should start now since Ella Bean is going to need new dresses for the summer and Lord knows I have the fabric sitting around!

6. Budget - Gaaa... I am terrible with this, but NEED to do it.

Ok dokey, that's what I have for the coming year!

And since my kids are cute:

Playing dress-up. Ella said they were going to a dog show. 

2011 Resolution Re-Cap: How Did I Do?

Let's see... her goes nothing!

1. I will run a 5K.(It's in April, perhaps I'll do more after the April run.)

Hmm... this did not happen. After baby #3 is born I need to get to the point where I enjoy running again. I didn't get there this year. A huge factor was Philip moved back to Minnesota to start his new job in February, making it hard to find time to run. (The girls and I stayed in NC until June.) I will work on this!

2. I will finish my parent's quilt, Aiden's quilt, Hannah's quilt, and Sean's quilt. (The last three are baby quilts, they should not take a ton of time. I just need to finish them!)

Let's see... I didn't finish quilts like I had planned. I did start and finish a special quilt, that I will blog about later. I did do LOTS of sewing before I got pregnant. So I hope to get back on the band wagan.

3. I will make crafts/sewing projects using up-cycled materials and fabric I already have in my massive stash.

I did some of this! I made Bean a cute backpack out of Philip's old sweater. I also did rags out of old towels. (I know, super exciting, right?!) I used fabric from my stash to make several baby doll outfits and some PJ pants for the girls.

4. I will make and stick to a household budget.

This is a thorn in my side. We are working on it.

5. I will pay down debt.

My Visa is paid off! We are working on Philip's credit cards and the car payments. We will pay off one of the cars and one of Philip's credit cards in the next several months. Philip's student loans are huge. We will continue to work on those, but in the end, he makes a TON more money they he would ever make without the education he received and he is happy and contributing to society. It's worth it. My student loans were forgiven as part of the Teacher Federal Loan Forgiveness Program. That was a very exciting day!

6. I will read at least 1 book a month.

I did a ton of reading! I wish I could remember all of the books. But here is a partial list:

1. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (Not as grand as his other books.) 

2. A Love That Multiplies by The Duggar's (I was curious and it was actually pretty interesting reading eve if I didn't agree with several things. There were several things I do with my kids that they also find very important.)

3. Growing Up Amish By Ira Wagler (Interesting look at what it's like to be Amish. Not a life changing book.)

4. Bossy Pants by Tina Fay (HILARIOUS! I have read it three times and laugh out loud every time. I love her and want her to be my best friend.) 

5. Stolen Innocence by Lisa Pulitzer and Elissa Wall (A really great book about a woman's experience growing up in the FLDS Church.)

6. It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy by Laurie Notaro (It was a light, fun read.) 

7. You Don't Sweat Much for a Fat Girl: Observations on Life from the Shallow End of the Pool by Celia Rivenbark (Pretty darn funny read! She is a good writer. She makes it feel like she's sitting down and talking to you.) 

8. Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Shank: And Others Bits of Delicate Southern Wisdom by Celia Rivenbark. (Also hilarious. This book is what prompted me to read #7.) 

9. We're Just Like You, Only Prettier: Confessions of a Tarnished Southern Bell by Celia Rivenbark. (Again, very funny and well written!) 

10. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Great book and pretty darn good movie as well.) 

11. Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from teh Front Line of the New Girly Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein (A MUST read for all moms and dads of girls. Heck a must read for everyone!) 

12. Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook by Matt Dunn (A dating drama book from a guys perspective. It was ok. Not life changing.) 

13. Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesto by Ina May Gaskin (GREAT read for all women. I also got to hear Ina May speak this fall. It was fantastic.) 

14. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin (Throw away/recycle What to Expect When Your Expecting. Don't donate it to the Goodwill because then some other mom will have to read it! And get Ina May's book. It's what every expecting mom needs to read. Ok, I'll step off my soap box now.) 

7. I will go on "date" nights with my husband at least every other month. (Thanks to babysitting exchanges with friends.)

Hmm... not so many date nights. It didn't help that Philip was in Minnesota and I was in North Carolina for several months. Philip's dad did give us restaurant gift cards for Christmas. We will have to get out and use them.

8. I will learn how to knit or crochet.

Nope, I didn't. But Philip is learning to knit! Does that count? So far he has knit a very cute little blanket for Ella's kitty cat.

9. I will cook more healthy meals for my family.

I have been cooking. Which is pretty exciting. Although I need more variety in my life! Gotta' work on that.

10. I will LOVE my time with my family. (This won't be so hard most days... but somedays Ella Bean can give me a run for my money!)

I've gotten more time with my family since June since I am staying home with the girls now. It's pretty grand.


Ok, that is the recap. Now to look at 2012 Goals! :)

Why I've Been Absent...

So this is why I've been absent from blogging for several months! Baby GIRL Holleran #3 is due to arrive at the end of May. We are all very excited. Right now I am rather excited that I am finally starting to feel better. This is HUGE since I have felt nauseous and crummy for months. The things we go through for our kids!

I have a great group of midwives. There are three of them and I really like all three. While I was really excited to deliver at the Health Foundations Birthing Center in St. Paul we decided against that and I will deliver at the Birthing Center here in Shakopee. They are very natural birth friendly and I can have the water birth I really want. Mostly, they are very close to home. It's only about a 5 minute drive.

So that's why I've been slacking in the blogging department. Perhaps I'll do a better job keeping up now that I am feeling better. :)

Fun Pencil Pouch

I used this awesome tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew to make this cute pencil pouch for a special girl! She is very into owls this year and since I am also very into owls I was most excited to break out my fun owl flannel and make something special for her.

It was my first time making my own piping and that went surprisingly well. The zipper gave me a little grief, but I have come to expect that from zippers. They are trouble makers.

Enjoy Anna! I miss seeing you and your mom everyday as I do car circle.

Projects Projects & More Projects

I have been behind on blogging. Partly because I've been lazy and partly because several of my projects where wedding gifts and I could not post them until the wedding actually occurred. So here is what I've been working on:

Here is a birthday cake party dress. It includes a bonnet and undies that match. 

 I used this pattern to make Hannah the PJs she is pictured in below. It's not the world's greatest pattern. It's a little tricky to follow. 

 Hannah in her new PJs. She really likes them. She says "woof woof" when she wears them. Too cute. :) 

The entire doll outfit collection. I made two sets. One set for the North Carolina LLL Conference Silence Auction and one for the girls for Christmas. The first is an all satin princess gown with lots of fun, fancy stitching. The second is a dolphin beach outfit with a wrap around top and shorts. (It's a Cabbage Patch Kids pattern that my mom used to make clothes for my dolls!) There are two diapers. And then the cupcake party dress pictures above. They were fun but a ton of work! Doll clothing is pretty much the same as kids clothing but a million times smaller. I am done with itty bitty arms holes for a while. I hope they go for a lot at the auction and raise money for the LLL. I sure wish I could be there! 

I made this skirt for myself with the Amy Butler Barcelona Skirt Pattern. It's hard to see the layers in this picture because I have not washed it yet. But you can see them in the link. It was really fun and rather easy! I think I'll do the apron skirt next. 

I got these at a great clearance price at Target. They are kitchen towels.

I made this reversible tote bag with them! I used this tote for Ella and Pete's wedding gift. I titled it "Oh Sweet Pea." I also made a round cloth basket and towel with a sweet pea applique on it. They turned out super cute but I forgot to get a picture. Missy filled the basket with her wonderful Naked Beauty products. 

 The inside of the tote bag. I think it turned out really well. It's a great size for the Farmer's Market. I have several of the towels left so perhaps I'll make my own bag.

Ella and Pete's wedding quilt. I had grand plans of doing a fancy bed sized quilt, but life got in the way of those plans. Instead I made this simple throw quilt. It's a rag quilt made of very soft flannel. I picked the colors because they reminded me of the beautiful blue skies we backpacked under in Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska. (Both Ella and Pete attended Widjiwagan with me.) Their wedding was absolutely beautiful. I could not imagine a better celebration of their love for each other. Everything was so personalized and very Ella and Pete -ish. I also got to see many old friends from camp. It was such a blessing to celebrate with Ella and Pete and catch up with dear friends!

So those are my recent projects. Next up is a couple dressed for the girls. I purchased some really fun fabric at Jo Ann's the other day. I have Ella's dress half done. I'll finish them up tomorrow. I got a great deal on black t-shirts at Target today and I plan to do some fun Halloween applique on them. 

I am in Christmas mode as well! I've got the doll dressed for the girls done already. Their big gifts will be bean bag chairs and I can't wait to get started on those! Of course I have other special projects for friends and family as well, but I can't say what they are, because unlike my girl's they can read this blog! 

Camping

The girls and I spent the morning "camping" in the living room. Ella clearly is not a minimalist when it comes to camping. She will learn so much when she attends Widjiwagan!

Here is Ella's tent:

(Two pillows, microphone, two blankets, bear, Pinkalicious doll, several books, & pull along dog.)

Hannah's Tent:

(Finger puppet, tissue box cover, book, & small box)

Clearly Hannah is not too traumatized by her lack of "camping" supplies, as she all smiles. (On another note - It may be time for her first hair cut! She's kind of a shaggy beast!)

And Ella was happy too!

Books Reports - Catching Up!

I have been reading a ton, but I have not been reporting on my reading. So here is my quick list of books and reviews:

1. Blink-ThePower of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell - A super interesting read! Non-fiction and really intriguing book about how our minds work and make decions/come to conclusions.

2. The Tall Pines Polka by Lorna Landvik - She wrote one of my favorite books, Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons. Since reading that I have read several of her other books. This one was not as good as Angry Housewives, but much better then Welcome to the Great Mysterious. It was on par with Patty Jean's House of Curls. The characters were likable and memorable, but the story line was pretty out there. It was a good summer read.

3. Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon - Creepy book about a missing girl, but a GOOD creepy book. It will keep you up until 4 AM reading because you'll want to figure it out. And right when you think you have figured it all out it twists again.

4. Do Tampons Take Your Virginity: A Catholic Girl's Memoir by Marie Simas - Meh, it was 99 cents for my Kindle. It was recommended because I liked Tina Feys' Bossypants. It did not change my life. I am not sure it is worth 99 cents.

Currently I am reading At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. It's super interesting and I am learning a ton! I am loving it.