Out with the old. In with the new!

Every stinking time I have tried to write a "year in review" post, I just end up sounding like a major goober. So, in keeping with my love of lists, here are some of the highlights (although one might consider a few of them lowlights) from the last 365ish days.

2011: Revisited

• In January we said good-bye to Mum. She was one of the best grandmothers anyone could have asked for. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about her, but I know she is in a better place. It still doesn't making missing her any easier though.
• I managed to knock off a few items from the bucket list, which is awesome. 
• FINALLY made the commitment to myself to go vegetarian. I have never felt this good in my lift and can't wait to take the next stop into veganism.
• Attended some amazing concerts with friends.
• Met some new, awesome people who have become friends. 
• Found Dela.
• Renewed my passion for writing, even if I'm not terribly good at it.
• Met two of my favorite authors, David Sedaris and Chuck Klosterman.
• Learned how to be alone. 

Things I pondered this week when I should have been doing other stuff

• Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a very weak toddler....All. Day. Long.
• It would be quite foolish of me to attempt another 365 photography project (in 2011, I started and stopped 3 seperate times), especially if I am going to do two 52 weeks projects--one on my food blog and one here. I mean honestly, it really would be biting off more than I could chew for 2012. Right?!
• This weekend I am going to tackle my backroom a.k.a. home office a.k.a. soon-to-be craft room. I'm going to organize the shit out of that room. I've got a lot of ideas and need space to work!
• Green living--cliche, but necessary. This kind of goes hand in hand with the whole vegan thing (can you believe that someone actually called me a crazy hippy last week?!), but it really makes sense for me to make the move to using as many natural, homemade products as possible. I've compiled a whole list of things to make, one of which just happens to be for tomorrows blog post!
• Speaking of veganism, my new cook book arrived this week and is packed full of delicious looking recipes! I'm really excited about the mac & cheeze recipe. I can't wait to try it out this week.

Bird Nest Necklace

One of my non-New Year Resolution is to be a little more frugal with my money, which means having to cut back on buying all the pretty things that Etsy has to offer.

Over the past few months, I have seen a number of variations of the bird nest necklace pop up on Etsy and thought they were really cute. And then earlier this week a friend posted a pin on Pinterest (I'm sure you're all shocked to read that Pinterest is involved in this project) on how to one of these necklaces. It seemed simple enough, so I decided to give it a try.

I have to admit that I underestimated how annoying working with wire can be (or it could be that I shouldn't attempt to make things at 10 o'clock at night), but for my first time out, I'm pretty happy with my pendant. And I only wounded myself once so that's a major miracle in itself, but I digress. I think with a little practice and possibly some bigger beads, this is going to be a project I am really going to love and can see myself making over and over.

Here is a link to Sara Ortega's website and the tutorial for the necklace: DIY Bird Nest Necklace

Happy crafting!

Read All About It

Since we are a mere 4 days away from the start of the new year, I thought it would be an appropriate time to start my list of books to read in 2012. It's quite the random collection of subjects and themes, but I like to keep things interesting. The ever growing and changing list can be found here: Reading List 2012. I'll be updating it as the year progresses with new books I've either stumbled upon or that friends have suggested I read, but for now, here is the short list:

• Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: Funny thing about this one is that until about 20 minutes ago, I kept calling it Game of Thornes, not Game of Thrones. Whoops. I have actually tried reading this book already, but maybe made it through two chapters. I have friends who have done nothing but rave about this book and the rest of the series so I am willing to give it another try. Worst case scenario is that is puts into a deep slumber (again) for a wonderful night of sleep. 
• Child Thief by Brom: The description of the book makes it sound like this might be a slightly sadistic version of Peter Pan. Not going to lie, a little freaked out by that notion but intriged enough to want to read it. 
• Reality Hunger by David Shields: I can't lie. I know absolutely nothing about this book. My pretend author boyfriend suggested it at an event I attend this fall so it's on the list. 
• Artemis Fowl Series Books 3-7 by Eoin Colfer: I read book 1, aptly named Artemis Fowl on a whim and loved it. I completely agree with one review of the book that says "The author has let his imagination run riot by combining folklore, fantasy, and a fistful of high-tech funk in an outrageously devilish book that could well do for fairies what Harry Potter has done for wizardry." 
• The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: This book keeps popping up in my Goodreads feed from friends who have read it and loved it. It's time to give it a chance myself. This is definitely a book I am looking forward to reading. 
• Dark World by Zak Bagans and Kelly Crigger: What can I say...I love ghosts, Ghosts Adventures and there is something just dorky enough about him for me to kind of love Zak Bagans. No judging allowed on this one, peanut gallery.

Music Monday: Small Town

This song sums up quite nicely how I have been feeling about life lately.