About my lack of a post today...

I have this whole post written about Milton and how he likes to chase the dust broom.

It includes a video that has been processing since 1:30 this afternoon. Nine hours. It's longer than my usual video, so I'm going to give it until I go to bed tonight and if it doesn't work I'll be re-filming because Milton is always up for attacking the broom.

Also, I completely flaked on part of my new year's resolution today. If you look to your left at my book list you'll see that it grew by three. I had lunch with my mom and grandmother today and while I was waiting on them I stopped at the bookstore. Big mistake! Their clearance stack had recently been replenished and I just couldn't pass up the three and four dollar price tags. I got all three books for ten bucks. No book lover would fault me for that.

Happy Wednesday! (What's left of it)

The plague I mean, resolutions...

So how is 2010 looking so far to all of you?

I certainly hope everyone has avoided disaster to this point - especially since it's only the first day.

We're just getting started.

Anyone care to share their resolutions with me? Losing weight? Building muscle? Cleaning out your closet? Saving money?

Can you tell I'm stalling?

Making resolutions has never really been something I've done. Mostly because I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure, and that's no way to start out the new year. Am I right?

Last year I resolved to be grateful for something every day. More specifically I joined in on 365 days of grace in small things where the challenge is to blog daily about 5 things you are grateful for. This is something that has had a profound effect of my life this last year; something I will talk about a bit more later in the month. I did manage to stick with it, but a few things got in my way and my 365 posts will not be done until January 19th.

Given the success of this 365 day resolution I've decided to do another. I'm jumping on the bandwagon with a fellow blogger and attempting to do Project 365 which challenges you to take at least one photo a day for a year. That doesn't sound too difficult does it? One would think not, but I can see how, on those boring days, it might take some creativity to take a different photo than the one you took the day before.

Right now I have a second blog dedicated to my current 365 challenge. I haven't yet decided if I will continue using it as a 365 blog or if I'll let it stand as a gratitude blog and post my Project 365 photos here. I'm undecided, but I won't be posting daily for this project. I will definitley take a photo every day, but there might just be one post a week dedicated to the project. It will make life easier for me and hopefully keep this photo thing from seeming like a chore.

Either way, I'll post my first photo by the end of today. Stay tuned.

On to resolution number 2.

Did I just say 2? I'm pretty sure I did. Holy cow!

I am an avid reader. Reading is sexy and all that jazz.

As hobbies go this is my favorite and certainly the longest running.

I don't do book reviews on here because I'm bad at them. I have a hard time keeping it short and sweet and not spoiling things. Just ask my English lit professor that asked me to write a four page paper synopsizing Emma by Jane Austen. My paper was at least double that.

Another love if mine is bookstores and new book smell. This can sometimes be a problem. Which brings me to my next resolution.

For a few years now I've been collecting books on my shelf that I either a) mean to read, b) start to read but don't finish or c) receive as gifts and don't get around to.

So, I am resolving to read all the book in my "to be read" pile before I allow myself to buy another book. Gasp!

Let me add a disclaimer to this: I will never refuse a book as a gift. Just in case you were wondering.

I gathered up all my unread or half read books to take a photo and document the beginning of my challenge. The size of my pile was much larger than I had anticipated.


There are four compilations books, so in all I have 32 books to read before I set foot in make a purchase at a bookstore.

Here is the list, in no particular order:

The Devil Wears Prada, Weisberger
The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Decorum, Izzo & Marsh
The Host, Meyer
Atonement, McEwan
The Jungle, Sinclair
The Yada Yada Prayer Group, Jackson
French Women Don't Get Fat, Guiliano
Moll Flanders, Defoe
Son of a Witch, Maguire
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Rowling
The Choice, Sparks
Saving Graces, Edwards
Little Women, Alcott
The Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis
*The Magician's Nephew
*The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
The Complete Novels, Austen
Sense and Sensibility
**Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
**Emma
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion
Lady Susan
Three Plums in one, Evanovich
One For the Money
Two For the Dough
Three to Get Deadly
More Plums in one, Evanovich
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
An Echo in the Bone, Gabaldon (not pictured)

*I have read these already, but plan to read them again.
**I have read these already and probably won't read them again. Not right now anyway.

The last book by Diana Gabaldon is the most recent one from the Outlander series which my mother-in-law and I have been reading together. I do not own the book, but she does and as it has already been purchased I'm including it on my "to be read" list. And if you've read the Outlander series you can't possibly expect me to read all these other books before I read An Echo in the Bone. I mean, let's get real here.

Wish me luck. I might even attempt a review or two, but I'm not promising anything.

The resolution

How has this new year been to you all so far? I can't complain. I've had a busy, tiring day, but I did manage to prove someone wrong today and I do so enjoy being right. (By the way, don't ever tell me I can't install a doorknob because I'm a girl. You might find yourself eating crow and being forced to face my awesomeness every time you open the door with that knob. But, that's another story, for another day.)

Last night was blissfully laid back. I could spend every New Years Eve like the one last night. I lounged in my pajamas drinking cocktails and watching When Harry Met Sally. Then Andy and I opened the curtains to our big picture window and watched the fireworks display on the ski slope while Dick Clark counted down to the new year in the background. I couldn't have asked for a better night. It was perfect.

I've been swishing around the idea of a resolution in my head today. I'm not big on resolutions. I feel like new years resolutions are a plot to make people force unpleasant things on themselves. Carrying out a resolution is usually difficult and causes unnecessary stress when you don't hold up your end of the bargain. I think if you resolve to do something it should be spontaneous and not forced upon you by society's standards. Why don't we have half year resolutions? Why do we always have to make them on January 1? Also, if you do manage to stick to this promise you make shouldn't you get something out of it? Shouldn't there be some kind of gratification to go along with all the self sacrifice? As you can see, I haven't gotten very far in convincing myself to make a resolution.

Then I found this, or rather it was pointed out to me by Whoorl. What a great idea! After having gratitude month in November I felt so blessed to be me. It has kind of stuck with me all the month of December and for once the grass hasn't been greener somewhere else. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of things I'd still like to see/do/experience in the future, but I've managed to not dwell on the whens and focus more on the nows. So I'm going to jump on the bandwagon. I'm making a resolution. For 365 days I'm going to find five things every day that I'm grateful for and I'm going to post them. It's possible that I'll make another blog to post them in, just so I don't clutter this one up too much, but I'll keep you posted on how that develops.

Everyone else feel free to join in. You don't have to share it with the world in a blog. Go get yourself a notebook and keep it all to yourself. The point is to make you happier, not everyone else.

So here we go! Day 1:

1. Ice cold water right after I brush my teeth
2. An evening curled up on the couch with Andy
3. Flannel pajama bottoms
4. Mocha Lattes
5. Filling up my car for less than $30