And A Happy Gnew Year

Well friends, I had hoped to include the gnome template in this post for those of you who might have gnomes on the brain like I do right now, but alas, my lack of computer savvy has impeded my good intentions. Still waiting to figure out the PDF conversion business. In the meantime, here is a picture that you can feel free to copy and print.

I have a lot of things to figure out this year, like how to put together the "gnitting" bag I've designed in my head. How to knit a cable. How to use Library Thing to catalog the books we've read. How to avoid late fees at the library.

In years past, my New Year's resolutions would have also included "get more organized", but I had an epiphany the other day when I looked down at my craft table and saw this:



Note the caption there in the middle of the Sunset magazine I have yet to read because it has been buried since November: 3 Great Ways To Lose The Clutter. As I was typing the last line, I accidentally typed "love" instead of "lose", but that is the perfect Freudian slip, for I have decided to love, accept and embrace our clutter. Not that I plan to let it out of control, but I plan to perceive the clutter we create as part of the lifestyle we've chosen. We are a project-based family with lots of interests, ideas and pursuits, which often result in messes. This year, let us bless our mess and celebrate our creativity.

Also on my to-do list this year:

-Keeping a family journal (so we can write down those funny moments like Aidan telling Avery her favorite color was the color of poop; or the day mommy was sad because a woman striving to make her world a better place was assassinated on the other side of the globe; or the day we did the happy dance because the car finally passed smog after replacing a $30 gas cap)

-Writing letters to family and friends (a means of communication which I love but at which I am not so good; perhaps I will manage to send out a few letters a month - if I have your address, keep an eye on your mailbox)

-Taking and posting at least one picture a day to capture everyday family moments (I hope to post these as a set of Flickr, but also perhaps on the side bar of my blog)

-Figure out why the "T" key on my laptop is working sporadically (I never knew how much I use the letter T or how many words mean something completely different when you leave it out)

So far, that's it for my list. A few worthy goals; and now that I've shared them, I might be more inclined to follow through with a couple. Cheers to a new year, a new calendar, and a new lease on life. May we all be happy, healthy and here for the next.