I document my failures a lot on this blog.  I think if I made a pie chart of topics covered on the blog it would be like this:

But today I want to talk about my success.  Not just any success – A CRAFTING SUCCESS

Word

I said it… CRAFTING SUCCESS

Being in a sorority I had to learn to make random crafts like painted ponytail holders, ribbon bulleton boards, and fancy batons.  As awesome and useful as a pi phi puff painted picture frame is, my crafting wasn’t useful.   Ultimately though, I was just average. I mean I can work my way around a glue gun, but no one would actually want what I can craft.  Since I am POOOOOORRRRR and failed a cheese artisanship I turned my Christmas gift sights to crafts.

I made this for darling Aunt B for Christmas:

Am I right ladies?  Is this not something Martha would be all over?

In actuality it is relatively (ok really) simple to make.  Simply cut felt circles, fold in half twice and stick with a straight pin.  DONE SCORE WIN SUCCESS BEST NEICE EVER

I made my other darling Aunt, Aunt Kim some sheep.

I know to say it out loud, it sounds like a lame gift, but it really isn’t.  Aunt Kim has a sheep collection. They’re soft and cute and small.  Because I’m a good niece, so I wanted to add to it.  Originally I was going to order something from Etsy.  After perusing the selection, I found some very cute felted wool sheep.  My curiosity got the better of me and I wondered what went into making felted wool so I hopped on youtube.  Granted the video I watched some lame but informative video.  All you do is taking rooving wool and stab it with a needle over and over into a shape.  Granted I stabbed myself a few times, but I didn’t get any blood on the sheep.

In an effort to hand over a box that had more than a sheep I gave them character.  I added a flower to one since Aunt Kim likes to garden and a fishing rod (with a fish dangling on the end) since Uncle Greg likes to fish.  Who doesn’t want their personality put in sheep form?

Wahhhhoooooooooooo,  Crafting is fun.  Maybe someday I’ll become a world renown crafter.

Are you suffering from the Winter blues…

NOT ANY MORE

HUMMINA…. NO WORDS

I just saw online that today’s episode of Martha is all about Yoga.  It’s like Martha and I are connected in the brain.  I can’t wait to learn what she will teach me today.  I’m suddenly very excited to have no plans tonight.

About January every year I start to fester.  My festering turns into this crazy, mind numbing seasonal depression.  I am allergic to cold (like I really am.  Ask my allergist) and get soooooooooo tired of the cold and snow and weather.  Usually by the end of January I’m basically Sylvia Plath popping my head in the oven for some relief.  I think January is extra hard for me.  In college we had a delightful thing called Winter Term.  Each January students had a special class, internship, or travel opportunity.  Each January was amazing;  I went to Greece, left for Prague, partied a little harder than I’d like to admit.  But now, it’s all over.  January comes and goes and the only thing I accomplish is putting on more weight and watch too much tv.

To keep myself from gorging on Jersey Shore this year, I decided to be proactive about my depression.  I signed up for an Intro to Yoga class at Invoke in Indy.  Wonderfully, Invoke is only a few blocks from my house which means no snowy commute.  I have been told by my trusted advisors that yoga would be great for me.  By not only giving me those much touted exercise endorphins (which I believe is just a myth Nike started to make us think we would actually LIKE working out  – MARKETING LIARS), and the relaxation stress relief to help me from keeping my head out of the oven.

I had my first class tonight.  I kept emailing Tori and asking what yogis wear and bring to class.  I put on my dance pants and put my Cartoon Network waterbottle and my yoga mat (yes I already owned one.  I can usually motivate myself to buy the needed accessories) in my BESS tote bag and set off.  I was a little intimidated seeing the people walk in and out of classes but assured myself it would be ok.

So far, I love my class.  It’s small enough I feel I’m getting the help I need, but not so small I feel I’m under a microscope.  No one really knows what they’re doing so I don’t feel like too much of an idiot.  It pushed me hard enough – I did an almost back bend.  I also got to just breathe a lot too.

Oh and guess what, I do a BEAUTIFUL upward dog.  Yeah, that’s right…. SUCK IT JANUARY.

So yeah for yoga class.

All of the sudden it hit me that the year is over.  It honestly feels like 2009 just started.  Is this a sign of me getting old?  Old people are always saying, “That year just flew by.”  When you’re young, each year crawls by and takes forever.  I always thought old people were nuts.

Jenn and I were talking about our mantra’s for 2010, and I realized it feels like just yesterday we were creating our 2009 mantra.  The one goal I set out for 2009 was to try a larger variety of places for lunch.  I think lasted about 2 weeks.  After that I fell into the old favorites – Jimmy Johns, O’Malias, IUPUI, or for a fancy day Hoaglin.  I hope I’m more successful in my 2010 amitions.

2010:  The Year I Become a Grown Up.  It’s a big goal really, it could encompass a lot of things, but it’s fluid and forgiving.  I think it’ll be a good mantra.  I’ve started this by using my Amazon.com gift card to buy a book Organizing for the right brained.  Typically, I live/work in surrounded with stuff.  A clean person (aka Mom) would cry looking at my bedroom most days.  Usually, I don’t even notice, but every once in a while something snaps in me and I get so frustrated.

I’ve always wanted to be one of those organized people.  I buy file folders and office supplies hoping it will help.  But alas, I just end up need to find a place to store all my organization stuff (usually the back of the closet or floor).

2009 was completely forgettable I think.  It had its highs and lows, but in general pretty uneventful. I’m expecting great things for 2010.  The Year of Bess!!!

Are you starting to feel stressed by the demands of the season.  Did you have a panic yesterday realizing that you didn’t know when you were finish your knitting, cranberries, laundry, packing, wrapping, office holiday party, etc?

Here is a sure-fire way to fight away those feelings:

I made a playlist called:  Makes me Happy.  Here are some songs that are guaranteed to make you feel empowered to finish your to do list and do it with some style.

Jenn and I took a hip hop dance class this fall/winter.  This class was pretty awesome, but the highlight was undoubtedly learning this dance.  It completely reignited my love for Beyonce.  That woman is FIERCE!!!  Trying to actually learn her dance moves gave me a new appreciation.  This makes me happy because it’s so awesome and empowering and just makes you want to shimmy.

During the height of my Beyonce/Ego obsession I had to add in Get Bodied because it’s IMPOSSIBLE not to shake along.  I appreciate any song (except the cha cha slide) that gives me dance instructions in the middle of the song

Glee has been my jam since the show aired.  I love it, and especially the musical numbers.  Lea Michele, who plays Rachel, is so phenomenal.  Ps for those of you that don’t know, she was the female lead in Spring Awakening!  Last night we had our office Holiday party and I was cleaning after people left.  I hooked up my iphone to the stereo put on this song and I honestly was loving cleaning.  That was until our President walks into the kitchen as I’m singing along to this song and I realize that I was not alone.  Opps.  But whatever this song deserves to be sung loudly!

and if you’re talking Rain on My Parade you better give props to Babs

Now, I realize that this song is actually about breaking up and stuff, but it’s still delightful and funky.  Also, the video is cute.  WATCH IT!

I hope you can watch/listen to these tunes and have the umph you need to complete your Christmas lists.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all!

My new favorite activity is going to Fresh Market.  In case you don’t have one in your neck of the woods, I’m sorry.  Fresh Market is a heavenly grocery store on 54th and College.

See, Isn't it cute?

I hate to even call it a grocery store, because it is so much more.  It is my happy place.

I’ve created a new ritual of going to Fresh Market after church on Sundays,  and it just might be my favorite thing I do in a week.  You walk along beautiful hard wood floors.  Right now, it smells like warm Christmas the sec those automatic doors swing open.  Lovely classical music provides the accompaniment to the selecting-the-ripe-avocado-waltz.  Do I sound a little hyperbolic?  Ok, probably a little, but shut up you can’t judge me for what I love.

On more than a few occasions, I’ve gone to the store after having a bit of a rough day and all my troubles are forgotten by the time I leave.

It’s not only the experience, but it’s the products.  OY!  There are times when I only go in to buy a nice ripe avocado and I come home sea scallops, 3 different kinds of cheeses and pomegranate balsamic vinegar (true story and the pomegranate balsamic is the bomb.com).

When I am there shopping, it is clear that I don’t belong.  I walk in disheveled (because let’s be honest, I’m always disheveled) wearing my red coat that now has 2 buttons missing.  The other people in the store are older, wealthier foodies.  Jenn described it going in there and immediately thinking about her tennis lesson.  Jenn doesn’t play tennis.  Everyone there just seems like they’d have a tennis lesson they should be attending.  You can tell the few children in the store are on there way to private oboe lessons.

I used to think that I could never feel satisfied in a life where I stayed at home and didn’t have job.  Well, if I could be a housewife and just run errands to Fresh Market, I would gladly retire tomorrow.

A few things I would like to see in my Christmas Stocking this year:

1)  Cheese of the Month Club

2)  A Newfoundland puppy named Louisa May Alcott

3) a Fenced in yard in winter so I don’t have to go out into the cold with Louisa May Alcott

Insert Louisa May Alcott instead of those little girly dogs

4) The entire home collection in Anthropologie

5) Truffle Oil – just so I can taste it to see what all the fuss is about

6) A dinner with Chef Tom Colicchio

I am a Wiz at Paint

7) The new Channel green nail polish color from the Fall runways

I have more practical wishes that I’ve already passed on the people but these are for those of you who I haven’t given my list to.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

See world – I did it just right, but still no cheese

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/cheese/make-your-own-goat-cheese–104460