What's New for 2011?

Sherrie, here, checking in with my hordes of blog readers who've been waiting with bated breath for news from ye old Holmestead.  (Insert smiley face)

I've been thinking about the things I hope to accomplish in 2011.  I even made a list of goals for the year.  I do this every January, and it's so rewarding to cross something off the list when it's been accomplished.  I have lists dating back some 35 years, and some of the things on those older lists weren't crossed off until 10-15 years later.  And some things dropped off the list because they were no longer important or relevant.  Case in point:  For several years my lists included tearing out the old disgusting carpet in my library (a sort of den with floor-to-ceiling and wall-to-wall books).  Well, last November (2010) I crossed it off the list as no longer being relevant.  I did tear out the old carpet, but by then I had decided to turn the library into a full-fledged craft room, turning it into a major renovation.

This year's list is smaller than normal, probably due to my current physical limitations.  (Can you spell "bum leg" boys and girls?)  However, even though my 2011 list is slightly smaller, it has some dauntingly huge items on it.  Such as finishing work on the library-cum-craft-room.  And gutting the laundry room to replace the floor and subfloor.  Then tear up the old flooring in the spare bedroom and replacing it with linoleum/vinyl.  Installing new windows, a room at a time, as funds permit.

So there you have it.  a glimpse into some of my plans for 2011.  Am I the only one who does New Year's resolutions, or are there a few relics out there who still do it?

12 Things About Me

I first found this exercise on Susan Wiggs's blog, The View From Here. I love her blog! Anyway, she talked about how on Facebook there's a program where you list 25 things about yourself, and send it to friends, who then list 25 things about themselves.

I'm always a sucker for these things, and it's one of the few (very few!) things I will pass on via e-mail. (Be forewarned--if you send me an e-mail that says to forward it to everyone in my address book, it automatically gets deleted)

But this one is fun, because it shows a side of yourself many people may not know. I don't have time to come up with 25 things about myself, however, so my list will be shorter. Without further ado, here is my list. I invite you to share 12 things about yourself!

1. I am artistic (painting, drawing, photography)
2. I am lost without my camera
3. I have a green thumb. I can make anything grow, even a seed from a store-bought grapefruit (now a 12" tree)
4. I like salty-or-sour/sweet foods
5. I love music
6. I'm a good marksman with a slingshot and a BB rifle
7. I was first published at age 11 when my poem was printed in my school district's teachers newsletter
8. I have no patience with companies that hire customer service people whose first language is NOT English, and who don't monitor the e-mails their CS people send out. How am I to know that when a CS person's e-mail says to click on the Lens Image that they mean the magnifying glass?
9. I secretly hate people who drive Hummers and other huge gas guzzling status symbols
10. I'm forgetful, and sometimes it's embarrassing, like going to the grocery store with a row of clothespins clipped to the hem of my sweatshirt from hanging up laundry. Or turning on the water in the shower and then forgetting to take a shower. Clue: no hot water.
11. I sometimes wear my tennies without socks
12. I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell and can tell when friends need to empty the garbage under the kitchen sink or when they are wearing musty-smelling clothes. As a result, I rinse food particles off everything before putting it in the garbage.

Okay, your turn. If you can't come up with 12, that's okay. Just list the weirdest. *g*