Looking Forward to 2011

Well, here we are. 
Another brilliant, sunny day...Jackie and Charley cavorting out in the back yard, with Buck looking on in disgusted fashion. ("Those whippersnappers!") Jack's much better, but yours truly has a snuffly, achy case of the flu. Husband is nursing something, too. And wouldn't you know it -- Mom and cousin Joy are due in from the airport tomorrow.

And here are our plans for 2011:


*Go back to saving -- and pay off the hospital bills from Husband's illness steadily
*Get a luxury now and then -- but buy it on sale. Like the Warehouse deals currently going on at Amazon -- Terra's exotic veggie chips are a case in point. Crunchy, tasty, low-calorie...and at this price, they're actually reasonable. Or extending my subscription to ReadyMade magazine -- the most creative how-to projects mag in the world -- for just $6.99.
*Keep on following the good stuff in TV -- like "V" (I wallowed by re-watching the original series when it recently showed on SyFy). This series is an excellent reminder not to believe everything you're told, with no research or reason.
      We really like shows that make you think, especially when they have historical ties ( Warehouse 13, for example) or force you to watch for clues. (Like The Mentalist.)
*Start planning for the next Panama trip -- this time, a multi-week gig to learn Spanish better, and live with a local family.
*Exercise more. We both need this -- big-time.
*Step back from some of our 'regular' commitments -- a once-in-a-while break would mean all the world, at this point.
*Finish up some home renovations. Glass tile for the kitchen countertop splash area. (Got it, just need to install it.) Floor tile for the kitchen/living room and bathrooms. Replace several windows, and paint several rooms. Replace the garage doors.
*Grow a much larger garden this year. Beans, squash -- anything I can put up for the seasons to come. It would help in the exercise department, too.

And business goals? Keep up with teaching, appraising and judging. Revamp and update all of the inventory, so we know to a straw what we've got. Write more articles. Finish up the Hanky Panky sequel for once and all -- and put in a heavy dose of work on the history of scrap quilting I've been researching on.

   There's still plenty of stuff to be concerned about. But life does go on -- and it has such promise waiting for this new year! We've got our faith, our health, our family and brainpower; it's enough to keep going.