Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has a fantastic year in 2006. I'm really looking forward to this year. 2005 was a good year - nothing too terrible happened for me, unlike many, many other people in this world, so I feel very fortunate.

I always make one very specific, obtainable resolution each year. I make it specific and obtainable so that I can feel a sense of accomplishment and will actually make an effort to stick to it. And if I do, I make a nice improvement in my life. My resolution for 2006 is to track how I spend all of my money in 2006. I created a budget for myself about 10 years ago, but I haven't even tried to stick to it in a long time. This year I'm going to enter my expenditures into my budget spreadsheet. I may not be able to stick to the budget, but I think if I can see how over-budget I am in some categories, I might think twice before whipping out the credit card.

While I still had free reign, I did visit a couple of yarn stores. On the way back from Sioux Falls I stopped by Mary Lue's Yarn and Quilts. It was my first stop at the shop, although I've bought things from them at the State Fair many times. They carry a lot of sheepy gift items, so it's a fun shop. I bought a new pair of fleece-lined slippers (this time in pink!) and a beaded knitting kit:



I also picked up Elsebeth Lavold Designer's Choice Book Six. I haven't liked the last couple of books in the series, but this one matches my taste well.

I visited Bear North Knitting in Calhoun Square yesterday and couldn't resist this luscious yarn:



It's so hard to capture red, but this is a gorgeous color. And it's amazing soft. It'll be a real treat to knit up.

All of the holiday celebrations are done now. It was a really nice holiday season. I managed to keep from getting too stressed out. I cut out the baking and only one person mentioned it, so I guess I probably won't bake for the holidays any more. I'll just bake during the rest of the winter when it's not so busy. I was really busy with the rest of the prep, but it didn't get too difficult. I hit the wall on wrapping and ended up using a lot of pretty boxes and bags toward the end. I received a lot of really nice gifts - I'm very lucky! I tried out the FoodSaver my dad gave me last night and LOVED it! So cool! I almost don't want to eat the leftovers I sealed up so I can see how long they last. Almost. I also received some lovely knitting related gifts from Kerry. I LOVE this bag:



I love the colors! I love the stripiness! I love the sheen of the silk! I love the handles! It's awesome!! Finbar likes it too, as you can see. Kerry also tucked these goodies inside:



They're awesome hand-crafted lotions and soaps. I tried the peppermint foot lotion last night and liked it a lot - thanks, Kerry! As you can see, I also got a very cute addition to my tape measure collection - such cuteness! In case you can't tell, the picture on the little ball is a cell phone!

And now it's time to look to the future. I've decided to join the Aran Knit Along from the Aran List. I'm going to use this Galway that I've had in stash for a long time - in fact, this yarn was the beginning of my stash. Before I bought this (and some other yarn at a sale at Bank's Salvage Store), I only bought yarn for one project at a time. Oh, the road I headed down when I bought this yarn!