To resolve or not to resolve, that is today’s question …

Let’s face it – my track record with New Year’s resolutions is not so good. I can’t even recall my resolutions for this year, save one – to read more books. I did actually keep up with that one – at last count I think I had read and/or listened to about 30 books this year. I’m pretty pleased with that, actually, but the truth is, I suck at keeping resolutions. However, in true Quilty spirit, I am making a few resolutions this year …

1. Continue to read and/or listen to at least two books a month (I have thoroughly enjoyed this year’s resolution, so why not continue it?).

2. Sew more garments, even if they are simple. In fact, I would like to make at least one garment a month for the entire year. That will be my resolution – to make one garment a month for the year.

3. Learn to machine quilt, both on my home machine and my mother’s long-arm.

4. Take a quilting class, either online or at a LQS. I would really like to learn how to do pictorial quilts, so that’s one potential class right there!

5. Make more of an effort to eat more healthfully and exercise at least three times a week. Notice I did not say “lose weight” even though I definitely need to do that. Rather, I am going to focus on cutting down on sugar (not eliminate it all together, but I do need to cut back significantly), work harder on reducing the amount of boxed foods we eat, and work out more often. I used to be really good at all of this, then I let myself slip back into old habits and … well … here I am, making a resolution to do better.

6. Find a good full-time position with benefits.

7. Move from my lifeblood-sucking house into something more manageable and smaller – smaller payments, smaller footprint, smaller everything (except for the studio – can we make that bigger?).

8. Spend more time with my extended family – hang out with my sister (something we have NEVER done, but I’ve always wanted to do); spend time with my mom quilting; have people over to the house (wherever we may be living) for dinner parties and such.

9. Get out and shoot more photographs. Practice the craft and get better at it. Spend time with my husband, trying to teach him a bit about photography, as he has expressed an interest in learning.

I think that’s about it for the number of resolutions I can have and feel comfortable not achieving … Anything more to screw up and I might feel like a failure. :-\