new year

Baby New Year came in like a wild child this year! I guess I ended my year with a bang too... literally, as my Jeep was hit while I was driving through a parking lot, which made the end of December a little more hectic while it was in the shop during the last few holiday shopping days. Luckily I didn't get hurt but accidents always make you a bit more leary to be on the road. We took off for Ohio to see my family the day after Christmas and somehow I managed to hurt my back by the time I got there, only to also find out that the wheel bearings on my Jeep needed to be replaced before we could drive the 8 hours back home! We were able to get it fixed and still see one of my good friends and her family while we were there and also spend time with my Dad and Stepmom. New Years Eve was a quiet family affair back home... well, sort of quiet because we broke out the Rock Band and I learned to play Bass! ;) I thankfully said good-bye to 2009 and greeted 2010 with more optimism. My Mom and Stepfather came to visit from Ohio on New Years Day and again, an eventful first day spent in the emergency room because of my Stepfather's medical condition and then being leary of any complications for the rest of their visit. You really start to appreciate good health and realize that uneventful days are very appealing! We took them to see "Avatar" and they loved it, as did we the second time around. I got to cook a lot and we said good-bye to them this morning just before Craig's whole side of the family came to celebrate Christmas together! It was nice to have the house full of kids and see everyone again. Now, for the first time in this new year, it seems very quiet and I actually am sitting here in my new studio and blogging! I promise to take photos real soon... I just need to put up a couple things on the walls (and put away a couple more boxes of stuff) and it will be ready to use!

My plans for this year are to paint and draw a lot more, continue to learn more yoga, start a real garden that I can feed my family from, get back to writing on a regular basis, remember everyone's birthdays, finish all my sewing projects, learn better French, read the stack of novels in my bedroom, keep in touch with my friends and family more often, and just be appreciative of everything good in my life.

I am excited about one thing in particular though... I signed up to be on Cook's Illustrated panel of cooks to test recipes. I hope they do choose to use me! I am having so much fun cooking lately (and my family is enjoying eating everything too!). After being so super busy with Hatch last year, I was doing everything simply in the kitchen and now I'm being creative again and it's wonderful. My Beef Tenderloin turned out perfectly... it melted in our mouths. I tried Coq Au Vin, Penne Pasta with a Tomato Vodka Sauce (both were to die for), Glazed Pork Chops with Sauerkraut and Peas with a Tarragon Sauce for good luck on New Years Day (keeping with my German heritage). Anyways, I'm rambling but I just love cooking. I'm not going to try out for the next Food Network Star or anything but I can be the star of my own kitchen (I watched that by the way, and it just inspired me more!)

So... be ready for more posts and more art. I just finished reading a little book about Camilla Engman (see my sidebar) and I could totally relate to many things she said and what inspires her. It's easy for artists to feel alone but I think we all share very similar ways of looking and relating to the world. It's a quiet, reflective and observative way of approaching our surroundings and making sense of the ways that things happen. It is also an ability to see beauty in things that are usually overlooked. I like this about me and I like this about many of my friends, and I think it's important to be sharing this way of thinking so that it makes the world a better place to live in.

So here's to a wonderful new decade and many meaningful days!