Resolutions 2025

 

These are my 2025 Resolutions.  They are designed as obtainable goals rather than nebulous pipe dreams. 

• Build our Pet Sitting Profile - this is through the website Trusted House sitters.  Basically one pays to join and then takes care of peoples homes and pets.  His Lordship and I think it is a great way to get free lodging when we go on vacation.  We, however, will limit ourselves to 1 pet households. 
• Downsize my Household - I am going to decreased excess clutter and junk I have been hanging onto just in case we ditch this country.
• Finish or downsize Halloween crafts - you know who you are. That tote in the garage.  that needs to be addressed.
• Stained glass projects - Make another bristle cone pine tree, design and make a skull with lights, add stain glass panels to a lantern, make his Lordship pikes peak with garden of the Gods. Spider web mirror (one of those Halloween crafts) and make a dragonfly panel for Lisa.
• Baby M craft projects - We are gonna make cloches, witch hats, witch jars
• Heritage Center Skeleton Craze  - Do a window display based on the Bogey Book
• Front Grade trunk or treat - Participate with a green witch theme
• Pawtober Fest - enter the dogs in the costume contest
• Cut my local driving in 1/2 by doing 1/2 my yoga classes online. 
• Use the rest of the foam in garage to make more Tombstones
• Participate in a Cronk Arts and Curiosities Moon Market
• Grow all my own plants - only buy tomatoes and peppers for the garden. 
• Finish the last of the landscape - extend xeric bed and path.
• 

Happy New Year

 

2024 New Years Resolution Outcomes

These are 2024's Resolutions - lets see how they came out.

1. learn how to bake bread

Took a class in January with 3 other folks and mastered the art of sour dough.  Then I ditched flour in June and his Lordship took over the task.  Now he is the bread baker in our house.  We have not purchased a loaf of bread all year but I don't eat it any longer.

His Lordship baked this loaf on Dec. 22.

2. learn how to decorate cookies

Nope did not happen although I tried to take some classes through the library.

 3. Make some new witch jars

Did not make a single one.

4. Make some new tombstones

Accomplished - you can see the result here.

5. Reduce my carbon emission by taking no out of state trips

Yep - did not travel out of state in 2024 at all.

6. Learn to can vegetables

Nope other than making pickled beets and cucumbers, this did not happen

7. Finish all those Halloween crafts that have been piling up for years

I managed this  and this.

8. Complete 6 stained glass projects

I completed 4 projects.  A Garden of the Gods Project, a corner web for Pumpkin Rot, a mushroom panel for Baby M's kitchen and a Christmas present for my sister.

9. Practice yoga 5 days a week

I had a yearly membership at Root and probably averaged 4 times a week

10. Refinish the staircases

We managed to remove the carpet and paint one of the two staircases.

11. Remodel downstairs bathroom

Done 

 

12. Learn to use my Christmas present from my son from last year - my Gaomon drawing tablet

Done - you can see it here

So out of the 12, I fully completed 5, partially completed 4 and completely blew off 3. That is about a 66% success rate. I know this is so boring for you readers but it keeps me honest to be accountable to you.

But I did accomplish a few other things this year.  

• I went fully whole food plant based by giving up most flour, sugar, salt, oil, processed food and alcohol. No more junk food vegan for me.  I lost 13 pounds and have kept it off since August with minimal effort.  I am now at a BMI in which my waist circumference is less than half my height, an important measure of mortality risk as seen here in this informative Nutrition Facts video. 
  
•  We landscaped the backyard.
  
•  I learned how to do mosaics and made a bunch.
• Had a fabulous spooky season in October
  

So all in all, except for the election, (which was a huge disappointment) not a bad year. 

When is that bloated orange loser gonna croak because his waist is much bigger than 1/2 his height?

Easy Candle Craft

 This little craft was a cinch but from the amount of time the materials were sitting in the basement, you would have thought it was monumental.

I acquired a pillar candle from the thrift store for a dollar.  The napkins were from the Dollar Tree.  Basically I just ironed a napkin onto a candle.  Super easy, cheap and a nice effect.  If you get wax on your iron, just iron some paper.  The wax comes right off of the iron and into the paper.

Merry Fuc@*!g Christmas

Season Greetings - here is some Christmas Joy for you. The original and very naughty video did not work out so in place of that you get the very tame and g-rated Grandog opening his present.

Nightmare Before Christmas Speakeasy

Allusion Speakeasy is hosting a Nightmare Before Christmas themed bar through the end of the month.  We checked it out last week.

 

 

The decor was good fun and the drinks were yummy.

This is the Oogie Boogie themed drink with gin.  The glowing green color and dice at the bottom of the glass were nice effects.

The food menu was a real disappointment.  During Beetlejuice, they offered a delicious Thai inspired ramen.  This time the vegan option was a cabbage salad without the cabbage (they did not have cabbage in stock).  I don't think my omnivore family was that impressed either.  Next time, we will stick to the drinks.