Happy New Year to you, my dear micro collection of readers! I hope you spent your holiday weekend in a manner befitting your style of celebration, be it resting and refocussing or nursing a series of hangovers. We’ve had a social whirlwind of a week which, though immensely fun and joyful, has left us eager to embrace our three week chicken sitting assignment at my parent’s house where we will will endeavor to lead the social lives of hermits. My parents will be enjoying retirement in Hawaii, and I will be spending my days attempting to create in the company of four chickens and a very cranky old blind and deaf toy poodle.

Anyway, as we farewell one year and welcome another, I decided my post today would be a small reflection on the year that has passed. I found this year in review survey at sundrymourning.com and decided that I would use it too. I typed it up New Years Day. Here it is:

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

I started my own business!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


After numerous years of making and failing to keep resolutions, I don’t make them any more. That way when I make and reach goals throughout the year, I really astonish myself (mostly because it rarely happens).

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?


I have a lovely new little second cousin, Alec Brown. I haven’t met him yet, but according to his pictures on Facebook he is abnormally cute and smiley and capable of sucking on his own toes.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

I do not remember. Hopefully that’s a good sign…?

5. What countries did you visit?

This one! Ryan and I took a road trip up north to see the fall colors. Weather made for a rough trip, and there were no colors but brown and green to see, but we did visit states we’d never seen before.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

A genie in a lamp. I won’t hold my breath.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Please, the only reason I know what date it is today is because yesterday I was at a New Years Eve party which can only mean that today is January first.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


Launching a business selling handmade products that people actually seem to want! I’ve seen many forum posts on Etsy from folks still waiting for their first sale a YEAR after they opened their shop. I’m currently sitting pretty at 61 sales and feel very confident that I’ll reach 100 by my shop’s one year anniversary at the end of April. I’m a lucky, grateful girl.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I can’t think of big ones, only tiny ones like not being a great communicator when trying to stay in touch with friends, and so on. Besides, I hate dwelling on negatives. I hereby declare this question to be dumb.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

The usual number of colds, but nothing dreadful, thankfully.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I bought a terrific pair of earrings for $8 at a fair trade shop I frequent in Bethany, DE called Made By Hand. I wear them all the time.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Dresses. Oh how I hate to love you, Modcloth!! And curse you for adding free shipping as an extra incentive! Sometimes the only thing standing between my poor wallet and a dress was my refusal to pay the $7 flat rate shipping fee. I have told Ryan that if I even mention the word “dress” he needs to hide my money pronto.

13. What did you get really excited about?

I got really excited about our road trip and was so let down by the weather and getting sick. It rained 7 out of the ten days we were on the road, there were no fall colors to be seen anywhere, and we both picked up horrible incapacitating colds less that halfway through the trip. However, it was a good exercise in “looking on the bright side” and we did make some great memories. Ryan, however, claims to be scarred for life and has declared that it was our first and last road trip ever.

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Pumped Up Kicks, by Foster the People.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:


– happier or sadder? Happier, and how.
– thinner or fatter?  The same.
– richer or poorer?  Poorer in wealth but richer in happiness.

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?


I wish I’d done more reading. I’m pretty sure I only read one book. Maybe two, but at this moment I can’t recall what the second one was, or if I read it. I also wish we’d done more socializing. Ryan and I tend to be homebodies, but not proud ones.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?


I would like to reclaim at least 50% of the hours I spent staring at this computer screen because less than half of that time was productive or informative. I also wish I’d bought fewer dresses…

18. How did you spend Christmas?

With my tiny family and micro-flock of chickens.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

We do not watch TV. Except for football. Since that’s the only option here I guess it wins by default, despite the fact that I only watch it because Ryan watches it.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

Waaaah. I only read one that I can remember and I didn’t even like it. It was Death Comes to Pemberley, by P. D. James. I’m a sucker for Pride and Prejudice sequels and many are very enjoyable. This was not one of them.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?


Sooooo many good ones! Here, I’ll list my favorites albums:

Torches, by Foster the People

Megalithic Symphony, by AWOLNATION

Signs & Signifiers, by JD McPherson

Barton Hollow, by The Civil Wars

My Head Is An Animal, by Of Monsters and Men

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

Meh. Nothing is standing out to me right now.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I have absolutely no memory of what I did on my birthday, it was almost a year ago. It probably involved going out to dinner. I turned 27.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

10 minutes every day to hold a puppy. No better therapy exists.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

I’m into dresses this year, if you haven’t noticed.

26. What kept you sane?

This question is making the erroneous assumption that I am in fact sane in my natural state. I’m happy to report that despite the odd mis-step into sanity, I remain very much insane.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.


I may have the right to the pursuit of happiness, but it’s up to me to do the pursuing.