Year in Review

Our week hasn't slowed down much. On Thursday, we drove back to my sister's in New Jersey to say goodbye to my parents. We ate leftovers and played Wise and Otherwise. (Where my father created an old Korean proverb, "Eating pears...is better than eating singles." He also hit it out of the park with a Cameroonian proverb about a man and his nutcracker, but we can't remember the exact words because we were laughing so hard.) Last night, my parents decided we needed to play the game again, this time with my BIL who had been at the gym the first night. He wasn't as enamored with the game, but one of his friends came over and she took to it like a duck to water giving us "Dogs and small children...like to sniff butts" which we blamed on my poor father. He, however, scored big by keeping a poker face and taking the blame! My folks are well and truly underway, but we are celebrating tonight with my sister so it's another trip out there. On Sunday we'll be back to Sunday dinner at my cousin's. Monday we are going to crash; I swear.

 Last year's goals were to

1. Find a job. I think a job found me. I've decided to throw myself into the freelance work I've been doing for the past three years. If *WHEN* I can get enough clients, I can work part time and still make more money than I did in an office. 
2. Crazy January Challenge. See Below. 9/15 Not terrible! I never really thought I would finish all of them, but it was a fun thing to have done. Especially since I never feel like I am starting new things for myself...or finishing them.
3. Work on the marquoir--finish one page (of the 22 remaining) each month.This started well but I stumbled. Maybe this will be my Olympic Stitching project for the London Olympics.
4. Finish-finish one project a month.--Things were looking kind of bleak for a while, but I caught up and stayed on it. I finished 12 projects (leaving plenty in the finishing pile). 
5. Complete one quarter of my WIPs (see below)--or four. I'm down three even though I only finished two. I'm also very close on the Bent Creek stocking.
6. Learn to crochet. I did it. I crocheted a lip for a fish. A fish lip. As you will...
7. Become proficient in Photoshop. I did look into a class. I'll do it. And soon.

CJC

1. City Stitcher, Willow Trees Sampler Completed August 25
2. Lizzie*Kate, Dog Lessons for People Completed August 17
3. Little by Little Designs, Star Light Star Bright
4. Mill Hill (Sticks), Love Me, Love My Dog
5. With Thy Needle and Thread, Hoppin' Along Sampler Completed April 16
6. Hands to Work, Love, Me Completed March
7. Sisters and Best Friends, Winter Peace Completed March 
8. Sisters and Best Friends, Button Border Pumpkins
9. Shepherd's Bush, Blue Snowman Completed August 16
10. Sheepish Designs, That Dern Parrot
11. Raise the Roof Designs, Off the Deep End
12. Just Nan, Owl Winder Pocket
13. JBW, French Country Pumpkin Completed September 2
14. Just Nan, Screamy Mimi Completed February 25
15. Cricket Collection, Frost Completed October 7

WIPS

1. Moss Creek, Elizabethan Rose
2. Heart in Hand, Monthly Mania Completed January 16
3. Heartland House, Tree of Life Window Completed November 15
4. Linda Jary, Majestic Rooster
5. Nutmeg Needle, Treasured Tulips
6. Liz Turner Diehl, 16th Century Knot Garden
7. Bent Creek, Snowman Stocking
8. Watercolor Geranium
9. Theresa Layman, Mermaid
10. Mirabilia, Emerald Mermaid
11. Corinne and Gigi, Marquoir bleu et rouge
12. Dimensions, Santa kit
13. Dimple's Designs, St. Basil's Cathedral
14. Heart's Content, Merry and Bright
15. Hardanger Napkin Rings   I got rid of these. They had some kind of stain, and I wasn't thrilled with them any more.

I finished 15 projects this year, which is about 10 off my usual. I'm not sure what I did instead of stitching. 

Thank you for stopping by my little piece of the blogiverse, double thanks to those of you who leave comments and send emails. It's always such a pleasure to correspond with you. Let's do more of that in the new year too.

Happy New Year, everyone. 

All best for a happy, healthy, stitchy 2012.