I completed my monthly missions for January! Off to a good start for completing this goal in 2012. I will continue to test winter cocktails, so they might appear from time to time, but I really love the Ginger Whiskey Sour. It is going to be hard to pull ahead of that one. I did a lot of work on our finances, but I still have some to go. And the pile of things we have to donate now is so exciting that I’ll be taking a very critical eye to the rest of my stuff between now and our eventual move.

After taking a nice break after the posting every day last month for my challenge, I’m finally back with my missions for this month. I’ll be focusing on joy.

1. Eat more dinners at our dinner table.
We always used to eat dinner at the table. But since we moved over a year ago, we’ve really degenerated more and more into eating in front of the TV. Sometimes that  works, and sometimes I feel that it is necessary to do more than one thing at once. But I have been really happy the past few times we’ve actually eaten at the table. We can make meals a bit more elaborate, and it’s certainly better for our furniture.

2. Take and send photos for a house tour for my grandparents.
I got distracted with the holidays, but I want to finish up sending my grandparents photos of our townhouse before we move out of it. Plus, the more I practice with my camera, the more comfortable I’ll feel. (At least, I hope so.)

3. Go out for drinks twice.
Such a simple thing, but it makes me feel good. And it is cheaper than going out for dinner!

(You’re welcome for the sweet, sweet jam. That’s what happens when I try to think of a post title this late in the day.)

So, here we are at the end of a full month of posting. I did this last January as well, in an attempt to harness that New Year energy into my 101 project. I think this month was more successful. Sure, some nights I was blogging before bed because I hadn’t fit it into my day yet, but the idea of blogging each day certainly kept my list in the forefront of my efforts each day. And despite the fact that I had to take a day off yesterday, I was still thinking about my list and my goals. So that seems to be a win.

When all is said and done, I’m just not as burned out on this as I was this time last year.

Although we’ve come
To the end of the road
Still I can’t let go
It’s unnatural
You belong to me
I belong to you

I wish that I had thought a bit more about what else would be going on this month in my life — travel, babies, and increased workload have been the main forces I’ve been working against. Having the self-pressure to post something each day has also forced me to spend some time doing things for myself, and I think it is a key reason that I haven’t been lazing about, feeling sorry for myself.

I’ll definitely be around more over the next month. Can’t let all this momentum go to waste!

Until then, I give you this wonderful jewel of YES.

1 – outsized earmuffs that I bought this month and should have returned but didn’t, along with stretch gloves that I don’t wear

2 – sunglasses I haven’t worn in years

3 – shoes that the lovely Katie W. gave me, but I’ve never worn and aren’t really my style (but she had double, so I don’t feel entirely guilty)

4 – tights that are too long and too bright for my taste, but would be lovely on someone else

5 – Harry Potter glasses that were awesome, but now are clutter

6 – jewelry that I won’t wear

As you can see, that’s only six things I’ve identified to donate. The seventh deserves more explanation, because it was one that I wrestled with. I’m happy with my choice, but that guilty feeling still threatens. This is my seventh item for this week:

The best friend gave me this angel as a reminder of an inside joke about how important we are to each other. I’ve had her for years, and I still like what she represents to me. But angels obviously convey a certain religious feeling to the rest of the world, so I haven’t displayed her in a long time. I’ve decided that I no longer need the reminder of the inside joke or our friendship, but I couldn’t bring myself to just donate her because of how much I have enjoyed it. So I’m going to give this to my sister, who started collecting this type of nativity scene this year. I think the angel will fit in and be more appreciated there.

I have a few more days to identify things to give away. The hubs has also been choosing some items to let go, though not on a daily basis. All in all, we have a substantial pile that will be leaving our home soon. It feels good to look at my stuff a bit more critically. I’ll be casting a hard eye around for the last few days of the month to see what I can find. Back for a glimpse of the whole stash in a few days!

See you tomorrow!

Last year, I saved money to my regular savings account but earmarked it for my unopened IRA. You can contribute to and IRA for the last calendar year before the tax deadlines, so I need to get on setting things up. I know which IRA I am going to open, and made some calls this week to clarify a few points.

I’ll be opening a Roth IRA, and converting my old 401k and employee stock option plan into my Roth IRA. But that means I’ll have to pay the taxes on my previously untaxed savings. I’ve been having some trouble getting my address changed with them,but it turns out that I should set up the IRA before requesting the rollover anyway.

So, at least I now have a plan. I still hope to open my IRA and fund it for last year this month, but time is getting low. We’ll see how that goes.

By now you’ve probably figured out that I like to research things that are happening in my life. I’ve made it a habit to look at home style and renovation blogs and magazines so that I’m prepared when we start looking to buy a house, I’ve read through two of the books I checked out for our trip to Ireland, and I’m at it again. I’ve been reading photographer blogs since I got engaged, though I’ve moved away form most of the wedding photography ones at this point. Then I started reading the blogs that gave training or tips on photography. And now I’m making my way through a stack of books I checked out from the library to help familiarize myself with my new fancy camera.

I’ve been using it a lot, but always on one of the various automatic settings. Time to learn how to do something with a little bit more skill, and hopefully more style. Especially now that my secret weapon for fixing the exposure or white balance on my learning photos is biting the dust. That’s right, Picnik is closing mid-April. While I’m excited that I’ll get to access all the features for free until that time, I’ll really miss it when it is gone. I use it all the time to make my photos a bit clearer, more like what I saw in my head. And to make the collages that I use on this blog, though I am not so worried about losing that capability.

I guess I need to pull out some wedding photos and engagement pictures and edit them while I still can!

These cocktails are very similar, so I’m presenting them at once. From the left, we have the Income Tax Cocktail and the Bronx Cocktail. I’ve made these a couple of times now. I think they are yummy, but orange juice doesn’t hit the right notes for a winter cocktail for me. Maybe they are more fending-off-winter-cold cocktails? At any rate, the recipes:

Bronx Cocktail
2 oz. gin
1 oz. orange juice
1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
1/2 oz. dry vermouth

Pour all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake, then strain into a glass.

Income Tax Cocktail
Add a dash of bitters to the Bronx Cocktail.

I prefer mine without the bitters, the hubs likes his with. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

I have been trying to take advantage of the end of season sales to order some clothes in preparation for our trip to Ireland, when we expect temperatures to range from 45° to 60°. Add in the expected rain, and I think I’m likely to be a bit chilly. So I’ve ordered some new sweaters, which I could use anyway, a few hats, some new earmuffs, and several pairs of boots for the wet days.

You know what that means… I actually have to wear skinny jeans, a look that I just don’t agree with for myself. But, as the hubs pointed out, at least I’ll be wearing a coat. That should make it a little more flattering.

At any rate, these are the boots that are currently in the running:

They are fleece lined the whole way, and I think they are passably cute. (I also bought a few pairs of Hunter rain boots, which I promptly decided I didn’t like at all.) But the upper part is very narrow — I think we’ve established by now that I don’t have large muscles anywhere, and my legs are no exception. But I have a hard time getting these over my legs. Because of that, there is a strange issue going on at the back of my ankle that I’m afraid will render these not comfortable enough for hours of walking. I’m hoping that it isn’t a problem, since these feel nice and warm.

So, anyone have other suggestions? I’m going to be wearing these around the house tomorrow to see how they feel, but I’m not sure that is enough of a test.

I’ve got my paperwork all filled out, my photo taken, and I am ready to send in my old passport to get my new one with my married name.  I just need to buy a padded envelope and write the surprisingly hefty check, and I will be in business. The hubs is also sending his in to get it renewed, since it expires a few months after our trip.

Just one more step towards our trip to Ireland. I feel like I’ve been taking lots of small steps since we booked our tickets and it became real. I’ve been reading guidebooks and checking end-of-season sales for some warm, packable sweaters and stylish rain boots. I have put books on hold at the library to help me learn more about my camera so that I can take some excellent photos while we are travelling. We still don’t know what we’ll see, but we’re starting to get a list to choose from.

Even though the trip is four months away, I think it has improved how I’m dealing with work. It has been busy lately, but now I can look forward to a definite time that I will not be dealing with work or my coworkers. It’s far enough away that I think I’ll get a lot of benefit from the  anticipation and not be so burned out when it does come time to get away. That’s what I’m hoping, at least. And we’re travelling to the land of luck, so I’ve got that going for me.