Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Way It Was...


I strolled through my posts from 2011 and it got me thinking of what I did and didn't accomplish, participate in, find, lose, regret, wish I'd done, happy I did, and the likes. In no particular order they are as follows...

1) The Kardashians. Why on earth did I get hooked on watching that mess of a family on TV!?!

2) I still, at age 53 3/4, do not color my hair, a claim that neither Katy Perry or Lady Gaga can make. I'm kinda proud of that.

3) There has been no more choking on food from Taco Bell, but sadly taco cravings were replaced by McDonald's cheeseburger cravings. I'm going to need serious Rehab to break that habit. Real Rehab, not Charlie Sheen Rehab, but my thighs will eventually thank me.

4) Another year and I still have yet to see a Harry Potter or Twilight movie. I think that's a good thing.

5) I watched Oprah's "final show" in 2011-- All three of them. But I have a very hard time watching her new network, OWN-- The "all self-help, all the time" channel.

6) All my "bling" is still hidden as the neighborhood robbers continue to elude four private security patrol companies and the LA Police Department. That's why I decided against bidding on Elizabeth Taylor's gems. Wink, wink.

7) My beloved Mac computer was repaired with a massive $900+ fee waived. When Steve Jobs passed away I was surprisingly sad considering I never met him and knew very little about him. It's nearly time to retire my aging laptop and when it's replaced I'll say a prayer of thanks for Steve.

8) After three weeks with 15 mouse traps of various sizes, shapes and styles, smeared with half a jar of peanut butter around my house, I'm convinced that the plumber's claim of "big poops" belonging to what I imagined to be football-sized mice, simply do not exist. Traps are empty and the house has been scoured from top to bottom without so much as a spec of additional "poops" discovered. Phew!

9) Many birthdays and a few births have been celebrated in our family. My sewing machine and I have worked overtime to keep up and that makes me happy.


10) In 2012 I hope to go to New York City and see the 9/11 Memorial. Hard to imagine that awful day was ten years ago but I continue to pray.... for all of us.

11) Spring cleaning: No. Maybe/perhaps/possibly getting to winter cleaning: Yes.

12) I helped move, schlep and paint BFF and Godson's new home. We've accomplish a great deal but still have much work to do.... As in BFF just bought a tile cutter to remodel her bathroom. Help!

13) I did not Occupy Wall Street or anything else, unless your count the above mentioned Micky D's.

14) Kate and William: High Five to the new Royals.

15) Pinterest: IN. Martha Stewart: OUT

16) $27,000 returned to Bank of America. Still no thank you.... or comment.... or anything. Just a much smaller checking account balance.

17) Our swimming pool is still in place. I check-- Every. Single. Day.

18) I need to stop slacking and blog more over HERE.

19) Possibility of a dog joining our family this year? 50/50 but inching up bit by bit.

20) Programs on my TiVo: "Good Wife", "Glee", "Gray's Anatomy", and Anderson Cooper's daytime show-- I had such high hopes for him. What a disappointment.

21) Number of nights spent in hospitals by loved ones in 2011: 67 - Translation: Too damn many.

22) Numbers of bursting buttons by proud parents in our family: Countless. Many of those moments I got to witness and that makes me happy.

23) Number of trips back home to Ohio in 2011: Eight. Many were tear-filled and sad with the passing of my sweet Step-Father but some were pure joy, like this one...


24) Number of Giveaways on this blog in 2011: Three. Another one's coming January 6th!

25) Goals for 2012 include:
-Less tears. More joy.
-Less anxiety. More meditation.
-Stop buying fabric and use up what I already have. (Which should last me til the year 2028!)
-Organize closets-- again. Then stop messing them up.
-Stay healthy or at least healthier.
-Dress up more often.
-Cut my hair and remember how much I will save on Botox if I have bangs. And no crying at the hair salon.
-Go to a different museum at least once every month.
-Move more... Preferably up hill at a fat-burning pace with weights in my hands, the wind in my hair and a butt like Pippa Middleton.

Wishing you all a wonderful , happy and healthy 2012! Thanks for all your blog love.
Welcome to www.TheFiftyFactor.com - Joanna Jenkins
Photo Credit: © Callahan - Fotolia.com

50 comments:

  1. Hey, u r alive! LOL.. Don't feel bad, I watched those dumb bimbos too.. what a waste of time...What I learned from that show, is that bimbos must be genetic... their mama was the biggest one there- physical and mental.. Now I know where Kim got her big azz...lol In fact if you noticed all of them including Rob has a big azz.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's good to see the review of your year. As usual you gave me some laughs as I looked through this. :)
    I was just looking through my last year, and one of my highlights was winning the CSN giveaway here. I use the food processor that I got from it frequently!
    Looking forward to the next year with you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So glad to 'hear' from you.

    And I LOVE the pumpkin and punkin pic!!! What a cutie!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. It sounds like you had a good, busy, rewarding and emotional year. In other words you lived your life and lived it well.
    Best wishes in reaching your goals for the year to come....I haven't been brave enough to set any so I may just borrow of few of yours ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I was saddened by just how excited I was to see that there's a new Kim and Kourtney Take New York, on tonight.

    Love this post! Have an amazing 2012 before the world explodes!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I enjoyed this post. the pumpkin/baby photo was the cutest! I, too, need to move more!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy 2012!!! Enjoyed the post.
    Electronics and I are having a moment. My laptop is almost full and will burst shortly and a camera with a broken shutter. Thank goodness the corkscrew still works so I can drown in my sorrows. Just kidding about the wine and sorrow. :) xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy 2012!!! Enjoyed the post.
    Electronics and I are having a moment. My laptop is almost full and will burst shortly and a camera with a broken shutter. Thank goodness the corkscrew still works so I can drown in my sorrows. Just kidding about the wine and sorrow. :) xo

    ReplyDelete
  9. This was a fascinating review of your year and I love your resolutions!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Love your list Joanna. My daughter is totally caught up in the Khardashians, and as much as I sit there telling her how it is not worth our time.... I sit there ; -) Watching.

    Happy New Year Joanna!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You make me smile, JJ. Life can sure be full, right? Here's wishing you and the family a great New Year. Glad to hear the pool is still in place. Love the goal of visiting a museum once a month and creating more. I'm hoping that one day, you'll be heading here to Oregon and if not, I'll be sure to holler when I am back in California!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Excellent 2011 review Joanna. I LOVE your quilting (#9). Beautiful work.

    Good luck with your resolutions. I don't make them.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Also an enjoyable read when I come to visit you. Here is to many more in the coming year... Have a beautiful 2012.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love this post, it's so lovely to reflect and also plan for the new year.
    I echo so many of your goals for this year... well except not buying more fabric! I simply could not do that. I love fabric too much to resist temptation.

    Oh and the museum bit. I'm not into museums!

    Each to their own.... I hope you get to achieve all of your goals JJ.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I've had lots of Twilight and Harry Potter and I think that is a good thing.
    I have dyed my hair since I was 16!! Ha! Another fun thing!!
    Just saying! Ha!!
    Have a blessed and joyous New Year!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

    ReplyDelete
  16. I don't dye either. I've missed your blogs!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I loved how you looked back on 2011! I will try to do the same, to see if I learned anything new about myself and/or my bloggie buds. The Bumpkin in the pumpkin is adorable! I never turn down an opportunity to visit museums! Enjoy yourself!

    Have a wonderful 2011!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Are you on Pinterest? I would love to follow you there. I love P. too!
    I´m all for less tears and more joy for the new year.
    Have missed your blogging dear friend!
    Oh, and do get that dog. I´m a converted cat lover and just love my Nico! They GIVE you more than a cat ever could.

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  19. That was an interesting journey! I went to a few of your links to make sure I didn't miss anything exciting. It was a good visit today. I too watch Good Wife and Grey's Anatomy but have never watched Glee. Sounds like we have a lot of similar interests! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nice list ... including your admission of watching some pretty horrible TV shows (says the man who watches "Two and a Half Men"). Anyway, in 2012 may you have fewer nights spent in hospitals and more bursting buttons by proud parents.

    ReplyDelete
  21. occupy mickey d's...haha...i hope you have a great year jj...and yes you are missing nothing with the twilight series....

    ReplyDelete
  22. long list here but I'm still thinking of #2 - I thought we stopped counting fractional years when we were still single digits old.
    Please keep the blog alive - I do enjoy it. Love the Mac and the Big Mac

    ReplyDelete
  23. and this is why i love you! add having a coffee with me in 2012! wishing you all the best for the new year jj.
    p.s. if you have time check out the australian show offspring. you´ll love it. (you can watch it online- if you have trouble finding it, i´ll send you the link.)
    x

    ReplyDelete
  24. You don't color your beautiful hair because you have lovely hair. I color mine to help with the shine and manageability.
    You work magic with your sewing machine. You are multi-talented. Quilts and tiles to lay, as well as helping friends move and painting walls too.
    Are you on Pinterest? I am now. My younger daughter asked to go there so I check it out sometimes too. Speaking of that daughter, she has Guillain Barre disease and her 19 year old daughter has Lupus and Menieres disease.
    I gave them your link to Lupus site.
    You are contemplating a dog and I am thinking of getting a cat.
    I have to admit the Pippa butt is my wish too.
    This year will be better for all of us. Hugs to you, Joanna.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I know what you wrote, but this is what I read, "Less Anxiety. More medication." Ha! Ha! How Freudian of me.

    A very Happy New Year to you, may you experience fewer hospital encounters and more joy.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Happy New Year! What a year 2011 was I'm ready for 2012 it's gotta be better! Cheers to good health and happiness! xo

    ReplyDelete
  27. Happy New Year, may 2012 be a prosperous one for you and yours.;)
    I truly enjoyed this post, so envy you that you do not have to colour your hair, I had my first greys in my twenties.;))
    And I too mentioned mice today, but in a slightly different context.;)
    Have a great week,
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  28. I also successfully avoided any Harry Potter and Twilight films this past year. But, I have never been tempted to tune in to see the Kardashians. That thousands of girls want to emulate them makes me sick to my stomach!

    And when Kim said she could never (lower herself) to live in Minnesota--I retched!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I really like the year-end reviews - so much going on! Glad the monstrous mice were a myth.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Happy New Year!

    The Kardashians??? Stop them first, then worry about the cheeseburgers, girl.

    ReplyDelete
  31. As always you make me laugh, shake my head in agreement and I just love reading your blog!! Can't wait to hear all you're up to in 2012. Big Hugs my Friend!! Oh and on the subject of the Kardashians, it's a train wreck that you can't help watching, or at least that is how I explain my viewing of it, haha!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Joanna - I love this post it has really made me think about my 2011 tally too and also what I want to accomplish in 2012.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Wow Joanna, I really love this post. That's a lot of reflection there, so I think you might have a jump start on the meditation.
    You'll feel free after you cut your hair and have bangs, I swear. Besides, hair grows back.
    Your photo of the baby with cake on her face is adorable.
    Happy New Year darling. xo d

    ReplyDelete
  34. I couldn't ♡ you more if you were my own sister!
    Happy 2012!!!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Girl, I did love trackin' through your year in review and your hopes and dreams to come.

    Ya can always put a big old smile on this old mug of mine sweetie.

    God bless and have the best New Year ever!!! :o)

    ReplyDelete
  36. oh how i love the way you write...shamefully there are many blogs that i visit where i just look at the pics and don't read...not yours...it's so entertaining...maybe you could be a regular writer for your local newspaper...paid big bucks of course!...here's to mucho joy in 2012 my friend..

    ReplyDelete
  37. Cool list and a very Happy New Year to you and yours....:-)Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  38. I usually end up seeing popular movies twenty years after they were popular! lol

    Happy new year!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I love your pictures so much! I relly adore them! The baby is so cute. I love your shots of her. What a sweet little girl. I am glad you had such a wonderful year. You fill every day with joy and blessings : )

    ReplyDelete
  40. I'm glad no mouse poop has been discovered, but I'm not liking that they haven't caught that neighborhood criminal yet!

    What a beautiful photo of the happy little eater, and I'm sorry that you lost your step-father. :(

    I can't watch Oxygen either. A little self-help few and far between is kinda how I see it.

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Kardashians...really? We all have our little secrets :) Love your humor sprinkled throughout. Good luck with your goals for 2012.

    I religiously keep my hair appointments, have bangs and lovely highlights including several bright pink ones!

    Happy 2012! Maybe I will see you in NYC :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. Oh, for a butt like Pippa Middleton's!

    Here's wishing you toned thighs and much laughter this year!

    ReplyDelete
  43. What a wonderful reflection on the past year! I read all the HP books but none of the Twilight. You'll be fine without the movies, I'm sure. And amen to Pinterest! I tried to hold off but now wonder why I waited so long! Happy New Year!!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Yes, why DID you watch the Kardashians??!

    Yay to all the rest :)) I also hi 5'd the Royals :) And I love the good wife

    ReplyDelete
  45. and i really love the pic but poor little 1!!!

    ReplyDelete
  46. As with any year, your 2011 was filled with events.. good, bad.. and reality TV? ;) May 2012 be nothing but beautiful for you, Joanna. :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. Happy happy new year! I'm so glad your pool has been behaving.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Awww! :) What do you sew? I don't but am always impressed by sewers! I started crocheting a few months ago and that's what everyone got for Christmas! lol!

    ReplyDelete
  49. How grateful I am to be moving forward to all things new and hopeful with you Joanna.
    Wishing you so much peace and joy and love.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and commenting, I really appreciate it.