As happens at this time of year, I’ve been reflecting a lot on my quality of life and what I can do to improve myself and generally be happier. I’ve never been a big fan of big, difficult New Years Resolutions (Lose 50 pounds! Go to the gym everyday! Handmake my entire wardrobe!) At the same time, general resolutions seem ineffective to me, since it’s too easy to really change nothing (Be less stressed out! Be better with money!).
So with all that in mind, I’ve decided to come up with an attainable 11 in 2011 list. Each item on my list will have at least one specific task assigned with it. I want to be realistic in my goals, but I also want to make sure that I’m accomplishing things I’ve been wanting to. I’ve grouped my goals into categories, since they each fit pretty neatly into certain areas. I’ll be posting about my 11 in 2011 as a series through out the year.
Work
1: Finish my teaching certificate: In the county I work in, you have three years from the point of being hired to complete your teaching certificate. I have one and a half left. All I need to do is take two expensive tests proving that I’m intelligent enough to teach (because apparently my Master’s degree doesn’t do that) and take a course about working with English Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) students. I’m hoping to get all of that out of the way over the summer.
Food
2: Subscribe to local food co-op delivery: There is a hydroponic farm that delivers vegetables to subscribers in my neighborhood once a week. The price is extremely reasonable, all the veggies and fruits are local, and most are organic. Why am I not doing this yet? I’ve been saying I was going to support this local farm for years. It’s time that I get around to it and get some delicious, fresh veggies.
3: Learn how to use kitchen knives properly: I love to cook, but I have no idea what the proper technique for chopping garlic versus carrots versus onions is. Ideally, I’d like to take a class somewhere local. If I can’t find anything, there’s always YouTube. While I’m at it, I should really buy some proper kitchen knives too.
4: Cook one new recipe every month: I love to cook, but I have a habit of falling into a rut of making the same recipes over and over again. At least once a month, I want to change this up and cook something new. I already have several cookbooks, and I can check out more from the library too.
Health
5: Stop procrastinating doctor’s appointments: I finally have health insurance. I’ve had some semi-serious skin problems for the past three months. Why exactly have I not been to see my primary care physician? My concrete goal for 2011: see my dentist, primary care physician, optometrist and gynecologist at least once in the year, and make sure I go more if I need to.
6: Go deeper in my practice of yoga: I’m relatively consistent at practicing once or twice a week. I’d like to try new classes and yoga styles. I want to learn about ayurveda. And I need to become more disciplined in a home practice. Concrete goals: check out books and videos from the library, visit more yoga studios, make an appointment for an ayurvedic consultation at my yoga studio.
Crafty
7: Knit myself a sweater: Despite the fact that I’ve been knitting for almost ten years now, I’ve never knitted a warm, cozy wool pullover. At least not one that doesn’t itch like crazy, or that is something I wouldn’t want to wear in public. I’ve already ordered my yarn for this one 
8: Plant a butterfly/bee garden: I’ve had plenty of herb gardens in recent years, but I haven’t planted a real flower garden in a long time. I’d really love to plant a butterfly habitat this year. And it would be a great project to work on with my mom.
9: Take more photos more often, and make them better: I’m capable of taking really good photos – at one time, I was considering it for a career. I need to be better about taking my time to make my shots better. I also want to add to my equipment: get my flash fixed for better indoor shots, get a 50mm lens to be able to carry my camera around, get a nice camera messenger bag.
Life and Money
10: Make a new budget and stick to it: I’m making more money right now than I’ve ever made before in my life. Yet I still feel like I’m living paycheck to paycheck. With my bills, student loan payments, rent, groceries, there really isn’t a lot left over. And I keep overspending every month. I’ve made a new budget spreadsheet, and this year, I’m going to be thorough about keeping up with it. I need to be more disciplined and really think through purchases. I have a bad habit of seeing something and saying “Oh, pretty!”, and buying it because there’s money in my account. Then a week and a half later, I’m counting down to my next paycheck and hoping there’s no purchases that I forgot to take into account. This has to stop.
11: Hang out with In Real Life friends more often: By my nature, I am actually a really shy and sometimes socially insecure person. I’m not very good at keeping up friendships beyond Facebook comments. I’m nervous about asking people to hang out with me, because I’m afraid they won’t want to. I’m anxious about making new friends because I’m afraid they’ll find me annoying. I don’t really have a bff. So my concrete goal in this area: hang out with an In Real Life friend at least once a month. This could be going out for coffee, going thrifting, chatting on Skype. But I need to make a concerted effort. While I love all my blogosphere friends dearly, I need to spend some time with people outside of the interwebs as well.
These get baked in the oven, and in the mean time, you make the frosting/filling. I’ve never made frosting before, but it turns out to be really easy. The key I found is to let the butter sit out for a long time so it’s really soft. That, and knead the butter and sugar together by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer.
