The Best of 2010

I did this same post last year and it was fun to look back on everything, so I thought I'd do it again this year.

Project: What did you start this year that you're proud of?

We've fixed up 4 rooms in a little over a year! It's been a huge struggle to get through all the dust, mess ups, and drama that goes on when you DIY, but it's totally worth it! My favorite project we did this year was our bathroom makeover.

From this...

To this!

Recipes: The yummiest cooking from the past year

There's so many! I got into a bit of a cooking obsession for awhile when I needed things to keep my mind off the stress going on. These are a few of my faves (and your faves):

Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

Chocolate Pecan Coconut Macaroons

Cheesy Stuffed Meatballs
Crock Pot Orange Chicken

Best Craft: What got your creative juices flowing?

Again, so many to pick from! Here's some of the ones I liked the most:

Cute Cleaning Gloves
Summery Garden Flag

From Curtain to Scarf

Burlap Pumpkins

Tissue Box Cover

Night Out: Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

It wasn't a night, but does day count? We spent a day at the zoo in July when I needed some cheering up. It was just what I needed and I had such a fun time! We went super early and got to take advantage of the petting zoo being completely empty. You really don't want to be with me in a petting zoo because I'll spend hours petting all the cute animals and "awww"-ing at every little thing they do!

Moment of Peace: An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind?

A moment of peace and me don't go together. Even the thought of peace makes me laugh! I'm usually a ball of stress and anxiety! No matter what I do, my mind is always racing with thoughts and I can't relax. My best teacher for peace is Kitty. Just watching him snuggle up in a ball makes me smile and I love watching him sleep.

Challenge: Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the biggest challenge of the year for you?

Unfortunately, this question is easy to answer. In July, I spilled my guts here and confessed that I've been undergoing fertility treatments since January of 2009. It's been a very overwhelming, stressful, and emotional thing to go through. I was excited to find out I was pregnant in June and my life was great! 8 weeks later, the heart beat was gone and I had to terminate the pregnancy. It was definitely one of the hardest things I've ever had to endure. The pain, anger, and questions still stick with me months later. As I continue on this fertility journey, it's quite a challenge as you can probably guess. I'm just hoping for a good outcome in 2011.

The Best Place:
The bed. Obviously. I spend a LOT of time in here! I eat, blog, sew, cry, laugh, snuggle, sleep, and would pretty much live my life from here if I could. New Food:
It's not completely new, but peanut butter is back in my life! I've always disliked peanut butter unless mixed with chocolate because I was scarred for life from a bad experience with PB&J when I was younger. (The thought makes me want to vomit.) Anyway, when I was cooking those fabulous peanut butter pretzel truffles above, I took a lick of the spoon and realized what I've been missing out on! Now I spread it on anything I can for a quick & easy snack. Love ya, peanut butter!

Best Accomplishment:
During the spring and summer, I posted a lot about how I got into running all of a sudden. I've never been able to run more than about a minute without stopping, but something changed in February and I could do it! It was such an accomplishment for me that I kept pushing myself to beat my best times. Throughout the summer, I broke record after record for my personal best and it was an amazing feeling. My final goal was to run an official 5k and I finally did it here!

New person/people:
All of you! My blog went from pretty much non-existent to now having a lot of "friends" that I chat with regularly! It's been so great to meet all of you living all over the country and seeing the creative talent you have to offer.

Web Tool: It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.

Flickr! In July, I posted that my photos weren't looking very nice when I uploaded them with Blogger. I didn't have a lot of other options because my Mac laptop at home is so old. But a few of you suggested Flickr and it made a huge difference! I used up all my free uploads and now I'm going to have to give in and pay for it. Worth it?

My goals for 2011:

• Finish remodeling the man cave

• Finish remodeling the craft room

• Finally get to be a mom

• Try to remember why I started this blog: to remind myself of the things that make me happy

Happy New Year!

Linking up to:
Southern Hospitality's Top Projects of 2010
Savvy Southern Style's Best of 2010