Happy New Year!

It’s New Year’s Eve!! Yay!

This is the first year I’ve spent the holiday by myself. My parents are out of town and most of my friends had previous plans or didn’t feel like going out (I didn’t either!) Some people might think it’s pathetic to spend NYE alone, but I don’t mind it. I get to watch a marathon of Harry Potter movies and eat my favorite foods. Tonight I made Jalapeno Popper Chicken (recipe review to come…I think). I also love the freedom to reflect on this past year and think about the year to come.

To be honest, I’m happy to see 2012 end. It was a rough year.

Christmas DIY

As might be expected, about 90% of my Christmas gifts this year were homemade. I forged into some new mediums of sewing & mod podge. Furthermore, all my inspiration came directly from my pinterest boards.

My sister & cousin are both professional chefs. Although my cousin no longer works as a chef, he and my sister both have a particular attitude in the kitchen. Mostly they like to be creative, hate cookbooks, and make amazing food. When they were here at Thanksgiving, my cousin commented that cookbooks are “a waste of money.” His argument is that he can look at the ingredients, figure out where they are headed, and do it the way he wants to. I thought this was a ridiculous argument. I love my recipes and without their detailed instructions, well, I would eat a lot of Top Ramen.

But I realized that I have the same attitude towards craft & DIY projects! I look at the materials, skim through the instructions and make it the way I want to.

Today’s crafting review: DIY Kindle (or Nook) Cover.

I < 3 books...maybe a bit too much!

So I have a literary problem.

I am addicted to books.

No, seriously.

I am a member of two book clubs which ensures that I am always reading at least two books per month.

I don't have a lot of extra money so I have to get most of my books from the library. Occasionally I will splurge on a book I just can't wait for. So a few months ago I bought books 1 & 2 from the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. The sad thing is I haven't opened either one yet!