Recapping the Past Year

Wow.  The year is gone.  I'd like to say that I've done lots, but I haven't.  I am nothing, if not the immoveable mass.  Let's review the 15 for 2011 and how we did, shall we?

1. Hang the garden hose mount on the side of the house and break down the large cardboard box it came in that is currently on my living room floor and has been there since April with the cordless drill that has been charging since late May.  Ha!!  Shout out to my friend Scott, who made this happen with J one day.  The long metal things that were to go into the wall were the wrong size when you did what the directions said mean that it's allllllll good that Scott and J did this.  I would have drilled the holes and cried.  A lot.   
2. Work on scrapbooking my wedding. It's been 3 years, people.  I may never do this.  You know how people talk about never seeing Star Wars, or reading Anna Karenina?  Perhaps this is how I should view my wedding - the epic I never finished.
3. Decide what to do about the laundry sink and the current plumbing problems that it has (we cannot turn the hot water tap, there are no shutoffs, the tub itself isn't particularly sturdy).  Hooray!  There are shut off valves and new taps, thanks to a faulty trap.  The plumber came, and an hour later we had a working laundry sink!  I get to replace this one!!!
4. Repaint the side door off the garage, as well as the front door shutters, and the trim around the new window as well as the wood trim and spindles at the front door and the top of the stairs.  The paints are all on the living room floor, at the moment.  I painted the shutters this summer.  They look fabulous.  I'm hoping we don't go away for Victoria Day, and that the weather is nice. 
5. Replace the light fixture on the patio.  We bought a light this week.  That's part of the Victoria Day list.  Must convince J to stay home.
6. Research how much that front window is going to cost to replace, and then decide if it should be done before the energy reassessment is done on the house.  Oh - and get them to quote on shutters and a new storm door.  The front window has been replaced.  And the storm door.  I've decided to repaint the shutters.  I'm hoping to go nowhere for Victoria Day, and paint then.  The shutters and the garage door.  And the front door.  I've decided that it needs another coat of paint.  Notice how I wanted to stay home last year, and we didn't??  Yeah...In January, I have high hopes.
7. Learn to operate the sewing machine from my mother in law, or get rid of it.  I've researched buying the manual online.  Has anyone ever done this?  The machine is about 55 years old, but it's a Kenmore - and was top of the line in its day.  I want it for curtains and cushions and so on.
8. Deal with the boxes on the living room floor.  I'm getting there.  I read about an article about throwing out 50 things at a time.  That sounds doable.  There are more than 50 things on my living room floor.
9. Buy a great carpet for the living room.  And great curtains.  Must. Deal.  With.  Boxes.
10. Practice the guitar.  Ongoing.  Still love guitar, playing Radiohead right now.
11. Freecycle more. Candles, gift bags, etc, etc.  I also have an Ikea floating shelf to dispose of on Kijiji. I still have these.  Go figure.
12. Cook at home 5 days a week, and try some of the recipes that seem to be stacking up everywhere. I should not spend time on allrecipes.com.  More on my new project.  They dovetail nicely.
13. Research and plan for getting a dog.  This is one that J and I have been rolling around with for a couple of months.  We're thinking summer.  This is currently on hold.
14. Go swimming, or do something. I have been looking at the Summer Activity guide and have come to the conclusion that I should be doing something. Swimming has always appealed, and it's not that much.  Work started, and I quit moving.  It's very sad.
15. Read. I went back to work, and quit reading.  My mother gave me a 2 book series for Christmas, and my father gave me The Wealthy Barber Revisited.  I'm hoping to read them before June.