1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

I went to Austin, Tx. I visited friends and family and had a wonderful time.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Some I did, some I didn’t. I wanted a kitchen remodel and new appliances, which I mostly got. I wanted to save more money and be better with my finances. That didn’t happen. I also wanted to be more organized. I suppose I am a little bit, but not like I’d like to be. I will probably not make any resolutions for 2012. I’m just not good with them.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No, but I still got a fair amount of baby snuggles in throughout the year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?

I’ve never been outside of the US. My sister is always begging me to get my passport. Someday…

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you didn’t have in 2011?

Besides a baby and a boatload of money? I would really like to have financial stability. Money in my savings account. Bills that are always paid on time and me not living paycheck to paycheck.

7. What dates from 2011 will be etched upon your memory, and why?

I celebrated my 5th wedding anniversary on 8/5/11. That was pretty cool. Other than that, I can’t think of anything.

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Probably all of the work I did on the house. There is still so much more to be done, but I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished so far.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I’d rather not say here.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I’m happy to say no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My new appliances. They make me so happy. I also really dig my iphone and my kindle.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My sister and my husband are the two people in my life I cannot live without. We don’t always get along, but I could not imagine my life without them. They are supportive and strong and an ear when I need to talk. So I would like to celebrate them. Warts and all.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

The whole Penn State thing comes to mind. And even though I don’t watch reality tv, all of the attention and fame given to the Real Housewives and the Jersey Shores continues to annoy me. But at least the people in my life aren’t bringing me down.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Bills. I took no extravagant trips or bought anything major this year other than my appliances.

15. What did you get really excited about?

The kitchen remodel. Even though it was only a partial remodel, it’s made a world of difference.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?

I don’t know of just one song, but Adele’s 21 album for sure.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Sadder in some ways, happier in others. But probably more sad than happy.
I don’t think I’m fatter, but I’m not thinner. It seems like every time I lose 20 lbs it goes back on slowly.
Poorer for sure. Which adds to the sadness.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Exercise. Saving. Cleaning. I’m really lazy.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Eating. Spending. Watching tv.

20. How will you spend Christmas?

I’ve never not woken up in Texas on Christmas morning. This year will be no different. But due to work schedules and whatnot, we’re staying less than 48 hours. Driving down on Christmas Eve and back on Christmas Day. I won’t get to see all of my family, but I’m doing the best I can.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?

I was already in love with my husband. I did manage, to fall in love with a lot of material things. Silly me.

22. What was your favorite TV program?

I watched a lot of tv this year on Netflix. Friday Night Lights was probably the best. Although I really enjoyed Damages and I love the new show Revenge.

23. What was the best book you read?

The Help. With the Hunger Games trilogy coming in second.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Listening to country music again after years of not opened up a lot of new favorites for me. Lady Antebellum for sure.

25. What did you want and get?

Appliances, iphone, kindle.

26. What did you want and not get?

Pregnant.

27. What was your favorite film of 2011?

It sure wasn’t Breaking Dawn. Probably The Help.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 34. I went back to work after being off almost a week for my Austin trip. But on my actual birthday, nothing fun.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Having a baby. And not having all of the plumbing in our house go crazy.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2011 ?

Black. And more black. I know I don’t have a great body so I do what I can to hide it without wearing tents. It usually involves layers and cardigans and not much color.

31. What kept you sane?

Am I sane?

32. What political issue stirred you the most?

I’m not political. So nothing comes to mind.

33. Who did you miss?

A friend who one was. And other bloggy friends I wasn’t able to see like Isabel and Sizzle.

34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

Don’t flush tampons down the toilet. Your plumber will scold you. And hand you a big bill.

35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“My life is like a lemon drop. I’m sucking on the bitter to get to the sweet part. I know there are better days ahead.” – Pistol Annies

Well there it is folks. Sorry if it’s a bit depressing. Maybe next year will be better.

I stole this from MauraLessa who stole it from others and so on and so forth.

While some think that a blogger only displays what is picture perfect on his or her blog, we know we are all filled with imperfections. I don’t feel like I’ve ever painted a false picture here on my blog about who I am, but I know we all leave out some of the worst things about ourselves. Just like how I crop and edit the heck out any photo I dare to use as a profile pic. So lest anyone around here think I have all my ducks in a row, let me knock a few of those ducks down for you.

• I almost never take my clothes out of the dryer as soon as they are done drying. It’s very common for me to leave them in there for almost a whole week, just going in the laundry room and pulling out what I need for that day. I hate putting away laundry. I also never iron. I have a shirt I’ve only worn once because pre-wash was the only time it was ever not wrinkled.
• I pay little or no attention to my dogs. My husband feeds and waters them. They have a dog door so they can come in and out as they please. I will occasionally bathe them myself, but only if I can’t talk my husband into doing it. I don’t like the licking or the barking or the jumping or the peeing where it’s not allowed. Basically, I’m not an animal person.
• I have issues with my ears. Multiple times a day I can found with either a q-tip or a bobby pin in my ear. It’s a little bit OCD. The over-cleaning leads to dry ears which leads to itching which leads to scratching which leads to this vicious cycle I can’t seem to get out of. Sorry if I just grossed you out there.
• My husband and I are not shy when it comes to bodily functions. We burp and fart around each other all the time. And while I do not want an audience while going to the bathroom, I often leave the door open when I’m going number 1. And we sometimes say we’re blowing kisses when we fart at each other. I know, you can go throw up now.
• We have a mail slot in our front door. Sometimes we let the mail pile up on the floor for days before we pick it up and sort through it.
• I don’t flush the toilet when I pee in the middle of the night. I wait until the morning.
• The George Bush turnpike (in Dallas) used to be set up so that you could stop and pay it with money. A couple of years ago they took away the toll booths. So now your only option is to be billed in the mail or use a pike pass. Since I’m an Oklahoma resident this means that they don’t bill me for using it because they don’t have access to my address. So what used to cost me $6 round trip to go from my grandma’s house to IKEA is now FREE! And I do not feel guilty about that at all. No one should have to stop and pay $1 six times for a drive that’s 40 minutes round trip. Not when I can drive the four hours from Tulsa to Dallas paying only one toll of $2.
• Last year someone rear ended me. It was the first time I’ve ever been in an accident. The damage to my bumper was minimal, so instead of getting it fixed, I used the money to go to BlogHer.
• My master bathroom was the first room I chose to makeover last year. The project got abandoned halfway through due to monetary issues. And while I’ve managed to move on and makeover almost every other room in the house, my master bath still sits unfinished. And only the toilet and sink are usable. This is kind of a pattern in my house as all the rooms I’ve managed to makeover have not been completed.
• Sometimes I delete things off the DVR that my husband recorded when it’s starts filling up. And then I pretend that the DVR did it. How many episodes of Hillbilly Handfishin’ does one really need to see?

I think I’ll stop here. I can’t let you know all my secrets.

Can you believe we’re already into October and I haven’t blogged about fall tv yet? Lots of good new shows this season. Here are the newbies that I’m checking out.

• 2 Broke Girls – loving it so far. It’s funny and witty and fits in well with HIMYM and Mike & Molly. (I do NOT watch Two and Half Men)
• Up All Night – Will Arnett, Christina Applegate, and Maya Rudolph. What’s not to love? Seriously, this one is funny.
• Free Agents – I liked this one, but they’ve already canceled it.
• The Playboy Club – Ditto for this one. Poor Eddie Cibrian can’t keep a show on the air.
• Pan Am – I fear this one will also get canceled, but I’m digging it. I love Christina Ricci and what’s not to love about the 60′s?
• Revenge – Quite possibly my favorite new show thus far. The trailers made me think I might not like this one since I’m all sunshine and rainbows. Boy was I wrong. Good stuff.
• Whitney- I though for sure I would hate this one. I do not. She’s pretty funny. And she’s one of the co-creators or executive producers of 2 Broke Girls.
• New Girl- Zooey Deschanel. Enough said.
• Terra Nova- I’ve only seen the pilot thus far, but it was enough to grab my attention.
• A Gifted Man- I feel like this one is on the chopping block. It does seem a little ridiculous, but I can see myself liking it.
• Person Of Interest- I lasted one episode then I quit. It’s a shame too because I really loved Michael Emerson as Benjamin Linus. He’s an amazing actor.
• Ringer- I’m enjoying this one, but I rarely ever care for the shows on the CW so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one canceled or me lose interest.
• Suburgatory- Only one episode in so far, but I like me some Jeremy Sisto. And sarcastic cynical teens. Plus is has the girl from Weeds in it.
• How To Be A Gentleman- Meh, the pilot didn’t wow me. Not sure if I’ll keep this one in the rotation or not.
• Grimm- It hasn’t aired yet, but Thom and I are eagerly awaiting its arrival.
• Once Upon A Time- Ditto with this one.
• American Horror Story- The pilot just aired last night and I haven’t watched it yet. But it has Connie Britton and Dylan McDermot and Frances Conroy. And a quirky scary theme. Good enough for me.

I’ve also started in on season one of The Good Wife via Netflix. I’m only 3 discs in so far, but I really like it. It would appear that I watch a ridiculous amount of tv. However, please note that I do not watch any reality tv. And I’ve narrowed my competition shows down to three: Big Brother, Design Star, and the Great Food Truck Race. So at least I’m not rotting my brain with Jersey Shore or Real Housewives of ______.

I should get a medal just for that. I really wish people would stop watching those shows so that they would cease to exist and we could stop indulging these J list celebrities.

I’m kind of in a blogging slump so I will just entertain you with bullets instead.

• We recently bought a Wii. And while it was mainly intended for Netflix purposes, I’ve found myself playing video games again. This is something I haven’t done in years. Warning: Donkey Kong Country Returns will steal your free time and make you say swear words you didn’t know existed.
• My master bathroom flooded last night. I am very unhappy right now.
• The new Adele album is rocking my socks off. Such emotion in that one. Can’t stop listening to it.
• My new fridge is also rocking my socks off. It’s so pretty.
• My new range is sitting in my garage waiting to be installed. The contractor is supposed to come over tonight and start tearing into my cabinets to make room for it. It’s also pretty.

  

• After 9 years of great service with T-Mobile, I caved to the pressure of society and switched to Verizon to get an iphone 4. I have no regrets. Yet. Ask me again when the bill comes.
• I went to the opera for the first time. It was a local production of Don Giovanni. I’d be lying if I said I loved it. It was entirely too long and repetitive for my taste. Also, Don Giovanni was like a total man ho. I was really hoping I would enjoy it since I love music and the opera was so kind to let us bloggers sit in on the dress rehearsal for free. I guess I will just stick to musicals instead.
• This weekend will have to be the weekend that I start painting my kitchen cabinets. I won’t have any more excuses not to once the range is installed. It’s just that I’m scared. Even though I’ve done my research and I know what steps to take, I’m just worried that I will mess it up. Or that the existing hardware won’t spray paint well and I’ll be forced to replace it all. And I don’t have eleventy hundred dollars for that.
• Wish me luck!

I really hate New Year’s Resolutions. Probably because for as long as I can remember “losing weight” was on the list. Even on the years that I didn’t really officially announce my resolutions. And yet, it’s never really happened.

I didn’t really announce any resolutions for 2010, although I had one in my mind that involved home improvements and making my house a better place to live. I think it’s safe to say I did good on that one. It’s still a work in progress and I still can’t muster the courage to start my cabinet transformation. I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish though. Especially since I did most of it alone.

Here are some things I would like to see happen in 2011:

• I have one of those keep the change checking accounts where it puts the remaining change from my debit card charges into my savings account. I would like to go a whole year without transferring any of that money back into my checking account.
• My kitchen remodel finished, complete with new appliances. (I currently have one working burner and one half working oven)
• I would like to get my shopping/spending under control.
• Become a better homeowner. I need to stay on top of things like exterminators and maintenance and getting better windows or something so my utility bills aren’t so high.
• Become a better pet owner. My dogs get sorely neglected by me. It’s not their fault I don’t care much for animals.
• Take a trip with my husband to a place we’ve never been before. We haven’t gone away together since we got married over four years ago.
• Figure out how to keep my house from being such a clutter infested dwelling space. This may involve upping my cleaning lady (mom) to twice a month instead of once a month.

I’m not going to put lose weight or get pregnant on this year’s list. It goes without saying. Of course it also probably won’t happen because I’m a bitter jaded woman who is selfish, lazy, and tired of it all.

Cheers!

So what’s on your list?

Because I’m tired of that last post still being on top. And because I don’t want to sound whiny and pathetic.

• good books
• having dvr again
• being able to pay the bills
• lovely new friends
• fabulous existing friends
• presents in the mail
• a sister who makes me laugh
• even if she does steal the high harmonies all the time
• good music I can sing along with
• a supportive husband
• a faithful mother
• love

/cheese

• Two and a half days is not enough time to properly see New York City. I purposely did not buy a full conference pass because I wanted to see New York. And I still managed to not see the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building or Central Park.
• This year there were three of us in the room. I asked for a roll-a-way bed because I’m a terrible sleeper, especially when I travel. I slept great all three nights. Roll-a-way bed for president!
• My two roommates were great, although we sadly did not get a photo of the three of us together.
• The Pink Twitter was my drink of choice the whole time I was there. It was called different things at different parties, but it was so good. Ketel Orange vodka, lemonade, soda, grenadine, and mint. Make it. And drink one for me.
• I did not get to see everyone I wanted to see. And several people I did want to see, I only got to see them for 5 minutes. I don’t like this.
• I did such a great job of packing that I did not have to check my bag on the way there.
• I did an even better job of selecting what swag to bring home. I didn’t have to check my bag on the way home either which shocked me. And I still came home with lots of stuff!
• Free shapewear is amazeballs. (thank you Yummie Tummie and Spanx)
• The NBC store and 30 Rock might have been the highlight for me. (you can see where my priorities are)
• The Sparklecorn and CheeseburgHer parties were off the hook this year.
• I got to see Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef. She’s so gorgeous and classy.
• I laughed at the commercials for the PH Balance tampons. Well guess what? I got a free box while I was there and thanks to Mother Nature was able to try them out right away. Without going into any gross details, I will say that I really like these and as long as they aren’t a lot more expensive than the ones I buy, I will totally switch.
• I totally scored a free Scentsy warmer. This excited me way more than it should have.
• I ate a Magnolia cupcake, and lo, it was good.
• I really wish I would have planned ahead to see a show. Specifically Promises, Promises starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. (did you know she’s from Oklahoma?)
• I was able to eat a hot dog, a pretzel, a bagel, and authentic NY pizza while I was there. I like carbs.
• The scale today was still down 6lbs from last week. Yay for exercise!
• I really missed my friends who couldn’t make it this year.
• God bless Kelly and Maura who made the trip so fantastic for me.
• I was all set not to go to BlogHer next year and then they announced it will be in San Diego. I should have known they wouldn’t pick a place I didn’t want to go.
• I guess we’ll just see if I make it for a fifth year.
• I got my first henna tattoo and I love it.
• The people at the Hilton hotel were very friendly and accommodating.
• I did not see a single hobo while I was there. We must have been on the nice side of town.
• NYC cab and shuttle drivers scared the cheeses out of me. Driving in Tulsa is such bliss.
• I rode the subway all by myself!
• All of my planes took off and arrived on time or early.

My brain is fried and that’s all I can think of now. But if you would like to view my entire set of flickr photos you may do so here.