It's a brand new year and I have no resolutions - what does that mean?

First, I hope you had a very, very Merry Christmas, or a blessed whatever other holiday you celebrate. We did. I still haven't figured out how something that takes so long to pull together disappears like poof!

I know Christmas is not about the preparations. Not supposed to be, anyway. It's really about the birth of the Saviour, the most controversial person to ever walk the face of the earth. A birth that changed the course of life forever. And I'm glad to be able to celebrate it in freedom.

But we (people, not me. Not just me, anyway) have made it so much more. I'm still itching from the hair shirt I've worn as punishment for not getting all my baking done. Made the shortbread. Made the Christmas sugar cookies. Made 2 pies. Made the brandy balls. (Boy, did they disappear fast.) Biscotti - not yet. Gingerbread men - nope. But this weekend, I'll get back to it. And the shopping. Ugh. I do not like to shop early. That's no fun! It's not Christmas if I don't get to race for a parking space, is it? (And it's a good thing the last battle was in the parking lot of the Christian bookstore, that's all I have to say for that one.)

The wrapping. Now, I love to wrap at Christmas. So I save it all up for one night, and I wrap. And wrap. And listen to Christmas music. And drink coffee. And wrap. I love to wrap. And it ends up like this.

And looking for stocking stuffers. Yeah, I could do that all year so I wouldn't have to worry about it at Christmas, but, um, I forget about things if I buy them too early. And if I remember them, I can't remember where I put them. Yup. I'm a total scatter brain. (I drove part way to work one day with my purse on the back bumper of my car. Some yard crew guys in the next lane caught my attention and motioned to the back of the car. Purse was still there when I pulled over. I have no idea. When my kids were babies I had a fear of leaving them on the trunk in their car seats. I'd turn around and check the backseat several times just make sure they were there. And I did actually lock my daughter in the car when she was about 2 years old. Unfortunately, she was strapped in her car seat in the middle of the back seat, so she couldn't unlock the door. I got help from a neighbor who was a poilce officer, though, so she was safe and out in no time.)

So back to Christmas. I love Christmas. I'm going to miss the decorations. I loved our tree, especially at night.

Anyway, I decided that today would be the official kickoff for my first blog. I really have no idea what I'm doing. I'd LUV to have something beautiful and hilarious and inspiring and funny and witty and funny. But what I think I'll do is just, whatever comes to mind.

This is supposed to be about knitting. This is a hat I finished Christmas day for a great-nephew of my husband's.

And some of it will be. About knitting, that is. The problem with that is that I'm a reeeealy slow knitter, so day after day of a wee bit of progress would be - not funny or beautiful or inspiring. Unless it inspired you to get off your dead tookus and get knitting. So I'll share some knitting, and maybe beg for sympathy as I ponder my obvious shortcomings as a human and a parent, as far as my 16-yr old daughter is concerned. And I'll try to improve my photography with my new little camera as I dream of that Nikon D80 that's not mine. Yet.

Oh, and any bloggint tips are more than welcome, 'cause this blogging thing is a little harder than I thought it was going to be. Or maybe it's just me.