So this is the new year

Happy 2008! I have high hopes for this year. Im making wishes for positive turns of international political and personal nature. The best and only way to start, to "be the change you want to see" if you will, is with the personal. So our house is starting 2008 with organized and cleaned closets and basement. Perhaps mundane, but I thought it was a great way to spend new years day; after sleeping in and cleaning up the zillion plates and dishes and etc from our impromptu new years eve celebration the night before, of course. In the last week of 2007 I had family visiting and with their help we have renovated the baby room - yay! Now I feel significantly more ready for the little one's arrival. Not perfectly finished or prepared, but much much better. And now it is January; just one month to go (or there abouts)! And its a month that I mostly have free to be home, which is a rare thing that I am approaching with excitement pleasure and a touch of apprehension. So overall it is an exciting month, and in lieu of yearlong resolutions I have a list of January goals:

January Goals:
1. Finish cleaning/organizing and such nesting activities such as figuring out what cloth diaper style to use, buy, and etc etc.
2. Plan the garden. Yay! I am excited for this. This will be the third year we have planted a garden, and we learn a great deal each time. This is the first year that I have requested seed catalogues instead of buying whatever packets and transplants are available at garden shops. This will be (hopefully) the first year I manage to really plant from seed instead of attempt and then end up buying transplants anyhow. Dont have much in the way of indoor sunny spots for little seeds to develop. But im giving it another shot. I am also resolving to be a more dedicated garden tender. Im really hoping to get the best harvest out of my efforts as possible this year. While gardening for the sake of gardening is fun, our budget is extra extra tight now (replacing rent-paying tenants with a baby will do that) and I am really hoping to make our harvest stretch our grocery budget.
3. Write paper for March ISA conference before the baby arrives. Buy the plane tickets and go to the conference, even if such a thought is frightening and strange as a will-be new mom.
4. Cook at home. We rarely eat out or order in, but this month as I will have time I am excited to try some new recipes and experiment with cost-saving family friendly things that will be easy and useful later. Im talking not letting anything go to waste, using dry legumes and lentils and maybe learning to bake bread that actually rises. While I love baking easy breads like banana etc, I have always been a bit frightened of the yeast rising bread baking process. Im going to give it a go.
Im looking forward to January, and the rest of 2008! I hope it brings all of you the good times I am hoping for!