Happy New Year!

Well I was absent for the holidays, (sorry) but you know how it is when real life gets too busy to keep up with your online one ;)

This holiday season was a busy one for Paul and I, with lots of shows and some quality family time squeezed in for good measure. Our niece enjoyed Christmas as kids do, and good times were had by all... we have a new Hot Chocolate device to try out from Williams Sonoma, now I just have to wait for some cold weather again. It was oddly warm today, around 76*, which was great for yardwork but not for hot cocoa. Well, we use the hand we're dealt, right? :)

I trust many people made New Year's resolutions? I typically don't, because it has always seemed like a half-ass thing to do (making a resolution simply because the calendar year has reset itself), but this year we were feeling strangely nostalgic, and wanted to mark the occasion with some goals that we'll be held accountable for later. This year will be for physical fitness -- not simply weight loss, which was pretty well accomplished in the past year, but actual fitness. I've spent many hours and trips to the library building my knowledge of nutrition and good foodstuffs, and now it's time to put that knowledge to use.

The show season didn't allow me to cook much ('twas all about Lean Cuisines and pre-made items), so now I must make up for it. I've always got this grand scheme of preparing a food menu for the week/month, but it has never come to fruition. Perhaps I just don't know how I want to organize it. If anyone has a bright suggestion about how they plan their food for the week based on available fresh groceries with deadlines, please share :) I read Woman's Day for a few years but still didn't osmosify the secrets of the kitchen universe and all things organized. I have (and use!) a labelmaker though, doesn't that count for something?