A friend of mine from work has embarked on a challenge, and I feel compelled to follow along. She, and now I, vow to go a year without shopping for clothes. We've set slightly different rules for ourselves, but the spirit is the same.

I have a lot of clothes. Some of the clothes I have (let's be honest, A LOT of the clothes I have) don't get worn. Some because they don't fit right, some just because I have so many clothes but I only have a limited percentage in high rotation. So, I am crying "No mas!"

First I will clear out the stuff that doesn't fit. I am working on losing a bit of weight, so the items that I just slightly outgrew can stay, but...let's call a spade a spade and say that I've got a few suits and dresses that won't ever fit over this middle aged ass ever again.

If something wears out, I will replace it. I will get rid of the expired item in order to buy new, though. No more "let's just keep this for casual wear" when I get a nicer sweater or something. I won't pay out of pocket for anything new unless a comparable item is being trashed. This goes for shoes, too.

I got some gift cards for Christmas, and once I clean out the clothes that don't fit I may need to use them to fill in some gaps (jeans are a likely option now that I've admitted that I'm not a size 6-8 anymore). But I will stick to the face value of the gift card, not use it as a starting point (many of my $25 gifts cards in the past have resulted in shopping sprees beyond the $75 mark...) I am going to try to avoid buying any clothes even with the gift cards, using the money for some pretty jewelry or home goods, but I'm not going to set myself up for failure right from the start!

Paring down and not bringing new clothes into the mix may force me to start looking at new options for making outfits. It will also reduce the ever growing laundry pile that is threatening to take over my side of the bedroom, which Hubby is convinced is going to spring to life and attack us while we sleep.

Wish me luck, because it ain't gonna be easy for me...

Schmutzie told me to do this.  I like Schmutzie, so I hope this makes her (and others) smile.

I love the smell that lingers after I’ve been baking, and the sly way my kids try to sneak the cookies off of the cooling racks before I put them away; how Hubby tries to be quiet and unobtrusive when he comes into the bedroom after I’m asleep, but often fails; the way my implausibly high heels make me feel just a little bit powerful; finding old family pictures and seeing resemblances I never knew existed; the whooshing sounds of milk being frothed; the texture of Patons Stretch Sock yarn on the soles of my feet; hearing random “Raising Arizona” quotes from my kids when I least expect them; painting my toenails in the dead of winter, even though no one else can see the fabulous color; when a meeting gets canceled and I get an hour of my day back; the snuffles and sighs of a sleeping baby; a lit Christmas tree in an otherwise dark room; the smell of sunscreen mixed with salty air; waking up because my body is rested, not because an alarm broke my sleep; Heat Miser and Snow Miser; the unspoken rhythm of movements as Hubby and I navigate a tiny bathroom in the morning without getting in each others’ way; getting to keep all of the Heath bars after Halloween, since no one else in the family likes them; the sheepish look that people get when they are caught seat-dancing or playing air drums at a stoplight; free food samples; the stained glass rose windows at my church; Facebook groups with inside jokes (my IOM Wolfpack knows what I am talking about!);  the angels that take on unexpected forms (like elementary school principals or café workers); getting respect from someone I respect;  Fractured Prune doughnuts; the Toys R Us and Disney store locations in Times Square; Christmas ornaments I’ve had since childhood; little girls wearing Easter hats; the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade; holding hands; a dusting of snow on the holly bush in front of my house;  coffee shops in grocery stores; four generations in one room at a family party; game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals when I have nothing invested in the outcome of the game; vegetables from my own garden; “Sports Night,” especially the first season; when no one is looking when I fall down (literally or metaphorically); a hot shower after shoveling snow; grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon.    

A year ago, I was dealing with a psych hospital stay for Princess (the fourth of the year). Today she is in school and I haven't gotten any emails or calls about any meltdowns. We made it through the whole year without any inpatient hospital stays, and the one crisis call a few months ago was resolved fairly quickly.

A year ago, I decided not to do Christmas cards or most of the decorating because I just couldn't summon up the energy. This year my cards went out around December 1, I am taking orders for my baking day (I may ignore some of the requests- I'm looking at you, Vic and Nic, for requesting red velvet cupcakes when you both knew full well I don't do cupcakes for Christmas- but I am paying attention to what people ask for), we don't have any decorations up but that is only because we just got new carpet installed.

Things are busy, but they are good. By Christmas I will probably be crying from stress, as I always do, but this year I can probably be cured by the smell of my amputee gingerbread men and mis-shapen snickerdoodles.

This July brought me a promotion at work (updated PD to recognize how my job has grown) and August brought me a landmark birthday that turned out to be not as awful as I'd feared it would be.

2011 totally kicked 2010's ass, y'all.