Wrapping Up 2011

Apparently the year will roll over in about 15 hours, so it's only fitting to look at what's been done and take stock of it all. It's not like anything great is supposed to happen in 2012 (cough, cough Mayan prophecy of world ending proportions), but still . . . 2011 deserves its due.

At the beginning of the year, I decided to take on all sorts of new projects and "I'm gonna" things. Some were successful, some not so much.

• Project 365 - Take a photo a day. Post it. Relish in it. For the most part, I was pretty successful with this endeavor. Granted, there were days between uploads to Flickr, and occasionally, I forgot to take a photo for the day and had to rely on the iPhone. But for the most part, it was a fun project, and I'm pretty sure that I'll do it again. 
• Project 333 - Look at your clothes. Pare it down to 33 items for three months. Repeat every three months. Sounds daunting but it was probably the best thing I've ever done. I used the relaxed rules because it worked for me. And I didn't include jewelry in my list of 33 items or purses, not because I own so many but because of work. I don't think I'll go back to my old clothing ways since I don't use my dresser any more and have everything in a nice little closet organizer. If you're looking for a project for the new year, this is it. 
• Journaling - I made it to January 4 before I stopped. I've tried repeatedly to journal, and I kinda suck at it. Big time suck at it. Not sure why, but journaling isn't for me. Maybe it works for you, but for me . . . no dice. 
• Big Picture Classes - I signed up for three this year . . . and failed at all three. Granted, I saved all the prompts from Picture Inspiration and One Little Word (more on that one) with the hopes of catching up over the summer, but I never did thanks to the curriculum writing for our cyberschool (still a sore subject). 
• Cooking more - Did I really say that I would? Really? Lasted about as long as journaling . . . but I'm trying to fix that in 2012. 
• One Little Word - I love the concept. I love the prompts. I hate the follow through. My OLW for 2011 was "growth," and I think that I was pretty damn successful with it, even if I didn't follow any of the prompts from the class. I learned how to use my camera better - still have a long way to go - and the 333 concept was amazing. Plus, I think that my life in general was influenced by the word. I'm still mulling over the word for 2012, but I'll figure it out in the next 15 hours.

The Firsts of the Months in 2011

All in all, 2011 was a pretty damn good year. And I'm pretty sure that 2012 will be equally good . . . at least for the first 355 days. Then that whole "Holy shit, the Mayans are coming! The Mayans are coming!" crap could work its magic. But that's almost a whole year from now, right?

Happy New Year's Eve . . . be safe and find someone to smooch when that clocks ticks midnight!

- Jill

I Think This Qualifies As a Rainbow, Right?

So, summer is in session one more day. I decided to be extremely proactive and: do two loads of laundry, vacuum the stairs and hallway, organize my closet, melt my crayon canvas, finish my lesson plans, and create a "Getting To Know You" bingo game for my students. In and amongst all that, I swept the floors and part of the basement and cleaned up in the way, way back of the basement as the people who maintain our heating system called to say they could make it over to complete the autumn cleaning. Oh, and I'm waiting on the insurance company to call about the windshields.

Because of this whirlwind of activity, I'm able to sit down and enjoy the very lovely, albeit silly, Lost In Austen while I tidy up some lessons for the first three weeks of school. If you haven't seen the miniseries and you enjoy all things Austen, I encourage you to check it out. Jemima Rooper, Hugh Bonneville, and Alex Kingston make it a pleasure to watch this mish-mash of Austen's Pride and Prejudice and a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book. 

Having this day off at the beginning of the school gave me an opportunity to get my Project 333, Phase 4 clothing in order. I never really published a Phase 3 list because I didn't put one together. When school let out, I took out some of the more "professional" clothes and substituted more casual fare. The only items I didn't include were clothes I took on vacation. After all, I couldn't see keeping two bathing suits for just a three-day trip; besides, would I count them as one item even though there were two parts?

It's not as pretty as I would like . . . but I like it nonetheless

Here's my list for the last, full phase of Project 333:

• white L. L. Bean 3/4 sleeve shirt
• black L. L. Bean 3/4 sleeve shirt
• green L. L. Bean 3/4 sleeve shirt
• light blue L. L. Bean 3/4 sleeve shirt
• teal Apt. 9 short sleeve shirt
• apple green Apt. 9 short sleeve shirt
• teal Old Navy scoop neck short sleeve shirt*
• two white Lane Bryant camis
• blue Old Navy tank
• green Old Navy tank
• pink Old Navy tank
• teal Old Navy short sleeve sweater
• purple Old Navy long sleeve tissue sweater
• cream Old Navy long sleeve tissue sweater
• green Lane Bryant short sleeve cardigan
• black Torrid 3/4 sleeve cropped cardigan
• black Old Navy asymmetrical long sleeve cardigan
• black Macy's swing cardigan
• teal Old Navy faux-wrap long sleeve sweater
• three pair black capris
• khaki capris
• Lane Bryant jean skirt
• teal dotted Mossimo skirt
• black Old Navy skirt
• Mossimo jeans
• Apt. 9 capris
• Apt. 9 boyfriend jeans
• two pair black sandals (dressy thongs and the Clarks wedges)
• black Clarks pumps

I've decided that I will keep three items to mix and out as needed: a teal short sleeve shirt from Macy's, a black scoop neck Old Navy short sleeve shirt, and something else (I have laundry in the dryer after all . . . and I can't remember what it is right now). I'm continuing the self-imposed rule that all hand-knit items are fair game to be worn without counting toward the 33 items. Also, I'm not counting any jewelry in the list. I usually only wear a wedding ring and perhaps a bracelet. Purses or handbags aren't counting for me, either. I use only one or two purses, a knitting bag, and a laptop bag (I downsized from the massive Vera Bradley bags last year . . . but I still need to sell them on eBay). Once the weather gets truly cold, and it will around October, I plan on changing out the capris for dress slacks and a few of the short sleeve or tissue sweaters for something more appropriate. I'll also put the sandals away and bring the red pumps out . . . because I miss those shiny, patent leather lookers.

Hopefully we have the first day of school tomorrow . . . otherwise, I'll be forced to clean the attic or the basement. And that would truly be a horror. 

Projects, Projects Everywhere

Is there anyone who doesn't love a good project? I mean, seriously . . . not even a little bit? Maybe it needs to have the word project in the title in order to be an "officially sanctioned" one, but for some reason, projects just make me smile a little bit.

The first phase of Project 333 is about to come to an end in eight short days. It's been easier to accomplish than I originally thought. Have I missed the clothing in the big bins upstairs? Not really. Do I plan on donating most of them. Absolutely. Does the next phase terrify me? Oh, god, yes! The problem with phase two is the months that it will encapsulate. Considering it is snowing right now, I'm concerned that I won't have a mix of warm and cold clothes. Plus school will end some time in June (fingers crossed), so I will need a mix of professional and non-professional clothing. But I'm pretty sure that I can make it work without too many issues. Here's the plan:

• Keep four pair of capris on the top shelf and trade them in for the pants when the weather gets too warm. 
• Buy some tops from L. L. Bean that will work for both work and non-work days. 
• Get rid of anything that doesn't seem like it will work for the next six months. 
• Stop buying shirts from Old Navy since they aren't very thick and they wear out pretty quickly. 

Considering that Project 333 has been pretty much pain free, I'm thinking that I need to reassess my eating . . . more importantly the amount that we eat out. I could easily cook dinner, but all too often, Dave and I eat dinner out. Granted, it's just the two of us, but still . . . it adds up. So, from April to June, no eating out. Conditions? You bet: one dinner out a month (because my sushi making skills are asstacularly bad) and the weekly breakfasts at Panera or Starbucks don't count. That will mean lots more dishes, lots more planning, lots more fiddling with recipes. The book of choice? Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express because I like his approach to recipes . . . basically do what you want within the parameters of the food you have. My kind of food.  If I can make it (and Dave, too), I have a small plan in place at the end of June . . . but that needs more planning probably in the form of a project or two.

- Jill

A Closet Of My Own

 When we bought our house 11 years ago, we were undaunted by the fact that it only has two-and-a-half closets. I figured that this would be our "starter" house, and we'd buy a larger one that had walk-in closets with room for my ever burgeoning shoe collection. Funny thing happened . . . we never moved. Turns out we kind of liked living "in town," close to my job and the highway for Dave's commute. Over the years, however, the closet became a sticky point for the Girls and me. We had to share, which kind of sucks for three women.

When they left for college, the closet situation didn’t get any better. There were shoes everywhere, blouses that didn’t fit my figure, pants that might have been fashionable seven years ago but never would be again, and clothes that were a hold-over from my college days in the early ‘90s.The blouses were the absolute worst. I’ve never been able to find the perfect white blouse to fit my figure. If I bought a blouse to fit my boobs, I looked about six months pregnant with all the excess fabric flowing around my stomach. If I got them to fit my waist, I looked like I was auditioning for an adult film. It might be attractive on some people, but I teach middle school. But yet, I still bought white blouse after white blouse expecting a different outcome. I would shove the blouses into my closet only to realize that I already had two versions of the same damn thing in there. What the hell was my problem?

A good friend of mine purged all the jeans in her closet and gave them to me. "I don't care what you do with them . . . I just can't give them to Good Will," she said. I went through the pile and found a duplicate of my absolute favorite jeans. The rest went off to Good Will. And I promptly went through my closet and loaded up her bag with all my blouses because there was a shred of a possibility that they would fit her. Same speech, most likely the same outcome . . . but it got me thinking.

What did I really need in this closet? Turns out just the items I selected for the first phase of Project 333. I've run into a couple of bumps, but I guess that is normal. Part of this process is using what I have; a bigger process, however, is figuring out who I am. I don't need to wear the trendy clothing, so why even bother buying it. I only wear clothing that makes me comfortable and looks good on me. I wear a lot of neutrals . . . but always with pops of color.

- Jill, wearing comfy blue jeans, a white t-shirt, gray swing cardigan, and a hand-knit red silk scarf

Snow Day #1

Teachers have this bizarre love/hate relationship with snow. Honestly, I've never seen another group of people more addicted to weather channels. Some swear by X while others will go out of their way to discredit X by providing spreadsheet data showing how Y was correct 90% of the time. Personally, I think my relationship is a little more hate/love. Don't get me wrong . . . I love being off of school. I'm sitting here in my PJs, drinking another cup of coffee (which may or may not have a little Bailey's in it), watching The People's Court. But I know that this is one day more in June that I will be sweating my fucking ass off, attempting to get the point across that punctuation still matters and that grammar is important not matter where you are. So, yes, snow days are awesome until June rolls around, and you're left wondering if make-up will really be a good idea (note: it won't because the sweat will be pouring out of your pores).

A closet of its own

Part of Project 333 is taking a photo of your daily outfit, which is something that I am really sucking at. By the time I get home from work, I really don't feel like trying to look all spiffy and snazzy for a selfie. I'll have to figure out something because those self-portraits just aren't happening. Yesterday was the first day that things went a little pear shaped. I wanted to wear my green cardi but realized that I didn't have a white cami clean. Couple that with getting dressed by the light of my cellphone and you get a recipe for disaster. Long (and truly boring) story short, I dressed up kind of nunlike in all black and put on a winter coat. If you know me, that last bit about wearing a coat is truly remarkable since I will go out in just about any kind of weather without one. I always thought they were more trouble then they were worth, but yesterday it was a necessary evil. And you know what? It felt kind of nice to have one.

A few people at school have said that they wish they could do Project 333 whenever I talk about it. My first reaction is always, "Why can't you?" The reasons are ones that I've given in the past when I thought about getting rid of clothes:

• I really liked that pair of pants then they fit . . . maybe one day they will again (And they probably won't be in fashion . . . trust me) 
• It's too much work to go through all those clothes (It does take a lot of work, but so does cramming all that shit in your closet)
• But I remember exactly when I bought that (I only have this reaction to two articles of clothing and I would never, ever get rid of them)
• I might need more than 33 pieces of clothing (You might . . . but you'll never know if you don't try)

So far, so good. But I know I have to plan better. It might mean setting out the clothing I'm planning on wearing for the week on Sunday evening or just the night before. I know I need to get rid of two of the shirts I have. One is so old that it isn't black any more. The other is too trendy for me to even think about keeping around. I think I'll hit my old stand by (Old Navy) and pick up a black shirt and a colored shirt . . . but nothing more. Not a snazzy cardi, not a cheap pair of shoes. Nothing. 
- Jill

But I Want Shoes That Will Work My Abs**

Yesterday, Dave commented, "You know, your sister has been posting like crazy these days," so I explained to him that Erika was finishing up her 365 run and I wasn't posting during that time. Last night we watched the video that she put up, and I got a little teary eyed watching Becks grow up right in front of my eyes. Sure, I have photos of the Girls through the years, and they did age from photo to photo, but it was much more powerful to view that all in one sitting.

Christmas: Merry, Happy, Done from Jill Greenwood on Vimeo.

Christmas has come and gone (and I'm a little thankful for that to tell you the truth), and now the new year - 2011 - is upon us. Most people make resolutions, things that are supposed to make them better or smarter or healthier. Me? Not so much. Sure, I plan on using the treadmill more . . . but the heater looks so nice sitting there on it. And I really plan on cooking more for Dave and me . . . but sometimes it really is cheaper to run to Panera Bread. Resolutions? Whatever. But projects? I'm your girl for a good project or two or three.

Project 333 fits the bill quite nicely. It's been about three years now that I've noticed I wear the same five or six sweaters all school year long and rotate in the same couple of pants throughout the school year. Hell, I was giddy - seriously laughing out loud - when a friend gave me a pair of jeans she didn't like because they were the same, exact pair that I loved and adored. I've read Beverly's blog for years now and was inspired by her success (she's very inspirational . . . go check her out). And so, after finding pink tank after pink tank after pink tank with the same blue, ink-like stains fresh out of the wash, I decided that something had to give. Seriously, how many pink tanks does one girl need? Apparently, five.

The Cast-Offs

I pulled all of my clothing out of the closet and drawers and settled on 33 items to take me through the next three months. Here is that list:

• gray Old Navy work pants
• gray Daisy Fuentes Kohls work pants
• black Apartment 9 work pants
• black Daisy Fuentes work pants
• Mossimo jeans (the ones from my friend, Marijo)
• Old Navy jeans
• red Lane Bryant pullover sweater
• green Old Navy cable cardigan
• black Old Navy party cardi cardigan
• gray Old Navy swing cardigan
• ivory Old Navy swing cardigan
• ivory Old Navy thin pullover
• teal Old Navy cardigan
• black Macy's swing cardigan black Old Navy boat neck sweater I live in this thing on the weekends
• white Old Navy long sleeve t-shirt
• white JCPenny's long sleeve t-shirt
• black Apartment 9 Kohls wrap 3/4 shirt
• black Lane Bryant  3/4 t-shirt
• gray and black striped Old Navy t-shirt
• two white Lane Bryant camis
• hot pink Lane Bryant cami
• purple Lane Bryant cami
• black Elf Clarks
• black Mary Jane Keens
• red Ecco pumps
• UGG alikes (and they are so old that they are rank and smell of death)
• ivory Old Navy  winter coat
• teal pashmina 
• London pashmina
• Chamila bracelet*
• charm necklace*
• black belt

So . . . I shop at Old Navy a lot. And I like cardigans. I also like The Cardigans, but that's a post for another day. At this point, half of my excess clothing is in a clear box and the other half is on the Girls' bed waiting for another clear box so it has a happy home for the next three months as well, including two Burberry scarves, a pair of Fluevog sandals that I've only worn once, and about 30 Vera Bradley purses (might have a problem with that).

I love them . . . but they hurt like a son of a bitch

I am bending a few rules and only a few. Hand knit items are off the table. Period. Full stop. Anything that I happen to finish, like a sweater or socks or a sweater or a hat or a sweater, are fair game, and I'm not budging from that.  Besides, if I happen to actually finish something, then I've made a dent in my ever expanding yarn stash. Also, any jewelry that Dave has given me won't be put away. There aren't many pieces (a few necklaces, two bracelets, a ring or two), but I can't choose . . . so I won't.

So, project number one is underway . . . but I'm pretty sure that there are more to come. There always are.

-Jill

* My Chamilia bracelet and charm necklace have many, many charms and parts. Again, I'm okay with that. 
** Title courtesy of Dave, who after learning that his new Avia sneakers were really working his calves, made me smile with this gem