Merry Christmas to me

My husband's grandfather was a great musician. Chris was given the violin about 20 years ago, but it was in pretty rough shape.  For Christmas, Chris and my dad decided to fix up the violin. It's so beautiful! Kamimoto Strings did a wonderful job fixing it up. They opened up the violin and learned that it was handmade in Czechoslovakia about 100 years ago. It sounds so beautiful, but I need to learn how to play it ;) Here are a few photos of it. The black and white photo has Chris's grandfather playing the violin in the late 1940s. It's so amazing. 

Next up: lessons. Probably in person, but maybe online? Any thoughts on learning how to play an instrument?

I think this is the best Christmas present ever. Thanks, Dad, Chris, and Grandpa Orin. What is the best gift you've received? 

Goals and Ideas for 2014

I do love writing down a few goals for the new year. I've done it in the past and feel pretty good about the results. You can read about 2013 here. 2013 was a total bust with regard to reading, but I had a baby in March and he was sleeping in our bed until last week. I'm definitely giving myself a pass on that one since I usually do all my reading at night before bed and didn't want to risk waking up the baby by turning on the light. 

1. Read grownup books. I love Roald Dahl and all the other kid books we read, but darnit, I want to read something for me. Even if it's just for a few minutes before bed. I have a slew of books (<photo at bottom of post) that I bought last Christmas break. 

2. Volunteer. This is a follow-up from last year's goal, but I have found the organization I'd like to work with: Nurse Family Partnership. It is "a maternal and early childhood health program, fosters long-term success for first-time moms, their babies, and society." New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof says NFP may be the most important earliest intervention. More details to come on this partnership :)

3. Waste less food. I don't think we waste a lot, but I'm going to strive to do better. First test: the pineapple I bought today. I'm going to cut it and juice it because kale, celery, and pineapple juice is the best thing I've ever had and I don't want to pay Whole Foods $6 for another Kale Yeah. 

4. Take violin lessons. I got the raddest violin for Christmas (there will be a whole post on that!). And I want to take lessons this year. I'm ok knowing that I'll never be the next Andrew Bird (omg- his striped socks!) or Tin Cup Prophette (I held her baby boy during this show so she could perform. I love her).

Calligraphy with Maybelle

Woohoo- I loved last night's calligraphy class with Maybelle Imasa-Stukuls! I've been wanting to learn calligraphy for as long as I can remember! I've loved Maybelle's work since I saw it in Martha Stewart Weddings 10 years ago. Maybelle has taught a few workshops in San Francisco, but I was super thrilled that last night's class was at Twin Soul Art Studio in downtown Los Gatos, which is just a short drive away! 

In a previous life, I did a lot of envelope addressing for my invitation clients (you can check out my handwriting here). I've always loved mail, handwriting, and vintage stamps, so calligraphy was always a natural next step. I have to admit I have never liked my cursive handwriting, so I was a bit reluctant to try calligraphy. I included "Take a calligraphy class" on my Life List (#8!!) as well as this year's Goals and Ideas list! Maybelle is one of my very favorite calligraphers so I feel super lucky that she's out-and-about teaching workshops! Using nibs under Maybelle's guidance was really fun and my handwriting wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! She even made us a personalized ink and pen holder! We got lots of practice paper, extra ink, and a sweet practice notebook. Here are a few photos from last night's class. 

2013 Goals and Ideas

I loved making my Life List for Camp Mighty and Go Mighty- the big picture of things I wanted to do with my life, in general, anytime. 2013 is much more concrete. There's more pressure because of the time limit. But I loved doing it for 2012 and am excited about the prospect of a new year.

1. Finish the house projects & landscaping before our sweet babe #2 arrives at the end of March. I won't be doing much of the manual labor, but I'd like to help make sure that it gets done, so I'm including it as goal #1. I'll be doing the fun, pretty stuff- paint colors, flea markets, hanging paintings, etc.

2. Continue to expand my photography business. I taught my first workshop on photographing kids last month and it was awesome. And I've been asked to teach it again at Treehouse Kid & Craft in Athens, GA in February and I'm super excited. I'd love to host a few more workshops this year.

3. Keep up with my Daily Kid Pic. I did a much better job at photographing and uploading in 2012 than 2011. Was it because it was on my list of goals? I'm not sure, but I liked the results and I don't want to jinx it- especially with sweet babe #2 coming in March. We'll keep the same Flickr set for both kids. And they'll get their own "year-end" books.

4. Have photos in Anthology Magazine.

5. Take a calligraphy class.

6. Read 12 books. One a month seems like a lot, given my reading past, but what the heck, go big, right?! After I write this list, I'm off to the local bookstore to pick up a few new reads & use my Christmas gift cards!*

7. Find a charity, donate $500, and volunteer with them on a regular basis. This is actually a request from my grandmother who passed away last year. Luckily she gave me the money to donate, so that's not the issue. The hard part is choosing the charity when there are so many. I know I want a local organization that focuses on children's education (reading or nutrition). And bonus points if my 4 year old can volunteer with me. Please let me know if you have any recommendations!!

8. Write book proposal and get the ball rolling on my coffee table book idea. Carried-over from last year because this did not happen at all.

9. Be a better cook. I wish I could write "Enjoy cooking" as my goal, but that seems like an impossibility. I don't enjoy it, but I know that eating healthy as a family is super duper important. Maybe my goal needs to be more tangible- like "Try a new recipe once per week"- or something like that. I think I need to get a few new things for the kitchen- handheld blender, measuring cups, and maybe a Vitamix! When my son says, "Thanks, Chef Kate," I'd like to feel like I've earned it.

My goals & ideas for 2012 can be found here. Apparently I skipped writing down goals and ideas for 2011, but my list for 2010 can be found here. What are your plans for the year??

*Update: After writing this post I went to Mountain Bookshop and scored some books! Have you read any of these?