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Hi.

I'm Nadine. Thanks for stopping by. The floors are creaky, the kids are loud, but the door's always open and the coffee's always on.

Make yourself at home.

Looking Back: 14 Things in 2014

There's just over one week left in 2014 — and I’m only now getting into the Christmas spirit.

(A viewing of It's a Wonderful Life yesterday helped. That movie is magic.)

Time to revisit my 14 goals for the year!

1. Get thriftier. Shop smarter.

There’s still room for improvement in this area, but we’re getting better at making our own chicken stock after roasting a chicken…and making a handful of meals in a row that all use similar herb combinations so we’re throwing out less dill, cilantro and basil.

Example: roast chicken, make stock. With stock, make carrot and ginger soup, topped with dill, served with French bread. With leftover bread and dill, let husband make you smoked salmon and dill on toast for breakfast.

(Matthew keeps upping his game in the kitchen. We’re saving our brunch money.)

Still not soaking beans, though.

Oh, and I was pretty proud of this thrifty-but elegant skirt.

2. Sew a dress.

Done. And done. And done. And done.

Next up: maternity clothes.

3. Learn to drive.

I drove!  Not much, and not very well. But I drove. We’ll probably get a car in 2015, which will make driving lessons easier. (We’re car-sharing right now.)

4. Read books.

Not a banner year or anything, but I did read a few!

Highlights:

On Writing. Bossypants. The Old Man and the Sea. Farewell to Arms. The Little Prince. Hound of the Baskervilles. Agatha Christie’s The Mirror Crack’d.

I'm in the middle of Great Expectations.

5. Bake a pie.

Done. It was glorious. Should’ve made two.

6. Get a plant or two.

We grew herbs. And then they died. Will try again in the new year.

7. Build this blog — intentionally.

Um...fail.

8. Make more music.

Done. Let’s make even more, Matthew!

9. Get a stamp on my passport.

Done and done.

10. Learn to relax.

I broke my toe and was forced to take things easy for a month. Does that count?

11. Keep turning our little apartment into a home.

It’s a work in progress. (Next up: turn office nook into nursery.)

12. Pick a (career) project.

With six months until baby — and no paid maternity leave — things are gonna have to change. I’m ready for a shake-up. What it will look like, I still have no clue.

Non-career project: motherhood.

13. Stretch. Breathe. Move.

I should probably sign up for prenatal yoga, right?

14. Simplify.

A broken toe followed by an exhausting first trimester made for a pretty unproductive summer/fall in terms of purging, cleaning and organizing. But that nesting instinct is starting to kick in. There will be purging.

In conclusion, while not a 14-for-14 year…not bad, self.

How was your 2014, folks?

Up next: 15 Things in 2015.

P.S. Here’s 13 Things in 2013.

15 things in 2015

YouTube Tuesday: Here We Go