This week, I decided to detail thirteen things I’ve managed to accomplish in 2006!

Thirteen Things I Accomplished in 2006

1. I raised my credit score to 700. A big, big goal.
2. I purchased: a 19″ monitor, a new and updated computer, a new bed quilt (desperately needed), and my camera. All with excess money, never taking any out of savings to do so (except for a temporary: “The sale is today, I’m paid on Friday” type deal.)
3. I have expanded my recipe collection immensely. And more, I cook with them, eating less boxed, instant foods and more home-made goodness.
4. I raised a small herb garden in pots. Some thrived, some flourished, and some died, but I did much, much better than last year. My sage is still alive, though doing poorly, and my oregano is still (amazingly!) doing wonderful!
5. I’ve come to terms with a large part of my spirituality that bothered me - the existence of the gods as we know them.
6. I have learned to bake bread!
7. I have set up a permanent altar, though it changes frequently.
8. I have managed to stop feeling guilty over sleeping later than 5pm even though I didn’t get to bed until 11am.
9. I have read 45 books since March 21st. Over one book per week. I even liked some of them. Check out the booklist to see what I’ve read, and comments on all of them.
10. I have spent less on the little things that provide momentary pleasure, and more on the big things I really want - self control!
11. I have socked away nearly $1000 in savings!
12. I gained 5 pounds through rampant junkfood eating. I confess, this was not a goal, but I accomplished it nonetheless! ;-)
13. I have stressed less than the years before!

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

Well, another year has turned. It’s 2007 now. Wonder how long it’ll take me to remember to write that, instead of 2006, on my checks/other dated material. Hopefully not so terribly long.

The new year passed without much excitement here. I spent it alone, except for Maddy.

She’s cute, but a holy terror on four legs at 8 weeks old. She spotted my christmas tree, found the beaded garland, grabbed it, and /ran/. The tree nearly toppled over on top of her before I could stop her. And then she did it /again/. And /again/. So I had to sort of try to block it off, but that’s easier said than done.

Nevertheless, she slept through the turning of the year, so I could run and throw open the door to let the new year inside - and toss a few coins through the doorway into the house for good luck - without any, uh, ‘helpers’. I burned up my yule tapers simply because I didn’t burn them at yule itself - no big deal. To me, yule is rather like New Year’s anyway - my personal spiritual new year. Some say pagans consider Samhain ‘it’, but I don’t. I think Yule is it - after all, Yule is when the sun is born again, and when the ‘death’ of the old year is really complete, and the new year arrives with the promise of lengthening days. If anything, Samhain is the beginning of the end. Besides, Yuletide is marked with all sorts of glorious things that symbolize renewal and hope and merrymaking and all that jazz, and that’s more like a new year festival to me than Samhain ever will be.

So yeah. I burned incense, too. Finally - at last! - got my charcol briquettes to light up, which was a miracle. Good smelling stuff, this diviniation incense from Spellbound Secrets! I looove the smell of it, and I’m actually not a big fan of incense. I should buy more. Before they like, go out of business or something as small businesses are wont to do. I used my cauldron. My altar looks witchy now that I’ve removed some of the secular Christmastime stuff - my santa advent calendar, etc. etc. - and replaced it with my chalice, filled with water (an offering) and my little offering clay pots (I really wish I had something better) filled with frankincense and rice and sugar and mistletoe) and my big cauldron with the incense, and my new tarot deck.

That’s the new tarot deck. Thank you, A! I love them. They’re currently ‘charging’. I’m going through a whole schebang consecration ritual thing to really make them happy. It involves the four elements and the next four moon cycles and by the end, it should be all happy and magicified. Or something. In any case, I intend to make use of them for daily readings, and use the others for… less daily readings, like sabbats and full/new moons, etc. Or, you know, whenever I bloody well want a change.

I did yoga tonight. It was awful. This new dvd I got… well, it looked good. And maybe some of the workouts /are/ good, but the one I did sucked ass in a royal sort of way. Oh well. I did work out. It’s not really a new year’s resolution, exactly, but I did plan to do yoga 3x a week. At least for 1 month. At the end of january, I can… evaluate.

And finally - at last! - here are the photos of my December secret pal package! Got them uploaded at last, despite many internet issues tonight. *growls at network*

I tell you, I’m in LOVE with that yarn. And oh, the nail polish is lovely, too! And the books, though I haven’t yet gotten around to reading them. :)