Out with the Old, in with the New

While reading through the blogs that I follow, I came across this question in a survey, "What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?" Oh, ugh! What a depressing question! I felt like the year had been just like any other, with nothing new in it. We were supposed to sell our house and move to another state this year. Now that would have been new! But instead, we're still here in the same place, doing the same old stuff. The usual routine.

But the more I thought about it, the more I began to realize that I had tried a lot of new things this year. None of them earth-shatteringly huge, as a move would be. But still, new. And they add up. Together they're getting me closer to the more simple and deliberate life that I want to live. Here's a sampling:

1. I made bread. Not just quick bread, but bread using yeast, and not in the bread machine. For some reason the idea of kneading and rising had intimidated me for many years, but this year I conquered my fear and made some delicious foccacia.

2. I ate grass-fed beef. After reading the book Real Food, by Nina Planck and watching the movie Food, Inc. I decided that I needed to buy meat and dairy products from animals that don't come from factory farms and instead are raised humanely on pasture. I found a grocery store nearby that sells grass-fed beef from a local farm, and then I found a local farm coop that I can join to buy directly from the farmer!

3. I bought a lot of local produce. I know local produce is the way to go for freshness and flavor (and for supporting local farmers), but I usually get lazy and prefer to buy all my food the easy way. In one place, at the grocery store. But this summer I stopped off at the farmer's market on my way to the grocery store, and bought whatever I could from the local farmers. Yummy!

4. I invented a recipe. I'm pretty proud of it. I've been watching "Chopped" on the Food Network, and it's given me some ideas about how to make my own creations in the kitchen. Sorry, I'm not going to post it here because I'm thinking of entering it into a cooking contest if I can find one.

5. I started using the classical method in my homeschool. I'd been thinking about it for a couple years, and I finally took the plunge. I'm glad I did. It's strong emphasis on history has turned Lucy into a history lover!

6. I finally joined a homeschool group. Classes start this month. The classes are through a public school district nearby, so everything is free. Lucy's taking a field trip class, an art class, and she gets to do 2 Rosetta Stone languages online!

For 2010 I'm starting a new blog, where I'll blog about the books I'm reading. I've been thinking about doing this for a long time and I'm finally taking the plunge. Visit me at Marci's Book Blog. There's nothing there yet, but there will be soon. My resolution is to update both of these blogs more regularly in 2010.

What new things did you do last year? What are you hoping to try this year?