2008 Year in Review... -ish

Just watched Kung Fu Panda with Louis yesterday, and Master Shifu delivers a line similar to something we've all heard at some time or another:

The past is history.  

The future's a mystery.  

That's why right now is called The Present.

Dwelling on the past really isn't my gig, and truthfully my mind spends a substantial amount of time thinking about the future.  (What would Master Shifu say?)  It's worth taking a quick look back at my goals for 2008 and assess present achievement before putting my hopes and plans for 2009 out in the universe:

1. Start and keep up blog at clevergirl.org with 3 x week posts.

I started it, I kept it up despite several failed blogs in years past, and though 3 x week posts would put me at 150 or so, I'm close to 100.  That's fine by me, though, as I've gotten tons more traffic and made so many more blogging buddies than I ever thought I would.  I'd reminded myself for months, as there were ZERO comments on my posts at the beginning, that I just wanted to keep the web karma alive by sharing things that might help others, as I know I have been helped by great stuff I've found on the Web.  But it sure felt validating to have one of my posts syndicated by Craft magazine in September, and to have a handful of those visitors see enough value to keep coming back.  

The best part has been finding a group of online friends who share some common interests.  You're an amazing group of women and I have enjoyed getting to know you.  (If there are any men out there reading, leave a comment sometime so I can be more inclusive in these kinds of comments.  LOL)

2. and 3.  are related: Write 24 reviews on PatternReview.com and sew 12 garments (6 store-bought patterns and 6 of my own design).

Maybe my first goal in 2009 should be to take a math class.  Can I not add?  Was I going to sew my 12 garments and then create a fictionalized set of 12 pattern reviews?  

I cut myself slack here, in that I wrote 18 reviews and sewed a whole lot more than that.  I tried to count and my bestimate is 27 garments for my wear, 5 of my own design/ no design.  Some of my favorite garments were:

1. Trifle Ruffle Denim Dress, 2. Simplicity 4077: Rock Me Amadeus White Shirt, 

3. Simplicity 2925: Dainty Dress, 4. Yes I Can [Finish] Dress in Sunflower Yellow

4. Buy a digital SLR and use it to document my world.

I'd been planning, researching, saving for a DSLR for two years.  I bought a Nikon D40 this year and my indoor "clothes I've sewn" photos greatly improved.  But I never took it off auto mode to really play around with it till today!  Got a couple of fun/ interesting shots:

I can't say I've done much about documenting my world through photos yet but I try to muster that courage every day.  It will take a lot to learn to communicate through my photographs as I communicate through spoken word, or really any other way I'm used to by now.

I woke up this morning to someone on NPR saying, "Who wants to look back on 2008?  I just want to look ahead."  (And I was wondering why there seem to be so few best of 2008 lists on TV and on the web!)  All in all, I feel wonderful about my sewing 2008 and am excited about what the new year will bring!  Since we're on the topic of a 2008 retrospective, here are just a few of my favorite dresses as worn by Wardrobe Remixers -- I should sew myself a stinking babydoll top and get over it, right?:

1. Monday at work, 2. matchy matchy, 3. 09.06.2008, 4. I miss my 350D