I took a week off of blogging to hang out with my out-of-town sister, and see friends, and truth be told, sit on my couch and watch movies.

But now it’s the new year and officially time to restart, renew and figure out what the hell I’m going to do this year.

Why not start with some resolutions?

Resolution #1 — Cook more for friends
My husband is considered the cook of the family. I make some mean out-of-the-box brownies, but when it comes to the real deal meal cooking, most, would say that Jay is the go-to guy. Part of it is his fault; he is a kitchen Nazi and can’t stand to even watch me dice an onion. But I must admit, I’ve voluntarily put myself in the back seat and enjoyed his kitchen reign.

Also, I’m having a baby in a few months, and from what I’ve heard, if I plan on having a social life, I’m going to have to figure out how to lure my friends to my house.

So, I want to start learning to make the basics. I got this book, What to Cook and How to Cook It, which breaks recipes down to a degree even I can understand. There are pictures showing the ingredients for the meal as well as steps along the way (as far as I’m concerned, the more pictures the better).

Resolution #2 — Organize my office
I recently went to a friends’ office and she apologized profusely about the mess.

“What mess?” I wondered aloud. To get to my desk, you have to hop over piles of magazines, loose papers, books, and some trash. Pick up any of the aforementioned items and chances are high a dust bunny will come with it.

In a word (or two), my office is a flippin’ wreck.

The baby is going to inhabit my current office, which makes it a perfect time to actually purge and reorganize in a meaningful way.

Resolution #3 — Buy more vintage
Due to my expanding waistline, I’ve purchased the few new clothing items I’ve needed (elastic waist skinny jeans and white crewneck tees) from Old Navy.

What I’ve wanted more than anything: vintage. Shirt dresses with a fitted waist, funky belts and cute little jackets.

I feel better about buying vintage because of the quality — and because every piece I buy feels a little more special. This 1940s dress and 1930s bracelet are a couple of the items on Etsy I’m coveting at the moment.

My friend and I have disagreed on the thank you note ever since…really, we met.

The conversation has gone something like this:

Him: “If you gave me something and I said thank you, why do I need to follow it up with a note saying what I just told you? ”

Me: “Because it’s easy to say “thanks” — but taking a moment to acknowledge the gift REALLY says you appreciate it.

That said — I’m not as good at writing thank you notes as I should be. Relatives who send me birthday gifts will often get mid-October thanks (my birthday is in August). On one bad year I struggled to get them out before Christmas cards. Good friends probably never see one.

I saw the site ThankThankNotes, and was intrigued, then dismayed.

$3 to write, stamp and send hand-written notes for any occasion. You fill out a form saying how many notes — and then write a quick template.

My thought, if you’re writing a template, is it that much harder to just write the damn note?

I imagine it’s good if you’re writing business correspondence, but for personal thank you notes?

So, in my book, there aren’t any thank you shortcuts, but there are some cute cards on Etsy:

• Thank You Kindly, $9.50/set of 6
• Letterpress Thank You, $4.50
• Mini-Thank Yous, $16/set of 20
• Owl Note Cards, $8/set of 6

View even more Etsy thank you notes >>

1.) Bike Tools, $35

2.) Dual Vintage Bikes Print, $95

3.) Edith Bike Seat Cover, $28

4.) Bike Bag, $20

5.) LED Light necklace, $23

6.) Monster Bike Helmet, $90

7.) Custom Wood Fenders, $200

I’ve heard that they are a horrible team, but I chose to go to the game, mostly (as in 100% why) because they are giving away a D-backs garden gnome figurine.

I recounted this to a friend and he asked, “What exactly does a garden gnome do?”

Um, um, um. Good question.

According to Wikipedia:

A garden gnome is a figurine of a small humanoid creature, usually wearing a pointy hat, produced for the purpose of ornamentation, typically of gardens or on lawns. These figurines originate in 19th century Germany, where they became known as Gartenzwerg (literally “garden dwarf”). The application of the term gnome in English is first attested in the 1930s.

So basically, they are garden statues. Period.

What a disappointment. I was hoping they’d been placed in gardens to ward away bad garden mojo, for a good yield, etc. But in actuality, their sole purpose is to be cute.

So in the spirit of well-appointed gardens, here are a few things that might add a little magic to yours:

1.) Happy Buddha, $54
2.) A Trio of Gnomes, $20
3.) Ceramic Mushroom Garden Ornament, $14.50
4.) Garden Herb, $9
5.) Vintage Fawn Outdoor Statue, $30
6.) Allium Garden Ornament, $39
7.) Mosaic Ladybug Stepping Stone, $75

Indeed it does, and it’s still a meal.

You might remember the Sloppy Joe as cafeteria fodder — or what your mom made when your parents were going for a night on the town, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious.  You can make your own (this Sloppy Joe mix from Etsy looks interesting), or you can try out some local varieties:

District Kitchen
Sloppy Joe made from lean Buffalo for  $9 or happy hour sliders for $5 (right).
320 N. 3rd St
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Liberty Market
Liberty Joe, $7, which you can order “extra sloppy” for an additional 50 cents.
230 N. Gilbert Rd.
Gilbert, AZ 85234
(480) 892-1900

Cafe Bink
Get a fancy sloppy joe on an onion roll for $10
36889 N. Tom Darlington Dr.
Carefree, AZ 85377
(480) 488-9796

Any other places serve Sloppy Joe’s in Phoenix?

My husband, creator of charity website Fund-A-Stache, now has a ridiculous handlebar to raise money for St. Mary’s Food Bank.

He will also participate in Moustache May, a community site wear hundreds of men take daily photos of their moustaches and give each other pats on the back for the best shots (love you guys :^D).

It’s not too late to start growing and helping someone by growing funny facial hair!

Here are a few moustache items to put you in the growing/giving spirit:

1.) Moustache Salt & Pepper, $35
2.) Stacking Moustache Mugs, $52
3.) The Moustache Button Collection, $6.25
4.) Mustache Man Print, $15
5.) Felt Moustache, $12
6.) Mustache Wall Clock, $120
7.) Whisker Wax, $14
8.) Jean-Pierre the Food Critic, $16
9.) Apple Mustache Laptop Decals, $12

I’ve barely played in 20 years. He’s new to the game.  My forehand blows. His backhand (sorry, Nick) could use some help.

Every time we play, I leave the public courts determined to practice more or take some lessons. Eventually it gets hot, I get sedentary, and I don’t play until the next off-season and the urge strikes.

Maybe, just maybe some tennis-inspired Etsy will get the proverbial ball bouncing?

1.) ’70s Tennis Dress, $19
2.) Racket Pendant, $24
3.) Tennis Scarf, $3
4.) Wire Ball Basket, $40
5.) Forehand Checkbook Cover, $8
6.) Recycled Tennis Greeting Cards, $5
7.) Yellow & White Tennis Carry-all, $38

Wanna play? There are tennis leagues for beginners and intermediates at Encanto Park or  more lessons and leagues in Scottsdale.

“Damn,” I thought, “fringe on a shoe is a good thing.” While I’m at it, how about on a bag? And I really like bangs, which my British friends refer to as fringe.

Thus, an entire post devoted to Etsy fringe. Enjoy.

1.) Leather Fringe Bag, $179
2.) Multi-strand Tassle, $28
3.) Native American Style Handbag, $24.50
4.) Fringe Necklace, $74
5.) Vintage Caramel Kiltie Pumps, $38
6.) Vintage Fringe Wrap Dress, $16
7.) Leather Moccasins with Fringe, $49.95
8.) Vintage 1970s Loafers, $32

(My husband, on the other hand, keeps turning on the Olympics, probably in hopes of replenishing some of his lost masculinity.)

A life of manners has little place in my house — however some of the appointments of a Jane Austen-esque life — well I could do with a little more of those. Here are a few things on Etsy that remind me of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy:

1.) Romantic Age Blouse, $32
2.) Fountain Pen, $12.50
3.) Leaves Bobby Pins, $12.50
4.) Leather-bound Journal, $42
5.) Victorian Silhouette Pillow, $25
6.) Floral Bonnet, $26
7.) Do Not Faint Journal, $16
8.) Vintage Lace-up Boots, $49

1.) Humping Dinosaurs Wall Art, $29
2.) Stegosaurus Hat, $30
3.) Billy the Dinosaur Planter, $15
4.) T-Rex T-shirt, $16
5.) When Dinosaurs Roamed Stationery, $10.50
6.) Brontosaurus Charm, $16