The time has flown and a year has passed by so very quickly. I wanted to stop and take the time to share with you the last year in review at Pepper Scraps. I hope you will stroll down memory lane with me or find some good reads that you may have missed the first time around.

January

• I start Project 52: Self Portraits with Lynda from DigitalWoe.com. I made it almost halfway to my goal. This year I may choose to do another Project 52.
• I vowed to defeat my weight issues last January. I have lost 60lbs this year, I hope to loose another 50lbs this year.
• Zarek learned how to crawl out of his crib. Today we will be converting his crib to a “big boy bed”.

February

• CommentHour was created by me and Jenny. I’m not sure what will happen with #commenthour this year, I have to think long and hard about it’s future.
• I received my acceptance letter for my weight loss surgery!
• I shared a photo of me and the hubby on Project 52. Not the best photo, but when you consider it is one of very few it’s pretty nice to have it.

March

• I tried doing March Vlogging Madness with Jendi at SimpleVloggingTips.com. I made it through about 10 videos, but it seems as if life had gotten in the way. I will be trying to do another 30 day vlogging challenge this year!
• I participated in the Ultimate Blogging Party. I was a little disappointed in the event this year 2010 was a lot more fun it seemed.
• My sleep study revealed I have severe sleep apnea. This year I hope to get another test done to see if my sleep apnea is better after my weightloss.
• I shared my typical day of a working mom. My hope to stop working out of the house is being delayed as we try and work on our goal this year to become debt free.

April

• I shared my imperfect life with a photo of me and my messy house.
• I had my first weigh-in required by my insurance for weight loss surgery.
• Zarek turned 2 this year and I wrote him a letter to tell him how much he means to me.

May

• I wrote a post all about how to slowly invest in your web design. If you are on a budget but would like to learn how you still might be able to update your website you should read this post!
• I shared about the 7 major elements of blog design. Are you re-evaluating your blog for the new year? Use this post as a guide at the different key elements you want to look over.
• In Beauty vs Budget I compared a website or blog to buying a house, which would you rather own: a travel trailer, a  mobile home, a pre-built home, or a custom home?

June

• I started a new version of A Craft A Day where each craft was related to a letter of the week. We have made it halfway through the alphabet and I hope to finish the rest of the alphabet this year.
• I drove up to Seattle to attend Bloggy Boot Camp and got my first speeding ticket.
• #commenthour went live all on it’s own with it’s own hashtag, twitter account, and website!
• I shared how you can create an amazing about page in 5 easy steps.

July

• I hit a plateau in my weight loss and struggled to keep my motivation. I finally made it through my plateau to only hit another this December. I hope to just keep going and keep on losing.
• I talked about 15 ways you can clean up your sidebars in a post called How Much is Too Much? Which had a few people question my thinking but I promise your blogroll is doing less for you than you realize.
• I introduced you to my newest toy my Iconia Tablet and started a series about some of my favorite Android apps available at the Marketplace.
• If you are struggling with creating an editorial calendar or getting people to read your posts you should run back and read my post about How to Use a Magazine for Easy Headlines.

August

• I had my first guest blogger on PepperScraps and her post was a huge hit, if you missed it you have to go back!
• I offered my first freebie for kids and moms looking to get active with their kids. I have a video showing off my boys using the printable activity cards and if you want you can still like Pepper Scraps on Facebook and get them free!
• As summer came to end I felt my blogging motivation dwindling and saw many of my blogging friends struggling so I shared one of my favorite posts on how to beat Blogging Burn Out.
• I started a new series all about bloggers you should follow.  I really enjoyed sharing some of the great people I have met through blogging and I hope to share more this year!
• One of my last posts of August I took the time to thank some of my favorite blogging buddies, but also encouraged others to thank someone special in their lives also.

September

• I posted about my thoughts about getting Invisaligns and why I was considering this great product. I’m still thinking about this as I get my dental work finished and am continuing my quest for healthier living.
• I shared a little more about one of my favorite blogger Darren Rowse and how you can learn more about blogging from him.

October

• I got invited to an awesome little party by Kristin from Our Ordinary Life that was sponsored by Diaper Genie and had tons of fun. I’m hoping to do more fun things like this this year and to learn more about different products and product sponsorship. I may even do a series on how to be a sponsored blogger.
• I really nailed down a great system for creating an amazing editorial calendar and I shared my secrets with you!

November

• November 2nd I had lap band surgery! I shared with you all the steps that led up to my surgery the day after surgery.
• I didn’t write much in November due to my recovery but I did share a very detailed account of my surgery day, including my ride to the surgery room with my hilarious anesthesiologist.

December

• My recovery was harder than I thought after surgery, it wasn’t the pain but the exhaustion that got me. Do to this there was only one post in December.

Now onto a new year with Pepper Scraps. I hope you will join me in all the adventures I share here. I hope that I can share more about blogging, more about crafting with your kids, more about how to lose weight and become healthy, and who knows where this adventure shall lead us.

As I was organizing my documents in Google Docs I found a PDF I had received from Problogger, 9 Things to Do to Get Your Blog On Track in The New Year. I instantly added this to my to do list today. I need to read this!

I read it and I knew what I wanted my objectives to be but I still don’t know where I will write them for me to see. And I still felt like I had nothing to right about on my blog. Then I realized I need to write about this. My objectives!

Be Consistent!

One of my objectives this is year is to be more consistent in my posting. This is hard but I really want to do it.

Over a year ago I did NaBloPoMo. I loved it, but it was stressful. Some nights I would stare at the computer screen wondering what could I possibly talk about tonight. So I won’t be posting every single day. But I will try and post more consistently.

I have also tried making calendars and making each day of the week a day with a special subject. This helps but it’s not perfect.

Before my hiatus I added a plugin to show a calendar on my dashboard showing when I have posts set up for that month. That helped decrease the stress of posting for me so I am hoping this will help me in this objective.

Your Turn

But here is where you come in. What do you want me to post about? Just my Mommy stuff, About Blogging, Vlogging? What is your favorite section here on PepperScraps?

I had a new baby boy and who can describe the joys of a new child in your life. It is amazing, he is amazing.

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

We had a family crisis this year and that’s all I will say on it. But the second most challenging thing was my mother’s illness.

I have never been separated from my family before. We have always lived close by. And then as my mother got to her new home across the country she became gravely ill. It was such a struggle for me, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t just fly across the country with my two little ones during the flu season. So I made the choice to stay home and correspond with my aunt. This was such a hard choice.

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

Finding a new church home has been a great blessing this year. We have become members of the church. I have started making close friendships at the church. And I have even gotten to enjoy helping out in the children’s area.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

Being demoted at work to part-time has been a true obstacle but it turned into a blessing. The lack of money has been hard but having the extra time with my boys has been wonderful. And on top of that because I’m part-time my schedule has become more steady which is so much easier on both me and the boys.

5. Pick three words to describe 2009.

Faith, Love, Joy

6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your 2009 (don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you).

Boys, struggle, Faith

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their 2009 (again, without asking).

Struggle, Faith, Boys

8. What were the best books you read this year?

The Bone Series, Wheel of Time: Knife of Dreams, The Ordinary Princess, The Jesus Storybook Bible

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

TJ, Wendi (my SIL), Andrea (my BF)

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

I’m not pregnant anymore, that’s pretty big. But on a serious note I’ve been working on my relationship with the Lord and have been growing closer to Him.

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

I have made a point to take better care of myself. To not rely so much on others for my happiness.

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

We have become members of a church, I have been going to Bible study regularly, and have been volunteering at church. I have also been trying to take time each day to read my Bible and pray, to have a quiet time with the Lord.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

Just last month I have started a new diet and have scheduled exercise into my week.

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

I have made some great new friendships at church. Which was one of my goals this year. I have been wanting to gain some new christian friends.

15. What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home?

Lesson time with Zane this year was one of my absolute favorite things this year. Though I don’t if you would count that as home management.

16. What was your most challenging area of home management?

All of home management but most of all housekeeping and laundry.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

Probably surfing online and Facebook.

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?

Spending time with my boys and TJ. We made a point this year to spend more time together and to have more family time. This was one of the greatest things about this year.

19. What was the biggest thing you learned this past year?

To put God first in your life and all things after.

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2009 for you.

God is faithful.

Survey found a (In)Courage.