 * It’s very early in the morning, on the last day of the year. I’m up before the chickens (which I don’t have–double whammy of city and HOA rules) so that I could have a quiet moment with you before the family wakes up (let’s give one more shout-out to the pajama chicken). It’s the last week of Kudzu’s Must-Do 52 enewsletter. It tells me to check my washer, stock up on the firewood pile, and “winterize” my outdoor plants and shrubs (although our unseasonably warm weather this year has turned “brrrr” into bounty in my winter vegetable garden). But really, there is only one thing I truly need to do today, and that is to say goodbye to you. This year-old daily blog is ending, and I am moving on. You can follow me on my personal blogs, FoodShed Planet and Sustainable Pattie, or on twitter @pattiebaker. Small biz owners–you may find some of the 101 Marketing Ideas with Pattie Baker helpful (that was a business-to-business blog I wrote for Kudzu prior to this one). Thank you to Kudzu and Cox Enterprises (Kudzu’s parent company) for this opportunity, and to all of you who have shared this journey with me. A very special thanks, of course, to my family, who have literally “lived” this blog.
* Gosh, remember when we started? I was a different person then (or at least my house was). Faucet leaks. Wood rot. No ceiling fans and no screen door. Things have changed. Repairs have been made (well, not the doorbell yet–sorry to my friend who stood out there for ages with his famous white chocolate mousse holiday gift recently). Items have been knocked off my to-do list. And most importantly, I’ve finally ac cepted the blatantly obvious fact that yes, indeed, I am now a grown-up and it is time to stop being in denial about things like regular home maintenance and repair. I’ve also figured out that I actually do have my own personal style tastes, which run toward some freaky combo of “reclaimed barn” and “ultra-modern” (with lots and lots of color), and that perhaps my dream home would actually be a restored carriage house down a cobble-stoned lane in New York City (I started following Brooklyn Heights open house alerts and subscribed to Edible Brooklyn somewhere around July, even though I live in metro Atlanta) or the HGTV Green Home 2012 in nearby Serenbe–it is being billed as a “farmhouse with a modern twist.” (Sign me up!)
* I tried to showcase a wide range of lifestyles, from “traditional families” to the sandwich generation to empty nesters  to those coming up with their own solutions to a tough economy and changing needs. I threw in the “dream stuff”–the gourmet kitchens, home spas and theaters, and enviable basements and backyards–with even a celebrity stop or two: see Oprah’s house here, and Things Are Looking Rosie (Plus How to Find Real Star Power Right Where You Live). But I also stressed how much a can of paint can transform a room, how clearing out clutter and loving what you have can change a point of view, or how hanging a simple hammock can make you fee l suddenly rich.
* And mostly, I “leaned green.” If it was reclaimed, reused, recycled, or repurposed, it caught my attention, even that darn recycled street sign chair that, let’s admit it, is probably not all that comfortable, but yes, I still love it (here is a picture of a whole dining room set of them, including the table). Non-toxic solutions, from no-or-low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) to organic gardening just plain fit with my feelings as a mom trying to build a healthy bridge to the next generation. I even gave you some tips for getting involved beyond your home to create healthier communities–see (1) Embrace What May Be a Better Way to Live at Home and in Your Community, (2) The State of Growing Local Food in Cities around the Country–and in Your Backyard, and (3) Make Your Home Easily Livable and Endless Lovable (and Give a Gift to the Street–because, frankly, we’re all connected (and I believe that’s part of being neighborly). But, granted, even all that had its limits as my budget doesn’t always allow me to make what I think is the best choice (that da rn water heater purchase comes to mind). (Let’s face it–we’re doing our best.) If you’re interested in more tips and stories about a mom’s journey to live more sustainably (or just grow a fresh vegetable or two), you may be interested in my book.
* My favorite post of the last 12 months on this blog, however, was this one: A Lesson from Steve Jobs. I received the new book about Steve Jobs as a gift this holiday season, and I am finding his story to be particularly inspiring as I set off on a new phase of my own journey.
 * Maybe one day I’ll have solar panels on my south-facing roof, or reclaimed wood floors on the old linoleum in the kitchen, or packed boxes ready to go to Brooklyn after the girls are grown and gone. But for now, we live here. We live here. In all its mess and imperfection. In all its need of repair and renovation. In all its glory, which became clear to me just this week when we returned home  from a stay at a log cabin in the mountains (pictured) and smiles broke across all our faces as we rounded the corner and we saw what we had left behind just a few days earlier. Home.
And so, I will keep tapping into Kudzu for local service pros who can help me get my to-do list done and get on with my life (after working at a computer all day as a professional writer, I like to get outside and garden, as pictured here at a nearby park), and who can help me keep dollars circulating in my local economy (now, that’s sustainability). And now, a new year dawns.
 * Bang the drum–we made it! When I started this special 12 Days of Christmas series here on Hot Off the Vine, 12 Drummers Drumming seemed very, very far away, and now, here it is. On Day One, you know, the partridge day, I whispered to you that my younger daughter was getting a set of drums as a gift from the grandparents, and I can now report back on what’s happened. First of all, opening the box filled me with dread because, yes, “assembly required” loomed like a “there-goes-the-entire-day” albatross around our necks. But, lo and behold, my daughter did most of the assembly herself and had a great time doing it. The other big news–the drums are electronic and come with headphones and they are practically silent! I actually went to sleep while she was still drumming and didn’t hear a peep. Oh, and finally, they are very compact and don’t take up much room. In short, this is possibly a brilliant gift that fits into our home perfectly. It’s wise to think through things like noise and space (which we didn’t really do this time) when you make purchase decisions for your home (let us remember that it is I who wrote a post named My Kingdom for a Moment of Silence). It looks like we got lucky on this one.
 * Speaking of drums, it looks like I have somehow managed to miss the The Muppet Movie! This is shocking news, as The Muppet Show was my very favorite show for years when I was at that impressionable, oh, let’s say, college age. After growing up in a household where my father worked for an insurance company, that show swung my eyes open to the fact that people could have jobs in creative fields, and actually had an impact on some of the work decisions I made since then. Having a home office and spending my days writing? It definitely had something to do with Animal, who was the passionate drummer in the Muppets gang. Now, as for not seeing the movie (even though, somehow, miraculously, the rest of my family has seen it), I guess I’ll catch it on DVD in our “home theater,” which is pretty much simply our little living room repurposed with a couple of recliners and my husband’s terrific surround-sound. You don’t have to go whole-hog (like this home theater) to enjoy Miss Piggy!
 * Atlanta’s mild weather this week gives me one last chance to make my home “tight as a drum,” to increase our energy efficiency (and stop throwing money out the window–literally). This requires one thing and one thing only–weatherstripping (here are some tips). Well, if you want to get fancy, you can also get some outlet covers. (You know that breeze you feel by the exterior-wall outlets? You shouldn’t feel that.) Okay, between you and me, here’s the problem with weatherstripping–it’s that word (weatherstripping–ugh, sounds like such a chore–it needs a marketing overhaul) and the fact that almost every type I’ve used over the years eventually falls down. (I have yet to be the Playful Parent this year, by the way.) Quick note–if you do achieve the “tight as a drum” goal, be sure to open a window or door (hurray for my screen door!) every day or two to air out the place as indoor air is typically about 90% more polluted than outdoor air. Lovely, huh? Go toxin-free in your home as much as possible in 2012 and you will most likely feel a difference.
 * And finally, I’d like to close off this series with one home trend you can feel free to ignore–muted wall colors. Unless you truly love muted colors (does beige seriously give you goose bumps?), please don’t feel like you need to stick with them in order to please future home buyers. Chances are you are going to do a fresh coat of paint when it is time to sell anyway, so why not live with what you love? It’s just paint. Go bold, go big, go with low or no-VOCs (now in bright colors–thank you, Benjamin Moore), and go where the beat of your own drum takes you. Try it on one wall in one room (most kids love bright colors in their rooms–go for it like this mom did) and tell me you don’t feel a bit more like Animal (in a good way–not the anger-management-problems part). And in this world of rules and regulations, where 60 million of us live in neighborhoods with homeowners associations where we have to choose from an approved color palette for our home exteriors, doesn’t beating your own drum every now and again simply feel great? (Quick aside–if your homeowners association hasn’t updated its architectural standards with our changing times and environmental issues, it may be worth a chat–see Permeable Pavement, Recycled Milk Jug Fences, Clothes Lines, and Updating Your HOA’s Rules for some conversation starters.)
As Henry David Thoreau said ever so eloquently: “If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.” May I add that if a mom hears a different drummer, and has drummed up something spectacular for her home (a music room, a home theater, some brightly-colored walls), let her search for service pros on Kudzu who can help her never miss a beat.
 * “11 Pipers Piping” is believed to refer to the bagpipes predominant during the Tudor and Stuart periods in the history of England. This stirs up visions of tartan plaid (one of my favorite patterns, by the way, after the wool blankets at a cabin in the Adirondack Mountains where my family used to vacation one week a year while I was growing up). Adding a little dash or a great, big splash of plaid to your home (see “decorating with plaid” ideas here) could evoke the feeling of merry old England (or catching frogs with your brother at the lake).
 * If a little time off for the holidays is music to your ears, perhaps you’re a music-minded person (like my husband and daughters). Music fills our house all the time, between my husband’s hobby of collecting (and blasting) film score recordings, and my daughters’ dabblings in the keyboard and guitars. Since I am such a terrible singer, some smart music teacher way back when pegged me as perfect for the flute (keeps me from joining in on the lyrics, no matter how strong the temptation), and one of my most beloved gifts in recent years was a Native American flute (that I still haven’t really learned how to play, I must admit), and somewhere along the line, a few instruments from my favorite shop for gifts, Ten Thousand Villages, joined our family orchestra pit (Chilean rainstick, anyone?). Yes, it would be nice to have a separate music room where all these instruments could live happily and neatly, but “all over the place” works, too.
 *Are you prone to pipe dreams (which, by the way, are “unrealistic hopes or fantasies,” originally fueled by opium)? Ideas run the gamut from saunas to stand-alone offices (that post has one of my favorite home offices ever), tree houses to espaliered fruit trees (I am so close to doing that), or even half-pipe skateboard ramps, if you have someone in your household so inclined (such as this 41-year-old dad). Well, guess what? People actually do add these elements to their homes (so let’s just stop calling them unrealistic), and they don’t always cost a fortune. Maybe 2012 is the year to make your dream come true. What’s one small step you can take to move your dream forward? Start there.
 * And now, the flip side of pipe dreams–pipe nightmares, and frankly, almost all homeowners have one at least once in their lives (although, may I remind you that Kudzu’s Must-Do 52 weekly enewsletter told us to insulate the pipes months ago). Granted, it’s been spring-warm here in Atlanta (so warm, in fact, that dandelions are growing, right now in December), but one look at the USA TODAY weather map makes it clear that most of the United States is, well, freezing. Let’s hope you’re curling up by the fireplace with some warm, fresh-baked cookies right about now, and not taking part in a twist on 11 Pipers Piping and fixing frozen pipes! If you do need to thaw frozen pipes, however, take these tips. Too late for the thaw because water is all over the floor? (That line actually rhymes if you’re a native new Yorker, as I am.) I’m afraid it’s time to, shall we say, “pay the piper” and it’s on to the flood restoration experts for you. (Speaking of “paying the piper,” if you were going to “pay” for all the gifts in the 12 Days of Christmas song this year, it’s up to $101,000, according to this recent article in the New York Times).
Need help remodeling, making your pipe dreams come true, or fixing your pipes (or the damage they’ve causes)? Find service pros you can trust on Kudzu. And don’t forget to “pipe up” about companies whose services you’ve used and leave helpful reviews so others can make informed choices, too.
 * Yes, I do often feel like I’m leaping up and down to get this or that at dinner sometimes, but this is no comparison to the lords-a-leaping, which is a reference to traditional Morris Dancers hired to perform high-energy leaping dances between courses in the court of King Henry VIII, and later, the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Apparently, Morris Dance troupes are making a comeback (here’s a troupe in Colorado), so there is an outside chance that a guest at your holiday celebration is a member–let him or her do the leaping! Be sure to design your dining room in such a way that there is plenty of room for such frivolity, and why not add some fun color that simply screams “court jester”? I love the modern twists in this dining room.
 * Want to spend less time leaping up and down and more time leaping at opportunities? Commit to “getting your house in order” in 2012 so that you are agile and ready when opportunity knocks (Kudzu’s Must-D0 52 helps–just start back at the beginning). And that means fixing things (like my still-broken front doorbell and some newly-discovered wood rot), clearing out clutter, organizing closets so you can get to that interview suit quickly, and spending some time planning for small changes that can make a big difference in your enjoyment of your home. Common ideas include adding a fire pit, creating a garden (see my easy mailbox garden), turning the basement into a party room, or even simpler actions like installing a screen door (this was something I put off for years and now I’m enjoying a nice, cool breeze and the sweet sound of a gently slamming door that reminds me of my childhood as my daughters go in and out). Want a huge improvement you can do in about five minutes for less than $100? Hang a hammock between two trees (see My Kingdom for a Moment of Silence). You’ll thank me for this one for years.
 * Want to take a break from thinking about anything (including your home) for a few days as we wind down the year? Kick back with a book, such as the Ravenous Rendezvous romance series, featuring, ever so conveniently, Ten Lords-a-Leaping (I don’t really read these kinds of books, but, let’s face it, The Essential Urban Farmer, which I am currently reading, doesn’t exactly fit into my Lords-a-Leaping theme). And, no, you don’t have to give this thought right now, but wouldn’t a cozy book nook be nice, or even a free-standing book nook out in the woods, like the one pictured? See more pictures of it here, and let’s just swoon a little over it for a moment.
 * And, finally, guess what? As luck would have it (at least for the sake of my little 12 Days of Christmas series here on Hot Off the Vine), 2012 is a leap year! That means, of course, that you get an extra day. How are you going to use this gift of time? You have two months to think this one through. Why not get your to-do list cleared so you can say “ta da”instead of “to-do” that day and, yes, kick back in your hammock or book nook, or simply leap for joy (like this mom).
Don’t take a leap of faith when you hire local service pros to help you get your to-do list done, or make your home design and decorating dreams come true. Go to Kudzu, read reviews, and find people you can trust.
 * My younger daughter is the one who piped up this time (whoops–too soon for a “piper” mention) when I asked for suggestions about Nine Ladies Dancing as part of this special 12 Days of Christmas here on Hot Off the Vine. “Tell them how much fun it is to dance around the living room with your mom,” she suggested. And you know what? That comment from her (which I’m assuming refers to her and me) is one of the best gifts I’ve gotten this Christmas. It is about the little things, isn’t it? Look at this completely joy-filled photo from Life magazine of a boy named Joseph Carl Boudreaux (who played the boy in the 1948 movie, Louisiana Story, which won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story in 1948 and Pulitzer Prize for Music for Virgil Thomson the next year for the film’s score) dancing with his mother. Why not take a spin with your kids–or your mom–this holiday season? See ways to “cut loose” (footloose) in your home.
 * We just push the coffee table back to dance, but there are folks who take their dancing a whole lot more seriously. I know of two basement renovations that specifically accommodate the dancers in the house–one, for an aspiring ballerina; and the other, for newlyweds in a second marriage who simply like to dance with each other and wanted a mini “ball room.” Want to just stretch your legs, before you stretch your budget? Here’s how to make a ballet barre. Find out how to create a home dance studio here.
 * If you have a home prone to “spontaneous outbreaks of dancing,” you may want to lay low on the glass around your house (we’ve already broken two glass tops). Yes, this coffee table is striking (and I love that the base is made from reclaimed wood), but it won’t be so striking if it’s striking your head! I found this table on an interesting blog named The Alternative Consumer.
 * As an alternative to dancing indoors, try moving your moves outdoors. Not much of a dancer? No problem. This beautiful, easy-to-grow-from-seed flower is actually named Dancing Lady! And, guess what? A packet of Dancing Lady seeds are just $1.00 right now from Johnny’s Seeds. How’s that for a nice way to kick off (so to speak) 2012?
Let service pros you find on Kudzu help you create a dance-friendly home, from a clean, clutter-free living room to a custom dance studio. And get ready to kick up your heels.
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Pattie Baker
Editor
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Pattie Baker is a homeowner, mom and active supporter of the kinds of local service professionals you find on Kudzu. She writes for many national publications and blogs at FoodShed Planet. She juggles kids, work, community gardening and home maintenance – and struggles, like most folks, to get her to-do list done.
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