New Year, New Goals

Here are my New Year's goals from last year, with a comment about how I did over the year.

1. Read more. I definitely read more this year than I had in previous years. I finished a series that was over 50 books long, and I'm pretty proud of that.

2. Do more projects for me. I made quite a few things for me this year, so I can check off that box :)

3. Slowly work up to eating better. Yeah, this one didn't quite make it...we love to eat out way too much!

4. Visit a few places I've never been before. I went to new stores, new restaurants, new churches and new cities.

5. De-stash my craft items. I have gone from having craft stuff stashed in nearly every closet to having it all consolidated, organized and de-cluttered into one dresser and one bookcase. It's almost a miracle!

6. Potty train Elijah. Done, done, done! No details, because eww, but this one was checked off the list at the end of summer. Hallelujah!

Overall, well done me! There are always things to work on and improve, but based on the goals I set out for myself last year, I'm proud of what I've accomplished.

Now, on to this year - 2015.

1. Stop fighting the natural texture of my hair. I have curly/wavy hair. Not only that, but I have a lot of very fine curly/wavy hair. I have spent years trying to control it, and I'm tired. So, I'm going to try embracing the hair I was born with. My plan is to try out a new curl product each month ($20 or less) and see if I can find a style that is easy and really works with the natural texture of my hair. But first - a big chop! I had my hairstylist, Charlee, cut off 6-7" and literally lost a pound of hair (yes, I really did weigh myself before and after).

2. Take more trips. This goal is made possible by the fact that we no longer have a dog that will need to be boarded. I'm looking forward to more spontaneous weekend trips!

3. Design 12 crochet patterns to sell. I have found that I really enjoy the process of making the patterns, rather than making the items to sell. So, my goal is to create one new design each month and to transition my etsy shop into just patterns instead of finished products.

4. Eat out less. We love to eat out, but we are spending way too much money and not eating as healthy as we would like. So, we are going to try to limit our meals out. We haven't exactly decided what that looks like yet, but we know we want to eat out less than our current 4+ meals a week (most of them being on the weekends). Okay, so we are one day (+ an hour or so) into the new year and I've already eaten out twice, and I will be eating out again tomorrow. This maybe harder than anticipated :)

5. Actively seek out joy. I find that I spend so much time getting caught up in the little things of life that I forget to look around and remember just how good my life is. There is joy, small though it may be, to be found in every situation. This year, I want to slow down more and really enjoy my life.

Happy New Year!

I hope your new year is filled with all kinds of exciting and wonderful things!