New Year's Goals Revisited

Get ready for a wordy, pictureless post. Sorry, I just haven't posted in a while, so I wanted to start with this post.

I wanted to revisit this post that I wrote last year near this same time. I mentioned that I have NEVER been into New Year's Resolutions. So, I make New Year's Goals instead.

1.) Be happy.

At this time last year, we were in Aruba with Zach's dad. We have had yet another trip since then, when we went to Walt Disney World in September for our 4th Anniversary. We are a blessed couple to have the opportunities we do to take the trips we have taken. Vacations & time away are some things that make us
very happy.

I have been striving to find the good in things, and this, in turn, makes me a happier person. I want to continue to work on this in 2013. We have also been focusing on the finer things lately- a lot of Andy Griffith Show episodes have been watched, and a Disney movie has even fit into the mix. We have also been wearing out the Pandora 50's station, thanks to my sweetie's thoughtful Christmas gift of my new wireless speaker.

You are never too old for these kinds of things,
and this makes us happy. :)

2.) Pray more.

I have always said that I definitely don't do this enough. You can never pray too much. I need to always keep working on this one.

3.) Exercise more, and have FUN with it.

Eh, I haven't really done my part on this one. We have been getting a lot done in the house lately, though, which if we stay active, that is a form of exercise. I think of it as a win/win. We are being productive & we stay moving at the same time. When the weather warms up, we'll take advantage of our little neighborhood circle & walk with the doggies.

4.) Focus even less on the things that don't matter. Focus even more on the things that do.

I don't get on Facebook much anymore. I can't bring myself to completely delete my account yet- I still keep up with so many sweet friends on there. My age group is right smack dab in the middle of getting married and having babies, so I love to keep up with the pics! I am not logging on often at all, though, because I realize what a waste of precious time it can be. I want to focus on the things in my life that matter- my family/doggies, my church, my career, and our home.

5.) Surround myself with positives- positive people, positive thoughts.

Not sure if I have really worked on this one, but, as mentioned before, I am trying to see the good in all things. I'll keep working on this one. :)

6.) Blog more. Blog LESS.

I am actually going to change this one. I am now aiming for the goal to "Blog LESS." I do love blogging, but I am loving even more the extra time I have at home when I am not working on the next blog post. I am getting more into my little projects here & there, but I want to blog less often about them. Time is precious.

7.) Try more new recipes.

I mentioned last year in my post that I wanted to try new recipes, healthy ones, and branch out a little more. I wanted to focus more on fresh veggies & fruit at the store, and avoid those awful middle aisles. I had seen on a show back then, that the best routine in a grocery store is to gather fresh foods from the outside aisles, and avoid the middle aisles if at all possible. I feel like I have worked some toward this goal. I love to load up on veggies & fruits at the store, then bring them home & set them out. It seems like if you can see them set out, you are more likely to grab them up & eat them. Plus, they are just visually appealing set out in a little wire basket on the kitchen counter.

I have tried a good bit of new recipes this past year- just haven't posted about all of them. I may get around to that sometime... (remember, I'm also keeping #6 in mind at the same time).

8.) More home improvements- anything to make our home better.

Wow- have we worked our butts off toward achieving this goal this past year!! I was so excited to go back & read this post, knowing that we can definitely cross this one off of our list. Just last year, we have had all of our gutters replaced (woohoo!), and had brand new porcelain tile floors installed in our two bathrooms, kitchen & laundry room, which has been the biggest improvement at our house to date! Also, two weekends ago, my talented sweetie marked two other projects off his list- he installed a new outside flood light w/ sensor (all by himself), and a lock on the basement door. Gotta' protect all my "valuable" crafting stuff, you know... haha.

I listed in last year's post that I wanted to have the house more organized, room by room. We are both working diligently toward that goal. I am now finishing up our guest room, and he is focusing on his home office. Can't wait to have both of those rooms totally organized.

9.) More projects in general.

I feel like I have had a lot of projects posted this past year. I have also realized that I have a lot of projects either in the works or completely done that I haven't even posted on yet! I have the basement almost full with things I need to work on. Christmas time really put on a damper on my work in the basement, but it has already started back up again.

10.) Spend less on nothing.

I have not been to the thrift store in months, and one of the last trips I made, I didn't get a single thing. My very last trip, I bought something we actually needed- a $6 bookcase for our guest room. (I'm already planning out in my head how it's going to be painted! I want it to be functional- which is the reason why I bought it-
but, also pretty!)

I am buying a few clothes items here & there lately. I haven't done that in a long time, and I tend to get tired of old clothes easily, and especially if they're getting worn out. I also, unfortunately, like to keep up with current fashion (within reason though- if I don't love a new trend, I won't make myself wear it just to conform). I think of it as spending on/treating myself for now, because when/if little one(s) arrive, that will be the end of it. I know I will focus only on my children then. Plus, kids' clothes are so much more fun to shop for than adults'.

Zach & I have started a "program" for our decor/house item spending. When we buy one thing, we have to get rid of one thing- "one in, one out". I have a little process in place where I take something we don't use or haven't used in a while to the guest room. If it doesn't come out of the guest room (or when I forget it's even there), it goes into the yard sale pile. This is working so far. (See why we are in dire need of a guest room organization lately? It has been our graveyard for older, unwanted things.)

I hope to continue working every day on this list, and I may even add more to it as the year goes on. I'll keep you posted!