Can you believe a fresh, new year begins in just a couple of days?! I'm slightly sad to see 2017 go -- it definitely had its ups and downs, but overall it was a pretty good year in my house. I have high hopes for 2018, though, and below I'm sharing some of my resolutions. What are your goals for the new year?
1. Dig out -- and do! -- the beginner embroidery kits I ordered from Etsy months and months ago.
Plus knit more. And just be more crafty and creative in general. All that really went by the wayside in 2017 (partly thanks to a certain puppy) and I hope to regain and add to my creative outlets in 2018. There are so many things I want to learn: sewing and quilting, embroidery, yarn spinning, weaving, hand-lettering, crochet, pottery, jewelry-making, the list goes on!
2. Start making pizza crust from scratch, and maybe just maybe try sourdough bread.
I always say I'm going to get better at working with yeast and I never do -- it's so intimidating, and so much work! So it's a little crazy to suggest I might start making sourdough bread, when it's far more work than yeast and feeding and nurturing a sourdough starter is even more intimidating! Plus, do I really need more carbs in my life? But... we'll see. The pizza crust is a must, the sourdough is a hopeful maybe.
3. Get scuba certified.
This was actually my birthday goal at the end of October and we've just been too busy the past two months to set up lessons. I'm scared... but excited!
4. For god's sake, figure out SOMETHING to do with my curly/wavy/frizzy mess of hair so it doesn't look like I rolled out of bed directly into work every morning.
Ugh. My hair and I are never going to make peace with each other -- at least not til I move back home to Colorado and can straighten it every day and it'll actually stay straight and look nice (which probably won't ever happen, given our luck with the military never sending us where we want to go). I'm 32... it's time to finally take control of my hair -- and maybe learn how to apply a little makeup too, so I can look like a reasonably put-together adult when necessary.
5. Start meal-prepping lunches to take to work.
Back at the beginning of last summer, my schedule at work changed from three 8-hour shifts plus an hour lunch (so 9-hour days) to four 6-hour shifts. I like it SO much better, but since I only work 6 hours I don't get a lunch break anymore and I've just been eating snacks like yogurt and Lara bars... which means I come home and I'm famished, and I end up hoovering down a bunch of junk food. So, as awkward as it is to go sit in the back and take an on-the-clock break to heat up and eat real food when nobody else does (since they all get an hour for lunch) I've recently started doing it. Sometimes I have leftovers, but for the days I don't, a pre-made, fully-prepped nutritious meal would be sooooo nice. There are tons of meal-prepping resources out there, I just have to start wading through them. Any recommendations would be appreciated!
6. Send more snail mail.
Call me old-fashioned, but I adore snail mail. I love getting it, and I love sending it out knowing I'm going to make someone else's mailbox happy. I have a few friends and penpals with whom I exchange letters, but in 2018 I want to send more random, fun mail. Maybe an unexpected birthday card here, a surprise Hawaii postcard there.
7. Get back on a good cleaning schedule.
Before Alohi came along, certain days were for certain household tasks. Grocery shopping was this day of the week, bathroom cleaning was this day of the week, and so on. Well. Little Miss and her feline sister don't get along, so it can be difficult to get upstairs (now the cat's domain) much when Jarrod isn't home. And by the time he makes it home at 6 or 7 every night, I sure don't feel like vacuuming the upstairs! So cleaning -- right alongside my crafting -- has been neglected and out-of-whack this year. I'm a creature of habit and routine, and I want to get myself back on a solid cleaning schedule. (I will say -- thank god for the Roomba! I bought one last spring and it has been a LIFESAVER this year!)
1. Dig out -- and do! -- the beginner embroidery kits I ordered from Etsy months and months ago.
Plus knit more. And just be more crafty and creative in general. All that really went by the wayside in 2017 (partly thanks to a certain puppy) and I hope to regain and add to my creative outlets in 2018. There are so many things I want to learn: sewing and quilting, embroidery, yarn spinning, weaving, hand-lettering, crochet, pottery, jewelry-making, the list goes on!
2. Start making pizza crust from scratch, and maybe just maybe try sourdough bread.
I always say I'm going to get better at working with yeast and I never do -- it's so intimidating, and so much work! So it's a little crazy to suggest I might start making sourdough bread, when it's far more work than yeast and feeding and nurturing a sourdough starter is even more intimidating! Plus, do I really need more carbs in my life? But... we'll see. The pizza crust is a must, the sourdough is a hopeful maybe.
3. Get scuba certified.
This was actually my birthday goal at the end of October and we've just been too busy the past two months to set up lessons. I'm scared... but excited!
4. For god's sake, figure out SOMETHING to do with my curly/wavy/frizzy mess of hair so it doesn't look like I rolled out of bed directly into work every morning.
Ugh. My hair and I are never going to make peace with each other -- at least not til I move back home to Colorado and can straighten it every day and it'll actually stay straight and look nice (which probably won't ever happen, given our luck with the military never sending us where we want to go). I'm 32... it's time to finally take control of my hair -- and maybe learn how to apply a little makeup too, so I can look like a reasonably put-together adult when necessary.
5. Start meal-prepping lunches to take to work.
Back at the beginning of last summer, my schedule at work changed from three 8-hour shifts plus an hour lunch (so 9-hour days) to four 6-hour shifts. I like it SO much better, but since I only work 6 hours I don't get a lunch break anymore and I've just been eating snacks like yogurt and Lara bars... which means I come home and I'm famished, and I end up hoovering down a bunch of junk food. So, as awkward as it is to go sit in the back and take an on-the-clock break to heat up and eat real food when nobody else does (since they all get an hour for lunch) I've recently started doing it. Sometimes I have leftovers, but for the days I don't, a pre-made, fully-prepped nutritious meal would be sooooo nice. There are tons of meal-prepping resources out there, I just have to start wading through them. Any recommendations would be appreciated!
6. Send more snail mail.
Call me old-fashioned, but I adore snail mail. I love getting it, and I love sending it out knowing I'm going to make someone else's mailbox happy. I have a few friends and penpals with whom I exchange letters, but in 2018 I want to send more random, fun mail. Maybe an unexpected birthday card here, a surprise Hawaii postcard there.
7. Get back on a good cleaning schedule.
Before Alohi came along, certain days were for certain household tasks. Grocery shopping was this day of the week, bathroom cleaning was this day of the week, and so on. Well. Little Miss and her feline sister don't get along, so it can be difficult to get upstairs (now the cat's domain) much when Jarrod isn't home. And by the time he makes it home at 6 or 7 every night, I sure don't feel like vacuuming the upstairs! So cleaning -- right alongside my crafting -- has been neglected and out-of-whack this year. I'm a creature of habit and routine, and I want to get myself back on a solid cleaning schedule. (I will say -- thank god for the Roomba! I bought one last spring and it has been a LIFESAVER this year!)
These are such great goals! I would love to be more crafty. I always want to do more with my hair/clothes/makeup to feel more like a proper adult, but I am so lazy.
ReplyDeleteI had 2 goals for 2017, both of which I failed at: 1. Get another tattoo and 2. Learn how to put my hair up in some way that is not a ponytail. I cannot seem to get my hair/makeup/clothing act together, and I am over 40 at this point. Those things just aren't interesting enough for me to learn about I guess. But I'm subscribed to Stitch Fix which helps with clothes, and Birchbox which helps with makeup.
ReplyDeleteThe whole work lunch situation has been a battle for my entire adult life. I am constantly asking people what they do and it seems like they either go out to lunch every day, or always magically have leftovers. I am committed to cooking more this year though - I've gotten into the "I hate cooking" mindset and I'm determined to change that. Baking too - bread is actually really easy and I love homemade bread, but somehow I just don't plan ahead to do it.
What a great set of goals!! I hear you on the wavy/frizzy hair. I wish I knew how to wear it natural and it look nice. I only know how to straighten it and that takes too long! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your goals! Getting scuba certified would be so cool, and homemade pizza crust can be awesome. Love sourdough bread lol. :)
ReplyDeleteThe hair was my goal last year as mine is wavy frizzy as well. It would be much worse if I lived in Hawaii. I settled on just passed the shoulders with an angled bang. I try hard not to straighten but a brush to sort of tame the waves. I am lazy too and this proved to be the least work. I also only wash it every 4 days. Good luck! My husband tells me to shave it off every time I complain!
ReplyDeleteSuch great goals! Looking forward to hearing about your progress. For hair/makeup I highly recommend following Kate from The Small Things Blog if you don't already. I've learned some really great hair and makeup techniques from her. And she's hilarious.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a great set of goals for the new year - and totally achievable too, which I think is so important when it comes to goals of any kind. I love that you still make the time to snail mail! a happy new year to you!
ReplyDelete