Resolutions

Looking back on 2011 I feel like there is a lot left undone. My “to do” list is a mile long and I feel as if I haven’t even touched it. Hopefully that will all change with 2012. I have a couple of New Years Resolutions that just might do the trick and help me to feel more accomplished come this time next year. Without further adieu here are my goals for next year.

Make more time for DIY
Get organized
Be healthier
Stick to a budget
Learn to use my camera
Dress cuter

Classic goals that everyone makes, huh? Well that’s not all. You see, people wiser than me once said a goal without a plan is just a dream and if you fail to plan, you plan to fail and all that jazz. So that means, I must make a plan.

So here is my 2012 Plan of Attack!

Make More Time for DIY.
I feel like my day goes:
Wake up
Go to work
Daydream about crafts on Pinterest
Come home and make dinner
Go to bed
Sound fun huh? Well the Pinterest part is. I know that’s not how all my days go, but somehow I just never feel like I have time to do the things I want. And on the days that I do have time, like my days off, I’m too tired or I need to clean or I want to go shopping. So I’m going to make more of an effort to find time to get my craft on. That includes this blog. I’m going to make more of an effort to actually complete posts so that I can post them.
I would also like to make it a goal to complete at least one article of clothing this year. Even if its just a pair of cozy pajama pants. Although I would prefer it to be one of the many adorable tops, stylish coats, or covetable dresses I have sketched or pinned on Pinterest in the last year. Here’s hoping.

Get Organized.
Oh man… that is a huge task. You should see my house. On second thought, you probably shouldn’t. It’s a hot mess. Sure, it doesn’t look so bad, but that’s because I have thus far been able to contain the mess to behind closed doors. Ricky likes to tell me we are one pile of stuff away from an episode of Hoarders.
While that’s not true, at least I like to think it’s not, we do seem to have a lot of random stuff lying around. I would like to get a handle on all of the chaos and make it prettier and easier to find whatever I may be looking for.

Be Healthier.
This is a big one. I’ve been wanting to change our eating habits for some time now. Things like: less, if any, fast food; no processed “ready to eat” foods; less sodium and no high fructose corn syrup. That seems like such a huge undertaking on my part and I was searching around trying to find some tips and tricks to achieve this mammoth task. I happened upon The Gracious Pantry and realized that what I was wanting to do is called a Clean Kitchen. I want to eat “clean” whole foods, that are all natural and unprocessed. Her blog has some really great tips and recipes on how to keep a Clean Kitchen.
I can’t wait to get started on this one. I’ve got a lot of ideas on how I’m going to incorporate this into our busy lives. First thing on the list is cleaning out the pantry and fridge. So that goes with getting organized.
Another aspect of being healthy is being active. I mean working out. No, I’m not joining a gym. I have tried that before and I never go. I have, however, discovered Jillian Michael’s workout DVDs. I did a lot of research on workout DVDs and read a lot of reviews. Her DVDs have a lot of great reviews and some of her DVDs are 30 minute workouts. Perfect for me.

Stick to a Budget.
What? Budget? What’s that? Isn’t that why I have a credit card? So that I can just buy whatever I want? Ricky would tend to disagree. He does the finances at our house, so he sees ALL of my purchases. Sometimes, I’m a huge impulse shopper, but this last year I’ve learned to rein that in… sort of. The dollar spot and clearance end caps at Target are still my downfall, but I’ve learned a new trick. Don’t go to Target. I only go there a couple of times a month instead of a couple of times a week.
I have another confession. I hate receipts. I feel like they are a waste of paper. If they ask me if I want a receipt I will say no thanks. And if they just hand me the receipt I file it away in a super safe place, aka shove it in to my purse where it gets all crumpled and lives happily touring the town until I get annoyed and throw all the garbage in my purse away. However, in 2012 I’m going to attempt to take them, keep them nicely, and keep track of my spending. Because really, $5 here and $8 there, and before I know it, I’ve spent $100. It’s a little bit out of control. It’s not even all shopping, it’s eating out too. So the goal of Being Healthy ties into Sticking to a Budget.

Learn to Use My Camera
Auto mode is my best friend. To be completely honest, it’s my only friend when it comes to my camera. I desperately need to work on my photography skills. I want to take beautiful pictures of everything, but all I ever do is take pictures of the puppies. Point and shoot. I want to learn at least one new function of my camera by the end of the year. I would love to learn to be a master, but who needs that kind of pressure?

So all in all I think that I have some solid goals going for 2012. Not only are they good goals on their own, but they work together. So by working on one, I am also working on the others. Now all I have to do is stick to it and get some stuff done.