Happy New Year! My 2018 Resolutions

  I make New Year’s resolutions every year, without fail. But then again, I am a list maker by nature. I get a lot of satisfaction by crossing things off. I like to have a game plan, and know what the end goal is, but I am very flexible along the way. I am however, not great with follow through. Life... you know? Sometimes it “gets in the way” and sometimes it just evolves.  But instead of having lofty goals, or trying to change the world, I just try to change my tiny world; the lives within these four walls. I try to make them better and hopefully ensure we are good humans and good citizens. I think of resolutions like an extension of my grocery list or honey-do list. I’m always adding to it, or deciding we don’t need something or deem it no longer important. Here are some items on my list for 2018:  

• Become more familiar with my DSLR Camera. Perhaps take a lesson or read those books I have?)

Becoming more familiar with my DSLR camera.

• Complete my DAR application.  (I started in the summer and it is 80% done. I just have to get myself to the safety deposit box so I can make copies of some necessary documents. I’m almost there!)
• Finally, do some yoga! (aka: Take care of my body. I have so little muscle tone, especially after having kids, despite how active I always seem to be.)
• Refinance our mortgage. (Back in the day we took what we could get, and we have become so complacent just making a payment every month. Now it’s time to use some of that money we could be saving for things like family trips or college funds.)
• Attack “the stack” and read the books I got for Christmas 2016.  That’s right, they’ve been sitting at my bedside for literally a year. Carving out an hour for myself every day is a little easier now that my youngest son goes to school two half days.  I’ve been finishing a lot of audiobooks during my commute, but some beautiful, glossy cookbooks still await.

 I’ve been staring at this stack of books since Christmas 2016!  

• Try to improve my calligraphy skills. (Over the summer, a friend and I took a class on modern calligraphy. As we quickly learned, one class does not give us any skills! I’m hoping to turn this interest into a full-fledged hobby.)

•  Volunteer more. (This is on my resolution list every year. I don’t necessarily have extra money to volunteer, but I find investing your time can go along way. People at my church or a worthy charity service would probably be thankful for the extra hand a couple times a week.   Personally, Meals on Wheels is near and dear to my heart as my mom used to be involved with this service during my childhood. I still have fond memories of helping her deliver meals to the elderly. Their faces would light up with the prospect of a hot meal and a little conversation.)

 I’m hoping to pick up where I left off and make my letters look as good as my sons names, courtesy of Anna at Owl Post Lettering.  

• Cook every recipe in ONE of my (dozens of) cookbooks, or at least attempt to. (Even though this is one of my loftier goals of the year, I hope it is more attainable since it is dual-purpose. Not only will I be expanding my culinary skills and comfort level in the kitchen, but also providing nourishment for my family that we need anyway. Not to mention, it may also help me get through that previous goal to “attack the stack”!)

 These are two of my current favorites, I’m hoping to cook my way through at least one of them in 2018!  

 How I spend New Years Day: I’m currently drooling over my newest cookbook, Half Baked Harvest.  

Well, that’s it in a nutshell, but I would love to hear from you! What do you think about New Year’s resolutions? Do you make them, do you keep them, what do they look like?  Whether we are able to check them off or just have them on to next year’s list, I hope you are happy with the life you’re leading, and that we cross paths soon. Happy New Year, friends!