It’s 2012… Wow! But let’s wrap up 2011 really quick!
Here’s to a wonderful holiday and to 2011! If you haven’t noticed, I decided to cut blogging short for 2011… Sometimes you have to just turn the computer off, put your i-phone down and breathe a little.
Half way through the 12 days of Christmas blog posts, I realized something. With all the blogging and last minute to-do’s for my local design projects, I wasn’t even enjoying the decorations and recipes I was blogging about (or going to blog about). I picked up so many new clients since August that it caused me to run behind on projects and crafts here at our house. In fact, we were so busy, Kevin and I stayed up late Christmas Eve Eve, Christmas Eve and even got up on Christmas and to wrap gifts. NEVER, EVER AGAIN.
This brings me to my new year’s resolutions…. (YES, I have some this year). I thought long & hard about all 8 of these! I think it is important to take stock of what’s working & what’s not at the end of each year! It really wasn’t too difficult to come up with things I wanted to change this year… these are important, so hold me to them!
1. Take time out for me. My local interior design business really started booming in 2011, which was (& is) a total blessing! I became mostly work & very little play. I really need to find balance and find time for things I like to do, things I want to do and things I need to do! Like for example, take the time to paint my nails more, get a pedicure, do some paintings, get up early for Yoga, to more entertaining here at our house & take time to read. Finding balance is going to be key this year!
(From the photo shoot for our Christmas Cards- Done by the oh so sweet, Jolanta Bremer)
2. Take time out to spend quality time with my Mr. Owning your own business is tough because you have your hand in so many moving parts. Kevin and I both own our own businesses and sometimes it’s tough to get away from out computers & phones and just be together. Many a nights last year did we sit after dinner with laptops and phones in hand working on our ever growing to-do lists. In fact, we even got in a habit of eating in front of the tv, which is a huge no-no in our families. So, we have agreed dinner is back at the table with the tv off! Speaking of the tv, anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE tv. I truly do. I have a list of shows we watch and I absolutely must watch them! Thank God for DVR! This year, we are going to designate tv nights and then have other nights where we play the Wii, play a board game, ride bikes or read by the pool.
(Our Nephew Jonah age:2)
3. Spend more time with family & friends! We plan on entertaining more this year and carving out time to spend with the one’s we love! We have 6 nieces & nephews and being with them truly makes our hearts smile! We want more time with them because they won’t be little for long!
4. Go to bed early. The saying that the early bird gets the worm is so true. I used to be a total night owl when I was going through my days of not feeling well before I was diagnosed with Celiac. Now that I am feeling so good I could be a rock star on tour, I can finally sleep and Kevin has turned into our night owl. We don’t go to bed separate, in fact, we never have. We always go upstairs together. It’s just how we roll.
5. Edit our cleaning schedule & stick to it. Having been SO busy the last 6 months, the clean freak in me has had to relax a little bit… not because I wanted to, because it just was what it was. So, in preparation for another busy year, I am editing our list of daily to-do’s (it keeps the house cleaner if everyday something is done) and organizing every square inch of this house. The organization has already begun, so by this time next week, our house will be clean, clutter free & organized… here’s the how we broke down the list…
1. Monday & Tuesday: Office (We need to prepare for the new office built-ins happening at the end of this week) (See mood board)
2. Wednesday: Pantry/ Extra Storage Space & Kitchen Cabinets
3. Thursday: Master Bedroom Closets & Bathroom Cabinets/Drawers
4. Friday: Guest Room Closet & Linen Closet in Hall
5. Saturday & Sunday: Garage. Yep, the Garage.
6. Create a better schedule for my business & blog. I would like to take an entire day to do my own projects and to-do’s, then have days of just local interior design projects and days when it’s mostly just the blog.
7. Blog more! I This year, the blog is taking precedent as much as possible because we want to start a family and being a stay at home mommy is what we think will work best for our family! So, in order for this to take place I am going to get organized and create a true schedule & sticking to it. I want to create a place where readers know when to come for what! There might be extra posts here & there, but there will be specific days for specific subjects… check back soon for the details on this! But… here’s a printable version of my Weekly Blog Schedule that I just made!
8. DIY Projects!! I have tons of projects I want to do this year. The plan is to make a list and take it on one project at a time. My goal is to NEVER make anything I don’t need just for the sake of showcasing a project… you know what I mean? Who has the room for all that ‘stuff’?!?!
So… what about you??? What’s on your 2012 list?? DO TELL! Now to wrap up 2011 completely, a big, big, big Thank You goes out to all of our lovely sponsors. Without you, this year would not have been so great! We appreciate each & every one of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you to these fine & fabulous peeps…
Thank you for your sponsorship! We heart you all!
(Extra Photos from Pinterest, here & here)
Next up, the anticapted January 2012 Fresh Picks Post… STAY TUNED FOR THAT!
Wow.. sounds like you guys are foff to a great start! My resolutions are to eat healthier and keep my house more organized. Good luck to both of us!
I love the pic of you and Kevin!! Best of wishes for all your upcoming events!
Aww I did the same thing! Had to ‘unplug’ for a second and get to the ‘important’ things and enjoy them! I love this post! I feel the same way about everything on here! From cleaning to blogging…..we are seriously on the same page! Maybe we should buddy up and motivate each other 😉