5 Goals for 2015 - The Plan

So, I'm finally ready to reveal my ground-breaking, earth-shattering, mind-blowing, super-exciting plan for 2015.  It's so fabulous, I thought super long and hard about a great name for it.  I got so excited about the fabulous, unique, wonderful, and sparkling name that I thought of for it, that I made this collage using super high-tech software (like Paint and Picasa) and now I'm sharing it with you so that you finally get to see a picture in a post.

Isn't that a fantastic title?  Aren't you so inspired?  Don't you just want to go pin that right now?  I mean, look at that star.  That is a quality star right there.

Moving on.  While I loved doing the 101 Things Project the last two years, I noticed it was starting to get a bit old to me, so before I got sick of it and never did anything ever again, I decided to try something new.

This new year, I will do one thing from each of five categories each month, which will leave me doing 60 things.  What's nice about this system is that I don't have to choose everything I want to do right now.  I can choose November's things in November.  

Just in case you're dying to know what the categories are, I will tell you.  I don't want anyone dying because of my blog.  That would be ridiculous.

1. New Meal or Side Dish.  This must be a recipe I have never made before, although I may have eaten it or seen it made before.  Though there is not a point system, bonus points if it's healthy!

2. Health Goal.  I probably won't be sharing as much about this one, because I hate to share things about my fitness and weight, etc.  However, the goal can be different each month.  It might be losing 5 pounds or it might be a fitness goal, like being able to do x amount of push-ups or sit-ups.  It could even be a month-long goal of going for a half-hour walk each day.

3. Sewing Project.  This can be as tiny as a Christmas ornament or as big as a quilt (but it won't be). It can be as mundane as a pincushion or fancy as a ... something fancy.  (I'm not fancy; I have no idea.)  It can be as simple as a potholder or as complicated as a skirt.  I just want to get better at sewing, which can only be done through experience.  Again, no point system, but bonus points for using already-purchased, repurposed, or free fabric.

4. House Project.  This is another one that could vary widely.  This could be as small as rearranging a drawer or as large as painting a room.

5. Book Challenge.  Each month, I'd like to read a book that falls into one of the following categories: (a) a book I wouldn't normally read (i.e. a Western or a biography) or (b) a book I have been wanting to read for a long time but haven't for whatever reason (i.e. C.S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet).

So there you have it.  By this time next year, I will be healthier, smarter, better-read, more skilled in housewifery, and my house will be freaking awesome.

Totally.

Love and Sarcasm,

Leah Joy

P.S. Let me know if you'd like to join me in this - or if you devise your own similar plan!

P.P.S. Also let me know if you're going to try a 101 Things list in 2015; I'd love to follow your progress!

P.P.S. If you think all of these lists/plans are stupid/pointless/not for you, do you make other New Year's Resolutions?  Do tell!

P.P.P.S. Did you know that P.S. stands for Post Script?  Therefore, you are currently reading the Post Post Post Script. Talk about ridiculous.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Some Life Advice

Dear Friends,

You may or may not have noticed my (unintentional) hiatus. (I'm not offended either way.)

Here's some life advice for you: If you are a skilled baker (and I've been informed I am), and you're going to open up a bakery out of your home, you may or may not want to do this right before Christmas.  You will be VERY busy.

I'm not complaining, not really.  It's just tough to balance all of, well, everything.  I was a little behind on my Christmas gift making/shopping this year, so I had a lot of that to do still this month.  I have 5 family gatherings in the next week and a half, and everyone expects me to bring desserts.  I wouldn't dream of not bringing desserts, because it's my joy and passion.  But of course, they still need to be made.  Then I've had way more orders than I ever hoped to get, which is fantastic, but they also still need to be made.

So, I've become Super-Organized Woman (which doesn't involve a cape, unfortunately), and have schedules for every day with every thing that needs to get done.

And while they're strict, they're also helping me get a lot done. For example, yesterday I got a chance to mop my kitchen floor!  Like, on-hands-and-knees-scrub the kitchen floor.  It's been mopped, but not with tons of attention to getting every last little speck of chocolate off the floor (and there were a lot of those).  Okay, so it may not sound so exciting to get to mop my kitchen floor, but to feel like I had time to do that (instead of 1,000 things that might be more pressing) was wonderful.

My list is slowly getting shorter, my house is (very) slowly getting cleaner, and I am slowly getting calmer.

And the best part about my scheduling lists is that I've planned in time to rest, relax, and do nothing.  This Wednesday was one of those days, so after work I came home, laid on the couch, read three books, and then went to bed.  It was delightful.

Speaking of books, I'm almost to 200 books for the year!  I'm so excited to be able to say that I've read 200 books in a year!

If you're wondering about my 101 Things in 2014 project, I am, too. :)  I haven't forgotten about it, but right now I have other things on my plate.  (Like cookies and pie.)  I'm not planning on doing another 101 Things project for 2015, but I do have another (hopefully fabulous) idea.  I also hope to finish many of the items on my 2014 list during the beginning of 2015, but as I discovered in 2013, the things I think I want to do in January often change by December, so I won't be doing everything on the 2014 list.

So, I may or may not post anymore in December.  I really have no idea.  However, in the New Year, you can look forward to:

• Bakery Updates with pictures of food and boxes (exciting!)
• 101 Things in 2014 round-up
• Christmas things (some) (hopefully)
• Details on my 2015 project(s)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love and Cupcakes,
Leah Joy