My goals for 2015

New year resolutions are like chocolate. They disappear as fast as they appeared.

This year, I decided to try setting goals for myself since I seem to have issues with New Year resolutions. Here is a list of some things I'd like to do without putting too much extra pressure on myself. You know, to keep things as stress free as possible.

1. Be more grateful.
This is pretty big and vague isn't it? My goal is pretty simple to be honest; every month, I have to write 10 things I am grateful down. I'm also planning to turn this into a mini video series at the end of each month, but we'll see how much time I actually have for that. Writing them down is non-negotiable though. :)

2. Make a plan.
Again, pretty vague. What kind of plan? For what? How? I have been meaning to plan things out, plan everything out: meals, blog posts, family outings... the list goes on and on. In fact, I have so many things I need to organize that I'm drowning in my own thoughts. The goal is simple. Make ONE plan. Just ONE, for anything.

3. Start my Etsy shop.
I've been wanting to branch out for a while now. I have so many ideas about things I want to do. I even bought materials for a whole bunch of handmade things I could make; jewelry, prints, digital designs... I never actually got to it though, it's a lot of work! Planning, making, taking photos, figuring out shipping fees, packaging, shipping, keeping track of finances... I really want to do it, but with my full time job and my babies, it's been nearly impossible. I think I found a way to start things slowly though, and it looks promising. My goal this year is to at least put one item up for sale in my shop.

4. Finish a project that's been neglected.
I'm actually kind of embarrassed about this. I start so many things all at the same time because I have tons of ideas but more often than not, I leave things unfinished. So much that my husband forbade me to buy anything else until I finish some of my projects. Lol. It's actually pretty silly since most of these projects are about 95% done. A goal for this year is to at least finish one of these. Shouldn't be too hard right?

5. Take care of myself.
Since becoming a mom I find that I've literally put myself last. Sometimes I forget to eat because I'm too busy making sure my kids eat. Sometimes I don't shower because I spent a lot of time in the bath with my kids. Often I don't blog, play world of warcraft, do crafts, or take pictures because my full time job takes all of my time. Most of the time I just throw on whatever clothes I can find, and almost never do I pamper myself with pretty makeup or hairdos. I'm not complaining or anything, but one of my goals this year is to remember that I still exist; ME, Julie, not me, the mom, the wife, the employee. Just me.

Do you have goals or aspirations for 2015? What are they?

Goodbye 2014, hello 2015

Happy new year! May 2015 bring you joy, love and most importantly, health. I want to thank all of you. I love being able to share my adventures and it always makes me so happy to read all of your comments.

Isn't it crazy how quickly time flies by? It seems like only yesterday I was putting away all the Christmas decorations and here I am again... Craaaazy I tell you.

2014 was an awesome year. At work, I had the chance of learning new skills as part of an amazing new team. I am so thankful for having the opportunity to meet them and work with them. I also started organizing my blog a bit more, which I'm very excited about. I still haven't reached my goal, or figured it all out yet, but I'm on the right track. Most importantly though, I gave birth to our second boy. He is an absolute joy to be around. He is always smiling and cuddly.

I've been enjoying decorating my home. Everything has been such a blur since we purchased our first house that I really haven't had a chance until now. We repainted the bedrooms and made a cloud stencil wall in our son's bedroom. I also made a super cute decorative cork mobile and a geometric embroidered painting to put in his room. I have a lot more of those kinds of projects lined up for 2015 so stay tuned!



I've also developed a new love for nail polish. It's a fun thing to do to relax, and doesn't take much time if you have the right tools. Some of my favorite nail art designs from this year are my gold and white leopard nail art, bare daisies nail art and square nail art. I have so many ideas for the new year, and am super excited to try new techniques.



I've also been busy in the kitchen. After finding out that my son is allergic to eggs, I made it a point to cook everything at home so that he wouldn't miss out on anything. From fancy desserts to delicious snack and meals. Some of my favorite recipes from this year are my 5 minute homemade chocolate pudding, the egg free vanilla cupcakes and these easy cucumber cream cheese bites.



I also shared some random seasonal projects like this Halloween apothecary and this acorn mobile. I also started making homemade beauty and skincare products like this homemade natural lip balm and I plan on making more this year so stay tuned!



What are some of your highlights of 2014?