At this time of the year, I find myself thinking about the past and the future. I read old journal pages and blog posts and see how I've changed and grown {and the ways I need to change and grow}.
I make resolutions. I'm a list maker, so I wrote out my goals for 2012 a few days ago.
And I tacked them on the wall right at my desk. My reasoning behind this is that I will have to see this paper every single day and so I'll be motivated to follow through. :)
In 2012, what I really want is to focus on becoming content and joyful. {If this sounds familiar, it's because it was also supposed to be my focus for this year. I failed miserably at this year's resolutions.} I have too much stuff and clutter, literally and figuratively. I want to get rid of stuff and stop accumulating more stuff.
Looking back over this year, honestly I feel really materialistic. For me, being materialistic doesn't involve cars or clothes- it involves books and DVDs. I went way overboard with purchasing those this year. I don't need so much stuff! I want to simplify my life and spend the majority of my time on things that really matter.
Hoping that you guys will help hold me accountable, I'm writing my whole list out here. :)
2012 Resolutions
Books:
-Read at least 80 books, preferably 40 new and 40 rereads. But I might have to do 50:30. Because...
-Read all unread books I own. Looking through my bookcases a few days ago, I realized that I own around 50 books that I have not yet read. That's crazy! I knew I had quite a few unread books, but this is extreme. I would love to read all of those this year.
-Purchase no more than two books a month. Except for very rare circumstances. Like the library book sale. Or a thrift store find that I will likely never again come across. :) I have to account for such things. At the most, that would put my yearly book purchases at 24, and I guess that between thrift stores, Amazon, etc., I purchased about 75 books this year. Ouch.
I have this adorable reading journal to use this year:
It has all sorts of room to write about books that I read. After every five books is a fun book-related page with lists, reading trees, etc. There are several book lists in the back.
The only bad thing is that there's only room for 48 books. So this one won't last me the entire year.
Films:
-Watch all unseen films I own. A family friend gave me tons of classic films on VHS this year, and I need to watch them all.
-Cut back on DVD purchases big time. I didn't set an exact number for this. But I have too many movies as it is and don't really need more.
Sewing:
-Make only clothes that I need and love. More on that here.
-Plan out garment sewing. See above. :)
-Focus on quality, the creative process, and making things better.
-Finish my quilt. Ahem.
Other Crafting:
-Make a new project each week. I pretty much do this anyway.
-Knit a sweater.
-Learn how to crochet. I've got a couple of library books to go through.
Miscellaneous:
-Keep track of every single purchase in a notebook. I saw a book by Chronicle Books once that was an illustrated record to what a girl bought during the course of a year. I can't for the life of my find it now. But I thought it was a cool idea and want to do it.
-Save money. The above should help with this one. :)
-Learn how to cook. Really, learn all of the homemaking skills I lack. But this one is the most lacking.
-Keep a homemaking notebook. With recipes, instructions, tips, inspiration, etc.
-Walk five days a week. Around our farm or property. This is my only health-themed resolution. :) Those are historically the ones I'm worst at keeping.
-Consistently read my Bible, pray, and journal. The most important resolution! Grow closer to God. Which will probably lead to me writing more here about Him and what He's doing in my life. I've been noticing lately that I don't exactly share too much about that on the blog...
-Memorize two verses a week. I don't know why, but as a child I didn't memorize a lot of verses like you usually do in Sunday School, etc. Or maybe I did and I've just forgotten them. :) But I found this book I bought years ago about memorizing Scripture, and I've been working through it.
I think that's it. As a side note (I've been working on my terrariums), I'd also like to grow something besides moss in a terrarium. And keep it alive for more than a few days. :) That would be nice. I noticed that I didn't put anything about my Etsy shop either. But I do hope to have a successful year with it, as well.
So...I'm pretty excited about all of this! :) I'll keep you guys posted on how well I'm keeping (or breaking) my resolutions.
As for the last evening of this year, I'll spend it doing some combination of the following: thinking and hoping, drinking hot chocolate, reading The Help, knitting, and/or watching my favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice (2005). But no, I will not be staying up until midnight. I like my sleep. :)
What are your hopes or resolutions for the new year?
