2011 Coming to a Close

Almost every blog you see lately, people are talking about how quickly 2011 flew by. Maybe it's cliche, but really, 2011 did fly by in a flash. This has been one of those years where so many things happened for our family - many changes and new experiences - that it couldn't help but go by quickly.

This was not a very productive year as far as creating new art, though. With moving and starting a farm, spending time making art was not on the priority list. Right now, most of my art supplies are packed in boxes, awaiting their new home. I hope to get a studio spot set up within the next couple of weeks. Then hopefully, I'll spend some time doing art again. I miss it. I miss having ideas and taking time to implement them. I miss selling things and talking to people about things related to art and creativity. I feel that ache in my soul every time I see something I made last year or when I think of things I want to make, but don't have the time to right now. I never want to get to the point where I don't make time to do something creative on a regular basis.

I'm looking forward to 2012 and hoping I will find more ways to incorporate art into my daily life. I hope to write more and be a little more disciplined in my blog writing (yeh, I know, you've heard this from me before).  I appreciate that you have continued to be on my "follow" list. I hope 2012 is an amazing and wonderful year for you.

Happy New Year!

Hope of Things to Come

When I was younger, I would spend time every New Year's Eve, reflecting and writing about the year that was ending and my hopes for the year ahead. This tells you two very important things about me: #1 I didn't have many New Year's Eve dates and #2 I have periods of time where I am very hopeful.

Now that I am 46 (and a half), married (so I have a permanent New Year's Eve date) and have two young kids, I don't have much time to reflect on much of anything. I also have lost much of my short term memory, so I can't remember what I had for lunch let alone what I did in January or the rest of the year. But tonight my most wonderful husband, took the kids out for some family fun and (after some whining and complaining on my part) didn't "make me" go with them. So for one glorious and peaceful hour, I wrote down some of my hopes and goals for 2010. I would like to share some of them with you:

• Introduce some new products to my Etsy shop. I've been wanting to add some different things for a long time (bookmarks, handmade journals, more tags, calendars, etc) but haven't taken the time to do it. I want to work on it this year.
• Open another online shop. I have an Artfire account that I haven't put anything in for about a year. Maybe I should give that a try.
• Make my blog more interesting and look more the way I want it to look.
• Average 3 blog posts a week. Maybe add some demonstrations or tutorials.
  
• Set some sales goals for my Etsy shop and work my hiney off to reach them.
• Make more money than I spend (or at least break even).
• Be bold in my belief in God and pursue my relationship with Jesus Christ.
• Quit procrastinating
• Love myself more in action and thought (stop telling myself that I'm destined to fail)
• Be healthy (quit eating so much sugar and start exercising)
• Clean house regularly
• Love my family

I know this is a big and challenging list, but these are my hopes. It would be great to be here next New Year's Eve reporting that I made even a little progress in most areas.

Thanks for following my blog and for your encouragement. It has meant so much to me to have people cheer me on as I pursue one of the things I love most.

Have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. My family and I did. We have been spending the past couple of days being "snowed in". In central Missouri, that usually means only about 4-6 inches. I know compared to some of the northern states, that is wimpy snow, but it is snow. It has been fairly relaxed and quiet - as quiet as it can be with kids around. I'm thankful for this time. It seems the past few weeks have been non-stop activity, so I'm ready to be doing nothing.

I'm working on coming up with a list of goals I want to work on for the new year. My goals are always a little too lofty in the beginning, so I need to tweek them a bit. I do know that one goal will be to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night. That will mean going to be earlier than my normal routine of 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning. I love the quiet this time of night, but the lack of sleep is definitely taking it's toll on my mind and body and it's reflected in my mood (which tends to go up and down like a wild roller coaster).

I'd also like to write more regularly in my blog and get more things listed in my Etsy shop. I think I set the goals last year but was only minimally successful. That's one thing about a new year, you get to start all over again. You have hope that you can actually reach the goals that are set. I've got my fingers (and toes) crossed! I'll be back soon with my goals list, so you can see what the plan is. Right now, I need to go to bed since it is past 2:00 a.m. I'm tired and need to get some rest so I can concentrate in church tomorrow!

Good night. Thanks for following my blog!