The holiday vacation is officially over as we’re all back to work and school today. Eleven days is a long time to be off, I’ve discovered. And even though we didn’t lack for things to do, it’s kinda nice to get back to a routine. I said kinda. 😉
I’m glad it’s the new year, though mostly I hate new years. Starting over. The depressing winter. For us here in Texas, January and February are our coldest months. Spring comes quickly and then we’re back into the summer heat before we know it. If you love to see the seasons, Texas ain’t the place for you.
I used to make resolutions. They never did keep long, though. So over the years, I resigned to not making resolutions. Don’t believe in ’em. Nowadays, I set certain goals for myself. Those don’t seem to keep long either. So this year, I’m making a list of things I want to accomplish or change starting with this new, even-numbered year. I thought I’d share that list with you. Here goes.
- My old saying is, “Life is short. Buy the shoes!” which I still believe in. But I want to add a few things to that “life is short” thing. So picture that three word phrase in front of each one of these. Burn the candles. Spend all of your gift cards on something you really want, even if it’s only one item. Use the note cards, no matter how pretty you think they are. Drink all the wine – you can buy more. Write in the pretty journals – you can buy more!
- The husband and I talked about our bills and spending habits. We had a major realization when he tallied up what he spends on dining. So we’ve decided to cut way back on that and do better about eating at home. I’ve decided I would make a better effort at cooking dinners. It will be hard, especially when we’re feeling lazy and don’t want to cook. So when I don’t want to cook, I’ll be eating grilled cheese or PB&J. Let’s see how long that will last. 😉
- Magazines. Oy vey! Do I have a lot of magazines. I’ve decided not to renew four of them: Lucky, Vogue, Taste of Home, and Simple & Delicious. I’m keeping RT Book Reviews, Food Network Magazine and Writer’s Digest. Even though it pains me to throw them away, I went through all the cooking magazines and ripped out the recipes I wanted to keep/try. I’m going to keep them in a binder to test them before scribing them in my recipe book. Then the magazines will go to the recycle bin at hubby’s work. Which brings me to…
- Books. Yikes. I have books coming out my ears. I have books I haven’t had time to read. Books double-stacked on the bookshelves. Books stacked on the floor. It’s ridiculous. I’ve decided to purchase more books on the Nook to read and see how I like them and then if they’re a “keeper”, I’ll purchase the paperback/hardback. Hey, this just stands to help out an author. Not only am I getting the ebook, I’m getting the print version too. You’re welcome. 😉 Which brings me to…
- Writing. I have a whole lot of ideas for writing this year and the list is lengthy. I know I won’t achieve half of that but…I’m going to try. It means I need to not park myself in front of the TV and write instead every night. Not just every day at work (and by that I mean during my lunch hour!). It’s going to be hard to do this, because I’m not one to give up sitting on the couch. I like my couch time with the husband. But I think he’ll understand if I put in a good solid hour of writing time. So I have to pick and choose my television shows carefully and pare it down to a few favorites I can’t miss: Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, Hawaii Five-0 (I need man candy), Once Upon A Time, Person of Interest. Everything else I can take it or leave it. And speaking of writing…
- No more volunteering. I’ve volunteered enough over the last few years. Now it’s my time to write instead of run a contest, a chapter, balance the books, judge contests, etc. (Although, I will say that judging contests is important and helps out fellow chapters, so I will probably judge one or two this year…just not 12 like I have in the past.) I also want to enter my new EC book in published contests to see how it does.
- No more clutter. I have a really bad habit of letting things pile up. You should see my office. *shudders* So I’m trying to make an effort to NOT let that happen anymore. Especially in the kitchen, since I’ll be trying out all those new recipes. 😉 I’d also like to get the office organized and decluttered. Before my birthday, which is at the end of May.
- Discarding things I don’t need. In other words, cleaning out things I don’t use or need and giving it to the local charities. I pretty much do this anyway, but I think this is the year of the Major Declutter. We bought new towels at the white sale at Macy’s on New Year’s Day, so all the old ones will be repurposed as garage towels or something. But I still have a lot of things I don’t need – like dishes I’m not using, a million coffee cups. Things like that.
I’ve been thinking about these things for a while and I know there is more I want to add that I’m forgetting. What can I say? I’m forgetful. 🙂
What are the things you want to change or do better in 2012?
