When I approach a new year, I am always filled with certain emotions. I always have feelings of excitement and ambition…anxious to tackle what this brand new year has in store. There is just something about the start of a brand new thing, such as a job or school year. I think that is why so many people get so gung ho and over the top about all they will do when the New Year comes, yet so many have no idea how to even follow those ambitions through…and most of those ideas fall by the wayside.
It is easy to do. It is easy to see the new year as a blank slate, because it is. But it is truly no different than the day before. If we want to make a change, we can do it any day of the year. But since it IS a brand new year, let’s focus on the fact that we DO literally have blank slate in front of us. What are we going to do with this year that God has for us?
I decided a long time ago not to make “resolutions”. I literally always said I was going to lose 10 lbs, blah blah blah…and that never happens because I give up and like snack cakes too much. So, I started making goals instead. Goals are things that I will physically WRITE down, along with a blue print of how I hope to accomplish them in the coming year. I am so much more likely to accomplish those things, because they aren’t just a “wish list”! Some of my goals are pretty personal to me, so I don’t want to share on here, but I am very excited to start pursuing them immediately.
Some of the goals (and just things I want to be more intentional about) for 2018 that I can share are:
Be more PRESENT. With my career mostly online, it can be hard to put down my phone, because that is where my work is. I want to be much more intentional about this.
Read my Bible daily, even if just a few verses.聽
Organize (in general). Lord help me on this one. I am not an organized person, but I WANT TO BE.
Find more ways to engage my readers in DIY and Decorating adventures ONLINE in my membership group and on my main page!
Break out of my comfort zone even more in all areas of my life!
….and let me tell you, my list is MUCH longer than this- but I want to keep lots of it to myself, since they are very personal goals for me聽 馃檪
As I think about this year’s goals…I can’t help but reflect back on 2017 and all that happened. It was full of lots of amazing things, as well as many learning experiences. Some have tested me, and some have given me pure joy- but all have taught me something.
This past year, we were able to travel quite a bit. Traveling is a true passion of mine, and if you have followed along with this blog for long- you know that. We started our year by going on a Disney Cruise, and words can’t even adequately say how much we loved it. It was the perfect family vacation for us. With the kids being so young, it was just a great fit for us. We made so many memories. I wrote all about that trip right HERE, along with lots of fun pictures!
In the Spring, the kids both started playing soccer for the first time ever, and they loved it so much. I have never been a soccer fan, but I was definitely a fan of watching them! They were the cutest ever.
Blaize was still not in school yet in the Spring, so I had all of my days to spend with him as Eden was in Pre-K half a day/4 days a week. It was hard to get a lot of work done, but I did my best to try to balance everything. Some days I did well, and other days- I completely failed. I did really love getting so much one on one time with both of my kiddos though.
In June, we went to Destin, Florida for a week! My parents had gotten us a family trip with them and my siblings and families for our birthdays for that year- so we all stayed together in a house and had a big time! We ate too much sea food and got lots of sun! That is my ideal vacation 馃檪
As we returned from vacation, our summer was pretty low key. The kids took a theatre class to learn more about acting (they are obsessed with that type of thing), they played on the church t-ball team, and we played in the water outside A LOT. Kentucky has VERY VERY hot and humid summers, and if you are going to be outside much, you need to be in water.
My days were spent trying to continue to grow Re-Fabbed while being home with both kiddos- and my husband worked his full time job as a line man at the local electric company. I am so thankful for his provision for our family and how hard he works for us. There were several evenings when he got off work that we went outside and had s’mores by a fire or just played games inside. (We played A LOT of matching games!)
In August, both kids started school full time. It was a big adjustment for everyone, especially me. Eden started Kindergarten and Blaize started K-4. Blaize only goes 4 days a week, but he goes full days all of those days…so I do get Fridays with just him, which I really enjoy! I also volunteer at Eden’s school on Tuesday mornings and always try to go to chapel with Blaize on Thursday mornings. I really do TRY to make the most of my time, both at home and with the kids- and that is not always the easiest thing to do. (I hope to do better in 2018!) Time gets away so fast- but I always want to be sure that with me being home, I聽make a point to be at any school activities that they have, because no matter what, they are still my top priorities.
With the time I had to myself, I tried to push myself even more in my business, to do the big hard scary things that I knew needed to be done but had previously felt as though I didn’t have the time to do. There were no more excuses with the kids being gone. I decorated some homes, worked on my blog and social media pages a lot more, started an Etsy store, started offering paint classes a couple of days a week聽and started seeing a lot of growth from all of my efforts. As much as I missed the kiddos, this time spent working was much needed for me too. I was starting to see the path God laid out for Re-Fabbed much more clearly.
I started doing Facebook lives for the very first time ever in September, and it was a genuine fear that I was able to overcome. It has been one of the biggest blessings for me this year, as it helped me connect to my readers on such a deeper level…and helped me get to know everyone so much better. It has grown my business so much, and I am loving doing them now!
In October, we went on another family trip to Colorado. This was just a short little 4 day trip, but it was good. This was the first time me and the kids had ever been there (Brandon had been before), and the scenery was AMAZING. The kids didn’t love being in the car so much, as we drove around taking it all in…but they still had a great time…and we had a lot of fun in the end!
After that trip, the rest of the year almost feels like a blur. With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas- we ran ragged, like most families! It is so much fun to celebrate all the holidays with little kids. They make life such a JOY. Each holiday brings lots of extra travel, with my family not living in the same town, but we make it work and try to be everywhere as much as possible! In the midst of all of that, we also finalized plans for our home that we are building- and we got a builder set in stone to start the work for us THIS coming Spring (2018). That is definitely the thing I am most excited about for the coming year! To get to build and design our forever home is something that I am literally over the moon about!!! I can’t wait to share it with all of you.
As Re-Fabbed closed out the year, I also started my very first paid membership group, called Decorating on a Dime 101. It is a group where I focus completely on bringing my members decorating tips and advice on a tight budget. I offer fun challenges to get them thinking outside of the box, and I will be bringing in experts from different areas to speak live in our group and answer questions about all things budget decorating (including painting, etc….). It is for ANYTHING that you can do to make your house a home on a BUDGET. I am learning as I go, and I am really enjoying where it is going so far. This year will be full of lots of NEW and EXCITING things in that group, so I hope you will consider being a part of it! (Check out the link above!)
All in all, 2017 was an amazing year!!! I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store for my family!!! Rest assured, I will bring you along for the wild and crazy ride!
Be sure to follow along on Social Media!!!
Last Updated on January 1, 2018
Love your blog! You have a beautiful family!
God bless all you set your hands to in 2018!
You have a beautiful family! Such a blessing.