Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Welcome 2012!


Here's a sneak peek at my goals for 2012:

1. Keep it simple. For a variety of reasons, the next 4 months are going to be busy and stressful for our family. Not only will Tal be finishing his 10-month long "project," but I'll be coordinating tutoring at my school, as well as finishing my National Boards. For that reason, I need to keep my priorities simple. I need to be available for Savannah and take care of her while Tal works on his "project" in the evenings and weekends. Second, I need to support Tal by giving him encouragement and time to work. Finally, I need to be faithful in my tutoring responsibilities and do my best on National Boards. Home improvements, exercising, etc. will have to wait until after April 30.

2. Simplify. This goal is similar yet different to #1. Over the last year, a number of people have told me that I do too much. I really strive to maintain a work-family balance, as well as to keep my stress in check, take time daily to relax, and get enough sleep. However, my life has gotten out of balance over the last few months. For that reason, in the coming year, I'm going to reduce my commitments. I've mentioned this goal to several close friends and family members, so they can hold me accountable.

3. Learn how to use my new SLR camera. My goal is to become good friends with the owner's manual. I want to learn how to use all of my camera settings, including ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.

4. Become more active. After I finish National Boards and tutoring in April, I'll start walking regularly again. Doctor's orders. Recently, my doctor recommended that I increase my aerobic activity to lower my cholesterol. Sigh. It'd be an added bonus if I lost a few pounds, too. :)

5. Organize and declutter.  Overall, I'm pretty organized and do a good job of keeping clutter to a minimum. However, now that Tal and I've lived in our house for a year, we have a better idea of how we use each space. For that reason, this year I'd love to make our linen closet, pantry, and medicine closet more functional and pretty. And with color, labels, and baskets! 

6. Tackle a few small home improvement and decorating projects. Tal and I have big dreams for our house (which needs a lot of TLC). In 2012, our goal is to add more color, personality, and functionality to our humble abode by completing 6-8 of the projects below:
  • Add wainscoting to our kitchen bar area.
  • Hang a mirror in our half bathroom 
  • Hang some artwork in the living room and kitchen
  • Repaint the kitchen
  • Paint the backs of the built-in bookcases in the living room
  • Paint the backs of the built-in bookcases in the bonus room
  • Style the bookcases in the living room and bonus room
  • Organize Savannah's toys in the living room
  • Create a picture wall
  • Add some rugs for the kitchen, entry, and hallways 
  • Add a pair of lamps in the living room 
  • Buy and paint a dresser for Savannah's bedroom
  • Buy a larger (king-size) bedspread for our bed
Stay tuned to see what happens in 2012! I'm looking forward to this year!

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