14 of 14

 Happy 2014!! 

Can't believe the New Year is here already! 

I'm predicting a very exciting year for the husband and I - filled with many firsts!

Photo Credit: http://delightfullydomestic.typepad.com/

You may have noticed my completed 13 of 13 goal list. 

I made a list of goals last year in lieu of a regular New Years Resolution. 

I had so much fun with the idea that I decided to make another list for 2014. 

It may be a bit ambitious to try and accomplish these things with a baby due any day, but what's life without a few challenges, right?!

So here goes:

1, Completely redecorate my bedroom

2. Learn to play a couple worship songs on the guitar
3. Leave Canada

4. Do devotions every day for a month
5. Host an BBQ

6. Finish a scrapbook album of the baby's first year
7. Learn to curl my hair
8. Complete the front garden

9. Run with the baby stroller (regularly!)

10. Learn to use a sewing machine
11. Write 200 blog posts
12. Get back to my pre-pregnancy weight

13. Make an angel food cake
14. Learn to drive standard
BONUS GOAL: Photograph all these goals! 

Wish me luck! 

{xoxo}

13 of 13

My first married Christmas has now come and gone.. *sigh*. Time to move forward! 

In lieu of a New Years resolution this year I've decided to make a daunting goal list.

13 goals for 2013. 

1. Learn to knit. 

2. Roast a turkey

3. Go berry picking

4. Throw a pretty Pinterest inspired party for my girlfriends 

5. Plant and maintain a flower garden

6. Run another 5K race (or an 8K if I can!)

7. Scrapbook a complete wedding album

8. Learn a new sport

9. Complete a photo wall for the house

10. Read the book "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoevsky 

(couldn't ever get into it - maybe this will motivate me!)

11. Completely redecorate our bedroom (from paint to carpet to accessories)

12. Leave Canada

13. Compose 100 blog posts

BONUS GOAL: Photograph all of the above goals :) 

There you have it. Lets see if I can make it happen now. 

100 Books Revisited...

Some of my more faithful blog followers may remember I blog post I did last year about wanting to read more - specifically, to read some classic novels. If you didn't get a chance before, you can read the post here.

Anyways, I didn't quite reach my so-called "realistic" goal of reading 30 of the books. I often had to read a fun book in between the not-so-fun classic novels.

I had already read 14 of them. The new ones I managed to read were:

1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
4. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
5. Animal Farm by George Orwell
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Favourite: Catcher in the Rye

Least Favourite: Wuthering Heights

Most Disturbing: Lolita

Some other books of note that I read and enjoyed this past year included:

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

4. Monster by Frank Peretti

5. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller

6. House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Overall I'd say that that's a pretty good collection of novels I've read!

I'm still working on that classics list though! My 2012 reading resolution is to top this years progress and read 15 books of the list over the year. We'll see if I succeed in 2013!

Resolution Shmesolution (continued...)

Joopje (pronounced "yope-yuh") reminded me about his resolutions:

1) Bark less. He doesn't want to annoy the neighbours.

2) Put his toys away in his toy basket. Messy dog.

3) Stop trying to get his adorable bandanas off.

Now we are both ready for the new year!

Resolution Shmesolution

It's that time of year again when people make resolutions to "change their life" for the better. The typical ones include "lose weight", "exercise regularly", "quit smoking", "pay off my debt" - you know, the classics.

Unfortunately, they are the classics for a reason, and I'm going to follow in the same path as every other sucker. The difference is... I will be successful! LOL.

So here we go...

1) Lose weight. This will take baby steps. Step one being to change my diet habits. The first goal is to lose 20 lbs - then we'll see after that. I think I can, I think I can...

2) To be a more avid reader. I don't want to go crazy, I just want to accomplish my goal of reading 30 classic novels this year.

3) To pay off my OSAP. It's only a portion of my lovely debt-load but it's definitely do-able if I'm careful with my spending.

4) Travel. I don't have a lot of vacation time with work, and I already know of a couple of "engagements" that I'll have to be taking time off for, but somehow I need to fly or drive somewhere that doesn't involve an agenda, and isn't home (although I do have to go home too... obviously).

Well, that about sums 'er up.