2012… new year, new resolutions, new me...

2012… a new year awaits and my head spins with all the opportunities it may hold. Looking back at my goals for 2011 I actually didn't do too bad considering all that life decided to throw at me. To look back and see that I not only managed to pull myself out of a deep hole & if not complete most of my goals but make great shifts toward them is saying a lot. After me listing 2011 as a spectacularly crappy year by most standards, maybe I should be looking at it as a spectacular year of learning and growth! A (very) quick wrap of what I wanted to achieve in 2011 and how I stand 1 year later…

1. Organise my Life - I managed a WHOLE year using the OTI organiser. I've already started filling out the new one for 2012!

2. Organise my Home - I started with small steps and achieved a lot. Enough to make my husband see (this is GOOD).

3. Live simpler - Have sort of stalled on this one, hoping to get back into reviewing areas again in 2012.

4. Address my Health Issues and Lack of Exercise - 2 operations and some new medications and the health issues are still on-going. A few new things on the cards to try in 2012. Exercise? Well I bought the WII. That's about as far as it got. Ask me again next year!

5. Creative - Writing: While the daily writing didn't happen, I did manage to give NaNoWriMo a darn good crack. PLUS I signed up to a course and scored a DISTINCTION for my first assignment!

6. Creative - Photography: I managed the 365 challenge until around September and am proud of my efforts. I did NOTHING further with the course (*blush*)

7. Creative - Sewing and Quilting: After months and months and months, I finally found the enjoyment in sewing / quilting again. Totally raring to go in 2012.

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So 2012? Following in the same vein, I hope to get my house and life completely ORGANISED and stick to it. Live more SIMPLY. Be CREATIVE. Stay HEALTHY.

Operation Organise!

* OTI Diary - I want to continue on utilising my OTI daily PLUS I want everything linked up to my computers / phones etc. With the recent installation of iCloud I think this will work. Appointments added to either my iPad or iPhone will end up on my personal laptop as well as my Work Computer.

* Home & Life Organiser - I started one a few years ago but it never really worked too well as it was aimed for the American market. I want to create one of my own to hold all those important life details that I constantly have to search for.

* Domestic Guru - I have the Domestic Guru Organiser half printed out and ready to start (tomorrow!) I am also on the search for natural cleaning products and want to prove to the nay-sayers that they do indeed work. I stumbled across one earlier in the week Dawn dishwashing detergent and warm white vinegar for shower screens - OMG they have come out so clean!!   

* A place for everything and everything in it's place. My biggest issues in the past is not thinking how I wanted to store things. I'm still working on that but am slowly getting better!   

Operation De-clutter!

* House: I started de-cluttering in 2011, this year I want to be ruthless with it. I have far too much CRAP and it's weighing me down. I will be targeting a room each month and following Skips 25 days of de-clutter I am hoping that my house will continue in the same vein I started this year.

* Social Media: THIS is a big one for me. I realised the other day that I have far too many blogs in my reader (350 seriously!) so I started culling. I have whittled it down to 300 with more to go but for now it's such a relief to only have to read about 30 blog posts per day rather than the 50+ I was getting! I am also trying to utilise Evernote, Pinterest and Bookmarks to keep track of crafty ideas I may stumble across.

The Simple Life

* Gardening - create a vegetable garden that LASTS and actually gives us produce.

* Greenhouse - I am waiting for the other half to build me a greenhouse

* Solar - with our new Solar Hot Water we have managed to pretty much eliminate our last power bill, we want to continue on in this vein and look at other ways to save on power.

* Water Tanks - I still want another tank, hubby is not sold (yet)

* Chickens - we still want to get chickens but we need to think it through as they will need a yard away from the pooch!

* Budgeting - I am committing to a weekly budget and am pledging to spend less and use more of what we have here.

* SPEND LESS.

Creative Life

*Writing - I have 11 assignments that I would like to complete either this year or by the end of 2013. THIS will be my priority for 2012. I also want to attempt NaNoWriMo again but this time better prepare myself for it.

* Photography - I NEED to start my course. THIS year I want to submit at least half of the assignments. While I am not doing a 365 or committing to other challenges as I want to make my course a priority, I am doing a personal happiness project (much like the 365 Gratitude ones popping up around the place) this one will be simply instax photos of things that make me happy accompanied with some words (cause we all know how much I love my words!)

* Sewing / Quilting - I want to clear out the pile of WIP this year. I also want to try my hand at other areas (making clothes for me as well as for Miss K and the Dolls)

Healthy Life

* Exercise more

* Drink more water

* Eat healthier foods

* Research ways to make living with endometriosis easier on the day-2-day.

PHEW. That's a big list! While I am trying not to 'commit' to anything much this year, I have signed up for three challenges - I know right?

1. AJ's 12 WIP in 2012, as blogged here and here!   

2. Skip is having a 2012 'year of the cheap' it actually blends in with AJ's WIP challenge.

3. Buy no (new) Fabric. I am aiming at buying VERY little this year and trying to utilise the bulging stash WHERE possible!

Oh and one more thing, remember yesterday I summarised my reading in 2011… I went and counted the "still to read" books on my shelves and OMG I have well over 100 books to be read :o So I am officially on a book buying ban. Actually I don't think I will spend any money in 2012 unless it's for organising my life better.