Welcome 2013

Happy New Year Everyone! How was your celebration? Our festivities were very mellow and relaxing. Just the Hubs and my kiddies eating dinner, ice cream, and a fun family movie together. Since we are in California and keeping my kids up until midnight wouldn't work...we celebrate east coast style at 9:00! :) We watch the ball drop and bang pots and pans. It's amazing how fun this is for kids. Simple pleasures I tell you. 

Journal page in the works

 I am really looking forward to 2013. How about you? 2012 wasn't bad and I wasn't chasing it out the door...but, I just really love the feeling of newness, beginning, and the expectation of things to come. It's like January begins and we all have a brand new life canvas to begin layering up with all the things 2013 will bring. That's exciting stuff!

Now, I will tell you...the word resolution makes me nervous. I am sure I wrote about it last New Year's. "Resolutions" just seem so daunting, looming, and for me negative. Maybe it's because I have not stuck with them in the past. How about you? Do you stick with them? If I word things differently...like calling them goals, intentions, expectations, wishes, or my focus...it works better. Funny how the mind works sometimes.  :) 

So here are some of my goals for the coming year. I thought if I actually wrote them down here, I'd be encouraged to follow through. Lol. I often have a plethora of ideas, but lack follow through. Now I will be held accountable! Kinda scary. ;)

Without further adieu...

** Blog more regularly
** Create one series for the blog and stick to it
** Commit to better storytelling with my pictures: My oodles of pictures often stay put on the computer. I need to be better about documenting things with something like digital books, journaling, Project Life, etc
** Drink more water: Yep, not enough right now!
** Begin making prints of some of my paintings
** Continue adding abstract painting to my body of work
** Learn to shoot in Manual mode on my camera: It is time!
** Teach more mixed media art classes
** Submit my work to be published: I always get so excited to see my bloggy art friends in magazines like Somerset!! I think I'd pass out if I saw my own!
** Write more tutorial, technique, and how to blog posts
** Exercise, exercise, exercise! I have fallen off the wagon. ;)
** Organize my house: I admit I like things neat. My house is usually pretty tidy. Clutter drives me batty. BUT, drawers, cabinets, closets, pantries = hot mess!  Time to fix that.
** Find more soul time and get a good devotional to read every day. EVERY day. Need to keep my heart and soul focused on the important stuff!
** Try to cook at least 1 new vegan recipe every week or two: I have become pretty lazy with my chef skills. I eat a mainly vegan diet due to health issues so keeping it fresh and new is important for me and my very supportive family. :)
** Wear more color. I need not be afraid to stand out. Lol!
** Leap into new situations with confidence and gratitude. Worry about the insecurities later. :) Time waits for no one.

Whoa! I better get busy, right? I am sure I will add more to the list as the year progresses. I think I will transfer this list into a journal spread and get moving on making 2013 amazing!

What are some of your goals for the coming year?? 

I'd love to hear some of them!!