I just had to with the title. Thanks to Taylor Swift for that. Well, hello, old friends. I think it’s safe to say I have neglected this blog yet again. Haven’t posted since September…wow, that’s shameful. When y’all ask me why I don’t get paid to do it, this is why. My full time job, my Beautycounter job, and now my weekend job keep me from putting as much time and energy into this “job” as I’d like. But upon reflecting on 2021 and what my goals might be for 2022, I was hit with a wave of creativity for this space, and I hope to carry it out to fruition this year.
Continue reading “I Don’t Know About You, But I’m Feeling ’22”Tag: New Year
Favorites of 2017
FAVORITES OF 2017
Happy New Year, y’all! I’m pretty excited about the year 2018. I don’t normally get very excited about the new year, but there’s something in my soul about this year. I have a real sense of hope in my heart, and I believe that just means the best is yet to come.
But before we look ahead, let’s reminisce. Here’s a look at some of my favorite posts from 2017.
The First Post
Home Again– This was my first ever blog post. I was terrified to post it and put myself out there, but I have enjoyed so much of this journey of blogging. This will forever be one of the most special posts I’ve ever written. Even with all the non-decorating of the apartment. It’s fun to go back and see how far we’ve come from those first few months in our little loft.
Earrings
Crafty Earring DIY– I’ve never had a pair of earrings be so popular. And when people who don’t know I have a blog find out that I made them, they always want a pair. I wish I could make them for everyone. They are still so cute and fun to wear.
Mothers
Happy Mother’s Day– These two ladies are so special to Paul and me. We couldn’t do life without them. Like I said in the post, “Mother’s are extraordinary beings.”
Home Improvements
There were two really fun posts to share about decor changes in our apartment. When we first moved in I was still so in love with our blue ikat rug (still am), but it really didn’t fit, so I was thrilled when it dawned on me to swap the rug for the other one I loved that we had before the blue one. (Thanks to a little inspiration from none other than Joanna Gaines.) You can read about it the post entitled New(ish) Rug.
You can see even more of the rug in the Leopard Curtains post. Man was I proud to have made those myself, and I still love them. I realize they aren’t for everyone, but I definitely am not tired of them yet.
Celebrating 17, er, 7 Years of Marriage
That’s a joke between Paul and myself. We hit the 7 year mark in 2017, but we joked that it felt like 17 years together. That picture up there shows we were already acting 7 years married on our wedding day when we had a little tiff taking pictures in the 100° July heat. Despite a wedding day spat, we are still in love and still happily married. I was able to share a very photo-filled post about our wedding and how we were doing 7 years in.
New Job = New Classroom
Classroom Reveal– I got a new job this year teaching 3rd grade. I was fortunate enough to paint and make this room a space that I enjoy being in. It makes a difference when your environment is pleasing to you. This was one of the more popular posts and one of my top 10 Instagram posts of the year. Thank you for loving my classroom makeover as much as I did.
Beautycounter
2017 marked the beginning of my journey with Beautycounter. If you’re unfamiliar with Beautycounter go here to learn more about it. I signed on in October to be a consultant to help spread the mission of safer beauty. I’m happy to be Leaving My Beauty Mark.
Changes
Changes– I really poured out a bit of my heart in this one. It was a little deep. I know that isn’t for everyone, so I understand that a lot of people didn’t read it. But for me it still rings true. I am still not sure why I feel a season of change is in store for me, but I know that I feel hope now, so I’m expectant and in a good way and feeling like I might not actually be having a quarter-life crisis anymore. And doesn’t John Mayer just speak straight to your soul? I just love him.
Christmas Home Tours 1 & 2
Round 1– I was so excited to decorate for Christmas this year. With my need for change, I did things a little differently this year and couldn’t have been happier with how things played out in the decor department. 
Round 2– I found that amazing ribbon for my tree that took it up another notch, and I can’t believe I actually took it down already. I’m sitting here writing this wishing I could glance up and see it. Thank God for pictures.
Thank You
Thank you so much for following along with me this year. I am so blessed to have this little corner of the internet, and the fact that y’all visit me here every now and then means the world to me. I am so thankful for the support from you guys, and I hope you’ll stick around for the fun we’ll have in 2018. I can feel that it’s going to be a good one!
XO,
Elizabeth
How To Set Goals For The New Year
HOW TO SET GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR
I mentioned here that I was a goal setter for each new year. I have been making my list and wanted to share my process in case anyone needed help determining a list of goals.
Categories
First, I make a list of categories or areas of my life where I’d like to set and attain goals. For example:
Business
Finances
Personal Life
Health
Work
Hobby
Marriage
Faith/Spiritual Life
Multiple Goals
In each of these categories I set multiple goals. I like to set goals that are easily attainable and goals that are a little harder to reach and take a little more work.
This doesn’t mean that I’ll reach all of these goals by year’s end, but I’ll have a list of things I’d like to achieve and can reference the list throughout the year. For example: Two goals I would set for the area of marriage would be to say thank you more often and then to take a trip somewhere we’ve never been. That second goal goes into the finances category as well, but it would be a goal I would have for our marriage because we don’t travel often or take many trips.
Also, if you have a goal in mind for an especially tough area, like health, start with a very attainable goal. If you want to work out but don’t do it that often presently, then make your first goal to do a workout once or twice a week. It doesn’t have to be a crazy hard workout like P90X either. You can just take a walk twice a week. Hey, we all have to start somewhere, right?
Write It Down
Get a notebook or journal you can reference or use easily and often. I always write down my goals for each year. Sometimes I’m discouraged when I go back to see the goals I didn’t achieve. But there are those times I’m pleased with the fact that I did meet my goal.
I am a journaler and have been for years now, so writing is not a new concept for me. I write almost every morning in a prayer journal, and one of my goals this year is to write in a gratitude journal before I go to bed every night. I find that writing things down helps me out and means something to me. I can easily go back and reference the things I’ve written down to see how I’m doing with my goals.
I do recommend starting with a fresh notebook or journal. Write these goals in the front so that you know exactly where the goals are written.
Make A Vision Board
I’ll admit I’ve never done one of these before, but I plan to. My mother-in-law was cleaning out an old closet and found a bulletin board that she didn’t need. I told her I’d love to have it, and she kindly gave it to me. I’ve been wanting to make a vision board out of it for the new year. I’ll share it when I’ve got it all set up.
And I think that you should put it where you can regularly see it and be reminded of what you’ve set out to do. Mine will go in front of my makeshift vanity so I can see it every morning while I’m getting ready.
Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
Let’s be real…chances are, we aren’t going to achieve every goal we set for ourselves. At least not on the first try. And maybe one of your goals is a long-term one that will take several years to achieve. Financial and business goals are often that way. But we know there will be goals that we set that we just won’t make happen. I’ve been there plenty of times. And every year I set those same goals anyway. But this year really give it a chance. For example: I am a Beautycounter consultant. I’ve not put forth much effort this holiday season because I work a full-time job, and it’s super hard to hustle on the side when your full-time job requires so much of you. I’d really like to put forth effort to achieve the goal of making a little extra cash during 2018. I’d like to learn more about the company and figure out how I can spread the mission of safer beauty to the people of Greenville. That’s a tough goal, but it’s something that can be attained throughout the year. However, I’m also realistic in knowing that I may not be successful right off the bat. I might fail, but I can always reevaluate and try again. Don’t be afraid to fail! Just get back up, dust off your pants, and try another way.
How do you set goals? Do you write them down like I do?
Happy New Year!
Elizabeth
New Year, New You
NEW YEAR, NEW YOU
Do you do resolutions? Those mostly unattainable goals that you give up on a week or two into it? Maybe you even make it to February then crash and burn.
I’ve been known to set an unattainable goal and fail miserably…on more than one occasion. But last year I set a goal, and I actually accomplished it in February. That goal was to start a blog. I knew that I needed something different in my life, something new. I needed a creative outlet.
I’m one of those cliches that takes a step back and looks at her life from the past year when the calendar year is coming to an end. I like to set goals, but I don’t usually put too much pressure on myself. Some of them are simple things I could do everyday like drink more water, and some are bigger goals like save money for a downpayment on a house or pay off student loan debt. And then there are those you know you need to do but also know you’re not really going to do it like cutting sugar completely out of your diet or working out every single day.
I’m still working on my list of goals for the new year, but I hope I get them finalized before January 1st. (Not procrastinating so much is one of those goals.) 🙂
So, do you make resolutions or set goals? Do you stick with them? Have you ever set a really big one and seen it through? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.
I hope y’all had a great Christmas!
XO,
Elizabeth