More goal oriented, less resolutionary.

Resolutions bum me out. I mean, the initial creation is exciting. "Look what I'm going to change this year!" Then you slip and you feel as if you should be put in the corner without your supper.

I don't like the feeling of thinking that I should reprimand myself.

So! I've decided to create some goals for the new year.

1. Paint the kitchen and give it the proper redo. Y'all might recall that I purchased the paint this past summer. Well guess what? The summer came and went. The fall came and went. The winter will not come and go with off white eggshell paint on the walls. If I can dedicate 1 day each week that K- is at school, it will take me several weeks to get the job done, but it will be done. Oh my heavens, I can't stand my ugly kitchen for one. more. second.
2. Get the studio rolling again. Okay, okay. You've got me. This was on last years list. K- wasn't in school until the end of August and I was still busy doing the many hours a day mommy gig. She was more important to me than the creation of work. I did make children's bracelets and sell them. Believe it or not, I sold quite a few. After goal #1 is completed, I'll treat myself to goal #2.
3. To make at least 4 new meal items a month. It could be a new side dish. It could be a brand spankin' new roast recipe, like I'm trying out today. Does it slightly frighten me that I just put nutmeg and cloves in my crock pot with my evenly seared roast? Certainly. It could be, and I hope that it is, good. I'm just tired of eating the same stuff. I've managed to eat healthier than last year, but I need to dust off the crock pot festival and see what new things I have in there, too. I think that it is reasonable to do one new thing a week. I can't go do a Julie/Julia here, but a bit of new stuff will never hurt.
4. Keep walking K- to school. Obviously, in terribly inclimate weather it isn't reasonable to drag her the mile there, but it is good exercise for us both. My hope was to lose 13 pounds last year. While my weight went down a little, I've been walking and making more muscle. Muscle is more dense than fat, therefore takes up less room, but weighs more. I'm not going to harp on the weight, as long as the getting a bit more lean is happening.
5. Purge more stuff. I've been good at purging this year. Actually, a bit better than I usually am. However, more needs to go. Already just in the kitchen, new pans will be arriving. The old pans will go to my mother. When the kitchen is painted and complete, as a reward, I will buy some new dishes. (Probably IKEA or Target. If I get them at IKEA, I can at least run an occasional piece replacement if need be.)
6. Positivity. Less stress. More planning. Smiles.

Smiles:
- I'm still in my pajamas and it is 11:45 AM.
- Dinner is in the crock pot and cooking away.
- Calling sauerkraut balls "party balls" to K- so that she would try them. She didn't like them, but at least she tried them. To note, I didn't like them either.
- We were able to complete the Christmas family celebrations. K- was able to have her own special time with the grandparents and that was good for her. It still didn't feel the same, but at least the redo was done with snow on the ground.
- The snowplow came through last night and K- and I were so excited! Hey, we live on a dead end street. We don't get top billing when it comes to snow plowing. We had gotten probably 6 inches total, then it rained, snowed and sleeted a little on that. The roads in our neighborhood were way mooshy and I knew if they didn't plow, it would be like driving on broken hunks of iceberg. (The temperature was slated to go down quite a bit.) They went up and down and up and down and sprinkled salt along the way. Then, of course, I politely asked Hubs if he would consider freeing the end of the drive of the road hunkage so that we would be able to get out without feeling like we were backing over someones house. Having the driveway sealed shut with solidified hunks of road gunk is awful. Hubs happily went out to free the end of our tiny driveway.
- A new year. Hooray!

Have a wonderful weekend!