I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions. Perhaps because as a student and then a teacher, my new year started in August, and January 1st just felt like the beginning of the second semester, not a new year. Either way, this new year feels particularly fresh. 2012 brought several big life changes. My stepson, Davin, came to live with my husband and I, being the biggest. It's been a big adjustment, going from a newly married, kid-free house, to having a 6 year old boy with a mop of blonde curls running about. It has been oh, so wonderful, though. He is charming, brilliant, and kind, and has made our lives so much more rich. The other big change was in the career arena. With Davin coming to join our household, my husband and I decided it would be best for me to stay at home for a little while, to ease the transition. So from full time third grade teacher, I went to stay at home mom! A big change, but a good one. It has allowed me to slow down, focus on all things domestic, as well as my quilting business, which has been great; I have a lot of big plans and exciting things in the works for Bottle Tree Fabrics! Now, I have always cringed when people spoke of their New Years resolutions, because they would always start strong, but inevitably peter out after a month or two. Also, being a tremendously laid back, go-with-the-flow kinda gal, I seldom set official "goals". However, as all of these changes are occurring in my life, I desire to be more intentional about how I spend my time and my daily habits.
2013 Goals: Engage more socially- My soul is that of a hermit's or vagabond's. It is reflected in my taste in literature (Dickinson, E. Bronte, Byron, Donne, etc). I so identify with Frost in his poem Into My Own:
While I can't, nor do I desire, to rid myself of my introverted, escapist ways, I do want to step out a bit more. Thus, some practical means of sharing my life with others (aside from being better about calling and hanging out with friends) I've chosen are one Instagram and one tweet a day and at least 2 blog posts per week.
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Readopt healthy habits- I've changed my diet quite a bit in the last couple years. I discovered that I have a mild gluten allergy, and after watching a slew of food documentaries (Food Inc., Forks Over Knives, etc), I transitioned to a mostly vegan diet. After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, I jumped on the juicing train. I would make my husband and I delicious fruit/veggie smoothies every morning, we would each take a pitcher of it to work, have a glass for breakfast, and more as snacks throughout the day. Also during this time, I practiced yoga most week days after school. The end of the school year interrupted both of these wonderful habits. So my goals are to start making smoothies again every morning during the week, as well as make time to practice yoga.
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Grow my business- I have really fallen in love with quilting, and I love making unique, custom quilts for friends and clients. One of my favorite things about owning Bottle Tree Fabrics is messaging back and forth with a client to come up with a fun, creative design that perfectly suits their needs and aesthetic. I also love the freedom that comes with working from home and owning your own business. While I love the creative side of my business, I am terrible at the business-y side. I am not good at marketing, accounting, etc. This is where I need to be more intentional. So I plan to find more avenues to promote my shop, build an inventory in order to visit craft shows, and create more non-commissioned pieces.