See You on the Flip Side

Hello, friends. :)

As you may have noticed, I never followed up on my last post, and instead promptly fell off the face of the blogosphere. The usual. However this time there was an actual reason: my husband was offered a job in the Nashville, TN area, which was SUPER EXCITING but also super busy. :D In the flurry of moving, I never found the time to follow up on my monthly goals (which is just as well since I most likely failed most of them, unless packing the house into boxes counts as organizing). 

With a new job for Will, a new(ish) baby, and a new city, it feels like the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. And with the start of a new chapter, I've decided it's time for a fresh start in blogging as well. I've enjoyed this little blog (when I've bothered to write anything on it, heh), and I may be back on occasion, but I've had so many false starts and so much time has passed since I began it that I feel a little bogged down. I think my style and purpose have shifted in a different direction over the course of the last few years, and it's difficult not to try to make my current posts fit with the style of past posts, and then I get frustrated and avoid posting altogether. Hopefully this change will break that habit. :) I also decided to return to Wordpress, which I prefer to Blogger (now that I've tried them both).

So here's to a new adventure, a new blog, and a fresh start. You can read my new blog here, if you feel so inclined: https://frecklesandfireflies.wordpress.com

See you on the flip side. :)

Happy New Year!

I love celebrating the New Year. Sometimes it’s a little surprising (and even scary) how fast the old year went by, but it amazes me when I look back and am able to glimpse a little better all the things God has done in the past year through the hard times and the joyful, and to celebrate that we have been blessed with a fresh one ahead, “with no mistakes in it yet,” as Anne Shirley would say.

Once again this year, I’m borrowing an idea from She Learns As She Goes and listing my monthly goals and resolutions. I’ll write out my list at the beginning of each month, and then check back in at the end of the month to report on how horribly I neglected them (let’s be honest). Here goes....

January Resolutions

Read the Bible Daily
Will and I are once again attempting to read the Bible in a year. It’s easy to get behind if you miss even one day (we completely fell off the wagon last year somewhere deep among the ceremonial sacrifices), so my motto this year is "Constant Vigilance!" I'd like to do some individual reading/study myself too, even if it's just 10 minutes a day. I've felt convicted recently about getting a little lazy and coasting along in my faith, and I really want to focus on Christ and His Word until they become more central to even the small moments and decisions of my daily life.

Read 4 Books
I started off strong last year with reading, but then abruptly stopped when morning sickness hit and (I am sorry to say) hardly finished a book for the rest of the year! Time is a precious commodity with a new baby but I would really like to be intentional about reading this year when I can manage it. Last year was my first time having access to a smartphone and it's easy to pick it up and fritter time away here and there instead of settling into a book. Will & I have made a pact this year to pick up a book instead of our smartphones after 9pm, and it's been really refreshing so far.

Write Thank You Notes
We have been so blessed in the past few months by the generosity of family and friends as we welcomed Beatrice home and celebrated Christmas. I have a stack of thank you notes waiting to be written, and can hopefully take out at least 1 or 2 a day while Beatrice naps.

Balance & Maintain Checkbook
This one is pretty self-explanatory. I used to balance my checkbook every week but since getting married I have definitely not been as consistent. I'd like to get back in the habit of weekly checkbook balancing sessions.

Organize the Bedrooms
Currently, they look as though they were hit by a category 4 hurricane. Partly that's because we just got home from a week in NC at almost 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, partly it's because we have a new baby and finishing a load of laundry or taking a shower is now a huge accomplishment in my world... but mostly it's because I've been procrastinating and need to just jump in there and start organizing.

And of course, I resolve to give my amazing husband and sweet baby more kisses and snuggles. Everyone deserves at least one fun goal. :)

~ ~ ~

What about you all? Do you have any resolutions for the coming month or year?