I coulda... If only I woulda... There's no question, I shoulda... If that's your assessment of the past year, then turn your head, move forward, and never look back. The past few days I've been thinking through the past year and I've had more coulda, woulda, shoulda thoughts than I care to admit. I confess I spent too much time spinning my wheels. I allowed my circumstances to cloud my vision and impede my forward movement. There were days I made good choices and moved forward... but those days were too few and far between. I don't want another year of that. I don't want to look back on … [Read more...]
Search Results for: New Year
Hello, friends! Thanks for coming by! Here we are, quickly sliding out of 2016 and into a fresh new year! Are you excited for the new year? I'm in the process of re-evaluating a lot of what I do and how I do it. And because I'm a doer... this thought process doesn't exactly turn my crank. It would if I were doing it with a team that I led, but as a solopreneur, it's more of a necessary task. To that end... I discovered this quote from Teddy Roosevelt: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. And it's providing me with some framework in which to do some dreaming and goal … [Read more...]
My favorite way to ring in the New Year is by hosting a party at home. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen that often. Usually after an incredibly busy Christmas season I have run out of steam and my party is just a dream by New Year's Eve. This year I had fun putting together a few ideas to ring in the New Year. They aren't New Year's Eve specific. If you host friends or family for a New Year's brunch to watch the Rose Parade (Some day I'm going to see those floats up-close and personal and even behind the scenes!) or a lovely sit down dinner, you'll love creating special memory book favors or … [Read more...]
I love quick and effortless ways to make New Year's gatherings spectacular. And what's easier than the addition of a little gold and sparkle? If you're entertaining this year, you'll want to make New Year's Eve spectacular with golden memories favors for your guests. My printable and tutorial will make it a 5 minute gift which can't be beat. Whether you've put out the welcome mat for New Year's Eve or you're accepting an invitation out, you'll love to share a plate of No-bake Classy Gold-beaded Treats. And there's more! My friend Jennifer of Celebrating Everyday Life invited me … [Read more...]
There's so much anticipation for Christmas. It always seems a long way off and then in a blink... it was yesterday! How can that be? I hope you had a wonderful holiday creating many special memories with those you love and celebrating the Indescribable Gift we've been given. And now... we're on to New Years! If you're feeling like you you have trouble catching the New Year's "train," you'll love these Fun and Fizzy New Year's Eve Ideas shared this week at Project Inspire{d} link party. They will surely get you ready to ring in the New Year! So... get your "pinning finger" ready... Fun and Fizzy … [Read more...]
In my neck the woods... it's the end of the school year. Others I know have been finished with school for a month. And still others are about to embark on their last week, plus exams. Whether you have kids or not... does the end of the school year feel like the beginning of summer? I'm not attempting to play 20 questions here... but what's summer like for you? Is it the start of some well-earned freedom? Is it the same-o-same-o? Or is it something else? As I was reading Psalm 19 from The Message Bible I thought... the beginning of summer is a great time to have a New Year's resolution. … [Read more...]
Did you make a New Year's resolution? I am certain that there are many people who not only made New Year's resolutions for 2015... but have broken one or more already. Fear of failure is one of the chief reasons that so many people don't make resolutions at the start of the New Year. As the year came to a close, I decided I needed to do something for the New Year that did not include the typical Word for the Year or resolutions. I ruminated on this for some time, feeling resistant to set anything down in pen or type. My resistance was undoubtedly mixed with fear of failure and living in limbo and … [Read more...]
Wow! That was fast! I cannot believe how quickly the Christmas season zoomed in and out this year. We were blessed to have had some special time with my husband's family, plus a brief time with dear friends we rarely see. I know the holidays are not wonderful for everyone. But, I do hope in the midst of it all, you were able to sense God's amazing love for you. It's that love that brought us the very best gift we'll ever know. Do you ring in the New Year with family and friends? However you celebrate, large or small, quiet or loud, we've got some delicious New Year's Eve menu ideas from this week's Project … [Read more...]
“The object of a new year is not that we should have a new year, but rather that we should have a new soul.” G.K. Chesterton Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Whether the resolution is to be more organized, get healthy, read more books, or run a marathon....as significant as all of those are....the resolution to restore our souls is the more lasting resolution. What do you resolve to do in 2014? The photo quote above by Chesterton is available as a Free 5x7 Printable. Download the New Year's Quote and Printable for 2014 here. Save it to your desktop to print out at home or take to your favorite photo … [Read more...]
Twenty Fourteen will arrive in just a few days... Are you ready for the fresh start and opportunity she will bring? The New Year is like a beautiful blank book..... We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce What words are you hoping to write in your new book? ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Catch up on all that's Extraordinary... this week at An … [Read more...]
As we begin our fresh New Year there is much that can be said. But before all the talking, it seems that the best place we can begin is... on our knees. A Prayer for the New Year Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future. We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our … [Read more...]
This year I've had fun making my New Year's table sparkle with gold and silver and candlelight. You might remember my Thanksgiving table. The gold trim on the plates were the hint I needed to splash gold accents all over my table. Then for an early Christmas party I decided to splurge and purchased some silver chargers for just 99 cents. That table setting was a twist on elements of the Thanksgiving table but in silver. In preparing my New Year's table setting, I thought it would be fun to meld the gold and silver together for a perfectly imperfect New … [Read more...]
Happy New Year! Okay...maybe I'm a wee bit early. But only 25 hours early! Remember my Joy Wreath hanging over the sideboard? I thought it would be fun to quickly and easily transform it into a New Year's Wreath. After removing the vintage balls and Joy and other nativity words, I added in some semi-blingy woodland picks I had in my stash. I borrowed a Silhouette machine which I have yet to master and cut out the Happy - New - Year - 2013 in some gold cardstock I also had in my stash. BUT, you can easily create these by using stencils and tracing them on cardstock … [Read more...]
Have you been thinking about turning that junk room or guest room into a home office? Though you may have been forced into the whole “work from home” thing along with many recently, I had been working at home on my little online business for more than eight years. With a laptop computer, we can work almost anywhere. The couch, the bed, the kitchen table, a little corner somewhere in the house, and in the past maybe the coffee shop, would serve as mini offices. Where do you set up and go “to work” when you're at home? After moving to this little apartment, my couch was my office for … [Read more...]
Choosing a Word of the Year can set the stage for an incredible New Year. Although my word might surprise you, I'm excited about its potential to make my year amazing. Several years ago, a young friend, whom Tim had been mentoring for several years, won four tickets to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra in concert. As a huge fan of TSO and all things audiovisual, it was the ultimate win for him. It ended up being a win for us as well, as he invited us to be his guests that night. If you've ever had the privilege of attending a TSO concert, you know that they put on quite … [Read more...]
Although I'm often surprised by the top reader favorites for the year. Most of these are some of my personal favorite home decor posts, too. The old adage, "time flies when you're having fun" is so true. 2017 went by in a blink! It was a much better year in so many ways! In spite of a few major disappointments, we have been rejoicing in God's goodness and provision throughout the year and feel so very blessed. The end of the year is a good time to look back and see just how blessed we are. I pour my heart and life into this blog so it's fun to discover the posts you … [Read more...]
We are a week into the New Year. Already time seems to be going by too quickly. There are so many things I want to accomplish. New goals being set. I'm trying super hard to become more productive with my time. And, I even started a little accountability support group of sorts with two other blogging friends. We learn together, share tips, encourage each other, pray for each other, and speak Truth to each other. Speaking Truth is a big one for us. It's so easy for us to get sucked into the lies of the world. You know the lies you have to fight each day. That's why it's so important that we … [Read more...]
