Mustering Up Some Resolve

If you're anything like me (or most of the world, for that matter), you make a handful of resolutions each new year, make a half-hearted attempt at keeping them, and forget them by February - sometimes sooner.  This year, I wanted to do something different.  There always seems to be something on my mind that I'd like to improve or do differently, and with the overwhelming choices making my head buzz and turning my resolutions into a laundry list of personal faults, I decided to take a step back.  What I chose to do is not exactly ground-breaking, but it's an option that I hadn't considered before, and I think hope it might be a good one.


2014 will be the Year of Resolutions, in which I choose a habit to make or break each month or a task to complete.  That month will be dedicated to changing one thing and one thing only, and then by the end of the month, a new habit or attitude will be seamlessly integrated into my life or I'll have accomplished something I've been putting off. Hopefully, I'll be able to check back and update you on my plan of action at the beginning and my progress at the end of each month (still no Internet at home)!


Wild Woman's Year of Resolutions, 2014:
(I do have a couple year-long resolutions, but they're more like holdovers from 2013.  They are do one thing each week toward planning the wedding, and continue taking baby steps toward my total money makeover each month.)

January - I'll kick off the year, as many of us do, with a focus on my health.  I don't do fad diets, so I've cut as much processed food as I can stand; increased fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein; upped my water intake; and began regular exercise again.

In the past two years, I've gained close to 30 pounds. To some that may not sound like a big deal, but it makes me uncomfortable in my own skin, and I hate that feeling.  I've tried off and on since I started gaining weight to get back into the healthy routine that was so easy in college, but I haven't been very dedicated.  The carrot dangling before me this time is my and Mountain Man's wedding in October, which already seems to be a very good motivator.

February - Over the Christmas holidays, I purchased supplies to begin making items to open a shop through Etsy. I'm actually on the fence as to whether it will be with Etsy or another ecommerce site, but the end result will be the same. I will be making (and hopefully selling) handmade treasures in the hopes of establishing a modest Internet business to supplement my current income.

For inquiring minds, as of right now, items available will be mostly textile goods, but I'm looking to add jewelry, personal care, and household items to the inventory at some point.

March - This month will be spent establishing a clean routine. I've never considered myself a neat freak, and periodic chaos doesn't bother me, but my house seems to be in a constant state of disarray these days, and it's driving me a little bit nuts.

My preferred organization scheme is "Everything has a place, even if it's not in that place all the time."  Right now, there are lots of things that don't have a 'home' because I still haven't really settled in.  At this point, settling in is no longer the goal; the goal is to create a space that doesn't make me anxious before I even open the door.

A secondary goal for March will be to continue making my own cleaning supplies and personal care products and make at least one new recipe. I don't make everything I use, and I'm not sure that I ever will, but the more I substitute homemade items for store-bought ones, the more I find I actually prefer them.

April - Almost two years ago, I purchased fabric and other materials to make Mountain Man a quilt. I found a block pattern in a book I borrowed from my grandmother and painstakingly calculated how many blocks I would need and the yardage for each fabric, and then experimented with the best way to assemble the block (for my non-quilting readers, this is a lot of work). Since then, very little has been accomplished. Of course, I do not expect to finish the quilt in April (although that would be nice), but I'd like to work some time into my routine so that I can at least have it done in time for a wedding present; starting in April would give me 6 months.

May - The month in which both Mountain Man's and my birthday falls seemed an appropriate choice for reestablishing and/or enhancing our regular date night.

In the fall, I suggested to Mountain Man that we have a weekly Friday date night.  This went well for a few weeks, and was something we both enjoyed, but life quickly took over, as it has a tendency to do.  I'm already trying to work it back into our schedules, but that may prove hard to do, especially as we're dedicating most of our free time to completing the cabin.  So, if May comes around and we still haven't been able to get back to "us" time, I'll find a way to make it happen.  And if we have, then we'll plan some extra-special dates for ourselves!

June - I'd like to use June to spoil my furbabies, except it won't really be spoiling, per se; it'll be more like doing what I'm supposed to! I'm embarrassed to admit that my two boys have spent most of their lives in their crates, or at least that's how it seems to this guilt-stricken mama. Between school, then work, and personal engagements, they do spend an awful lot of time alone at home in their crates.  Both are well-adjusted to their crates, and voluntarily choose to rest in them even when I am at home, so that gives me some peace, but I would like to enhance their lives by making more of an effort to keep them active and happy when I'm home. We'll play more, walk more, and cuddle more.

July - The halfway marker of 2014 will begin my very own Christmas in July! In 2013, I chose to make all of my Christmas gifts, and it went fairly well . . . except I didn't start until AFTER THANKSGIVING!

What was I thinking?! It was stressful, to say the least, and almost took away the joy from the act of creating something special for someone else.  This year, I will spend the month of July figuring out what I'm going to make, gathering my supplies, and beginning to make everyone's Christmas gifts.  Who knows, maybe I'll even be done by Retail Christmas (aka Halloween)!

August - As everyone anticipates a new school year, I'll be teaching myself how to focus on one task to completion and lessen procrastination.

Like many of us in the technological age, I am a master terrible at multitasking, but I do it anyway. My mind's in a million places at once, which usually causes me to forget things or go off on a tangent and lose my way completely. I often use those sidebars as an excuse to put off boring or tedious tasks in favor of the ones I deem more enjoyable or easier, or sometimes something completely irrelevant! I'd like to throw that habit out and begin working in a more productive manner. I'm not sure how exactly I'll do that yet, since I don't think sheer willpower will be quite enough. I guess I'll have to investigate some strategies, tips, and techniques.  Self-help section, anyone?

September - The last habit I'd like to establish in 2014 is maintaining a clean vehicle, inside and out. Like my home, this is something else that slipped in the last 6-12 months.  Also like my home, I much prefer a clean, ordered vehicle environment to a chaotic one. In the past, keeping the inside neat has not really been an issue, so that's simply a matter of reestablishing an old routine - throwing away trash immediately, taking things inside immediately, etc. I'd like to take it a step farther by adding in things like washing it, wiping down the interior, and vacuuming it at least once a month.

October - You didn't think I was done, did you? The last three months of 2014 will be spent completing tasks I've been putting off, starting with actually trying new recipes from my stacks of cookbooks. I thought October would be a great month to do this, because Mountain Man and I will be newlyweds (!), and there are few things we enjoy more than cooking! On the personal side of things, I am a sucker for books of all kinds, but I have a special weakness for cookbooks, and I have purchased or been given more than my shelves can hold.  Each of them seemed so wonderful at the time, and yet, I know there are some I have never tried a recipe out of. I can't wait to dust them off and discover new favorites with my Mountain Man.

November - I have a good many crochet or sewing projects that I have started and then laid aside for one reason or another.  November will be dedicated to completing cast-off projects once and for all!

Off the top of my head right now, I can think of 2 afghans, a set of dish towels, a set of potholders, a purse, trim for pillowcases, a cross-stitched wall-hanging, a rag rug, and holiday aprons that are in various states of completion just waiting for their time to shine. Some have been gathering dust for many months! Hopefully a few more won't hurt them!

December - This last one is something that's been nagging at me for a long time. I want to compile a list of friends' and family's birthdays and anniversaries. I love receiving cards in the mail for my own special occasions, and so, I love to send cards in the mail for other's special occasions as well as for holidays or no reason at all, even to people who live near me. It's important to me to nurture the relationship you have with someone through those small gestures. The problem is, I have scant knowledge of even my closest friends' special days, and I want to have a written record to use continuously. December seems like the perfect time to get geared up for the next year, so come this Christmas, I'll be bugging you all for your special dates and your addresses!


I'm really looking forward to challenging myself and crossing some things off my to-do list. I hope you'll join me for my Year of Resolutions, and I would love to hear what your goals, plans, or hopes for 2014 are!