It's a New Year... Now What?

Is it just me, or does the "new year" bring some sort of requisite "life revamping" with it? When the bustle of the holiday season (somewhat) fades, and the Christmas baubles are packed back into their snug boxes for another year... that is the time that I sit back and look at the empty space and go, "hmmmm... I think I want to do something different here!"

I've always loved soft, grassy greens, but lately I've found myself
being drawn to the soft, rejuvenating blues of the sea and sky.

Source: bhg.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

At the beginning of January, I chose "FOCUS" for my "word of the year. Hey, if multi-tasking was an Olympic event, we moms would ALL have gold medals, right? But lately I've been realizing that sometimes multi-tasking robs my attention from the really important things-- like my three precious littles who are growing up so fast. Just because I can blog, talk on the phone, fold laundry, and keep three kids from killing themselves at the same time, doesn't mean it's the best idea! Yes, I still find myself checking the email on my smartphone while folding laundry, but when one of my kids needs my attention, I need to give it to them fully. And I need to take certain times of the day to just be with them-- look them in the eye, smile, and play with them! (The same goes for my husband, too!)

Source: spirituallythinking.blogspot.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

Which led me to my next "word of the year": SIMPLIFY. I actually confess that I have done NOTHING yet for after-Christmas decorating. Decorating blasphemy, I know. But, for the first time in my life, I'm actually enjoying some empty space-- some room to breathe. In the past, my decorating philosophy has been "something beautiful to look at in every view". But now, I'm beginning to believe that even the most beautiful things need some breathing space around them to let them shine!

And so I sit, and do nothing (decorating-wise, that is). Well, not NOTHING. I'm actually embarking on a purge-fest-- getting rid of anything and everything that isn't absolutely necessary. Okay, maybe not quite that radical, but I am trying to take to heart the William Morris quote:

Source: contentinacottage.blogspot.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

(The same goes for life in general, as well-- doing nothing that does not improve or bring beauty to my life!) And so my "word of the year" has actually become two: FOCUS, and SIMPLIFY. Resisting the urge to constantly multi-task, and paying attention to the job/person at hand-- and reducing distractions in my home and life.

Hence the reason that I haven't been around here as much lately-- I've come to accept that this blog, as exciting as it is, must take a "back seat" to my children, home, and our church ministries. :) As much as I'd love to have hundreds of followers here on "A Heartful Home"-- and maybe even bring in some sort of income-- I just don't have the time to write 3-4 posts a week, juggle sponsors, or host a link party (*sigh*)-- at least not and still have meals cooked, dishes washed, lessons taught, and clean clothes for my family. :) (I'm not saying that if you do any of these things, you're neglecting your family-- just that, at this stage in my life, I haven't mastered that yet!) ;) I won't be stopping, but I will be keeping it in it's place as a hobby, and I'll be content with posting 1-2 times a week-- rather than taking time away from something more important, or beating myself up for not posting "enough."

"Focus and simplify"-- that's what my New Year is about! :)

What are your "resolutions" or "words" for the New Year? Any major life epiphanies going on? Or just minor goal adjustments? I want to hear them!

P.S. Another reason for my mid-winter decorating stalemate is that I'm still trying to figure out my decorating style... but that's another post in and of itself :)

The Christmas Cards That Weren't

I had very high hopes for our Christmas cards this year. I've never gone the professionally printed route (mostly because I'm too cheap... LOL), so each year I spend hours designing the "perfect" Christmas card to remind all of our far-flung relatives what our family looks like ;) This year was no exception-- I laboriously selected the photos, created a layout, and tweaked it over and over again until I was happy (I always have a hard time being "satisfied" with my own work, but this one I actually liked!)

But then, the unthinkable happened. When I hit "print," our printer gave a cough, shuddered, and collapsed. (Well, okay, maybe it wasn't that dramatic. More like, I pressed "print", walked away (fully expecting it to do its job like always), and returned 5 minutes later to find a stack of photos with hideous white streaks across them!) One way or the other, after much research, troubleshooting, and weeping, our printer was declared deceased-- and the soonest we could afford to replace it was AFTER Christmas. :(

This meant that December 25th came and went with nary a Christmas card in the mail. This in itself is, unfortunately, not a new thing for me-- I am known to deem it acceptable as long as the cards are in the mailbox by December 31st! But when the calendar changed to 2013, and my Christmas cards were still giving me the stink eye from my computer, I gave up and went to Plan B-- New Year's cards!

Granted, these are not nearly as fancy-- I literally threw them together (on Microsoft Publisher) in less than 15 minutes! But the best news is, with a blank inside, they double as "thank you" cards for all of the gifts and cards we have received! I think I may have just started a new tradition!!!

So here's my big holiday tip to you: if you want to cut extra stress before Christmas, skip the "Christmas cards"-- just mail a New Year's thank-you card that contains the annual family picture/relative-reminder as well! Hooray!!!

So what is your holiday card M.O.? Do you design your own Christmas card, or do you fork out the money and let someone else handle it for you? Do you adhere to the traditional schedule of pre-Christmas card mailing, or do you (accidentally or on purpose) choose to wait until a different time to send your annual letters?

2012: In My Rear-View Mirror

Wow, where did this past year go?!? I've heard people say that time flies faster as you get older, but I sure hope that's not true, because 2012 went by so fast it made my head spin! So I guess I'll join the "Year-In-Review" club, and refresh your (and my) memory about what went on here at "A Heartful Home" last year!

May 2012:

I started this blog! ;) My very first post was, Home Is Where My <3 Is. My personal favorite post of the month was my first furniture makeover: My "Chair" Lady! My most popular post of the month, however, was my 99¢ Goodwill chandelier-- it has received 893 pageviews so far, and is currently the third most-viewed post on my entire blog! I guess people like crazy-good thrifty finds! ;)

June 2012:

June kicked off a summer of nautical inspiration: from my nautical thrifting finds,
to my nautical bookshelf, and my neutral nautical "mantel"!

June was the month of super rummage sale-ing, and I scored BIG, both in thrifty finds AND in pageviews! My two most popular posts of all time were Thrifty Treasures Monday: What A Haul! (when I found a console table for $5 and five dining rooms chairs for $20), and the reveal of the Chalk Paint Console Table makeover (with homemade chalk paint!)-- both have received over 1,000 hits!

July 2012:

My favorite post in July (and quite possibly my favorite furniture makeover EVER) was the neutral Union Jack/Jacques side table! The most popular posts of July, according to pageviews, were my DIY Seashell Topiary, as well as more thrifty treasures- Ironstone and Old Gates!

August 2012:

August also featured this wicker basket-chair makeover, and my first pillow-making attempt!

August was another month with several popular posts! I showed you how I freshened up my kitchen by changing out the accessories above the cabinets, and confessed to some serious Target envy (& acquired my first ceramic owl!) I also did my first "blog-techie" tutorial, on "How To Truncate Your Blog Posts".

September 2012:

September was another successful thrifting month-- I hit the Junker's Jackpot (aqua Mason jars, old windows, and RH-look-alike pendant lamps, oh my!), plus I found a giant original canvas painting for $5 and a real vintage "Farmer's Market" sign!

October 2012:

I shared my neutral autumn bookshelf, plus a FREE printable fall sign!

October was a month of makeovers-- I turned a humongous green vase into a Pottery-Barn style lamp, spray-painted a pair of ceramic owls (to replace my poor Target owl, who suffered a tragic fate), and rescued my under-sink kitchen cabinet. But the month's most popular post was my first (and only) "recipe" post, for "Cream of Anything" soup mix! (It is also my most-pinned post!)

November 2012:

Call the tabloids! In November, I got a facelift and confessed to a love affair-- though it didn't seem to bother my husband, thankfully! LOL ;) I also shared some pictures of the world's cutest kiddos (though Guinness hasn't ruled on that one yet)

December 2012:

I never did formally "reveal" my blue-and-green Christmas tree (oops...),
but you did get a good glimpse of it in my post on decorating with camouflage!

In December, I didn't blog as much as I wanted to... but I did manage to share an easy DIY Christmas tree garland (that also happened to be FREE)! I also posted a round-up of 10 Christmas Gift Ideas under $10! (Go ahead and pin it for next year-- because if 2013 goes by as fast as 2012 did, you'll need it sooner than you could ever think!)

So there you are-- 2012 in review! (Of course, that's just a basic overview-- check out my Project Gallery for an exhaustive list! Trust me, I'm exhausted just reading back over everything!)

Thanks SOOOO much to all of my awesome followers! Whether you follow through GFC, Linky, or Facebook, you make me so happy! And I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for A Heartful Home! One of my goals is to start a link-up party (woohoo!) I also plan on doing more room reveals-- even if the room isn't quite "perfect" (in my eyes) ;) (Will it ever be?)

Sooooo... what kind of posts would you like to see in 2013? 
Do you salivate over garage sale/thrift store finds? 
Are you more of a craft person? 
Or do you prefer the big picture of room reveals? 
Maybe you'd like to see more "personal"- type posts? 
And why, do people say "a penny for your thoughts", but you put in your "two cents worth"-- isn't that a ripoff???

Either way, happy 2013, folks!!! :D