2017 Highlights & Goals for 2018
Wow! What a year!
I think I might say this every year, but 2017 whipped by in the blink of an eye. I really wish I had some kind of brake to slow down life. How about you?
This is probably my most personal post of the year. The one where I reflect upon the year behind us, and look ahead to the future to share what my plans and goals are for the year ahead.
We started January off with a bang and focused on getting our entire house organized with my 10 week organizing challenge. It was probably the best series I’ve ever undertaken and, not only was it hugely popular with readers, but it made such a huge difference in our lives. We made many little tweaks and changes to our organizational systems; purged a ton; and got many parts of our home an lives organized that had previously been a bit of a mess. If you haven’t checked it out yet, then I encourage you to! I shared all the details about it here.
{Guess what? Later this week I’ll be sharing a two week organizational tweak, for those of you who followed the challenge previously and who have some good systems in place but need a little bit of, well, tweaking!}
The 10 week organizing challenge led me right up until Spring Break, during which we enjoyed a couple of weeks off including 9 days in Mexico with our family and friends. I always love having the chance to get away as a family and spend some concentrated time together just having fun, playing, and enjoying life.
Enjoying life on the beach in Nuevo Vallarta
My youngest and his new found finds in Puerto Vallarta
I also headed to Great Wolf Lodge in Washington state with my good friend and our kids. Somewhat less relaxing then spending time on the beach in Mexico, but definitely a blast and my boys loved it! When we arrived home, I had a new project to focus on; one that I’ve kept under wraps for most of the year…
I had been approached by an editor from Ten Speed Press (a division of Random House publishing) early in the year about the possibility of writing a craft tutorial book for them. After much back and forth and working out of details, I began the actual process of crafting and writing the book during April of this year. It took a lot of my time and focus during April, May, and June and I had it mainly completed by the start of the summer. I can’t wait to share it with you when it launches this coming spring!! Here is a little sneak peak at the cover…
After working on the book along with tackling our major outdoor projects this spring, we were thrilled to have the chance to take a weekend away and watch out beloved Blue Jays down in Seattle. We went with some good friends and it was a blast! It’s amazing how many Canadians head down to take in these games… and it was fun to have the chance to explore the city of Seattle, as well.
My oldest son and I cheering on the Jays
After a very busy spring, we took things fairly easy in the summer and focused on having some fun and some downtime with our boys. I also helped my friends plan their budget-friendly farmhouse kitchen makeover, and I’ll be sharing that makeover with you during the weeks ahead!
When September arrived I was feeling more relaxed and ready for fall and for a big change in my teaching career. For the past five years I’ve taught Kindergarten (after previously having taught grades 2 through 7 as well as learning assistance) and it was time for a change. I spent a few of my summer weeks preparing for this change and setting up my new classroom: a Grade 4/5 class! As much as I loved my sweet little Kindies, this has been a very welcome change and I am really enjoying teaching the older kids.
During the fall we didn’t undertake any major renovations or projects but focused mainly on fall and holiday related projects and posts. My husband tore his achilles tendon in September which threw a bit of a wrench into our lives, so we tried to simplify things for a while. To take more time to enjoy our time off together as a family…
Focusing on simple holiday projects was a lot of fun and I have to say that our Christmas decor this year might be my favourite ever. It’s still a bit “wintery” around here as I’ve kept up some of the less-Christmas more-winter themed parts of our decor; I hope to share a post with you about that later in the week.
I also had the chance to help a friend with her winter wedding decor this December, and after months of planning their day went off without a hitch. It was so beautiful! I can’t wait to share a few of those details soon, as well.
And perhaps my absolute highlight of the year was a special family holiday that we took during December, along with some good family friends. It was a “big” birthday for me while there, and I have to say it was the perfect way to celebrate this huge milestone in my life!
Celebrating the BIG day in Maui
And, now…. it’s 2018!!
Are you one to set goals and make all kinds of resolutions each January?
As much as I know there is quite a high resolution “failure” rate, I can’t help but welcome the new year for a chance at a fresh start. I’ve got some areas that I’m hoping to focus on, improve, and grow during the year ahead. But regardless of your opinion about “resolutions”, I think it’s always a good idea to take the time a few times a year to try to refocus on what you want; what you are working towards; and where you hope to end up!
So this year…. duh duh duh
The changes have already begun!
Over the holiday my boys decided that they were ready to have their own bedrooms once again so we’ve been playing musical rooms moving everything around over the past week. My oldest remains in their (previously) shared bedroom while my youngest has claimed his own space in my former craft-room. Which meant my entire craft room (and the ridiculously extensive contents of said-craft room) have been moved to one of the spare basement bedrooms.
All in all, we are excited about the change. I love the lake view from my new craft room, even if it is less conveniently located… and my youngest is absolutely over-the-moon to have his own space. Tidying it up and making his own bed without argument kind of thrilled!
So this year, in our house, our PLANS are to:
- Setup and decorate both boys’ bedrooms to suit their own needs and interests (including closet systems)
- Organize, setup the new craft room and incorporate my decor closet storage
- Do some purging and organizational tweaking to get our previous systems back in shape
- Give the garage a huge organizational makeover (adding a garage “mud room” area!)
- Finish the siding on the exterior of the house (our carpenter is working on this job)
- Source and install a new garage door and new front door
- Finish the exterior landscaping (yay for Spring!)
- Add an outdoor sleeping “shed” for summer nights (and winter storage)
- Renovate our master bathroom by re-doing the shower and possibly replacing the vanity
- Catch up on organizing family photo albums and the boys’ scrapbooks
That seems like a lot, doesn’t it? But spread out slowly over the course of the year ahead, I think it’s a pretty manageable and realistic list.
In our personal lives, my husband and I have set a couple of health focused GOALS for the year…
- Clean up our diets! I’ve joined Weight Watchers online, and really love the new Freestyle program. WW has worked well for me in the past, and I think the new focus on zero points for healthy fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and then using moderation in other things will work well for me. I’m planning to share more with you about that journey as well, coming up, in addition to some meal and recipe ideas!
- Increase our fitness and activity level! Hubs is still recovering from his achilles tear this past September but he can do some moderate exercise on an exercise bike. I’ve linked up with some friends and we are planning to train for a 10km run that happens at the end of April. I’m also hoping to take on some weight training (I started in the fall and then discontinued due to a shoulder injury), as well as carve out some time to attend some weekly yoga classes.
How was 2017 for you?
Where do you want to “go” with life in 2018?
It can be really cathartic to take the time to reflect on the past year and set goals for the year ahead. I’d love to hear what you are planning to tackle during 2018! What plans do you have for your home? For your life? Leave me a comment below!
I hope all is great in 2018 for you and yours
You as well Jo-Anne! Have a fantastic 2018!