Things to come

The Christmas decorations are down. The remainder of the (unopened) festive food has been dispatched to the food bank. I know it's early for all that but some things remain - the fairy lights, candles, pine cones, greenery. Because even though our Christmas (wonderful as it was) is over, I still adore winter and will be celebrating it in the house for a good while yet.

To write a post on each and every hope and dream I have for 2014, all my plans and intentions, would take an age. So instead I'll give you a little idea of what I've been doing thus far.

I took out my favourite notebooks and actually wrote in them. In pen.

I have five on the go (sounds like a lot for someone who aims to make life simpler but bear with me). They are:

1. A diary of all the money I spend and on what. Boring but necessary - and the most likely to fall by the wayside if I'm not careful.

2. Ideas for this blog. Observations, things to photograph, future posts.

3. Food and meals. No, not a food diary. Just nice things to eat, so mealtimes don't get repetitive. Ideally healthy. Ideally.

4. The Book of Nice Things. I've actually been using this one for a while. I note down things (little things) which make me happy, like dipping into a poetry book or baking a cake.

5. Goals and quotes. I spent a while on Pinterest and made a secret board full of inspirational quotes. Way too many to list here but I wrote down my favourites and will continue to do so each time I hear or read something valuable.

Of course, there are the usual New Year's to-dos: a wardrobe clear-out, ditto the fridge, freezer and food cupboards, cleaning the car (HATE that job) and so on.

But here's a little sprinkling of things I'd like to do this year:

Watch less TV (been doing that for a few weeks and I honestly don't miss it)

Stop saving things 'for best' - clothes, notebooks, skincare items, perfume - just use and enjoy them

Make time to draw more

Stop wasting time on things I'm not getting anything from and which feel like more of a chore than a pleasure

Wear my glasses

Finally grow my fringe out

Choose a path and stick to it

Save up, buy quality and appreciate and look after things

Focus on the bigger picture and make small steps towards long-term goals.

And as for the quotes I've been collecting, here are a few that really spoke to me. Implementing them won't be easy but I suppose that's the whole point:

1. Learn to say 'No' without explaining yourself

2. It's not about 'having' time. It's about making time.

3. The moment you feel you have to prove your worth to someone is the moment to absolutely and utterly walk away.

I'm so excited for 2014 - adventures to plan, experiences to be had... and seeing Joe grow more each day. Can't wait to share with you all :)