Well, it’s here. The end of one year. The beginning of another. A time of reflection and assessment and goal-setting. To be honest with you, I don’t have the heart (or the patience) to take stock of my ENTIRE 2016 here on the blog. And I suspect you are secretly thankful. 😉 I will say, however, that I am in a much better place than this time last year — both emotionally and financially. I still have a decent journey ahead of me in personal healing and strengthening; and counseling helps with that. So do the uncomplaining ears of my boyfriend and family. It’s a process, folks. Also, my financial situation is improved with my taking on a full-time job, and with splitting household expenses with my Lauren. (We moved to our current apartment together in May of 2016.) So … baby steps, and being grateful for what I have. It’s all about the perspective, in my opinion. And, life is good.

Life is good. But, damn, life was still crazy busy these last few months. Despite cutting back this craft show season, I still was time-crunched in fulfilling Christmas orders at the last minute. Oh boy. But, I am pleased to announce that all my Pajama Eaters, Santa Pillowcases and Christmas Eve Placemats made it to their destinations on time. Whew! My sewing business didn’t perform as well overall as it had in 2014 … hmmmm. So I will be taking a hard look at things, and possibly making some changes in the upcoming months. Like I said, it’s a process. 😉

The last two weeks in December have been particularly wild for me. There I was — scrambling to finish up my sewing orders, buying and wrapping Christmas gifts for my family, and planning Christmas Eve dinner. But in the meantime, I had my daughter’s Master’s graduation to attend and my son’s birthday to celebrate! Oh, and did I mention that I got sick? TWICE? The first was a severe upper respiratory infection. And more recently (and still here) is a stomach bug of some sort. Apparently, my body was still telling me to slow the heck down. (But, I could do it. I know I could. I just need to plan better for next year.)

But, hey. I had a WONDERFUL Christmas season — with all its varied celebrations. Best of all was that I got to spend time with the ones I love.

As always, I am grateful for the new year as a time for starting fresh. I haven’t yet mapped out specific goals for myself, my family and my business. But I have been thinking about things, and mulling lots of ideas over in my head. Here are three of my favorite blogs which are truly inspirational to me in focusing and planning ahead for an awesome 2017!

• MoneySavingMom Crystal Paine is pretty and soft-spoken, yet she is a powerhouse of a woman when it comes to intentional living, goal-setting, and focus. I feel like I have a personal connection to Crystal (although I do not) because I have been following her since 2008, when she had her little mommy blog, before her days of stardom. I have seen her grow in so many ways, overcome adversities, and accomplish such great things! She is very inspirational and motivational both on a personal and a business level.
• FlyLady Marla Cilley’s website is all about clearing clutter from your home and establishing simple routines to help you keep it clean! I discovered FlyLady several years ago as well, and I have subscribed to her emails, made a control journal, and tweaked her system to suit me and my family. It is time I revisit these concepts for an organized home, and FlyLady is just the person to encourage me. The acronym for FLYing is Finally Loving Yourself (how great is that?), and I also love how Marla is gentle in her consistent approach.
• TaraSwiger Tara is my go-to gal when I need focus and encouragement in running my sewing business. She understands the overwhelm and exhaustion that a creative business can create in a person, and she offers weekly podcasts, paid classes and lessons, and TONS of FREE worksheets for helping with organization, goal-setting, and marketing in your own small business. When I am busting out creations in my sewing room, I am often listening to one of Tara’s podcasts.

I feel blessed and grateful for what I have in my life, and for the opportunities which have come (and will come) my way. And I am looking forward to more blessings in 2017. I hope you were able to relax a little bit with your loved ones, too, over the holidays. And I truly wish you and yours a happy, healthy and grateful 2017! <3