A Happy New Year

I breathed a long, protracted sigh on Tuesday morning (after taking the children back to school for the first time this year) full to the brim with mixed emotions.  We could happily have filled another week together but another week of ignoring the chaos on the home front would not have been so good!!

The new year brings with it new opportunity, fresh thoughts of de-cluttering and home loving which I always relish.  The new year seems to energise my body and mind with a need to create and decorate. After the Christmas decorations came down those empty spaces and marked walls literally seemed to scream please 'pretty me'.

I've never been one for new year resolutions but I do fully embrace the renewal of potential within the weeks ahead.  I'm a real planner and have already written a monthly evening meal plan and a budgeting plan for January.  I've also written lists and am developing plans for the home front.  I am a list maker and love to indulge in ticking off those items - it gives me a sense of achievement and real pleasure.

S i m p l e   T h i n g s   

I've decided that I will share some of those plans here.  It will help me stay committed to my plans and perhaps provide a thread to connect otherwise random posts throughout the year.

My aim is at the beginning of each month to post a commitment, with the aim of achieving those objectives.  I've decided that one of these projects each month will be a home 'Pretty Me' - decor / home loving type of project.  Plus a minimum of one other creative project - a 'Make Me' commitment.  I won't be overly ambitious - as I want to achieve my objectives whilst pacing myself and my health.  But for the remainder of 2015, I will share progress (and hopefully big ticks) on the tasks I've committed to at the beginning of each month.

JANUARY 2015

Pretty Me
Priority #1 - definitely my stairs and landing - a need for paint, new blind and complete 'spruce' is required.  It will be budget constrained as most of my future projects but I'll do my best with minimal financial input.  I'll share a before (which is quite shameful) and after here and it will be my decorating project for January.

Make Me
Priority #1 - to complete the Painted Roses Blanket which I started during December.  I confess I failed to complete it before Christmas but my Mother comes to visit on 23rd January so I have now vowed to finish it for then.  I have all the squares made but I need to join and edge them.  It is looking pretty gorgeous I have to say and I can't wait to show you the finished item.  It has been a real joy to make and if it hadn't been for my rheumatic hands I would not have put it down.  The Ta Dah will come by the end of this month!!

So you saw it here and I must therefore make it happen!!  I hope you will follow along with my little Pretty Me ~ Make Me ventures.  I do so love to see what you lovely people get up to and hope that you will enjoy me sharing my newly non procrastinating self!!

Thank you all for reading and commenting over the past year.  It has been a great year for developing blogging friendships and I know 2015 won't disappoint either if you lovely lot share along with me. And welcome to new readers - it would be lovely if you would share in these ventures too!!