Happy New Year!

I hope that you all had an amazing start to the new year! I sure did... I made 1 postcard, 1 birthday card and wrote a little more of a letter I started on Tuesday. Whilst I was doing that the fireworks started, actually they started at about 8pm but its really quite something when everyone does it at the same time. It sounded like popcorn popping! Bonfire Night just isn't the same as people let fireworks off a month in advance and by that point you're just sick of them, they can last right up until the early hours of the morning.

 

I don't really usually keep new years resolutions, I just hope for a healthy year and for the last 5 a house (the first 2 years we didn't really look as my husband was in and out of work so we wanted him to have a more concrete job)...  of course this year I have the same hopes but as Yoshi sent me this list I decided to fill it in...

I've written simple things that I will be able to maintain rather then just writing things that can easily be forgotten.

 

Last year was supposed to be a positive year, I started keeping a happy jar but with the jar being upstairs and me downstairs it soon became difficult to maintain. I'd sit down at weekends trying to think up nice things but I couldn't remember which days they happened etc... that I decided it wasn't going to work. Towards the end of the year I started looking for a diary but I couldn't at all find what I wanted, it went on and on that eventually I found one on eBay that I think is what I am wanting. I now have to be optimistic that it will arrive tomorrow because I don't want to have a big chunk missing at the beginning of the year. Its just unfortunate I didn't come across it earlier and that its coming all the way from Australia...

I've no idea which cover I will receive as its sellers choice but I am quite excited about it. I hope to write all the incoming and outgoing mail, a happy moment, thought or quote each day. I really only wanted a monthly calendar one which is why I couldn't find what I wanted but when I did come across one the sections just looked too small for my writing. This diary also doesn't have the days and months by the looks of things so even if it doesn't come tomorrow its not such a bad thing as I can carry it on into next year, its just that I'd prefer to start it sooner.

 

Health wise I'm doing a lot better but its just a few niggling bits that I feel I know what is causing them and I need to start on another cleansing diet which I'll do once I go back to work on Monday. Its just easier when I work as I eat much better then. Once that's done I'm hoping to have more energy and with the days now getting lighter to try and fit in a 20 minute walk at least everyday as I've found in 2013 I did a lot of sitting on the couch once I came home from work just staring into space and not even really reading anything which is why I put that I'd like to complete a book a week.

 

The last one I need to remind myself of, being content with what I have. I want to do more, be happy, healthy etc... and at times it all squashes together in my mind. Then there comes a point where I have to remind myself that their are people/children worse off then me due to wars, illnesses and poverty. My problems are only small ones compared to theirs.

 

I hope that you all have a wonderful 2014 what every you decide to do.

I want to carry on being Festive!

You may remember that I'm challenging myself with a mini letter exchange with Got that swing. Its turned out to be really fun thinking up ideas of how to decorate each postcard and envelope to a list of loves that she sent me but the hardest thing for both of us is keeping to a small space as we are both super long letter writers. We came to the conclusion in the end that we should stick to a theme of what to write on the back of each postcard so that it is just a quick burst of us... all good things come in small packages so they say!

 

For my second postcard I decided to stick to a festive theme and use the stickers she sent me in her first mini letter. I often think its nice to see what people come up with using what you send them even though my friends just need to check out my blogs to see that....

 

I like how they turned out but the problem with taking photos at this time of year is that they end up so grainy.

Not part of our mini letter but a real spoiler I got this...

Its funny as I'd bought the pack of KitKats to post to her the day before I received this, only I got home and showed them to my younger brother who told me that there is an Oreo flavour too but its not suitable for Vegetarians so I decided when I go to the supermarket next I will see if they sell it. The only problem is that I went to the supermarket on Wednesday and it turned out I'd left my purse at home... my husband was on his way home so I phoned him to make a detour to the supermarket instead and completely forgot to check. I went again yesterday as I forgot a few other items, instead I bought things I hadn't intended to due to special offers and forgot what I actually needed. So as you've probably worked out my mind never gave me that nudge to check out the chocolate aisle. I will definately go today just for them but I'll probably end up buying some for myself too...

 

Anyway isn't that postcard great, its definately festive and so retro... it reminds me of a 70s rave night even though I was born in the 80s and have never been to a rave but one can get those imagination wheels working.

 

I've eaten some of the sweets but you'll be glad to know I still have some left. The fudge so reminds me of the Asian mithai Barfi.

 

Have you had great mail days too? as usually January is quiet for some people but for me its usually when I get my mail as friends write to me over the holiday season.

Happy New Year 2013

I wish you all an adventurous, happy, interesting, wish filled and healthy 2013! I hope it turns out the way you want it to!

 

I never keep new years resolutions, I always have hopes and dreams of things that I'd like to happen within that year but this year I'm just going to let it pan out however it does anyway.

 

This year though I will try to do pretty much the same in

• writing letters, I want to get a much better balance as I'd really love to take some new friends on this year as I miss that side of things so much. I'd love some in un-usual places, different cultures etc... but in reality it doesn't matter as long as I get a long with the person.
• continuing crafting and creating projects. I have so many ideas its finding the time to do it. I especially want make my day to be majority handmade as I've ended up filling a lot of the gaps with supplies. Its one of the reasons I decided to end the year with supplies as it will hopefully mean it will give me something else to focus on.
• read as much as possible
• blog as often as possible but also to try and comment on all the blogs I follow which isn't many. I've ended up towards the end of this year just completely stopping almost as I can't balance everything.

These are things I hope to do a little differently but its not a resolution as such...

• watch more what I eat, I hardly eat junk food anymore, as a child we were allowed to buy what we could with our pocket money plus have one of whatever was at home. I always was the one to suffer so over the years I've cut back but I need to add in more healthier options. Especially with this vitamin d deficiency I could have been eating the right food earlier. Its something I've always said but I end up a lazy cook in having whatever I'm giving everyone else.
• I saw an image on Instagram where someone suggested keeping a jar and writing all the happy things that happen on a slip of paper and putting it in there. At the end of the year take all of those out and read them. I will do this as by the end of the year I always feel like I've accomplished nothing but I think its because I'm so focused on those bigger things like wanting a house, to study, a new job but as I mentioned earlier I aren't even going to really think about it... of course I'll search for a house but now if it happens it happens I'm not thinking by this month I want to... as it hasn't worked. People hardly want to sell houses anymore, the same ones have been up for years so its like I've seen it all before. So at the end of the year I'll list all those things on my blog.
• to try and exercise a bit more, I love to walk but hardly do it

There were some other things but I can't think of them right now... Do you have any plans for this year?