New Year Resolutions...

My sweet friend, Brandi from A Peach for the Teach, has created this cute link up for the New Year! YAY!

Do you make any resolutions at the start of the year?   I like to call them goals because somehow resolutions (in my life anyway) become forgotten about after about the first week or two. :)  I see a lot of people writing about how they are going to change their diet, lose weight, buy a house, or car, etc.  Those are pretty big goals.  I like to start out with smaller goals and work up to bigger goals.  Why?  I think if I start out with really big goals I set myself up for discouragement.   

I have a specific milestone that I am working toward for my store.  It involves taking a trip to a magical land where mouse ears are a requirement! :)   I have a media packet from this amusement park/cruise on my "thinking wall."   I look at it often, and I keep working toward that goal.  Chugga chugga choo choo! :)  I think I can, I know I can!   It just takes time and hard work!

One of my resolutions for this coming year is to find a good, HONEST guy that accepts me for who I am. I know that might seem like an easy thing, but it really isn't.  I haven't really been LOOKING either.  I have put this one in God's hands.  If it's meant to be it will be. :)

Professionally, I've been pretty blessed.  I think everybody wants to make a little more money, have a little more work to do.   I am the kind of person that needs the challenge of doing something more or different.  I'm developing a secondary product line which will definitely boost my creativity, but will keep fresh ideas churning. :)

A big part of my goal for this next year is to continue to give back.  I like to support Donor's Choose, as well as the Gary Sinise Foundation.  Both are great organizations.  Donor's Choose, if you aren't familiar with it, helps fund projects for equipment/resources for teachers. The Gary Sinise Foudation raises money to provide much needed services to wounded soldiers, EMT/Fire/Police.  I began contributing to this organization a year ago after reading about a smart home that they build for a solider that lost 3 of his limbs in combat.  I hope that more people will find ways in their own community to give back.  It doesn't have to cost money at all.  Helping a fellow teacher prep for their class, or giving a new teacher a resource that you no longer need... or even helping an older person carry their groceries to their car.  Something as simple as a SMILE can make the difference in somebody else's life.

Blog - Yea,  this tends to be my problem child. :)   I don't write on here as often as I would like to.  I try to write when I have something to say with meaning. I'm not a real fan of filling pages just to fill pages. :)  But that could change. HAHA! :)   Seriously,  I will be adding more content soon - but for now it's a little bit of a secret.

I will be hitting a couple big milestones very soon on TPT.  I am excited about it.  I definitely will be throwing a PARTY of some sort when I do.  Even if I have to be a party of 1. LOL    I've worked very hard to get here, and that's worth celebrating!!!  Of course, there's always a reason to have cupcakes and glitter!  Just ask Kathy and Susan from The Fun Factory. :)  I'm still getting glitter out of my carpet!

Lastly,  I'd like to take a vacation this year.  I will.  I have not gone anywhere or done anything for 12 years.  Yes, that is right.  I have not had a vacation in a loooooooooong time.  In part because I live on a farm and you can't just pack up and leave when you have responsibilities.   For the last few years,  I'd been healing from an accident.  I had trouble walking, sitting, standing, riding in vehicles, lifting  and was in a lot of pain while my pelvis and back healed. I didn't let it get me down, but it's hard to think about having fun on vacation when you're in pain.  The good news is that this year I turned a corner and am doing pretty well.  A lot less pain, and I can stand, sit, walk a lot more without having trouble.  So it's time to take a vacation.  

I hope that you've enjoyed this link up.  If you'd like to write your own resolutions, and link up, click on the graphic above and visit Brandi's page. If you don't know her yet, you'll want to. She's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet!  Maybe she'll tell you how much her brother looks like Ryan Reynolds!  True story! :)

If you made it this far,  thank you for stopping by!   I LOVE hearing from my friends and followers. I'd love to hear what you may be doing for the New Year in your classroom!!!

P.S.  Here is a little freebie... this was included in the 2013 Winter Ebook on TPT!  

Click the Cover to Download