Ready For a New Year

2013 was quite the year for me. It was long, exhausting, and full of life changes. But through the hardships I learned so much and feel like such a better person.

Life lessons learned...

Take time for yourself.
While I'm notorious for being very stubborn and set in my ways, I very rarely take time for myself. I'm a people pleaser, and not having someone to take care of at home anymore completely submerged me in my work. I spent every moment of every day working on things for my classroom and for teachers at my school. I didn't take the time to focus on me at all and I ended up being overloaded. Lesson learned. I rarely bring my work home with me anymore on the weekends and I take the time to spend with others when I can.

Cherish every moment, even those that seem small.
I'm sure my Facebook friends and Instagram followers are going crazy with all of my picture posts over the last few months. Ha! Life is so beautiful and has so many moments that I want to capture. Even if it's a simple note from a student or a gorgeous sunset. I want to cherish those things that make me smile each day and remind me how wonderful life is.

Be myself, 100%, because that's where true happiness lies.
Getting back in the dating scene after being in a 9 year relationship that started when I was 16 was difficult. I had no idea what I was doing. One thing I did learn, early on, in the dating process is to just completely be myself. I knew that I didn't want to find someone to spend time with that I would have to "act" around. If I can just be me all of the time around someone, then I'll be happy. I held a "take it or leave it" attitude, which can go either way, but it definitely weeded out those who weren't meant for me.

Make memories with loved ones as often as possible.
I don't hold grudges. Life is too short to do so. We lost a close family member a few years ago that made my family change their view on life. It's unfortunate that I live so far away and don't get to see them as often as I'd like, but it makes those moments together that much more special. I choose to live in Utah while they reside in Pennsylvania because it's what makes me happy. I know I wouldn't be happy living on the East coast again. Luckily I have a loving family that supports me and travels to see me, and encourages me to travel to come see them. I traveled to Pennsylvania for a month in July this year to spend time with my family and went to Florida for a week on vacation with my dad and step-mom. I had an amazing time on both trips and completely focused on our time together - no working. In 2014, I look forward to visiting Pennsylvania again this summer, going to Las Vegas for my dad's 50th birthday in September, going to Florida for Christmas, and having my mom come visit in June.

Don't be afraid to ask for and accept help.
I'm still struggling with this one, but I'm trying. I like to do everything myself. I know it will be exactly how I want it if I do. I have a hard time trusting others, which I'm working on. I'm letting others help me at work. I'm trying to let my boyfriend help me with things, but I'm so independent that it's hard to let go. I'll get there. This is one of my main focuses for 2014.

It's okay to say "no".
Again, being a people pleaser, this is hard for me. I have requests all of the time to create new printables, calendars, planners, etc. I am flattered by the requests, but I work a full-time job and I'm trying to pull my life back together. I'm trying not to sit in front of the computer all night, as soon as I get home, like I used to. If I were doing this Etsy business full-time, I'd be all about it. I love what I do, what I create. But at this point, I don't have time for custom documents. I hope that someday {hopefully in 2014} I can dedicate more time to my printables, and create a lot more to share for free. I want to get back to blogging before I expand my printables though. That's my first focus.

2014 is going to be a great year. I know it.

 

My Favorite Things: Target Cartwheel App

{This post is not sponsored.}

I love Target - everything about it. But my new favorite thing about it is the Cartwheel app. While I shop I scan the things I put in my cart to see if there's a coupon available for a % off. If there is, the coupon pops up and I add it to my cartwheel. Then when I checkout, I have the cashier scan my phone for instant savings. No coupons to clip. No planning ahead needed.

I've only been using the app for the last two months and I've already saved $43.48! Right now there are 721 different savings that you can use, including groceries, home goods, toys, clothes, and more.

On a side note: I feel so much better now that I've shared this. I get so excited every time I use it and think, "I need to share this with my readers". :)

Getting Organized with a Command Center

I'm working on setting up new organizational "systems" for myself. My latest project was creating a command center. I opted to use the Martha Stewart wall manager system, available at Staples. {Note: I have not been asked to write this by any companies.}

I opted for 4 boards - a whiteboard, a cork board, and two accessory boards. The accessories I chose - two shelves, shelf boxes, drawers, inbox, small caddy, tall caddy, two clips, and two hooks. I also grabbed a pack of file folders and a dry erase marker set.

I love the ease of putting it all together. The boards unsnap from backside that attaches to the wall. The backside has a built in level and repositioning putty, making it so easy position exactly where I wanted it all.

Conquering the Walk-In Closet

I am absolutely in.love. with my new apartment. It's absolutely perfect for me and it's only 5 minutes from my school.

The coolest thing about starting over is that I was able to completely design/decorate/organize everything my way 100%.

I have a walk-in closet in my bedroom. It's fabulous for getting ready in the morning, but so spacious that it became a "catch-all" for things that I didn't feel like putting away. It ended up becoming more of a pain to work around than anything, leading to the perfect post...closet organization!

It took me two hours to fully clean everything out, sorting into piles.

chevron shoe organizer from Kohl's

jewelry tree from Gordman's; owl bank from JCPenney

I had so much stuff in my closet that I completely forgot I possessed. Those things were purged.

The chevron shoe organizer is something I bought from Kohl's. I keep things in the pockets like Command strips/hooks, batteries, pens/pencils/markers, etc.

Hopefully I inspired you to clean a closet, too! :)

2014 Calendars Are Here!

I have created some new calendars for 2014!

As usual, I have a free version, as well as some for sale in my Etsy store.

Get the free 2014 black & white chevron calendar, here!

cursive chevron calendars

vertical & horizontal chevron calendars

vertical & horizontal polka dot calendars