Happy New Year!
Hope 2025 is treating everyone well so far and you have had success hitting your resolutions or goals for the new year.
I admit I was motivated. I had goals ready to go before 2025 began. But, the beginning of the new year was a bit slow for me. With the rush of the holiday season, those first few days my energy and drive was down. The house had slowly recovered from the aftermath of the holidays, there wasn’t as many toys still in the living room and the dining room table was no longer covered in Legos.
It just felt like I needed a recharge. I needed to just stop before I prepared to take the first few steps towards the 2025 goals.
I took the boys to see a movie on New Year’s Day. Then, we prepared for the next day for when the boys had a playdate and while I was on break from work I would be showing my best friend’s nine-year-old daughter, Vi, how to scrapbook. If you missed a previous column, my friend’s daughter expressed she wanted to scrapbook.
I was pretty much ready for Vi to learn – I had paper of all sizes, tools, stickers and adhesive. When she was ready, I asked her to pick out a few photos from the pile her mom had brought, and we headed into the home office to pick out paper. She picked out birthday and Christmas photos so I showed her the paper I had in those themed totes. She picked out what she wanted. Then, we went to the dining room table and went work.
I showed her different things I had done with my layouts. I also showed her how to do things I don’t normally do. I told her she could really do anything. It’s her album, it’s her memories.
She did a great job and left with five pages done in her album.
I had an extra rolling tote and tools to send home with her. I also put a call out on the local scrapbook group in our community for anything for girls. What can I say – I have a lot of blue and green colors as well as Lego paper. Many helped out. One of the scrapbookers and her daughter went through the donation box and put together a nice package for Vi and she really appreciated it.
With the new year comes new goals or just bigger goals. One of my top goals falls within scrapbooking.
Scrapbooking goals have stayed the same the last few years. Last year, I made a good dent in Oliver’s first year album and the boys albums for Florida 2022.
The focus will continue to be on working on those albums and finishing them. Looking at Oliver’s first year checklist there is just a lot. I took a lot of photos. I thought after the first child there was less photos, but Oliver just had, and still has, so many facial expressions as a baby.
I participate in a challenge called Back to Basics on one of the Facebook scrapbooking groups. Usually my goal is 10-15 layouts/pages per quarter for a total of 50 per year. I am stepping it up to 25 layouts/pages per quarter for a total of 100 pages.
Step one is already done – I am signed up for a March scrapbook crop. I will sign up for the November scrapbook crop, also held by the same person. Ideally I would like to sign up for more, but two is a good start.
Step two, lies within getting the home office ready as it’s still in the post-holiday clean up. I almost have my desk ready in which you can see the desk and there is space.
Getting the home office ready will also help with the other goal for the year and that’s writing. Yes, writing when not writing for work. The goal is to just take 2-3 hours once a week to write. The goal is starting out small. Really it comes down to just sitting down and focusing. Turning off the cell phone and turning on the MP3 player.
I have the motivation. I have my writing sweatshirt. I have a writing mug which says write the book, seriously write the book.
Also, just keep clearing the to-do list. This week’s small goals are shelves for boys’ room and continue to go through toys that were moved from the sunroom to the basement. It just needs some organization. I’m already mentally doing it in my head.
As for the rest, will take it one day and one week at a time. Do what I can, when I can. Read when I can.