Simply 14 in 2012

I'm usually not one for New Year's Resolutions. I think that if you want to change something in your life you shouldn't wait for a particular day to do it.  But this resolution just happened to come to pass around New Years- Yay happy accidents!

My resolution is to this blog. it deserves a bit more of my time and effort- if you've noticed after my blog-a-day in October I've relapsed into hardly blogging and when I do it's just quick and small posts. I want this blog not only to track my family's history but be entertaining! I want to share products with my friends, and sell my art on here too. (I know, I've been saying that for what? two years??)

After our move to Big City, I felt like I needed something, something that wasn't a "wife" thing or a "mom" thing. Something that was completely mine to do everyday. I looked into part-time jobs from everything to day-care helper to photographer assistant- even sent a resume to one or two. I thought about taking an online course in art or writing. I meditated and prayed about all the choices, and discussed at length with Jake what I should do. A few days before Christmas (which by the way, DOES have it's own whole post coming up, promise!) I felt that I already had "my thing". This blog! This blog helped us out during that two week stretch-your-dollar time, it's been a way to for me to organize my thoughts, to showcase my art/crafts, to remember cute things Chucky Sue does, to share my life with the world of the internet. So my resolution is to blog more and blog better. I'm also focusing a lot more time on the "shop" part of the blog (yeah, there's been a shop button here the whole time folks!) and just providing higher quality content in general.

So here is what to look for on Simply 14 in 2012:

+well thought out and planned posts- this means less rambling, more concise descriptions of our family and our goings on. I assume the grandmothers are most happy about this.

+ better quality photographs. Yes, I will still post mostly cellphone photos cause dagnabit, that cellphone is far more convenient than Jake's point and shoot. But if I know something photographable is coming up- I will strive to take the point and shoot with us!

+ Jewelry LINE. I know it sounds so fancy to call it a line. I've actually spent quite a bit of time designing this line and can't wait to share it with you! I'm aiming to have the first phase available by the end of March, with a preview in February.

+ More product in the shop in general. I'm using Facebook's application called Payvment. It's great as a seller- but I want to know your thoughts as buyers- check out my store's current stock here.

+More Freebies/Printables, I want to create more just for the sake of creating and sharing it with you guys!

+Guest Posts. I have lots of blogging friends- all of them have interesting things to say and share. ALL of them are far more talented writers than myself, as well as more creative!

I hope all my plans work out- we all know how successful most New Year's Eve resolutions are. Here's to a GREAT 2012!

Holidays Wrap-Up

We spent the holidays doing so much fun stuff! We had a wonderfully relaxed christmas with the family. Chucky-Sue and I spent the night at Grandmas Christmas Eve, we woke up  when Jake got home from his overnight shift and had our first tiny family Christmas. Jake got me a gorgeous charm bracelet and the screenplay from "Noises Off"- one of my favorite play-turned-movie. We got Chucky-Sue some grown up cups and plates, a rain stick and a mirror book. The big family Christmas was spread throughout the day- with the the grandkids getting their hullabaloo early, and Jake's siblings doing it later after their own in-law celebrations were over.

We went up to yet another Big Family Christmas in Maryland for Grandma's side of the family. We had fun showing off Chucky-Sue and her new tricks: Crawling, waving bye bye and laughing at EVERYONE. Then, on the way home, we got some of the GREATEST news we've been waiting so long for: Chloe and Superman had a beautiful baby girl placed with them! We got the call on the road, and I  bounced in my seat with joy the entire ride home. It's been so much fun watching them be new parents and I am so excited that Chucky-Sue will have a cousin very close in age.

Then New Year's Eve came and went, I didn't do anything special as Jake was working overnight again, I cuddled with Chucky-Sue until 8ish, put her down and went to bed early myself. I don't normally do resolutions, if I want to change something in my life, I don't wait until new years to start it. I did start some new things around the new year though. Jake let me drive around an empty parking lot for about 45 minutes.(for several reasons: to prove to him that yes, I have driven before and to prove to myself that no, I won't crash immediately when I get behind the wheel.) and I added new items to my Etsy!





So those were our holidays, lots of fun was had,  love was felt and now we're blasting full strength into 2011!

Obligatory photos to make the wall-o-text worth it:

(I know this one is out of focus, but she was giggling too hard!)