So nice to be at home during the day...

This picture was taken of my living room this weekend- I like how cozy it looks with the fire burning! I had a nice easy Saturday, which inspired me to do some "new year" cleaning & organization. It's always nicer relaxing in a clean house!

Resolutions...

Happy New Year!!

I'm pretty pumped for all that 2014 has to offer- We are hoping to buy a house this year & travel to Europe. We already have a few weddings of close family & friends to look forward to, and I'm sure there will be many more exciting things. Its always nice to reset, reevaluate and set some goals for yourself. 

Here are some of the resolutions I have made for myself for 2014: 
- Give Back: Find some charitable causes that I can donate time & money to this year
- Bike 100 Miles before June 31st : Either on my new bike or a stationary bike (ie Soul Cycle if I could find a way to track mileage...)
- Run a full 5K without stopping
- Finish my Interior Design course: This could be tough since I still have 5 out of 6 units to go, but I plan on scheduling time in advance for me to get these done! 
- Take a Photoshop class and continue to develop my Photography skills 
- Keep updating this blog! 

Here's a pretty good HuffingtonPost article on 'Resolutions for Women on the Run' that I found inspiring: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-pelosi/five-new-years-resolution_b_4525975.html
I really like "4. Get out of your own way: We diminish ourselves far more than our foes do, letting fear of failure or success hamper us. We listen to that little voice inside telling us that our skin or clothing is too loose or too tight; the relatives who cheer our professional advice then ask "when are you getting married?" or the ghosts of boyfriends or girlfriends past reminding us of old failure, and we stunt our own growth with self-sabotage disguised as advice. Let that go." This aligns well with Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In", which I am in the middle of- it's very informative & motivating so far!

The Best Way to Spread Xmas Cheer is to Sing Loud for All to Hear!

I wanted to share a really thoughtful gift that was passed on to me from my mother in law. For the past few years, she has mailed us an Advent Calendar filled with clues. Leading up to Christmas for 25 days, each day we get a clue which correlates to a wrapped gift of the same number. For example, “to keep you warm when days are cold” could refer to a pair of winter gloves or “to serve treats for your guests” could refer to a holiday serving dish.

The advent calendar is such a thoughtful gift & fosters excitement in the sometimes stressful days leading up to the big holiday.

Last year, I did an advent calendar for my sister, which was really nice especially because I wasn’t going to see her until late Christmas day. The hardest part, I thought, wasn’t finding the little gifts but it was a lot of work organizing the clues. She would text me each morning the gift that she got along with her guess of what tomorrow’s gift would be based on the clue, so it was a nice way to stay in touch & totally worth the effort. J Highly recommended for families that are apart for the holiday season (especially college aged kids who will really appreciate every little thing)- what beats 25 gifts that you get to open BEFORE Christmas!?