New Year, New Look

As you may notice, I spent the first day of 2013 updating the blog. A new header, some rearranging and a couple of behind the scenes improvements. Just as it feels good to clean the house after the holidays, it felt good to tidy up the blog too. I’m sure I’ll still make some little tweaks here and there, but for the most part I’m really pleased with it.

Working on this was actually my first resolution for the new year, and my inspiration all started with some of my new Christmas gifts…

The first thing I did was whip up a batch of cookies. Of course. (Please note the flour EVERYWHERE. I’m still getting used to it.)

Then I noticed that the lovely plate and colour whisk that my sister gave me from Anthropologie went great with my bowls from my birthday. Add some of the cookies, do a little arranging on the table, and suddenly you have the makings of a new blog header!

Unlike other years where I’ve set resolutions that were big daunting goals, this year I decided to break it up into smaller, more manageable tasks. Some of them are only temporary, a few are long term, and I intend to add onto it as the year goes on. More like a Year Long To-Do List!

Update the Blog Design & Header (January) – DONE!

Backing Up EVERYTHING (Every Week)
I’ve been pretty lucky to have very few incidents where I’ve lost documents and files on my computers, but I know how unpredictable these things can be, and I want to be prepared.

Starting this week, I am backing up EVERYTHING every Friday. That doesn’t just mean all our computers and smart phones, but also the blog too. I can’t imagine how awful it would be to lose all my posts. It would be like my entire journal….gone! For a great link on how to backup your blog, check out the Blog Guidebook. I’ve set a reminder in my calendar to make sure I keep up with it.

I am also in the process of making backup hard copies of all our important documents too – drivers licenses, insurance policies, bank accounts, passports, birth certificates, car ownership, Whiskey’s papers, etc. We’ll be keeping these in a safe place outside of our apartment so that if anything happens, either we or our families can access the information.

Plank Challenge (January)
It has been 3 1/2 months since I had my car accident, but I am shocked by how long it is taking to heal my whiplash. My back has improved, but my core strength is still really low. I used to do pilates, yoga and strength training before the accident and I want to get back into it.

Source

To improve this, I am adapting a core strengthening routine from Carrots ‘n’ Cake’s Plank Challenge. Starting this Monday January 7th, both Garrett and I will be doing the challenge. It’s helpful to have someone else to do it with too! This is only 4 weeks long, and we’ll see where we are after that. Then the plan is to have a new fitness challenge for February, and every month or two after that.

Learn to Shoot with my DSLR Camera in Manual Mode (All Year)

This has been something I have put on the back burner for 3 years. I’ve attempted to switch from automatic to manual several times, but I’ve never dove into it completely. I just do it occasionally, and even then I don’t feel confident enough in my photos. This year I’m going to make a DIY Photography Class plan for myself and stick to it.

Find A New Family Doctor (January)
Despite the fact that we moved here almost 15 months ago, I never made the change to a new doctor. So technically my family doctor is still in Toronto. Oops! It’s getting to be that time where I need to have some new allergy testing done for my peanut and nut allergies, and I really don’t want to have to drive all the way to Toronto for that.

Update Budget & How I Prepare for Taxes Monthly (All Year)
For years, I’ve stuck to the same budget method and tax filing method, but now that I am working three jobs (plus the blog), I think I need to make some changes to it. I hope that by keeping it all organized by month, I’ll be able to make it easier to prepare everything for tax season.

Plus it may help us find some extra money that would be nice for our last goal for 2013…

Buy a House!

Oh how I wish it was this one!

We still have some details to iron out (like where we’ll live!) and we still need to do a ton of research on it, but our main goal together for 2013 is to be in our own home by next Christmas. I get giddy just thinking about it. Whiskey just wants us to find him a backyard! After many years of renting, the thought of having our own place to make the way we like it is very exciting.

Drinking champagne in mugs! We’re classy like that