Happy New Year -

Hello once again!

It's been a slow start to the new year, for sure, and I think in many ways I'm still wrapping my brain around what I want for 2016.  We're slowing sorting through our goals and changes we'd like to make, and deciding what to do with money, what trips to try for, and what shifts we want to make for our family.  Definitely lots of saunas, and hopefully more massages!!!!  More help with cleaning, and more time outdoors:-)

- Anja and I try to come up with a new challenge of sorts each year, and this year we've decided to go a new route with a book club of sorts.  We want to start tackling some of those 'important' books that we've somehow missed out on reading along the way.  It's definitely hard to narrow it down, there's so many lists out there to follow, but for this year, we're just going to each pick 6 books and every month we'll tackle a new book.  For January we're starting off with Jack Kerouac's On The Road (you know, for those who want to follow along!)

- Jamie and I have such a love/hate relationship with technology, and more recently it feels like everyone is getting sucked into their various devices, and we're REALLY feeling the need to create more balance once more.  SOOOOOOO, to start off this new year, we're doing a weaning off for a week or two (during which we're all brainstorming on creating an 'I'm bored' list to remind us of things we can do with stuff around the house, and also create a board of things we've always wanted to try/learn) and we're also discussing how to maintain a better balance as we bring various i-pods, i-pads, laptops, nintendo ds', etc back.....obviously this wean is not 100%, as so much of the work Jamie and I do demands computers, and Kea's school work is done on the computer, but we're mainly trying to be mindful of putting it away more often, and not getting sucked in.......

- I'm also personally challenging myself to create something for ME each month of the year.  So far, I've been busy knitting hats for various other people, and have tackled sewing a pair of pants for Ryland, so crafting is going well, but the crafting for ME not so much - we'll see how this pans out over the year:-)  I still have a couple more weeks in January to create something for me.......

For now, though, I'm desperately trying to wrap up a few projects that have been on the back burner for far too long now, hanging over my head.  I have 2 or 3 photo books I've been wanting to make as gifts, I NEED to wrap up Anja and my 52 portrait project from last year, I have photos to sort, mending piled high by my sewing machine to be completed and various little house projects to do.  And then once those are all done, I'm hoping to have tonnes of energy to bring in new projects!!!!!

Would love to hear more about your goals for the new year.........so refreshing to have a new start each January!