Ringing Out the Old; Ringing in the New

We are on vacation this week and I have to be honest and say that we've asked ourselves a couple of times, "Why did we think it was a good idea to take a vacation at this time of the year?"  We were supposed to go to my sister's at the beginning of the week but an ice storm and Nathan getting sick canceled those plans.  Nathan works from tonight onward through the weekend.  So this week has seemed like most of our weeks except we get to sleep until we want and do what we want.

But it's also been a good time of really talking with my husband, staying up late to read, and reflecting on what goals I want to accomplish in the new year.  It's been a staycation with very little activity, but overall, a good week. 

Tonight we ring out the old year and ring in the new one.  We say goodbye to 2015 with good memories and look forward to 2016 with hope.  I'm excited to see what the new year will bring. 

Yesterday all my agonizing about whether to close the business or not was kind of taken out of my hands by unforeseen circumstances.  That made me happy because, as you know, I've struggled.  As of today, my items will be out of one of the shops and out of the other two by the end of January.  I'm ending on a good note and that makes me happy.

One of the things I do want to work on in the new year is my unfinished projects.  There are quite a few.

• A book that was supposed to be done by Christmas.  That certainly didn't happen!
• Multiple sewing projects that were started and never finished.
• Emily's room has been painted a neon green since we moved in.  At the time that was the color she chose and I was going to paint circles in teal and purple on her wall.  I drew the circles on the wall and that was it.  For two years.  And of course, she is going to be 17 in the spring and is no longer interested in a room that has a color that gives her a headache.  lol  I need to get in there and paint it back to a tame color. 
• Organizational projects are everywhere I look.
• Work on getting our barn/shed in some sort of order.  The problem is the church uses it too and it's a mess and a dumping ground so there is very little room for our storage items.  However, I think a little organization will help.

So my goal in the new year is to get those things completed.  I love the new year because it's a wonderful opportunity to reflect, plan and make changes where needed.  I'm ringing out the old and ringing in the new.

Happy New Year!