This card was posted over a year ago. To see the specifics on this card, click on it to go back to that post.The Bed and Breakfast is officially closed for a little while. We've been privileged to share our home with dear family and friends over the last couple of weeks, but today is Pajama Day! I'll be in my room doing something I haven't done in at least a week... making a card! I called all the kids down to the kitchen where I made all my declarations for the day.
- I will not be Judge Judy today. If you feel the urge to argue, don't. Separate yourselves.
- Eat whatever you want and leave no evidence. Hazel won't be coming to clean up after you today.
- Don't bother me. I'm busy doing nothing.
I've been thinking about what I want to work on this year so I took a look at last years goals. I don't think I totally accomplished ANYTHING!... well maybe one. I crafted with the kids more( number 5 on the list) I'm not going to come up with new goals because I still have lots of work to do on the old ones. I'm not going to get discouraged. It took God 40 years to get Moses where he wanted him. Clearly I had more than a years worth of work on that list. Even with the improvements I made, I think I'm going to have more clearly defined and or specific small tasks that will get me going in the direction of those goals I set last year-- and I'm going to post these goals in appropriate places to remind me...
Here were my goals from last year. with comments from today
- Stamp more and computer less. As much as I love to make cards, I blog, blog surf, and talk about stamping online more than I stamp. I'm going to try to change that. I'm working on discipline and time management in every aspect of my life. I find that this is a constant struggle for me, and every year at New Years I have a new resolve. Although I did make improvements last year, I'm working on a plan for this. Since I'll have a new computer to set up in a couple of weeks and I'm now doing part time work on the computer I can't just say computer less. I need to be more efficient.
- Downsize supplies to a workable and manageable amount. I am going to make tough decisions and really clear out my room of all the stuff I probably won't ever use. I have been slowly working on three boxes of things I'm planning to gift to others. I AM going to fill those boxes and send them in January! I did mail the boxes and managed to clean out my room several times and I've decided that this is a work in progress.
- Send Family Birthday cards on time: I know this is going to need more than a resolve. I need a plan. If you are one of those super organized people who actually sends birthday cards so that they are received on or before the day, please, give me a clue.I made cards, but I'm still waiting to implement the perfect plan to help me with this.
- Start selling my cards again: But, first I have to organize them... Still unaccomplished but a priority.
- Spend more time crafting with my kids: All my kids are artistic in a way,bit two of them like to draw and paper craft like I do. They really enjoyed making cards on World Card Making Day and they made these for us for Christmas. Our first planned event is a coloring class (like I teach at Michaels) in the Card Castle just for the two of them. I'll have to figure out a way to interest Gameboy too. I just may have to teach him some computer graphics...or knowing him, he'll have me playing the Wii before we convert him. We made lots of progress in this area. I'll show you some of their artwork soon. It's cloudy today, but the next sunny day, I'll take pictures.
- Clean off my desk at the end of each crafting session (or at least once a week). This is going to be the hardest of all for me. I tend to get several ideas at once and pull out lots of stuff, make a few cards and then I run out of time or energy to put it all away. Most of the time my craft time is in undefined short sessions sessions between laundry and dinner and homework etc... I'm also willing to take suggestions and ideas on this. LOL, Clutter is a by product of creativity.
- Give away more. I have finished projects laying around taking up space. I'm going to photograph them and give them away. I've done better and I'm still working on this.
- Use what I have. I want to make a point to use brand new stamps and papers and embellishments I haven't used yet. I've been doing this with my ABC challenges which I;m going to start up again, but this time I think I'll do some sort of schedule.
- Start early and plan ahead. I'm always making gifts at the last minute or not making them at all because the event is over. Yeah... I started earlier in most cases...
- I want to get that Rubber Stamp line going(finally). My daughter and I have some drawings that we've been working on. I really want to do my research and get the business up and going, or get them ready to be marketed by someone else-- this year. This isn't going to happen anytime soon. I keep running into brick walls so I've decided that the timing isn't right and I'm moving on to the next project on my list.
6 comments:
Jacki, you're a riot! You're very brave to list last year's resolutions with a progress report one year later. Very brave. You've done amazingly well! That was a pretty ambitious list and some of the tasks were worthy of a list of their own. Half of them could be on my own list (cleaning up after a stamping session--surely you jest...) and I'm in awe of what you've done. And I'm not even considering all the "interesting times" you've lived through this year. I know that in 2009 you will rock, girlfriend!
Hi Jacki,
It's the queen of organization here (you know, I'm the one who likes to organize what I've already organized)! Anyway, one way that I keep up with getting cards mailed on time is to have birthdays and special events written on the "family calendar" in a special color that isn't used for anything else on the calendar. This is the calendar that you have to look at each day/week to figure out what's scheduled. Ours hangs in our kitchen. That way the dates are always in front of me. If your calendar is too crowded with other things (I can't imagine why it would be!), then have a separate calendar with only birthdays, anniversaries, etc. on it, but this is important - PUT IT SOMEPLACE YOU LOOK AT EVERY DAY. Every year I get my new calendar out and put the special dates on it before I hang it on the wall. I specifically WON'T hang it up until I have those written in. Otherwise it doesn't get done.
I have some other ideas too, but that one seems to work the best for me. It also helps to have some cards made up ahead of time without a "greeting" on them so that if you need a card fast, you can pull one out of this stash, stamp a greeting and you're good to go.
Hope this helps a bit! I enjoy keeping in touch via your blog - you're a blessing to me!
~Jayne
Loni, thanks for the encouragement! You are truly a gem.
Thanks Queen Jayne!You tips make a lot of sense. I've been doing a lot of thinking about this and it's really not the organizing that is my problem... it's the discipline.
I do need to put my calendar in a more accessible place. I have the birthday spreadsheet, complete with a place to check off when I mailed a card. I'm going to make it work this year.
Jacki,
Other than item 10, I think you read my list.
I was thinking about solutions to our problem regarding not sending cards on time.
I make all my cards the same size, 5 1/2 x 4 1/4. So, using my list of birthdays and anniversaries, if I address all the envelopes for the whole year, I might mail the cards out. Because of postage rates changing, I would place the "to be mailed date" in the stamp space.
If you try this method before me, let us know if it works. Oh, my other resolve is to stop procrastinating. :O)
http://debbiedesigns.typepad.com/
Debbie and some other ladies listed on her blog, were given a challenge for organizing cards and birthdays. You might find it helpful.
Oooh Thanks Laurie for the link! I'd like to claim that great minds think alike, but I think it's just that time of year where we all want to take advantage of the opportunity for a fresh start. I'll check out all of there advice and tips.
I've heard of the idea of addressing the envelopes all at once. It didn't help me, but I know it helps some of my friends. I think I need a secretary...
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