A New Year...A New Beginning

There comes a point in everyone's life where nothing seems to go right. Your whole world seems as if it is crumbling down right around you and there is nothing you can do to stop it. That is what happened to me the past couple months. It wasn't just one thing, it was a whole lotta things. I'm not going to bore you with the details (they are also personal things I'd rather not discuss through my blog) but I will tell you what I have learned.

I ended 2008 on a somewhat sore note. I knew things were crappy in my life and knew I needed to change things and fast. My New Year's Resolution to myself...to be happy. In general, I am a happy person, yes, but with myself, no. I had decided that 2009 was going to be my year. I was finally going to budget my money, feel good about myself and the way I look and stop worrying about finding the perfect man. I told myself to "Let go, let God" because only He knows what will happen. The obstacles He gave me at the end of last year have made me stronger and helped me to believe in myself. I entered 2009 with a smile on my face and a sigh of relief that I will let my past be the past and move forward. And have I moved forward :-)

On January 6, I met him. His name is Ryan and I know I have found the one for me. It is hard to explain, but when you know, you know...you know what I mean? Every day so far this year has been better than I have expected and I never thought I'd start off the year finding the perfect guy for me. We have spent everyday together (except for the 2 last week when I had a nasty stomach virus). We even took my son to Disney World for his 2 year old birthday. Oh yea, my son also turned 2 a couple weeks ago!!

Things are definitely starting to look up for me. From here on out, I will face each day with my head held high and thank God for the challenges I faced last year. Without them, I wouldn't be able to appreciate the gifts I now have.

Another thing I will be improving on this year are my two Etsy shops. I have a whole slew of new items I will be introducing in March. Gifts, Etc. will be undergoing a complete re-haul later this month. However, I have decided to temporarily close my Skincandy store. I just don't have the time and energy for 2 shops right now. I will be selling a whole lotta destash starting in the next few weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out on some great deals. If ever you are interested in a jewelry piece I have in the store now, feel free to email me and I can do a custom order now or in the future.

I am highly looking forward to what God has planned out for me this year. If its anything like the year I've been having so far...then I can't wait. :-)

End of the Year Resolutions

Like millions of people, I always make New Year's Resolution...which only last about a week. I always have the same resolutions: 1) Lose weight and finally have a positive body image, 2) Get control of my money, 3) Stop being soo lazy!! I get soo frustrated though because I can never keep any of the resolutions. Proof is, I've been making the same three resolutions since I was in high school. This year, I'm doing something different. Instead of making them at the beginning of the year, I'm making them at the end of the year. I want to start off 2009 with a bang!! I want to go into the new year knowing that my resolutions are well under way. I want to finally be confident in my own skin. And who knows? Maybe I won't be single by the end of 2009. lol One can only hope.

To help me with the resolutions, I've purchased the most adorable custom journal from a fabulous Etsy seller, My Sweet Creations 4 You. Inside, I have a checklist of everything I want to accomplish that day. I also have set daily goals for myself. So far, I'm a week into my new resolutions, and I've accomplished everything I set out for myself. I feel so accomplished and I think having a journal to write it all in is really helping. By seeing my goals completed, I can take pride that I am finally doing things to better myself.

1) Lose weight and finally feel better about myself.
I've always been very critical of my weight. My younger sister was always the skinny one in the family. Growing up, she always had the boys clinging to her. She has beautiful long hair, an amazing body, and a fierce personality. Well, I've got her beat on the eyes and smile. :-) But now, I want to be the one with the body...and I'm going to be!! My determination is that I want to walk into her closet and wear her clothes (she's got some amazing clothes!!) I joined a gym back in mid-September. I've put myself on a tough schedule. I'm going 5-6 times a week, doing 1 hour of cardio each time. Also, 3 of those days, I go to a 1 hour cardio/weight training class in addition to my 1 hour of cardio. When I started at the gym, I weighed 154 and now I'm down to 144!! My clothes are already starting to feel lose on me and I've gone from a size 12 to a size 9!! My ultimate goal is a size 5, weighing 130 pounds. I'm also trying to eat healthier and am adding a lot more fiber into my diet. I'm starting to feel soo much better about myself already! I love hearing compliments from my friends that I look skinner. Just wait till they see me in a couple months!!

2) Get control of my money.
I admit it...I have a shopping addiction. lol I just loove shopping!! Well, I'm a single parent paying a bunch of bills, so I've got to stop with the shopping. I make just under $1000 a month, with more than half of it going to student loan bills, car payment and insurance (not to mention gas), diapers, food, etc. etc. To help curb my spending, I've set myself up on a strict budget - $50 a week. I put up a dry erase board calendar and every day, I'm writing what I spent that day. By the end of the month, I want to cross off all the unnecessary purchases so that I can see just how much money I'm wasting each month. Hopefully, this will help me to start saving money so that I can get my own place in the next couple years.

3) Stop being so lazy.
This one is pretty self explanatory. lol Basically, I just really want to help out more in the house. I'm living with my parents right now because I can't afford to move out. I want to pitch in more with the cooking and cleaning. I've decided to make Wednesdays "Cleaning House Day" and Thursdays "Laundry Day". And, I'm doing the dishes every day now.

Wow, that was one crazy long post!! lol Thank you for listening to me go on and on about the changes I need in my life. I know with the support of my friends and family, I can finally accomplish my resolutions. And who knows, maybe this will start a new trend....

What are your End of the Year Resolutions?? Start now and ring in 2009 with a bang!!