This time last year I wrote a blog post inspired by Sophie aka Her Library Adventures with a list of goals that I wanted to achieve for 2014. Before I think of some new goals for 2015, I thought I'd revisit this year's and have a look at how I went with a few of the goals I had written.
Keep our home less cluttered- This will always be a tricky one for us. The 4 of us seem to enjoy having little bits and pieces and treasures. We did a huge clean out while moving house a few months ago, and I feel that as a family we are moving in the right direction as far as our possessions go. Nearly everything we own is thrifted or handmade, so I'm not concerned about the ethics of our "stuff." It's more that the clutter and mess get to me! We will never be minimalists, but I think we are all learning that "less is more" and I have found our house move a wonderful restart in simplifying and decluttering the home.
Record and release a 5 Track EP- I have finished half of this goal, and I'm ok with that. I have completed recording my EP which has been a lovely process, and we are currently mastering it and figuring out the best way to release and launch it. One of the things I've discovered about myself with music is that the inspiration comes and goes, and sometimes things take longer then I expect. I'm learning to be less hard on myself. To accept that my life is full to brimming with many wonderful creative adventures, and that sometimes my music sits on the sidelines for a while. When I don't put pressure on myself or compare what I'm doing to others, I am very happy with what I get up to musically, so I need to remember to keep doing that!
Plan the most perfect 30th Birthday Party- Turning 30 was a big deal for me this year, and celebrating it with my friends and family was the best. I hired a cute little hall, decked it out with lots of bunting, flowers and fairy lights, we danced to wonderful music, drank mulled wine and had a fab time.
Fill my home with fresh flowers- This has been one of my simplest joys this year. Wherever I go I pick flowers and pop them in old jars and vases. Occasionally I buy myself a bunch of flowers too. It is the easiest way to inject colour and beauty into my home and day.
Continue to care for asylum Seekers in our community- I will always care about Asylum seekers in our community and the way this country treats them. My family were privilege to live with and support asylum seekers in a community house for the past 5 years. The people we met, the stories we shared, the food we ate together and, at times, the burdens we carried were life changing. A few months ago we recognised that it was time to move out of that community house and find a place for just the 4 of us to live. In some ways it was a difficult decision because we were leaving behind incredible people. But in another way the decision was very easy because we had a strong sense that after 5 years it was time to just be together as a family and focus on the needs of our children. We moved up the road and continue to visit our old housemates often. I will have to find new ways in the coming years to express my concern and care for asylum seekers in this country.
Keep working with my sis in law Taz on Hundreds and Thousands Magazine- Yes! it's been great! This little zine has grown into something quite special and we are super excited about our plans for 2015!!!!
And here is the rest of my list. As you can see, I didn't do everything on my list, and in fact I actually changed my mind about some of my goals during the year, but the journey has been great. I'm quite proud to see more than half of these goals ticked off!
-Record and release a 5 track acoustic EP (We have started recording already)
-Start an all female band!!
-Say positive things
-Don't put off the things that just need to be done
-Sew a couple of dresses for myself
-Go get the new new tattoos on my wish list
-Lose the fear of sharing my music with the world and just totally GO FOR IT!
-Craft with friends regularly
-Start planning a trip back to the UK
