Tag: 2021

Categories
Fabulous living

2021 Resolution Recap and Year in Review

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday! Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with family and loved ones. I always love the time between Christmas and New Year’s, whether you are off for a break or working, it’s always a nice time to relax, catch your breath and take some extra time to reflect on the year. 

I wanted to take some time to reflect on the past year and my resolutions. For a quick recap, you can read my post here about my 2021 Resolutions. My word of the year was intentional. I wanted to be more intentional with my time with friends and family and more intentional with the things I put time and energy in. I wrote it on a post-it note in my planner and moved it from month to month as a reminder for myself. Overall, I think I did pretty well with focusing on family and friends when I spent time with them. I also prioritized what things I did during my free time too.

My first of three resolutions for this year was to be more intentional with family and friends. I found myself doing a lot of multi-tasking and wanted to be more focused on one thing at a time. I did well with spending time with family and a lot of this had to do with my new work schedule. I now get to spend a lot more time with family and do my best to put the phone down and be present, but there’s always room for improvement. 

My second resolution was less screen time. I did well by setting up times on my phone to have my phone shut off to focus on work or housework. But there were times that I was tired by the end of the day and just aimlessly scrolled, not the best use of time, but sometimes you need a brain break. That will continue to be something I work on in the new year. 

My third resolution was to be more consistent with friends. I definitely made more time for friends by setting up times to do things with friends. The pandemic put a halt to a lot of social activities so by really setting aside time for friends, I was able to maintain my friendships I hold dear to my heart. For example, I started the year out with my virtual book club with my high school friends, Maddie and Ryan. I also set up time for monthly facetime dates with friends (more on that on a post in the new year).

Stay tuned for my goals for 2022 next week!

Now, for a quick year in review. I had a lot of high hopes for 2021 and a lot of them came to fruition. 

I was able to spend lots of time with friends, either in person or via facetime or zoom.

Seeing my best friend Danielle was a highlight of the year.

I also got in a lots of day trips to new places for hiking and walking, from State Parks, to National Parks, new trails and old spots.

Going on walks makes the winter more manageable.
Fall weeks are good for the soul.

I also tried new things like ice skating and have loved it. I went three times in the past three weeks. 

Skating on the bay was such a fun experience.
Skating in Buffalo.

I got to travel with my family and get some great one on one time with loved ones.

Family time with my brothers on vacation.

I got a chance to stand by one of my best friend’s side as she got married.

Getting wedding ready!

I got lots of fall walks in and got to celebrate the start of the holiday season.

Apple picking was one of the fall walks and adventures I embarked on.

The best part of the year was getting my Covid-19 vaccine.

Work has been busy this year, but I’m so lucky with all the opportunties I’ve been given and all the things I’ve learned along the way.

Covering different stories every day makes my job so fulfilling.

I’m so lucky to have a loving family and supportive friends along for the ride too.

What a year 2021 was….2022…let’s do this!

Categories
Currently

Currently #24

Hey guys! Happy December…the countdown is on until Christmas! I hope you are gearing up for the holiday season!

Quick check in time…How are you doing? Got everything wrapped? Checking off all those holiday traditions? Feeling overwhelmed with everything you still have to do? We’ve all been there…while it may seem like this season will never end, it will. In the meantime, enjoy every moment and soak up all the moments, the big ones (like decorating the tree) or the little ones like looking at Christmas lights.

Onto today’s post, can you believe that we are up to two years of Currently?!  This has been such a fun monthly post, not only does it keep you updated on my life but it also puts in perspective everything I’ve done in 30 days or so…without further ado, here’s this month’s Currently.

What I’m up to: ALL the Christmas fun and cheer. From skating, to watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music at every opportunity, baking cookies and shopping and wrapping this month has been about enjoying all the Christmas fun!

There’s Christmas cheer all over the house.
We got our tree earlier in the month and it was perfect tree cutting weather.

What I’m wearing: Besides work clothes, I’ve been getting in the Christmas spirit by wearing Christmas sweaters, some cute graphic shirts and of course, Christmas socks!!! I can’t get enough of Christmas socks!

What I’m reading:  I finished reading “All the Light We Cannot See”, it was definitely a heavier read but it was so well done. This month I have been reading all the Christmas books. I read “A Shoe Addict’s Christmas”, which was super cute. I then read “Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe”, this was the perfect mix of Christmas and a beautiful tribute to Jane Austen. I’m currently reading “The Mistletoe Secret” by Richard Paul Evans, I read his series, “The Walk” during the pandemic and loved it, so I’m very excited to read this one too. 

What I’m Watching: Besides watching classic Christmas movies and some Hallmark ones too.  I have also been watching Selling Sunset on Netflix and like many other women out there, I’ve been watching “And Just Like That”…the first two episodes were so beautiful and so poignant, but broke my heart. I can’t wait to see what else this season has in store. If you have watched them, what are your thoughts on the shows?

What I’m Loving: Christmas spirit all day, every day! I love this time of year, there’s nothing better than having a candle lit, while wrapping presents and watching Christmas presents. Plus, making treats hasn’t been bad either. I made some Christmas bark this year and it was so good. It’s super easy to make and its’s easy to save and store. Here’s the recipe I used, thank you Mix and Match Mama!

Look at all this delicious Christmas bark!

What Inspires Me: The holiday season puts me in the best mood. I decorated my room at the end of last month and whenever I put on my tree and light a candle, I’m automatically put in the Christmas spirit. I also can’t wait to spend time with family and continue our holiday traditions. I went skating this month and had the best time.

Skating in the city
Buffalo was beautiful.

What I accomplished: I’ve been doing a great job at being intentional and present during the holiday season. From the gift buying to the family time and holiday traditions. I wish this season was longer. Even enjoying a hot coco and cookie while driving back from ice skating made me so happy. 

Besides homemade cookies, I can’t resist some Pillsbury cookies too!
Even the shopping malls are all decorated

Goals Accomplished from Last Month I got all my Christmas shopping done by my deadline and I got almost all my gifts sent out or wrapped. It was a huge accomplishment! I love all the gift giving but it can be a lot to get everything organized. I don’t know how parents do it, they are the real super heroes during the holiday season!

My presents for others all wrapped up under my tree.

Goals for the New Month:  Kick off 2022 with my New Year’s Resolutions. I also can’t wait to break out my new Simplified planner and start getting ready for the next. As much as I hate to see the holidays come to an end, there’s nothing quite like a fresh start.

That’s a look into my life this past month, lots of holiday fun and traditions. How are you spending the last few weeks of this year?

Categories
Fun Ways to Organize

Forming Healthy Habits and Routines

Hey guys! Happy Wednesday and happy February! There’s always something refreshing about a new month. I felt like this past month really dragged, the hustle and bustle of the holidays are over, I stayed inside while still going out for walks a few days a week, and established some new routines, but I am ready for a new month. 

One of the things I touched on in my last past was getting into some new rhymes and rhythms, and I wanted to share some of them with you today. 

When I thought about what I wanted this year to look like, I wanted less time being distracted by things that didn’t bring me joy or leave me fulfilled. My phrase for this year is to be more intentional and so far I am loving the results I am seeing. For example, I would waste time scrolling on social media and complain I didn’t have enough time to read. Hello, ditch the phone and get a book!

One way that I made sure I had a better routine in place was setting up downtime on my phone. I did a post about the new screen time feature a year or so ago. You can read it here.

I realized when my phone was shut off (minus calls and texts) I got so much done without the distraction of notifications and social media.

My favorite new routine is with my morning. Let me break it down for you. Every weekday (Monday-Friday), I get up at 6:30 a.m. and then head to the gym for an hour. My “downtime” on my phone goes from 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. In that hour, I will shower (if I didn’t the night before), wash or put away any dishes that need done, throw a load of laundry in, get changed for the day, do my reading and journaling. I’m currently reading this every day and LOVING. One thing I wanted to do this year was read every day. I don’t have a set amount of books I want to read in the year, but I want to carve time every day to read. Whether it was 15 minutes or an hour. During this of downtime from my phone hour is where I get my reading done and it’s such a game changer. By 9:00 a.m. I feel so accomplished and ready to tackle the rest of my day whether I am working or have the day off. Setting boundaries with my phone helped me so much. I also have time set for each day for social media and once my time is done for the day, I am done. 

Another thing that has always helped me with my routines is to write things down. Even though, I already know what I want to accomplish, I love to be able to see it in front of me and mark it off when I am done. Here’s a look at one of my weekly planner pages.

At the beginning of the week I always write down everything I want to do across the board and what days I want to get them done. 

Lastly, another part of my routine is always leaving the house clean, when I leave for work, I always make sure everything is picked up and put away, things are laid out for the next day and I have my to-do list ready for tomorrow. I go into work with a clear mind and ready to tackle the day. 

That’s just a breakdown of what things have worked well for me as we start on a new month. What are some new routines that really work for you? Let me know below! Have a great week friends!

Categories
Fabulous living

2021 Resolutions

Hello all!

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had enjoyable holiday seasons, from Christmas to New Year’s, I hope they were spent with loved ones, making memories, laughs, joy and love.

2020 was quite a year and now as we embark on a new year, I love to take the time and set up some goals or resolutions for myself as we embark on a new year. There are a lot of unknowns with the new year which makes it hard to plan for since there are so many things out of my control, but I know there are still goals that I can accomplish or continue to work on as we begin a new year. I like to keep my goals simple and realistic. 

This upcoming year, I want to continue to focus on my health, both mental and physical. I plan to continue working out five days a week, whether it’s at home or the gyms once they reopen. I also plan to continue to work on my mental health by journaling daily and putting things in perspective.

I found good routines that work for me when it comes to schedule for work and my days off to make sure I have a balance of getting things done while spending time with family and friends and taking care of myself too. 

Now, time for resolutions for 2021!!!

My word for the year is…Intentional. I want to be more intentional with my time, my friends, my family, my relationships, and myself.

My first goal is to be more intentional with my time, my family, and my friends and along with that, I want to be more present. For example, when I’m with my family watching a movie, I want to watch the movie and not be working on my computer or scrolling on my phone, but I want to really enjoy the movie. There were so many times this past year when I would be focused on two things at once and not being 100 percent there and I want to be 100 percent for everything. I started doing this towards the end of 2020, and I want to keep at it. 

My next goal is less screen time. Given the nature of my job, I have to be connected or on my phone or near it. But, I don’t have to scroll through my phone aimlessly, especially social media. I started to enable screen time and set limits for myself on my phone and it’s been a game changer, but I still want to be better. I want to be more present and that means putting the phone down more and focusing on where I am at and not what others are posting on Instagram or twitter. 

My last goal is to be more consistent with my friends. I have some friends who I have bi-weekly facetime chats with but with other close friends it could be months before we catch up. I want to be better about staying connected with friends and checking in on them especially with a year or uncertainity ahead.

I’m looking forward to everything that 2021 has to offer. I know it will be filled with hope, joy, and love. I want to continue to work on the goals and routines that work for me and work on my new goals. Overall, I don’t know what the year holds, but I know if I go into it with a clear mind, positive attitude and I’m willing to be flexible, it will all work out. 

What are some of your New Year’s Resolutions or Goals?!