2013 Goals - May Update

I wanted to post an update regarding my goals for 2013 - particularly my goal for growing vegetables this year.  I do not have a green thumb but I tried really hard.  However, the results were less than stellar.

I started lettuce, kale, tomato, and cucumber from seed.  I babied these plants like crazy and they shot up pretty quickly.  I was feeling pretty good about myself.

They grew and grew.  I was very pleased with what seemed like a green thumb emerging!

They got to be pretty decent sized seedlings (I don't have a photo of them at their biggest and brightest).  My husband and I were just about ready to build the raised bed and put them in the ground.  That's when things went downhill.  First some of the lettuce started to struggle and die.  Then the rest of the plants went pretty quickly.  I won't bore you with the details but my expert opinion on what may have happened to the plants:

They had too much water
They had too little water
They didn't have enough light
They had too much light
They hate me

That's basically the prognosis I came up with after some Internet searching. Plants are complicated beings and seem pretty smug when I can't figure them out.

I was pretty bummed and a little embarrassed at first.  However, then it dawned on me...that was the biggest success I've ever had with plants on my own.  I usually don't even get them to seedlings.  So while I won't be eating my own homegrown veggies this summer, I will be happy with the experience and the small amount of success I had in the beginning.  It's a start.  Maybe next year I'll get even further?  Luckily I had not invested much money so there was no issue there.

I am still going to consider it a goal that was completed.  I gave it a good try, learned some things, stressed a little too much, and there is a great Farmer's Market in town where I will continue to buy kale, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  Goal completed (pretty much).

I did enjoy having the plants in my home office and I enjoyed the smell of earth each morning when I went to work.  So, I decided to add some other plants to my work area.  Plants that even I can't destroy too quickly (fingers crossed)... Succulents!

My iPOD does not take the same quality photos that my DSLR camera does - my apologies!

So, that's that.  I will try again but I need a year to work up the motivation again.

One last thing before I finish this post, yesterday was Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.  I was too busy enjoying Mother's Day with my family so wasn't able to post.  Please help to spread awareness for this awful chronic illness.  I live with it and many other people do too.  I manage mine with a mix of traditional medicine and holistic approaches.  I have found ways to manage through the pain, fatigue, flu-like illness, and many, MANY other symptoms but I still have flare ups that just knock me out here and there.  I have learned a lot about myself living with this illness and I would love to see the day that we can wipe it out all together.  Thanks for reading!

Vitality

Happy New Year!  Welcome, 2013. 

I rang in the new year last night with loved ones and friends.  It was filled with talking, laughing, silly children, spirits, good food, and fun.  I am thankful that I was able to celebrate with a wonderful group of people.

I am sitting here on this first morning of 2013 and my heart is full of mixed emotions.  Hopeful and excited for new challenges and experiences in 2013 and a little sad to say goodbye to 2012 which was a growing year for me.  I feel full of ideas which can be a little overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

There is a trend in blogs right now to pick one word as your focus for the new year.  I'm jumping on the bandwagon because I like this idea so much better than resolutions.  In the past, my resolutions tended to be self-effacing -- lose weight, get in shape, look better, be better, etc.  I don't know if it is my age (35) or just frustration with our society shaping my view of not being good enough but I really don't want that to be my focus this year.  So, I'm going with a word for the year because I see it as potential.  Today the word may inspire certain goals within me but I'm interested to see how those goals change as the year changes; as I change.

The word I've chosen is Vitality.  Webster's had a couple of definitions for Vitality that I liked:
1 - The peculiarity distinguishing the living from the nonliving
2 - Capacity to live and develop; also : physical or mental vigor especially when highly developed
power of enduring; lively and animated character

I want new experiences.  I want to be more active.  I want to be healthy and strong.  I want to grow my blog and inspire people.  I want to create every day.  I want to be peculiar and alive!

In addition, my creative goals this year:
1 - Learn to knit
2 - Buy a sewing machine and learn to use it
3 - Stretch myself in crochet and learn a new technique
4 - Finish my seemingly never ending crocheted blanket (more to come on that)
5 - Grow some of the food I eat this year

Do you have any goals or words that will inspire you in 2013?

Thank you, 2012!

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when I was feeling the hope, excitement, and thoughts of a clean slate while ringing in 2012 as the new year.  Now it's the last day and I'm excited for 2013. 

This year was a true growing year for me:
At the end of 2011, I started an "experiment" of not eating meat.  I started by just doing it for one week, then two, then three, etc.  I didn't call myself vegetarian because I wasn't sure if I would stick to it.  Well, in 2012, I officially claimed myself as vegetarian and I haven't eaten even the slightest bit of meat since September 2011.  My eating habits have greatly improved, I understand my body's cravings much better now, and I am really happy with my decision both physically and mentally.  I have no plans to go back. 

I learned how to be a better wife.  Our marriage has always been great but there is always room for improvement.  In 2012, I truly made efforts to be a better listener, acknowledge his needs, and really try to be the best friend, wife, and partner I can be.  I love that man to pieces!

I learned how to be a better friend.  This year I realized that I needed to be a better friend to my oldest and dearest friends who live 500 miles away.  I also made some new friends this year and have learned the value of really prioritizing and making efforts to be a good friend, even if I am busy or tired or lazy.  It's definitely an effort that is easy to make and has a great return.  Hold tight to those true friends.

I have realized that I *need* to create every day.  It doesn't matter how little or big it is.  If I don't create on a regular basis, I become out of sorts and depressed.  I need that outlet and it makes me a better me.

Lastly, I've learned to hold on tight to my dreams.  Sometimes they have to be put on the back burner for a while and new dreams need to be created for the meantime.  However, I haven't lost sight of my dreams and am working hard to make them come true.  More to come in 2013!

So thanks, 2012, I've learned a lot and, while tough sometimes, you have helped me to grow and improve. 

My last photo to post in 2012 is of an acorn.  An acorn symbolizes many things to different cultures and people.  I personally like its symbol of strength and growth which definitely wraps up my year in one photo.  2012 gifted me with strength I didn't know I had and a lot of growth.  I hope you enjoy a safe New Year's Eve with the people you hold dearest.