Farewell 2012, HELLO 2013!

Another year is coming to a close and a new one is about to begin.  Where has the time flown? 
While I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked nor have I met all the goals I had set for the year, all in all it was still a good year.

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas hit me especially hard this year.  Thanksgiving was 6 years since my Grandma passed and Christmas Eve was 18 years since I lost my Daddy.  I was trying so hard to remember his voice this year, to remember good times with him.  I wish they were both still here to see how the girls have grown into to the lovelies that they are.  After looking at some pictures of me and my Dad from when I was little I began to feel better.

We had a really great Christmas.  A FULL HOUSE!  15 people in all.  It was a really pleasant day.  My Beloved's Dad made it home for Christmas, which made Mom very happy.  For a brief moment, it looked like he might not have made it.  Then we ended up with a white Christmas!  Got about 3 inches of fluffy goodness!!!  It's awesome to wake up and still see it looking so pretty and snow covered out there.

So my Word for the Year...  I've thought about this for much of December.  And for good bit of it, it seemed like "SHINE" was going to be my word.  Then I worked with my oracle deck and the clarity card came up.  So I thought...OKAY!  Then a couple of days ago, "DARE" snuck in and all I keep thinking is: DARE to shine, DARE to dream, DARE to soar, DARE to step out of my comfort zone, and so on and so on.  So as of right now, I think DARE is my word for 2013. 

I saw some one say that they pick a theme song for the year too, and a color.  Almost immediately the song "Titanium" popped into my head.  As to color...my mind went to Red.  I don't typically like Red.  I don't use it much, but it's the first color that keeps popping in to my head.

Things I'm going to try and do this year:  Project Life 365 or something similar, create at least one new piece of art a week, write at least 500 words daily.  I want to start my art journaling again, daily if possible.  And of course read more books! 

I wish all of you a Happy 2013!  May it be a year filled with health, love, peace, joy, prosperity, magic, and lots of artsy goodness!  Stay safe my lovelies!  See you next year :D

12/12/12 Wishcast Wednesday- What 12 Wishes Will You Wish For?

It's 12/12/12!  The last repetitive date we will see for quite sometime.  If you look around the web today I'm sure you will find many write ups about the significance and magic of the number 12.  There's also discussions about 12/21/12 and the connection, gateway between the two dates.

Are the dates significant?  I don't know.  But I do feel like there is a major importance to these two dates.  It feels as though the energy is getting charged the closer we get to the 21st.

It is Wednesday, Wishcast Wednesday in fact!  And I have not participated in quite awhile now.  But I thought today would be a good day to join in.  Today Jamie asks: "What 12 Wishes Will You Wish For?"

I had honestly thought about writing out things I would like to do in 2013.  So switching gears to making wishes isn't too hard.  But, since they are wishes I don't want to make all of them just for myself.

My Twelve Wishes:

1. I wish to create more, to create...to paint weekly, if not daily.
2. I wish to be able to get my art out there in the world (scary wish, just so you know)
3. I wish to write, to get my words, my thoughts, my ideas, my stories on paper.
4. I wish to get back into cooking (more).
5. I wish for financial blessings for our family.  Things have really been a struggle, I'd like for us to have enough that we aren't struggling...that there be enough for even just the little things if we wanted them.
6. I wish for world peace, a world without hunger or the pain of senseless loss over unnecessary wars, a world where we love one another and help each other.
7. I wish to find a clearer vision of my spiritual path.
8. I wish to take care of myself better (ie: eat better, vitamins if needed, learn yoga, learn to meditate, etc.)
9. I wish for my girls to be happy, to follow their dreams.
10. I wish to allow myself to dream, to dream BIG and not be afraid to follow them.
11. I wish for all our troops to come home safely.
12. I wish that all that you wish for comes true.

Making one wish is hard....Making 12, is even harder!   As you all wish for yourselves, so I wish for you also.  Have a magical day!

Drawing Inward

It seems to be that time of year, where drawing inward occurs.  I grow quieter, and ponder the past year...the marks I've missed, the goals I failed to meet, the ones I did meet., what do I want for the coming year, so on and so forth.

I realized I missed a lot of goals and opportunities this year, through no fault but my own.  I started off pretty good, then...somewhere along the line, I began to hem and haw, find excuses to delay, basically procrastinate.  I can't beat myself up over it, I can't go back and change any of it.  What's done is done.

Am I disappointed with myself?   Of course!  Am I angry?  Maybe a little.  But none of that will change anything either.

All I can do is strive to do better.  Make 2013 a better year.  I want to be more productive.  I want to create more art, write more, cook more, create more, read more.  I want to get an Etsy shop going...finally.  First steps would be to decide what I want to sell on Etsy, find a store name that reflects who I am and what I create.

If Julia Child didn't start cooking until she was 37, why can't I become who I want to be at 43?  I have such a bad habit of looking at how old I am and thinking too often that it's too late to do the things I want to do with my life.  Even though my Beloved tells me all the time that I'm not to old.  That age is just a number.  And I know damn well he's right!  (Don't tell him I said that! LOL!!!)  It's hard to change the thought patterns that have been embedded in my mind since childhood.  I have managed to over come many, but I'm far from done.  But I'm determined.

I really hope to stay on track with what ever goals I set for the coming year.  The next 22 days will be spent thinking, planning, wishing, hoping.  I will be thinking about my "word for the year".   One thing I've thought about is asking for a couple of volunteers to be my personal ass-kicker, motivator, cheerleader, cattle prodder....you get the idea.  One I will be asking is my Beloved, because well he is the one person I trust the most.  He is here, and can when I'm not being productive.  But I'm also hoping to add a friend or two to the team that I can touch bases with monthly, bi-monthly, weekly, daily if necessary sometimes.  What ever it takes to stay on track to success.