Happy New Year!

I'm still here!  Sorry for being away so long - I was having some computer issues that had to be fixed as well as playing catch up after all of the holidays.
I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!  Mine was very nice and low key.  Sometimes the holidays pop up on me so quickly and then it's all over and I wonder where did time go?  This Christmas I found myself thanking God for the things that so many take for-granted sometimes.  Having the gift of sight, a job, a loving family, health, etc.  Many bloggers like to choose a new word to focus on each year.  I think last year my word was strength and this year I'm choosing courage.
What else have I been up to?  Well, right now I'm in a cleaning/purging/organization mode.  I realize that I looooove mags a little too much!  I like to hold onto them for a long while.  Especially craft, cooking and decorating mags.   I have been sorting and keeping only the ones I will reference again.   A great organizational tip I just read said to keep a few and put them in nice magazine holders.  If you want to keep more for reference - label them and put them in a box for 6 mos.  If you never touch them - time to let them go.
I've also had to get tough and donate a lot of the decor that I have around my home that I liked at one time but my taste seems to be evolving.  I only want to keep what I really love, use, or has sentimental value.   I must say... it's really REALLY hard!
My local charity has been getting some nice stuff to resell.   It's all for a great cause and that's another reason  to keep giving it away...

One thing for sure is that I'll be keeping these cute lil snow people!  Time to wrap them up safely until next year.  I have Spring-time on my mind already - probably because it's been unseasonably warm here, which I must say has been so very  nice!

Do you set goals for the new year?   I picked up a great book (in a bargain bin by the way)  by Debbie Macomber called "Knit Together Discover God's Pattern For Your Life".    Some of you may have read a few of her best-selling books(had 9 books on the New York Times bestseller list) or have seen her movies on the Hallmark channel.  She's a Christian and has a lot of biblical principles in her book, which really spoke to me.  We are created with a purpose and sometimes determining that purpose and nurturing your gifts can be hard.  I haven't read her entire book yet but I found her chapter on goal setting and quickly put it to use for 2012. Thought I'd share some of them that maybe you'd like to utilize:

• List three new things to experience this year  (I have down photography classes, bicycling/purchasing a cute girly cruiser bike, learning a new craft like quilling or needle felting)
• List three non fiction books to read this year
• List three things about yourself you want to improve
• Spiritual goals
• Family goals
• Physical goals
• Career goals
• Recreational goals
• Financial goals 

I put on the bottom of my goal list "life is too short to wait"!  Amen?

This year I hope to be pulling out  my camera more and hopefully posting some pretty pictures to share with all of you.  Thanks to you that have followed me and stayed in touch.  It's meant a lot.  God bless!