Goals for 2019

I have journals full of thoughts and project ideas. Writing down my goals helps me keep on track. I thought I’d share my goals for 2019.

As I sit here, the curser is flashing…. On off, on off… goals… goals… goals…

What to write?!? The pressure of putting it on paper (or rather the Internet). Ha! ha!

Last year, I didn’t make resolution, nor did I have a word of the year (as I usually do). This year I don’t plan on setting a resolution or a word of the year either. Instead I’d like to reflect and share some goals. Some of my goals are personal, some are home projects, while others are new directions and paths.

Christmas break was such a wonderful time to spend with my little family. Lazy days. Walks on the beach. Not having to set an alarm. Catching up with family and friends over fun dinners at home. This break made me realize just how stressed and task oriented I’d been over the passed year. I don’t want to be like that. I want to make time in my days to linger and to discover. Those spaces in between where one can make time for creativity. Without further ado, here are my goals for 2019. Some might be similar to yours. If so, let me know!

This post contains a few affiliate links, if you make a purchase via the link I may receive a portion of the sale.

Goals for 2019

Wellness and Health

In previous years, Luke and I have gone on cleanses and done the Whole30 and Keto. All which worked really well…. for a while anyway. We felt great, went back to eating normally and then we gained the weight back. All of it and more. So, this year we decided that we’re not going to do no carb or low carb. We aren’t going to fast or do a cleanse. Instead, we’re going to focus on eating whole foods – lots of veggies and fruits (that are in season). We’re gonna eat: carrots, potatoes, melon, clementines (some things we couldn’t eat before on other plans).  We are limiting alcohol and plan on avoiding alcohol this month. In an effort to be healthy we’ll be using our Instant Pot and the new Super Q Blender. We’re steaming, sautéing, sipping, and enjoying food again.

I’m probably the heaviest I’ve been in my life and I really feel like I’ve let myself down. So it’s our goal to be healthy this year. In addition to eating whole foods we plan on making it a priority to exercise every day. Over the summer and fall, I let my exercise routine slide because of other commitments. We’re scheduling walking the dogs, yoga, boxing, biking, running etc. as we would all the other things on our “To Do list”. I really love Hot Yoga and Yoga Fusion (which mixes cardio into it) and always feel better after going to class. I feel like we owe it to ourselves to be more mindful and put our health at the forefront of our 2019 plans.

The Blog

I really don’t know what I’d do without you, dear reader, and this blog. I really, really, really love sharing through my blog with all of you. It’s so crazy that I’ve been building this little blog for the passed 7 1/2 years. It’s opened up a whole creative life that I didn’t have before. I’m able to share my thoughts, my dreams, my fears. Through the blog I’m able to experiment with DIY, art, photography and writing. I’ve also made so many wonderful connections and friendships through my blog.

Don’t worry the blog isn’t going anywhere. I LOVE being able to share our life here but also to connect with all of you. I may post a bit less often, though. Toward the end of 2018, I was feeling very, very burnt out. I know blogging may seem easy, like I wave my computer and things magical happen but projects take time, photography, writing, editing and designing – it’s all very, very time consuming. So most weeks I was writing 4-5 times a week and spending hours and hours on things maybe you weren’t even interested in reading… So, instead I’ll be more intentional with blogging. We’ll still have our weekly link party and I think I’ll probably post 2 times other than that. Perhaps more on certain weeks depending what’s going on.

I also hope to do more Creativity Over Coffee interviews, it’s one of my favorite series and I really get inspired by my friends that I interview. Is there anyone you’d like to see interviewed? If so, let me know. What other types of things would you guys like to see on Finding Silver Pennies this year? Either, comment below or send me an email with other types of content you’d like to read. DIYs? Crafts? Painted Furniture? Recipes? Organizational Projects?

Upcoming Projects

I’m sure more projects will come up this year, but these are the ones we’ll be concentrating on.

Pool House

As many of you know, most of last spring and summer was dedicated to putting in our pool. It was a favorite project by far. BUT we ran out of time to turn the She Shed into a pool house. We ran electricity out there but didn’t have time to do a full makeover of the space.

This is how the she shed looked the previous summer:

Inside:

I’m really excited to tackle this space and give it a fresh update.

Planting and Growing Grass by the Pool House

We plan on filling in the grass and also adding more plants around the pool house. A climbing plant on the trellis and climbing rose on the pool house.

A New Walkway Through Our Pool Gate

I don’t think you’ve ever seen in front of our pool gate as Luke’s truck is usually parked next to it. But you can see it below, this is when they were putting the pool fencing in.

Right now there’s grass (well, dirt) in front of the gate. We want to add paver and some beautiful plantings as a welcome to our back yard and pool area.

New Entertaining Furniture

I shared our pool area last year and we bought some furniture from Ikea but I’m hoping to add a larger table out here and some different chairs. The table was great but I’d like something that’s wider, where more people can sit together.

The pool deck is quite large so can accommodate something much bigger. Only problem is storing it here in New England in the winter…

Painting the Sunroom Floors

Back in 2014 we redid our sunroom. It was our first real big project in this house. I still love this room so much. How sweet are these photos from nearly 5 years ago:

Look how little the boys were then…

Aw, anyway, the floor is looking a little grimy so I’d love to paint the floor and I might give this room a mini makeover while I’m at it. In time we’d love to wrap a deck around it and turn this room into a four season room by adding insulation and heating but I don’t think that’s in the cards for this year, though.

Adding Grown Up Elements to Boys’ Bedroom

John will be a teenager this year and Conor will hit double digits. Despite my love for blue and white, I think we’ll be mixing up their color scheme and making it feel a bit more grown up in there. We redid their room when we repaired the ceiling in their bedroom, nearly three years ago. I’ve already moved around some dressers in here but in addition to that I think we’ll change some lighting, add some new rugs and perhaps a feature wall… I really want their input as it’s their room. This is how it currently looks:

Luke’s Woodworking Area

Luke does woodworking in the basement. He’s currently working on a new workbench for himself and I’m hoping to clear a large portion of the basement so he can have more room to build. You may remember he built me this dining table. Here’s the woodworking area:

How the table came out:

He really is so talented with woodworking and really loves it. I’d love to help foster this love. He has so many beautiful ideas of things he wants to make and try. He just needs some more room. We actually have wood from a walnut tree that is almost ready to be used, too.

Paint and Saltwash Projects

I have so many paintings and Saltwash projects that I want to tackle this year. You can see previous projects here and also read my eBook on painted furniture here. I think next week I’m going to tackle my childhood cabinet. I’ve been putting it off for years now but will get started on it soon. It’s pictured below:

The Dollhouse

I shared more about this little dollhouse here. I thought over Christmas break we’d start working on it, but we didn’t get to it. I’m really excited to work on this little house with our boys.

Watercolor

I find so much enjoyment from watercolor. I’m hoping to pull my paints out more this year. You may remember I painted these pansies last spring.

I’m hoping to work more with gouache too. I offered these free printables last fall.

I’d love to add more designs to my Society6 shop.

Interior Design

Finally, I’m really excited to help people. While I love decorating our own home, I really want to help people create the spaces they dream about. I believe design matters. I believe home is a direct representation of our inner selves. I’ve made mistakes in the past in our home, putting style before function, and I can tell you that adds up to a room that no one wants to be in. I believe one’s home should tell their story. It should be full of things they love. Home can be beautiful AND functional. Back in the fall, I announced my eDesign Services. I’m really excited to share that I’ll still be doing this but also some in-home design for people who live more locally.

Designing beautiful and functional interiors is something I love. I’m really enjoying working with clients and having fun trying out new ideas and styles. If you’d like more information you can see more packages and what people are saying here. If you’d like to collaborate, just send me an email at [email protected]

Well, there you have it. A few of my goals for 2019. What are your goals?!? Would love to hear what you’re working towards.