Five Family Goals to Set for 2020

It is hard to believe that the newest decade will begin in just a few short days.  We've ended this last decade with a bang - I paid off both my student loans and my car, we got married, we got pregnant, we had the baby, we paid cash for a car, we moved to a suburb of Detroit, and I became an accidental stay at home mom (hopefully its just temporary!).  Typing that out, it seems like we jammed a lot into the last two years but honestly our family really formed over the last decade:

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I bought a 1997 Buick Regal in 2010 and started my last year of college.  I graduated college in 2011.  I moved in with  my BFF and started my first job.  I got another job.  My BFF got married. Zach and I met in 2011 (this post is about when we met but half of the pictures are missing!).  After being together for a short 4 months Zach left the military, moved back to Michigan, found a job and house.....and then I moved up there in August of 2012. I talk about my life over that last year in this post.  We stayed in the apartment above the garage at his parent's house for about a month-ish until we moved into the house.  We remodeled the house.  I got a job. We remodeled the house again. I bought a new car.  Zach got a new job & went to Korea. We said we'd try that job for a year since it involved a lot of travel.....Zach kept that job for about 6 years. We lost our dog. We got a new dog. I went to Korea. We drank too much in Japan.  We traveled the world.  We decided to settle down.  We went to Korea one last time with my BFF.  We planned a wedding.  I paid off my student loans.  We got married.  We got pregnant.  I paid off my car. We had the baby.  We paid cash for a bigger vehicle. We packed up the house we built this life in.  We moved to a suburb of Detroit.  And now we're patiently waiting to start the next decade.

That was the last decade in a nutshell and it was a ridiculous ride.  I'm a vastly different person than I was a decade ago and I'm doing (and planning) vastly different things.  While long term goals involve things like finding a new job, there are a few goals I want to set for 2020.  I hope they inspire you, too.

Give More  

Before I knew I'd have such a hard time breastfeeding I'd hoped to be able to donate breast milk.  Since having a hard time breastfeeding I've decided to focus on donating to organizations that support maternal mental health.  I hope to donate clothes, toys, etc to a second hand shop here supported by an organization that serves survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.  I hope to start an annual birthday tradition to give to organizations we care about.  I hope to pass this to Marcus as well - in honor of his first birthday we'll donate toys, money, or time to an organization we care about.  Then eventually I hope he'll choose an organization to support.  One of my biggest personal mantras (I'd guess you'd call it) is when you have, give.  It is the reason why I tip well.  It is the reason why I'm patient.  It is the way I try to live my life.

Start a College Fund

We actually just got the info in the mail from our financial adviser on starting a college fund.  Getting and paying on my student loans has really inspired me to start a fund to alleviate some of the burden of higher education.  Zach decided to join the military to pay for his schooling and that has been a blessing financially for us while he pursues his master's courses.  Seeing where the price of higher education is heading - like it's really scary - make me what to prepare him as best he can.  The best part of this fund is that it can go towards trade training as well!

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Eat Dinner at the Table

Marcus is going to be moving into solid foods here shortly so I want to make it a priority to eat at the table.  (We just put together this high chair and I can't wait to use it - he's getting so big!) Previously, Zach and I would eat where ever.  It was just us and it didn't really matter so we ate dinner in the living room off of the coffee table, ate breakfast in the bed, ate lunch at our desks if we were crafting and gaming.  I can say we probably ate around our table maybe a dozen times the 7 years we were in our first house.  We both grew up eating around the table and its important to us to build up a family relationship.  I also want to start some dinner time conversations so we all can be creative and share what we care about.

Practice Gratitude

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.  This is one of my newest mantras for 2020.  We aren't in the financial situation we'd like to be...but we prepared for where we are.  Zach had been looking for a new job since our wedding because we knew we'd be 'settling down'.  It just so happened that right after I pushed out Marcus he got a call for the job that had us move.  The possibility of our lives being uprooted in more ways than one was very real to us so we started to prepare.  I realize that saving, budgeting, etc is a privilege that a lot of people don't have and in our situation we are still able to give...which circles back to the first goal to give and trickles down to the next two.  With gratitude comes abundance.  I posted this quote on my Instagram in August 2018 and I hope to continue to live by this as we move into 2020.

Use Technology with Intention

I've been zoning out to the TV and Instagram for a while now.  Staying at home all day is lonely especially with a child that can't talk yet!  I know when he starts talking he's not gonna be quiet!  But things like Instagram have been a distraction rather than a productivity tool.  There's time I'm spending zoning out to Catfish during nap time that I could dedicate to my online endeavors - the blog or YouTube or Facebook - and to finding a job. Job hunting is discouraging!  I never thought I'd want to stay home with my kid but these past few months have been eye opening.  Using technology intentionally should be a way to refocus on finding the job I really love.

Over the course of this blog I've struggled a lot with goals.  I'd set them and then forget them.  I'd set too grand an expectation.  Eventually I started with something I called Four Simple Goals where I set out to get a few things done each month.  Then I set up a Vision Planner and started doing a word for each year and I think I've developed quite a good way of making my own progress.

I hope to be able to blend these goals with my word of the year for 2020: Harmony.  There's a lot that is new so I've got to find Harmony with it all!

If you'd like to learn more about my goal journey, click through some of the links above.  And if you'd like to discover how 2019 treated you and how you'd like to enter 2020 check out the past two years of January Journaling Jump Start.  Even though one was for 2017 into 2018 and the other for 2018 into 2019 you can totally do them for 2020!  Who knows...maybe I'll have a set of prompts for 2020, I just haven't had the time!

What are your personal and family goals for 2020?  How do you plan to take action on them?

xoxo, Moe

10 Ways to Begin your Personal Development Journey

Becoming a better person.  That's what we all want to do with our lives, right?  We want to be the best versions of ourselves.  We're now quite far into the year and may have found that our goals haven't shaped out the way we thought they would have.  This could be good or bad...but we don't have to wait until the new year to start bettering ourselves!  In fact I think there are 3 times in the year we can start ourselves anew - January at the new year, March/April at the Aries New Moon, and September when we're used to going back to school.

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September has always had the air of a fresh new start - we've got fresh pencils, notebooks, and sneakers, the leaves are slowing turning and nature moves into a new phase.....its just a very magical time of freshness. Plus we'll have Samhain in October which is known as the Witches' New Year. So the Fall in general can be a time of change - to shed the old and prep for the new!

We don't have to upend our whole lives to work on personal development.  Nor do we have to feel pressured to change our entire beings to be these better, fantasy versions of ourselves.  Personal development is a journey where the only person you need to be better than is the person you were yesterday.  It's not a journey of comparison or defeat, its a journey of betterment.  So, here are 10 ways to begin your personal development journey:

1. Listen to Audio Books & Podcasts

Make time to listen to personal development books or podcasts.  This may take some trial and error in finding podcasts/books that inspire you but start off with a hobby or something you're interested in.  I wanted to learn to read tarot as a personal development tool so I thumbed through the tarot podcasts I found on iTunes and queued up a few to listen to.  The other part of this is prioritizing time to listen.  I used my 30 minute drive to work in the morning to squeeze in a podcast listen.  You can listen while cooking, cleaning, driving, running, etc.  Those times in between...those are good times to bust out your book or podcast.

2. Practice Mindfulness

This is another simple task that can be done in those times in between.  Mindfulness is just awareness.  Mindfulness is focusing on the moment and on the task at hand.  When making your coffee in the morning instead of going over your to do list and looking at the dishes in the sink take the 5 minutes you're prepping your coffee to just be aware: what does the world around you smell like?  What does the coffee maker sound like?  What does your mug feel like?  What does the sugar entering the mug sound like?  How do you feel in this moment?  You can incorporate even breathing, etc.  Just be aware of your surroundings.  A great place to start a mindfulness practice is in your skincare routine - you'll hopefully be alone in the bathroom for at least a minute and the act is very tactile.  So you can take a moment to just be.

Mindfulness can help fill your cup so that you can show up for yourself and for others more completely.

3. Meditation

Developing a mediation practice can be as simple as using the Breathe app on your Apple Watch (I do this so often!).  Just like mindfulness, you're taking a moment to be present.  You can have a more intentional mindfulness practice with meditation by creating a space for yourself to spend time with yourself.  This can be a room or space in your home or even one of those times in between - like waiting for a friend to meet you for coffee.  Take a moment while you're sitting in the parking lot at work to drift into a relaxed mindset.  You can use something like visualization or even an essential oil you're fond of to help get you into your meditative mindset.

4. Practice Self Reflection

Often this is outlined as journaling.  I'm not a great journaler - I'll blog somethings and maybe include short self reflective tidbits in my memory planner, but all in all I'm not a good journal keeper.  I think it is more important to be self reflective and to examine myself, my life, and my actions often to see where I'm at.  Creative ways to do this aren't limited to journaling but to creating and keeping vision boards so that you can see how far you've come, keeping planner & expressing your creativity, or even blogging!  Self reflection ensures that you're actually growing and developing.  Sometimes those little time hop things on Facebook are very helpful for seeing where we've been compared to where we are now.  And, if you're unhappy with where you are....then you are able to set an intention to change that!

5. Set Small Goals

Speaking of setting intentions to change, try setting small goals.  I used to set 4 simple goals a month because I realized I just wasn't really working towards anything.  I was kinda coasting through life just hanging out and I really wanted to be doing something (anything!).  Setting smaller goals - go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, clean the living room each week, put the dishes away, make sure you moisturize - can help you develop and over all bigger routine.  This routine can enhance your daily life be reducing the emotional burden you have by needing to make decisions that could be left to routine.  Achieving small goals can also build up your confidence & momentum when it comes to accomplishing bigger goals.

6. Try Something New

Break out of your comfort zone.  Trying something new means you're not keeping yourself in a box.  This box could feel restrictive or destructively habitual.  It is best to do something new as soon as you feel the urge.  I signed up for a watercolor class at my local Micheal's as soon as I found out it was happening because I new if I thought about it I'd chicken out!  If you get the urge, and it's feasible, try something new!

7. Invest in Yourself

Much like the one above, if you've been wanting to try something new make that a priority.  The more you invest in your desires the more you'll find personal success.  Want to start a new hobby? Prioritize that in your life.  Want to go back to school?  Prioritize that in your life.  Need a new set of interview clothes? Invest in that!  You are worthy of your desires and you should invest your time & available resources into the things that will create a better you and better your life.

8. Discover your Personal Mantra

Working daily with affirmations can help shift your mindset.  You may find yourself drawn to certain types of quotes, words, or mantras that help you feel inspired.  Take time to develop a personal mantra to live by and make sure it aligns fully with who you are as a person.  Create a Pinterest board or even a wall of sticky notes with words that speak to you.  Recite them daily until you feel their truth!  I highly suggest you reading my post on self-deprecating here. 

9. Make Small Changes

Small changes in your lifestyle allow you to live more authentically.  For me, I've been attempting to reduce my dependence on single use/disposable items.  Prioritizing using microfiber towels over paper towels, refusing plastic straws, and prioritizing reusable storage over plastic baggies have been small changes that have led to a bigger awareness in my life.  Take the time to make small changes that align with your personal mantra & you will begin to live more authentically.

10. Practice Gratitude

Being thankful for what we have can shift our mindset.  Not only should we be thankful in times of happiness but we should practice gratitude in our down times as well.  If you're frustrated with a situation finding gratitude around the problem can help shift your mindset into a solution.   Take a moment during each day - when you wake up, before bed, at your lunch break, on your drive home - and list three things you're grateful for.  Even the simplest things you can express gratitude for because it allows you to be mindful of what you really have in your life!

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Personal development also isn't extremely linear.  We can have up days and down days, we can have setbacks and comebacks...but overall we just want to be better than the people we were yesterday!  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter above to get creative inspiration for being your best self straight to you inbox.  You'll receive blog updates, essential oil information, creative freebies, and general chit chat.

If you're interested in working towards your personal development goals with a group of creative individuals like yourself, check out the Live & Create group on Facebook.  This group focuses on mindfulness & intentional living through productivity, creative planning, & personal growth.  Request to join here!  You can also join the Printable of the Month club over on Patreon for an exclusive planner printable every month.

What small goals do you set for yourself daily?

xoxo, Moe

December 2014 Four Simple Goals

I am so very happy that I've kept up with this little project here on the blog this year.  I also plan on bringing it onto next year as well.  Shortly, well probably in January, I'm going to outline my goals for the year.  I know I do it every year and every year I forget and life moves on....but I really think that this Four Simple Goals project has kept me on track for completing goals.  I think my planner has really helped with that as well.  I can see what I'm doing and keep track of it.  Anyway, on to December's goals:

Finalize the planner inserts for the shop - That's right, I'm thinking of opening my design shop up again with planner printables and journal cards.  I have a few things designed right now but I need to finalize the designs.  I plan on listing everything in January after I'm home from visiting my family.  Right now I want to focus on finalizing the designs, sizes, packages, and prices.

Get a massage - Last year Zach got me a gift card for a massage and I've been hoarding it....for a year!  So, for my birthday, I'm going to use it to get a massage!  Now just to call and make the appointment.

Start Vlogging - I know there is such a thing as vlogmas...so maybe I will participate by doing a weekly vlog video on Sundays.  Way back in college when I got my first little flip cam, I really wanted to start vlogging...but I felt weird.  Now I just really want to try.  YouTube is fun!

Focus on App reviews - There are soooo many apps I want to review for you all but then I just put them off.  I really just need to type them out and get to them!  I am going to make a list of the apps I want to review and then just do it!  That's what my planner is for right??

There you have it...my four goals for December.  Yay!

What will you accomplish this month?

xoxo, Moe

Revisiting November 2014 Four Simple Goals

What's up guys?? Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I had a few posts I wanted to get up last week but it just didn't happen....and I'm ok with that.  I have been wanting to post more & more & more & more but sometimes I just feel like the posts I have aren't ready yet or that I've said way too much and need to edit them down.  But anyway, let's just get into November 2014 goals:

Complete a No Spend & follow my Budget - I think I did it.  I did cave one day and spend about $10-$12 at CVS during their beauty clearance.  Soooooo.....I wasn't too bad, especially because I got a Physicians Formula foundation for $0.62!  Yeah!  I also did follow my budget because I didn't overspend but I do need to figure out more on how much gas I use.  I though that I'd fill up once a week for about $35-ish bucks but with travel and just running around I think I filled up more than 4 times this month.  I don't quite know how to budget that but I think I did rather well in November! 

Add at least 2 new designs in the Zazzle shop - This did not happen.  I tried but I just felt so dang overwhelmed with the options that Zazzle offers.  I didn't know what to make...I just wasn't feeling inspired.  I know this is something I need to focus on in the new year I just don't know what to focus on.

Clean up the blog tags - I sat down to do this and I realized that there are soooooo many tags on my blog that are unrelated and so many tags where I have multiple of things that are similar.  I think this is going to be a bigger goal next year because I have a lot of posts and they need to be categorized better.  I need to think on this more!

Cook 3 more meals - This did happen...yay!! The first meal was I made delicious fried chicken fingers.  So. Stinking. Good!  The second meal wasn't a total success but it was a stepping stone to keep trying - I made some pasta sauce myself.  It was ok, but I know I can make it better.  The third meal was Chili.  The first time I made chili, it was meh.  This time it was pretty great.  So I have at least two recipes under my belt that I can make and adapt.

November was an ok month.  I wouldn't say it was my best month, but hey it's coming up to the holidays so I need some time to relax!! 

How was your November?  Did you get anything accomplished?

xoxo, Moe

Another Studio Update // More Progress in Clay & a Creative Life

It sure has been nice to get back into the swing of things with clay & all.  I don't know if I mentioned this, but in college the only thing I could throw was a lump of clay across the room.  Nothing every came out on the wheel.  I'd get frustrated as hell trying to get the clay to even center!  So I stuck with handbuilding pieces.  Fast forward to now, and I surprise myself everyday with my ability to center the clay.  I am far from where I want to be, but boy am I getting there.

In my first class at the community center, our instructor had us introduce ourselves & state a goal for the class.  I told her that my goal was to center the clay & actually make a cylinder since I never succeeded in college.  do you know what I did in that class? I learned to center the clay & to pull up a wall (thick as the wall of China, might I add) to make a cylinder.  All my stuff came out like crap.  Really, I am not making it up.  The only thing that came out sorta alright was this thing in the bottom of the stack here:

It's like a conical, cylinder shaped object. It wasn't something I intended it to be, it was something that just turned out.  Creating art is about intention.  (I thought of a wonderful little saying a few days ago but now for the life of me I can't remember it!)  Sometimes creating art is accidental, but then the choice is to continue intentionally creating it in that way.  Like many things, art has structure.  There are things that are good & things that are bad.  In addition to this, I believe art is anything you can get away with.  Which is not contradictory: having an artistic style or aesthetic is different from throwing paint on a canvas a few times & calling it art.  Art has Intention.  I can not stress this enough!

In the second class, the class that wrapped up in March, my goal was cylinders with purpose.  I wanted to specifically make tumblers.  I found some a while ago on Anthropologie I believe & thought they were super cool.  So I set off to make something that was a cylinder but with a sort of shape to it.  I succeeded in making a few of these tumblers:

Once I got a few of these made, I decided to make a bowl one night.  Once I realized how awesome it looked, I set out to make more!  I achieved a goal: cylinders with purpose or tumblers & set a new one: Bowls!  I got a lot of bowls done & tend to make them in the same sort of shape.  Yay for consistency, right?

So then I glazed a few in some different combos & found I really like the clear glaze over the entire pot & then either Shino or Blue Rutile (which we aren't using any more!) as an accent.  I think I've settled on the Clear/Shino combo.  I love the simplicity! My whole big deal with clay is that it's dirt.  I don't want to hide the fact that is is. Which is why I like dark colored clay like terra cotta & this speckled clay.  It looks like what it is.  I don't want to hide the fact that its basically mud.  I don't work with porcelain or white stoneware...I just don't.  I think the earthy clay reflect me more.

So my signature combo now is going to be Clear & Shino.  I've been told that I should create things in more colors, that other people will like it & will buy it that way.  Well, right now I'm not making for other people.  I am making for me, for my artistic advance.  I want cohesiveness & shit I am going to get it!

If you can't tell, I take creating rather seriously.  I am also very selfish as an artist.  I am not sure if that's something you are supposed to be, but I am not creating things for other people.  I am creating them for me, so that I can grow as an artist.  I don't care if I should do it in blue or green or polka dot...it's not for you, it's for my own self discovery.  I create things I like in the hopes that others will like them too.  Shared experiences & all.  Peep the artist statement for that.

My next class has started & my new goal is to play with shape & scale.  I want to see how all my pieces interact.  The shape I tend to is sort of contact lens shaped: sort of conical but wide.  I want to make tumblers & bowls that play with the same shapes but different scales.  My inspiration were these two tumblers.  All will be glazed in the clear/shino combo.

I realized in the first class of this session that I am not making up my desire to make things.  I sat back down at that wheel & got some practice in (all my stuff was crap), but I discovered that I went to school for something & it's followed me.  I am striving for something, some sort of end goal...free from the pressures of projects like I had in school.  I am striving to making something for me.

I hope to eventually get to making pottery a part of my income, but so far I've not really had much luck.  I know I need to dedicate more to it and stop making excuses.  Nothing is in the shop right now because all the ones I photographed ended up being sold to my aunts & to someone at the art show I was at Sunday.  But I do hope to get more things listed soon.

Do you have a dream you are going after? How about any goals you've reached then readjusted?

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May Goals // Moving Forward

Way back long ago, probably in September, I started doing monthly goals.  Eventually (like everything in my life) it got pushed aside.  I've always had a problem with setting & keeping goals.  I even hosted a goal week to see if I could push myself back up into setting good goals....It sorta worked, I guess..

First LDR Stargate via Skype date while I painted my nails.

I feel like the it sorta worked...I guess thing is what I fall back on.  I whole heartedly think that just because you set a goal doesn't mean you have to reach it, you just have to learn something in the process that will help you in the long run.  I like the whole every tried. ever failed. no matter, try again. fail again. fail better. sorta deal.  But for the month of May, I am bringing back the goals.  Why? (well, why not really) Because there is something I need to focus on Guest Posts. I NEVER do guest posts guys, never.  Why? Because I don't have time, I forget, I am to excited to put the content I come up with on my blog, the list goes on really.  But I want to set a goal for May:

Submit at least four guest posts to blogs I love.

Hopefully that will even out to a post a week.  I hope to keep this up into June, too.

Now that Zach is gone & I need something to do focusing on guest posts may end up being the best reward in my marketing plan.  I should probably write out a marketing plan too don't you think?

What are some other goals for May?

- begin work on a blogging 101 e-book (and set an end goal to be finished)

- add more creative resume posts

- spend less on coffee

- make more coffee at home

- try to keep my inbox organized

- add more art to the etsy shop

- host an online yard sale

What are your goals for the Month of May?

Fan Fridays // Life Moves Pretty Fast

I don't mean to overwhelm you with an incredibly Me centered post, but I have to share with you: I am pretty damn proud of myself. I've been keeping up with my goals, listing things in the shop, blogging like an actual (respectable) blogger, & working like I am getting paid for it.  The best advice I ever read was blog like you've got 3000 followers. Why was this the best advice? Because it makes you do your best! Everyday I wake up & think I am making a living from my blog/my shop & it makes me work harder.

Do I have 3000 followers? nope, barely even have 200.

Do I have a sale everyday? nope, barely even have 30 total sales ever!

Do I mind that I don't have these things? nope, because if I keep working hard at it someday it will happen.

What's that other saying? Dress for the job you want, not the job you have. I think that's it.  

via

Eventually I'd like to turn my hobbies into my career.  I'd like to be able to work from home, to create things, & to feel like I am doing something with the skills I have.  I am tired of sitting by the side lines & being too chicken to do anything.  I've got to make mistakes so I can get somewhere right?  Here's some things I've been pinning lately to help me out with that

Lessons learned from Little Tiny Pieces (A lovely blog I am sponsoring this month!) was a post that kick started this job you want attitude in me.  I found this blog only about last week or so.  When she put a tweet out to the universe about sponsorship I knew I had to take part.  The 5 lessons she shares in this post give me the guts to keep going.

In the words of Bueller.

This post on Colour Lovers about Resumes inspired me to create my own creative one & to start a resume series here on the blog.  Now I just have to find out how to get started.  I wrote a little work book for the class I taught but I don't know how to translate it into a blog-worthy topic.

Pretty much my Hello Monday board on Pinterest sums up my view on life right now

lots of coffee

lots of inspiration

a little bit of 500 Days of Summer quotes

What are you aspiring to this year? Hope your sticking to it!

Things to Remember // Advice I Give Myself

Things are going to change in my life over the next few months.  Some I am in total control of & somethings I am not.  I am hoping to jump deeper into blogging, into handmade, & into another project here soon.  So, today (this week, this month, the rest of the year!) I need to remember:

purchase print from here {EMIGES shop}

It's super important to realize that the only thing holding you back from doing what you want is YOU!  I can't get past my nervousness or the fact that I feel I am not qualified to do the things I try to do.  There are so many people out there who know more right? Who am I to say that I am up to their level?

The fact is that we all started out as amateurs! Everyone picked up a pencil for the first time.  Every artist started somewhere.  Well, I've decided that the start for me will be 2012.  I have to keep this saying in mind too!

I've got some goals I need to write out & put down.  Even though I am not sure where to start, I know I have to.  I'm going to keep in mind the posts from last year's Goal Week in mind as I go through this year!

What expectations do you have for yourself this year?

Hello Monday // Fail Better

Every few months or so I get the initiative to 'make the blog better.'  Then, in a few months time I slack off & resort to just posting stuff that sorta fits into the post templates I've created.  I get a bit sad about that.

Each time I resolve to be a bit better & I think I've crept forward but Five Sixteenths is not where I'd like it  to be.  Which leads me to question: Where do I want Five Sixteenths to be?

I am not ready for blogging & a shop to be my life.  I do however want Five Sixteenths to be unique & a part of me.  Drawing so much inspiration from other bloggers often leads me to compare Five Sixteenths to the blogs I follow, and not in a good way.

In the past few days I've thought about the top 5 mistakes I made in blogging.

 Thinking I have to 'fit in' - Five Sixteenths has a bunch of pre-formatted posts, like Make it Monday & Fan Friday.  I saw so many bloggers with weekly features on their blogs that I totally just filled my blog up with all the pre-formated posts I could think of! You don't have to fit in & do what everyone else is doing.  Yes, readers like consistency (something to look forward to like blog features) but I try to keep quality posts rather than quantity.  Keeping up the integrity of the blog or creating integrity for your blog is rather tricky sometimes.  

 Giving up & not blogging - Thinking that I had nothing to offer often kept me from blogging.  Who am I to be so great to post something that someone will care about? No one eve reads this blog, I'd think.  Well, the best piece of advice I ever read was to blog as if you had 3000 readers.  Another piece of advice I read just the other day was to make sure even you want to visit your blog.  Do you like being kept in the dark? Or left hanging for a post? Readers want to read! Even if it's nothing too great see if you can link up some old posts or just post what you're thinking that day, your plans for the weekend, how much you love your shoes, etc.  Sometimes I'd convince myself I had nothing.  It's ok to take a break sometimes, believe me, sometimes enjoying things other than blogging is alright!

 Not blogging about life - There was a point in this blogs past that I just reposted things I found around the blogsphere.  I used this blog as a sort of public inspiration board.  This was long before Pinterest & Five Sixteenths was just a reposting board with no uniqueness.  Including posts about life, inspiration,  creativity, and plain ol day to day activity are the reasons I follow other blogs! So why wasn't I including things that would make you, the reader, like (or hate) me? I have no idea! Seeing other peoples dogs, homes, crafts, and aspirations are the reasons I want to share mine! A big part of blogging I think is realizing that there are others like you, which makes you want to be a part of the community!

 Comparing - Sometimes comparing your blog to others is a good thing.  Evaluating the design & effectiveness of blogs you love help you create a better looking blog of your own.  I usually pull up some interesting blogs or blogs that I think are well designed & incorporate different elements into my own design.  My recent blog re-design reflects the inspiration I draw from other blogs that I love.  But I often find myself comparing Five Sixteenths on a level of success & failure.  Getting jealous of others accomplishments or achievements is common in the blog community I think since we are all exposed to such great bloggers.  I personally find myself wondering how these amazing bloggers do it all: have great posts, great pictures, have time to work on their projects, have time for lives, have time for work, for relationships, etc.  How do they do it? Am I not as dedicated? What am I not doing? It turns out the thing I am not doing is being them! So, blog for you.  What do you want to share...and make sure it's true to you!

This post is the first of my dedication to quality posts.  To actually sharing useful information.  Tomorrow I hope to post my new planner & blog book with some honest suggestions on how this whole blog planning is supposed to work!

Have you ever had trouble being true to yourself? How do you feel about keeping your blog a part of you? Do you have any tips?

2012 Goals // Life, Blog, Work

Now that 2012 is in full swing, I have thought about some goals I'd like to set for 2012.  I've never been good at keeping goals.  I always forget or just plain don't do them but I still set them.  I still have somethings from 2011 I have to complete & I feel so bad about it.  I am not sure if I am lazy or just plain old forgetful.  Sometimes I feel like I am missing out on a lot of things because I am such a home body.  Sometimes spending the day doing nothing happens a bit too often.

Side note: Now that I am a 'grown up' I see how hard it is to balance job, house work, blogging, dating, hanging out, making, & having fun.  Sometimes I don't feel I can do it all!  I have so many things I'd like to do but there's alway something I feel in the way.  I guess I need to stop making excuses, but it seems that there are loads of bloggers out there making it happen & I want to be one of them!

Buy a better blonde wig - I love my wigs.  No one else does, mainly because my blonde one is freaking crazy!  I want to buy a better, toned down one to wear.

Gain the confidence to wear my wigs out of the house - I've worn my brown one out shopping before so I think I need to just put them on & go out by myself to gain some confidence.  I think wearing things you aren't so sure about at home first is a great way to get comfortable with something. Which leads to my next goal.

Wear red lipstick - I know some people who just look great in red lipstick.  Perhaps crimson isn't for me but I'd like to start wearing a fun color lipstick just to spice up my outfit.

Get back to wearing make up - Zach doesn't really like when I wear make up, but I used to be totally into it! I'd go out & find cool stuff at the drug store or catch things on sale.  I just like to look done up & to take a bit more care of myself that way.

Make more things/Stick with stuff - this really applies to the shop.  I've been wanting to add home stuff, art, maybe even vintage to the shop but I can't seem to get motivated.  The motivation comes in waves & then trails off.  I need to just stick with things.  One day in January I need to just sit & make.

Do the January Instagram Challenge & 52 weeks of Instax - I just need to plain stick with the stuff I say I'll do!!

Let's go Paleo! - At first I was a bit skeptical, but after seeing all the awesome recipes on Pinterest & other websites I think I may like it.  I am still in the early stages...but let's see if Zach & I can continue.

These are just some of the vague things I'd like to be better at durring 2012.

Have you set any goals?

October Blog Goals

Last month I posted my September Blog Goals & for the most part stuck to them! I am so proud of myself!  This October I hoping to continue on with some September goals (like tagging, linking within posts, commenting, etc) but to add a few more.

Open Hostess & Home section of With Love Crochet :: I am hope to launch about mid October with some aprons, hot pads, painted wooden bowls, decorated ceramics, & other nice necessities.  I have a few works in progress & will probably spend a lot of this weekend working on a few things.  (Mainly aprons, I only have one done!)

Do a Hostess & Home Giveaway :: A short little giveaway featuring products from my Hostess & Home section.  Perhaps a great little half apron.

Add more sections of my new home :: I am loving parts of our home decor & want to share those with you.  Pretty much we need to decide if we are going to be here for another year or not.  Right now it's not looking good since the dryer doesn't work (with no luck of fixing it for the past 3 months) & that the roof leaked during hurricane Irene (which hasn't been fixed yet either).

Get back into sponsoring :: I am always on the fence with this.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  Button swapping is the way I like to do it! Money gets too complicated.

Take steps toward a business :: As part of my 20 before 24 goals, I want to move more towards a business.  I am afraid it may get too complicated & perhaps just want to keep it as a hobby for a little while longer.  the extra money is really great to go towards my student loans!

Keep up with 20 Before 24 :: I've done a lot actually, but just haven't had time to go through & cross it out! I've taken a class, started vintage/thrifted collections, etc.  But haven't had a chance to photograph!

What are you doing this October?

Fan Fridays // Weekend Goals & Doo Dads

I can not believe it's Friday already.  I can't believe it's the end of September either.  Lately, I've been doing the thing I did in college where I sleep until the absolute last minute then I get up, run around, & then out the door to work.  It's not fun.  I miss getting up early & hanging out with my roomie before she leaves.  Since her husband (I live with a married couple....maybe I'll tell the story later) got switched to the later shift right now, she tends to do the same thing.  So the only time we see each other in the morning is when we are trading spaces in the bathroom while brushing teeth.  Then its a quick goodbye & we are off to our respective jobs while he stays home with the puppy until he goes into work.  So this next week I am setting myself a bedtime! Lame!

Also, this weekend I want to get a few things kicked out for the Hostess & Home section of With Love Crochet.  Mainly I will be working on some aprons with my trusty old sewing machine! I hope to get about 4 in the shop next week so I'll be working on 3 this weekend since I have one already made.  I made three over the course of last semester; one for me, one for a friend, & one for the shop.  One in the shop will probably be a full apron while the other 3 are half aprons.  Those & so much cuter!

Anyway, here's what I am loving this week:

This high fashion apron!

These cool place mats! Who woulda thunk?

These great chandeliers.  Ever since my room mate got married I've had wedding fever.

Maybe it's just wedding decor fever?

My new leather shoes from Itlay that I thrifted for $4.

This is probably something I didn't really need since they are a 39.5 & from my personal trip to Italy, I know I have King Kong feet & need a 40.  I am going to suck it up though because I love them!

Hopefully my feet won't turn blue & then fall off.

So I think tonight maybe me getting the craft room a bit more set up.  There are still boxes everywhere, but I think I am going to move some stuff into my actual room because of this.  A little negativity: I am so frustrated because I want a place to work but since our apartment is having like too many troubles to mention, we probably aren't going to be there longer than a year.  We still don't have a dryer so I think I am going to do loads tonight & just hang them around to dry.  First world problems, I know. 

What are you loving this week?  

Any goals for the weekend?

October Blog Goals will be up this afternoon!

September Goals :: Blog Evaluation

I've been doing rather good lately blogging nearly every day in August, providing original content.  I've been a very good blogger, if I do say so myself.

But I have been looking into increasing traffic, not only because I want to be worshiped (jk) but because I want to find more blogs & lovely people to connect with.  Being able to connect & share with people who are like me or who are interesting is the reason I started blogging in the first place.  Finding a crowd that sort of 'got it' was important to me.  Also, I sorta want a visual diary to look back on!

source

So for September I am going to set a few little blog goals for Five Sixteenths & for Est. 1839.  I just want to get myself out there!

September Blog Goals:

- tag better :: I feel like I just write random tags.  I need to narrow it down to a few.  My blogger has like a gazillion tags!

- include links with in posts :: I try not to assume that everyone that comes here is a habitual reader but I find myself not linking back or forgetting to show the beginning of something.  I want to include more internal links in posts so new readers will know what I am all about!

- comment on more blogs :: There are tons of blogs I read.  I like to pop by just to see what's going on & usually I don't leave a comment.  But because I want to be a part of a community, I need to interact more.

- do a giveaway :: I have been so bad about giveaways.  I say I'll do one, then I never do.  It's just so hard to get around to it.  I should also say I am no good with goals either. (even though I did a whole goal week!)  I get too distracted & move on to something else.  Bad to mention in a post about goals right?

- build friendships :: Building blog friendships is great.  I need to follow through is the main part!

- be all around thankful :: Just to be grateful for what I've got.

What are your blogging goals?

Have you met any that you set out a while ago?

How do you keep track of your goals? Do you get distracted like I do?

Please, help a girl out! :)

oh & enjoy your 3 day weekend! I know I will!