How’s your New Year going? Were you happy to see 2012 come to an end? While 2012 was good — no, great — to us, I definitely can think of several years that I was happy to see pass. I loved Whitney’s post on this topic; it reminded me of what my Grandmother Blanche used to say, “This too shall pass.”  The bad will pass, but so will the good. The pendulum swing. But even the bad comes with blessings, even in disguise.

Speaking of the not so good — promptly on New Year’s Eve, Simon and I both woke up around 3am with terrible aches & pains. I rolled over in the bed and said, “Are you suffering too?”

Bam. The flu. It was hardly the glamorous NYE that everyone dreams of. In fact, I barely remember that day at all. I don’t think we left our bed all day long. Isn’t that crazy? I cannot remember the last time that we were both sick at the exact same time.  We spent two solid days laying in bed and watching an abysmal amount of daytime television.  We’ve slogged through, staying in our jammies up until yesterday when Simon decided that he just had to go to work. I called him around noon and he was quarantined in his office. None of his work buddies wanted to see him! (Shocking, I know). 😉

Here on the homestead and on the mend, I’m finally getting caught up on work and thinking about what this new year will hold.

One of the best things I did last year (as a result of Alt Summit, actually) was to make a list of things I wanted to accomplish. There wasn’t a deadline for any of the items, although some were a little more immediate than others. Some of the dreams seemed kinda crazy at the time, but you know what? I’ve accomplished several of them. There’s something liberating about putting those things out there and allowing yourself to dream big. Dream crazy. Dream in dazzling, bold technicolor. No more black & white. I’m looking forward to being freshly inspired at this year’s Alt Summit (in 20-something days! Eek!) and revisiting that list of goals.

Regardless of the specifics, I know that at the heart of it all, I want to keep doing what I’m doing — creating and connecting. Overall, I want to be savvier at the creating, and be more on top of the business side of things (which is most definitely not my forte.) I’m also rethinking my office area here in our house after the craziness of getting orders out the door in December. You guys, it was nutso over here. The dining room and front living room were entirely taken over with boxes and shipping supplies. It was paper armageddon. So I’m officially moving everything upstairs and out of our regular living areas where it’s supposed to be anyway. I think I’ve resisted being upstairs for a number of reasons, mostly because I’ve been worried that I’d be spending too much time up there alone & away from the family because I need to get work done. But in a strange twist,  I’ve gotten lazy by sitting around on my laptop on the couch, not being as productive as I could be. So. With the purchase of a new desktop computer, I want to be a little more structured in how I approach my time. I’m discovering that by having the desktop, I’m far more likely to focus on getting work accomplished and not dawdling around on the interwebs as much as I would on the laptop. And hopefully my family will benefit from it overall. I know the overall organization of the house certainly will.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention — Pencil Shavings Studio is participating in another Joss & Main sale starting today! If you got a new iPhone for Christmas, there’s some great deals on iPhone cases.

What are your plans for the New Year, darling friends?