Somehow, insanely, it is 2020. The Roaring Twenties are back (hopefully minus the prohibition)!

Usually my first post of the month is my reading list for the previous month. However, like everyone, I have done a fair amount of reflecting, not necessarily on the entire last decade (although that did enter my thoughts once or twice) but on the new year in general. I once made a resolution not to make any more resolutions (really just to annoy my dad when I was twelve and he was trying to make us go around and share resolutions), and I stuck to that for a long time. This year, however, I have a few things I want to change as we enter this new decade. And in an effort to keep myself accountable, I have put some of them together to share here.

There are a simple two, and I feel like they will impact almost everything else I decide to do this year.

Better Time Management

I have a very all or nothing personality. I either like to dive all in or not at all. Sometimes this means I am very productive. Other times this means I sit on my couch and do absolutely nothing at all. I’d like to learn the art of doing things bit by bit. I’ve started by sewing a dress for myself despite how busy I am. I am allowed to work on the dress for 10-20 minutes a day which is really all I can spare at the moment. I started this on the first of the year by cutting out the pattern on the first day and then sewing the bodice to the shoulder seams yesterday.

It has already made a world of difference to my sanity. I love doing the musical, don’t get me wrong, but I was really, really missing sewing for myself.

And of course, I intend to apply this principal to other things in my life, both work and personal life related.

Getting Healthier

I am not a person who is ashamed of having a few extra pounds. I used to be quite overweight, clocking in at 225! About seventeen years ago, I lost 80 of those pounds and have largely kept it off. Some of the initial weight came back and I stayed at a comfortable average for along time. However, recently, I have found weight creeping back on. I dislike this more because I’m not feeling very healthy. However, I’m not going to pretend that there isn’t a little vanity involved too. I would like to look better.

That being said, however, I am a sewist and know that measurements and weight are two very different things. Losing weight does not necessarily mean that I will be super healthy, and that’s more the goal here. And while I do use a scale to help me progress (I find a once a week weigh in to be motivating), I know that it’s not the be all and end all of everything.

This goal is also related to my first goal, as I need to get more exercise in. My aforementioned “all or nothing” personality tends to skip workouts entirely when I don’t have time, when I have to learn that even a 10-20 minute workout is better than no workout at all!

So there you have it. Two relatively simple things that I think will add up over time to create a big impact on how I go about my day.

As far as the blog and sewing goes, I plan to keep up m schedule but also not stress out if I don’t! In the sewing department, I am participating in a new version of #makenine this year. Instead of choosing nine projects, I chose nine fabrics instead! This keeps my challenge more open and allows for new patterns and changing whims! (Plus it helps me use what I already have). Here are my chosen fabrics:

I am also taking part in the #sewingbingo2020 challenge, hosted by @patsypoomakes on Instagram. It’s a WAY more general challenge and I love it for the same reasons I love the make nine – it allows for a lot of interpretation. The categories are:

Moving forward, my usually monthly posts this month are going to be a little out of order because of events I have coming up. This Sunday I am going to the closing night of Waitress (yes, again – I’ve seen it so much I felt like I owed it to myself to see the final performance!) so I’ll have a post up about that on Tuesday. My book post will arrive by next Friday. I think I’m going to skip my makes update post this month, as I want the play stuff to be a surprise when I show off the pictures in February!

With that said, Happy New Year! I’m looking forward to continuing to share my little corner of the world with you!