delilah’s resolutions for 2014

I am one of those “resolutions” people- I love the sense of starting off with a clean slate that the close of a year brings. It’s a time of reflection and evaluation, a time of improvement as you see the future become the present. Usually, I spend New Years quietly at home resting and thinking of not only what I want from the coming year, but also the years to come (of course with a few cocktails and binge-watching a TV show).  I am also a “lists” person. I usually end my day writing lists of things that need to be accomplished the following day as well as that week. New Years, is Master List time. The master list often contains things that can’t be checked off and forgotten about the way the items on daily or weekly list can. The master list is always with me because many tasks require several actions to complete or are things that I need to do on a daily basis. What do I have one my Master List for 2014?

1. Have a great outdoor space: I love having a great outdoor space. about 1.5 years ago, we bought a house with a large backyard (large for us!) and up until November, it has been a dirt lot. We don’t have a dining room, so the backyard is going to be our main entertaining area and place where we’ll grow and cook food (two things I have been passionate about for years). Since I want to get this done by summer, I really need to haul a$$ on this and will be posting progress and projects here regularly. I know I am getting all listy within the list but to accomplish larger outdoor space goal, I broke it down into sections. Breaking larger goals into smaller action items helps give me a sense of accomplishment during the project and cut down on feeling overwhelmed.

In order to have a great outdoor space i have to:
Raised beds: We want to eat most of our produce from our home. We also have a weekly CSA box so I think between the two we can do pretty well. Once we start harvesting, I will start posting recipes based off of these two sources. *I’m proud to say we’ve already done this!

Kitchen: I love cooking outdoors and have been planning designs for over a year. I am hoping to make the space an area for workshops and demos.
Bread oven: If we are going to create a full kitchen outdoors, I think a bread oven is in order- we may not use it all of the time, but having it will be a fantastic addition. This has been on my bucket list for years, so it will happen!
Large seating/table area: I want to build a dining table for 14 people, you can’t cook the garden in an outdoor kitchen without enjoying it outdoors right?
Finish organizing the garage: Right now our garage is a laundry room/Patchwork Show storage/hot mess. It’s Time to organize that mess into a functioning storage and workout space!
Décor: lighting, décor, water feature and art- the outdoors needs to be a reflection of our home.
2. Simplify: I have been going non-stop since 2005 when I started building my shop. This past year I hit a wall where I realized that I needed to fine-tune my life and start simplifying things. I’m entering 2014 with a clear head and ready to make changes in my life where I can.
3. Plan my wedding: I have been engaged for over a year and as much as I want the big-a$$ party, things have been so busy that I can’t think of organizing another event. More importantly, I want to enjoy every aspect of it, not just rush through it because there is so much other stuff to do! The date is pretty much set and it will happen this summer. The theme=STREET PARTY. More to come!
4. 30 minutes everyday: I spend a lot of time sitting and working either on stuff for Patchwork, Craftcation or my shop. I need to make an effort to move everyday. 30 minutes is nothing. As I become older, I can feel myself becoming weaker.

5. Blog, connect and try something new: Remember goal #2? simplify. Part of that is trying to make more time and blogging and connecting with people is part of how I want to fill that time. I want to be able to connect more with the outside world. Nicole has been handling the blog and I want to start making it a priority too.  I used to blog and loved sharing things but I think 2013 left me feeling introverted and a little hesitant. I also am working on another new idea that we will hopefully launch soon.
6. Check off this list: There are only five things, I know I can do this. I will be posting throughout the year as these resolutions progress. I also printed out this list and have it in my shop and one in my closet- I am excited for this year!

-delilah snell