I know it can be a little cheesy but I LOVE the new year and the feeling of a fresh start (however false it may actually be - old habits die hard, etc.) to feel re-energized and inspired. I’m no longer a student but it’s close to the feeling of a fresh planner the week before school starts. 2024 felt like a year of absolute survival. We’d just moved back to Northwest Arkansas after 5 years in Seattle at the end of 2023 and then had our second baby in January of 2024. The transition from 1-2 was really difficult for me and the reality of the year meant a lot of getting by and feeling like I was treading water.
Now we are coming up on my baby’s first birthday and I’m starting to feel like I have a little more margin. I’m no longer immediately going to bed when my kids do and every few mornings I’m able to start my day before they’re up. Both of these have been making such a difference in how my days go. I’ve been leaning into more creative hobbies and in the last few months I’ve sewed two items of clothing which feels like a *big* thing.
At risk of sounding a little hokey, 2025 feels like the year of getting my pink back. I’ve been thinking about what I’d like the year to look like: what will make me feel present, what will push me, what will be an investment in my future self, and what will be FUN. My primary goal is to spend more time enjoying my day to day and less time mindlessly scrolling.
make 5 garments
I have only recently gotten over my fear of print at home sewing patterns. In my mind it was going to be a huge ordeal to tape it all together but in actuality it goes pretty quickly. It was a huge mental block but I feel like it’s opened a whole new world now that I feel confident in doing it. I made lane pants and the skyline dress recently - both patterns I loved and plan to remake in smaller sizes.
I really want to boost my wardrobe with fun pants - I love to wear them with a simple tee and either birkenstocks or converse. It feels like a really easy outfit formula that also works for my real life.
I’ve also picked my knitting needles back up again - first up: the olga sweater. It’s not my ideal color pattern but it’s using a lot of what I have on hand already. It’s been a nice rhythm to listen to my audiobook and knit a few rows in the evenings.
read 30 books
I always have some sort of reading goal and I have loved tracking my books for the last several years.
I ended up changing my goal midway through last year (and will feel free to do it again this year if need be) but 30 feels like a good number.
current audiobook: Becoming
most anticipated book: Wild Dark Shore
I don’t have any other reading goals other than to just do it and find books I love! I’ve been utilizing Spotify for audiobooks while I place others on hold through my library on the Libby app.
find a favorite pizza dough recipe
My parameters: doesn’t take TOO much planning ahead, not too thin a crust, and makes enough for two medium/large-ish pizzas. If it uses up sourdough discard that’s a bonus. I’ve tried several different recipes and don’t feel like any of them have been THE ONE. I’m ready to find our go-to for pizza at home as it’s a fairly easy, regular staple dinner that can be adjusted based on what we need to use up. I’ve been buying mozzarella in bulk from Sam’s club and freezing some of it so that we don’t run out. So much more cost effective this way too!