It's 2013, now what?

Happy belated new year everyone!  I hope the Christmas holidays were all you hoped they would be.  As for me, my holidays were fabulous.  This was the first Christmas for my grandson, Gunner.  The fun of Christmas should set in next year as he will be old enough to know something special is going on.  It is hilarious to watch my kids open gifts that they aren't expecting.  This year my youngest opened one particular gift and thought it was something completely different.  When it dawned on her what she was holding, she let out a squeal and nearly dropped the gift due to her excitement.  Those are the kind of surprises that really make my day.

Have you made resolutions for 2013?  We both know that resolutions are rarely ever kept.  Instead of resolutions, this year I am making plans for what I'd like to do.  I don't have to make plans to start a weight loss program as I started that last summer, which will continue throughout this year.  Other things I'd like to work on in 2013 include:

Getting more into photography.  My son and I have plans on attending 3 conventions this year where we meeting celebrities, and taking lots of pictures.  These conventions include the Lexington ComicCon (March), Fright Night Film Fest & Fandom Fest (July), and ScareFest (September).  The husband and I hope to attend the 2013 Shades of the Past Rally in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in September.  If you would like to see photos from 2012, you can visit the Photo Gallery at SharrysPlace.com.

Learning Adobe PhotoShop Elements.  I purchased this software a few months ago and haven't had a chance to work with it.  It unfortunately did not come with a manual but there are several tutorials online I can learn from.  I need to learn how to use it so that I can incorporate it into my photography.

Finish Web Page Designer classes.  I started taking classes last year on Web Page Designs from Penn Foster.  These classes are at a stand-still at the present time.  Penn Foster requires a third of my tuition before they can send me the Dreamweaver software I need to continue with my lessons.  As soon as this happens, I will be a happy camper.  :-)

Possible make-over of my website.  I am thinking about giving my website, SharrysPlace.com, a complete make-over.  I want to the site to reflect my photography and web page creations more professionally.

Buy an embroidery machine.  For some time now I have wanted to get into embroidery and monogramming.  The desire for an embroidery machine has really been strong since the birth of my grandson.  There are several of my daughter's friends who are either pregnant or trying to start a family, and monogrammed baby items would make great gifts.

Set up my sewing room.  Though I'm not that good at it, I love to sew.  We are in the process of putting the finishing touches on a garage, which includes 2 extra rooms. One of these rooms will be my sewing room.  I'll have more room there than I have now, which is just a small corner of my bedroom.  I'll be able to also set up my quilting frame, which has a baby quilt on it I need to finish.

Make greeting cards.  My church has a "post office" each year at Christmas which helps in collecting money for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  For several years I printed my own Christmas cards, and I would get several compliments on the cards I made.  These were just simple cards, and I got out of the habit of making them.  A Cricut machine has joined my other "toys" and will be put to use making cards for all occasions.  There are several cartridges I don't have yet, but will be purchased over the next few months.

Save money for my wish list.  Besides the embroidery machine, I have a few other items on my wish list.  A new, more up-to-date digital camera would be great.  A camcorder would also be great not only for taking videos of my grandson, but also taking videos of the conventions I will be attending.  The convention videos would be uploaded to my youtube channel, as well as posted on my website.  As mentioned before, I would like to get some holiday cartridges for my Cricut.

If you have things you would like to achieve during 2013, why not do as I have just done - write them down, and then go make them happen.  I hope this year will be a great one for you, and may the Lord truly bless you and yours.