BEDKNOBS & BAUBLES

Goals for the New Year | 2025

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Above: A snapshot from our trip to Lucerne, Switzerland.

Happy New Year! I recently read an essay about setting New Year’s resolutions and goals that are based on what makes you happy. The author didn’t make lofty proclamations about losing weight or ceasing unnecessary expenditures; she highlighted things that bring her joy like traveling or attending concerts, and then identified potential vacation weeks or tour dates to make those goals a reality. I like this approach because it’s so much more optimistic than self-reflecting on your perceived failures. And even if you do have goals centered on changing a habit, reframing the intention behind it can be powerful.

TRAVEL TO AT LEAST FOUR DESTINATIONS

Travel somewhere new has been my perennial resolution for as long as I can remember. We rarely book trips more than a couple of months out, letting competitive flight and hotel prices guide us, so there’s always a bit of mystery about where we’ll find ourselves vacationing in the new year. That said, we do have two domestic getaways booked already: a summer weekend in Chicago because we found relatively inexpensive hotel prices at The Robey and a longer trip to Philadelphia. Where else will we go in 2025? Who knows! I’m sure there will be an international trip and I’m hoping for a beachside escape, too.

FIND JOY IN MOVEMENT

For whatever reason, I’ve always seen exercise as a type of punishment. I’m sure there’s plenty to unpack there about my perceptions and body image, but we’re not going to do that. Instead, I’m going to focus on how good I feel after I exercise. It takes a lot of mental energy for me to get started, but I always feel proud of myself and more energized afterward. I’m going to work on reframing a workout as something that will make me happy rather than something that I have to do.

CONTINUE MAKING PROGRESS ON HOME PROJECTS

What I love most about “home” is that it’s ever-evolving. Furniture moves, walls are repainted, new decor is added, renovations are considered. It’s never really done, and I can’t really predict what we’ll end up doing this year. However, I do know that focusing on our space makes me incredibly happy. Here are a few things I’d like to take care of in the first half of 2025:

  • Purchase a bookshelf or credenza for the living room. We moved the bar cabinet to the dining room and now have an empty space in the living room that needs some sort of storage, whether open or closed.
  • Purchase a second armchair for the living room. Whenever we have guests over, I feel like we need one more comfortable chair in the room. I’d like to buy a matching leather chair to the one that’s already in the space, but the leather color is no longer available. I’m not sure if a different chair would make the room feel too chaotic and mismatched when the existing armchair already doesn’t match the couch.
  • Install a curtain rod and curtains in the guest room. The space has roller shades already, so this isn’t a privacy- or light-related priority. It’s more for aesthetics. I already bought curtains from Amazon in “Key Green” that match the wall color pretty well (Sherwin-William’s “Billiard Green”), and curtain rods are backordered until March.
  • Finish with the guest room. After curtains are hung, we really only need to hang a mirror, add artwork, and consider replacing the hand-me-down nightstand. I’d also like to find a queen-size bedspread or quilt for the space that I love, rather than using our king-size blankets and tucking under the excess. Addressing the guest room was one of my 2024 goals and I’m so glad we did it because it’s allowed my parents to stay with us when they visit.
  • Begin organizing the basement. This has been on my to-do list for years. It’s a daunting project that I never actually want to start doing. However, if we can even just start with a small section, I think it’ll give us motivation to keep going — or, at the very least, that small section will be organized! Progress, not perfection.

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Goals for the New Year | 2024

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Happy 2024! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a restorative start to the new year! As with every year, I enjoy thinking ahead about what’s to come, reflecting on changes I’d like to implement, goals I’d like to achieve, and places I’d like visit. “Resolutions” have gotten a bad rap recently with their overly ambitious connotations, so let’s just call this my annual list of goals. That doesn’t seem nearly as daunting!

GET ORGANIZED

I never did achieve my 2023 goal of organizing the basement. It’s just such a large, daunting task that feels impossible to get started on. This year, however, is all about getting organized and allowing myself to let go of items that no longer serve a purpose. This extends well beyond the basement, too. Our garage needs some TLC, the kitchen cupboards have miscellaneous food that we need to either consume or toss, and I’m sure there are plenty of things in our closets that could find a new home. I know everyone feels this way at the dawn of a new year, but I finally feel motivated to do something about it. It probably has something to do with aging, too. I turned 40 last year and I don’t need to hold on to things like mugs I had from my first apartment. I want to surround myself with things I truly love or serve a purpose. Things shoved in boxes aren’t exactly doing that.

TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW

You know my favorite annual goal is coming back for 2024! There’s nothing on the books yet — just like how Switzerland wasn’t on my travel radar at this time last year — which makes it all the more exciting to daydream about where we’ll find ourselves.

ESTABLISH NEW ROUTINES

I downloaded the Streaks app to help motivate me into establishing a few key habits in the new year: drink a glass of water before my first cup of coffee in the morning; exercise at least twice per week; read two books a month; and go to the pottery studio once a week. I’ve been successful learning French each day with Duolingo’s reminders (I’m on day 1,007!), so I’m hopeful that Streaks will keep me accountable for the other habits.

MAKE PROGRESS ON HOME PROJECTS

We renovated our bathrooms in 2022, so last year wasn’t ambitious on the home-project front as we sought to beef up our home savings account again. Instead, we worked on refreshing our bedroom by way of a new bed, new lamps, and new paint. While I still need to select and hang curtains, the bedroom has become a room that I really enjoy and it feels so much more adultlike! This year, I’d like to make progress in either our office or guest room (maybe both!) as the rooms have become uninspiring dumping grounds for clutter. I’d also like to start a mood board for the sunroom and — possibly — get quotes on the project so we can start planning what’s feasible in the space to add more livable square footage to our home. I feel like this won’t be anywhere near as extensive as the bathroom renovations were, so my guess is that the price tag won’t be astronomical. I guess we’ll find out!

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Goals for 2023

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We’re a couple of weeks into the new year, but it hasn’t exactly been a slow start. Last weekend, we drove to Michigan and welcomed this darling little cat to the family. I saw her Petfinder listing on New Year’s Eve and immediately sent the link to Dave, intending to submit an application the next morning. By then her listing was already removed due to too much interest and my heart just sank, but I sent an inquiry regardless and received a response within a few minutes. The agency was sifting through applications, hoping to find someone with prior Bengal experience, and it so happens that we were the perfect fit for the little lady! She’s such a sweetheart and was a champ during the six-hour drive home. It’s been so wonderful to have a cat around again, not to mention incredibly fun to discover her little quirks. (The little chirp she makes is the cutest!) Naming her was my first priority for 2023 and we chose Lily. You can follow her Instagram here. Here’s what else is on deck for the year:

TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW

It’s my perennial resolution, but it’s one that brings me so much joy! We don’t have anything booked for the year yet, but that’ll change soon. We had purchased the United Economy Plus annual subscription before our trip to Europe last year, so we need to get more use out of that investment before it expires in July. A ten-day stint abroad in June sounds pretty enticing!

PRIORITIZE TIME FOR HOBBIES

Last year, I began taking pottery lessons and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s so satisfying to take a lump of clay and transform it into something useful — even if it’s just a slightly wonky bowl. I’d like to continue taking classes and sign up for a studio membership this year when an opening comes available. I’m excited to see how my work will progress with more practice on the potter’s wheel.

Additionally, I’m growing fond of gardening. Last year, I was successful with tomatoes and habaneros. This year, I’m going to expand my little urban garden and install a raised bed. Vegetables aside, I planted a lot of perennial plants last fall and I’m eager to see what comes up in the spring. I’d like to start defining some areas of our yard with plants. I’d say “landscaping,” but I don’t want to give you the wrong impression and suggest that my skills are anything other than beginner!

SPEND LESS, SAVE MORE — AND PARE DOWN IN THE PROCESS

This is a holdover from last year, but one worth repeating. We have boxes in the basement that we haven’t opened since moving in five years ago. We desperately need to go through everything, donate what no longer suits us, and get organized. And with that, be thoughtful about what comes into the house. Not only is it a more sustainable way of living, everything needs to go somewhere and anything we purchase needs to be amazing enough to justify the space to house it. Spending less will also help me with my goal of putting 20% of my take-home pay into savings this year. (I had been saving 10% of my monthly income and I can finally bump it up now that my student loans are paid off.)

TACKLE A FEW HOME PROJECTS

As I shared here, our next project is to revamp our bedroom. It’s fine as it is, but it’s just that. Fine. I want our bedroom to be a space we look forward to spending time in; and it wouldn’t hurt if it looks like it belongs in a Schoolhouse ad. I’d like to replace the bed (we actually had it delivered this week!), repaint the accent wall, install curtains, swap out the lamps, and add more art. We’d also like to find a vintage dresser, but that’s less of a priority as it’ll be more difficult than sourcing the other items. Then, we’ll start working on the guest room. Right now, it’s painted, a new light fixture is installed, and we have a dresser. However, it’s not much of a guest room without a bed! On the first floor, I’d like to purchase a cabinet for our dining room to store our serving pieces and glassware. Preferably one with glass doors, so we can get a glimpse of what’s inside.

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Happy New Year + Goals for 2022

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I hope your new year is off to a wonderful and stress-free start! We celebrated the dawn of 2022 with a few of our close friends (all vaxxed and boosted, of course) who came over to play games and share in entirely too much bubbly with us. It was the perfect way to ring in the new year, and we followed it with a weekend of much-needed R&R — and a deep clean of the house. (Never mind the errant pine needles that’ll pop up over the next few months!)

If the last two years has taught us anything, it’s that even the best laid plans will have to pivot and adapt to uncertainty. I’m sure 2022 will be no different, but I’m still a fan of outlining a set of goals to keep us on track for the new year. Here’s what I hope to accomplish this year:

1 | TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW (MUNICH!)

Traveling to a new destination is a perennial goal of ours and one that we’re always happy to check off our to-do list. Assuming the pandemic eases up this year, we’re planning to visit Munich for Oktoberfest this year. We already have our hotel reserved and are researching the other place(s) we’d like to visit while we’re abroad. It feels a bit surreal to be planning an international escape after the last two years, but I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to travel safely and responsibly later this year. And, if not, well, the hotel is refundable.

2 | SHARE MORE HOME CONTENT WITH YOU + HERE’S WHAT’S ON DECK

Our bathroom renovations are scheduled to begin on Feb. 15 and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to see our vision come together for the spaces — and to bring you along for the ride! In addition to that huge project, here’s what else I’d like to accomplish this year: repaint our main bedroom’s accent wall (I’m no longer in love with its current color), hang curtains in our bedroom, finish the guest room, continue honing my budding green thumb with more plants and flowers in our yard this spring, find the perfect armchair for our upstairs office space, finally organize the basement and workbench, and close up the inoperable door to the original porch of our home (you can see the door on the right of the opening image in this post).

3 | SPEND LESS, SAVE MORE — AND PARE DOWN IN THE PROCESS

First off, I should be able to pay off my student loans this year! That loan felt insurmountable post-graduation and I can barely believe that I’m in the homestretch! Additionally, I have a target number to increase my savings account by this year. It’ll essentially have me saving twice as much each month as I did in 2021. It doesn’t seem unrealistic, but it is going to require that I actually make a budget and stick to it. I think this will be good and will help me continue to strive for fewer better things. I want to be mindful of my purchases and ensure that each one is something that I’ll either use regularly or that will spark joy. Along those lines, I need to do a real purge around the house. We have boxes in our basement that we haven’t opened since moving in four years ago. Some are old photo albums and will stay, along with the prettiest Kate Spade dessert plates and cake stand I just don’t have a home for in our kitchen. (I resolve to bring out the cake plate for special occasions this year!) Other boxes are full of miscellaneous things that don’t have a place in our lifestyle. I have a difficult time letting go of material items because I feel so guilty for having spent the money in the first place, but it’s not doing us any good in a box.

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Goals for 2019 – The First Six Months

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New Year's Resolutions for 2019 on Bedknobs & Baubles

I love the start of a new year, especially the fresh slate and sense of optimism that comes with it! But as I was reflecting on the past year and thinking about some of my goals for 2019, I realized that I seem to forget what were my priorities midway through the year! This year, I’m looking at things in six-month increments. It’s enough time to actually work toward some of my goals, but having a midyear check in will help keep me accountable and allow me to reflect back on what’s not working and why.

TRAVEL SOMEWHERE NEW

If you’ve been a longtime reader, you’ll know that this is a perennial goal of mine. I think it’s important to continuously expand your horizons and see new parts of the country and world. For me, travel is inspiring, fuels my creativity, and honestly travel makes me feel like a better and more interesting person. We traveled a lot last year, visiting London, Austin, Portland, Seattle, New York City, and Chicago. The latter was the only city I had already been to (and numerous times at that; it’s only a couple of hours from Madison, so we get there at least once a year). This month, we’ll be traveling to Florida’s Gulf coast to visit Dave’s parents who rented a condo for the month. We have Sweden on the radar for this spring (assuming work schedules and travel costs allow), and we’ll add on a to-be-determined destination abroad during that trip. It’s tempting to go back to our beloved Brussels or visit Copenhagen again because one week in that gorgeous city wasn’t nearly enough time.

GO WITH THE FLOW

I’m not the most chill person and I may have a tendency to overreact and be a bit dramatic. This year, I’m going to do my best to be more understanding and relaxed whenever an unexpected curveball is thrown my way. Along with this, I need to stop taking as many things personally.

TAKE SELF CARE SERIOUSLY

No, I’m not talking about doing face masks and soaking in the tub. I’m talking about being more active, drinking more water, reading more often, and eating better. My 46-year-old uncle died rather unexpectedly on Thanksgiving and it was an eyeopener to me that at age 35, I really need to start taking steps to take care of myself so that I don’t find myself with a slew of health problems ten years from now. I do need to lose weight. I lost 15 pounds in 2018 … and then gained it all back during our hectic travel months and the holidays. While discouraging, if I could do it last year, I can easily make it happen again with a little willpower! I’ve also been making sure I drink at least 64 ounces of water daily (but aiming for 100 ounces each day). This is such a small thing, but it’s made me feel more energetic and keeps me from mindlessly snacking when I’m really just thirsty.

AROUND THE HOUSE

I had a lofty list of goals for the house last year and didn’t accomplish as many as I naively thought possible. That said, we did find the perfect dining room table and chairs, painted our upstairs hallway, made significant progress on painting the doors and removing old paint from the hardware, purchased light fixtures for five rooms, and had four dying trees removed. We probably should have done more, but it’s such a balancing act with time and money. Here’s my must-do list for the first six months of 2019:

  • First of all, share more home-related content! I’d love to give you a better idea of where I’m spending my time and some of the things I’ve learned improving a fixer upper.
  • Finish installing our living room sconces. We bought sconces months ago and only installed one. It was such an annoying process that we got discouraged and put it off. I’d actually like this done before the end of January.
  • Paint the remaining three doors, strip the paint from the hardware, and hang them.
  • Hire someone to fill in the unnecessary doorway between our bedroom and guest room. (Long story short, the house was a two-flat at some point. Our upstairs guest room was a kitchen and our master was a living room. Instead of having the tenants go into the small hallway to access each room from the original doorways, a previous owner cut a doorway between the two rooms … and did a shoddy job at that. In fact, the “trim” is plywood. It’s a more difficult job than just drywalling each side, which we could do ourselves, so we’ll need to hire someone. I’ll share photos and talk about it more soon!)
  • Hire a painter to tackle our stairwell. I’d like to do wallpaper eventually, but I don’t want to live with the ugly yellowish paint that’s on the wall until I have money saved up. I’d rather have it painted white (or maybe an accent color) so it’s less of an eyesore for the time being.
  • Replace the storm door at the front of the house. It’s in such poor shape and incredibly ugly. (I have no idea how to install a door, so that’ll be an adventurous weekend!)
  • Add a screen door to our back deck, if the existing door and frame allows.
  • Add an exterior motion-sensor light to the garage.
  • Paint or stain the deck and front porch.
  • Figure out our gutter situation so the rain doesn’t just dump directly from the roof onto the deck. (I’m not sure if they simply need to be cleaned out or if we need more gutters.)
  • Buy curtains for the dining room. Our house is close to the neighbor’s property, so we’d like to do sheers or linen curtains for privacy, but also to allow light to come in.

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