Best of 2016
It’s the last day of 2016 already? Part of me is not surprised that I’m already writing this post again, but at the same time, part of me is in denial as well. There’s something about the days between Christmas and New Years that always have me in a pensive mood, reflecting on my year. This particular one has been chock-full of blessings and adventures I couldn’t even have dreamed up if I’d tried. I’m thankful to have this space and be digging back through these memories, but I have to admit i’m reluctant to waive goodbye to 2016. Here are some highlights:
Best Pup
Best Husband
Best Purchase
Best News – I got a Promotion
Best Family Photo
Best Friends
Best Lunch Date
Best Birthday
Best Feet Picture
Best Walks with Chloe
Best Girls’ Weekend
Best word choice for 2016
Only a few hours until we’ll be welcoming 2017. What’s on your highlight reel?
A Nourishing 2016
It’s hard to believe it’s the end of my one year journey with my word, nourish.
To keep track of my adventure this year, I’ve been using a traveler’s notebook Art Journal insert from Yellow Paper House that fit right inside my beloved Chic Sparrow Maverick in conjunction with Ali Edward’s One Little Word Course. I love the traveler’s notebook style (as opposed to the one Ali and many other people who take the course choose to do) because of how simple and compact it is. Because I don’t have a ton of space in the book to complete the prompts each month, I don’t have to feel like I need to have more words than I do, because I don’t and that’s stressful. It’s all stream of conscious writing, so it flows out and then I close the book for the month, putting into practice whatever the prompt was from Ali’s class. In addition, I’ve been really into watercolors this year and this journal has been a really great outlet for that.
Here’s how the journal turned out.
January
January was all about getting acquainted with nourish by writing down the definition, why I chose it, action items, and a quote. I love including the pocket with pictures to help remind me what I was doing and how I was feeling in that season. I always get super pumped about my word at the beginning of the year and as that feeling wears off, looking back and monitoring where I am in my goals is always a good tool to help me get back on track. As I completed this portion of the Ali’s class, I was also in the middle of the book The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, which encouraged me to pause and consider each of the following areas of my life: family and friends, personal development, spirituality, finances, career, marriage, fun, giving, physical environment, and health and fitness. In a one to ten fashion, I rated each one and made comments so that I could compare. This is how I chose the goals on the page above and came in really handy now that it’s the end of the year and I’m starting to think about a new word and new ways to move forward. This was by far one of the most rewarding goal setting experiences yet.
February
In February, we chose a practice to do each day for the month that would, in turn, help us create a habit. Unfortunately, I didn’t watch the prompt video until the second week at which point I decided to choose the act of journaling in my bible as my goal for the month. Since I had been dating them, I was able to go back and mark down which days I had done it. I think if I would have known ahead of time, I would have choose something a little more personal/self-care related, but it ended up working out just fine in the long run. I was still able to knock out 20/29 days – not too shabby.
March
In March, I created visual mood board for my word. This was another time that the smaller size was convenient. I’m generally not the type to have a lot of magazines or things I want to tear up laying around the house, so I was able to just grab one magazine to complete these pages which is much more manageable than the 8 ½ by 11 size that I had done in the past. I totally love how the colors played out in these two pages. Just as a sneak peak, my one little word for 2017 is on this page. It’s crazy to look back and see that march is when my next word started showing up.
April
This month, I wrote about things that make me feel nourished so that I could work on making them a more regular part of my life. Here’s what I wrote: “I feel nourished when I’ve had enough sleep. I feel nourished when my quiet time has been relaxed and slow paced. I feel nourished when I eat foods that are good for my body. I feel nourished when I’m praying. I feel nourished when I’m singing to Jesus. I fell nourished when I move my body. Yoga is my favorite. I feel nourished when I spend time on myself. I feel nourished when I’m blending watercolors. I feel nourished after spending time with family and friends. I feel nourished when I’m being creative. I’m feeling nourished when I take naps. I feel nourished when I drink plenty of water. I feel nourished by the sun. I am nourished by good books and my favorite characters. I am nourished by God.”
May
This month was all about taking some photos of things/places that described my word. This was our first month in the new house, which probably explains why all of the photos have to do with that – our bed, my office, and our roses.
June
In June, we reflected on the process and the progress. At this point, I was already feeling like my word was so fulfilling and really enhancing my growth. The highlights of this page are the three things that I had been enjoying about my word:
- The amount of grace this word encouraged me to give myself.
- The encouragement I felt to treat my body better based on how I feel as opposed to how I look.
- Treating myself with nourishment also inspires me to treat others with nourishment as well.
July
In July, I had to remind myself to slow down. After a little getaway for the long fourth of July weekend, I felt like I was in a rush to get back into the swing of real life. I just wrote myself a reminder and included that sweet picture of my family.
August
August was one of my favorite months and talked about seasons of life – where we are right now, what we are struggling with, and what we are celebrating. I waited until the end of the month to complete this one and I’m so glad that I did because a lot of what was going on revolved around my new position at work. I love that my family and real life is weaved in and out of these pages.
September
This was a big one – a prompt about contemplating rest, pace and joy as well as documenting 30 things that bring me joy. I questioned a lot this month if I really know what rest looks like. A reoccurring theme this year is my pace and how I’m either going 100% or I’m sleeping, even when I’m sick or need a break. I think my Type-A personality requires me to feel like I need to be extra productive and to-do list oriented otherwise I feel like my time is being wasted. One of my goals for the end of this year/beginning of next year is to have a binge netflix session because it’s not something I generally do. I’ll keep you posted on that one.
October
These are my favorite quotes that are related to the word Nourish. Because I always make a pinterest board for my word of the year, I had already accumulated quite a few quotes that I felt related perfectly to my word. My favorite one:
“When we nourish ourselves with good people, projects, surroundings, scenery, love, music, beauty, and self-care, we radiate light into the world and continually sharpen our vision, perception, and clarity all at once. This in turn spreads even more. Remember that one tiny drop can raise an ocean. Keep wanting. Desiring. Doing. Breathing in sweet things.
November
November was fun because I got to try a new technique with my watercolors and tissue paper as well as include one of my wedding photos of just myself. I reflected on what I believe, what I love, what I know and what I’ve learned. Conclusion? I’m pretty dang hard on myself.
December
Finally, a good ole wrap up and another picture of me. We separated out our reflection into facts and feelings and I realized that’s something that is REALLY hard to do.
Facts:
- In 2016, I improved and grew as a human.
- Nourish reminded me to consider how I felt about decisions, events, and feelings.
- Nourishing myself is hard.
- What I want nourishment to be and what it really is are different.
- I am proud of myself and what I have accomplished.
Feelings:
- The term self-care makes me want to vom – so cliché and can easily be overused as an excuse not to try hard.
- I feel great about the goals I completed – there are quite a few.
- You can be nourished and struggling at the same time.
- The act of progress and growth are so much more fulfilling than being perfect.
- Journals have presented themselves as the only outlet for me to clear my head and heart.
- Slowing down and adding time to relax into my calendar is the only way it will get done and now I know that about myself.
- All things are possible with Jesus. (Also, on a related note, I saw a quote the other day that said “All things are possible, but everything isn’t”. LOVE.)
I finished off the year by writing a note to my word and recapping my goals. I used to love crossing things off, but it feels so much more positive to highlight them instead. Even though I still have a lot of room for improvement in the nourish category, I’m so impressed with how much I’ve accomplished.
Each year, I add my word to a list of other epic words that I’ve carried with me for a year. Now nourish can join the ranks of joy (2013), rooted (2014), and adventure (2015).
I can’t wait to share with you what next year’s word will be!
Blog-tember Day Seven | Joy
Oh, joy. This word never ceases to be at the forefront of my mind since I choose it to be my One Little Word in 2013. It was then that I realized that true joy is a feeling orchestrated by the Lord – he is the source of my Joy and all things come from him. Even though our prompt for today is to write about five things that bring joy, I have such a hard time narrowing all the joyful things in my life down to my favorites. Call me noncommittal, but here are six things that bring me joy, along with some honorable mentions at the bottom.
September 7, 2016: Things that bring you joy.
+ Family – My sweet husband and my pup make me so happy and marriage has been such a blessing to me. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the joy that is waking up next to Kevin, making dinner with him, and dancing around our living room making up voices for Chloe (our dog). In the same way, our extended families are really important to both of us, so we try to spend as much time with them as we can despite living an hour and a half away from everyone! I am also thankful to have the best in-laws a girl could ask for and seeing our families spend time together and love each other is my favorite.
+ Photography – I bought my first dslr camera during my senior year of high school (about seven years ago) after receiving (and loving) a point and shoot model from my uncle. I really wanted something I could play around and get creative with and I have enjoyed the process ever since. I don’t dwell on missed photo opps although I love taking candids and spur of the moment shots to document normalcy in my day. I’ve tried lots of different styles and types of photography, but nature and stills are by far my favorite. I like to keep track of the moments by printing photos and saving them in photo albums and other journaling projects.
+ Travel – I caught the travel bug early on and it has never really gone away. I’ve been to 38 states and have traveled out of the country 5 times. There hasn’t been a single places that I wasn’t able to find something interesting in and often find myself wanting to explore places more thoroughly. I have a hard time narrowing down my favorite destinations, but I really enjoy places that offer both touristy and local fare and experiences. Bonus points if there’s a beach. (The aerial photo above is from our honeymoon in St. Lucia.)
+ God’s Creation – This goes along well with travel, but i’m always in awe of the beautiful things and people that God has created – each sunrise, flower and human are different and similar all at the same time. This often makes my outdoor runs pretty unproductive because I’m always considering the way that branches on trees turn inward, how the sounds of animals and bugs identify them so clearly (or not), and even how each rock beneath my feet is a different shape and size than the next.
+ Learning – Since forever, I’ve been a fan of books and learning. Knowledge and personal growth are so important to me. It is rare that you would find me without both a book and journal in my purse, just waiting for the next free moment when I can crack them open. I find significant value in learning from myself and others, which is why I love challenges and having people in my life who encourage me to be a better version of myself.
+ Being Cozy – Naps, yoga pants, and coffee shop window seats are my m.o. When we purchased our house, my main decor requirement was that things felt cozy and comfortable for us as well as our guests, while still being stylish. I love warm colors, soft fabrics and all variations of wood. I love flooding of natural light and would always choose the golden hours as my two favorite times of day. Add floral patterns or the real deal in a vase and your living my dream.
Honorable mentions: gift giving, chai lattes, entertaining, blogging, being creative, honesty, deep conversations, snail mail, feet pictures, and filled up journals.
What brings you joy?
Want more info on the Blog-tember Challenge? Check out Bailey’s blog by clicking here!
Nourish | January Prompt
Nourish | verb [nur-ish] | to supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth; to cherish, foster and keep alive.
Quote: When we nourish ourselves with good people, projects, surroundings, scenery, love, magic, beauty, and self-care, we radiate light into the world and continually sharpen our vision, perception, and clarity all at once. This in turn spreads to other beings which spreads to other beings which spreads to even more. Remember that one tiny drop can raise an ocean. Keep wanting. Desiring. Doing. Breaking in the sweet things. – Victoria Erickson
Reason Why: As I mentioned in my first post, I had a bit of a hard time choosing this word. After two years of choosing words that were event-focused, I wanted to choose a word that would help me focus on me. I am craving nourishment. I have put self-care on the back burner due to lack of time, energy and effort. I need to slow down and make time for myself and the things that God wants me to make priorities in my life. I am worth it.
Take Action:
The Year Ahead:
MORE nourishment.
MORE slowing down, LESS letting moments pass me by.
MORE deep conversations, LESS technology.
MORE self-care, LESS unreasonable expectations.
MORE grace, LESS impatience.
MORE healthy foods, LESS fast foods.
MORE yoga and meditation.
MORE journaling, LESS bottled up emotions.
LESS worry, anxiety, frustration.
MORE humility, LESS pride.
MORE, MORE, MORE love. For myself and for others.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
I guess you could say that I’m kind of in love with self-help books lately. I’ve noticed it since I graduated college, so I guess I’m trying to make up for my lack of 24/7 learning. The thing that I find most interesting is that while in college I learned a lot about myself physically (because I studied Nutrition and Exercise Phys) but now I’m using books to learn more about myself mentally and emotionally, which is pretty darn cool (and not to mention helpful). So when I choose my word for the year this year, I knew that I wanted to make some alterations to my perspective and part of that was about wanting to simplify things down and give myself permission to be creative more often. I was recently talking with one of my friends who mentioned that she keeps a capsule wardrobe because it allows her to think less about what she is wearing so that her creativity can be used on other things. I loved that. I often have to be in a certain mindset to think creatively and having clutter and access supplies and things make it really hard to do that.
*Then enters The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up*
When this book came out, everyone and their mother read it. I saw blog post after blog post boasting reviews and videos on how to fold clothes and steps that other people were taking to get their spaces clean. I was a huge skeptic about this book to begin with because, let’s be honest, how can THIS many people like a self-help style book that revolves around cleaning your house? It just seemed a little crazy to me.So I thought I’d outsmart the system. We just started purging all of the things. We cleaned our house from top to bottom getting rid of everything that we didn’t like, didn’t use, or that was broken. We got rid of a lot of stuff. But what I didn’t realize was that while, yes we did purge, we weren’t learning how to not just keep filling up those “empty spaces”.
So now here I am, being THAT person. Writing THAT exact blog post about how this book is changing my life. #embarrassing
I think the thing that I enjoyed most about the book was how she talked about what a cluttered home meant and how it affects other parts of your life. Lately, I have been feeling less creative and I just know that it has to do with the way that my space makes me feel. She says, “A messy room equals a messy mind. Visible mess distracts us from the true source of disorder.”
Here were my main takeaways:
Tidy in one shot | Marie suggest completing the whole ordeal in less than six months. She urges us not to just buy more storage because it’s just a illusion that the clutter problem is solved.
Sort by category, not location | Marie gives an order for your tidying: clothing, books, papers, miscellaneous items, sentimental items, and finally photos. If you want a more detailed list with check boxes, check this one out.
Use “does it spark joy?” as criterion for selection | As you go through each set of items, she tells you to hold each thing in your hand and ask yourself “does this spark joy?” At first, I thought this would be SO hard for me. I typically don’t think of objects as things that bring me joy, but the more I put it into practice, the more it made sense for me. I realized quickly that the longer I had to think about the question, the more it meant that the answer was no. If it is something that doesn’t spark joy, Kondo’s advice is to thank these items for their service because they have filled a specific role in your life. Acknowledge their contribution and then send them away with gratitude.
Reduce until you find the right balance for you | Marie assures readers that you’ll know when the amount of stuff feels right for you. I’m glad she mentions this because I think many people are under the impression that this book is about minimalism but it’s really just about loving, enjoying and feeling relaxed in your space.
Designate a space for each item | After you get done discarding, make a space for each thing that does spark joy. Then when you move those things, they have a specific place to go back to. Part of this process includes some pretty specific folding tactics that I’d never seen before so I had to google them. Try this, it saves tons of room.
I’ve only just started this process, but so far I am feeling extra excited about it. I’ve gotten through my clothes and books, so papers are next. We do have a pretty good system set up for our important papers but I’m sure there are things I can get rid of (because I know that I still have middle school report cards and ACT test info…yikes). If nothing else, this book has helped me get motivated to reorganize and declutter our space. I look forward to updating everyone in about 6 months or so to let you know how it works out!
About
Hi, I'm Jacqueline - believer, learner, and all around hobby enthusiast. I'm married to my highschool sweetheart, Kevin, and we live in the midwest with our sweet pup.
On this blog I share all kinds of things about my life - from my faith journey to the garden in my neighbors backyard. I've been blogging for almost eight years and use this space as a way to document my daily life.
Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the internet.