Word for 2012

The month of December was a very busy one for me, we have two birthday's, kid's Christmas parties, concerts, adult parties and just general holiday activities.  It has been a great holiday season filled with many great memories and spending time with wonderful friends and family.   I am so thankful for our lives we are bursting with so many wonderful people, this year was very special for me I reconnected with two wonderful people who have been absent from my life for many years, we had a lot of catching up to do but it feels so good to have these people back I didn't realize how much my heart was missing them until we started talking again.  I can't wait to strengthen our relationships and hopefully spend some quality time with both of them and their families. 

My jewelry business has had some highs and lows, I think the lows have been that I don't get as much of an opportunity to work on jewelry as I would like to and that is something I am going to try and do because I get so much joy out of it and I feel so content when I am playing with my beads.  My highs I have had a few parties at the end of the year and I have added to my client list and I am hoping that these people will think of me, and some of these people have been very supportive and are assisting in helping me build my business, I am very grateful for you!!!

My word for last year was GROWTH and I do believe that I have grown throughout this year, there is still lots of work to be done, this was the first time I chose a word of the year it was a good one and served it's purpose.  I think because I want to continue to grow my business and expand my skills growth will still play a part this year.

I have been struggling the last part of 2011, I feel like I have been stretched in all different directions and not keeping my head above water.  It feels like my house has fallen apart, I can't seem to keep on top of the cleaning, laundry, preparing supper and just everyday tasks.  I seem to be lacking energy to do any of these things, and it is driving me crazy.  I function better in a clean and tidy house and I love to cook but all of those things seem like a huge challenge for me.  So I have decided that I need to find ORDER and BALANCE in my life, I need to follow a sequence, I need to start with something and complete it, I need to make taking care of my home, my family and myself a priority.  I need to prioritize my life and the things that are most important to me, I need to learn to say NO, I need to take some time for myself to recharge my batteries, I want more quality time with my children and husband.  Oh how I need some exercise and healthy eating, I have fallen off the wagon and I know that is contributing to my lack of energy.  So my word of 2012 is ORDER.   I don't have a plan of action yet, but organizing my house is top priority, creating a meal and grocery plan, and trying to get some exercise are some of the things I need to work on first.  Then I need to organize my bead table and I need to start creating.  One of my goals for jewelry this year is too try and get published, I also want to try my hand and participating in some of the monthly challenges at Art Bead Scene and Love My Art Jewelry, I also want to play around with metal, hammering, punching, patina, the sky is the limit.  I also have the Allegory Gallery Design Team that will be a big part of this year, which I am very excited about, working with Andrew and Will and the whole design team has me pumped, I can't wait to start!!!

I have been creating a necklace with pearl knotting and I am almost done so I am planning on that being my first post of 2012 with jewelry, hopefully tomorrow.

I want to thank all of my blog friends this last year for following me, commenting and being great new friends!!  I can not express to you how much you all mean to me and how some days your comments and blogs lift my spirits.  I look forward to strengthening our friendship and reading about your journeys this year!!

Much love,
Penny