Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! What are your goals for this year? I have never been a fan of official new year's resolutions but I have a few goals. They are as follows:

Get fit. I am not aiming to be super-skinny but would like to get back the strength and stamina that I once had. I would also like to clean up my diet. There is too much crap in it currently and I just need to cut it out. Period.

Read more. I feel like I have lost about a million IQ points since having kids and I hate that. I blame exhaustion and too much Thomas but I believe I can feel smart again. Regular reading can help, I think.

Get my work back on track. As you may or may not know, I do bookkeeping work now that I am home with my kids. I have been behind for about 6 months and am desperately trying to get caught up again. 

Figure out my calling. I was blessed to be able to earn a Bachelors and Masters degrees in business but, frankly, I'm not sure that business is my true calling. I have also been blessed to have some diverse career opportunities. In the short term, I still really want to be at home with my kids but God continues to really prod at me that He is wanting something more from me and that that thing will be big and unexpected. Please join me in prayer for figuring out just what it is that He wants me to do this year. I'm starting to get some inclinations after several years of prayer but they seem very strange to me. Hopefully He will fully reveal His will for my next career move in the coming year.

What are your goals? 

Gifties

Still not sure what to get for someone on your Christmas list? Here are a few of my current favorite things.

The Bodum Travel French Press. I adore my French press. I love it so much that I donated my electric coffee pot when we moved several months ago because it hadn't made a pot of coffee in nearly two years. To me, freshly ground beans and utilizing a French press are musts for home coffee preparation as the coffee is just so much better. My husband doesn't drink coffee at all and I don't drink it every day. Plus, I frequently take it on the run when I drink it. I stumbled upon this nifty little gadget a few months back and was intrigued. After using it for several weeks, I am very impressed! Basically, this is a very nice 15-ounce travel mug with the press built into it! It saves me from cleaning a separate press and it is better insulated than any other travel mug I own. Additionally, the 15-ounce size is just perfect for my needs. If there is a coffee aficionado (or loose leaf tea fan) on your list, I would highly suggest checking out this cool product.

Anyone who spends very much time around me knows that I'm a popcorn fiend. I love making it on the stove top in my Whirly Pop but I also like to make it without oil sometimes. I have never been a big microwave popcorn fan but I swore it off altogether a few years ago due to the chemicals in it. My air popper broke a few years back and I never replaced it because I didn't really love the rubbery popcorn it made either. Yet, I was considering buying another air popper because it is healthy when it is made that way. Then I stumbled upon the Nordic Ware Popcorn Popper.I am really digging this popper! It can be used with or without oil, the popper can double as a bowl and the pieces (just a bowl and lid) are dishwasher safe. This thing is a busy popcorn lover's dream! At less than $15, it is very economical too.

As a busy mama, I rarely wear very much makeup (usually just concealer, powder and a little eye makeup). I used to wear lipstick every day when I was working but I don't recall the last time I used it. Still, a little color will help to brighten a tired face. I love Sugar Rose lip balm and use it frequently. It is a great lip balm but it has just a little dark pink color in it too. It's a bit pricey at $22 for a thick tube but totally giftable/splurgeworthy.

Finally, if you are local, I would suggest checking out Candy House. It is an easy place to forget about but they have some really fun treats. I love to give their truffles or their salted milk chocolate caramels (my personal favorite). Their chocolates are always beautiful and they are elegantly packaged too.

Happy shopping!