Goals for 2016

Hello!
How are your New Year's resolutions going? Did you make any? I made two.

1) Go outside more.
This one is pretty self explanatory. I'm going to try to get outside every day. Weather permitting, of course.

2) Significantly improve my cooking and baking skills. I hope to master a lot of basic techniques this year. As well as several of my favorite restaurant and bakery foods like;

__ Dumplings

I fell in love with Jao Zi during my trip to China but have never made a succesful batch at home. I'm determined to change that in 2016.

__ Glazed Scones

I could have just said scones, but let's face it, all the best scones are glazed so they don't get too dry. Besides, does anyone actually mind an extra layer of sugar?

__ Croissants

Way more elegant than plain ole bread. When I bake croissants in 2016, you are going to envy all my future breakfasts and sandwiches. I guarantee it.

__ Pita Bread

Deceptively simple, Pitas are something I've already failed at once, years ago. This year, with the help of my flat griddle, I will succeed.

__Crepes

Savory crepes are my fave! What fillings do you like?

__Macarons
Yummy! Unless someone flies me to France so I can experience the world's best macarons, I will have to settle for making the best in Dodge County.

Those all are my most important goals in 2016. Progress is going well, so far. I've made time to go outside with the family every day. As well as baking a classic apple pie using a cookbook I got for Christmas.  The picture is below. Doesn't it look delicious? Hope all of your goals are going just as well!

 

New Year's Resolutions Update

If you remember, I made three New Year's resolutions this year. Now I'm already one third of the way through the year and have about a 1.5/3 success rate. Here's the breakdown.

1) Do more yoga.
I haven't been as successful as a thought I would be. Mostly because the weather has been nicer. Instead of indoor yoga, I've been opting for daily stroller walks with Layla in the spring sunshine instead. It's not yoga and probably doesn't increase my flexibility or get me closer to my handstand goal but its still just as relaxing and physically active. Plus its mich easier to do with Layla.

2) Blog more
This has probably been the most successful new goal for me. Once or twice a week, during nap time, I try to post something relevant to my life. I'm already improving. If you have any suggestions for me I'm always happy to hear them.

3) Stand up for myself more.
This one is definitely the most difficult. Unlike my first two resolutions, I haven't improved upon this very much at all. I am working less and getting more sleep, however,  so I'm altogether far less irritable. Surely this goal is going to take me more than a year to master.

What were your New Year's Resolutions? Were they successful? Let me know.

New Year's Resolutions

Lately I've been hearing about how pointless new years resolutions are. Just this morning, the news spouted some "fact" like only seventy percent of people  stick to their new year's goals for more than two weeks. But I've never been the kind of person who sets the "quit smoking" "lose 500lbs" type of goals, so hopefully my new year lifestyle changes last  longer than average.

Call me overconfident,  but I made not just one, but three, new years resolutions this year.
1) Do more yoga.
I've been dabbling with yoga for about four years or more. That said, dabbling is nothing compared to a routine practice. There's still allloooot of room for improvement.  Probably because I do my yoga in the middle of the living room with a toddler running around trying to wrestle with me. But, hey,  it starts with baby steps right?

2) Stand up for myself more. As in have a little backbone in all aspects of life like Work, home, or to complete strangers who need a polite, but firm, suggestion that they go to the back of the line instead of cutting in front of myself and twenty other people that have all been patiently waiting their turn. Can you tell holiday shopping is still in recent memory?

3) Blog more.
Like yoga, Blogging has been somthing i've wanted to do for years but has had a much rockier start than I had anticipated.  I give alot of credit to anyone out there who works full time, takes care of their family,  gets eight hours of sleep and still finds time to write.
So here's to a new year full of amazing blog posts! Wish me luck and stay tuned for updates!