Well, what can I say about 2024? It was a rough year for me due to having treatment for Ocular Melanoma. It took a huge toll on my mental and physical health. The important thing is that I’m still standing, and my heart is filled with gratitude. My December checkup in San Francisco went well, and everything looks like it should.
I’m starting 2025 with this beautiful Sprouted planner from Elisabeth at Optimistic Musings of a Pessimist! I won her blog giveaway in November, and she jumped through some hoops to get the planner delivered to me despite the postal strike in Canada. Thank you, Elisabeth! I really appreciate your extra effort, and I love the planner!
Some of my intentions for 2025 are:
The Make 365 Somethings project, hosted by iHanna. (365 doodles in my sketchbook)
Try more of the Spoonflower fabric design challenges.
Sew more! Dolls, bags, wall hangings, coasters, etc.
Drink more water! This never used to be a problem for me, but last year, I found myself dehydrated way too often.
Meditation, breathing, gentle exercise, and stretching
Less screen time
More sleep
I’ll be using my lovely Sprouted planner for all of it!
Do you have any tips for getting enough water during the day?
How about any tips for getting more sleep?
Do you track anything unusual beyond the typical diet/ exercise / financial stuff?
Dear readers, I wish you a wonderful 2025! I’m so grateful for your encouraging comments and for everything you share in your blogs. Here’s to more blogging fun! Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, my friend!
I started drinking my water with a straw this year! Nothing fancy—just the boxes of straws from the grocery store. I drink water out of my regular glasses at home, but I pop a straw in first thing in the morning. I end up getting more water in me faster when I use a straw. ❤️
Happy New Year to you, Kari! That’s a good idea – I’m sure I have some straws stashed away somewhere!
I also struggle with getting enough water and I’m glad I’m not alone in this! I try to keep my water bottle at my side at all times and take it with me when I’m out and about. If it’s there, I’ll drink it! If it’s not, I won’t because I’m too lazy to walk the 20 or so steps to the kitchen to fill it up, lol.
Happy new year, friend, and I hope it’s one without any health challenges! <3
Ha! Ha! I guess I’ve become too lazy too! I am ordering a water bottle right now!
Happy New Year Michelle! Your drawing is very sweet and reminds me of the drawing I did for my business card many years ago…. only mine was pen and ink and was fairies on a cloud… one looking ahead…. one daydreaming away! (Business name was Daydream Studios, of course!)
As for “bettering myself” with resolutions…. I know myself well enough that I know they backfire pretty fast… the rebellious part of me just doesn’t quit… you know… not staying within the lines in the coloring book… or the instructions of the kit…..! Instead I “suggest” that I “might want” to think about something or “try” something more often…. suggestions sometimes make progress! Lol!
Anyway, I am so glad to hear your eye check up went well… phew! (Medical worries are so exhausting!)
I hope you have a Wonderful and Creative New Year filled with family and friends and great health!
Betsy, I am also rebellious about resolutions! I’d love to see your business card. Daydream Studios is such a beautiful name for your business. Yes, here’s to a wonderful new year! ❤️
Happy New Year!!!
I actually got a paper planner for the first time ever and I’m chomping at the bit to use it.
I hope you’ll love your planner! I’m thinking it might take me a couple of weeks to figure out what works best, but I’m excited to get started too!
Hi Michelle! I’m glad the check up went well, good health is very important. For four years now having serious health problems myself, I know where you went through…so I feel for you.
I love the planner, it’s a gem. But reading about your intentions for 2025…..omg what an energy you have, but it’s all good for your health!!
Tips…..hmmm, having sever hayfever and asthma, and since I am still revalidating from my heart surgery, I can use some good tips too…. 😉
I hope you keep on blogging, I missed it sooo much during my sickness, so I am very grateful for your kind comments. I hope to go back into making miniatures again in the new year.
Wishing you and yours a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prospertive 2025!!
Hugs, Ilona
Ilona, I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve had such health issues for four years. I feel for you too. Well, I’m trying to have more energy – it’s been a challenge to build it up again. But, little by little, I’m seeing progress. I hope you can get back into miniatures again – I can’t wait to see what you do! Best wishes to you!
Water is one of my goals, too! Too often I’m sitting down to dinner and realizing that it’s the first water I’ve had all day! I need to do better.
I can’t wait to see all of your creative endeavors this year!
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one needing more water! It’s a surprise to me because I used to drink water constantly without thinking about it. We can do it! ❤️
May 2025 be brighter and easier for you!
I adore that picture you’ve drawn. How fitting and…wow! You are so talented and creative.
I’m very (VERY) excited to be “twinning” with you using our Sprouted planners and I hope you post/send me lots of pictures of how you use it because I am 100% certain I will get creative ideas from you that I would never have thought of on my own <3
Thank you so much, Elisabeth! You’re so sweet! It might take me a couple of weeks (or more) to really figure out how the planner works best for me. I’ve got a good start for the first week! I would love to see your ideas too!
Whoa, ocular melanoma! How scary! I am glad you had a good check up. 2024 was a rough year for me as well for different reasons. My health weighed on me, too. Here’s hoping for better 2025 for both of us!
I just set up our wall calendar for 2025. I used Washi tape to mark off the 15 work trips I have scheduled so far. It’s a bit more visually appealing and if something changes, I can remove the tape. I hate crossing things out on the calendar.
I majorly prioritize sleep since I have high sleep needs. For me, it’s all about getting to bed at the ideal time. I can’t really control my wake up time but I can control my go to bed time.
Wow, Lisa, 15 work trips so far! That’s amazing! I had 5 trips this year and it nearly did me in! I also hope that 2025 will be a much better year for both of us. Yes, a set bedtime is helpful. It seems like bedtime is when I do my best worrying! Doesn’t that figure?
I’m sorry to learn about your health struggles in 2024. What a relief to have a good checkup. I hope you continue in that same direction. That planner is so pretty. I hope you’ll share your 365 sketches with us. Sounds like a fun project. I don’t track much of anything, except when we run out of food – then I add it to my grocery list. Well, in theory I do. When I find that I’m too busy to drink water, or not interested, I do a little take 10 gulps from my water bottle at every stop I make before getting out of the car. Sleep? Sheesh – I sleep like the dead if I’ve worked out hard and so long as I don’t too much of any one thing, esp right before bed.
Happy New Year to you, Michelle!
Thank you, Ernie! I’m so glad you can sleep like the dead because otherwise how would you get through your busy days? I like your water idea – I need to make a habit if taking some gulps along with other things I do regularly. (Like getting out of the car.)
I’m SO glad your checkup went well. May 2025 be better for you, my friend.
I’m excited to see all your creations this year! I track my writing word count, and I also track my reading. I do have tips for water consumption and sleep! My tip for water is to have a really pretty water bottle, which does the trick for me personally. I also drink 2 glasses immediately upon getting up, and then 2 glasses after yoga, exercise, walk, etc. It adds up pretty fast! Then I try not to drink much past dinnertime so I can sleep without having to get up to use the bathroom in the night! In other sleep news, I go to bed early. I know you’re an even earlier riser than I am, so not sure when you’d need to get to bed, but I start my wind down right after dinner: jammies, washing off the makeup, flossing, serums, etc., so I’m all cozy and ready for bed when it’s like 8:30.
Thank you so much, Nicole! Yes – I’m sure a pretty water bottle would motivate me! And beginning the day with 2 glasses of water gives you a great head start. I’m going to try that. Thank you for the excellent ideas! Hopefully I can get a good bedtime routine going. I like the idea of making it a ritual.
I drink a fair amount of water, but have cut back on soda or other beverages like that. I certainly can tell when I haven’t had enough water. Sleep is more elusive with each year. The one thing that helps me is to walk in the afternoon or early evening. I have a treadmill so I can read and walk regardless of weather. I track financial stuff and have a Fitbit or my phone for steps. So glad you’re starting off the new year feeling good and hope that continues. Happy 2025.
Thank you, Judy! Yes, I do think part of my sleep issues are because of aging. And I do need to work on better habits to promote good sleep. I guess I need to be more aware of what I’m doing – and hopefully the planner will help with that.