Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Dreams for 2018

Ok - I am way behind!!  My dream is to be more of a regular blogger, to share more of my country life and my crafts, and other parts of my life. 

2018 is here, how did that happen?  One of my goals is to learn more about how to use Blogger and also Wordpress.  I want to be more involved with other crafting blogs.  Also to possibly begin making more things to sell, and open a shop of some kind, either Etsy or Ebay.  I'm not in the antique mall anymore, since I just wasn't making any money on it, therefore basically just giving my stuff away!  But I still have lots of good "stock" and deciding what I want to do.  I have begun work on a Facebook page for Bluebird in the Pines!  Haven't launched it yet though.

I've made a lot of great crochet projects in the last year.  I found a Craft Room Challenge, which I need so much!  I know that I've put so many things into my craft room, in hopes of doing so many cool things, but not given any order to things and lost track of what I have.  Which means I don't hardly ever make anything!  Besides the crocheting.  It's been a problem for a long time and I need to break that mental block that seems to prevent me from taking these steps into my future and my dreams.  I feel like my dreams are buried in there.  I also joined the group Monthly Crafty Destash Challenge, where you are supposed to use something in your stash to make something, then blog about it and share.  That is actually how I came across the craft room challenge today.  Right now I'll follow along until I can get my blog a little more caught up so I can share more. 

At the moment my craft room doesn't look too bad, but THAT is because Rob & Jess and baby Selah came for Christmas!  I got things cleaned up on the surface level, and Selah actually slept in the craft room which used to be her Daddy's room.  But, I know there are things stashed away in tubs and the closet is full. So glad I came across this Craft Room Challenge because they are giving weekly and daily goals.  Maybe that will kick me out of this awful rut I have gotten into.

Been following Holley Gerth also doing a "21 Day Strong, Brave, Loved Challenge" that follows her Ebook Strong, Brave, Loved.  From her book Fiercehearted which I haven't read.  Her challenge today was to Believe You're Doing Better than you Know:

What’s one small step of faith, love, or courage you can take today? Today I will . . .

Gerth, Holley. Strong, Brave, Loved (Ebook Shorts): 21 Ways to Live a Fiercehearted Life (Kindle Locations 535-536). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 

Confession, I have not been very brave.  I have avoided many things I could and should be doing in my life out of fear, loss of hope, just plain stuck.  So here I am writing a little blog post to hopefully get me moving in the right direction!  Will I be brave enough to share it?  Afraid of failure?  "Whispers of Rest" by Bonnie Gray has also blessed me this year.  Disappointed with myself because I was hoping to get a lot done this week while my hubby is away, part of my excuse is the deep freeze we are in!!  I read this in a devotional today titled "Dare to Dream:"

"Identify where you want to grow and then start dream about possibilities for getting there.   Start dreaming a dream for your life and make a plan."  From one my favorite Bibles that is filled with little pieces of paper marking important thoughts.  Women's Devotional Bible 2, 1995, Zondervan, page 1335.   I also have #1 and really love it.  That one is falling apart. 

I really want to follow this advice, of writing down dreams and making plans...that is where I fail since I'm bad at planning and setting goals.  What about you?  

One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 
—Philippians 3:13–14

May God guide us and bless us in our pursuits, give us strength and bravery, and bless the works of our hands.