I am a huge fan of fresh starts and new beginnings. I love the excitement of a new project… it’s keeping that excitement through to the end that is the challenge for me. Anyone else have that issue???

So it’s a new year in a few days and that means new projects! Hooray! I have all sorts of goals and lists and dreams and ideas for the year. There’s the usual eat healthy, exercise every day, lose a bunch of weight, don’t yell unless it’s to save a life, daily scripture study, do more service, more date nights with my husband…

Yes, the list is long, but I’m not the kind of person who beats myself up when I don’t do all of them perfectly. I figure any progress is good, so I make the list as long as I want and make whatever progress I can manage throughout the year.

I don’t believe there’s a magic switch that flips when the ball drops that will automagically make me perfect at something I’m not very good at, so this is really just my list of things I’m working on. Constantly. Continually. Always working on.

The projects, however, are the fun stuff. These are the ones I really focus on throughout the year. Of course they need their own cool graphic:

So without further ado, here are my top 5 projects for 2014:

My number one project for the year is 40eighteen. I am so excited about this brand new blog. I have to admit I am a bit of a blogaholic… I’ve started many blogs – stuck with some longer than others – and have learned a lot along the way. So I’m taking everything I’ve learned and all the visions that are still floating around my head and focusing them right here. I am so excited for this new adventure and can’t wait to make all sorts of new friends along the way.

In my dreams, I am an amazing photographer whose family snapshots are award-worthy portraits. Unfortunately, in the real world my photos rarely turn out like I want and I don’t even know how to use my fancy camera. This is the year all of that changes. I’m taking a photography class and committing to take a photo every day. Truly, my skills can only get better…

And let’s be honest here. This is going to be one heck of a challenge for me. I’m really great at having a camera with me all the time but absolutely HORRIBLE at actually taking it out and taking some photos. So this will be a bit of a miracle… Maybe that should be my motto this year: 2014 – the year for miracles!

Along with this, and while I have my camera out every day, i want to take more pictures of everyday life with my kids – and make sure to send more to grandmas who live far away and miss those cute grandkids. I have a good friend who has inspired me with her “Picture of the Week” email she sends out to friends and family every Sunday night.

It’s so simple – just a few pictures with a few great captions. At the end of the year, she prints all of them up in a book, and Voila! instant scrapbook, accounting for every week of the year. When I grow up, I want to be as cool as her. For now, I’m just going to try to start taking more pictures and hopefully sharing more, too.

Here’s another miracle waiting to happen. This February will mark 2 years that I’ve been living in my new house, and my walls are still bare, rooms still need furniture, and some boxes are still packed.

I know, I know. I should get off the computer and work on my house. So I will, but I really hate it. I really love my house, and it seems like putting it all together should be fun, but honestly, it mostly causes me anxiety.

I have no idea how to decorate, I hate figuring out where every little thing should go, and I have a hard time sticking to one room until it’s done. That’s why I’m committing to this year’s project: 20♦1♦4 = 20 minutes of really good work at a time ♦ focusing on 1 room until it’s done ♦ using the 4-box method. I’m sure by this time next year my home will be ready for a fancy magazine shoot, right?

Not just this year but every year we’ll be celebrating 40eighteen with a fun • 40 things • series. At first I thought I would post 40 things every month on the 18th, but then I realized just how long of a list that would be every. single. month. No one wants to read that. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

So instead, I’m going to share 40 things throughout the year, posting 3 or 4 every month on the 18th and a big recap at the end of the year. You’ll have to wait until the 18th to see what this year’s theme will be… mwahahaha

Every Monday night is Family Home Evening. Our family gets together, turns off the phone, ignores the front door, and spends the whole evening together. We sing songs, have a lesson, eat a yummy treat, play games, and coordinate our calendars for the coming week so we know when everyone is coming and going.

We’re in a great habit of doing it, but I think we could do more with it to make it even better. So it’s time for a little FHE fix-up where we figure out how to make the most of this weekly time together.

That’s it! I just became the new music leader for the kiddos at church, so I’m sure that will be another big focus this year, too. What are your plans for 2014???