Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
2012 was truly a year full of blessings for my family, as I hope it was for yours. The Lord has continued to shower us with His love and mercy, and I am so grateful. He has allowed me to see another year completed, and I praise His name daily for the provisions He has made for my family. It is my desire to live 2013 with more purpose, more strength, and more gratitude than I have in the past.

I always enjoy the idea of beginning again. Growing up, my dad was always encouraging my siblings and I to set goals, to make resolutions, and to write them down.  My dad is a list-maker, always keeping a clipboard handy to jot notes on. I am a list maker, too. There's just something so real and rewarding about crossing items off my "to-do" list. I just love it. So, in the past few days I've been busy making lists: grocery lists, projects to finish, goals for the year, etc.

First and foremost, I want to be a better Bible student. I have been a daily Bible reader for 15 years now, but I don't always read to learn. Know what I mean? So, this year I plan to do things differently. I am going to be using a study bible for part of my reading, and I bought a notebook to use to take notes in. I'm hoping that this will help my mind to focus more on what I'm reading.
I'm also setting the goal to become a "morning person". I've always loved the idea of getting up early, before my kids, and having a little bit of time to myself. However, I've yet to implement it. So, I'm going to set my alarm, and GET UP! Today I read a tip that really makes sense: If you plan to do something that you enjoy when you get up early, it will be much easier to get out of bed. So, that's my plan for tomorrow. I'll report back. ;)
I have several other plans I'm working on for better grocery shopping/cooking organization. Lately I've gotten in to the habit of going to the grocery store way too often. The more you shop, the more you spend. I need to spend less on my grocery bills. So, I'm going to plan better, and shop less. I will report back as soon as I have my plan all mapped out and let you know how it's working for me.
I've also made a "Projects" list. There are so many projects I want to do, several I've started and just haven't finished. I'm hoping that by getting up earlier in the mornings, I will be able to cross more items off of my project list.
So, what are your goals for the new year? Are you a list-maker? Please share any ideas you have, I would love to read them.
~Jennifer