My word, well actually wordS, and a doodle to boot!

Picking a word for the year, One Little Word is a really popular New Years thing in the scrappy world.  I guess the credit for the idea goes to Ali Edwards back in 2007.

I am not sure if I have ever picked a word for the year or not, if I have, I can't say I stuck to it.  I am not so good with resolutions and vows to do things all year long.  I try, but I just never stick to any of them.  This year though is a big year for me and one that brings a lot of change to my life.  With new changes and new directions, I decided that I needed a word to focus on and hopefully continue to focus on all year.  But what to choose. . . Today is my last day at my job as a 911 dispatcher.  I have been dispatching for 15 years and have been at my current department for 13 years.  There are a million reasons why I decided to leave, but the main one has to do with my kids.  I have missed a ton of things in the lives of my two oldest kids because of shift work, weekends, day sleeping , etc.  I had no choice.  Five years ago our family was blessed with one more sweet baby.  I am just not prepared to see another one of my sweet children's life speed by while I miss it all because I have to work every weekend or sleep during the day.  My husband and I vowed to get to a place where we could change that and we are finally there.  It means that there will be a ton of sacrifice but I know the pay off will be the sweetest and most rewarding ever.  That leads me to my word, FAITH.  I am going to live in faith that our needs will be met and that the right opportunities will present themselves to help sustain us. So what am I going to do with all that time besides being a full time mom?  I finally get to live the full time artsy crafty life that I have dreamed of forever!  I am going to be playing with paper and fabric and such from sun up to sun down.  I will be teaching at my local scrap store (For Keeps Sake) and hitting the road as well as a Prima Endorsed Artist Educator.  I have tons of classes in the works for my online classroom here and have tons more vintage images and doodles to share as well.  I will be sharing tons of projects and ideas here too.  I will continue doing design team stuff with old friends and adding a new friend or two.  I will be adding tons of new things to my Etsy shops too.  I am very excited to say the least! For a long time I have had a favorite quote from Howard Thurman that talks about coming ALIVE.  I feel that this coming year is going to be my year to come ALIVE.  I am closing the book on excessive stress and sleep deprivation and missing friends and family and opening a new one on living the life I have dreamed of, being a wife, mother, and artist.  I am going to come ALIVE. And that my friends is my second word for the year, ALIVE.  I simply couldn't choose one word.  I felt that they go together hand-in-hand with my hopes and vision for the year and that I can't do one without the other, so I chose both.  Just call me a "One Little Word" rebel rule breaker!! To celebrate my second word, as well as what I consider my life quote, I created a lettering doodle to share.  If you would like to download it, click on the link below the image.  A new window will open.  Right click on the larger version of the doodle and save it to your computer.

Click this link to download.

My very best wishes to each and every one of you for a wonderful and blessed New Year.  May all of your hopes and dreams for the new year come to be!