When I said “I’ll be in and out” until the new year, what I apparently meant was “you’ll not hear from me for weeks!” I haven’t spent that time doing anything exciting–just normal life stuff, which for me is great. Mikey has two reports due when he gets back to school: a Christmas Traditions report and another book report (he has a book report every month). Mainly I’ve been doing my Duty as a Mom by nagging him constantly. I’ve also been going on my daily walks. If I go on my walk today and tomorrow, I will have walked all 365 days of 2013! That would give my 2013 Project 365 a success rate of 33%. I’ll take it!
Of course I’m doing something in 2014. I function best with goals and lists. I’m a born employee or military girl or hamburger flipper. In high school they had us take those career personality tests and I scored extremely high for military/government employee. I’m a yes-girl! To put a finer point on it, I’m an ISTJ. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it to the best of my ability. Now, at the age of 41, I’m okay with this part of who I am. Not everyone is an entrepreneur ready to revolutionize how we…I don’t know, eat waffles.
Check this out:
Because of this need for order, [ISTJs] tend to do better in learning and work environments that have clearly defined schedules, clear-cut assignments and a strong focus on the task at hand. When learning new things, ISTJs do best when the material is something they view as useful with real-world applications. Concrete, factual information appeals to ISTJs, while theoretical and abstract information has little value unless they can see some type of practical use for it. While they may exert tremendous energy into projects they see as valuable, they will avoid wasting time and energy on things that they view as useless or unpractical.
ISTJs are both responsible and realistic. They take a logical approach to achieving goals and completing projects and are able to work at a steady pace toward accomplishing these tasks. –source
That makes me sounds like I’m the anti-Chevron, but I promise I can be fun! ish!
And to prove it I’m going to do 365 Days of The William Morris Project next year. Mainly the year will be about no longer procrastinating, cleaning and organizing on a small scale, and getting rid of the stuff (people, things, habits) that aren’t useful or beautiful.
I could probably sell it better.
I will, once the boys are back in school and I can write without the Minecraft soundtrack in the background. Did you know on Youtube there are kids who remake the hottest pop music videos using Minecraft? Ask me how I know this to be true.
Basically, though two months ago I swore the opposite would happen, this blog is staying the same. Everything I blogged about before I will continue to blog about, with perhaps less emphasis on the boys. There will be more posts about little projects I do but never talk about, mainly because those little posts–much like those pictures of my feet last year–motivate me to do more. If I have something to blog about on the weekend I will, but I won’t clutter up your feeds just so I can say I blogged for 365 days. It’s boring and disingenuous. Plus, it kind of goes against the whole useful/beautiful concept that is the center of the next 365 days.
It’s impossible for me to stick to one topic or project without losing the will to live, but I do want this to be of some benefit to someone…somewhere…otherwise I should just buy a Hello Kitty journal and scribble to my heart’s content like I did in 4th grade. I know my posts are the opposite of organized when it comes to categories and tags, and this year I vow to be a more conscientious blogger. I’ll tag the posts (kitchen, bedroom, clutter, etc.), create categories, and hope to include in each post a link to an explanation post for new visitors during the year. This was the #1 constructive criticism/polite request I received last year, and I promise to do better!
That’s all I have for now. I have to go on my walk and the boys have a Toys R Us gift certificate burning a hole in their skinny jeans, which Nico complained about while I was writing this post. He said the pockets are no good for holding things like cars, dinosaurs, BeyBlades, guns, and paper airplanes. He can still air guitar, so they aren’t completely worthless.
As a relatively new reader of your blog, I’m glad you are keeping it the same. I’ve enjoyed every post! Happy New Year and blessings to you and your family! Keep it up!
I love you and this so much!
Yay! I’m so glad you are planning to continue to blog! I’m just not ready to let go yet… :) And 365 of William Morris sounds awesome.
Please do blog about all of the little things…those are some of my favorite blog posts because they help me realize I can do that too!
I am also an ISTJ (heavy on the J and the I), so no wonder I love your blog! :)
P.S. Since I rarely comment on blogs, I’ll also say congratulations on your 365 walks – I follow you on instagram too and I’ve truly enjoyed not only the photos you’ve posted but seeing you accomplish your goal.
I wanted to claw my own eyes out after about the 4th time my nephews (who are roughly the same ages as your boys) made me watch “Gangnam Style” Minecraft video.
Please tell me they don’t have one for that “What the Fox Say?” video – my brains might go straight to mush!
Yay! Love your blog…just the way it is.
Happy and healthy New Year to you, the Mr. and the boys.
Yay! I can’t wait to read about your 365 days of William Morris! WM posts are some of my favorites. Your 365 days of walking is inspiring me to do my own version in 2014. Is it a little sad that I waited a whole year after you to start? Oh well, better late than never.
Can I get a woot-woot for the blog not changing! Not that I wouldn’t have continued to read everything you say because 1) hubby and I are loving Hell on Wheels, 2) I couldn’t stop dreaming that Richard Armitage was full size & had less freakish sized hands in the Hobbit today & 3) my sister cracked up when I said I wanted to also “William Morris the hell out of myself” this year! I also adore that you have a dinosaur doing back up for the air guitar. SO looking forward to the new year – and really this blog is about pancakes, not waffles! ;)
I usually just lurk, but I wanted to tell me how much your posts about the “little” things inspire me to take care of my own”little” things! Please keep them coming!
Happy New Year! I so enjoy your blog – thank you for taking the time to write for us!
So, I take it Nico is more of a cargo pants kinda guy?
All of your personality trait info that you shared with us makes sense, but it seems not at all the type of person who would be good at a blog (self-directed & and all) and yours is a delight. I am looking forward to reading along as you William Morris the hell out of yourself & maybe do the same over here. I attempted a 356 de-cluttering project (with pics for my own use, but not on a blog) and I only managed about 180 something.
Best wishes for 2014!
Thanks for the links, and have a very happy new year!
I’m excited to see what you come up with in 2014, I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog this year! We bought our first house this year too so your posts have definitely helped me with inspiration there! :)
Here’s to 2014 :)
Love your blog and look forward to sharing 2014 with you.
Congrats on walking every day in 2013! Wow! I’m looking forward to an abundance of William Morris posts, yay!
Yay! I am VERY excited about the year of WM. Looking forward to it. This:
While they may exert tremendous energy into projects they see as valuable, they will avoid wasting time and energy on things that they view as useless or unpractical.
Seems pretty much you in a nutshell. I’m an INFP, so maybe that’s why I like reading your blog so much – you explain things from a very different viewpoint that makes sense to me but I would never come up with on my own.
And thanks to Nico for giving me a great reason to use for why I don’t wear skinny jeans. (Besides the fact that they would look terrible in the size I’d need.) Have a very happy new year!
Skinny jeans are not about size they are about body shape! Not my body shape unfortunately, because I’d like to be trendy, but on the hand, fortunate because they actually don’t look that comfy to me… (I’ve stopped buying them for my son because he would prefer clothes for maximum ease and skinny jeans increase the complexity level.)
I love, love, love the air guitar picture and I cannot wait for the blog in 2014!
I love this blog so very much and am so happy it will continue on next year. The photo of all of you? Totally awesome! Happy 2014!
Keep up the inspiration! I’m resolving to join you in the 365 WM project. I’m sick and tired of all this “stuff” cluttering up my life, but I have trouble parting with something I “might need” in the future. I’m counting on you to help straighten me out. (By the way, how is the no paper towels project going? I’m observing myself using more and more and I’d like to curtail the habit.) Thanks, Jules. Happy New Year!
It seems like all my favorite bloggers are saying goodbye. I’m glad you’re sticking around!
Hello, fellow ISTJ. Me too. Actually, my S & T are very borderline, and as I get older they creep closer and closer to a ‘perfect’ balance.
Mercy, I think we are cut from the same cloth. It’s taken me a long time to accept that I am a Do-er, not a Leader, and I’m cool with that. I may not rock the working world, but I am an A+ employee who shows up on time, dressed appropriately, and ready to make the most of my time on the clock. (Just try selling reliability in a job interview – oof). Anywho, I am stoked that Pancakes and French Fries is going to stick around. I thought a lot about your comments regarding blogs rebranding themselves in favor of mass appeal. It lines up with my recent lack in interest in those same blogs. So thanks for being here & being YOU – sweet & savory.
I’m inspired by the ‘small’ things that you do, because small things are generally the things our lives are made up of. I love that you managed to walk every day – good habits are so hard to form and you seem to have done that (only it’s one of those things that never stays done…very frustrating, that!). I have set myself the task of taking up my running again, more regularly. When that seemed to be going mostly OK, I hired a personal trainer to teach me how to improve my upper body strength. This commitment has just about upset the apple cart. It means I get to do something I don’t really want to on most days of the week. I find that exercising my willpower is more exhausting than the exercise itself. I hope it will become more of a habit soon; I don’t find it particularly difficult to brush my teeth twice a day…
I’ve yet to think about what I want to do for 2014, the holidays have been so hectic. One thing I know is that I need to work on the upstairs of this house – the areas that aren’t ‘public’. In fact I think I need a William Morris Miracle in my guest / sewing room. Looking forward to reading more about your WM projects, your walking and your library days! Best wishes to you and your family for 2014!
Looking forward to reading your posts! Happy 2014 Jules!
I am excited for your William Morris posts. I’m sort of working on the same thing myself, in much the same way you are. I’d love it if you check out my blog.
I love your William Morris project idea. I’m trying the January Cure at Apartment Therapy. We’ll see how it goes.
Now…about those Minecraft songs. I hear them in my sleep. I hear them hummed all around me. And, my son informs me of them, every time a song comes on the radio and it’s been rewritten for Minecraft. It’s like Weird Al on steroids. Is there anything we can do?
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