So my charming and terribly handsome husband has penned his New Years Resolutions. Over that last few years I have really embraced this ritual. It usually takes on the form of readjusting my goals for the year. The very phrase "New Year Resolution" has somehow acquired a bad connotation. I buy a new blank journal and begin feverishly jotting down what I would like to accomplish in the next 12 months. I form new business plans laced with personal goals.

Some ideas I completely embrace and others will make it onto the list again this year.

Some things that came to fruition this past year were redirecting my career into licensing my art. I think I have mentioned that I had toyed with the idea for some time and jumped in last winter and now have a good body of work and some new contracts. My hubby built me a slick new site and I am organizing my work to show at the Surtex Show this May. I am really glad I wrote it all down, it sort of etched the plan into my life. A few months ago I considered not showing at Surtex since I have some upcoming legal expenses this year (ugh!). But I do believe there is a ( absolutely) divine plan for me and I have made up my mind that it is going to all work for the best. I think if I had not written it down and told all my friends and colleagues what my plan was, I might have gotten knocked off course.

Another plan from last year was to join a gym, the final step in to really taking my health back, no excuses! It has been great...I feel stronger than ever and I can (sort of) eat chocolate without much guilt, ha! I do recommend this...guilt free chocolate eating is has brought me to a new level of nirvana.

Something that didn't make it from last year was starting to sew again. It took almost an entire year for me to purchase a new machine. It now sits under my art table unopened. I keep having to cancel the "Get to Know Your Machine Class" it just is NOT fitting into my schedule. But since I am going to design my own fabrics and have them made up by Spoonflower (this year's resolution) I simply must break the seal on the box and get started.

This year I am determined to spiff up my blog (I know, I know, I have been talking about that for awhile too!) I am going to attempt to do this without the help of the charming, handsome husband because for some reason he does not support this endeavor. I mean, he does and he doesn't...Anyhoo...maybe the mere mention of it will change his mind.

THE BIG RESOLUTION is to get a little eccentric this year. This may sound odd maybe but a couple of years ago a friend of mine told me to embrace my inner artist and I did embrace my inner commercial artist and now am making it full time as illustrator. But there is something inside me that wants more more MORE! When I first met Tom I told him about an older female rancher I had met in Texas years ago. She had on a white tunic with gobs of beautiful turquoise belts, bracelets and necklaces on. As the perfect foil to her outfit she had on bright pink lipstick, I fell instantly in love. I was dressing mannequins at the time and her daughter and granddaughter were shopping so she thought she would come talk to me, the window dresser. She looked wonderful, carried herself proudly and I new instantly that she was an original spirit . I told Tom that I wanted to be just like her when I grew old. I think he might have fallen in love that day (good man). Over the years I had met many other women like her on my flights, interesting, happy with themselves and a bit over the top. Not to be too self involved (but it is my blog) I think I am very happy and pretty interesting but I am not over the top. YET. I live in suburban MA and am caught in some New England vortex. I can't really describe it without sounding a bit rude and I assure I don't mean to be but I may be missing my gay flight attendant friends complimenting my purses and strolling through the streets of Paris. Now I am a mom that sits patiently in the carpool lane and knits at hockey practice. How am I supposed to become the beautiful old rancher woman when every time I go to buy more turquoise jewelry I tell myself I have quite enough thank you! And do not even think of buying more? What common sense has taken over my body and mind?! It must stop! What do I think? I will reach 70 and simply become a wonderful eccentric woman overnight? I think this new mind set may be overtaking me already because I actually stood in my bathroom today with scissors in my hand about to cut my own hair! Gasp, my hairdresser would kill me! I recently got a neat little hair style that I hate, I belong in the messy hair category and I think I need to stay in this category, neat house, messy hair-that's more me. This year is going to be about becoming more ...me. More relaxed, more outspoken (my poor friends) and more fun.

I have decided to apply this to my art too, more humor, more fabulousness! Less asking "Would this sell?" and more asking, "Is it clever, maybe a bit silly, then let's do it!"

What are your plans? Please tell me I am not alone in all this. I promise to still sit patiently in the carpool line and I promise my father to spell check all my emails but I am not getting and younger although I will try to use better punctuation in my blog but REALLY!!! Isn't being eccentric a lot more interesting?