Wow. A fresh, new year. I love a New Year. A fresh start filled with possibility. Ahh … so fun.

So what are your plans for the new year? Are you making resolutions? Yes? Oh please, do share! I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to and what you have planned … it’s been a while!

One resolution I’m setting this year … be a better blogger in December! Ha ha! Where in the world was Aby Garvey in the month of December, anyway? Well … I won’t bore you with ALL the gory details, but the big news is that we did a spontaneous office / scrapbook studio move. As you know, my hubby Jay joined simplify 101 in October. We were sharing an office and enjoyed each other’s company very much. But … we  just didn’t have enough room and … well … disorganization ensued. Crisis, right? So in the midst of the holiday clutter we did what any (in)sane couple would do and decided to turn our guest room into a second office.

The madness that followed included a spontaneous trip by me to IKEA in Chicago. This, after a sleepless night where I literally tossed and turned worrying endlessly that someone else would buy up my precious XPEDIT bookcases before I arrived at the store. (Insane. Remember?) Yep. I woke up at 5:00 AM and made the trek to Chicago … arriving before the store opened at 10 AM. I snagged my bookcases and a desk for Jay … leaving just enough space in my little CRV for me and the rest of my IKEA loot. (Like about a million glass jars and candles.) I was back home in time for dinner.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the saint also known as Jay was painting my new space. This, after the patient man didn’t even get upset when I bought an entire gallon of paint and decided I didn’t like the color. So … back to the store I went but this time I visited a store that carried samples. Brilliant! Those little samples are absolutely brilliant. I picked up a couple of these little gems.

Christmas_office_redo_055

The big decision? Do I go with Dill Pickle or Pale Sea Mist? Pale Sea Mist was the hands-down winner. The dill pickle was just a touch too pickley for me. So now … things are still in disarray but I’m functional (as is he) and we’re making much progress.

The magazines? Well … I didn’t forget about the 12 week challenge … I just re-prioritized. Oddly enough … the magazines are not yet in my new space. What does this mean? I haven’t found a home for them yet … interesting, isn’t it? I’ll keep you posted on their fate. So, how about you? Did you wrap up your 12 week challenge during my blogging hiatus?