17 things before 2017

So I’ve seen this tag on a few other blogs and thought it would be fun to do it myself! Basically, it’s a list of 17 things I want to do before 2017. It’s typically me, leaving it until the last minute, with just a few weeks left in December to get it done…ah well, let’s get started! 

1. Eat better – in preparation for the new year I really need to make sure I’m eating a better, more balanced diet. I’ve got so many healthy cookbooks, I actually need to get them out of the cupboard and start using them!
2. Bake for Christmas – it must be the Pinterest addict in me, but I’m so eager to bake goodies for Christmas! There’s lots of lovely recipes out there that I would love to try, and there’s no better time than over Christmas. 
3. Practise self care – so I’m a bit rubbish with this really and definitely need to take care of myself more. Thankfully I’ve got a massage booked in this week and am hopefully off to a spa in the holidays. I definitely need to take time to relax over the next few weeks and pamper myself a bit.
4. Get my clothes organised – like most women I have far too many clothes for my own good. I need to get super organised and make sure my wardrobes and drawers are filled with winter-ready items, not random summer bits. I also need to make sure I’m getting rid of things I don’t wear any more that are just taking up too mush room. I’ve gotta be ruthless!
5. Set myself up on YouTube – this is totally scary but I would really like to use YouTube as a platform as well as my blog. But I really need to get my head round it first. As I said it’s quite a daunting prospect but something I really would love to do. 
6. Have plenty of family time – this is something that’s really important to me but can be hard to achieve when everyone is so busy. Hopefully over the Christmas break there will be lots of chances to all meet up.
7. Read a book or two – something really simple, but something I rarely do. I’ve got a few in mind so need so make sure I sit down and enjoy some reading time. 
8. Get organised pre-Christmas – I feel totally disorganised this year so really need to sort myself out ASAP and get planning fir Christmas! I’m just so glad I have internet shopping in my life for the Christmas presents I leave to the very last minute!
9. DIY Christmas – again I think it’s the Pinterest addict in me, but I’m so eager to do lots of DIY Christmassy inspired things this year, including gifts. There’s lots of simple ideas out there that seem quick and easy so I’m sure I can manage a few. 
10. Taxes – ok so totally not exciting, but definitely needs to be done before January! I ran a home based business last year (that I no longer do) so just need to get my head round the numbers for that and get it to the tax man ASAP.
11. Blogging courses – so I feel very new to blogging (just 6 weeks in), and I’m so eager to learn and improve my skills. So I’m hoping to find online courses that can help with this. I’m totally  loving the process so far and I’m so glad I finally got started. 
12. Plan blog posts for the new year – so I’ve tried to be organised this month and plan some posts I fancy doing in the run up to Christmas and the new year. I want to also get organised for 2017 and think about what I want to write about. Plus, I would like to try and get into more of a routine rather than post randomly when I feel like it!
13. Print wedding albums – so it’s been nearly 9 months since the wedding and I’ve still not been organised enough to print out wedding albums for me and the Hubster and our families. I’m hoping over the next few weeks I can choose from our mass of amazing photos which will make the cut and will be in the album. 
14. Learn to do calligraphy – this might seem a bit random but it’s something I would really love to learn. I think it looks so amazing! There’s books and kits out there so I definitely want to get started and make pretty art work. 
15. See friends and catch up – again like with family, everyone is so busy all the time, months can pass without catching up with certain people. I need to make sure I plan in advance and arrange catch ups with lots of my lovely friends before the hecticness of Christmas takes over. 
16. Try not to overdo it – at the moment I feel I’m starting to run on empty. It can’t really be helped with the craziness that comes with this time of year. But I really need to make sure I take care of myself as I really don’t want to be ill over the holidays! I need to make sure I get enough sleep and take vitamins to keep me going until I break up. 
17. Keep positive – whilst I do like this time of year, I do find it hard sometimes to be a positive as I should be. I think I suffer a bit with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) which I’m sure many others do too. I just need to make sure I keep up to date with my gratitude journal and realise how blessed and lucky I am. 

So here’s my 17! What would your 17 be? If you’re a blogger why not post about it? I would love to read your posts so make sure you tag me! Otherwise, feel free to write anything you want to get done before 2017 in the comments! 

Until next time…

Jean xoxo