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Here is my yearly list to-do list. 

1. Make another zine
   This has been on my to-list for some time but I really want to make it happen this year. I love zines and I love making them. I'm flying to Sydney in May to go to the MCA Zine Fair (let me know if you're going too) and I'll take a few copies of Paint It Black for swaps.
    
2. Keep bettering my graphic design & illustration skills
   I've made a lot of progress on this in the past year but I want to keep learning. I've really enjoyed my new course content so far (even if I've fallen way behind) and I'm learning so much. I'm also pretty addicted to Skillshare.
    
3. Practice mindfulness daily
   I use an app called Smiling Mind and try to do daily activities mindfully and I'm finding that I have a lot less anxiety, so I'd like to continue with it and get better at it.
    
4. Get my bike fixed and ride it lots
   My bike has a bit of issue with gear changes (it will only stay in second or fourth gear) and while it's still totally rideable, it's only a year old and I'd really like to be able to get full use out of it, even if it might cost me a bit to get it fixed.
    
5. Get the ball rolling for having my own little art show
   There's a little gallery near my uni called the Powerhouse, which I'd love to have a little show in. This year it is one of my main goals to apply for a show.
    
6. Do my final university unit and graduate
   I have one first year elective left until I graduate and I just enrolled in a little ceramics class for next semester which I'm really looking forward to. Once that subject is finished up, I get to walk through Albert Hall in a funny hat and get my degree!
    
7. Keep a sketchbook
   I really love keeping sketchbooks for ideas and play and I'd like to keep one regularly. Now to find the perfect sketchbook to get started in. 
    
8. Pay off my credit card
   Moving house wasn't kind on my finances, so my credit card bore the brunt. I make regular payments, but I'd very much like to get it completely paid off and not have to think about it any more.
    
9. Make more time for being active
   I use a Fitbit daily and I really like being able to quantify and monitor my activity, and that in itself has made me more active. I'd like to set higher goals and start doing more regular, fun exercise.
    
10. Write three songs
    I wrote a couple of songs last year (and even played one in front of a crowd) and I'd really like to write more, even if it's just for my own ears.
     
11. Get my passport
    Another recurring item on my yearly lists. 25 is going to be the year I get one! Then I can snap up cheap flights to New Zealand and Japan when they pop up in my inbox from time to time.
     
12. Eat well
    In January I did the Whole 30 and I got a lot out of it. I've carried through a lot of the eating habits from that month (except for, um, eating chocolate daily) and I've been feeling a lot healthier (less stomach aches, 10kg down, better sleep).
     
13. Get photos printed and make an album for each year of Theo's life
    I started a Project Life album when Theo was 6 months old but I haven't touched it in over a year. I'd love to just get some photos printed and make simple albums of Theo. I look through photos on Instagram and my iPhone regularly, but it is so nice to have something tangible.
     
14. Have friends over more often
    I've had lots of friends over at my new place so far already and I'd love to keep catching up with friends more often.
     
15. Start a favourite recipe journal
    I've been meaning to do this for a long time. I find cooking for myself pretty uninspiring at the moment and I really need to compile a go-to collection of my favourite recipes for myself.
     
16. Do fun, creative activities with Theo. Play. Relish my time with him. Don't be distracted.
    At the moment Theo stays with C for 5 days of the week and is with me for 2 (as I work and study and C is the stay-at-home-parent), but I see lots of them on other days as I visit often or meet up with them in town. I really enjoy my two full days with Theo each week - I can abandon anything that has been stressing me out and just dedicate all of my time enjoying him; playing, going for walks, watching shows together, going into town, eating meals together. It's a really mindful, special time in my week.
     
17. Make more fun free stuff for my blog
    I'd love to make more downloadable stationery and wallpapers and all kinds of goodies. 
     
18. Use my phone in bed less. Read instead.
    I am really bad at this and even if I get into bed at a reasonable time, I end up going to sleep much later, getting lost in an iPhone trance. I keep a bunch of great books next to my bed and I've been getting better at picking up one of them, instead of my phone when I'm in bed.
     
19. Make an ezine
    I thought I'd just throw this one in as a bit of a challenge - it's something I've always wanted to do.
     
20. Organise and de-stash my art supplies
    There are boxes and boxes of miscellaneous paper and supplies hiding underneath my bed that I swore I wasn't going to bring over until I'd gone through, but I thought it was better just to have everything in the one space. I really need to spend a day or two going through them and throwing a lot of it out or passing it on - I can't wait until it's done!
     
21. Continue making my apartment a cheerful, creative and organised space for myself
    My apartment is my happy place and I want to spend lots of positive, productive time there over the next year.
     
22. Illustrate a set of mindfulness cards
    I'm really looking forward to doing this. It will be my little side project I'll work on for a few months.
     
23. Get up before 8am more often than not
    Because I work late nights, I tend to sleep in the following day and then my days off feel wasted. I hate having to set alarms, but 
     
24. Go to three places I've never been before
    There are still so many places in Tasmania I've never been. I'd love to go to Cradle Mountain, Stanley and Mariah Island for starters!
     
25. ...
    I've left this one blank because a year is a long time and I think I'll fill this one in at half way.

If you like, you can read my 21 < 22, 22 < 23, 23 < 24 & 24 < 25 lists too.
Tell me a goal you're working on at the moment.

In my usual fashion, this post is almost two months late. I actually completed a reasonable amount of last year's goals - just about everything got a look-in and some of them I've carried through to my new list. I don't hold myself to these lists too strictly, but it is nice to put down on paper some achievable aspirations from time to time. It is easy to become wrapped up in day to day life and to lose focus of goals, big or small.




1. Develop my 'brand'
This little aspiration will likely not come about until the end of the year, but I'd love to work more on making stationery, zines, textiles, jewellery and the like. And maybe go to markets or makeover my Etsy shop. I have a lot of ideas scribbled in notebooks but little time for these things, so I'm making this a priority this year.

2. Learn to sew clothes for Theo
I've started a Pinterest board for inspiration for childrens clothes making and I've been looking for vintage childrens clothes patterns. My mum promised to buy me a sewing machine for my birthday (and I'm yet to cash in on that promise) and I'd love to improve my sewing skills by making clothes for Theo because it would use little fabric and things don't have to be 'flattering', so there's less pressure. I always look at items in Theo's wardrobe and think "that looks so simple, surely I could make that!".

3. Graduate uni and organise beginning my Masters next year
I have two more subjects to complete after this semester and I'm on track to don that rented cap and gown in December and parade down my city's streets in a swarm of other graduates (a cute thing that UTAS does). I'll start the process of enrolling in my Masters of Teaching next semester to begin in 2015 and get ready for a busy two years! It is run by distance in Launceston, so hopefully I'll be able to manage my time well and still get to spend lots of quality time at home.

4. Make a Tasmanian themed blog.
My friend Holly and I have often talked about the fact that there aren't (m)any websites promoting 'cool' things to do in Tasmania - cafes, shops, events, culture, etc. I love Siobhan Curran's The Novocastrian Files and it has been of inspiration to me in wanting to start up a blog promoting Tasmania in a similar fashion.

5. Make a photo album for Theo's first year.
I started a Project Life journal for photos of Theo when he was 6 months old but I really need to print some photos and play catch up. It's something I've really been looking forward to doing, but time hasn't allowed for. I keep a little monthly diary where I write about what he's been up to, but it's just words mostly. I think it's really important to print out photos. I worry so much that my hard drive or back up drive with fail or get stolen and I'll lose everything.

6. Have a little first birthday party for Theo
This boy of mine turns one early next month (!!!). I don't think a big celebration is really necessary for a 1st birthday but I'd like to do something nice and maybe let him have his first taste of cake (something healthy). And maybe a party hat.

7. Finish my supermarket zine.
I made a draft copy of my zine and had a few printed but decided I wanted to make more illustrations for it, so it's still a work in progress. I think I'll work on this over Summer break. Being back at work has given me new fodder for this zine!

8. Buy a new car
We sold our little car at the start of the year and haven't gotten around to buying a new one yet because we've been driving C's parents spare car which they're going to sell. I kind of don't mind not having a car (our first three years in Tasmania were without a car), but it is good for some things.

9. Listen to more new music
I miss finding good new music and I feel very out of the loop - some of my favourite bands have released albums in the past year and I didn't even know.

10. Buy a piano
I've priced and tried out a few lovely electric pianos and I'm hoping after tax time I might have some pocket money to buy one (although I just read the Australian government's new budget and now I want to sell everything I own and move to Scandinavia).

11. Start a favourite recipe journal
I meant to do this last year, but it hasn't eventuated. I might make/buy some fancy recipe cards to keep in a box instead.

12. Read 5 good books
I love reading but I rarely get the chance. Throw your recommendations at me now!

13. Make my own 100 ideas list
I have started this one (I'm about 20) in, but don't want to share it until I'm finished, then I'll start attempting them and posting about them and hopefully other people might like to try some of them too.

14. Plan for another baby
Yep, you heard right. We're talking about trying for Baby Jagoe Vol. 2 sometime in the next 6 months. Doing my masters by distance will mean that I get to be at home a lot more and that would be really great with two little people.

15. Make a proper veggie patch
Our garden is full of gorgeous flowers and trees but not much room for growing edible things. I have some great window boxes for herbs, but I'd like to build something with nice big beds that I can move around depending on where the sun is. I really want to buy some tools and try my hand at making more things, so I think this will be my first project.

16. Fix up the boat shed as a spare room
There is boat shed in our backyard that the previous owners built to house their kayaks. It is quite lovely, though the inside has only been part renovated to be a (tiny) room and I'd like to finish it off and seal it so that creepy crawlies stop calling it home, and then when we have guests they can have their own private little room. Long term, I'd like to extend it slightly and add a little kitchenette and toilet and shower but for the time being, making it bug free and warm are my main priorities.

17. Make a set of alphabet flash cards for Theo
I started this a year ago, but didn't prioritise it. I recently made a set of memory cards based on my childhood memories and I'd like to do a similar set with letters. I'll probably offer them as a free download printable when they're done. I'm looking forward to this.

18. Go to a Jets game with Cam and Theo
C and I loved going to see our home soccer team when we lived in Newcastle and still follow them despite being 1000km away and I'd love to take C to see a game. The atmosphere is so fun.

19. Use our film society tickets more often
We have yearly tickets to our local film society which shows art house and foreign films four sessions per week and we pay $100 per year. We love going but it's not easy for us to both go, having Theo and we can never be bothered going by ourselves. I'd like to have someone mind Theo for us once a month so that we can go to see a film from time to time - fingers crossed for this one.

20. Have another record party
I loved having a housewarming party recently and a couple of our friends left their records here on purpose so that they'll come over again soon and listen to them. I'm looking at buying C a new record player for his birthday and then I think we should have another little party.

21. Learn to use Illustrator and InDesign
A few years ago I was certain I wanted to be a graphic designer. I still love graphic design, but I don't think it's something I could do full time, but I'd love to know how to use the Adobe Creative Suite. I have both of these programs and would love to know how to use them. I wish there was a crash course I could take!

22. Help C to start making podcasts
C is hoping to start making some podcasts and wants my help to work out the logistical side. He is forever encouraging and helping me with my dreams, so I'd love to make one of his happen.

23. Do some home improvements
Just little things like painting our lounge room ceiling, patching cracks and fixing our back door so that I can actually open and shut it! Maybe also painting a wall in Theo's room a fun colour if I'm lucky?

24. Sing
I love to sing and I'd love to sing more often.



Do you have a similar list? What's on yours? Anything you've crossed off?

I'm a bit late writing this list (my 23rd birthday was 6 months ago!) but it's something I've been meaning to do for a few months, once things settled down with Theo and I had some time to focus and think about it. I managed to tick off about half of my previous year's list. I like writing these lists, even if I don't always complete them, because they get me thinking about my goals and priorities and to try to challenge myself.




1. Go back to university.
I'm hoping to take a woodcut printmaking workshop Summer school class in January and then go back to uni part time in semester 1 next year. I'm really looking forward to it. My classes are only ever 3 hours long and C only works nights so I should be able to work around Theo well. I have about 2 semesters left to finish my degree and I'd really like to get it finished and start my masters of teaching.

2. Document Theo's first year - I STARTED BUT I NEED TO CATCH UP.
I'd like to take lots of pictures, write lots of things down and make little journal entries in his baby book. I really enjoy documenting and I think it's really important and valuable.

3. Start a journal with my favourite recipes in it.
I really enjoy cooking but I always write recipes down on post-it notes or just read them on my phone and I always forget them.

4. Join a singing group.
I really hope I get around to doing this because it's one part of my life that I really miss. When I was a teenager I sang in front of thousands of people on multiple occasions, but years without singing on a regular basis has ruined my confidence. I just hope I can find one that suits.

5. Learn a new craft.
 I'd love to learn a new skill. Last year I learnt woodcut and linocut printmaking. I'd like to make time to attend more of Isis' workshops at Milkbar.

6. Go to the snow at least once.
I'm hoping to do this next week before it all melts! This will be the third year in a row that we've visited around this time of year. I've still never seen falling snow, but playing in snow on the side of the road is fine by me. I even found Theo a snowsuit!

7. Go to the beach at least once.
I love the beach so much but we don't often get the chance to go (distance + Tasmanian weather). I can't wait until it is warm enough to take Theo into the water. I hope he loves it as much as I did when I was a baby.

8. Cut my hair short.
I grew my hair out last year, but I'm pretty lazy at taking care of it and I just wear it in a bun 95% of the time. I think I'd like something cute and short and low maintenance (mum-bob here I come!).

9. Create something new each week - MOST WEEKS I DID.
C is really lovely and has been bullying me into having uninterrupted creative alone time lately. In the first several weeks after Theo was born I didn't get the chance to even think about doing anything creative and I felt really miserable about it and like I couldn't be myself. I'm finally getting the chance to make things now and I feel so much happier. I'd really like to plan and work on some little art projects.

10. Find a job that I enjoy - WELL, I STOPPED HATING MY OLD JOB - THAT COUNTS RIGHT?
I have until next March until I have to go back to my old job (or I can go back earlier if I choose), but I feel like it's time for a change, something more stimulating/a different environment. Tasmania's unemployment rate is pretty dismal at the moment, so this one might take a backseat for a few months.

11. See a band I like live/go to a festival.
Few bands tour in Tasmania, but every now and then they do and I want to make the effort to go out and see live music again. I'm currently contemplating a family Falls Festival visit over the new year.

12. Downsize & declutter.
I need to go through all of those piles of miscellanea and sort through and purge my (second) wardrobe and craft bookshelf, sell things, give away things and throw things away!

13. Take more photos of every day life.
When I first bought my SLR back in early 2010 we took it everywhere with us and were constantly taking photos of every day life. I just bought a new, smaller camera and am working out all of its buttons at the moment. I'm hoping that it will replace my phone as my go-to camera for capturing everything. iPhone photos just don't feel keepsake worthy.

14. Make a font.
I've dabbled before but I'd like to put a lot of effort into making at least one proper, usable font and offer it for free download.

15. Find a new home and have fun decorating it.
We only have a few more months in our current rental and ideally I'd love to buy somewhere, but in the meantime we're going to look for somewhere that we can live for at least a few years - somewhere for Theo to grow up in. I really love re-settling in a new place and making it feel homey. I basically just browse Domain.com.au in my spare time for fun and use my imagination.

16. Make lots of time for Theo. 
This is a huge priority and I want to devote as much time as I can to spending quality time with him. Reading to him, teaching him, playing with him and introducing him to new things.

17. Go for lots of trips with Cam & Theo.
I'd like less of our money to go towards 'things' and more to go towards interesting experiences. We love to take day trips in the countryside and visit Hobart, but I'd like to go further afield in the next few months and visit the West Coast and Cradle Mountain and maybe some of the tiny islands around Tasmania.

18. Make a photo album. STARTED!
I started a wedding album before Theo was born but it is nowhere near finished and I'd love to properly archive all of my old photos and make a new album for pictures of Theo.

19. Make another zine.
I'd love to make a hand-drawn zine and a collaborative one with my brother and sister.

20. Read (at least) 5 good books.
I read some great books last year but I have trouble seeking out great books. Any recommendations?

21. Be more social.
I'd like to keep in contact with people better, meet new people and join a mothers group. I have a tendency towards being antisocial and I'd really like to make more of an effort with people.

22. Make my own '100 Ideas' list ala Keri Smith - STARTED!
I've been meaning to do this forever. Possibly a zine idea?

23. Be nice to myself.
I'm harbouring a lot of negativity towards my body post-pregnancy (cesareans are no fun) and I'd really like to be kinder to myself, see my counsellor more often, exercise regularly and eat better.



Tell me one of your current goals.

Ps. One of my goals was going to be to make over my blog, but I managed to do that tonight on a whim! Come peek if you're browsing in a reader.

This is sort of my round-up kind of post for 2011. I thought I'd choose a photo from each month of the year. One of my unofficial new years resolutions is to take lots more photographs, I love being able to look through them at the end of the year. I didn't pick necessarily meaningful pictures for each month, just something that stood out for me, some kind of memory attached to it. If you feel like doing the same I'd love to see. I hope you had a safe and happy day today whatever you were up to :)


+ January


+ February


+ March


+ April


+ May


+ June


+ July


+ August


+ September


+ October


+ November


+ December