New Years Resolutions

I'm Leah. I'm 22 and a Design student from Pennsylvania. This blog started Jan 1, 2015 and I'll be continuously updating to keep up with my new years resolutions! It's really helpful to keep track and gives me a reason to keep doing them! I'd love to hear about everyone's progress and goals! Click here to see my goals and success in 2015!

[rewnearsyesolution]

overdue update

Skills

Learn some calligraphy I got the pens for christmas! time to start practicing, and learning different          styles. (I have no time at all lol)

Read 7 books i will most likely only have time to read while on break from school, so make      sure to pick books that I’ll be interested in. (5 down)

Learn to knit also something I will have to do during break, but I have the needles and          plenty of yarn. Time to learn!  (2 hats, 2 scarves)

Get better at spanish maybe become fluent in reading spanish take advantage of Duolingo’s “Immersion” section and translate articles to        enhance my reading skills. (completely blew it off after moving)

Pick up some french (the basics) once a week, take a french lesson on duolingo! (^^)

Dedicate myself 80% to my school work. i need to get a calendar and fill it with mini due dates for my projects to make    sure i have more than enough time to finish each project and I need to stop      killing time with netflix.  (lol i have no choice but to put 100 now)

Graduate maybe? for this, I have to be overwritten into some classes and need to focus on my     work to make sure that my gpa stays above a 3!  (registered!)

Health

Stop cracking my knuckles and my back possibly learning to knit will keep my fingers busy! (if anything I’m worse)

Eat less sugar, and cholesterol try to buy more fruit so that when I crave dessert I can eat that instead, and I    need to ease off the cream cheese :(  (I’ve been doing better, hard while living at home)

Make sure to eat 3 vegs a day! make sure to plan each meal around the vegetable! and involve multilpe            vegetables in dinner! (doing O.K. here)

Learn to cook more than just noodles. currently all I can cook is noodles and I just add sauce, or cheese, or                vegetables. I should probably learn to broaden my skillet. (not much here)

Try to do yoga 3x a week! this is the only workout i know i can do right now without hurting yourself. and    it’s calming so I need to do it more. (I’m not doing yoga so much, but I am working out 3-5 times a week, so a success)

Only order takeout ONCE a month and make it as a date with Jesse. it’s okay to slip sometimes, but I got out of control after finals. (we haven’t had a date in a while)

Drink a buttload of tea and water every day! (doing good!)

FLOSS I was doing so good until my flosser thingy broke. So once I buy a new one      I’ll be good on that one :) I need to do as much as I can for my crooked ass      teeth. (everyday now!)

Happiness

Go on two camping trips! will try to plan one for the spring, as well as for the summer.

Do another jar of happiness of 2016!

Try to not dress so poopy I bought skirts and nicer shoes and yet I still dress in sweatpants. I should        post pictures of my outfits more often to encourage myself, as well as making    myself wear a skirt once a week! (trying)

Pick up journaling! mid-summer, I started making a journal and never finished it. I need to finish    making it and then fill it.

Do a 30 day photo challenge corny thing again. you know, like last year.

Limit my time on facebook and I need to stop giving a shit about celebrities.(I’ve been using this Chrome Extension called Stay Focused to limit my time to facebook to an hour)

Read more and watch less tv I have so many books to read and I’ve seen The Office 13948874r5 times        already, so I probably don’t need to watch it everyday. (need to start this now!!)

Take more pictures. and I don’t need to post them all on social media to prove something. I want      to hang pictures of my friends all over my walls.

Don’t be friends with people who only bring you down!

Finances

Put 2,000 in my savings try my best to sell any objects that I don’t need, and no spending on things        that I don’t need. (school is expensive)

Go on a spending fast! Only spending money on my rent, utilities, phone, and food. Try your hardest    to not buy other shit, and handmake all gifts. (I’m doing this, except being in a wedding makes it hard)

Bettering The World Around Me

Participate in two charity events keep in touch with what is going on on campus so that I have the opportunity    to join in events!

Donate 3 things to “Knitting for those in need” on campus once I learn, make three hats or scarves to donate! 

Plant wildflowers in the woods to save some bees! once springtime comes, I want to plant some wildflowers in the woods. I just      need to find it where I can plant them without them getting cut down since my    apartment is out of the question :(

Pick up trash every other weekend and recycle there’s garbage all over campus and half of it can be recycled (Oops I’ll start now)

Once a month, do some type of volunteer service! (january, donated a bag of clothing to thrift store, feb donated to Joy (put in link) to help her pay for her hospital bills, as well as Alli, the money goes to the pittsburgh thing, march nothing, april donated more clothing, may nothing)

[rewnearsyesolution]

update for myself

Skills

Learn some calligraphy I got the pens for christmas! time to start practicing, and learning different          styles. (I have all the time and no skill though

Read 7 books i will most likely only have time to read while on break from school, so make      sure to pick books that I’ll be interested in. (5 down)

Learn to knit also something I will have to do during break, but I have the needles and          plenty of yarn. Time to learn!  (finished 2 hats, and started one. hopefully I can finish it next semester)

Get better at spanish maybe become fluent in reading spanish take advantage of Duolingo’s “Immersion” section and translate articles to        enhance my reading skills. (completely blew it off after moving)

Pick up some french (the basics) once a week, take a french lesson on duolingo! (^^)

Dedicate myself 80% to my school work. i need to get a calendar and fill it with mini due dates for my projects to make    sure i have more than enough time to finish each project and I need to stop      killing time with netflix.  (I did pretty well)

Graduate maybe? for this, I have to be overwritten into some classes and need to focus on my     work to make sure that my gpa stays above a 3!  (registered!)

Health

Stop cracking my knuckles and my back possibly learning to knit will keep my fingers busy! (if anything I’m worse)

Eat less sugar, and cholesterol try to buy more fruit so that when I crave dessert I can eat that instead, and I    need to ease off the cream cheese :(  (I’ve been doing better, hard while living at home)

Make sure to eat 3 vegs a day! make sure to plan each meal around the vegetable! and involve multilpe            vegetables in dinner! (doing O.K. here)

Learn to cook more than just noodles. currently all I can cook is noodles and I just add sauce, or cheese, or                vegetables. I should probably learn to broaden my skillet. (not much here)

Try to do yoga 3x a week! this is the only workout i know i can do right now without hurting yourself. and    it’s calming so I need to do it more. (I'm not doing yoga so much, but I am working out 3-5 times a week, so a success)

Only order takeout ONCE a month and make it as a date with Jesse. it’s okay to slip sometimes, but I got out of control after finals. (we haven’t had a date in a while)

Drink a buttload of tea and water every day! (doing good!)

FLOSS I was doing so good until my flosser thingy broke. So once I buy a new one      I’ll be good on that one :) I need to do as much as I can for my crooked ass      teeth. (everyday now!)

Happiness

Go on two camping trips! will try to plan one for the spring, as well as for the summer.

Do another jar of happiness of 2016!

Try to not dress so poopy I bought skirts and nicer shoes and yet I still dress in sweatpants. I should        post pictures of my outfits more often to encourage myself, as well as making    myself wear a skirt once a week! (trying)

Pick up journaling! mid-summer, I started making a journal and never finished it. I need to finish    making it and then fill it.

Do a 30 day photo challenge corny thing again. you know, like last year.

Limit my time on facebook and I need to stop giving a shit about celebrities.(I’ve been using this Chrome Extension called Stay Focused to limit my time to facebook to an hour)

Read more and watch less tv I have so many books to read and I’ve seen The Office 13948874r5 times        already, so I probably don’t need to watch it everyday. (need to start this now!!)

Take more pictures. and I don’t need to post them all on social media to prove something. I want      to hang pictures of my friends all over my walls.

Don’t be friends with people who only bring you down!

Finances

Put 2,000 in my savings try my best to sell any objects that I don’t need, and no spending on things        that I don’t need. (I’m selling so much, and I’m getting there)

Go on a spending fast! Only spending money on my rent, utilities, phone, and food. Try your hardest    to not buy other shit, and handmake all gifts. (I’m doing this, except being in a wedding makes it hard)

Bettering The World Around Me

Participate in two charity events keep in touch with what is going on on campus so that I have the opportunity    to join in events!

Donate 3 things to “Knitting for those in need” on campus once I learn, make three hats or scarves to donate! (two down!)

Plant wildflowers in the woods to save some bees! once springtime comes, I want to plant some wildflowers in the woods. I just      need to find it where I can plant them without them getting cut down since my    apartment is out of the question :(

Pick up trash every other weekend and recycle there’s garbage all over campus and half of it can be recycled (Oops I’ll start now)

Once a month, do some type of volunteer service! (january, donated a bag of clothing to thrift store, feb donated to Joy (put in link) to help her pay for her hospital bills, as well as Alli, the money goes to the pittsburgh thing, march nothing, april donated more clothing, may nothing)

[rewnearsyesolution]

April Update

Skills

Learn some calligraphy I got the pens for christmas! time to start practicing, and learning different          styles. (no time right now :( )

Read 7 books i will most likely only have time to read while on break from school, so make      sure to pick books that I’ll be interested in. (3.5 down)

Learn to knit also something I will have to do during break, but I have the needles and          plenty of yarn. Time to learn!  (finished 2 hats, and started one. hopefully I can finish it next semester)

Get better at spanish maybe become fluent in reading spanish take advantage of Duolingo’s “Immersion” section and translate articles to        enhance my reading skills. (I’ve been MOSTLY keeping up)

Pick up some french (the basics) once a week, take a french lesson on duolingo! (^^)

Dedicate myself 80% to my school work. i need to get a calendar and fill it with mini due dates for my projects to make    sure i have more than enough time to finish each project and I need to stop      killing time with netflix.  (I think I’m doing a lot better here)

Graduate maybe? for this, I have to be overwritten into some classes and need to focus on my     work to make sure that my gpa stays above a 3!  (This is going to happen!)

Health

Stop cracking my knuckles and my back possibly learning to knit will keep my fingers busy! (if anything I’m worse)

Eat less sugar, and cholesterol try to buy more fruit so that when I crave dessert I can eat that instead, and I    need to ease off the cream cheese :(  (finals are killing me, but we’re still trying)

Make sure to eat 3 vegs a day! make sure to plan each meal around the vegetable! and involve multilpe            vegetables in dinner! (doing O.K. here)

Learn to cook more than just noodles. currently all I can cook is noodles and I just add sauce, or cheese, or                vegetables. I should probably learn to broaden my skillet. (not much here)

Try to do yoga 3x a week! this is the only workout i know i can do right now without hurting yourself. and    it’s calming so I need to do it more. (I’m keeping up and it’s great :) )

Only order takeout ONCE a month and make it as a date with Jesse. it’s okay to slip sometimes, but I got out of control after finals. (we’ve been doing good, but havent had time for a date)

Drink a buttload of tea and water every day! (doing good!)

FLOSS I was doing so good until my flosser thingy broke. So once I buy a new one      I’ll be good on that one :) I need to do as much as I can for my crooked ass      teeth. (Bought a new flosser! Been using it everyday!)

Happiness

Go on two camping trips! will try to plan one for the spring, as well as for the summer.

Do another jar of happiness of 2016!

Try to not dress so poopy I bought skirts and nicer shoes and yet I still dress in sweatpants. I should        post pictures of my outfits more often to encourage myself, as well as making    myself wear a skirt once a week! (again, finals are killing me lol)

Pick up journaling! mid-summer, I started making a journal and never finished it. I need to finish    making it and then fill it.

Do a 30 day photo challenge corny thing again. you know, like last year.

Limit my time on facebook and I need to stop giving a shit about celebrities.(I’ve been using this Chrome Extension called Stay Focused to limit my time to facebook to an hour)

Read more and watch less tv I have so many books to read and I’ve seen The Office 13948874r5 times        already, so I probably don’t need to watch it everyday. (need to start this now!!)

Take more pictures. and I don’t need to post them all on social media to prove something. I want      to hang pictures of my friends all over my walls.

Don’t be friends with people who only bring you down!

Finances

Put 2,000 in my savings try my best to sell any objects that I don’t need, and no spending on things        that I don’t need. (I need to make a few more big purchases and then I’ll be only saving up money)

Go on a spending fast! Only spending money on my rent, utilities, phone, and food. Try your hardest    to not buy other shit, and handmake all gifts. (I think it’s gotten under control)

Bettering The World Around Me

Participate in two charity events keep in touch with what is going on on campus so that I have the opportunity    to join in events!

Donate 3 things to “Knitting for those in need” on campus once I learn, make three hats or scarves to donate! (two down!)

Plant wildflowers in the woods to save some bees! once springtime comes, I want to plant some wildflowers in the woods. I just      need to find it where I can plant them without them getting cut down since my    apartment is out of the question :(

Pick up trash every other weekend and recycle there’s garbage all over campus and half of it can be recycled (Oops I’ll start now)

Once a month, do some type of volunteer service! (january, donated a bag of clothing to thrift store, feb donated to Joy (put in link) to help her pay for her hospital bills, as well as Alli, the money goes to the pittsburgh thing, march nothing, april donated more clothing)

[rewnearsyesolution]

Finished my first hat, started my second!

[rewnearsyesolution]

3rd book of the year! I loved this. It was so cute and relatable as hell. And I've always loved Mindy on the office. It was a really short read too, which is nice when I work and have homework.

[rewnearsyesolution]

February Update

Skills

Learn some calligraphy  I got the pens for christmas! time to start practicing, and learning different          styles. (no time right now :( )

Read 7 books  i will most likely only have time to read while on break from school, so make      sure to pick books that I’ll be interested in. (two down)

Learn to knit also something I will have to do during break, but I have the needles and          plenty of yarn. Time to learn!  (nearly finished one hat for the knitting club on campus! )

Get better at spanish maybe become fluent in reading spanish take advantage of Duolingo’s “Immersion” section and translate articles to        enhance my reading skills. (slacking a little, I’ll admit)

Pick up some french (the basics) once a week, take a french lesson on duolingo! (well, I have been doing one lesson a week!)

Dedicate myself 80% to my school work. i need to get a calendar and fill it with mini due dates for my projects to make    sure i have more than enough time to finish each project and I need to stop      killing time with netflix.  (i’m doing very good on not getting behind, no late assignments, and I think my assignments have a lot of work put in, but I still need to put more work into them)

Graduate maybe?  for this, I have to be overwritten into some classes and need to focus on my     work to make sure that my gpa stays above a 3!  (i have to talk to my advisor again, but I think this will happen!)

Health

Stop cracking my knuckles and my back possibly learning to knit will keep my fingers busy! (definitely not sticking to this :( )

Eat less sugar, and cholesterol try to buy more fruit so that when I crave dessert I can eat that instead, and I    need to ease off the cream cheese :(  (doing better than last semester, but still could be improved)

Make sure to eat 3 vegs a day! make sure to plan each meal around the vegetable! and involve multilpe            vegetables in dinner! (doing O.K. here)

Learn to cook more than just noodles. currently all I can cook is noodles and I just add sauce, or cheese, or                vegetables. I should probably learn to broaden my skillet. (not much here)

Try to do yoga 3x a week! this is the only workout i know i can do right now without hurting yourself. and    it’s calming so I need to do it more. (I’m keeping up and it’s great :) )

Only order takeout ONCE a month and make it as a date with Jesse. it’s okay to slip sometimes, but I got out of control after finals. (We’ve gotten 2 pizzas so far in 2016, and we went to Flip Cafe for breakfast on Valentines day and just got a pizza yesterday [was an awful day] Only 4 cheat meals in 2016!)

Drink a buttload of tea and water every day! (doing good!)

FLOSS I was doing so good until my flosser thingy broke. So once I buy a new one      I’ll be good on that one :) I need to do as much as I can for my crooked ass      teeth. (Bought a new flosser! Been using it everyday!)

Happiness

Go on two camping trips!  will try to plan one for the spring, as well as for the summer.

Do another jar of happiness of 2016!

Try to not dress so poopy I bought skirts and nicer shoes and yet I still dress in sweatpants. I should        post pictures of my outfits more often to encourage myself, as well as making    myself wear a skirt once a week! (semi-successful)

Pick up journaling! mid-summer, I started making a journal and never finished it. I need to finish    making it and then fill it.

Do a 30 day photo challenge corny thing again. you know, like last year.

Limit my time on facebook and I need to stop giving a shit about celebrities.(I’ve been using this Chrome Extension called Stay Focused to limit my time to facebook to an hour)

Read more and watch less tv I have so many books to read and I’ve seen The Office 13948874r5 times        already, so I probably don’t need to watch it everyday. (need to start this now!!)

Take more pictures. and I don’t need to post them all on social media to prove something. I want      to hang pictures of my friends all over my walls.

Don’t be friends with people who only bring you down!

Finances

Put 2,000 in my savings  try my best to sell any objects that I don’t need, and no spending on things        that I don’t need. (I’ve sold a few things, but we hit a wall and I’m not making enough money at work right now)

Go on a spending fast! Only spending money on my rent, utilities, phone, and food. Try your hardest    to not buy other shit, and handmake all gifts. (I think it’s gotten under control)

Bettering The World Around Me

Participate in two charity events  keep in touch with what is going on on campus so that I have the opportunity    to join in events!

Donate 3 things to “Knitting for those in need” on campus once I learn, make three hats or scarves to donate! (one down!)

Plant wildflowers in the woods to save some bees!  once springtime comes, I want to plant some wildflowers in the woods. I just      need to find it where I can plant them without them getting cut down since my    apartment is out of the question :(

Pick up trash every other weekend and recycle  there’s garbage all over campus and half of it can be recycled (Oops I’ll start now)

Once a month, do some type of volunteer service! (january, donated a bag of clothing to thrift store, feb donated to Joy (put in link) to help her pay for her hospital bills, as well as Alli, the money goes to the pittsburgh thing)

[rewnearsyesolution]

Getting some homework done!

[rewnearsyesolution]

In Edinboro at Flip Cafe, all of February you get free cinnamon flips if you donate some canned goods. It was a little dishonoring to see that there were only two other cans in their box. I think it's such a good idea though! Also my breakfast was amazing because Flip is amazing.

[nevadajesse]

Books I read in 2015

So, every year I have a resolution to read at least 12 books. I was behind unfortunately, because of school and work and other things, and only finished the list as of this January. But alas here it is! I have some classics in there, some biographies, some popular novels, some guilty pleasures and even some poetry in there. Any recommendations are welcome for 2016′s list!

#1: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (finally finished it this year, its terribly absurd and fascinating, couldn’t read it again though)

#2: The Old Man and The Sea by Earnest Hemingway (riveting, a novella)

#3: Yes Please by Amy Poehler (quite enjoyable!)

#4: Mr Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham (It was alright, kept me with the series, better than the first)

#5: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (hilarious, I had laugh out loud moments).

#6: Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (intriguing, easy read, would recommend especially if you like Vermeer)

#7: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (exhausting and literally made me anxious every time I picked it up. I can’t fathom how a human being can withstand what they did)

#8: Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (MAJOR cry fest, jesus christ almighty)

#9: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (loved it, easy read, kept me stuck to the pages)

 #10: In Times of Terror Wage Beauty by Mark Gonzales (beautiful, helped me get past a bad time I was going through, helped me see the good in the world)

#11: Bossypants by Tina Fey (She’s a boss and I absolutely loved the book, she’s hella intelligent and under appreciated)

#12: Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling (my favourite out of the female comic books I read this year. I laughed out loud twice as much as her first book, so much so that I was brought to tears. Highly recommended if you need cheering up)

[rewnearsyesolution]

Little black dress :)

[rewnearsyesolution]

Finished my second book! Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.

This was so weird! And I loved it! 

[rewnearsyesolution]

January charity. I'm donating a bag of clothes to a thrift store in town since I got some clothes for Christmas!

[rewnearsyesolution]

My first day back at knitting club!

[rewnearsyesolution]

[rewnearsyesolution]

January Update

Skills

Learn some calligraphy   I got the pens for christmas! time to start practicing, and learning different          styles.

Read 7 books   i will most likely only have time to read while on break from school, so make      sure to pick books that I’ll be interested in. (one down)

Learn to knit  also something I will have to do during break, but I have the needles and          plenty of yarn. Time to learn!

Get better at spanish maybe become fluent in reading spanish  take advantage of Duolingo’s “Immersion” section and translate articles to        enhance my reading skills. (Been keeping up so far!)

Pick up some french (the basics)  once a week, take a french lesson on duolingo! (Keeping up here too!)

Dedicate myself 80% to my school work.  i need to get a calendar and fill it with mini due dates for my projects to make    sure i have more than enough time to finish each project and I need to stop      killing time with netflix.  (I have a planner, and my google calendar, white board calendar, and paper calendar are all filled, lol)

Graduate maybe?   for this, I have to be overwritten into some classes and need to focus on my     work to make sure that my gpa stays above a 3!

Health

Stop cracking my knuckles and my back  possibly learning to knit will keep my fingers busy! (definitely not sticking to this :( )

Eat less sugar, and cholesterol  try to buy more fruit so that when I crave dessert I can eat that instead, and I    need to ease off the cream cheese :(

Make sure to eat 3 vegs a day!  make sure to plan each meal around the vegetable! and involve multilpe            vegetables in dinner! (doing O.K. here)

Learn to cook more than just noodles.  currently all I can cook is noodles and I just add sauce, or cheese, or                vegetables. I should probably learn to broaden my skillet. (not much here)

Try to do yoga 3x a week!  this is the only workout i know i can do right now without hurting yourself. and    it’s calming so I need to do it more. (I’m keeping up and it’s great :) )

Only order takeout ONCE a month and make it as a date with Jesse.  it’s okay to slip sometimes, but I got out of control after finals. (We got a pizza from Little caesars last week. That’s it so far!)

Drink a buttload of tea and water every day!

FLOSS  I was doing so good until my flosser thingy broke. So once I buy a new one      I’ll be good on that one :) I need to do as much as I can for my crooked ass      teeth. (Bought a new flosser! Been using it everyday!)

Happiness

Go on two camping trips!   will try to plan one for the spring, as well as for the summer.

Do another jar of happiness of 2016!

Try to not dress so poopy  I bought skirts and nicer shoes and yet I still dress in sweatpants. I should        post pictures of my outfits more often to encourage myself, as well as making    myself wear a skirt once a week! (getting there!)

Pick up journaling!  mid-summer, I started making a journal and never finished it. I need to finish    making it and then fill it.

Do a 30 day photo challenge corny thing again.  you know, like last year.

Limit my time on facebook and I need to stop giving a shit about celebrities. (I’m about to use this Chrome Extension called Stay Focused and limit my time to facebook to an hour)

Read more and watch less tv  I have so many books to read and I’ve seen The Office 13948874r5 times        already, so I probably don’t need to watch it everyday. 

Take more pictures.  and I don’t need to post them all on social media to prove something. I want      to hang pictures of my friends all over my walls.

Don’t be friends with people who only bring you down!

Finances

Put 2,000 in my savings   try my best to sell any objects that I don’t need, and no spending on things        that I don’t need. (amount of money I’ve made from selling my stuff = $268! I’ve sold my iphone, my tablet, an ihome, old cell phones, and a few books. I things I no longer needed )

Go on a spending fast!  Only spending money on my rent, utilities, phone, and food. Try your hardest    to not buy other shit, and handmake all gifts. (This is very hard because a lot has come up. But I think it’s gotten under control)

Bettering The World Around Me

Participate in two charity events   keep in touch with what is going on on campus so that I have the opportunity    to join in events!

Donate 3 things to “Knitting for those in need” on campus  once I learn, make three hats or scarves to donate!

Plant wildflowers in the woods to save some bees!   once springtime comes, I want to plant some wildflowers in the woods. I just      need to find it where I can plant them without them getting cut down since my    apartment is out of the question :(

Pick up trash every other weekend and recycle   there’s garbage all over campus and half of it can be recycled (Oops I’ll start now)

Once a month, do some type of volunteer service! (Have something in the works)

[rewnearsyesolution]

I've been slacking with dressing nice for sure. But here I am wearing a skirt in the winter. Felt nice :)

[rewnearsyesolution]

Probably a weird lunch but trying to empty the fridge. Naan pizza with celery and green pepper. Trying to make sure I get my vegetables in!