Five Easy Things to Do for a More Organized 2017

I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was spent with my family in California and it was such a great time! I'll be posting some fun photos of my trip in the next few days...

But in the meantime, let's talk about New Years! 

I can't believe 2016 is coming to and end. When did that happen?

I always try to clean the house and get a little more organized before the start of a new year. I realize it is just an arbitrary date, and I could get organized -- like yesterday -- but there is something about January 1st that offers a nice clean slate. 

Below are five easy things you can do before the ball drops to ensure you have a more organized 2017!

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1. Unsubscribe from junk e-mails -- I did this at the beginning of 2016, but it seems that anytime I ordered something online from a company, I started receiving e-mails again. By unsubscribing from junk e-mails I'll be able to start each morning with less clutter! 

2. Clean out pantry/fridge -- the New Year is a great time to clear out old and expired food items. If you can't remember the last time you used that salad dressing, out it goes! Bonus points if you wipe down the shelves and drawers. 

3. Clean out purse -- I am a receipt hoarder and my poor purse gets stuck housing them! I also somehow end up with a half dozen pens, lipsticks, and a handful of paper clips at the bottom of my bag. Time to clean it all out!

4. Clean out under bathroom sink -- Toss any cosmetics you haven't worn in a while and any bottles of shampoo and lotion that are old and opened. Here is a good article on the lifespan of makeup. Anyone using expired mascara? Guilty.

5. Download pictures on your phone to the cloud -- I've had no storage on my phone for a few months now, and Hubby is probably more than annoyed that I keep asking to use his phone to take photos. Now is a great time to transfer all of your photos on your phone to your computer or your favorite cloud storage space. This makes sure all your photos are safe and allows you to capture new memories in 2017!

Cheers to a happy 2017!

XOXO
Meg

101 in 1001 Days

Happy New Year! Happy 2016! I cannot believe the new year is upon us... but ready or not... today is already January 3rd!

Hubby and I did not have a glamorous New Years Eve by any means. We recently purchased an investment property and were working against the clock on the 31st to finalize renovations so our tenant could move in on the first. But... we wouldn't have it any other way... and it is all finished!

Last year I tried to do 15 resolutions in 2015 and I failed miserably at it. I did some of them, but definitely not all of them. I needed more time to complete my list. 

I came across MacKenzie Horan's blog, Design Darling, and really fell in love with her 101 in 1001 days concept! 

I like lists and I like having goals, so I am really excited to embark on this journey and see how far I get. I love that I have approximately 2.75 years to complete my list. That should be more than enough time... right?

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In no particular order... here are the 101 things I want to accomplish in 1001 days. 

Start date: January 1, 2016

End date: September 28, 2018
Progress: 19 out of 101

Travel [1/5]

1. Travel to three countries I have never been to.  [1/3] Aruba | 2/16; Jamaica | 11/16

2. Travel to three states I have never been to. [1/3] Illinois | 6/16

3. Travel to three cities/towns in Texas I have never been to. [1/3] Gruene | 3/17; 

4. Send a post card while on vacation. (Sent Chicago post cards to family | 6/16)

5. Buy a map and pin the places Hubby and I have traveled. 

Career [0/5]

6. Frame my California law license. 


7. Write another law review article. 


8. Have another law review article published. 

9. Go to five lawyer networking events.

10. Complete my LLM in Estate Planning (Started a program at the John Marshall School of Law | 1/16)

Friends & Family [3/10]

11. Treat my sister to a spa day.

12. Call my Oma and Opa once a week for an entire month.

13. Reconnect with an old friend.

14. Plan a girls’ weekend.

15. Host a party in someone’s honor (Hosted baby shower for my sister in-law | 2/16). 

16. Figure out an effective way of to send birthday cards to family and friends.

17. Send care packages to all of my girl cousins. (Heather, Amanda, Savannah)

18. Invite another couple over for dinner. (12/16)

19. Write 50 handwritten notes to friends and family.

20. Host a Holiday gathering. (Easter 2017)

Fitness, Health, and Nutrition [3/16]

21. Run a 5k. (Ran the Sugar Pine 5k with my Dad | 10/16)

22. Run a 10k.

23. Run a half marathon.

24. Run a full marathon.

25. Complete a triathalon.

26. Do a juice cleanse.

27. No fast food for an entire week.

28. Try a Barre Method class.

29. Try stand-up paddle boarding.

30. Go to the gym every day for a week.

31. Try five new classes at the gym.

32. Wake up at 6 AM every day for a week.

33. Get new glasses with my updated prescription. (5/17)

34. Go to bed before 11 PM every day for a week.

35. Drink eight glasses of water a day, for a week.

36. Take a dance class. (Ballroom dance class with Hubby and my parents 8/16)

Reading, Culture, and Learning [3/12]

37. Read the entire Bible.

38. Read every Shakespeare play.

39. Read 50 just for fun books. [15/50] Baby Proof | 1/16; The Promise of Rainbows | 1/16; Someone Else's Fairytale | 1/16; Nobody's Damsel | 2/16; Break It Up | 2/16; The Hunt for the Big Bad Wolf | 3/16; A Safe Space | 3/16; The Happiness Project | 4/16; My Wicked Half Sister | 5/16; Bridesmaid Lotto | 6/16; The Calendar of New Beginnings | 7/16; Something in the Heir  | 8/16; Heir Today Gone Tomorrow | 8/16; Bad to the Throne | 8/16; Love is in the Heir | 9/16; 

40. Go to 5 museums. [2/5] San Antonio Children’s Museum | 3/16; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago | 6/16; 

41. See 5 theatre plays. [2/5] The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | 8/16; Mama Mia | 1/17; 

42. See a ballet.

43. Go to a concert. (Duran Duran | 9/16)

44. Try five new restaurants in San Antonio. [5/5] Down on Grayson Street | 5/16; Tacos and Tequila | 6/16; Grayze | 7/16; Supper | 8/16; Texas Land & Cattle | 8/16. 

45. Try five new restaurants in Santa Barbara. [1/5] Chase Restaurant & Lounge | 4/16; 

46. Attend a fashion show at SA Fashion Week.

47. Learn to tie a Bow Tie.

48. Go to a Spurs game. (Spurs v. Trailblazers | 3/15/17)

Home Décor and Organization [2/8]

49. Organize my closet. (4/16)

50. Finish decorating my office in San Antonio

51. Post a home tour of my house on the blog.

52. Organize my jewelry.

53. Clean out cabinet under my bathroom sink.

54. Finish decorating my at home office.

55. Plant a citrus tree. (5/17)

56. Plant pumpkins.

Giving Up and Giving Back [3/6]

57. Buy someone else flowers (2/16)

58. Buy Starbucks for the person behind me in line.

59. Do something for Lent (Gave up take out coffee during the work week | 2016)

60. No Christmas shopping in the month of December.

61. No shopping for myself for an entire month. (90 day shopping ban! February 7 to May 9, 2017)

62. Volunteer with a new organization.

Preserving Memories [0/6]

63. Do something with my wedding photos. 


64. Create a photo 'yearbook' for 2013.


65. Create a photo 'yearbook' for 2014. 


66. Create a photo 'yearbook' for 2015. 


67. Create a photo 'yearbook' for 2016. 


68. Create a photo 'yearbook' for 2017.

Making Memories [1/6]

69. Camp on our land

70. Go apple picking.

71. Go ice skating.

72. Start a new tradition. (Elf on the Shelf | 12/16)

73. Go on a stay-cation.

74. Carve jack-o-lanterns.

For Me [ 3/27]

75. Paint something.

76. Buy myself flowers. (10/16)

77. Get a facial.

78. Get a pedicure.

79. Complete a Capsule Casual Wardrobe for a season. (Spring 2016)

80. Complete a Capsule Work Wardrobe for a season.

81. Buy myself the candle I have been eying for the past 10 years at Anthropologie.

82. Unsubscribe from all the junk e-mails I delete every morning. (1/16)

83. Turn my handwriting into a font.

84. Have my makeup done at the makeup counter.

85. Get a new hair do.

86. Invest in a camera.

87. Bake five deserts I have never made before.




88. Write a guest blog post for a blogger I follow. 

89. Complete the 52 Lists Project.

90. Make three homemade gifts. 

91. Write a letter to myself to open at a future date. 

92. Find my signature scent.

93. Go to an event hosted by a blogger in San Antonio. 

94. Get Christmas Cards sent out before Dec 1st. 




95. Take a ceramics class.

96. Take a flower arrangement class.

97. Unplug for 24 hours.

98. Pawn something.

99. Join a Bible study.

100. Journal for an entire year.

101. Make a reasonable splurge.

I'll be posting updates as I go!

Does anyone else have a 101 in 1001 list? I'd love to hear all about it!

Happy 2016, y'all!

XOXO
Meg

Happy New Year!

Happy 2015, y'all!

Hubby and I rang in the new year on the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic!

I could not have asked for a more relaxing and restful way to start the new year. 

I'll be posting lots more photos soon! And I have some very exciting news to share!

XOXO

Meg