January 8, 2015

Details D1.01 / Resolutions

first hair clip (oh the injustice!) kiddy corner bread making our holiday cards cheek to cheek post-nap-blues reading and snacking humoring me end of the morning shift

I considered a few ideas for a weekly series to replace the 52 project in 2015. As I mentioned, having the record is great, but that particular format was making me restless. I do want to have some consistent commitment, so that even on weeks where it's challenging to make time for this space, I have an achievable goal. There were thoughts about family portraits or anti-portraits, but when I really evaluated what I appreciate most about the last three years of journaling, it's these Details posts. 

My goal with Details has always been to describe the texture of our daily lives through a collection of fragments. I know that is sort of every post, but what sets these apart for me is that it isn't a linear narrative or an attempt to document an event. Sometimes I pick odd images simply for the way that the light or tone transitions from the previous picture. Sometimes I edit out the cutest kid pictures just because they aren't the right color or don't seem to fit. It's totally subjective, but I've always loved putting these together, and also still enjoy going back and looking them over. 

So that is my plan for the year, a weekly Details post... kind of same old same old but the pacing is at least more ambitious. Resolutions are always fun for me, but boy do I never keep them. I had a laugh going back over the last couple years and realizing that the same big goals never get realized... my own sleep, style, and exercise are still sorely lacking. I can't break with tradition though, so a few ambitions for 2015.
  • Exercise. This is so insanely cliche that it is painful to write, but I really think this is the year where I have to make it a priority. Most of my life I was very active, and then in the early days of kids with loose schedules, I was constantly running around. Now that I am spending half the day driving to and fro school and classes, I feel really weak and flabby. I have to make some time for fitness.
  • Office. Our tiny closet turned nursery turned office is ridiculously cluttered and not super functional. I'd been dragging my heels because we were teasing the idea of possibly-maybe-sort-of moving in the next year, but we have decided to stay put for a while longer... so that space is next on my list.
  • Consume Less. This isn't more about my weight and exercise, this is actually about our trash. I have gotten much lazier with buying boxed snack foods (like breakfast bars, chips, individual apple sauces, individual yogurts). Obviously we recycle and all that good stuff, but I'd just like to make more of our food from scratch and reduce the amount of garbage and recycling leaving our house. After a busy month of disposable diapers, I am back into the swing of cloth... so that's a start.
  • Garden Gate. We are generally really good at meeting our garden goals, but this is the one that never makes the cut. Come on James, let's do this in the spring!
  • Blog. I just barely kept up with this space (by the skin of my teeth!) this year. I'm committing to post weekly Details, and am crossing my fingers to average two or three entries each week... and hopefully document more recipes and projects, in addition to the family, which of course is the most important piece.
So these are a little more conservative than typical, in hopes that I have a shot at reaching them all. Let's meet back here in 2016 and see how I did!

4 comments:

  1. Yay! Your details posts are some of my favorite. I really do notice how the pictures flow and go together — you have such a good eye in that area, an area I often struggle with in my Weekend Shenanigans posts. I like your resolutions, too. I think even though they are often cliche (mine certainly are), these goals to be healthier or more organized are good for us! And your resolution to blog more often makes me happy for selfish reasons. I so enjoy checking in on you.

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  2. I agree with Lauren. Your Details posts are lovely. Looking forward to seeing more beautiful photos of your home and family.

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  3. Love these pics, made me smile. :-)

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