Goodbye, 2013!

Well, I lied. I said I’d have this post to you yesterday. Unfortunately, the screen on my Macbook went out and I’m working on a horribly ancient computer until it is repaired. I got so frustrated with how slow it was that I gave up trying to get the post done yesterday!

Regardless, before I get too wrapped up in all the possibilities 2014 has to offer, I wanted to pause and reflect on everything that made 2013 amazing here on The Crazy Life of J.

January was quite Filofax focused, starting with my planner update for 2013. Speaking of which, I’m about to work on my 2014 set up so expect a post (and video) on that soon! Back to January, I did a small series of posts on Lessons in Filofax Fidelity, starting with A Call for Questions. After receiving quite a few, I wrote a post on Finding your own Perfect and Accepting that You Can’t Fit it All. Though my Filo changed throughout the year, I’m still constantly using it as my number one organizational tool.

Of course no month would be complete without a bit of DIY, so in January I also shared a quick sentimental ornament project:

The poor blog was pretty much neglected for the month of February – all I managed to post was a quick apology post and a list of things I was grateful for.

March was quite swamped as it was the month we sold my childhood home, leading me to feel a bit of a bittersweet goodbye. On a positive note, I also spent a big chunk of March perfecting my self-designed Filofax inserts and creating my Photo Friday series.

I finally shared my new Filofax inserts with the world in April, including a free download. I also revealed a bit on the challenges of controlling my emotions, finished off the month with a rather picture heavy post on our weekend climbing trip to Georgia to rock climb with some friends. And even though we didn’t know then that we’d be moving, we stopped about an hour away from our Kentucky house to taste a few amazing bourbons!

May was all about me introducing you to my new motorcycle, which is unfortunately still sitting in our garage. Though we have high hopes of getting it running in 2014!

June was a complete whirlwind – it was the first month we faced after Brian lost his job. But, June was also the month that we made the decision to move back to Kentucky for Brian to finish his degree – that certainly made the rest of 2013 a bit more interesting!

We shared the first glimpse of our new little home in July, then later that month I did a bit of complaining about packing. Fortunately I threw a few packing tips in there as well so it isn’t just bitching and moaning!

August was a month full of posts, most likely because I hadn’t found a job yet and was bored out of my mind! But we did keep quite busy with the house, so busy that I forgot what I had posted and did a notebook review twice! You can read them here and here.

As I mentioned, most of the rest of August was occupied by the house and posts about the house, including a quick moving tip, a few more tips on setting up house, and a $5 fix for a DIY clothespin bag for our new clothesline.

 
I also found time in August to share a bit of poetry, some thoughts on the immense amount of violence in Chicago, and to share how Frankie came to be my unintentional sidekick.

September had its ups and downs. I struggled with being a waitress married to a college student; that is something I am still struggling with (more the being a waitress part). But, Brian and I also celebrated our one year anniversary with a fun trip to Nashville to visit the state fair and a fantastic Brazilian steak house.

Filofax posts continued in September as well, including how I use my Malden as a planner and wallet in one and my mid year switch from day on two page to week on two page inserts.

My Malden continued to make appearances into October, including another insert switch and an updated video tour of my binder.

Fall weather also meant I had an excuse for fall crafts, so of course I told you all about painting our front door red and my new obsession with yarn wreaths. By the end of October, I had whipped up a perfect fall version and a sweet-rather-than-spooky Halloween version.

Kentucky is absolutely beautiful in November, which meant I couldn’t share just one favorite picture from my Photo Friday at the apple orchard. I mean, come on, how could I choose just one?!

Crafting continued in the month of November – I shared another cheap and easy little project using old house keys to create a memorable keepsake:

My posting unfortunately dropped off a bit in November, so at the end of the month I posted a “life update” sharing most of what had been going on. Which involved a lot of work, finishing our bed, and crochet!

December was a pretty quiet month on the blog, mainly because I was busy finishing up Christmas presents and spending time with family.

Even so, I managed to sneak in a few posts about feeling a bit like the Grinch during holiday shopping, using an A-Z filing system in my Filofax, and a quick little flip book style review of 2013.

I think that’s about it! And by that I mean I hope you are still with me – that was quite the post! Though I’m sure my 2014 in review will be just as long – I told Brian that after getting engaged in 2011, marrying in 2012, and moving in 2013 who knows what life will throw at us this year.

Whatever it is, I say bring it on!