Time to get back on track

Christmas is over, my flu bug is almost gone (except for a lingering cough) and I finally finished making my Christmas gift for my mother.
Soon I’ll be back to my regularly scheduled life.
But, in keeping with all the resolution making so common during this time of year, I have spent some time reviewing 2005 with an eye on how I can improve 2006.
This year I started a new phase in my life. I started back to work as a journalist after a 12 year break to be a mother.
My baby started school full-time, the budget is in the red and I do have a marketable skill.
I didn’t want to completely lose it at home. I do still have a husband, two children and a house needing attention. So when the opportunity came up for a part-time work at home correspondent came open I jumped on it.
The job required us to get a better computer. We opted for the “Totally Awesome Psycho Death Kill,” and access to the internet. This caused another huge change in my life.
Several of my dear friends moved away during the summer of 2005. I miss you desperately Kendra, Julie and Keauni. A fourth retired to her home with a high-risk pregnancy.
The final change was being released from my church job in the Primary presidency. The Primary is the LDS church’s children’s organization.
Since it is for and about children, many of the teachers and leaders are women with children, so being released from this job left me adrift in the woman’s organization. I was put in the primary shortly after moving to this town, and I didn’t know many women in the woman’s group.
But, I was asked to teach them, which made me happy, until one of my lessons went sadly awry and I became the subject of much gossip.
Such is the setup of my goals for 2006 to better use my resources, namely my time, my talent and my money.
Some time ago Sophia, a friend on an online scrapbooking community, set forth a challenge to list talents of 2005 and talents one wishes to develop in 2006. After she issued the challenge, I put it all on paper. But I am just now getting around to blogging about it.

Talents of 2005
The ability to listen.
Empathetic journaling ~ I love to make people cry when they read what I write.
Photography ~ much aided by the use of the newspaper’s d-rebel!
Humor ~ I have a wry sense of humor that takes a lot of people by surprise.
Generosity ~ I am fairly open handed with my time and talents.
Handwriting ~ I never really thought my handwriting was all that great, what with being a lefty and all. But I realized I have always enjoyed practicing my handwriting, and it can look nice.
Typing / Computer skills ~ I am fast, baby!
Deep thought ~ I don’t know exactly how to classify this is a talent, but my mind is always pondering the deeper meaning of life.
Faith ~ I know God lives, and loves me too.

What I want to develop in 2006
Time management
Household organization
Money management
Cooking skills
Scriptural knowledge
Creativity
Earning Power
A cheerful attitude
Patience
Scrapbook related ~ color skills

If you look at the list closely, you can see much of it is about managing my resources. Toward that end I spent most of yesterday making myself a catch-all journaling, planner book to be my faithful companion through 2006.
I plan to use it for:
Menu planning
Goal setting
Time management
Tracking scrapbook submissions ~ keeping track of product lists
And all other life related activities.
The plan is still in its embryonic stage. But thanks to this book, I’ll look marvelous doing it!