The New Year is All About Growing Stronger

Welcome 2015!

Wow, the years just seem to be zooming by faster and faster don't they? It felt like 2014 was over in a blink of an eye. This may be in part that we were so busy and at times it felt there wasn't even time to breathe. But I am all about looking forward and a new year means renewal and awakening, goal setting and getting organized and I'm ready for a fresh start.

I have been tossing around several concepts for how I want to approach the new year and finally settled on two words that I want to encompass in all areas of my life.

G.R.O.W     S.T.R.O.N.G

Last year our calendar was chock-a-block full of activities, commitments, daily happenings and there was very little down time. I was in survival mode most of the time and some core values got pushed aside or overlooked. It left me physically and mentally exhausted and frankly being on overload didn't leave time for reflection, inspiration or peace of mind. Last year I only wrote 16 blog posts. And, worst of all I found very little time to visit my blogger friends and read about their gardens and life experiences. I have missed you all more than words can say! So, this year I am going to refocus on some of my principal ideals and grow stronger in these four areas...

Mind

Working on strengthening my mental endurance so that I effectively handle all the challenges that I am faced with on a daily basis. Building my inner strength through physical and mental exercises so that I remain focused on the beautiful people in my life while reducing stress levels. Standing tall like these flowers and stretching toward the heavens with purpose and strength.

Body

We are aiming to eat clean. When schedules are busy and we are running the kids here, there and everywhere we end up eating dinner late, skipping meals or not making the healthiest choices. Now I am planning ahead so that we have homemade, healthy meals and snacks. We are eliminating processed sugars and artificial dyes from our repertoire and eating more vegetables, especially greens.

We are exploring the world of essential oils to incorporate into our wellness scheme. I am really excited about learning how to make homemade products such as cleaning supplies, soaps, and natural alternatives to pharmaceutical medicines to keep us healthy and strong.

Soul

There are times when we need to be still. This is critical for me to lead a healthy life and was very lacking last year. I am going to make sure that I give myself this time for reflection and spiritual growth. Outer changes begin inside so looking inward to be authentic to my core beliefs and letting the light shine in to rejuvenate and grow stronger will be vital.

Garden

Saving the best for last. Without a strong mind, body, soul the garden won't happen. Likewise the garden is the fourth element that ties it all together.

I am still committed to building a healthy ecosystem which supports the wildlife in our garden. My goal is to continue to add more native plants which serve an important purpose in this mission. I hope to see more species of bees, butterflies, birds and insects this year because of our efforts.

Growing our kitchen garden with a new herb garden that will be used for culinary and medicinal purposes. Exploring new heirloom seeds to grow in the garden so that we can add them into our clean eating menu be it harvesting fresh fruits and vegetables for canning, dehydrating, or eating raw.

As our garden is going on six years young, I would like to add some areas in our garden where I can spend time relaxing, reflecting and observing. I'm thinking benches, chairs, rocks, water, vignettes.

Lots of ambitious goals here but I am determined to grow stronger this year and get back to these areas of my life that are so vital to me. I will be incorporating my progress into my blog posts throughout the year.  I am looking forward to reconnecting with my gardening friends and growing and supporting you in the gardening journey. 

Reflect * Think * Solve * Create * Grow