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Like many bloggers I am jumping on the band wagon of reviewing this year which is hours from being over and looking ahead to the new year to come.

Back in January I wrote about my aims for 2013 and what I hoped to achieve. You can read all about them here but I can say now, I have not been able to meet my aims. Has it been that I set the bar too high? Possibly. Has it been that I have been sidelined by other activities. Possibly. Or has it just been that life got in the way? Probably. I cant help but say I do feel disappointed to have "failed" in meeting my aims, I have not achieved the number of sales I had hoped for in my dedicated website, but, I have set up an Etsy shop this Christmas and received lovely sales there and I have plenty of plans for this coming year. I have not completed my thirty before thirty challenge (a case in point at setting the bar too high?) but I have bought a gorgeous bike, Betty, and am slowly exploring Cambridge, and I have been successful in mostly giving handmade gifts throughout the year, something I intend to do in 2014 too.

Despite feeling sad that I have not achieved my original aims I set out, I did find a new job in Cambridge which has improved the quality of my life by not having to commute for over three hours a day into London, I have been the President of the Puckeridge WI group in my old village, begun to make new friends at the WI groups I joined in Cambridge, had some lovely holidays (Scotland, France and Ireland) but more importantly, and something I may have hoped for but didnt expect it to happen, I got engaged.

Our Save the Date (I've removed the date for now)

And so 2014 is going to be a very exciting and crazy year. We are in the process of finding a new house to buy and move out of Cambridge a few miles and now we have our wedding to plan and I might blog a little about the handmade plans we have as the year progresses, only ten months to go! I think the main aim I have for the year to to keep all of the plates spinning and try and keep my anxiety under control. The past few weeks in particular have been awful in terms of anxiety and im not ashamed to admit there is a dark cloud hanging over me of late and it is not floating away but I am pleased to have the support I need from family to try and manage.

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So what for my list of aims for this coming year? Well, there isnt one. I have decided that moving house and getting married is enough for one year, I dont need to be sitting here in a years time comparing what I have or havent done. Instead however, I have decided to pick seven words and to try and incorporate them into my daily life as "aims". The words are:

1. Fun / Laughter - it is so important to laugh every day and have fun.
2. Make / Handmade - I want to be more creative and will continue to give handmade gifts
3. Save - With a house and a wedding this one is obvious!
4. Finish / Declutter - I have *so* many toiletries, stationery etc, I want to use them up before buying more which will in turn reduce the amount of clutter.
5. Blog - The only business aim I am setting this year is to blog more and I have plans!
6. Care / Relax - As mentioned my anxiety is taking control of me and I need to work on caring for myself and relaxing to get through the year,
7. Time Management - my overall word for the year, I need to manage my time well between my job, running Butterfly Crafts, wedding planning, house decorating and just life!

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of my lovely customers, supporters and readers a very Happy Christmas and holiday season. I have appreciated all of your support over this past year and I am so excited as to what adventures 2014 will bring in terms of my wedding, moving house and plans I have for Butterfly Crafts and I look forward to sharing them with you all.

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