2016 here I come...

I have come to the conclusion that New Year's is my favorite holiday.  I enjoy setting goals for the upcoming year and reviewing my progress from last year.  2015 treated us very well.  I can't wait to see what 2016 has to offer.
My aspirations for the upcoming year are:
~As always, the goal is to make time for family and friends.  Last year we were extremely busy on the weekends and wasn't able to host guests.  Now that we have most of the big projects out of the way, I am hoping we can slow down and share our little piece of heaven with others.  
~Get a strawberry bed this year and focus on my fruits and berries.  An early frost caused almost no production last year.  About the only thing that produced was the apples, crabapple, and raspberries.  I have an orchard here and one out on the prairie, so I will have plenty to keep me busy.  

~Finish a quilt that I'm currently in the middle of.  Here is a teaser of the materials. 
~Do more fishing with my husband.  I really enjoyed our bear hunt/fishing trip last year and now we have our own fishing hole out on the prairie.


~On the flower front, make a few more perennial beds and get control of my slug problem.  I was also pretty successful with annual flowers I started in the greenhouse last year, so I would like to expand my use of annuals.  
~Always try to be creative.  Pinterest, other blogs, family, and my husband are always giving me new ideas of things to try.   
~Slow down.  I'm always in a hurry or too busy to do things I enjoy.  More picnics, more yoga, more exercise, more reading, more quilting, more time on the porch. These are all things that keep me balanced and when I don't make time for them I become stressed.   Life is too short to be unhappy.

That is about it for the new year.  How did I do last year.  Not too bad really.  I accomplished eight out of my nine goals.  Last year was a wonderful year filled with good memories.  
~Go on a bear hunt with my husband. ~Done!  We both got very nice bears.  The meat is delicious.  The fat is great for baking.  The fur is amazing and I'm trying to create jewelry from the claws.


~Be a good host as I anticipate many guests at the cabin this year.  ~We didn't have a lot of visitors, but I spent a week spoiling my nieces and that was a great time.   
~Go on Jeep adventures like we did when "we were kids" (That is code for when my husband and I were first married). ~We had a lot of projects going this year, especially on the property we bought, so we weren't able to relive our youth.
~Redoing the front flower beds.  I don't mean plants I mean the actual beds. ~We got one of the two done.  It was a lot of work, but it looks amazing.

~The veggie focus will be sweet corn and tomatoes from seed.  After last years poor showing, I will never buy tomato plants.  My challenge will be to grow an egg plant and a giant pumpkin.  ~My vegetable garden was amazing this year.  I had tons of tomatoes.  I grew egg plants and a loofa.  I didn't grow a giant pumpkin, but one did magically appeared in my pumpkin patch.  I never did find where it came from.

~Relax on the porch with family and friends. ~The porch is the best part of our cabin and was well used this year.  Especially, after we built a picnic table and we could enjoy meals outside.

~Expand my blogging community.  Become inquisitive again and visit new blogs.~I did get out and find several wonderful blogs which I am now following.  
~Stay on top of my wine making.  Which means keeping notes, labeling, and keeping on track.  You forget to take some notes and don't label a few things and chaos ensues. ~I was much better this year about keeping up.  Despite a poor year for berries, I was still able to make a batch of wine every month.  
~I haven't given up on the orchard fence.~It got a major makeover this year and that seems to have kept the deer out.  It isn't exactly what I planned, but then what ever goes exactly as planned.

Check things off the old list and start with the new.  I hope everyone has a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!  I can't wait to read about your adventures and keep you apprised of mine.