Tag: New Year

Ashley’s 40 Things

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I finally finished my list of the 40 things I want to spend this year completing. Let’s talk about these.

  1. Re-launch blog – Well, here I am. I’ve worked on this blog, on and off, for years. Its always been something I wanted to keep up with. This year I’m determined to make it a priority.
  2. 120 books in 2023 – Pretty self explanatory. I have multiple challenges I’m working on. You can read about those here.
  3. More ARCs – This is one of my challenges but simply put, I want to read and review more advanced reader copy books.
  4. Post to socials more – I’ve gotten away from this since we closed our retail store but I want to spend more time posting to Instagram and Tik Tok.
  5. Fitness Plan – I would like to find something that I can stick to. I’ve spent the last few years in pain and that has kept me from moving my body the way I need to. I had surgery on both my shoulders during the 2021-2022 school year and I’ve spent a year in physical therapy. Now that my arms are mostly healed, I need to get back to working out regularly.
  6. Skincare routine – I do not typically wear makeup but as I age, I need to focus on at least moisturizing my skin more.
  7. Quarterly treat – When I was taking college courses a few years ago, I treated myself to a massage after each semester’s exams. I want to get back into the habit of treating myself to massages or pedicures.
  8. Bra fitting – Everyone needs a proper fitting bra, enough said.
  9. Hiking boots – I would like to invest in a quality pair of hiking boots.
  10. Comfortable shoes – I have serious trouble with my feet. Apparently I have tendonitis in both Achilles. So, I am constantly on the search for a pair of comfortable shoes.
  11. My color wardrobe – I want to slowly start incorporating more clothes in my wardrobe that are on my color palate.
  12. Better sleep – I rarely get enough sleep, I need to make quality sleep a priority.
  13. Re-pierce nose – My nose piercing closed up while I was in the hospital for my first shoulder surgery.
  14. More time outside – I love being outside but I find myself cooped up inside with way too much to do.
  15. Nashville, TN – I want to spend at least a weekend in Nashville taking in the sights.
  16. Camping w/Matt – I want to take a camping trip with my husband, no kids.
  17. 25 hikes in NC – I want to go on 25 hikes in various places in my home state.
  18. Monthly food spots – I want to check out a new food or coffee spot each month.
  19. Veggie garden – I want to have a huge vegetable garden this year.
  20. Porch herb garden – I’ve tried to plant an herb garden outside my front door before but I neglected it. I want to grow my own fresh herbs.
  21. Drink more water!!!!!
  22. Family Photo Shoot – Before my kids start leaving for college, I want to do a fun family photo shoot.
  23. Pay off loans – I have two loans (car and person) that I want to pay off this year.
  24. Clean out my closet – This pairs with #11. I want to throw out (donate or sell) anything in my wardrobe that does not look good on me or fit.
  25. Camping as a family – I want to go on a handful of camping trips with my kids this year.
  26. New front door – We desperately need a new front door and screen door.
  27. Attend a conference
  28. Do yoga on the beach
  29. Board game night – We have a few dozen board and card games and we usually only play them when we are camping. I would like to devote a night each month as a family game night.
  30. Watch the sunrise – This might happen on one of my many hikes or on the beach as I do yoga, but it will happen.
  31. Take in a play
  32. Try new teas – The title of this blog inspired this one. I can also possibly pair this with #18.
  33. Tattoo – I have been wanting to get a couple tattoos for a long time. This year, I will get at least 1.
  34. New car – New to me car! I’ve never bought a new car and I do not see myself doing that now. I have something in mind that I’ve been wanting for a while.
  35. Guitar – I wanted to learn to play guitar a few years ago and then I started having trouble with my hands. I had surgery on my right hand and shots in my left shortly after getting a guitar. Then, my shoulders started acting up.
  36. Go kayaking – My husband took me kayaking when we first starting dating and I loved it. Then, my shoulders started acting up. (Do you see a pattern here?)
  37. New phone
  38. More time on Etsy – Etsy SEO has always been a beast I haven’t quite figured out. I’m selling more handmade / upcycled items on there, so I would like to devote more time to figuring out how to best utilize this selling platform.
  39. Visit an art museum
  40. Stick to a budget

Well, there they are. As I start dissecting and completing these, I’ll be posting about how it’s going. Let me know if you have any questions or want more details. I remember my mom telling my once that her 40s were her best years. I’m determined to enjoy this year and I want to embrace getting older as my 40th birthday grows nearer.

40 Things

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As I walk into this first week of 2023, a couple things stick with me. I will be 40 this year!! And there are some things I’ve been putting off.

We all do it. We get busy. Life happens. People and things demand our time. Honestly, it’s inevitable and I don’t mind it at all. I like being busy. I’m always one to add more to-dos to my list. But I am very guilty of putting off doing things for myself.

With that said, I have decided this is the year to get things done. I am devoting time to do things I want to do, things I’ve been putting off. I refuse to feel guilty for spending time and/or money on myself (within reason). I am compiling a list of 40 things to do this year, my 40th year. My birthday is in April but I am giving myself the entire year to complete this list. I’ve started adding things to my list in 4 different categories. I’m focusing on – health and beauty, adventures, home improvements and overall challenges. I do not quite have 40 items but by this weekend, I hope to have the list complete.

One of the challenges is to get back to blogging. So, look at this, I’ve already started checking one item off. My hope is that if I focus time on certain challenges this year, they will become habits and part of my daily/weekly schedule.

Here are my 40 things so far:

What do you think? Do you have suggestions on things to consider adding. Once my list is complete, I’ll break down the reasons behind each one and my motivation to get them done.

Happy 2023 friends.

Looking forward

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December was crazy!!! Well, let’s be honest 2020 was a hot mess.

But specifically speaking, December was a little much. I honestly didn’t know if I was coming or going half the time. Our little businesses picked up toward the middle of the month and online sales were nuts.
And… I thought it was a good idea to take a full time substitute job the last two months of the year! What the heck was I thinking?!!

Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond happy and recognize how truly blessed we are. I know there are a lot of people going through very hard times right now. But we worked hard for the little bit of success we had. We put in 16 hour days from black Friday all the way to Christmas Eve.


It all paid off though, despite being in a global pandemic both of my little businesses had record breaking years. And I plan to keep this momentum going.


As 2021 begins, one of my goals is to make meal prepping a priority. Tonights dinner was supposed to be shrimp & gouda grits topped with shaved brussel sprouts and bacon but the Walmart was all out of brussels when I made my order yesterday so we compromised. I had half of a leftover spicy tofu wrap from my lunch date with my bestie and some super greens, so they made it to my plate.

The guys enjoyed a huge helping of grits and shrimp with leftover cornbread. Everyone left the table completely full and satisfied. I have meals planned for the rest of the week and I’m determined to keep the momentum. I don’t set resolutions, per se, but I do start the year with a couple of “focuses”.

So far, I have a few “focuses” I’ll be talking about in upcoming posts. Stay tuned.

Happy New Year.