I’ve always admired those individuals, though, who do use the new year as the impetus for a desired change in their life.  I’ve just never done it.  I am more about periodically taking stock of my life, evaluating where I’m at and where I want to be.  But I don’t necessarily do that at the beginning of a calendar year.  It’s more of a very slow climb with many setbacks throughout time.

So how does one make changes in their life successfully?  I could talk about goal setting, breaking the goals down into specific steps, and evaluating solutions that work for you personally.  I could discuss analyzing each goal so you know what is looks like for you and you alone. Or finding a friend to hold you accountable. I could share many suggestions pulled from pundits and personal experience, but I’m sure you, like me, have heard them all.

Bottom line, here’s what I’ve learned.  Goals can’t be achieved unless they are heartfelt.  Many goals sound good in theory but unless you can wrap both your heart and mind around them… really internalizing them, the goals will never be reached.

So, where does that leave us?  Let me just close by passing on a challenge that was recently posed to a group of us.  I view this as the essential foundation for all goal setting.  It is this:

It bears repeating. Don’t waste your life by being mediocre. You want your life to matter.  Never underestimate the impact and power of your life alone.

Mull on that for a bit, as I have. Then…. start setting your goals for 2010.

I remember someone once telling me her goal while in high school was to have enough clothes to be able go at least a month without repeating an outfit. Granted each outfit was probably composed of separates that mixed and matched. Still, one has to wonder if an outfit was really worn only nine times during the school year!

Contrast this to The Uniform Project by Sheena Matheiken, so named for her days of school uniforms where students found inventive ways to convey individuality with additions or slight changes to the assigned outfit. In The Uniform Project – 1 Dress. 365 Days, Sheena has vowed to wear the same dress every day for one year. A friend designed a basic black dress to be worn flipped either to the front or the back for versatility.

Sheena has taken layering and accessorizing to another level giving the same dress a whole new look each and every day. Numerous accessories have been donated or designed for her, many from materials typically thrown away. She is currently on day 230 of 365.

Any funds Sheena raises from this project go to the Akanksha Foundation for the education of underprivileged children in India.

Take time to scroll through the weeks of variation on the little black dress. Sheena is extremely creative while utilizing unusual accessories. Think what you could do with some of the basics in your closet with just a little ingenuity!

*** If you want recipes for items you can actually eat, be sure to check out my Pumpkin Bread and Thanksgiving Pumpkin Cheesecake! ***

Pumpkin Foot Scrub
1/4 cup cooked or canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of almond, olive or jojoba oil
1 tablespoon coffee grounds
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl and scrub your feet thoroughly. You’ll find you will have plenty of scrub for your legs as well. Rinse off in the shower and pat dry. Any remaining mixture can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for a few days.

Why does this scrub work? The pumpkin enzymes and the alpha-hydroxy acids in brown sugar granules help exfoliate the skin. The oil softens the skin while the caffeine in the coffee improves the blood circulation. The lemon juice acts as a natural preservative along with helping with exfoliation.

This recipe is an adaptation from Planet Green’s article 10 Do-It-Yourself Beauty Treatments for Maximum Glam. You may enjoy trying their Yogurt and Honey Mask and Olive Oil Hand Softener as well.

Our neighbor, Helen, recently brought over a pumpkin bread that was, quite honestly, the best we’ve ever tasted. I, of course, promptly asked for the recipe. When I saw the ingredients, I KNEW why it tasted so good…. lots of shortening, eggs and sugar! I started experimenting to achieve a healthier version. The result…. great taste without the guilt! I’ve included my healthy version along with the original.

Decadent Pumpkin Bread
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

Measure out and sift together into bowl. Set aside.

3 cups sugar
1 cup solid shortening (Crisco)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups pumpkin
2/3 cup water

Cream sugar and shortening together. Add eggs and continue beating until smooth. Beat in vanilla, pumpkin and water. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into two large loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Four smaller loaf pans may also be used but reduce baking time to 45 minutes.

Healthy (but still Decadent) Pumpkin Bread
(What makes this recipe healthier? Extra pumpkin puree replaces the shortening, honey or agave syrup replaces the water and reduces the need for so much processed sugar, more vanilla increases the sweet flavor in lieu of the sugar, and finally, one of the eggs is eliminated without any negative effect on the final result.)

3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

Measure out and sift together into bowl. Set aside.

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups pumpkin
1/2 cup honey or agave syrup

Beat sugar and eggs together.  Beat in vanilla, pumpkin and honey/agave syrup.  Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into two large loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Four smaller loaf pans may also be used but reduce baking time to 45 minutes.

Look for more pumpkin recipes this week…. Pumpkin Foot Scrub and Pumpkin Cheesecake!

And, of course, please use your reusable shopping totes when you run to the store for these ingredients.  Those cans of pumpkin would look great with any of the bags in EDEN’s Taupe and Red Hot Collection!

The area talk was of the impending bag fee, a vote being put to the people of Seattle. Last year, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels proposed a 20-cent-per-bag fee on plastic and paper grocery bags that was later passed by the Seattle City Council. Today, Referendum 1, the Seattle Bag Fee, will go up for public vote.

It will be interesting to see what decision the people of Seattle make and, to what extent, their decision will affect other U.S. cities discussing bag fees and bans. We, here at Twelve Rivers, believe it would be a step in the right direction, although we’d prefer people wholeheartedly accept the reusable bag lifestyle rather than being strong-armed into it!

Three Cups of Tea is a compelling account of the difference one person can make in the world. What started as a failed mountain expedition in Pakistan for American Greg Mortenson kicks off a monumental life journey. Mortenson vowed to repay the generosity of the village leader and his people who saved his life by building them a school.

Mortenson struggles to fulfill that promise and then commits to fundraising and building many more schools for both boys and girls in this Muslim country . There are obstacles that would discourage the best of us as well as unexpected twists of fortune that rescue his efforts from oblivion.

Although I won’t likely venture to the high mountains of Pakistan, Mortenson inspired me to find ways to make a difference in my world, be it my neighborhood, community or our country at large.

It’s a must read for all!

We’ve all been in this situation. You weren’t planning on any shopping but, at the last minute, decide to stop by the store on the way home to just pick up something quick. Well, the best solution to this ever-present situation is by following the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared!

Get yourself a compact reusable bag designated for your purse alone. Several styles fold up smaller than your cell phone and weigh a whole lot less.

This way, when you’re in line thinking of the bags in your car, you can smile to yourself, pull out your tiny pouch and magically unfold a shopping bag. You’ll get plenty of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the clerks, trust me!