By forty

Any number ending with a zero or a five is a milestone age for me. Its always been that way....and having turned recently into one of those milestone numbers (35, if you must know), my mind is pondering on the next set of goal posts to direct my efforts.

I'm not talking about the annual resolutions at the beginning of the year....must cut down chocolate consumption or must jog around the block an extra five times....not those. I'm thinking more of the kind of goal-setting that I used to do when I was a young lass starting out. Fifteen years ago, I had plotted out a plan to have moved out of the family home, meet the man of my dreams, have a successful (by my standards) career and have married, each by a certain age but not necessarily in that order. You know what? I think I may have achieved them all, maybe not to how I initially envisaged, because real life does get in the way occasionally. For one thing, the original man of my dreams wasn't the one I eventually married. But the one I've willingly chained myself to is a hundred times better than the supposed "dream" guy.

This time around I'm making a list of everything I'd like to have achieved by the next milestone number...the dreaded four-oh. So for the next five years, this is the list I'll be going back to look at. Hopefully, blogger lasts that long!

• Be in a creative position professionally and still have fun doing it (this needs to be more specific, but I'll do that off the blog)
• Move out of this flat and into a house with a yard...so that the kids and animals can roam
• I mentioned "kids" plural, so yes I'd love another little tyke but not just yet. I'll need to work on the geezer lots to get this done
• Move to Brisbane and make new friends in a nice neighbourhood
• Settle in the house that we'll be living in for the rest of our lives
• Spend lots of time with the bub while she's growing up. These first five years are the formative ones, after all
• Slow down
• Go travelling overseas....either Europe again or North America
• Get back into sewing some of my own and the bub's clothes

That should do for a start!

As an aside, ever since I started crafting in earnest months ago whilst I was still pregnant, I've found a new appreciation for all things handmade. Independently crafted items hold more personality and seem to me much more infused with "life". So please meet May the Stumpy Bunny, a new present for the bub from Maritza's etsy shop. She's a more refreshing and charming addition next to the mass produced toys on the bub's shelf.

Geez, that was a serious post! Slap me next time.