I can’t believe 2012 is six months old!  In early January I posted about my disappointment in 2011 (it was a horrible year for me) and my goals for 2012.  I tried to set small, achievable goals.  Here’s how they’re going so far:

BLOG

Goal: Clean up categories and redesign blog to look less like a strictly-food blog and more like the creative space I envision when I write here.

Progress: Very nearly done!  I edited down my categories and added new ones in that reflected my new blogging priorities.  I also changed around the tag cloud so that anyone looking for a recipe for a particular ingredient can find it easily.  And I slipped in a Goodreads widget on the sidebar, so you can see how I liked my recent reads.  I’d still like to change my banner to something new (I’ve had the same banner since I started the blog in 2009) and I’m considering changing my posting schedule.  Details to come if I do go that way.

HOME

Goal: Finish painting!  And plant a gigantic vegetable garden.

Progress: HA! on the painting.  We haven’t done a single room all year.  I’m hoping to get the living room done this summer (if I find a free weekend somewhere) and the baby’s room will be getting a coat or two of zero-VOC paint, but beyond those two rooms, I’m under no illusions that this part of my goal is destined for success.  As for the vegetable garden – well, I have one!  Thanks almost entirely to hubby.  He did an amazing job researching vegetable gardening and did most of the backbreaking work on it while I lay on the couch nursing allergies and napping away my first trimester.  And now the veggies are starting to come in – in fact, we’ll be enjoying our own home-grown peas for dinner tonight.  Thanks, hubby!

FITNESS

Goal: I’d love to run another half marathon, if circumstances are right.

Progress: Not gonna happen this year, for obvious reasons.  I know there are pregnant ladies out there who run half and full marathons, but I’m just not one of them.  I’m focusing on yoga, walking and strength training instead and just trying to stay active up until October.  I might revisit this goal for 2013 – we’ll see.

READING

Goal: Plow through my to-read list and make some headway on reading the books I already own.

Progress: I’m doing relatively well with the to-read list, although I tend to get sidetracked by shiny new releases.  I hope to work more on that in the second half of the year.  As for reading books I already own… nope.  I got sucked into a vortex of book-borrowing at the library.  But I’m still calling it a win, because the intention behind the goal was to save some money, and library books are free (unless you return them late, of course).

LIFE

Goal: Wake up smiling and live each day with exuberance.

Progress: Life’s a journey, and nothing happens overnight.  But in general I’m a much happier, sunnier person this year than I was last year.  I have my good days and my bad days, like everyone.  But I love my life!  And that helps to keep the smiles coming.

BIG DREAM

I also mentioned that I had a big goal and a big dream, but I wasn’t ready to share them… although in the comments, I promised to tell what they both were if the dream came true.  In thinking about it, I’m still not ready to tell you about the big goal, because it’s on hold but I’m hoping to revisit it in the future.  But I will tell you the big dream: it was to add to the family.  Obviously we’re not quite there yet (less than four months to go!) but getting the news that we’re expecting our baby girl was amazing.  And while pregnancy is a constant emotional teeter-totter – from overjoyed to worried and back again – it’s been wonderful and I can’t wait to celebrate baby girl’s safe arrival in October.  She’s already a dream come true.

How is 2012 treating you so far?