2016 Goals - Review

I haven't really been checking in with my goal list for the year, so I thought I'd wrap up 2016 by looking back at it and seeing how I did.

2016 Goals

  1. Get my first LV Book Design Client — I got my first client and then some! And almost all of my clients returned for more work from me!

  2. See my mom get married — Check this one off the list! (here's a few pics from the wedding)

  3. Go to Colorado/Take a "real" vacation — We ended up just going to our favorite cabin in New Roads, LA. However, we had an amazing time and we got to stay longer.

  4. Become a Budget Boss — Not so much. But with baby on the way, I'll be buckling down on this one in 2017.

  5. Live a healthier lifestyle — Getting pregnant made this one happen, lol.

  6. Try out turquoise hair — Still on my to-do.

  7. Get a grill — Sadly, this still hasn't happened.

  8. Save for Xmas all year long — We actually just ended up having extra income come in for Xmas, but we really need to make saving for it a practice.

  9. Create more personal art — I did more freelance illustration work this year, which I love doing but I still never worked on personal visual art. I did start writing, however. So, that counts, right?

  10. Try Whole 30 — Nope and probably won't anytime soon.

  11. Use Instagram at least once a week — I need to start doing the challenges again. I had fun doing them and it helped me get better at Instagram.

  12. Try to do Project 365 again — FAIL.

Mid-Week Check In

Ugh. Well the dishes are getting done. So is the laundry. I'm mildly panicking, or rather silently screaming on the inside at all the stuff we still need to get done. Mr. LL, who made a BIG speech about wanting to get all the holiday shopping done early this year has once again left the shopping he is responsible for (which is A LOT) to the last minute. That's stressing me out. The house still needs to be deep cleaned for Sunday. That's stressing me out. I have to bake cookies for work tonight. That's only slightly stressing me out. Ugh.

GUEST POST: Easy ways to fake a clean house in less than 30 minutes by Emma Hamilton

Emma reached out to me with this post, and I found it super helpful. This time of year, sometimes the best you can do is "fake it" when it comes to a clean house if you are lazy like I am, so thanks again Emma!


Whether you are expecting guests or just want your house to look clean, you can use the tips presented below. There are easy ways to fake a clean house in less than 30 minutes which you will learn in this article. You just need to focus on the obvious and visible areas to clean them and hide the rest. Decluttering and throwing away will help you achieve the results you seek. Check out these effective ideas which will make your home look great without long time spent in cleaning work. 

IMAGE VIA PEXELS.COM

IMAGE VIA PEXELS.COM

In the bathroom you can check expired products and throw them away. Supply the essentials - a soap, clean towel for hands, toothbrushes and others. After you toss the unnecessary items with expired dates you will have less mess and more space in the bathroom cabinets. Now that you have taken care of the bathroom you can move to the living room. 

In the living room use a microfibre cloth to wipe the coffee table and all the cabinets and pieces of furniture. Focus on the items which are most visible and create the focal point in this room. Clean them first. Gather all magazines in one place and put them at the end of the table or on the cupboard. Put the pillows and chair cushions on their places to make the room look cosy and neat. 

Wash the hard and tiled floors in the lounge, bedrooms, hallway and the other areas the fast and easy way – using a microfibre mop. Slightly damp it and go through every room that allows it and the floors will be cleaned. 

Remove pet fur and hairs from the upholstered furniture using a pair of rubber gloves. They are very effective in attracting hairs and fur in an easy and fast way. Just run your hands onto the areas and they will stick onto the gloves. For a better effect you can slightly dampen the rubber gloves. In the end, rinse and let them dry.

Remove clutter and too many items from the hallway and rooms. Use a laundry basket, any storage bin or containers you have. Use shopping bags to store items like hats, scarves, gloves and others in one bag. In the other you can put the mail, accessories and small items which are cluttering your home. Designate each bag for certain type of items. Put the bags in the basket or bin you have and store them temporarily there. This will make your hallway and home less messy and untidy. 

Vacuum the carpets in the living room and the rest of the rooms. It won’t take you too much time and make them visibly cleaner. Rug and carpet cleaning Clapham recommends to do the vacuum cleaning moving from room to room. This way the cleaning will take you less time and you will be finished with it once and for all. 

Once you clean as much as you can, you can check each room in your house and see if there are any unnecessary items piling and making the place look smaller. Gather all items you don’t like, use or are damaged. Just pick the items and put them in any bag or container you have. Later you can take the time to separate them into three more groups. One of them should be for throwing away, the other – for selling and the third - for giving away. Decide how to deal with each of your possessions to free more space in the rooms. 

Using the presented here tips and ideas you can fake a clean house for less than 30 minutes and make your home look better. Take the time for decluttering and tidying and some more time for the cleaning to make your house look presentable.