Things that I want to do by the end of the year

It has been a long time since I was at school, but September always feels like the chance for a reset. Even though it has still been really warm today I can sense the approach of Autumn, and a few months to countdown before a fresh start in January.

Here are some of the things on my current to do list:

Sort out our digital photos

I try to keep up with our digital photos, but sometimes I get a bit behind. Last week I finally finished off the 2024 photos - removing the blurry ones, random screenshots and duplicates - making sure that I keep only the very best photos. Now I need to work through the 2025 photos, and I'll aim to keep on top of them as we go along.

Make a plan for displaying my favourite photos

Whenever I sort through photos it makes me realise that I want to see them more often. We haven't printed out any photos out for years, and I'd love to put some more recent ones on display. We have a photo frame in my study which holds 15 photos that were printed around the time that Harry started school in 2013 - that definitely needs updating!

A longer term project is to think about putting together some photo books. I'd love to make one for each year, with the best photos in chronological order along with some text and other memories. Actually making the books will be a job for next year, but I'd like to make a plan for what I want to do and maybe start setting aside some photographs.

Sort out our family history archives

My Dad died earlier this year and left behind his life's work on researching our family history. Many large boxes have been piled up in my Mum's dining room for months, and it's finally time to go through it all. I've volunteered to be the custodian and store the majority of it, but having gone through it with him a little bit last year I know that there is quite a lot there that I feel we don't need to keep. I want to curate everything so that the most interesting and important things are easily accessible to myself and my siblings. It's a big job and also an emotional one that the family will be working on together, but I'm now ready to make a start on sorting it all out.

My Nutcracker cross stitch

This has been a work in progress for far too long! It's not a particularly difficult piece as there aren't very many colours, but it can be tricky working on the dark fabric if the lighting isn't good. It's stitched in two layers, a basic cross stitch layer underneath and then a top layer containing some more elaborate embroidery stitches. I've completed over half of the first cross stitch layer, so I'd really like to finish the rest of the cross stitch base before Christmas as a minimum.

Pick up my journalling again

My journalling has sadly fallen by the wayside. It's been a busy year with lots going on, and some of that would definitely have benefitted from being worked through in my journal. I need to get in the habit of writing again, even if it's just a small paragraph every day.

Finish my current decluttering round

I've been having a major declutter this year, and I'm loving how the house is looking clearer and tidier. Decluttering is a job that is never really finished as more things are always appearing, but I'm determined to just get a few last things out of the way and the remaining spaces sorted out ready to go into the new year.

What would you like to achieve by the end of the year?