New Year’s Resolution for 2017: I Choose Joy

Happy New Year! I am back from my blogging break during which time I spent countless hours photographing merchandise for Shelbee’s Shoppe, taking measurements, and loading the images online for your shopping pleasure! I also reformatted my entire website to accommodate my online shop. Please do stop by and see all the pretty things! I am still adding items every day, so please continue to check back. And do let me know what you think!

For my very first post of the new year, I want to share a little story with you all. During the late morning of New Year’s Eve, I was out and about running some errands and I was in a complete miserable, ornery funk for some reason. I was super irritable and downright bitchy. One of my errands was to stop by and pick up my custom-made bracelets from Lisa of Morgia Designs.

Lisa will customize these adjustable aluminum band bracelets with any saying or phrase you choose. Or you can pick ones she has already made. I have been wanting jewelry with my Shelbee’s Shoppe tagline “Rediscover Your Edge”…so I had Lisa make a bracelet for me. I also had one made which says simply “On the Edge”.

Anyway, back to the story of my miserable mood and my New Year’s resolution. I was driving around, all stuck in my own head, fueling my own fire, and getting bitchier by the moment. I was having trouble locating Lisa’s house so I had to message her. As I sat facing two white houses, knowing one of them was hers, I sent her a message asking, “Is your house the one with the white truck in the driveway or the one with JOY in the window?” She responded, “The one with JOY in the window? Don’t you love my JOY?” Lisa had prominently displayed in her front window the word JOY spelled out in beautiful wreaths. (I wish I had taken a picture!) For the moment, the magnitude of these three little letters escaped me. I grabbed my bracelets out of her mailbox, sent her a quick thank you message, and drove away to finish my remaining errands.

As I drove off, very pleased with my new bracelets but still fuming in my own aggravation, I began thinking about Lisa’s message of Joy. And my thoughts went on something like this…”Hmmm. Joy. Joy? Isn’t that what this entire holiday season is about? And here I am driving around getting myself all worked up over nothing really. Just feeding my own negativity. And isn’t Joy a choice, really? Can’t I just choose Joy? I have complete control over my own miserable thoughts and I can turn them off as quickly as I have turned them on.  As easily as I have allowed them to take control, I can regain that control. So for now, for today, I am going to choose Joy. And I am going to continue to choose Joy every time I start feeling ornery.” And this, my friends, is how I came to the resolution that I will choose Joy for all of the new year.  So in 2017, my resolution is to choose Joy.  At every single opportunity. What have you resolved to do to make 2017 the best year ever?

Outfit details
Dress: Old Navy (No longer available, but similar here).
Cardigan: Old Navy Super Long Open-Front Cardi in Mauvey Star.
Boots: Aerosoles Gather Round Wedge Boots in Mid Brown Suede.
Necklace: Walmart.
Bracelets: Morgia Designs (Rediscover Your Edge and On the Edge); Mantra Band (You Got This); Silver Bangle bracelet with “Lil Sis” heart charm was a gift from my sister last Christmas. (This Christmas I got my sister a custom-made “Smiles Guaranteed” bracelet from Morgia Designs. “Smiles Guaranteed” is my sister’s business tagline at Oogie’s Ice Cream.)

Wishing you all a very healthy, happy, prosperous, and joyful New Year from the Edge,

Shelbee

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I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.

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Shelbee on the Edge