New year time for new changes to life, home

As soon as the ball drops in Time's Square on New Year's Eve (if I can stay awake long enough to see it!), I'm busy making resolutions for the brand-new year. Along with the obligatory vow to lose weight that we all make after weeks of holiday gluttony, this year I'm adding some resolutions that I think will make my home and life more livable and lovable. Perhaps you can join me and add a few of these to your list of New Year's resolutions.

Resolve to put your holiday decorations away the right way: We start bringing out the holiday décor in July at Nell Hill's, so by the time January rolls around, I want it all down and out of my sight, ASAP. So in my zeal, I shove my Christmas decorations into boxes willy-nilly. But this year, I'm going to be the queen of organization, carefully sorting, wrapping and storing each item in well-marked containers. It's not so hard when you invest in the right tools, like specialty storage containers with seasonal color-coded lids.

Resolve to get rid of unused items: I have way too much stuff in my home. So, each week I'm determined to descend into my scary basement and find five things I haven't used in years, tossing the trash and giving the good, usable items to charity. When I'm done there, I'll get really brave and move on to my clothes closet.

Resolve to take on one redecorating project per month: Each one of us could probably come up with a list of things we want to change in our home. But in the daily rush of life, we never get around to it. This year, my goal is to focus on one room per month, changing something I've always hated or never made time to get just the way I want it.

The project doesn't have to be a major renovation or cost an arm and a leg. It could be as simple as giving the walls a fresh coat of paint, rearranging the furnishings or updating the window treatments.

Resolve to do something new and challenging: I have always said I would never open a store outside of my hometown of Atchison, Kan. When people asked me why, I teased that I didn't want to work anywhere that my mom couldn't bring me a sack lunch every day. (I'm not ashamed to admit that this excuse is based in fact: My mom does bring me a brown bag lunch nearly every day because she knows otherwise I wouldn't take time to eat.) But in January, I'm going to eat my words for lunch, because I'm opening a brand-new home-furnishings store in Kansas City, Mo.

I thrive on change, and the adrenaline rush that comes with building a store and filling it with merchandise has got me pumped. What can you do this year that's new, unpredictable, challenging and a bit scary?

Resolve to reconnect with old friends: All of us have dear friends and family members we haven't talked with in ages. Now is the time to reconnect.

It doesn't have to take a lot of time. In fact, I have a friend who has a long commute, so she passes the time by calling someone she hasn't talked with in a while.

Mary Carol Garrity owns three home-furnishings stores in Atchison, Kan., and wrote several books on home decorating. Write to Mary Carol at nellhills@mail.lvnworth.com. Her column is syndicated by Scripps Howard News Service.