Hello 2019!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope the first few days of 2019 have treated you well. Let me know how you celebrated in the comments – did you go out or stay in?

I always think it’s important to write a post like this at the start of the year so I can prepare my readers for what’s to come and run through any changes for the year ahead. Throughout December 2018 I started thinking about the direction for the blog and I knew I still want to write and share posts but I’m not sure how frequently that’s going to be. For the first month or so of 2019 I will be having a very relaxed posting schedule and mostly sharing when I feel like it. I want to have some time to immerse myself in the new year and get into the swing of things without having a strict three post a week promise to myself.

I still have a few post ideas in the pipeline and I will be creating a list of future ideas in my bullet journal. When I do post I will likely still be posting on a Monday, Wednesday or Friday, I find those days work well for me. I won’t be writing a Redhead Rambles update every week and I am unsure whether I will still share my daily highlights at the end of each month. Perhaps I could do a combination of the two and share any significant highlights and things that have happened at the end of each month or every two months. I am not unhappy with my past posts but I want to write quality rather than quantity. If you follow me on Twitter and Instagram (links at the bottom of the post) you will be able to keep up with me more regularly and see what I’m up to!

I was curious to see what my most popular posts from 2018 are, not only as a source of inspiration for 2019 content but to look back and reminisce.

1. Rimmel Match Perfection Two Years On – I am a little surprised this was the most popular but it shows beauty/makeup is what a lot of my readers are here for.

2. The Breakup 💔 – I am so proud of this post! I’m not bashing my ex or being disrespectful, I simply recounted what happened. Everyone left such thoughtful comments and I really felt the support.

3. 1,000 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY! – Following closely behind is the giveaway I ran at the end of September for (finally) reaching 1,000 followers. Nadine was the lucky winner!

4. GRWM: Trying New Makeup – I loved this neutral look I created back in August. I used a MAC lipstick with possibly the cutest shade name ever, Hug Me.

5. 30 By 30 – A list of things I want to accomplish before turning 30. I’ve got just over 7 years left!

6. First Peek Inside My Bullet Journal – I fell in love with my bullet journal in 2018. In this post I share some of the first pages I created. The post also features a flick through YouTube video.

7. Blogger Cliches – This is not poking fun at bloggers, I share what the majority of us seem to do and love.

8. Current Thoughts & Feelings: Dating/Relationships – Personal, honest posts tend to do well and this post follows my mindset after the breakup.

9. Remembering Tango – It’s highly appropriate this post was the ninth most popular, Tango would have turned nine in October 2018. I’m glad she features as in a few days it will be one year since we lost her.

10. Decluttering My Beauty Drawer – I got rid of beauty products I didn’t like or use very often.

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It’s important to look back but it’s also important to look forward and not stay in the past. I have four goals for 2019 and I thought I’d share them with you.

1. Try not to buy any lipstick – This will be tough as lipstick is my favourite makeup product but I’d love to be able to say I did it!
2. Make recipes from my Kmart cookbooks – I bought two cookbooks last year and haven’t made anything from them yet, I hope this changes.
3. Read 50 books – I read 48 in 2018 so I don’t think this is impossible! I’m also taking into account I work slightly more hours now.
4. Drive at least twice a month – During the last couple of months of 2018 my driving practice fell by the wayside so I’m hoping to get back into practising more regularly.

Over the coming weeks I may think of more goals but they are what I have for now.

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I hope 2019 brings everyone lots of love, laughter and happiness! Cheers to the year ahead!

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1,000 Followers Giveaway WINNER!

My 1,000 Followers Giveaway closed on Wednesday and today I get the joy of announcing the winner!

Firstly, thank you to those who took time to enter the giveaway! I honestly thought there would be more entries but on the plus side, the entries I did get had less competition and higher odds of being chosen!

AND THE WINNER IS…

Nadine from https://nadineblewett.wordpress.com/ 

As mentioned in the rules of the giveaway post in order to choose the winner I selected my five favourite entries based on adherence to the rules and general blog engagement. From there I assigned each entry up to three numbers (depending which platforms each person entered on) and the date of their comment.

I drew up a page in a notebook and recorded all the entries. The names with the asterisks beside were my five favourites. Further down the page I wrote a list of the five names and their assigned numbers.

The number generated ranged from 1-13 (as not everyone entered across all three platforms). I then used Google’s random number generator to select the overall winner!

I will be in contact shortly Nadine and I aim to package everything up and ship it off as soon as possible!

Thank you to everyone for their support during the giveaway and all of the nice words written about me and my blog. I loved seeing which product everyone was most excited to win!

A big thank you to the other four entrants who made it into my top five; I wish I could send all of you a prize ❤

Congratulations once again to a deserving winner!

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[CLOSED] 1,000 FOLLOWERS GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway has been at the forefront of my mind for a long time and over the past couple of months I have been so excited to launch it!

Before I get into the rules and what you could win, I want to say the BIGGEST thank you to everyone that reads my posts and takes time to like and comment. Over the past four years my blog is one thing that has remained constant and I am incredibly proud to reach 1,000 followers.

I am equally as excited to run this giveaway as I am for the winner to receive their prize! I have put together a mixture of beauty, skincare and lifestyle bits. In regards to the makeup items I opted for shades I think will suit a range of people and products I like and enjoy using.

The giveaway is open internationally for 3 weeks from 06:00am (NZST) September 26 2018 until 23:59pm (NZST) October 17 2018. THIS GIVEAWAY IS ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT FOLLOWERS OF MY  BLOG AS AT THE COMMENCEMENT DATE. Anyone who follows my blog after this date will be eligible for future giveaways but I wanted this one to be special for my existing followers and readers.

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The Prize:

(I will list each item and the reason I have included it in the giveaway).

• NYX Intense Butter Gloss 3 Piece Set – Bright lip colours are my jam and this is such a pretty set. The three shades included are Pink Macaroon, Summer Fruit and Cherry Custard.
• Rimmel 103 Lipstick – Rimmel is one of my favourite brands and they do lipstick well. 103 is a lovely light pink shade.
• MAC Satin Lipstick in Craving – MAC lipsticks are beautiful and the Satin finish is a perfect cross between comfort and long wearing colour. Craving is described as a neutral plum and it looks similar but slightly darker than Syrup by MAC which is one of my all time favourites.
• MAC Sized To Go Pigment in Naked – I did a poll on Twitter asking if people would prefer to win Naked or Melon and Naked was the winner. Naked is described by MAC as a fleshy beige with pearl.
• L’Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara – I purchased a tube of Lash Paradise earlier this year and holy cow it is amazing – the hype is real! I purchased Lash Paradise online but New Zealand stores sell Paradise Extatic so you’ll be getting a bronze tube instead of a pink tube.
• Zoeva Cocoa Blend Voyager Palette – When I made my Beauty Bay order I picked up two of these mini palettes, one for myself and one for the giveaway. You get a mix of mattes and shimmers and this is a great little palette if you haven’t tried Zoeva or the original Cocoa Blend palette before.
• Zoeva Voyager Travel Brush Set – This set contains four mini makeup brushes housed in a little travel pouch: Concealer Buffer brush, Luxe Crease brush, Luxe Smoky Shader brush and Brow Line brush.
• The Body Shop English Dawn Gardenia Body Lotion – This scent is gorgeous and feminine and after using the body butter and loving it I wanted to pass my adoration for the scent onto someone else. ‘Lose yourself in a sumptuous blend of enticing tuberose and hundreds of English white gardenias.’
• The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin Hand Cream – I admit I was going to keep this one for myself but I have plenty of other hand creams and if the scent doesn’t return this year you’ve got your hands on it!
• Boohoo No Snag Hair Bands 4 pack – Who doesn’t love cute hair ties?!
• Stationery (mostly from kikki.K) – Pen, sticky notes, stickers, notebook elastic with pen loops, cat notepad and cable tags to keep cords tidy.
• Various product samples
• PLUS some extras! (not pictured)
  

All items are new and unused. Where possible I have opened the items to check they are not broken or damaged, e.g. the Zoeva palette and the MAC lipstick.

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To Enter:

Blog:

• You must be following me via WordPress or email.
• Leave a comment on this post with which platforms you have entered the giveaway on alongside your Twitter and Instagram usernames. Let me know how I can contact you if you win.
• In your comment also tell me which item you’d be most excited to receive and why you enjoy reading my blog.

Twitter:

• Follow my Twitter account and ‘Like’ this tweet.

Instagram:

• Follow my Instagram account and like this photo.
  

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The Rules:

1. All entrants must be aged 18 or over at the start of the giveaway.

2. Giveaway is open worldwide.

3. Entries solely through Twitter and/or Instagram don’t count. You must be a follower of the blog as well. Twitter and Instagram entries are bonus entries ONLY.

4. Winner will be chosen by me based on adherence to the rules and general blog engagement.

5. A shortlist of my 5 favourite entrants will be drawn up and from there each entrant will be assigned a random number/numbers based on the date they comment on this blog post. For example, if someone comments on this post on September 30 and I shortlist them they will be assigned number 1. If someone comments on this post on October 2 and is shortlisted but they also follow me on Twitter and ‘Like’ the linked tweet they will be assigned numbers 2 and 3 as they follow my blog and are eligible for a bonus entry. I will then use a random number generator to determine the winner. If all 5 entrants on the shortlist enter across all 3 platforms the number generated will range from #1 to #15.

6. The winner will be announced on Monday October 22 2018.

7. After the announcement the winner will have 7 days to contact me and claim their prize. If the prize is unclaimed a new winner will be chosen.

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If you have any questions regarding the rules of the giveaway or want to clarify something, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Good luck everyone and thank you for all the support over the past four years! ❤

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The End of Blogging?

No, don’t worry I’m not saying goodbye yet… you’re stuck with me a while longer, but have you ever thought about what happens when you decide to stop blogging? Do you remove content? Do you leave your blog up? What would happen if blogs didn’t exist anymore? Over the past wee while I have had these thoughts pop into my head and I wanted to use this post to explore them.

As some of you may know I started this blog in June 2014 and I have stuck with it for over four years! My blog is where I share what’s going on in my life, what I’ve been buying, the makeup I love and some of my most personal thoughts – it’s almost like a diary. During the four years I have been blogging I have seen many bloggers come and go, others segue into more of a YouTube presence and some stop because of something that’s happened in their life.

I have wondered when’s the right time to go and if blogging ever became unenjoyable and felt like a chore that would be a sign it may be time to move on. During my four years I have had a few breaks here and there and they do help me feel refreshed and miss writing again. If something major happened that meant I couldn’t blog anymore I would be sad but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

One of the biggest things that puzzles me is what happens to all the words and the posts you’ve written? I know there’s an export tool through WordPress but does that keep all the posts in one place or does it export your site and your theme only? It’s sad to think all of the comments and the words each blogger has carefully written and crafted could just disappear with the click of a button. Personally I don’t draft/write my posts in a program like Microsoft Word then copy them over to WordPress. I draft in WordPress and once that is done posts are scheduled and published. Do people keep backups of all their posts?

If you do decide you want to stop blogging, would you delete your site and remove all the content? If you choose not to delete your site, after a certain amount of time does WordPress do it for you if there’s been no activity? I’ve never heard these things talked about in the blogging world before and maybe I’m naive for not looking into them myself but I’d rather have discussions with my readers than read through articles on Google and not have any personal experiences to go off.

With the likes of Snapchat, Instagram stories and IGTV, micro-blogging is becoming more of a trend. I can see the appeal and it’s quick and easy but I believe there is still a place for blogs. You can’t beat hopping on your laptop and scrolling through a bunch of posts from your favourite bloggers! There’s something about Instagram that seems polished and there’s definitely a certain aesthetic that lots of people follow and stick to. I also feel that you couldn’t write as many words as you can for a blog post because let’s face it who wants to sit there and scroll through Instagram if your captions are 1000 words long. With a blog post it’s easier to digest the length because often words are broken up with pictures. If you don’t read the post straight away it’s easier for you to go back to later, there’s no algorithm that puts certain posts above others.

The rise of social media has no doubt been a contributing factor to the popularity of blogs and the number of people creating a blog in the past 5-6 years. People who choose to start a blog have their own reasons for doing so and I started mine when I was unemployed and looking for a job. Over that time I have grown and learnt so much and while I’ve never seen my blog as super popular, I have come to know of so many lovely people and the people that do take time to read and comment make my day. I don’t blog for money, popularity or freebies. I blog because I enjoy it and it’s my own little place on the internet.

I’m not sure what will happen with blogs in the future but for now I think they’re here to stay! Blogging full time has turned into a career for a number of people and I say good on them for being so dedicated and working hard to do a ‘job’ they love. I put job in inverted commas because there’s a quote that goes, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” If you truly love what you do day to day you feel fulfilled and working hard comes easy because it’s fun.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I don’t intend to stop blogging soon. To all of the people who currently blog or those who are thinking of taking the plunge and starting, enjoy it! Once it stops becoming enjoyable it may be time to assess and re-evaluate if it’s still what you want. It’s cliche, but write a blog you’d want to read!

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What are your thoughts on how blogging has changed and have you thought about stopping at any point? What would make you stop blogging?

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Special Announcement!

I have been waiting for the opportunity to run another blog giveaway after the reception I got to my first giveaway in 2016. I ran that giveaway to celebrate two years of blogging. I want giveaways to be special and I have been planning my next one ever since.

A few months ago I noticed I was getting close to 1,000 followers on my blog and thought that would be a perfect chance for a giveaway. I am also extremely close to 300 followers on Instagram and since ‘3’ is my favourite number I wanted to combine celebrations.

THERE ISN’T A GIVEAWAY YET, but there will be as soon as I reach 1,000 blog followers and 300 Instagram followers! This giveaway will be better than my previous one (not that I want to take anything away from that) as I know how to run giveaways now and have been thinking carefully about how it will operate. The giveaway will be International and I can’t wait to reveal more!

What are you waiting for, get following!

• Blog
• Instagram

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NB: If I reach 1,000 and 300 followers in December I will be running the giveaway in the new year (January 2018). There are mailing cutoff dates around December and the busy Christmas period so the package needs to be mailed before a certain date. I wouldn’t want the items to get lost.

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Social Media Changes

One of my resolutions for 2017 is to cut down on social media. I’m not someone who uses every type of social media (and there’s nothing wrong if you do) but I have my preferences and want to use the ones I enjoy more wisely. It seems like the right time to organise and tidy up my online presence. Social media and blogging go hand in hand and it’s only right I update you with where you’ll be able to find me from now on.

1. Facebook

After much deliberation I have decided to delete the Chanelle Hayley Facebook page. The page has always been the least popular of my social media. I don’t use the page apart from sharing blog post links and some photos from Instagram. The blog post links will still be shared on Twitter and if you follow me on Instagram you see my pictures anyway.

2. Pinterest

I’m not deleting Pinterest but I will be removing my blog link from my profile and will no longer have a board for my blog posts. I don’t visit Pinterest very often and would rather keep it for inspiration, creative purposes and personal use. You’ll still be able to see my other boards and any new pins.

3. Twitter

I had @ChanelleTheSats as my username for over 5 years. Needless to say I was very attached but I felt like it was time for a change and I wanted to make it similar to my blog and Instagram names. My username is now @chanellehayley_ so feel free to pop over and tweet hello!

4. Instagram

My Instagram account isn’t undergoing any major changes. I don’t have any Insta rules as such, I post when I like and what I like and I don’t have a theme. I am trying to reach 300 followers by the end of 2017 and I’m almost there. If you don’t follow me yet, you can do so HERE. Leave your username in the comments and I’ll follow you back.

5. Last but not least, YouTube?

For the past year I have been contemplating starting a YouTube channel. At the moment it’s not something on my immediate to do list but I have pros and cons that I wanted to share and hear your thoughts on.

Pros:

• Some things are easier to show on camera than describe with words, e.g makeup.
• I get to try something new and learn new skills.
• I enjoy watching YouTube videos and seeing other blog friends branch out into video.

Cons:

• I’m RIDICULOUSLY camera shy. It took me years to be comfortable with selfies.
  
• I don’t have a DSLR or any equipment to film with.
• Some weeks I find it hard to find time for the blog so I wouldn’t want the channel to go downhill. I’m the type of person who likes to do things to a high standard and I aim for perfection. If I’m going to commit to it I want to be able to keep it up.

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Are we connected on social media? What social media do you use and do you have a favourite?

P.S. Have you taken my blog survey yet? *CLICK HERE* to do so.

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Take My Survey!

Disclaimer: This post is not affiliated with Survey Monkey or sponsored by them in any way.

Hi all! I have tried my hardest to get back into a blogging routine this year and over the past couple of months I have been managing. There are still times I don’t feel like posting or I’m out of ideas and don’t know what to post. I am in the process of ‘evaluating’ my blog (for want of a better phrase) and I thought the best way to do that would be to create a survey and get my readers to participate so I can read their feedback.

I have created a short eight question survey using Survey Monkey and it would be wonderful if you could take a few minutes to get involved. All answers will be completely anonymous and only read by me. I may collate the findings after the survey is over and share general opinions.

I am hoping this survey will give me a better idea of what you, the readers, want, the direction I can take the blog and what I need to improve/change. I look forward to reading your responses!

CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN TO THE SURVEY

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If you have any additional feedback you want to share contact me on social media (links below) or email chanelleblogs@gmail.com

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My Three Year Blogversary!

MY BLOG IS THREE TODAY!!!

For anyone who knows me well, you’ll know I absolutely love the number 3! ( I don’t know why, maybe it’s the shape of the number or that it’s odd and sometimes I feel like a square peg in  round hole so I can relate). This feels like a huge milestone.

The past 12 months have flown by extremely fast and I can hardly believe it’s a year since I held a giveaway to celebrate the blog turning two! I won’t be announcing a giveaway this time around (sorry to disappoint) but I’m not ruling it out sometime in the near future. I don’t want to host a giveaway for the sake of it, I like to plan and organise prizes and bits and pieces I think a recipient would like.

Since Chanelle Hayley turned two there have been some changes. At times I feel like I’ve lost my blogging mojo and I no longer post three times a week. I have been aiming for two lately but there are moments I consider stopping blogging altogether or only writing when I feel inspired. It would be so easy to stop and quit but I think I’d miss it and I’d dislike not having an outlet anymore. Not to mention the amount of friends I have made in the past three years, we share a passion and entertain each other.

This is my annual thank you to everyone reading this, my fellow bloggers, those who stumble upon my blog, people who want to start their own and anyone looking to escape for five or ten minutes. This blog has become so much more than I could have ever imagined and your comments, likes and interactions mean more than you’ll ever know. I have grown as a person, I’m more confident, I’m more knowledgeable and I’m grateful I get to share some of my best moments with such a wonderful bunch!

I know my blog isn’t ‘popular’ or the most cool but I wear my heart on sleeve and talk about things that are real. I don’t obsess over PR opportunities and working with brands. In a strange way I’m proud that I have never received financial compensation and don’t monetize my blog. I’m not against it but that’s not what my blog is. My blog is about a girl who believes in happiness and thinks too much, a girl with a big heart who will always try to brighten someone else’s day.

Love,

P.S. I didn’t mean for this post to sound gloomy. I’m very proud of where my blog stands and how hard I continue to work at it. I’m not ready to give up just yet.

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Q&A: Ask Me Anything!

In 2016 I held a giveaway and one of the conditions of entry was to leave at least one question in the comments. I enjoyed seeing all the questions and answering them so much that I wanted to send the call out again. Unfortunately, this time there is no giveaway involved (but perhaps again in the future!)

It’s been almost a year since the giveaway and I have gained new readers in that time. I want to give the new readers and my old readers the chance to get to know me better by asking any burning questions. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like and make them as personal as you wish. I will only not answer a question if I deem it to be inappropriate. 

You have two weeks to get your questions in, from May 18 (today) until June 1. The post will be up after I have had time to go through the questions and prepare my answers. Feel free to tweet me questions as well if that’s more your thing.

Happy asking!

Hello 2017! + Resolutions

Hello and Happy New Year! Welcome to 2017!

I’m writing this post on Monday 2 December 2017 as I listen to Steps – Gold. I felt this was significant to note because Steps always make me happy and there has been confirmation Steps are planning to mark 20 years since they formed this year. I was listening to the album to celebrate. You know when you have something (or someone) that makes you so happy and you just want to burst – that’s what Steps are for me, they are more than just a band. It’s a feeling of pure happiness and it makes you smile like crazy. I want the rest of my year to be like that.

I’m a very reflective person and often I find myself going over things that have happened instead of letting them be. It’s a blessing and a curse. On one hand you’re remembering what it taught you and how it was beneficial but on the other hand you spend so much time analysing instead of being present. It’s part of my nature to worry and overthink but one thing 2016 taught me is to care less. I don’t mean that in a negative way, but I started to focus more on myself instead of everyone else. It doesn’t make you a bad person to spend time on yourself, you learn a lot and it teaches you independence. If nothing else this year, take time for you.

I also wanted to share a few of my resolutions:

1. Get back into exercising regularly.

I could count the number of days on one hand I didn’t Exercycle in 2015. The past couple of months have been so busy that any sort of routine has gone out the window.

Aim: Exercise 5 times a week. Exercycle twice a week and do yoga 1-2 times a week. For the remaining days, YouTube or a short workout – I’ve got a Fitness board with ideas on Pinterest.

2. Take each day as it comes.

Not everything can be planned. I am an organised person by nature so I definitely won’t be letting that slip but sometimes things crop up you aren’t prepared for and I’d like to get better at taking that in my stride. I want to be more flexible and open to change.

3. Don’t stress about blogging.

I’ve been thinking a lot about my blog lately and where it’s going. I still love makeup and don’t want to stop blogging but some days my motivation isn’t there. For example, I don’t have any upcoming posts planned and I kind of want to see where the month takes me. There are a few content questions I have: Would two posts a week be better? Can I come up with another 12 topics for Hey, It’s Okay…? Do people still read my blog? I’ve never blogged for popularity but it seems more competitive lately. Over the next few weeks I’m hoping the answers will fall into place.

4. Cut down on social media.

I’m not going to stop using social media but I don’t need to be on every platform. I am seriously considering getting rid of my Bloglovin’ account (I never use it) and the Chanelle Hayley Blog page on Facebook. People who like the page read my posts through WordPress and if you follow me on Instagram you’ll see my pictures. It’s the social media of mine with the smallest audience.

Also, let me know if you’d like #PinterestThoughtTuesday (where I share an inspirational quote I’ve found on Pinterest on Instagram) to return this year!

5. Drive

Driving makes me nervous and it’s something I’ve learnt not to force myself to do until I’m ready. It’s not knowing the road rules that worries me it’s just never having sat in the driver’s seat and being the one to make the car move. I don’t know what some parts of a car do and I’d like to improve my knowledge and work up the courage to sit my Restricted Licence test during 2017.

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I’m looking forward to what 2017 will bring and I wish you all a wonderful year! What are your resolutions?