2015. You've come and gone so quickly. Too quickly. It seems just like yesterday that we were celebrating last Christmas and parting ways with 2014. This year was a major year for me. It was the year I affirmed what I want to do with my life. I uncovered my strengths and weaknesses. I met new people. And subsequently, I learned a lot. Without me babbling any further, here are the five main things the year 2015 taught me.

1. Challenge yourself
It's the only way you'll grow as a person. Being quite a reserved person, not to mention a perfectionist, has always made stepping out of my comfort zone incredibly difficult for me. What's the point if there's the potential I'll fail? I've always been a little intimidated by new things, new experiences. A desire to be good at everything is impractical and impossible. 2015 has made me realise this and I've learned that instead of wanting or trying to be good at everything, it's better to take a risk. Two things can happen as a result: you can fly or fall. If the latter happens, you've discovered a weakness and you can learn from it. I've never challenged myself more than I have in the last couple years. While last year was probably more social, 2015 was the year I pushed myself creatively. And I am so proud of myself for that. I've always doubted my creativity but this year I feel it has grown and I've accomplished so much with it.

2. It always seems impossible until it's done
Do you ever sometimes sit there, staring into space and feeling so overwhelmed by the tasks you have to complete, unable to find the will to get started? I do. This was me at the beginning of each semester this year. Never had I seen so many assignments crammed into such a small amount of time. And I just sat there thinking, how is all of this going to get done? 2015 taught me the importance of baby steps - because small individual tasks make up one huge final result. I've learnt that while planning is key to success and achieving your goals, thinking too far ahead can just add to stress and feeling unmotivated. Of course, you get out what you put into something, and nothing worth having comes easy. Work hard and you'll accomplish what you set out to achieve.

3. Treat people the way they treat you
This applies to better and worse. As a kid, I was always so nice to everyone. A little too nice. I thought that if I was nice and polite to everyone, they would treat me the same way. But the obvious truth is people aren't always nice and occasionally people will take advantage of that niceness. And that's not fair. I've learnt that it's not a sin to treat people in the manner they treat you and sometimes it's impossible to be kind to absolutely everyone you meet. I'm not at all saying to be mean or a bully. But sometimes it's best to take a step back - sometimes two, or even three steps back - from bad company and cleanse your life of negative energy because life's too short to have others bring you down.

4. Bad things fall apart so better things can fall together
Sometimes, it all seems too difficult. Things aren't going your way. You're not getting what you want. Something - or someone - isn't what you thought it would be. But it's only the present and you have no idea what amazing things await you in the future. When you feel like your luck is bad, it's important to just keep going. Soldier on. Tough times are a test to see how resilient you are - they make you so much stronger than you were before. And when the storm passes, you'll be left with a beautiful rainbow. A clear day. A fresh start where great things will happen to you.

5. Self belief is important
This is something I majorly struggle with and something I plan to work on in the new year. I think the lack of belief in myself and my skills boils down to the fact that I am so critical of myself and expect so much from myself. I always deny that I'm good at something even when people tell me so. And I think recently it has moved away from humility and towards completely putting myself down. In this aspect of my life, I feel like I've become my own worst enemy. The older I get the harsher I am on myself instead of growing in self belief. I think I'm also this way because I don't want to build myself up too much for fear of disappointing people who might be relying on me to carry out a certain task. So 2016 is going to be the year I turn 'I can't do this' into 'I can do this'. After all, if I don't believe in myself, who else is going to believe in me?

I hope 2016 brings you all that you wish for and more. Stay happy and safe during your New Year celebrations!

When I saw these cookies on Pinterest via Dear Crissy I could not resist making them. They just looked too good not to! And they definitely are too good. Beautifully chewy and full of sugary, maple flavour, they are the perfect little treat for the festive season - especially if you have a sweet tooth. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I do.

Ingredients

COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

ICING
1/4 cup full cream milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tbs pure maple syrup
2 cups icing sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300F/150C.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter with a mixer on medium for about 30 seconds. Add the next six ingredients (through to salt). Beat on medium for two minutes, scraping bowl as needed. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla essence. Beat in flour until combined.

3. Shape dough into balls.* Place them seven to eight centimetres apart on a tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 12-16 minutes** or until the edges are lightly brown - the tops will still look slightly soft.

4. Cool on baking paper for two minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack. Centres will dip as cookies cool.

5. Drizzle with icing - stir together 1/4 cup full cream milk with 1/4 cup melted butter and three tablespoons of maple syrup. Whisk in two cups of icing sugar to make icing drizzling consistency.

*The size of the balls will determine how large the cookies come out and subsequently how many cookies you'll get out of one batch of dough. Just make sure that you are consistent with whatever size you decide to go with.
**The length of time in the oven will depend on your oven as well as the size of your cookies. So begin at 12 minutes and keep an eye on them.

Tip: if your cookies don't come out perfectly round or bleed into each other for whatever reason, you can always use a round cookie cutter before they harden to get them circle and photo-worthy.

1. Traditional & Cosy
This tablescape is full of Winter goodness - which doesn't really apply to Australia at this time of year - but it sure is a lovely table. It incorporates real evergreen and cedar boughs garland with contrasting red berries as well as pinecones. These adorable tea towels are used in place of napkins and candles in empty cans add warmth to the table and a vintage feel.


2. Gold & Classy
I feel like this table would really suit an all-female Christmas party - it just screams feminine and fun to me while being classy at the same time. The use of gold confetti placemats and the gold glitter gift boxes make this setting playful while the fern garland and tall candle holders keep it formal.  I love that these tall candle holders are clear and that white has also been used so that the table is not overwhelmingly gold.


3. Natural & Musical
With a beautiful grey linen tablecloth as the base, this table utilises a neutral colour palette. This is perfect for those of you who would prefer to not have an over-the-top dining table. It is wonderfully understated with natural decorations, including a birch log with cut-outs for candles. My favourite thing about this tablescape would have to be the sheet music placemats. To make it more relevant to Christmas, you could buy carols sheet music and then stain it with tea for an aged appearance.


10. White & Wintery
Another one of my favourites, this is the perfect table those of you who are going with a Winter wonderland theme this year. This tablescape is Nordic inspired - it is a very popular design trend at the moment. If you're struggling with a colour scheme, you can't go wrong with white. It's fresh and clean unless one of your guests spills their glass of red wine. The handmade paper stars offer a homely touch and the choice of greenery adds to the wintery feel. And how cute is that little house candle holder!