*This cool twenty twelve art to the left here is from my favorite designer, Laurie Smithwick. She designed Kirtsy, The Queso, and at least 100 other beautiful sites you love. Check her out.

There are a lot of big things slated to go down this next year… the Summer Olympics in London, another US Presidential election, The Hunger Games + The Hobbit on screen, plus the Kardashians will release at least 12 more product lines…

But none of those things really happen around here. In our new little world, things are slower and don’t have advertising campaigns. In other words, things have changed. I don’t work in an office around the clock. Life now has seasons. And upcoming events are less in number and more in color. So I went ahead and made myself a 2012 color calendar. Because my job is weird, I work from home, and part of Hitting Refresh is figuring all of this out.

So here I go, attempting to look ahead into next year. And the more I look, the more I realize there’s a lot already planned. But of all the upcoming things to think about, these are the twelve I’m really excited about in 2012. And their associated Pantone colors. Because that’s helpful for a colorful new year.

1. January: January is one of my favorite months. It’s the epitome of life hitting refresh. I’ve always thought of this month as the orange-slice-chicken-soup-make-a-list-stretch-up-high month. Plus I’m looking forward to Alt Summit, one of my favorite blogging conferences. The crowd is always smart. It always snows. And it’s always cozy.

2. February: My actual favorite month. Because it’s short. It’s cold (one of the few months of cold here). And then there’s Valentines and my 41st birthday. I’m actually excited about this birthday. Turning 40 was too monumental…too much pressure. For me, it’s been the New Year’s Eve of birthdays. Lame. And 41 feels like it’s going to be rad.

3. March: SxSW. This is my hometown conference. And it’s eternal, and exhausting, and awesome. We always do a party, and it’s always fun. Also exhausting. But fun. Plus the first Dad 2.0 Summit is happening in Austin too. I’m excited about that.

4. April: I plan to do as little as possible in April, besides work. In fact, since I work from home, I plan to work everyday in my pajamas. And plant a garden. And make pickles. And attend a Seder dinner (I will change out of my pajamas for the Seder dinner). We’ll see if any of this actually happens.

5. May: Mom 2.0 Summit in Miami. Of course, I’m super involved with this, so it’s all over my brain, but the things planned for this one are actually sort of stunning me. And Key Biscayne is super relaxing.

6. June: Another down month. My kindergartner gets out of school, it starts to get warm, and we’ll probably spend a lot of time hanging around the house. Maybe I’ll sneak off somewhere and read a book. Or take a yoga class with the aforementioned kindergartner. Or become addicted to popsicles. Something.

7. July: This one’s hot. We’ll just wander around looking for water to jump into. And I’ll plant the most sincere pumpkin patch ever for the fall.

8. August: And this one’s super hot. We’ll hopefully go for a drive and keep driving until we get out of town. And then get hydrated. And then come back and start school. Honestly, this month is the worst. Just the worst. I need to figure out a way to make this month shorter and cooler. Any suggestions are welcome.

9. September: Still hot. Harry will turn 7. I will get organized for the fall. I don’t even know what that means at this point, but hopefully it will all be more obvious by the time I get there. I also hope to have the most epic barn sale in the history of all barn sales. Who keeps track of the history of barn sales? That person is totally invited.

10. October: October is always my busiest month. Professionally. Personally. It’s full of action and I love it. This year, I want to add “learn how to make apple cider or some kind of hooch” to my Octoberfest to-do list. That should make it all the more fun.

11. November: Winding down, cooking more. I want to plant a winter garden next November and attempt to understand why everyone loves kale. I’m sure other things will happen too, but it all feels far off right now.

12. December: Hooray. Party month. I’m planning for next December to be merry and bright. And I’m already looking forward to it.

So that’s how the 2012 is looking in my imagination and on my color wheel. Now if someone would just create a cool way to make-your-own PMS calendar…and hey, that’s actually a good idea for someone to run with. And if that person is you, let me know. I will be your first customer.

Happy New Year.