September Goals - It's (almost) Fall Ya'll!

 

September - it's such a beautiful month.  It (usually) cools off, the sky changes, and the leaves start to change.  I used to say winter was my favorite because I love the beauty of the fresh snow and how crisp and quiet everything is after that fresh snow but really, fall is my favorite.  The sights and smells are so unique!  The crunchy leaves and the crisp air; the smell of burning leaves and bon fires; hot chocolate and soups.  It is all so good!  It's all the time of fresh beginnings as we start another school year and I try to pick back up on some goals. (Or as my brother recently called them - Suggestions HA!)  

September will be a little different this time around though because, well, it's busy.  I was thinking the other evening what a difference a year makes.  Last year, 2020, at this time we had nothing planned. nothing on the calendar, just school.  This year I feel, well almost overwhelmed a little.  Despite my best efforts to keep our calendar "simple" we still seem to have a super busy September. There isn't anything that is on their that I didn't really think about before adding, it just is that feeling.  Maybe because we are going from doing "nothing" for a year and a half to do "lots".  

This is also impacting how I plan my goals for September.  Personally I am being very specific in choosing what needs to be done and what you won't see posted here is how I have it set up to get certain things done each week.  Well, for the most part you won't - it will be loosely broken down into weeks.  Instead you will see the basic overview and (hopefully) I can "tick" those items off the list before the end of the month! 

This is week 1 because September starts this week!  This is our last "vacation" week at home where our friends are in school and we are not.  

1) My main goal this week is to get all of the paperwork done for Apage, our Co-Op, that I have to do.  This includes family folders, printing a lot of things, name tags and more.  We have a meeting Friday and I plan to take it all and leave it at the church (check-mark!) 

2) My other goal this week is some cleaning.  Or maybe "picking up" is better for this time around.  Josh and Nate have some things in their rooms plus their school desks and I've been just trying to "undo" the piles that have sprung up this summer.  The master bedroom is already done and the living room is partially done. 

3) Get ready for camp!  Next week we are going camping.  This weekend we will gather our stuff and make sure we have all that we need so we can load up on Monday and head out for a few days of family fun before school really starts. 

4) One last goal - finish the trampoline.  We just need to put the enclosure on it and I think we can do that this week.  Then our garage will be ready to be parked in once again! 

That brings us to week 2- Labor Day Week.  Camping is our focus.  

1) There is really only one goal this week - enjoy camping and then, when we get home, take time to put everything away! 

2) Ok a tiny #2 goal - just make sure we are ready to start school Week #3!

3) Oh wait, a #3 goal - it's virtual scrapbook weekend and I'd really, really like to scrapbook!  This one starts Thursday even and goes through Saturday evening so I hope to spend some time preserving memories! 

Weeks 3 and 4 go together.  This is where things kind of pick up!  Everything begins: School, Running Club, Piano Lessons, Drum Lessons, Guitar Lessons, Youth Group, AWANA, and our Co-Op.  I'm' already tired.  

1) Decorate for Fall Ya'll!  Yes, that's right!  It's time to get all the fall decor out both inside and out! 

2) De-flower my summer pots.  I loved my flowers all summer until about mid-August and then they died HA!  

3) Pack for vacation :-) 

4) Make sure the house is ready for me to be gone - general cleaning and making sure everything is put away.  I just like to leave with it all done so I can come home to a clean house! 

5) Have a successful first two weeks of school!  It's always hard to get back into the groove so I want to make sure we start strong. 

And that's all for those two weeks.  I know there will be other things that I find that need to be done and such but with a busy month, these items are top on my list!

Week 5 -- Ready?  Darryl and I take off on a much needed, much planned for, much anticipated 20 year anniversary trip!  We've been looking forward to this for . . . .well, 20 years!  I'll be honest, we are both holding our breath and won't believe it actually happens until it does.  Why?  We planned a trip for both our 5th and 10th anniversaries and both times they had to be cancelled for various reasons.  We are in the countdown now so hopefully no more hurricane's blow into the Gulf of Mexico! 

Recap of Summer Goals

So, maybe this photo should really say "Goodbye Summer" but I hate goodbyes so we will keep it at hello!  Summer is always a tough call - some years I am all of projects and some years I'm not.  I started out strong in June and accomplished quite a bit.  July came and there were some hiccups - Darryl ended up being off work for a few weeks but was also struggling with vertigo.  Anytime he ends up being home for an extended period of time it takes a bit for me to get into a different routine . . . .he wasn't off quite long enough for me to do that!  Added to that - I ended up with poison ivy so I didn't want to do anything because then it would itch and then we all ended up with a summer cold (for real - not covid HA!) .  I feel like I spent half of July either trying not to itch or trying not to cough and sneeze!!  As August approached, though, I kind of got my motivation and hit my list a little harder.  It does help that my extra kids go back to school mid-way through August giving me some more time to work on my list! 

1.  Reading - I posted my summer reading goal earlier this week.   I struggled with reading - I didn't sit out on my swing every day because it was either hot or rainy or the wasps were enjoying my swing too.  I was also reading a couple of books that I didn't love but wanted to finish so they took a bit longer.  .  

2. Scrapbooking - 1) Match the printed album spines to the albums - Done.  2) Order 2011, 2016-2018 photos for September and October and 2020-2021 photos for May, June, July and August by September 1st(ish). I did get some ordered but not all of them!  3) Scrapbook March, April and May 2020 and 2021 4) Scrapbook at least one month in 2011, 2016-2018. 5) Add all memorabilia to any completed album (finally cleaning out my files!)  (Whew!  These are big goals!) I did not do any scrapbooking this summer for some reason.  I went to my first scrapbooking crop since before Covid this past Friday so I did finally get a little done!  

3. Completely clean out my file cabinet and organize it (a once a year project!) Done!

4. Progress through my "52 weeks of cleaning" list.  I got off track in April as we were getting ready for vacation so it is time to get back on track! I'd like to start September on the right week so I can finish strong. The main room I'm tackling is the kitchen but there is also the dining room, and finishing up the living room. I kind of spun my wheels on this over the summer.  I cleaned the dining room a few times, did some work in the basement, and helped Josh clean his room.  

5.  The basement - due to all of the plumbing things we had done, everything in the basement got shifted to one side.  Now the motivation is to get it all cleaned out so I can get to the Christmas decorations HA!  My goal for the summer is to finish the storage area of the basement - I had it about 80% done before the big shift so, really, this makes it easier to go through one bin at a time and then move stuff out!  This is about 50% done!  Josh really helped alot because he needed to make room for drums! 

6. Our Co-Op - I'm sign-up to teach two classes this fall.  My goal is to have my lessons ready for the first 4 weeks (of 8) of class by September and to have the second 4 planned out.  Done! 

7. Outside - we are slowly (very slowly) working on some outside projects.  We finished one already.  The second one is the garage/fence area.  We also want to power wash some things and re-stain my swing.  We got some projects done and then it stopped because I got hit with poison ivy!!!  Uuugg Talk about a motivation killer! 

8. Darryl's list - this list is a mile long LOL  I'd like it all done ;-) 

9. Piano - The kids are starting back up with piano this fall so the goal for them is to practice at least one day a week just to get back what they learned before and to be ready to start again.  My goal is to work on my Christmas song I want to "record" and post in December.  I don't think any of us touched the piano this summer.  Lessons start in September though so the kids need a quite review!! 

10. Birthdays and Holidays - 1) 4th of July - We need Fireworks and Fun. Done!   :-)  2) Finally celebrating Nate's 11th birthday with HIS day (we put it off due to covid) - Done! 3) Labor Day = our annual camping trip. - Done 4) Josh's 13th birthday 5) Thanksgiving - Done (My mom is hosting!) 6) Nate's 12th birthday and 7) Christmas.  I need to plan and/or plan ahead for all of these events. 

11. The Olympics - I love them and watch as much of it as I can  . .. for real :-)  It's important enough to make the list. Done! 

12. School - Clean out desks, make sure we have supplies for school and our co-op, figure out handwriting books, devotional books and any other "extra" stuff that is needed for the school year.  Done!

13. The Garage - I actually cleaned up the garage a few weeks ago when it was nice and cool out.  But, I have some bins that have been sitting in the garage for a few years that I want to sort through and clean out.  it will open up some space on the workbench to clean all of that out.  

14. Cooking - Remember that Macaroon set I bought in the spring - I want to actually use it and learn now to make them. 

15. Finally - just enjoy the summer.  It's easy to get wrapped up in a huge to do list and miss out on the sights and sounds of summer.  I love hearing the birds and seeing flowers bloom.  I enjoy reading outside and listening to the rain with the windows open.  So, just . .. breathe.  Last summer we stayed home most days due to covid - I found that I actually enjoyed the slowed down pace of life so I'm working purposefully to not get too busy but just enjoy every day.  It was a hot summer and a very wet summer at times so the windows were not open much and I didn't get to enjoy the outside relaxing much but I'm hopeful the fall will be better and maybe we can even have some campfires.

I'm actually happy with what I accomplished now that I see it in a list.  Could I have accomplished more?  Yes but I'm ok with what I did do and I also really enjoyed the summer as a whole! 

Summer Goals

Did you happen to notice that I totally missed any goals for May and June? HA!  May was gone in a blink of an eye and it took me until June 17th to breath and have a moment to think about my summer goals!!  That's right - summer goals.  I learned years ago to set goals for the entire summer because I usually have bigger goals and more time to accomplish them verses during the school year.  I like to use summer to attempt to catch up on what I'm behind on too.  Considering the fact that we don't usually start school until mid-September I still have about three months to accomplish everything I want done!!  

Here's my plan (I know you are DYING to know this LOL) 

1.  Reading - I posted my summer reading goal earlier this week.    

2. Scrapbooking - 1) Match the printed album spines to the albums.  2) Order 2011, 2016-2018 photos for September and October and 2020-2021 photos for May, June, July and August by September 1st(ish).  3) Scrapbook March, April and May 2020 and 2021 4) Scrapbook at least one month in 2011, 2016-2018. 5) Add all memorabilia to any completed album (finally cleaning out my files!)  (Whew!  These are big goals!)

3. Completely clean out my file cabinet and organize it (a once a year project!) 

4. Progress through my "52 weeks of cleaning" list.  I got off track in April as we were getting ready for vacation so it is time to get back on track! I'd like to start September on the right week so I can finish strong. The main room I'm tackling is the kitchen but there is also the dining room, and finishing up the living room. 

5.  The basement - due to all of the plumbing things we had done, everything in the basement got shifted to one side.  Now the motivation is to get it all cleaned out so I can get to the Christmas decorations HA!  My goal for the summer is to finish the storage area of the basement - I had it about 80% done before the big shift so, really, this makes it easier to go through one bin at a time and then move stuff out!  

6. Our Co-Op - I'm sign-up to teach two classes this fall.  My goal is to have my lessons ready for the first 4 weeks (of 8) of class by September and to have the second 4 planned out.  

7. Outside - we are slowly (very slowly) working on some outside projects.  We finished one already.  The second one is the garage/fence area.  We also want to power wash some things and re-stain my swing.  

8. Darryl's list - this list is a mile long LOL  I'd like it all done ;-) 

9. Piano - The kids are starting back up with piano this fall so the goal for them is to practice at least one day a week just to get back what they learned before and to be ready to start again.  My goal is to work on my Christmas song I want to "record" and post in December.  

10. Birthdays and Holidays - 1) 4th of July - We need Fireworks and Fun.  :-)  2) Finally celebrating Nate's 11th birthday with HIS day (we put it off due to covid) 3) Labor Day = our annual camping trip. 4) Josh's 13th birthday 5) Thanksgiving 6) Nate's 12th birthday and 7) Christmas.  I need to plan and/or plan ahead for all of these events. 

11. The Olympics - I love them and watch as much of it as I can  . .. for real :-)  It's important enough to make the list. 

12. School - Clean out desks, make sure we have supplies for school and our co-op, figure out handwriting books, devotional books and any other "extra" stuff that is needed for the school year.  

13. The Garage - I actually cleaned up the garage a few weeks ago when it was nice and cool out.  But, I have some bins that have been sitting in the garage for a few years that I want to sort through and clean out.  it will open up some space on the workbench to clean all of that out.  

14. Cooking - Remember that Macaroon set I bought in the spring - I want to actually use it and learn now to make them. 

15. Finally - just enjoy the summer.  It's easy to get wrapped up in a huge to do list and miss out on the sights and sounds of summer.  I love hearing the birds and seeing flowers bloom.  I enjoy reading outside and listening to the rain with the windows open.  So, just . .. breathe.  Last summer we stayed home most days due to covid - I found that I actually enjoyed the slowed down pace of life so I'm working purposefully to not get too busy but just enjoy every day.  

Summer Reading Goals

 I've struggled this year with getting through my reading goals.  As much as I love to ready my time is limited so I tend to read good fiction books to relax with verses books that will help with growth that I have to think about while I read. 

For the summer, I picked out some books - both fiction and non-fiction - that I hope to get through.  It does help that we have a "required" reading time of 20 minutes every afternoon.  Plus, I've scheduled reading time in the morning for myself specifically to read my non-fiction books.  

Here's my stack of non-fiction which also includes my Bible Study Books.  I have a harder time getting through this stack.  If I don't purposefully sent aside time to read non-fiction I will not pick them up - I will always pick up a fiction book first.  

My stack of fiction books.  I should also add that I have some on my Kindle I'm reading as well as one on my phone!  Yes, I read different books on different devices so that wherever I am, I can read and I don't have to worry about trying to sync devices.  I tend to carry my Kindle with me and will read it when I'm sitting somewhere like the Library waiting for kids or the park.  Whereas the Kindle App on my phone I tend to use when reading in bed or reading outside sometimes. 

This is the actual book I'm reading right now.  I read this one every (well almost every) afternoon when we all sit down to read for 20 minutes.  

I would probably get all of these read and more if I was back at the condo in Pensacola, sitting on the balcony listening to the ocean all day HA!  Oh well, I'll have to settle for my swing and my house!! 

April Goals

 April!  Spring is here and April is the month that where we start to work on some outside projects before it gets too warm.  We don't love yard work, truth be told, so we take advantage of cooler spring weather to mark things off the list.  

Here are some goals for April:

1. Complete 30 pages in Scrapbooking (toward my 365 total page goal)

2. Complete March 2020 photos

3. Complete March 2021 photos

4. Complete July-August 2016 photos

5. Complete March 2011 photos

6. Complete any 2016 and 2011 scrapbooking goals from February

7. Take part in the April Virtual Crop

8. Order the next set of Photos on May 1st. 

9. Order Album spines for my Heritiage Albums

10. Read my April Books

11. Complete my Decluttering tasks for March AND April 

12. Steam clean the living room carpet

13. Make my first batch of Macaroons

14. Organize the "toy room" area in the basement

15. Go on one Date with Darryl

16. Plan our next adventure to visit at least one of the great lakes

17. Update my Holiday Journal through Easter

18. Work outside - we have multiple things to get done from putting up some plywood along the fence to keep the dogs from fighting to some minor landscaping.

19.  Clean and re-organize the garage

20. Clean the oven 

21. Stay 100% on track with school - and even get ahead throughout April.  We are on track to finish by late May and I'd love to finish by mid-May instead. 

22. Darryl has a list - like we did last year.  It includes small house projects that need to get done like hanging my flagpole or filling Josh's punching bag.  

That's where we are this month!  I feel like April is a little "busier" as our co-op is doing a shortened 6 week session so my Friday's are fuller and, right now, Nate has state testing 3 days mid-April.  I'm still hopeful the state will cancel those again this year!  

March Goal Recap

March was not a super productive month.  I was thinking back over the month to try and figure out why so I can fix it next month and I don't really have a strong answer.  I will say that we buckled down on school this month so I had no time during the day to work on projects.  I also think that my motivation dragged this month too - maybe just the season transition where everything was wet and muddy for a good portion of the month.  I hope to use spring break, the first week in April, as a little bit of a catch up time to accomplish some things I wanted to get done this month and didn't. 

With that said, here is what I did accomplish this past month: 

1. Complete 31 pages in Scrapbooking (toward my 365 total page goal) - I'm trying hard - just 9 more pages so I might have to stay up late today to finish this goal 

2. Complete February 2020 photos - Done. 

3. Complete February 2021 photos - Done

4. Complete May-June 2016 photos

5. Complete February 2011 photos

6. Take part in the March Virtual Crop

7. Order the next set of photos on April 1st - Ready to order 

8. Order the next set of album spines - Done

9. Read my books for March 

10. Complete my Decluttering tasks for April. 

11. Make my first batch of Macaroons

12. Now that the weather is turning a corner and isn't bitter cold - the basement is back on the radar!  We are planning to have some plumbing work done here soon and they need to be able to get to it HA!  So my goal for this month is to make sure that can happen. 

13. Read one chapter in my photography book and practice the skill. 

14. Pick camping dates for the summer and reserve the spots that I can  - Done (well hopefully HA) 

15. Go on one Date with Darryl - Done

16. Practice my song for recording for Christmas - the goal is page 2! 

17. Plan out the first adventure to visit a least one of the great lakes.- Done AND we visited Lake Huron

18. Update my holiday journal through Easter. 

19. Visit Flour Child Bakery since it didn't happen last month!  - Done!  We ended up with a "free Friday" as TKD was cancelled so Josh and I took off and tried it out.  Best Bagel's ever. 

20. Take boxes and bags of donation items to a donation center. - Done 

21. Set up Josh's punching bag.

22. Hang Josh's solar system

23. Set up my 52 envelopes savings plan

24. Clean out my filing cabinet

25. Organize my closet storage area/corner - Done

26. Have Darryl hang my new flag pole

27. Put up the March flags - Done

28. Plan our outside landscaping we want to do :-) 

29. Do all the "medical' visits - dentist appointments, check-ups, and even a vet appointment :-)  - Done

30.  Take our trip to where we got engaged - we go almost every year to just remember. - Done

31. Plan some fun activities/crafts for spring break.  (our friends are usually here so I like to plan a few things for fun to do so everyone isn't playing video games all day HA!)  - Well, not technically spring break as I plan to work on my goals/projects and the kids already told me all they want to do is play on their x-boxes (HA!) BUT I planned some things for Holy Week and Easter. 

32. Plan for Easter.  Done 

33. Get back to my cookbooks - make one new recipe from each of my cookbooks this month.

34. Clean the oven - a friend shared some stuff that is suppose to make the oven door look like new - I'll see if it works HA!  Hopefully on Spring break! 

March Goals

Welcome to March!  February seemed really long, didn't it?  I'm not really sure why other than it was the coldest month and we had more snow in February than the whole winter combined!  I've decided to do this months goal post (get it - goal post) differently - I usually do a "bunch" instead of individually listed goals but this month it is one per number!  I feel like I have so much that I want to get done but there are a lot of random things! 

1. Complete 31 pages in Scrapbooking (toward my 365 total page goal)

2. Complete February 2020 photos

3. Complete February 2021 photos

4. Complete May-June 2016 photos

5. Complete February 2011 photos

6. Take part in the March Virtual Crop

7. Order the next set of photos on April 1st 

8. Order the next set of album spines

9. Read my books for March 

10. Complete my Decluttering tasks for April. 

11. Make my first batch of Macaroons

12. Now that the weather is turning a corner and isn't bitter cold - the basement is back on the radar!  We are planning to have some plumbing work done here soon and they need to be able to get to it HA!  So my goal for this month is to make sure that can happen. 

13. Read one chapter in my photography book and practice the skill. 

14. Pick camping dates for the summer and reserve the spots that I can

15. Go on one Date with Darryl

16. Practice my song for recording for Christmas - the goal is page 2! 

17. Plan out the first adventure to visit a least one of the great lakes.

18. Update my holiday journal through Easter. 

19. Visit Flour Child Bakery since it didn't happen last month! 

20. Take boxes and bags of donation items to a donation center. 

21. Set up Josh's punching bag.

22. Hang Josh's solar system

23. Set up my 52 envelopes savings plan

24. Clean out my filing cabinet

25. Organize my closet storage area/corner

26. Have Darryl hang my new flag pole

27. Put up the March flags

28. Plan our outside landscaping we want to do :-) 

29. Do all the "medical' visits - dentist appointments, check-ups, and even a vet appointment :-)  

30.  Take our trip to where we got engaged - we go almost every year to just remember. 

31. Plan some fun activities/crafts for spring break.  (our friends are usually here so I like to plan a few things for fun to do so everyone isn't playing video games all day HA!) 

32. Plan for Easter.  

33. Get back to my cookbooks - make one new recipe from each of my cookbooks this month.

34. Clean the oven - a friend shared some stuff that is suppose to make the oven door look like new - I'll see if it works HA! 

February Goal Recap

February slowed down . . .alot.  We really focused hard on school which meant I had less time to work on some of my goals.  I did get a lot of time to scrapbook though thanks to a few snow storms!  

1. Complete 28 pages in Scrapbooking (towards my 365 total page goal).  I actually have a list of more specific goals as well and this month the goal is to scrapbook Jan-Feb 2016, January 2020 and 2021.  I also set a plan each month of what photos to order from the other years I haven't completed yet.  (For the record, I'm hopeful to finish out this year with 2016, 2020, and 2021 completed.)  There is a virtual weekend crop in February that I'm specifically planning to use for January 2021 photos.  1) I completed Jan-April 2016 2) January 2020 is done 3) January 2021 is also done.  4) I participated in the February Virtual Crop 5) I also completed January 2011.  I feel good about what I got done! 

2. Read my FIVE books in my plan this month.  Record them in my Pinterest folder of what books I read this month.  Why 5?  Simple - I have one left from January, two pre-planned for February in the non-fiction section and then I picked up two newly released fiction books from my favorite book store (shipped for free!) that I would like to ready this month as well. Welp, there's a reason I got all the scrapbooking done - I didn't read much HA! 

3.  1000 hours outside - My goal this month is to introduce this concept to the family and actually track the time outside.  Playing in the snow, tossing a football, ect. - just track the time that is outside without over planning it.  Fail

4. Decluttering Calendar/List - The goal is to get through week 5-8 on my "52 Weeks" list.  Done! 

5. Order the Macaroon making kit on Amazon.Done! 

6. The basement - The end goal is to have a well organized, useful basement.  So, my goal this month is progress. I do have a "silent" goal of trying to do just one thing a day in the basement - it can be cleaning off a shelf, bringing up one box of things to donate, or cleaning out one bin but again, any progress is something so even if I only clean off one shelf or carry up  one box all month, that counts! February turned bitter cold which means my basement was super cold too!  So I did nothing in the basement except laundry HA! 

7. Read one chapter in my photography book and PRACTICE the skill.  Nope. 

8. Put all memorabilia in albums that are already done (I have a whole file drawer full of things that are sorted by date that need to get put in albums)  I completed 3 years worth so far and have 3 years left to do! 

9. Pick camping dates for this summer and reserve the spots I can. Not done yet

10. Go on one date with Darryl. Done

11. Practice the song I picked to record for Christmas - the goal is to learn page one. Done

12. Plan out the first adventure to visit at least one of the great lakes. Note done

13. Get some spines imprinted - I will usually be placing an order each month for pages so I'd like to order 2-3 spines depending on the year I'm ordering for at that point. Ordered 4 spines this month

14. Update my Holiday Journal with ideas from the Superbowl and Valentine's Day.  Look ahead at plans for St. Patrick's Day and Easter Done

15.  Plan something fun for Darryl's birthday as well as take the boys shopping. Done

16. Visit Flour Child Bakery - it's a bakery I follow on Facebook in a town not far from home.  I've wanted to go and buy treats but never have - this is the month to do it since it is Valentine's Month after all! Every time I planned a day to go, we got a snow storm.  HA!  Maybe in march! 

17. Take the boxes and bags of "donation" items that are currently in both vehicles and drop them off somewhere (we have a few local charities that accept donations vs. Good Will) Everything is still in the vehicles!  It was too cold to work outside! 

18. Clean out Darryl and my closet - get rid of clothes and shoes we haven't worn in years and turn all the hangers backwards (it's an organizational trick - at the end of the season, any hanger not turned around - that item needs to go!) Also organize our dresser and make a list of summer clothes we both need. Nope

19.This one is hard to measure - I need to start organizing/decluttering/setting up the "Toy/Lego Room" in the basement.  Yes, it is technically on the 52 Week list but I don't have it on there until fall.  This is kind of like the rest of the basement - I need to just start with the first bin (blocking the walkway HA!), sort it, and make a home for it.  Whether I get through one bin or 5 bins - it counts as something. Again, it's been too chilly in the basement to acomplish much 

20. Make a drive to the Lakeshore.  I love Lake Michigan.  Whether it is frozen or not - just to be near it is so peaceful and it grounds my soul and brings me peace.  Now that football is wrapping up, we will have some free time for some drives and this is one that is on my list.  (Another is to visit Michigan's Covered Bridges but we might need to start that one next month HA!) Done!  It was cold, drizzly and foggy but the lake is still my happy place! 

21.  Here are my misc. items that need to get done. A) Josh got a punching bag penguin for Christmas that we need to set up - get some sand to add as a weight and blow it up. I did get the sand but we seem to get snow storms on the weekends so hauling it outside to fill it up was not high on the list.  B) My mom made beautiful shadow boxes for each of the boys for Christmas that we need to get on the walls. Done C) Josh got a new solar system set to hang from his ceiling but he wants it measured out correctly so Darryl needs to help get that accomplished.  D) Clean the "piano corner".  I'm revamping how I store my scrapbooking stuff so that opens up that corner :-)  E) Set up my 52 envelopes of saving plan 

February Goals

I felt like January went really well and I was able to focus on accomplishing alot of my goals. (Even if my brothers made fun of me!! HA!)   I also fully realize that part of the reason that happened (and a BIG part) is because there was no school!  My expectations will still be high for February but I also know my time is more limited during the day.  

1. Complete 28 pages in Scrapbooking (towards my 365 total page goal).  I actually have a list of more specific goals as well and this month the goal is to scrapbook Jan-Feb 2016, January 2020 and 2021.  I also set a plan each month of what photos to order from the other years I haven't completed yet.  (For the record, I'm hopeful to finish out this year with 2016, 2020, and 2021 completed.)  There is a virtual weekend crop in February that I'm specifically planning to use for January 2021 photos.  

2. Read my FIVE books in my plan this month.  Record them in my Pinterest folder of what books I read this month.  Why 5?  Simple - I have one left from January, two pre-planned for February in the non-fiction section and then I picked up two newly released fiction books from my favorite book store (shipped for free!) that I would like to ready this month as well. 

3.  1000 hours outside - My goal this month is to introduce this concept to the family and actually track the time outside.  Playing in the snow, tossing a football, ect. - just track the time that is outside without over planning it.  

4. Decluttering Calendar/List - The goal is to get through week 5-8 on my "52 Weeks" list.  

5. Order the Macaroon making kit on Amazon.

6. The basement - The end goal is to have a well organized, useful basement.  So, my goal this month is progress. I do have a "silent" goal of trying to do just one thing a day in the basement - it can be cleaning off a shelf, bringing up one box of things to donate, or cleaning out one bin but again, any progress is something so even if I only clean off one shelf or carry up  one box all month, that counts! 

7. Read one chapter in my photography book and PRACTICE the skill.  

8. Put all memorabilia in albums that are already done (I have a whole file drawer full of things that are sorted by date that need to get put in albums)  

9. Pick camping dates for this summer and reserve the spots I can. 

10. Go on one date with Darryl. 

11. Practice the song I picked to record for Christmas - the goal is to learn page one. 

12. Plan out the first adventure to visit at least one of the great lakes. 

13. Get some spines imprinted - I will usually be placing an order each month for pages so I'd like to order 2-3 spines depending on the year I'm ordering for at that point. 

14. Update my Holiday Journal with ideas from the Superbowl and Valentine's Day.  Look ahead at plans for St. Patrick's Day and Easter

15.  Plan something fun for Darryl's birthday as well as take the boys shopping. 

16. Visit Flour Child Bakery - it's a bakery I follow on Facebook in a town not far from home.  I've wanted to go and buy treats but never have - this is the month to do it since it is Valentine's Month after all!

17. Take the boxes and bags of "donation" items that are currently in both vehicles and drop them off somewhere (we have a few local charities that accept donations vs. Good Will) 

18. Clean out Darryl and my closet - get rid of clothes and shoes we haven't worn in years and turn all the hangers backwards (it's an organizational trick - at the end of the season, any hanger not turned around - that item needs to go!) Also organize our dresser and make a list of summer clothes we both need. 

19.This one is hard to measure - I need to start organizing/decluttering/setting up the "Toy/Lego Room" in the basement.  Yes, it is technically on the 52 Week list but I don't have it on there until fall.  This is kind of like the rest of the basement - I need to just start with the first bin (blocking the walkway HA!), sort it, and make a home for it.  Whether I get through one bin or 5 bins - it counts as something. 

20. Make a drive to the Lakeshore.  I love Lake Michigan.  Whether it is frozen or not - just to be near it is so peaceful and it grounds my soul and brings me peace.  Now that football is wrapping up, we will have some free time for some drives and this is one that is on my list.  (Another is to visit Michigan's Covered Bridges but we might need to start that one next month HA!) 

21.  Here are my misc. items that need to get done. A) Josh got a punching bag penguin for Christmas that we need to set up - get some sand to add as a weight and blow it up.  B) My mom made beautiful shadow boxes for each of the boys for Christmas that we need to get on the walls.  C) Josh got a new solar system set to hang from his ceiling but he wants it measured out correctly so Darryl needs to help get that accomplished.  D) Clean the "piano corner".  I'm revamping how I store my scrapbooking stuff so that opens up that corner :-)  E) Set up my 52 envelopes of saving plan 

So, there's 21 goals for February (well, goal # 21 always has a bunch of "mini goals" ha!)  I feel like it is doable and I look forward to accomplishing as much as possible! 

January Goal Recap

January was glorious.  It was relaxed, without the pressure of lessons every day, and a chance to get some things done on my list!  Here's the January Goal Recap!  

My goals for January are as follows: 

1. Complete 31 pages in Scrapbooking (towards my 365 total page goal) Done!  I exceeded this goal by a few pages.  I have this awesome chart that a fellow Creative Memories person made and I love filling it each time I scrapbook.  

2. Read my three books in my plan this month.  Record them in my Pinterest folder of what books I read this month. I read 2 of the three.  I didn't look at the number of chapters in the two non-fiction books to figure out how many chapters to read a day and apparently 1 a day was not enough HA!  

3. 1000 hours outside - There is a blog and a Facebook page about this concept but the tracker can be found HERE. The goal of the blog is to get 1000 hours outside in a year.  That's not happening HA!  Instead my goal is just to get outside more.  I'm hoping that we can shade in lots of the chart over the next year - there is no "fail" because anytime spent outside is success.  I have not even addressed this yet with my family and I did not track anything.  We've had a wet January - more rain/slush then snow so going outside hasn't been ideal.  

4. 365 Declutter Calendar - Finish all 31 tasks on the list (or at least all that apply to me - sometimes there are line items that do not apply to my home or the way I do things here) This month is focusing on the kitchen so I plan to deep clean and declutter the kitchen along with the tasks.  I recently shared THIS post about a couple different declutting blogs/ideas I like.  So instead of the 365, I've moved to the snail paced concept of writing my own 52 week declutter missions.  I completed all of January's tasks which were all in Nate's room and moved on to the next weeks task, Josh's desk.  

5. Order the Macaroon making kit on Amazon. As we started the new year, as I usually do, I went on a slight spending freeze so this did not make the list in January.  

6. The basement - The end goal is to have a well organized, useful basement.  So, my goal this month is progress.  I'll try to remember to take a before and after photo so "you" can actually see that I make progress. Yes!  I got another shelf set up and sorted through things and packed Christmas stuff away neatly.  So I feel like I accomplished this task this month 

7. Read one chapter in my photography book and PRACTICE the skill.  I did pick up the book and start reading it but that is as far as I got! 

8. Put all the page protectors on the pages that need them.  Also put all completed pages in albums. Done! 

9. Pick camping dates for this summer and reserve the spots I can. I haven't done this yet. 

10. Go on one date with Darryl. This is scheduled for this weekend - even if we just go get our favorite tacos for lunch :-) 

11. Pick out the song I want to record for Christmas on the piano.  Done, yes, I really DID pick it! 

12. Plan out the first adventure to visit at least one of the great lakes. I started to plan this but have shifted my plan some and need to re-plan

13. Get some spines imprinted - my consultant has told me there will be a sale this month so I'm hoping to get 10 imprinted (Buy 4 get 1 free). Yes!  I ordered them and they should be here by the time this posts! 

14. Set up a schedule for the boys to accomplish seat work, regular school work, piano and AWANA lessons.  We have to catch up on AWANA so they can finish on time (end of April). We will pick up the plan starting next week! 

15. Clean out my recipe box. Done 1.5.21.  Threw away a whole stack of recipes we either didn't love or I haven't ever made even once! 

16. Plan the menu for the month and keep it (to use next year - to make planning easier!) Use the Air Fryer and make at least one recipe out of my new cookbooks. Done. 

17. Completely clean the master - I always have to totally regain the master after Christmas between wrappings, boxes, and bags it is a mess HA!  It's time once again to totally clean, declutter and make sure everything is put away once again (I always tackle this room in January for this very reason!) Done 1.4.21 - I even had a new comforter set to put on the bed thanks to my mom.  

18.  Help Nate finish up organizing in his room - we started it before Christmas but then things got moved in there to make room for the tree so we never finished.  He wants his room organized and everything where he can find it and use it. Done - and it looks amazing! 

19.  Help Josh finish up the last things in his room - we were 90% done before Christmas.  We've moved his desk into his room too so we need to make sure that is also cleaned up. We got his desk area done and the rest of the room is on my "52 weeks" list for February. 

20. Set up my scrapbook stuff on the bedroom shelf - I'm trying to simply the visual clutter on my desk - since I tend to scrapbook at a specific time (like one weekend a month) I would like my stuff more put away yet easy to grab to do a quick page. Done 1.4.21  This was an easy transition once I cleaned the bedroom.  I like having the bins off the top of my desk. 

21. Update my Holiday Journal with everything from Thanksgiving - New Years.  Read ideas from last year on upcoming events.  Plan the superbowl party, Valentine's Day, and Darryl's birthday. Done 1.4.21  I had no notes about the Superbowl so I will add them this year.  

22. (I was aiming for just 21 goals but I have this "misc." category that needs to be added!) So, here are my misc. items that need to get done. A) Josh got a punching bag penguin for Christmas that we need to set up - get some sand to add as a weight and blow it up.  B) Josh and Nate each got a new desk chair for Christmas - we need to get those put together AND finally put away all of the extra folding chairs that are constantly floating around! Done 1.5.21 C) My mom made beautiful shadow boxes for each of the boys for Christmas that we need to get on the walls.  D) I bought a new Echo Dot for the living room so I can listen to our local Christmas Radio Station so Darryl needs to hook that up for me.Done 1.4.21  E) Give Darryl a spot for his stuff  Done F) Josh got a new solar system set to hang from his ceiling but he wants it measured out correctly so Darryl needs to help get that accomplished.  G. I have a small box worth of Amazon returns that need to be taken care of by the end of January. Done 1.5.21  H.  Taxes - it is that time of year to start that process - I'd just like as much done as possible by Jan. 31st so we can file at the earliest date. 1.5.21 - Completed - just waiting until February to send them in 

Reading Goal for 2021

Years ago I would set a reading goal for each month (or was it a year?) and post my stack of books.  I did much better at getting through those stacks then I have been the past few years!!  I think I used to have more time to read when kids took naps HA! I was looking back through some of my old "books" posts and see some of the same books on my list this time so I must not have read through as many as I thought though!  Anyway, I digress.  In November, I cleaned off my little bookcase and organized my books in order of how to read them.  Here are my stacks: 

This is stack #1 - top down is how I'm reading.  The goal is two books a month from my stack so I can get through the whole stack (#2 photo below included) by the end of the year. 

This is stack #2.  These stacks of books are only non-fiction books.  Books for better living, raising kids, building relastionships and more.  

These are additional books I added to my "list" after Christmas because, well, I got them as gifts!  Two are cookbooks and yes, I like to "read" them.  I have goals to use them both throughout the year and try many new recipes.  

Another book to add to the "stack".  Yes, I like Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) so I pre-ordered her new book a few months ago and it arrived in November.  I want to make sure and take time to read this treasure as well. 

Finally, one last book "added" to the stack.  I just ordered this one - it's been on my list for a year to order (my word last year was "Peace")  

I have plenty of reading to do this year because I also have a stack of fiction books to read too!  I love using my Kindle (and might even upgrade it this year!) but I also love holding a good book too.  

I have created a BOARD on Pinterest to track the books I read this year.  It is currently empty as I have not finished any yet!  I hope to update it soon though! 

January 2020 Goals

 

I posted my yearly goals yesterday so now it is time to focus more specifically on what I want to accomplish in January. I took January 1-3 "off" and really started my focused goals on January 4th.  I find that those first few days are filled with putting away Christmas decorations, having family time, and relaxing before stepping back into the daily routine of life.  The added bonus this year is that I have an "extra" three weeks where school is not such a big focus because 1)Nate is done for the semester and 2) Josh will be done by Thursday.  I will still have my "extra" kids here until at least January 15th (but I think it might be longer) BUT I won't be stuck on the couch (or in a chair) leading, teaching, and keeping my two on task with their things.  It gives me time to organize, clean, and maybe even scrapbook.  On January 25th, we will step into 2nd semester and I will be focused on helping Josh and Nate not only stay on schedule but hopefully get ahead in lessons so that when we reach May, we can enjoy beautiful weather without feeling trapped by school.  Yes, a true benefit of homeschooling.  

As a reminder, my word for the year is Purposeful.  I want to BE more Purposeful in what I chose to do, how I spend my time, and how I encourage and guide my family.  I want to make sure that what is in our home is Purposeful - so that means as I clean and declutter and simplify that I look at items with that mindset.  What purpose does it serve?  Things need a home - in a small house, that's hard sometimes.  I've learned, though, that if it doesn't have a home it gets stuffed in a corner a forgotten about.  When it has a home, it can be found when it is wanted or needed.  I also want PURPOSE in what I do - whether it be scrapbooking, reading, or taking a walk.  

My goals for January are as follows: 

1. Complete 31 pages in Scrapbooking (towards my 365 total page goal)

2. Read my three books in my plan this month.  Record them in my Pinterest folder of what books I read this month. 

3. 1000 hours outside - There is a blog and a Facebook page about this concept but the tracker can be found HERE. The goal of the blog is to get 1000 hours outside in a year.  That's not happening HA!  Instead my goal is just to get outside more.  I'm hoping that we can shade in lots of the chart over the next year - there is no "fail" because anytime spent outside is success. 

4. 365 Declutter Calendar - Finish all 31 tasks on the list (or at least all that apply to me - sometimes there are line items that do not apply to my home or the way I do things here) This month is focusing on the kitchen so I plan to deep clean and declutter the kitchen along with the tasks.  

5. Order the Macaroon making kit on Amazon

6. The basement - The end goal is to have a well organized, useful basement.  So, my goal this month is progress.  I'll try to remember to take a before and after photo so "you" can actually see that I make progress. 

7. Read one chapter in my photography book and PRACTICE the skill.  

8. Put all the page protectors on the pages that need them.  Also put all completed pages in albums. 

9. Pick camping dates for this summer and reserve the spots I can. 

10. Go on one date with Darryl. 

11. Pick out the song I want to record for Christmas on the piano.  

12. Plan out the first adventure to visit at least one of the great lakes. 

13. Get some spines imprinted - my consultant has told me there will be a sale this month so I'm hoping to get 10 imprinted (Buy 4 get 1 free). 

14. Set up a schedule for the boys to accomplish seat work, regular school work, piano and AWANA lessons.  We have to catch up on AWANA so they can finish on time (end of April). 

15. Clean out my recipe box. 

16. Plan the menu for the month and keep it (to use next year - to make planning easier!) Use the Air Fryer and make at least one recipe out of my new cookbooks. 

17. Completely clean the master - I always have to totally regain the master after Christmas between wrappings, boxes, and bags it is a mess HA!  It's time once again to totally clean, declutter and make sure everything is put away once again (I always tackle this room in January for this very reason!) 

18.  Help Nate finish up organizing in his room - we started it before Christmas but then things got moved in there to make room for the tree so we never finished.  He wants his room organized and everything where he can find it and use it. 

19.  Help Josh finish up the last things in his room - we were 90% done before Christmas.  We've moved his desk into his room too so we need to make sure that is also cleaned up. 

20. Set up my scrapbook stuff on the bedroom shelf - I'm trying to simply the visual clutter on my desk - since I tend to scrapbook at a specific time (like one weekend a month) I would like my stuff more put away yet easy to grab to do a quick page. 

21. Update my Holiday Journal with everything from Thanksgiving - New Years.  Read ideas from last year on upcoming events.  Plan the superbowl party, Valentine's Day, and Darryl's birthday. 

22. (I was aiming for just 21 goals but I have this "misc." category that needs to be added!) So, here are my misc. items that need to get done. A) Josh got a punching bag penguin for Christmas that we need to set up - get some sand to add as a weight and blow it up.  B) Josh and Nate each got a new desk chair for Christmas - we need to get those put together AND finally put away all of the extra folding chairs that are constantly floating around! C) My mom made beautiful shadow boxes for each of the boys for Christmas that we need to get on the walls.  D) I bought a new Echo Dot for the living room so I can listen to our local Christmas Radio Station so Darryl needs to hook that up for me.  E) Give Darryl a spot for his stuff  F) Josh got a new solar system set to hang from his ceiling but he wants it measured out correctly so Darryl needs to help get that accomplished.  G. I have a small box worth of Amazon returns that need to be taken care of by the end of January.  H.  Taxes - it is that time of year to start that process - I'd just like as much done as possible by Jan. 31st so we can file at the earliest date. 

So, there's the plan.  I'm hoping to get as much done as possible before we jump back into school full swing! 

2021 Year Goals

 

If you have followed my blog for any length of time (even a month) you know that I set goals.  I enjoy sharing them - both what I accomplish and what I don't - because it keeps me accountable and maybe it encourages even one person to just do one thing. You might be surprised to know that my goals are not nearly as exact as they used to be!  My husband is not a planner - he is the more flexible one of the two of us so I've learned from him how to let things go a little and enjoy the day to day things.  BUT, I still need my goals - my plan - or I flounder!  

A friend of mine always posts a reminder to great your plan - this year we are doing "21 in 21" so below are my 21 goals. 

1. Complete 365 scrapbook Pages	2. Keep track of all the books I read this year	3. Complete the tasks on the Declutter 365 plan	4. Get outside (Blog – 1000 hours outside)	5. Learn how to make macaroons	6. Complete the organization and cleaning of the basement	7. Do the planned landscaping along the side of the house.
8. Read my photography book and put the tips into use	9. Put page protectors on all of the pages that are missing them	10. Go camping twice with the family	11. Date my husband – the goal is to do something once a month	12. Learn a Christmas song on the piano to record and post in December	13. Visit all 5 great lakes (I stole this from a friend HA)	14. Get family photos taken in the spring
15. Get spines imprinted for all my scrapbook albums	16. Stain my wooden swing	17. Paint the outside of the house (This has been a project for years!)	18. Make outdoor Christmas décor this summer.	19. Create a calendar each month with cleaning, scrapbooking, and family goals	20. Paint the garage door – it is currently boring white.	21. Help the boys finish this years AWANA book AND complete my own devotional book

December Goal Recap and a Look back at my 2020 Goals

 I'm always amazed at how quickly the year passes by when December 31st arrives.  This year especially - after having 324 days in April alone and yet the rest of the year seemed to fly by.  First up, a quick recap of my December goals.  Second, a look back at the goals I set for the year back in January. I know, you are thrilled, aren't you? 

December:

December, quite honestly, was mostly consumed with school.  The kids worked hard to finish almost all of their semester lessons by the time Christmas break started which meant that I was working with someone from 9:00-4:00 most days. Not much else got accomplished outside of that goal. 

1. Scrapbooking - 1) Complete 1 page a day (so 31 pages total)  2) File all the photos I ordered last month and then order May and June photos 3) The Spines' Project - focus on the top shelf and make sure all albums are complete/order spines if needed 4) My niece's book.   Not a single thing got done this month.  Unless I decide to get out my scrapbooking stuff tonight, New Years Eve, and work on pages.  

2. Reading - 1) Read my book club book 2) Just read, curled up on the corner of the couch with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate!!  Well, I read.  I loved sneaking in some book reading during lunch or after school was done! 

3. Cleaning - 1) Organize and declutter Nate's room 2) The kitchen is the focus - it's the last room of the house that i need to do a deeper cleanout.  (Then I'll start over in January and dig deeper!)  The kitchen didn't get touched.  Once Christmas stuff comes out, it's really hard to deep clean.  Nate and I did spend time in his room but it also got interrupted by Christmas décor since things get stored in there to make room in the living room for the tree. 

4. Family - This month is focused on Nate's birthday and Christmas.  Nate has asked me to make him a cake "like I used to" so I have to figure that out. All of this was accomplished :-) 

5. Homeschool - Wrap up as many projects as we can and as many lessons as possible. This was also accomplished 

6. - Holiday Plans - 1) Get our Christmas tree and decorate it 2)Make our gingerbread houses 3) Make and decorate Christmas Cookies 4) Go out and see Christmas lights This was all accomplished.  We didn't actually cut out/decorate cookies but I did do a lot of Christmas cookie baking of various kinds so that counts! 

Now, it is time to look back at the goals I set back in January. 

1. Take the boys to fun places in Grand Rapids and get photos.  (Fish ladder, the huge tire swing, the lion mural, the blue bridge, and more.  I want to take advantage of our city while the boys are "this" age. So, this plan did not happened due to Covid.  We stuck super close to home after March.  

2. Scrapbooking goals.  I'm learning to be more intentional  with scrapbooking at home.  It's been difficult to find scrapbook crops that I can actually attend so I have to make time to do what I love at home.  I'd really like to finish 2014 (almost there).  Then look at the other years and see where I'm at and work on the next year (I think it's 2016) while also working on 2020.  It is hard to work on multiple years but I'd like to be current with this year while working on catching up the other years.  I finished 2014.  I also finished 2010.  I worked on 2019 and I think I finished 2016 as well.  I also printed a lot of photos and started working on ordered engraved spines for my other scrapbooks.  

3. Reading.  I want to focus more on reading.  I had some issues with my contacts last year and found it very hard to read so, well, I didn't.  That problem is now corrected so it's time to read again.  My goal is to set a reading goal each month and try to accomplish that goal. I read a lot this year thanks to being at home.  I wish I would have track my reading better but maybe that it is a good goal for 2021.  

4. Cleaning I am working on creating a 20 day a month cleaning challenge for myself.  It is based on the concept I did over a year ago where the group I'm part of set a goal to get rid of the number if items to match the date.  It worked well for me - I don't tend to have hours to dedicate to a project but I can carve out 20 minutes or so around our school day..  This is one of those 80% goals - I feel like I did this 80% of the time and I did make it through every room in the house except the kitchen.  I also spent some time in the basement working on organizing.  

5.  Family.  Go see movies we want to see; do things we want to do; and enjoy time together.  The boys are looking forward to playing flag football this year so I want to help that happen.  Josh loves to run so I want to help him success at that by getting the right shoes and seeking out guidance from friends who are runners. Well, Covid.  That's all. 

6. The last "McMaster" niece graduates this year so I need to complete her graduation album by May. This is still sitting on my desk as I'm waiting for a few more letters.  I guess that is what happens to the "last" one.  HA! 

7. Complete some simple projects around the house including replacing the difficult lightbulb above m sink, getting the seal for a piece on the sink (that I dropped down the drain a year or so ago HA!), and maybe even a new thermostat just to name a few items. We did not get a new thermostat but we did replace the seal on the sink :-) 

8. Homeschool - I have some new ideas for our second semester including a "Monday Morning Meeting" were we can go over our week and also the goal of both boys working on their multiplication memorization.  I also, as always, will need to decide what to do about the fall when it comes to the program we will use for homeschooling. There are two parts to this 1) 4th/5th grade - we did all I had planned and mentioned above.  2) 5th/6th grade - we've had two extra kids here since March doing school (during school time) which has altered our schedule quite a bit. 

9. Learn how to make Macaroons.  It doesn't seem like much but I love them and would just like to try my hand at making them. Ummm, nope.  Going on the 2021 list! 

10.  Plan our "Holidays" - This includes Birthdays and traditional holidays.  I need to update my my holiday journal and then start on plans for Valentine's Day :-)  I feel like I accomplished this and did it well this year. 

11. The Misc List  - I tend to have a list of things that are just needed or need done - such as - Josh needs new dress pants, Nate needs a light jacket, I have two gifts we got Nate I need to return/replace, the boys need sleds, I need to hang up Nate's racetrack we moved to the basement, Darryl needs to help Nate make shelves for his TKD boards that he has broken, clean out the misc card in the bathroom.  As you can see that list is long and I'm sure there more! Ok, here we go 1) No new dress pants were ever needed 2) Nate got a jacket 3) Gifts were returned  4) I still need to hang up Nate's racetrack 5) Darryl hung up the shelves 5) The cart was cleaned out. 

12. Buy a "new" car.  It might seem odd to add to the goals but, we kind of now this has to happen so, I guess, making it a goal is a good thing. Thanks again to covid, we never did buy a car - we didn't need to since we didn't go many places.  Plus, not having a car payment is always a good thing! 

13. Go camping at least once in the summer. Yes!  We did this! 

14. The basement - this is separate then the other cleaning goal.  Last year I worked hard to make the basement need and basically organized.  This year, it's time to go shelf by shelf, bin by bin, and really clean stuff out. This ongoing project did make progress this year - not as much as I'd like but I did get more shelving and the right size bins for the shelves.  I cleaned out old bins and now need to just keep making progress. 

15. The garage - the boys want to have a garage sale, I do not HA!  So, no matter what the garage will get cleaned up and organized as stuff will either get sold that has been sitting out there for close to a year OR it will go to charity. Done!!!!  

16. Music - The boys are continuing piano lessons.  I would like to focus on "perfecting" one song a month on the piano and also having my next song for special music ready before it's time to sing :-)  Music was a struggle this year - lessons were cancelled and I worked with them some.  We have to hit this harder in 2021. 

17. Take a photography class.  There is a local photographer that does classes several times a year.  I have a goal to sign up and take one this year.  I took one from my friend several years ago and enjoyed it but have forgotten most of it - I'd like to learn to use my camera better. Covid.  I did buy a book but need to actually use it now! 

18. Plan some dates with Darryl.  With my mom close by, it is easier to make this happen now..  We've done a few spur of the moment things and took a day out for our anniversary and a weekend away. 

19. Spiritual - I'm a strong starter and a slow finisher when it comes to Bible Study Books.  I have one picked out to start - I'm part of an accountability group so hopefully that will help :-) I have not changed my ways - I start strong and never finish HA! 

20. Finances - I have some savings goals for this year as well as continuing to look for way to make a little extra income that fits well with our family life. I met my goals and feel like we ended the year well. 

Looking back over these goals, I actually accomplished more then I thought I did and for that I am grateful.  Writing year long goals is sometimes hard because there is no way to predict what might come along to alter the plan (Covid!) but, if you fail to plan guess what? You plan to fail!  My mind is already working on my plans for 2021 and I'll be sharing those soon.