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! 

Weekly Worship - Laura Story - He Will Not Let Go

Every week I try to keep my eye (and ear) out for songs - especially songs that others post on social media because they impacted them that week.  This is a beautiful and timely song by Laura Story.  Enjoy. 

2021 Weekly Photos #4

 Welcome to a look back at another week! 

Saturday - It was a glourious day of relaxation.  Darryl, Josh and Nate played video games together for part of the day and just did whatever for the rest of the day.  I scrapbooked all day and met some of my goals for the month.  We went to my mom's for an amazing dinner of fish and chips and played Five Crowns.  (It's pretty obvious who is competitive in the family and it. is. not. me. HA!)  

Sunday - We woke up to a beautiful snowfall (it's why I love Michigan!) and enjoyed another quiet day . .. until the Football Playoffs started HA!  Then we cheered on our teams and enjoyed pizza for dinner. 

The story behind this photo - Josh had asked all week to order pizza as late as possible just for fun.  Well, Darryl and I are old and can't eat pizza at 9:30 at night so we ordered our pizza at 6:00 (like good old people HA!) and, later, at about 9:15,  we went and grabbed a Little Ceasers Pizza for Josh.  (And yes, he eats the whole thing)  I believe in making memories and getting to eat a pizza at 9:30 at night is a memory for sure.

Monday - Today is our last day of no school before second semester officially begins so we enjoyed it.  We all slept in (Well, not Darryl, he worked HA), got McDonald's for lunch and Nate had his friend over for the afternoon.  This days of nothing are nice when I know that tomorrow brings days of school (well . .. unless there is a snow storm if the rumors can be believed HA!) 

Tuesday - Well, today was a snow day!  We got hit with the first REAL snow storm where we ended up with about 4-6 inches of snow.  Our friends had the day off and were here all day so Josh and Nate got the day off as well.  We will start the 2nd semester on Wednesday (hopefully!) 

Wednesday - Finally, we started 2nd semester.  It was nice, quiet, and went smoothly.  It did remind me that I get next to nothing done while we are doing school but I also know that once we get our schedule running like clock work I will have some time slots throughout the day when both boys are working independently.  (Hopefully!)

Thursday - Today was a 1/2 day for our friends (so a 1/2 day for us too!).  My mom came over to hang with the kids so I could get our (hers and mine!) grocery shopping done for the week.  

Friday - Our goal each week is to finish up school by Thursday so our Friday is free!  Plus our friends have another 1/2 day.  Throw in a little Tae Kwon Do and the day is done! 

Weekly Menu

 Some years it feels like there are 273 days in January but, for some odd reason, January has just flown by.  Here we are, already looking into February.  It won't be long it will be spring HA! Now, keeping it real - I almost feel like I should repost last weeks menu because it's like I didn't even create one.  I kept pushing things forward or substituting a simple meal for a more complex one due to time.  Maybe this week will go more as planned 

Friday - Tonight is eat out - but eat in night :-)  

Saturday - Dinner at my mom's :-) 

Sunday - Lets keep it real, we've been ordering pizza on Sunday night because cooking isn't fun on Sunday night HA!  We have heard a rumor that we are getting a Domino's and I can't wait!  Their pizza is good and much less expensive then the local Sports Bar/Italian Restaurant.  

Monday - Pulled Pork Taocs - a carry over from two weeks ago   I'll add a salad and chips and salsa to wrap it up. 

Tuesday - Chicken Enchiladas and Salad - I finally found the Chicken Enchilada Soup needed for this recipe after almost a year!  I'm excited to make them again as they are a favorite. (Yes, two Mexican meals in a row - we love Mexican food!) 

Wednesday - Chick-Fa-lay Nuggets and Daddy Fries (A carry over from last week) 

Thursday - Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, hashbrowns, and fruit.  (Another carry over from a previous week!)  

I think that I might have now cooked all the meals I planned over the last two weeks - it just took me THREE weeks to do it HA!  

And, for the record, I used my Air Fryer again - this time I made roasted Asparagus.  Amazingly, it only takes 4 minutes to cook Asparagus! 

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 

What We are Eating - Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

 

Up until a week ago, I had not been able to find one of the main ingredients for my normal enchilada recipe - it's been a year (thanks covid!) so I went in search of a new one.  Guess what?  There was one in my new Magnolia Table Cookbook!  It used the green enchilada sauce which I have never used yet Darryl informed me he likes that better then the red!  Imagine that!  This was a great recipe!  I did cut it in half because I knew only Darryl and I would eat it.  In doing so, though, it ended up being little too saucy so next time I will add less sauce. 

January Reading

 I purposefully made time to read this month and I think it shows.  I set aside time each morning to enjoy the quiet of the house and read my daily devotional readings as well as at least one chapter in my January goal books.  I will admit, it was easier to read extra chapters in the fiction than the non-fiction :-)  

You can see all the books I've read this year HERE.  (Since it is just January - these are the only books in that Pinterest Folder currently) 

I am continuing to read through all of Julile Klassen's books and they never disappoint.  This book tells the story of the daughter of the town Apothecary and how she learns to not only enjoy her life but also to love those around her.  She begins be searching for something different but in the end, returns to what has always been in her heart. Julie Klassen writes with heart and has a way of drawing the reader into the life of the characters until you feel like they are your friends.  I always hate seeing a good book end and would like to continue on to see where their lives travel to next!  

Just Look Up  is a book on my January "to read" goals (I did not post a photo of the Fiction books I wanted to read - but my goal is to read two off of my shelf each month)  Once I started this book I realized I had actually read it before but it's been long enough that I didn't remember it all so I went ahead and read it.  It's a great story of learning to forgive past hurts and trusting those around you.  

I'm nearing the end of Julie Klassen books and I've really enjoyed them.  Lady Maybe was published in 2015 and it shows how much Julie's writing has improved.  Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as the others but the writing itself wasn't quite as good and the story had many tangents that sometimes got a little tangled.  There were also a lot of flashbacks in this book and, honestly, that is one of my least favorite things in a story.  I skipped quite a few pages in this one just to get past the fluff and get to the real story.  BUT with all of that said, this was still a great book that had me guessing all the way until the very last page on what was going to finally happen!  

This is one of my "January Goal" books.  This is a pretty easy read overall.  The author takes on the topic of whether we are really ready to give up everything for God.  Are we really willing to pray "God, anything."  Are we willing to give up our scrapbooks of what our lives should look like to follow wherever he would send us or do whatever it is He calls us to do. Really, most of what was presented are truths I've heard before but in chapter 14 she hits on the topic of God's Glory.  What does God want most?  God is most after his glory.  Glory is the evidence of God so where do I see God's glory - I should be seeing it in everything yet often we only see it in the magnificent - the sunset, a beautiful lake, or the birds singing.  What if we wanted God's glory above everything else?  Some great questions to ask and seek after.