March Goals and February Recap

February Recap

1.  Stick to the New Testament Bible reading plan.

Well, this one has been harder this time around.  We've been reading Acts for the most part in February.  I actually got several chapters behind a couple of times.  I've managed to catch back up, but I definitely didn't make any headway toward the whole routine in the Word thing.  Oh well, a new month starts now.  Get it done!!

2.  Finish thank you notes from Christmas.

In the mail tomorrow!

3.  Plan meals for each week and stick to the schedule.

If I don't count one week in February - this went very well.  The third week of February, well I failed miserably, but otherwise, things are going well.  Still using my website and my app on my phone.  Grocery bills are about the same at this point, but I think it'll start to go down as I get the hang of it and start tweaking my plan to include sales at the store, etc.

4.  Get rid of the pile of stuff that has no home currently living in the baby room and on every flat surface in our home.

With the help of wonderful, non-judgemental, helpful friends - the nursery is cleared out!  Still have a little work to do in the closet (see goals for next month), but the room now only has baby furniture in it, and the flat surfaces are no longer overtaken.

As far as the rest of the house, I've made headway on the flat surfaces, but the desk still seems to be a clutter magnet.  It was clear at one point during the month, but it isn't staying that way, so I need to work on a system of sorts.

5.  Install coat hooks in the new "coat closet."

DONE! Seeeeee?

This was a project I tackled while Bryan was in Honduras.  It would have been funny to be a wallflower watching this one go down.  First, I glued the hooks with liquid nails and attempted to tape them up with painters tape while they dried.  The tape didn't hold.  I got liquid nails all over everything when the hooks fell down.  Pretty funny indeed.  So, then I got some REALLY short screws and just barely started them in the sides of the cabinet.  I didn't want them to poke through the sides (which are really thin - like less than 1/4").  That was funny just trying to barely barely hook them into the wood without really biting anything substantial.  That plan worked.

Love it.  It keeps our couch uncovered a little better, and I know where to go when I am needing some cozy warmth from a coat!  If I find a coat in the house, I put it on a hook.  I love it when things have a designated home.  Life is so much easier and more pleasant.

6.  Get the full estimate for the built-in cabinet next to the fireplace.

Cabinet guys came on 2/18 and took measurements.  We heard back about an estimate and it was REALLY more than we expected.  I have more cabinet guys coming to give more estimates the first week of March!

7.  Order and install the backsplash for the kitchen.

The thinbrick was ordered, and I picked it up from General Shale on 2/21.  It's a mixture of two colors - "schoolhouse" and "english pub."  Pretty neat stuff - it's only about 5/8" thick, and it went up with construction adhesive and pointing mortar.  Bryan put it up while I was at work when he had a morning off.  We finished it off over the course of a few days!  It sure is nice to have a husband who is "Mr. Handyman."  Check it out!

Repair the fireplace and install the mantel.

Hmmmmm, not so much.
 

Find a rug for the Dining Room and Living Room. 

Hmmmm, not so much either.

Taxes.

Epic fail.  NEED to do this SOON!

 

 

 

March Goals:

1. Stick to the New Testament Bible reading plan.
2. Plan meals for the whole month and grocery shop ONCE. (noticing a trend?)
3. Taxes.
4. Have and OPEN HOUSE to show off all of the super hard work we've done over the last 2 years
5. Get my office and work in order to pass to the next person.  (My last day is March 22!)
6. Put finishing touches on the Nursery.
7. Pack the "hospital bag." (any suggestions as to what goes in here?)
8. Clean out the Fridge and Freezer.
9. Write and send thank you notes for all baby gifts.
10. Get ready for a WILD RIDE - Little Guy is on the way sooooon!

February Goals and January Recap

So, last month, I started posting monthly goals.  Here's the goal posting for this month!

January Recap:

1.  Send Thank You Notes for all Christmas presents.

Sort of!  I made a list of everything we were so generously given, wrote 3 of the notes still have about 10 more to go.  So, I'm working in the right direction, but didn't quite finish this one.

2.  Pick up new furniture from the Insyde Outsyde Shop and do any refinishing work.

DONE!  Bryan helped me pick up the furniture on Saturday, January 12.  After one failed hardware set, I was able to find some other handles that would fit the vintage sized holes in our "coat closet."  I ordered them from Hobby Lobby, but they aren't in yet.  A stain marker touched up all of the nicks, and, after installing, wood puttying, caulking, and painting base boards and crown molding in the living room where this piece needed to land, it is officially where it belongs!  I'm so very excited.  Check it OUT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Get estimates for a built-in cabinet by the fireplace, fireplace repair/brick, and backsplash brick installation.

mmmmm...sort of.  This one took a LOT of phone calls.  Our cabinet guy has been sick most of the month of January, but we finally got him scheduled to come out on February 18.  Bryan did a fabulous job of finding the brick we need for the backsplash.  We've decided (surprise) to do this ourselves, so it's just a matter of putting in the order now.

4.  Hang family photos and artwork back on the walls. (as opposed to in stacks on the floor)

Started!  I hung our European art in the living room and the house is looking a little more like home.  I have some others leaning against the walls where they will go respectively, but havent gotten out the picture hanging supplies just yet.

 

5.  Plan meals for each week and stick to the schedule.

DONE!  I joined a website - www.howdoesshedoit.com - which has a free menu planner and shopping list builder.  It took a while to get our "standard" recipes in there, and I found a few from her other users to try out in the last 2 weeks of the month.  I purchased her iphone app (plan shop eat) for $3 so that I would have my shopping lists with me and could do this on the go from wherever I was.  I usually don't pay for apps.  Definitely worth it.  I ended up sticking with the plan at some point during the week, but didn't necessarily have the meals on the days I originally planned.  Like I said, I'm not going to let the little stuff get me messed up!  All in all, success!

6.  Stick to the New Testament Bible reading plan that friends from Sunday School are doing (we're reading through Mark right now).

DONE!  I'm still getting into a habit for DAILY reading, but I've been able to successfully read 3 or 4 days a week playing catch up when I need to.  I'm still on track to read the whole New Testament this year, and that is exciting to me!  I'm working into a more regular, daily routine, but getting in the Word 3 or 4 times a week on my own is really an improvement for me.  I'm encouraged!

7.  Get registries set up for Little Guy.

DONE!  I had the one at Target mostly done before Christmas, but I've tweaked it based on some suggestions from seasoned mommies.  I've added a registry to Amazon, babyli.st.com (you can register for anything online here - Etsy, etc...yes I went crazy).  The Target and Amazon registries my main ones, though, as I cannot seem to stay away from Target EVER.  It's my favorite store, and Amazon is just so easy to update and has a great selection. 

So, that's January!  Not too shabby!  I am really excited with my progress on the goal thing.  Coming up next - February goals.

February Goals:

1. Stick to the New Testament Bible reading plan.
2. Finish thank you notes from Christmas.
3. Plan meals for each week and stick to the schedule.
4. Get rid of the pile of stuff that has no home currently living in the baby room and on every flat surface in our home.
5. Install coat hooks in the new "coat closet."
6. Get the full estimate for the built-in cabinet next to the fireplace.
7. Order and install the backsplash for the kitchen.
8. Find a rug for the Dining Room and Living Room.
9. Taxes

Hopefully, this month will be even better than last month!

Setting Goals

This year, I'm attempting to simplify the way I "do life."  I have a tendency to go overboard and make things more complicated than they need to be or over analyze otherwise simple tasks.  This year, things will be different!  I will look at things at face value and not be too hard on myself when not EVERYTHING goes as planned.  I will enjoy the little things and not get worked up over them.

A great friend of mine posts on her blog a list of goals for each month along with an update of how the last month's goals played out.  I think I'd like to do the same thing, although I'm nervous that I won't be able to complete the goals.  That, however, would be over analyzing, so I'm not going to think about that!!  OK, so here we go!

Goals for January 2013

1. Send Thank You Notes for all Christmas presents.
2. Pick up new furniture from the Insyde Outsyde Shop and do any refinishing work.
3. Get estimates for a built-in cabinet by the fireplace, fireplace repair/brick, and backsplash brick installation.
4. Hang family photos and artwork back on the walls. (as opposed to in stacks on the floor)
5. Plan meals for each week and stick to the schedule.
6. Stick to the New Testament Bible reading plan that friends from Sunday School are doing (we're reading through Mark right now).
7. Get registries set up for Little Guy.

OK, I think seven is respectable.  We'll see how it goes and reassess next month.  I feel a sense of accomplishment just getting these together.  Maybe I can harness that feeling and be super productive!  Here I go!!!

DK