Winter Thanks

1. Thunderstorms -- For nourishing a dry California ground. I really do love me a good rain shower.
2. Cosmic whatever -- For the good news I received after a bit of a health scare. Maybe sometime soon I'll explain more.
3. Keurig -- For supplying me with yummy coffee and hot chocolate in the mornings. Really helping me get up and go.
4. My full bookshelves -- For providing some great reads this month so far...
5. FB Friends -- For helping me through some difficult times lately. Support, even from those I've never actually met in real life, is amazing!

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• The temperature this week has been amazing. So warm and sunny. Arthur and I spent a few hours just hanging out on the porch the other night.
• It's great to be out and about again. Arthur really needed to get out and play.
• My reading so far this month has been great. Hoping to keep up the momentum.
• Cleaned out the master bedroom, master closet, and master bathroom. Two give away bags and one trash bag full. Feeling good. Moving to the rest of the upstairs this week.
• Tried a new card making technique that failed miserably. I'm determined to get it right soon.
• Playing some Lego Movie game this week. It's a great relaxer.
• Been hard planning dinner this week, nothing really sounds that good. Hmmm...

Currently #3

Watching: Reign. Finally catching up with the second season. I watched three episodes back-to-back the other night while J was on a conference call. Such a guilty pleasure, but I love it.

Reading: Just started Impulse by Candace Camp and finishing up A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. With these two books I've exceed by stated TBR for February. Woohoo!

Listening: Lots of podcasts, but I've specifically been diving back into Elise Gets Crafty.

Making: Working on January's Project Life pages for tomorrow's craft blog post. Only a few pages for this past month, but I'm loving the embellishments.

Feeling: After being so sick for most of the month, I'm feeling so much better! Here's hoping the healthy state continues.

Planning: I had a basic meal plan laid out for January, February, and March, but I need to buckle down and get some details.

Loving: Been craving iced tea all this past week. So yum!

Monthly Life Goals February 2016

Let’s check in on January’s goals and my progress:

• 30 Day Challenge: New Movie Month — Fail. I only watched 11 new movies this month. Oh well. Not a big deal.
• Complete one freezer meal day — Success! I made five different recipes yielding dinner for that night and 12 extra meals for the freezer.
• Check into an Arthur and mom class for spring — Fail. January has been full of sickness. I just didn't get to it at all.
• Schedule a dentist appointment — Fail. Kept forgetting...

February's goals:

• 30 Day Challenge: No pop -- Plays into the budget goal, but also just a good habit to cultivate.
• 30 Day Challenge: No eating out -- Part of our budget reexamination and attempt to spend less!
• Money fast -- In coordination with my Happiness Project goals, I'm really going to try and cut spending this month.
• Read at least 3000 pages -- Last month I read 4951 pages, but that's not a realistic goal for February. But I'm pushing for 3000 pages this month!
• Get moving on my TED talk goal -- I keep pushing this one to the side. Hoping to make it a priority this month.
• Schedule a dentist appointment -- Really need to do this...

Happiness Project: February

Last year, I read Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and it really spoke to me. I know that I often put myself last on the priority list. This year, I want to be more intentional about my goals and monthly plans. So I am modifying Rubin's plan to fit my life. To help keep me accountable, I will be posting my goals and progress here on the blog. I've also helped create an in-person group through the parent's group. We are sharing our goals and progress and meeting once a month for a check-in.

For February, I wanted to focus on money. We are wanting to move back to the peninsula or South Bay. And I would like to see to be able to take a family vacation this summer. To do so, we need to reexamine the money situation...

Goals for February:

• Keep frivolous spending to zero -- I am a sucker for the Target One Spot and clearance sections. For February I'm going to try my hardest to not spend extra money.
• Splurge on one big item -- I can't cut out all spending, but I would like to buy one larger thing. I'm thinking Arthur's tattoo.
• Create a budget -- Been overspending a bit. Need to get something established.
• Donate, sell, trash -- We are possibly moving in the next few months (back to the peninsula!!!!) and our house is a mess! I know we need to do a big cleanout. I'm planning on doing one area/room a week.
• (continuation) Commit to fresh flowers and natural room scents
• (continuation) Be aware of judgements
• (continuation) Establish daily and weekly routines

Recap of January:

• Commit to fresh flowers and natural room scents — I splurged and bought flowers for the kitchen. Makes me happy...
• Be aware of judgments —Looking at my progress for January, I'd call this a success. I really held my tongue some days and others I stopped myself from even giving certain thoughts weight. Continuing this for February.
• Establish daily and weekly routines -- Total bust! January was full of sickness and craziness. We never got our routines established and it makes me sad. Trying again for February.

2016 Monthly Focuses:

• January -- Attitude and Mindfulness
• February -- Money
• March -- Marriage
• April -- Work
• May -- Friendship
• June -- Parenthood
• July -- Play
• August -- Knowledge
• September -- Books
• October -- Self-care
• November -- Vitality
• December -- Reflection

New Year's Thanks

1. My couch -- For being a fairly comfy place to sleep with the toddler while he's been sick. Not ideal, but much better than the twins' beds...

2. Blogfeed -- For great new podcasts to listen to. In the past week, I've checked out The Simple Show, What Should I Read Next, This Week for Dinner, You Are Not So Smart, and Around the Table.

3. Social Committee -- For stepping up and helping to organize the Winter Social. Sickness and time has worked against me, but I'm much less stressed after our meeting on Tuesday. I think we can actually pull this off on Saturday.

4. Random chocolate bar in fridge -- I was seriously craving some chocolate, but couldn't justify going out to the store (time and money). Thankfully I found a chocolate bar in the fridge. I had bought it before Christmas and completely forgot about it. So yummy!

5. Pinterest -- For some great inspiration for retreat gifts. I found the perfect way to mix my love of crafting and some very personal. Can't share right now, but the gifts are awesome, trust me!

Currently #2

Watching: Lots of light-hearted fare over here. Specifically, we've been binging Galavant and Telenovela. They are so cheesy, but I love them!

Reading: The Great Influenza by John Barry. Nonfiction about The Spanish Flu. I'm 120 pages in and it's just getting good. Barry is no Erik Larson, but I'm still exciting to dig in further.

Listening: Lots and lots of podcast episodes. I've completely caught up with One Bad Mother and The Simple Show. I'm close to being caught up with Happier. And I've listened to a few You are Not So Smart episodes. Plus, I've downloaded Gilmore Guys because so many people have raved about it! Hoping to start that one soon.

Making: I always make a few surprise gifts for the retreat attendees. I grabbed an interested idea from Pinterest and ran with it. May not be the best considering the amount of time I'm spending on seven of these, but I still enjoy the process.

Feeling: We finally had our social committee prep meeting today (scheduled last Thursday, Arthur was puking, so no go). The social is Saturday and I was feeling the pressure to get everything set. We had a very productive meeting and I'm feeling a lot less stressed now. This thing might just happen!

Planning: I'm feeling less stressed about the social, but we still have a short list of to-dos.

Loving: Really been craving iced tea this week. So good!

Odd and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• We're loving the rain in drought-California, but I must say, trying to put a toddler in the car in the rain is no fun. Wish I could pull the car into the garage...
• I'm really energized for planning activities in the new year.
• Loving my reading this week! Finished a great historical romance, in the middle of a great reread, and just started a fascinating nonfiction.
• Why oh why did I not make two Dalek notebooks? I love the finished project, but it's being sent out for a craft swap.
• Craving a few hours to be completely alone. Thinking I might need to schedule something this weekend.

Currently #1

Watching: J waited for me to get home to watch the Sherlock Christmas special. So much fun!

Reading: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan -- Finally getting around to it.

Listening: David Bowie, lots of David Bowie. His passing is so incredibly sad.

Making: Getting back home, I pulled out all my new Stampin' Up Occasions Catalog supplies and started making cards.

Feeling: Sinus pressure that is. Going on my second week with all this pressure, snot, and sneezing. No fun!

Planning: I joined a Craftmas swap through my One Bad Mother FB group. I'm still debating what exactly to make, but I at least have my theme.

Loving: Definitely enjoying being back home, even if it is rainy.

Happiness Project: January

Last year, I read Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project and it really spoke to me. I know that I often put myself last on the priority list. This year, I want to be more intentional about my goals and monthly plans. So I am modifying Rubin's plan to fit my life. To help keep me accountable, I will be posting my goals and progress here on the blog. I've also helped create an in-person group through the parent's group. We are sharing our goals and progress and meeting once a month for a check-in.

For January, I decided to start with my attitude. I mulled over a few different focuses for January, but focusing on my attitude seemed the most likely to get the year started correctly. After I picked my larger focus, I broke it down into three manageable and fairly measurable goals.

Goals for January:

• Commit to fresh flowers and natural room scents -- Having a nice home helps my attitude. I love having fresh flowers on my kitchen island, but always seem to write them off as a silly excess. And I know I'm susceptible to scents. Having a nice smelling home will help. So I am committing to weekly fresh flowers (maybe biweekly depending on how long they last) and weekly natural room scents. I amy also use candles at some point, but I wanted to start with natural room scents.
• Be aware of judgments -- I fall into this trap sometimes. I want to follow two mottos this month (and the rest of the year): "Don't be a dick" and "Great for her, not for me."
• Establish daily and weekly routines -- Routines make me feel better. I hate dealing with chaos when it come sot the everyday tasks and goals. I used daily planning pages last year and got away from them this year. I love using my big planner for the larger goals and planning, but I think I need to return to daily planning pages throughout the week. So I'm going to plan out my next week on Sunday and each day on the night before. Hopefully a routine will start to emerge and by the end of the month I can have something more set.

2016 Monthly Focuses:

• January -- Attitude and Mindfulness
• February -- Money
• March -- Marriage
• April -- Work
• May -- Friendship
• June -- Parenthood
• July -- Play
• August -- Knowledge
• September -- Books
• October -- Self-care
• November -- Vitality
• December -- Reflection

2016 Goals and Resolutions

It’s the New Year.  Time for my yearly goals and resolutions… I've cut back a bit because I have so many other projects, goals, and resolutions heading into 2016.

Blog and Reading Resolutions:

1. Read 30,00 pages -- I'm going for it again this year!
2. Read 100 books -- I'm excited to up my goal this year.
3. Finish at least 75% of my reading challenges -- i've cut back on the number of challenges for the year, so I think I just might be able to attain this goal.
4. Create a weekly schedule and stick to it for all three of the blogs

Life Resolutions:

1. Focus on my Happiness Project -- OLW just didn't work for me, so I'm trying this project instead. And I have an accountability group to help me stay on track.
2. Focus on freezer meals and cutting our food budget -- It's gotten out of control. I really want to spend less money on food.

Revisiting 2015’s goals and resolutions:

1. Read 30,000 pages — Woohoo! I read over 35,000 pages in 2015!
2. Read at least 75 books — I made it to 117 books so awesome!
3. Read 20 new fiction authors — I read exactly 20 new fiction authors in 2015.
4. Focus on OLW 2015 Home — I didn't quite put a huge amount of effort into this. I'd call it a fail this past year.
5. Set up more 30 Day Challenges — A decent showing. I'm hoping to do more of these in 2016.
6. Write more personal posts — I don't think I did a great job at this last year, but I'm going to continue.
7. Be intentional about meal planning — I got much better at this in 2015.
8. Create and stick to an exercise plan — Utter and total fail.
9. Work on creating livable rooms — Decent showing for this goal this past year.
10. Make progress on my 101 in 1001 list — I've completed 22 tasks and made huge progress on many others. Very excited.

Monthly Life Goals January 2016

As I am participating in a 2016 Happiness Project, I'm scaling back my life and craft goals a bit. I'll probably only post 3-4 goals per month going forward.

Let’s check in on December’s goals and my progress.

• Draft January’s blog posts— Success! I've got a fair number of posts drafted and at least the rest of my posts scheduled out.
• Pinterest clean out — Success! I cleaned out a few boards and am continuing the trend in 2016.
• Plan for 2016’s TBR — Success! I've got a short list of books that I want to read in 2016. But I also want a lot of space to reading what I feel like. I've decided on planning six books a month: 2 book club selections, a nonfiction selection, a series selection, and 2 pulls from my random TBR jar.
• Sign up for a few reading challenges — Success! I made my list and have drafted the blog posts. I'll be officially joining the challenges in the next few days.

January's Goals:

• 30 Day Challenge: New Movie Month -- I love starting off the new year with a movie month. I've already made my list and started the month. Now to make it all 30 days!
• Complete one freezer meal day -- I need to restart the freezer meals plan. I'm shooting for one freezer meal prep day a month until we build up our stock.
• Check into an Arthur and mom class for spring -- Now that he's over 2, I want to do a music or art class this fall.
• Schedule a dentist appointment -- Not a glamorous goal, but a necessary one. I need to take care of the next set of replacement fillings...

Christmas Vacation

It's time for my annual two week vacation from the blog. I try to focus on family and fun during Christmas vacation. This break also helps me leisurely prep for the next year. I'll see everyone in 2016 with some great new blog ideas (and potentially another new blog)!

So Long Warm Weather..

It's travel day! Arthur and I are leaving warm California for super-cold Indiana for the holidays. We're currently on a plane somewhere over the Rockies. Hopefully the traveling bit goes well. You never know with a toddler!

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• My new Thirty-One bag (Soft Utility Tote) is huge! I'm loving the crazy space in this thing. Mine is Plum with Oatmeal polka dots and is embroidered with a gold B. The bag is absolutely gorgeous. 
• Mulling over some plans for 2016 this week. I'm feeling the itch to change some big things.
• I finished a book yesterday and have yet to start the next one. What is wrong with me?
• Arthur has had two poo explosions this week. Feels like I have a newborn again...
• Got sucked back into Atlantis. That show is pretty cheesy, but I love it!
• Super glad that I got my open Thirty-One party submitted. One of the prints was on low inventory, and three of my customers ordered it. Submitting early ensures that they get their product. Thank goodness!
• Loving my new book series... I may just have to add the third book to my suitcase for Indiana.

Monthly Life Goals December 2015

Before I get to this month’s goals, let’s check in on November's goals and my progress.

• 30 Day Challenge: Craft a day — Success! participating in 30 Days of Christmas Cards and prepping for my two craft fairs helped me complete this goal!
• Finish at least 15 blog posts for December — Success! Between my craft blog and this one, I finished over 15 blog posts for December. I'm in a great position to relax over Christmas vacation.
• Make a Christmas present list — Success! I've got my list and have even crossed off a few people already.
• Pick my reads for December and plan for 2016’s TBR —Fail. I'm so disorganized with my TBR pile right now... Maybe for December.
• Clean out my craft area for vacation —Success! I've gotten it mostly clean. Just finished up a few simple projects and then the rest will be put away.

This month's goals: A light set of goals as I will be in Indiana for most of the month.

• Draft January's blog posts-- I love being able to take off the last weeks of the year to focus on the Holidays. I use part of that time for blog maintenance and prepping for the next year. I would like to get all my January recurring posts taken care of before the month starts.
• Pinterest clean out -- It seriously needs it!
• Plan for 2016’s TBR -- I like to have a general plan when it comes to what I want to read in the next year. This past year, I deviated greatly from my plan. For 2016, I'm thinking less structure but a few key guidelines.
• Sign up for a few reading challenges -- Not too many, but I know there will be a few...

Happy Thanksgiving

We're hosting a friend Thanksgiving today with a mix of Indian and American food, plus fancy cocktails! I'm excited!

Currently #17

Watching: Lots of movies lately! In the past week, we've watched Tomorrowland (not great), Amy (depressing, but really good), and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (lots of fun).

Reading: The Barefoot Princess by Christina Dodd, actually I just finished this one and are moving onto the last book in the trilogy, The Prince Kidnaps a Bride by Christina Dodd.

Listening: Arthur and I have been listening to various Christmas music Pandora channels.

Making: Working on some Christmas gifts today.

Feeling: Still fighting a cold. Annoying...

Planning: We're having some people over tomorrow for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone's bringing something, but that still means that I have some dishes to prep and a house clean...

Loving: We've had a few rainy days lately and I love them. 

Fall Thanks

1. Pinterest -- For inspiring a new project. Crazy, but I'm excited!

2. Apple cider -- For reminding me of my love of fall.

3. Friends -- For giving support even in the dark hours.

4. Indoor plumbing -- For nice hot showers to help me breathe easier.

5. The builders of our house -- For giving me a completely unnecessary, but well-used crafting area (otherwise known as a butler's pantry).

Odds and Ends

Here's my randomness for the week:

• Two solo BART rides with the toddler and we survived!
• Almost 40 Christmas cards done, shooting for 100... by the 14th of November. I think I can, I think I can...
• Two DNF books in a row. This week has not been a good reading week. Hoping the next book is a winner.
• My house is a disaster. Guess tomorrow just became cleaning day.
• Thirty-One's Take Two Tote is frigging amazing! (And I'm not saying this just because I'm a Thirty-One consultant) I used it today on the excursion to Berkeley. It has so much room and pockets! Perfect!
• I need some holiday themed Jamberrys. Good thing the Bazaar is almost here. I can order some from Amanda.
• Really craving some sushi.