what to expect for the rest of 2015.....

I love to sit down and blog.
I have a notebook page full of blog posts that I want to get done.

I love my kids and husband.
I love a clean house.
I have another notebook page of cleaning tasks and house projects that need to get done.

{source unknown}

Do you see the problem?
First, I have to make time for the family and our home to function properly.

As much as I love to blog, and want to sit down to write something everyday, it's just not feasible for me to do that at this stage in my life.
I'm still trying to survive daily with 5 kids in the house now.
My laundry is out-of-control.
The clutter is piling up, and
as mentioned before, we're preparing for another move.

Today, I wanted to share with you the exciting changes for the remainder of 2015.

~join me here in this space on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
I can not wait to share some fun projects going on around the house, thoughtful content, and inspiring posts. When possible, there may be an additional post or two throughout the week. But you can always count on a post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from yours truly!

~expect bimonthly or quarterly updates of limited quantities of product from my handmade shop
Every piece is handmade from start to finish. I'm excited to start on some ideas that I have been envisioning for months!

~there will be urban farming updates
My hope is to inspire others to get those couple of chickens they've been wanting, and to can those vegetables/produce that they've grown or purchased. I hope to offer helpful tips in these farming updates.

~post-adoption updates
I will share the honest, sometimes brutal updates of our daily struggles and successes.


Here's to the remainder of 2015, and hopefully some organization in my life!

2015 goals

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A new year. A new beginning. A clean slate. A fresh page of a new planner. A new list of goals.

I'm not a resolution-maker, but I am a goal-maker.

For 2015 I want to:

~create, make, & sell my projects
~read 25 books for the year
~make a job system that "works" for the family
~clear out my fabric stash
~make time for a monthly date night; right now, this means we'll have one at home until little sister is older and we've reached a certain attachment stage.
~start a new blog series (coming late February)
~take more pictures
~add more plant life to our home
~clear out my desk and the extra dresser
~continue growing a garden and canning/freezing the bounties
~start another adoption fund for the future (more on this later)
~organize the Legos in a maintainable system for the kids

12 goals for the next 12 months.

Listed out, it looks like a lot. In reality, it is. Some of these goals won't get accomplished. Some may only be half completed before 2016. But most, will hopefully be done and checked off at the end of the year. Some of these goals are part of my daily routine--plants, pictures, reading. Some of the goals I'll accomplish in a couple of weekends--desk, dresser. Some of the goals I'll work on over a season--gardening. And some are constant work over the course of the year--date nights, blog series, adoption fund.

What will you do with your new year?

october goals

Fall is my FAVORITE season! It contains cooler days, falling leaves, apple cider, pumpkin pie, pumpkin smells, and more reasons to stay inside!

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In September I did not write out a goal plan on the ol' blog.

 

We've been busy, really busy.  It's hard to balance real life with 4 kids and blogging/hobbies.

October goals:
1. Clean out ALL my junk drawers. Let me tell ya' this is going to be a monumental task. All my junk drawers are the equivalent to a couple of medium-size dressers. #obsessivedrawerstuffer

2. Simplify and organize linen closet. Our linen closet is a mess; a big mess.

3. Sew, make, and/or create 30 items for the etsy shop. List 50 new items in the shop. (I'm guessing I have 20 items already done.)

4. Start and finish our packing for China. I don't want to be packing last minute for our trip.

Linking up with The Tiny Twig-Goals with Grace

august goals

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Yes, it's the middle of August.

Yes, I am just now posting about my August goals.

Yes, it's okay. I set the goals; I determine when I work on them. :)

 

In July, I worked on one goal. 

I think we were having too much fun this summer. :)



 

JULY GOALS

*Continue to sell items to earn extra cash for the boys' plane tickets to China~I was able to sell several more items of extra junk that we no longer used or needed. We were notified that we would be traveling to China earlier than expected. so, we decided not to take the two younger boys. As much as I would like them to go, it's just not going to happen financial-wise.

The following July goals did not happen.
*Continue cleaning out the laundry room
*Start reading chapter books to the kids again
*Frame our maps of China & hang on the walls

AUGUST GOALS

*Frame our maps of China & hang on the walls~doing this next week
*Finish taking up the carpet in the craft room & organize for use ~ I started taking up the carpet this evening. I should finish by this weekend, but it may take longer to organize the items that need to go back in the room.
*Organize adoption paperwork ~ I am sad to say that all our adoption paperwork is just in a big pile on the counter. {hangs head in shame..} I need to get the paperwork organized because I'm having to dig through the pile to find papers needed for different forms we're having to file. This little task is going to take awhile to complete. I'm not kidding when I say our pile is at least 5" tall.


Since it's the middle of the month and I have some hefty goals to complete, I'm just setting 3 this month.

~linking up with The Tiny Twig

July Goals

 I had high expectations to complete most, if not, all these goals in June. Right now, I'm guessing I had some unrealistic ideas about the amount of free time I would have since school was not in session.

Let's take a look at see what I accomplished this month!

JUNE GOALS

*Attempt to generate some extra income for our budget~I was able to get a little bit of this done. I've been cleaning out items that we no longer need or use, and have been listing them on the local facebook sale pages. {About the only reason why I don't want to give up my facebook account.} I have a little stash of $150 started just by selling items we no longer need or use.

*Read 4 books with 1 being nonfiction~I read 3 books total this month. 2 fiction, and 1 nonfiction

*Exercise 4 times a week~Didn't even exercise one time during June. Mega-fail!!

*Re-establish chore charts with the kids~Didn't even think about this goal. Structure during the summer? What was I thinking?

*Send snail mail to at least two individuals~Had great intentions, but never got around to sending out any mail. There's always next this month!

*Clean out the laundry room~I've started cleaning out the room, and the cats have also been helping {knocking glass items off a shelf, it breaks, & then it goes in the trash}. I still have a long way to go in this room. I'm guessing a good solid day would put it in shape though.

JULY GOALS

*Continue to sell items to earn extra cash for the boys' plane tickets to China~We're still unsure if we are taking all four kids, but I want to be prepared rather than struggling at the last minute to come up with the extra money for the plane tickets.

*Continue cleaning out the laundry room~I can see slight progress, so I don't want to abandon the project just yet.

*Start reading chapter books to the kids again~I've slacked off on this, especially towards the end of the school year. The kids enjoyed it. I enjoyed it. I have several books that are on my {mental} to-read-to-the-kids-chapter-books list.

*Frame our maps of China & hang on the walls~Currently, we have 2 maps of China; a smaller 8x10 size, and a larger map {larger than a normal picture frame}. The difficulty in this goal will lie in finding or constructing a frame for the larger map.


That's my write-down goals for July! Of course, that is not everything I hope to get accomplished, but these are my top four.

*linking up with The Tiny Twig

June Goals

Let's look back at my May goals and see what I accomplished.

May was a busy month for us. School let out, Joe was gone for a week, and we were in Kansas or traveling for 9 days of the month.

As Hayley mentioned, if the goals are not in front of me daily, they tend to go to the wayside.

MAY GOALS
*finish reading 3 books~Completed!!

*put some items in the etsy shop~I did not complete this goal.

*start our family scrapbook for 2014~I did not do this, BUT I did finish up a year in Byron's album.

*make a summer schedule for the kids~We wrote out a fairly loose schedule/calendar for the summer months.

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JUNE GOALS
*Attempt to generate some extra income for our budget~Hence, the word attempt. Joe and I are now contemplating taking all four children to China with us when our adoption comes through. Thus, we're going to have 2 extra tickets to buy, and that equals big bucks that I don't want to take out of our regular budget. We're guessing we have about 8 months to a year to save so I want to get started right away.

*Read 4 books with 1 being nonfiction~I can manage this goal!! I'd love to see myself read more as I have a whole closet downstairs dedicated to books I'd like to read. Reading more means getting rid of more stuff.

*Exercise 4 times a week~I can do this. I was exercising 7 days a week, but I've slacked off and can't seem to get back on track. Making it a goal helps to hold myself accountable.

*Re-establish chore charts with the kids~Ideally, the chore charts would be tweaked and running smoothly before school begins again in August.

*Send snail mail to at least two individuals~Snail mail is the best!! I've been a slacker this year in sending some out.

*Clean out the laundry room~This will be a huge accomplishment if I can get this done. There are piles of clothes to put up, piles of extra junk laying around that either needs sold or donated, and piles of clothes that need a good soaking in some oxiclean.

*linking up with Hayley at The Tiny Twig

May Goals

Let's take a look at my April goals, and see how I did this month. Or, let's not.

My April goals:
*read 4 books
*complete 5 unfinished projects
*wake up earlier for myself
*start our family scrapbook for 2014
*add 15 items to the new etsy shop

April was a bust. The only goal I even attempted was to read 4 books. I read 3 books, and started 3 other books. I had good intentions of completing, or even starting the other goals, but life got in the way.

{source unknown}

 



MAY GOALS

*finish reading 3 books~I have a stack of books that I want to start reading, but I also have a stack of books that I need to finish reading. I'm going to start finishing up some of those books that I need to complete.

*put some items in the etsy shop~I have a pile of items ready to start on for the shop. Some items need sewn together, some need photographed, and others need executed from idea to the end product. I want to make this goal a priority in May, especially if I'm going to have a listing of 100 items by June.

*start our family scrapbook for 2014~I also want to make this goal a priority in May. We're already 18 weeks or so into 2014, and time's not standing still.

*make a summer schedule for the kids~Another priority goal for May; it has to be, or I may lose my mind during the middle of June or July. :)

Happy May Day!!

*linking up with The Tiny Twig

April Goals

Let's look back at my March goals, and see how I did.

*blog 3x's a week Done! I think it helped that when I sat down to make my weekly menu, I also made plans on what I was going to post on during the week. Apparently, having a list or schedule for blog posts keeps me accountable.

*start painting the entryway Done! I did start painting the entryway.  However, I didn't like the paint I picked out for our entryway.  I'm going to use that paint instead for our master bedroom, and choose some other color for the entryway. I'm leaning towards white.

*wake up earlier for myself  This didn't happen once. I know why, but I failed to even attempt it. For me to wake up earlier, I definitely have to go to bed earlier. Maybe next month.

*take more photos Done! I didn't think I had accomplished this goal, but after looking back through the photos I barely squeaked by. In February, I took 79 pictures. In March, I took 89.

*finish reading two books Done! I read two books during the month of March. You can read more about that here.

*complete 4 unfinished projects Well, I didn't finish one project that needed completed. I did manage to start a new knitting project though. I'll never learn.

*continue working on the craft room I think the room is as clean as it's gonna get during this time. So, I'm calling it good.

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APRIL GOALS:

*read 4 books. I have really enjoyed picking up a book again. I love reading, but often don't make the time for it. I have been finding bits of time here and there throughout my day.

*complete 5 unfinished projects. I have lots of projects that need finished up, so I'm putting this back on the list. Some unfinished projects require very little work, like tying in ends for a knitted dishcloth. Other projects are more extensive, like finishing a quilt that's only a 1/4 of the way started.

*wake up earlier for myself. I really want to accomplish this for two reasons. One, to get my exercising done before the kids wake up, and two, to have a little bit of quiet time to do some devotionals without someone interrupting me or hanging on me.

*start our family scrapbook for 2014. This is doable. I have some pictures printed, and all the materials needed. I just need to sit down and make this a priority.

*add 15 new items to the etsy shop. I have several projects cut out. Once again, I just need to sit down and find the time to sew them up, take pictures, and get them listed. I have an overall goal of having a 100 items in the shop by the end of June. I need to get moving.


*linking up with The Tiny Twig

Springtime

 

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Is it spring where you're at?
Yesterday we were at 75 degrees.
The rest of the week is in the upper 40s and a couple of days in the high 30s
with a chance of snow on Thursday. 

Although it doesn't feel like spring most days around here, I've been thinking about my spring plan.

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This year I would like to:

~create an outdoor oasis by freshen up our patio area

~make lots of crafty things, like these

~start planning our container garden

~start this cross-stitch project for Joci's room

~lighten up our house with new paint colors and less stuff


Do you have a spring plan yet?

Happy day to you friends!

March Intentions

Once again it's the middle of the month, and I'm just now writing my goal post.
February goals were hit and miss.
I was able to read two books.
I also blogged once a week. 
I worked on some unfinished projects, and completed a couple but wasn't able to get 5 completed. The craft room....oh that room is still a disaster. It's currently a holding room for clothes and toys that I'm putting in an upcoming consignment sale.

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My intentions for March:
*blog 3x's a week
*start painting the entryway
*wake up earlier for myself
*take more photos
*finish reading two books
*complete 4 unfinished projects
*continue working on the craft room

Seeing as I only have 2 more weeks left of March, I'm not sure I'll get all these done. I'm going to try though!!

February Goals

I'm not that big on new year resolutions. Mainly because I would never continue adhering to my resolution throughout the year. I, however, am a BIG list maker.  I have a list of the list.

This year I decided to have monthly goals that I would like to accomplish.  The purpose of my goal list is to hold myself accountable. These goals are some of the things I want to focus on during the month. Some of these goals are from my to-do lists, some are not. 

As you can see from my January list, I clearly did not accomplish all my goals. That's okay! At the end of the month, I'm going to re-evaluate and decide if that's something I really want to complete like cleaning the craft room. If not, then I'm gonna chunk it out the window. If it's important enough for me to finish, then I'll put it onto next month's goal list.