December is one of my favorite times of the year for two reasons. First, Christmas. I don't think I need to say much more about that. And second, I find that December is the one time of year when I actually reflect on the past year. I don't take a lot of time for reflection during my everyday life, but it seems like when the end of the year is approaching and a new year is about to begin, I just can't help myself.
And as I was thinking about this today, I realized that in order to make my December what I want it to be, there are a few things that I want to try to accomplish. Cue the comeback of my goals list. Again, it's not overwhelming, but hopefully it will be the little kick in the pants that I need to get ready for the holiday to come.
1. Bake Christmas cookies. We have to have something to leave out for Santa, afterall.
2. Get a new Christmas tree. The tree that I've had was purchased in 1988. It's about time.
3. Hang stockings. This means I need to do the final step and attach the tags.
4. Read 50 pages. This might even mean I finish my book!
5. Finish the wedding gift for my nephew and his new wife.
6. Hem my pants.
7. Start Mason on cereal. The doctor said he's ready. It's me that's still getting used to the idea.
It's pretty short and sweet, and nothing too overwhelming, but it's just enough to make me feel like I've accomplished something and also to get ready for Christmas. Wish me luck!
I believe my life has changed more in this past week than it has in the past three months. I am now a working mother, and I can only best compare it to getting thrown to the wolves. Okay, okay, it's not quite like that. And if my son wasn't such a good sleeper and my husband wasn't such a good support, I could have it much worse. Let me give you a snapshot of an average weekday.
5:00 - get up. I spend the next 30 minutes getting dressed and ready for work. Byron gets Mason up, changes his diaper, and gets him ready to eat.
5:30 - feed the baby. While I do this, Byron gets himself ready, takes care of Minnie, packs our lunches if it didn't get done the night before, and starts to load the car.
6:15/6:30 - leave for work. In case you were wondering, I have been up for an hour and a half and it is still dark out.
7:00 - drop Mason off at his grandma's.
7:30 - arrive at work. I got a little sympathy on my first day back and my workload wasn't too crazy, but after the first day, I got dropped into a new (crazy) project, I was asked to complete a small project by the end of the week, I was asked to give a presentation to my department, and I was asked to help bring a new employee up to speed while my boss is away. Needless to say, my days are pretty much a blur.
4:00 - head home. This can not come fast enough. I can't wait to see my baby!
4:30 - pick up Mason. Kiss his face one million times.
5:00 - arrive home. We unload the car (I think between the three of us we have seven bags everyday, plus a car seat) and I change my clothes as fast as possible. I feed Mason, and I like to avoid getting spit up on my work clothes. Byron starts making dinner for us.
6:00 - we finally have a little "free" time. Free time no longer consists of doing craft projects or watching TV. Instead, we take Mason for a walk, wash dishes and bottles, do laundry, sort mail, read books to Mason, and give him his bath.
8:00 - feed Mason.
9:00 - Mason goes down for the night, and I jump in the shower like a crazy person, then frantically run around the house to help getting lunches made for the next day, pick out clothes, etc.
9:30 - crash.
I can't wait for the weekend, when I might be able to sleep in until 5:30. You can't begin to understand how incredibly lucky I feel that Mason is able to sleep through the night for the most part. I already feel like I'm running on empty, and I can't imagine if an hour or so was taken away from my sleep time each night. But...it's all worth it. I think about Mason all the time, and although I'm surviving being a working mom, if I had the chance to stay home, I would jump at it in a heartbeat. Mason is so precious, and as crazy as things are right now, he has changed our lives for the better in more ways than I can express. We just love him so much!
That said, can you understand why I'm 6 10 (internet was out ALL weekend) days late posting about my goals? Here is the September recap.
1. Read 50 pages. Done! Woo hoo! I read 99. I am so close to finishing this book, I hope I can by the end of October. You know, reading on Saturdays I guess.
2. Lose 5 pounds of baby weight. Um...I would say I lost three, which is better than none. I also bought some bigger clothes. Whatever works.
3. Cross three items off my 30 before 30 list. We all know that this list is in jeopardy, right? I still have the best of intentions, and honestly, a few projects are even in flight, they just aren't finished yet so I have nothing to share. Maybe this will become a 30 by 31 list, or a 30 by 32 list.
4. Create meal plans for at least 4 meals each week. That went really well. I already shared about the first part of the month, and although the second part of the month didn't contain any brilliant new dishes, it still helped to have something planed in advance for each day. October didn't start out quite so well, though, so many of my intentions were lost. I can tell you that our eating habits so far feel a bit elementary - frozen pizza, hot dogs, etc. I repeat to myself - it will get easier, it will get easier.
5. Piece the top of Mason's quilt. I'm about halfway done with
the top. I really enjoy working on it though, so on the weekends, if I'm
not napping in my free time, I look forward to working on it some more.
And I can't wait for Mason to have something made just for him from his
mama.
And
here we are in October, and I'm about to throw you for a large loop. I
have NO goals for October. I thought about making a few for me this
month, but I knew that it would be hard enough to get anything extra
accomplished this month, and it would be even harder to find the time to write
about and photograph them. I would definitely like to continue writing
about my monthly goals, but this will just be my "bye" month.
In some ways, this past month felt pretty long, and in other ways, it has flown by. I went from being the mother of a two week old to having an almost seven week old. Things changed by leaps and bounds in that regard. There were some days that I felt bursts of energy and dreamed up projects for myself. Other days, I barely kept my head on straight. But now that August has come to a close, I did find that I was able to accomplish a few of my goals.
1. Read at least 50 pages. Done! I don't have an exact count, but I think I pretty close to tripled that.
2. Finish organizing Mason's nursery. Done! There are no more piles of clothes sitting around or blankets strewn all over the floor. Although I still have some plans for his room, I'd say he has the nicest space in the house right now. Well, it has the least amount of clutter, that's for sure.
Thanks to a commenter, the pants are in fact now folded on the hangers with the matching outfits, and pants that do not match outfits are put away in a drawer. It's working so far.
3. Cross two items off my 30 before 30 list. I crossed off one item. So there's progress, just not quite as much as I would have liked. If it's any consolation, several items on my list have been started, so hopefully next month I'll gain some momentum.
My days at home with Mason have gotten a little bit easier, so I'm going to increase my goals by a few more this month. Here's what I've set my mind to accomplish.
1. Read 50 pages. This has been a good goal and I want to keep doing it until I finish the second book on my 30 before 30 list.
2. Lose 5 pounds of baby weight. It isn't just dropping off anymore - I'm starting to have to work at it. This means watching what I eat and taking lots of walks with Mason & Minnie during the day. Oh yeah, and starting to do real workouts. I do have to go back to work next month, and I'd like most of my clothes to fit.
3. Cross three items off my 30 before 30 list.
4. Create meal plans for at least 4 meals each week. If I can get in the pattern now, this will really help when I go back to work next month.
5. Piece the top of Mason's quilt.
And now for the monthly report on my July goals. Big things happened, my friends!
1. Have a baby. I did it! And we couldn't be happier to have Mason here after a full 9 months of waiting. Although the late night feedings are still something that I don't believe I will ever get used to, everything else about him is amazing. We love him so much.
Read 50 pages in "Through Painted Deserts". Done! And then some.
3. Go on 15 walks. Once again, this didn't go well. I think I maybe went on two. If that. But truly my reasoning for going on the walks was to force myself into labor, and since we accomplished that anyway, I'm not too bent out of shape about it.
4. Finish cutting out quilt pieces. I made progress on this, but I didn't get the pieces finished. I am on my last piece of fabric before I start the rough layout, so hopefully there isn't much work ahead of me. I blame Mason for not being able to finish this!
5. Finish thank you notes. I am finished...sort of. I am finished with all of the thank you notes from my four showers. I am not finished with thank you notes from any meals or gifts that have come in at the hospital or afterward. The original goal was accomplished though.
So where does that leave me for August? Ah, can my goal be to sleep every night and shower every, er, every other day? Just kidding. I honestly don't really know what I want to try to tackle this month, but because people say caring for a newborn does get easier, here are a few that I have.
1. Read at least 50 pages. The next book I have planned to start is "The Shack". I have heard good things, so I hope I feel the same way. If so, this will go quickly.
2. Finish organizing Mason's nursery. Can anyone help me with the best way to store baby pants? Especially the ones that are a part of a matching outfit? It has me boggled.
3. Cross two items off my 30 before 30 list. I think I am at risk of not completing it! Fortunately there are a few projects in the works, so I think this should be manageable.
There you have it people. Three goals. I want to set myself up for success, not failure, which is why the few goals, but over the next few months, I plan to work back up to a more respectable amount. If any of you have monthly goals, I wish you the best and I'll see you back here next month!
A new month with new things in store. Before I look forward to the new month, though, let's check and see how I did on my June goals.
1. Take the dog (and myself) on at least 15 walks. This didn't go so well. I think I only went on 6 or 7 walks. I know this isn't a place for excuses, but I had a little trouble in this area. You see, my feet have swollen into small tree trunks. I have actual fat rolls on my cankles. By the time I get home from work, my feet are so sore and I just can't bring myself to walk a mile around the neighborhood. I have high hopes for other goals of this type as soon as the swelling is gone.
2. Hem the bedroom curtains. I did not do this. No excuse.
3. Finish the nursery curtains. Woo hoo! This snuck in at just the last minute. I have pictures and will post soon. Of course, my one little disclaimer is that they are not hemmed yet (are you surprised?). Do I smell a July goal?
4. Line the nursery dresser drawers with fun paper. Couldn't find any fun paper. Anywhere. I'll keep looking.
5. Plant at least 3 more things in the front flower bed. As I shared, I planted two. This is a partial success, but I hope to have the third one planted shortly. It will be partial cheating because it will be in a pot on the porch, but it will still make the area look nice. We are edging our way towards complete.
6. Visit the sculpture garden and the Art Festival with Byron. Uh, I went to the art festival. With my sister. I had such high hopes of finding a little piece to actually purchase, maybe for the baby, and was really disappointed. I couldn't find anything under $100, and even those prints were at least 8x10 if not 11x14 or larger. So it was a little disappointing but still fun. And I totally skipped the sculpture garden, so I can't check it off my list just yet.
7. Read 50 pages in "Through Painted Deserts" (I try to be a reader, really I do!) Woo hoo! This is a big fat complete. In fact, I actually read 66 pages. To you readers, this is abysmal, but for me this is definite progress. Keep it up, Katie!
8. Make a clothing drop at Goodwill. Done. Technically this happened last night, but it is so close I'm just going to count it. The trunk of my car thanks me for getting this done, too.
9. Find a pretty pillow case to use at the hospital. Failed. I looked a few times, but I didn't find anything perfect. I suppose I'll have to intensify my search if I really want this.
Overall I think I did so-so on my goals for June. I didn't complete everything, but I did get some good things done that have been hanging over my head for awhile, so that feels great. As for July, my goals are going to be a little less aggressive, since there is one major goal topping the list. Here they are.
1. Have a baby.
2. Read 50 pages in "Through Painted Deserts".
3. Go on 15 walks (despite having swollen feet and ankles - walking can help with labor!)
4. Finish cutting out quilt pieces.
5. Finish thank you notes (I had 4 showers last month!)
And although I could keep going, I think I'm going to cut it short there. I expect that goal #1 is going to take much of my time this month, since once I complete it, I am only actually beginning the work! Good luck to any of you who have monthly goals. May we all be prosperous!
What do you call it when you meet two thirds of a goal? Can you actually cross it off your list? Maybe I can strike it two thirds of the way through. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. Let me just get to the point.
There are some new friends living in my garden. And, this time, I actually planted them all by myself. Last night, Byron and I went to Lowe's to pick up some random things, and I convinced him to walk through the plant section. He was pretty tired, so we didn't do a very thorough search through everything like I was kind of hoping for. Actually, it wasn't so much a thorough search as a deal on perennials that I was searching for. In the few minutes I browsed, I didn't find anything that jumped out at me, so we settled for two little annuals. Byron picked them both out himself, too!
Let me introduce you to our first addition, geranium. This one is going to bloom pink buds. If you look at the second photo, you can just see them.
Our second addition is something I had never heard of. It's called fentas. It will also bloom pink buds. I'm excited for this one, because it appears that the buds are going to be pretty dense. I hope it turns out as pretty as the picture on the tag.
Don't spend too much time looking at these pictures or you will notice the weeds growing in the background. I'll get to those, I promise.
Technically, I only have two new plants for my garden. However, living inside my home is this lovely little lady.
I have been instructed to plant this in my garden as well, but I'm just a little hesitant, and here's why. Our garden is on the West side of our house, and anything I plant there is going to get drenched in the afternoon and evening sun. The tag on this little guy says that it does best in indirect sunlight. So although I love it, I don't want it to meet its instant death in our garden. I think I can plant it in a pot to sit on my front porch, which is covered, and as long as I water it like crazy, it should be fine. That is my plan, but due to another upcoming porch project, this will have to wait a few more days.
Two new plants in our garden, to do exactly what Byron likes - add color! The little garden will probably be a work in progress well into next year, but we are learning some things and it is really taking shape. Before I sign off for the night, I'll share a couple of updated photos of the flowers we planted earlier this year. A couple of the blooms on the coneflowers (middle picture) have already turned pink.
Breaking down a large to do list into smaller chunks always makes one feel like progress is more attainable. Right? Well, I think so anyway. I've decided to jump on the band wagon of publishing some of my monthly goals, with the intent to check in next month not only to see how I did, but also to publish new goals for next month. (Here are some of my role models.) If I never return to do that, I've officially fallen OFF said band wagon.
Without further ado, here are my goals for June.
1. Take the dog (and myself) on at least 15 walks.
2. Hem the bedroom curtains.
3. Finish the nursery curtains.
4. Line the nursery dresser drawers with fun paper.
5. Plant at least 3 more things in the front flower bed.
6. Visit the sculpture garden and the Art Festival with Byron.
7. Read 50 pages in "Through Painted Deserts" (I try to be a reader, really I do!)
8. Make a clothing drop at Goodwill.
9. Find a pretty pillow case to use at the hospital.
Nothing too aggressive, and nothing that costs a lot of money, either. I have been meaning to get to most of these things anyway, so I hope this will provide the extra motivation to get them done and checked off my list. Here I go!
