New Year, New Outlook

I haven't been here in a while.  One of the reasons I started writing this blog in 2007 (that seems so long ago) was to have some accountability--both in my daily life and in my writing.  I had set some goals for myself the first two years and I met them.  Then I decided not to set a goal for my blogging and we can all see where that ended up.  :-P

In past years, I have made New Year's Resolutions and have vowed to follow them.  Some I did and some I didn't. Sometimes I think that my New Year's Resolutions are doomed to failure simply because they are called "New Year's Resolutions".  This year I have decided to make lists.  Lists have a slightly different connotation than "New Year's Resolution." Not so lofty sounding--more attainable.  (Who knows maybe it is all just in my head.)

Anyway, here is my first list of things I would like to accomplish this year:

1. Post on this blog at least twice a week. I want to have a little flexibility with this because there are just some days that I have too much to do to prioritize a blog post. Saying that, I think 2 posts per week is very doable.
2. Keep to my budget. I just went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University in October through December and I want to incorporate his methods into my financial life.  One of the biggest parts of that is spending within my means by using a budget.
3. Be more organized. This one is slightly more vague than the first two.  One thing I want to do is spend some time on Sunday evenings planning out my week. Whether it is events, meals, to-dos, or whatever else, I want to have an overview of my week.  Granted I can't predict everything that will come my way in any given week or at any given moment even; but I can have some idea what needs to be accomplished for my life to go just that much more smoothly.
4. Read. Hah. This one isn't that hard for me but this year I want to challenge myself a bit.  I'm what I call a "for fun" reader which means I mostly read fiction with no real deep and thought provoking message.  Not to say that the books I read don't cause me to think, just that they are not intended for that purpose.  I also tend towards the romantic suspense genre. 
   
   This year I want to read at least one non-fiction (or biography) book a month -- or at least 12. I also want to read at least 6 books I wouldn't normally pick up off the shelf.
    
5. Learn something new. This year I want to learn something new. Whether it be a community Continuing Education class offered through the Community College, an online course via Universal Class from my library, or something I teach myself through books, magazines, or the internet.

There...I have my first list all set and ready to start work on. I have to say that I'm excited about this next year.  I think I will be greatly blessed!

Heart and soul redux

Last year, I revisited my New Year's resolutions several times throughout the year -- a little habit check-up. This year I haven't reviewed my New Year's resolutions -- at all.

The reason: I really haven't been working on them consistently.

Oopsie.

I definitely haven't formed new habits yet. But I am working on it - I haven't given up.

Hopefully, I will soon be able to say I have had some measure success in this endeavor but until then I will be back to regularly scheduled posting--whatever that may be--tomorrow.

Plans

With the frigorific* front moving in tomorrow, I am planning on cooking all of tomorrow afternoon.

I am working at the library for a few hours in the morning but then I have dedicated my afternoon to making homemade mac & cheese, potato & ham soup, and bread! Ambitious I know but I am holding myself accountable to get this done.

This will be part of my meal supply for next week and I am going to freeze some for later. I am kind of liking this meal-planning thing.

One thing I have already realized is I have to be flexible. Wednesday a project I couldn't get out of came up at work and I had to leave for lunch later than usual plus it was shortened so I had to improvise a little. But it worked and I'm good.

I think I will be eating better and healthier.

I hope.

No, I know I will -- I have celery in my fridge . . . to snack on! That is already way better than anything I have had for a long time.

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*word of the week

Habit forming

I am attempting to form some new and better habits.

Reaching for the celery instead of the cookie. Doing something active instead of watching a movie. And so on and so on.

I had read somewhere that it takes about a month to form a new habit. Where I read that I have no idea but I was searching some sites trying to find where I had read it and found this instead.

I found this article very informative and very encouraging. I went a little deeper and read some information about the author. And I was just plain impressed.

I have decided to go about this in a methodical manner (instead of the willy-nilly way I normally do things). Ha. We'll see how long this lasts.

My first new habit: create a meal plan and stick to it.

Yesterday I created a meal plan for today through Saturday. So far I have kept tonight's meal.

As Bob would say, "Baby step."

Heart and soul

The dawning of a new year . . .

Resolutions for my physical life:

• Resolutions in this area of my life seem to be the hardest of mine to keep.  However I will do my utmost to keep this one -- my goal is to participate in some form of physical exercise at least 3 times per week.

Resolutions for my spiritual life:

• Follow a Bible reading plan.  I was doing some research to prepare for this goal and there are a lot of web resources for this type of thing.  I ended up choosing a chronological plan to read the entire Bible in a year . . . a little ambitious I know but I think I am up to this endeavor.
  
  
• One other thing I would like to do is to participate in some kind of group Bible study this year.

These are my life goals this year.  I have already begun on the uncluttering and the Bible reading plan.  Nothing like jumping in with both feet.  I am already excited for the new year!

In my element

I think that part of my emotional well-being is affected by my surroundings.  So the changes I want to make in this area have to do with my physical surroundings.

Resolutions for my emotional well-being:

• Clean house.  My goal is to set up a cleaning schedule to eliminate procrastination (what? who me? procrastinate? never!) and make it easier to "keep up" the cleaning throughout the year.
  
  
• Uncluttered.  My goal is to go through each room of my house and get rid of the things that are cluttering up my life.  Which means getting rid of things that have no sentimental value, are unused, and/or not needed.

Balance

well-balanced (adj) 

1. nicely or evenly balanced, arranged, or regulated 

2. emotionally or psychologically untroubled

Last year about this time I made some resolutions -- listed some changes I wanted to make in my life in the upcoming year.  Some of them I accomplished, some of them I attempted to accomplish but the result have little to be desired.

This year I am going to focus one (maybe two) changes in four areas of my life: intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual.

Resolutions for my Intellectual Life:

• Increase my vocabulary -- I have subscribed to a couple word-of-the-day websites.  I want to be able not only to learn at least one new word per week but also to be able to use it competently
  
  
  
• Read at least 5 of the classic books I have been meaning to read (the ones that are "on my list") 

Classics to read (partial list):

1. 1984 by George Orwell
   
   
   
2. For whom the bell tolls by Ernest Hemingway
   
   
   
3. The wind in the willows by Kenneth Graham
   
   
   
4. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
   
   
   
5. The catcher in the rye by J.D. Salinger (actually a re-read)
   
   
   
6. The grapes of wrath by John Steinbeck
   
   
   
7. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
   
   
   
8. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
   
   
   
9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
   
   
   
10. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
    
    
    
11. Silas Marner by George Eliot
    
    
    
12. Red badge of courage by Stephen Crane
    
    
    
13. The sound and the fury by William Faulkner
    
    
    
14. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
    
    
    
15. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
    
    
    
16. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (re-read)
    
    
    
17. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
    
    
    
18. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
    
    
    
19. Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell (yeah, I know -- what have I been reading?)
    
    
    
20. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

This week's project

My mission this week is to clean out my closet.

Well, my closet, the pile of clothes that don't fit in my closet, and the pile of mending that hasn't been mended yet.

My goal is to fit all of my clothes into my closet in a way that will be easy for me to access and easy for me to put away. You hear that Self? After this week there will be no more laying things on the chair until later.

I have decided to do this project because 1) I have way too many clothes 2) I don't wear half of them 3) to eliminate clutter in my bedroom 4) to allow myself to find the clothes I want when I want them.

Sounds like a simple project, no?

We shall see . . .

Musings

It is bizarre some of the things that run through my mind sometimes.

The other morning as I was waking up I was thinking about how now I always seem to sleep on the side of the bed farthest from the door and when I was younger I always slept on the side of the bed nearest the door.

Bizarre.

Today I was examining my life so far. Am I the woman I want to be? Am I the woman I always thought I would be?

I'm not sure if I came to any solid conclusions. But I do know that there will always be room for improvement:

Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. Proverbs 31:30-31

Chris and Too Much TV

When I was young -- I am way too young to be starting sentences with that phrase -- anywho, when I was young, the sibs and I weren't allowed to watch much television. I'm not saying we didn't try to watch tv any chance we could, I'm just saying there were house rules limiting the amount of television we were allowed to watch.

When Mama Bear decides her family spends too much time in front of the TV, she bans it for a week. Then the Bear family finds other ways to have fun and keep busy, so they watch less when TV is allowed again--and they don't even miss it.

Much like the Berenstains we found other ways to spend our time: making up games, riding bikes, playing pretend, reading, etc. I distinctly remember swinging on our swing set and making up songs.

It seems that over the years I have slowly come to rely more and more on my television as a source of companionship. Whoa . . . I just read that back and it sounds a lot more pathetic that it did as I typed it. But I don't take it back.

My reliance snuck up on me.

I have really noticed my television usage because I haven't had a lot of time to watch it. I have certain television programs that I just "have" to watch. So I have my DVR set to record them. I sat down the other day to start watching my recorded shows and was astonished at the sheer number.

I have been slowly eliminating the shows I don't really "have" to watch. I am hoping to ween myself from the television.

Another thing I have noticed I have been using my television for lately is as background noise. I want to change this. My plan is to switch from using the television as background noise to using the radio or some of my cds.

Maybe I'll eventually get back to a little silence every once in a while. :-)

Thinkin' about my resolutions

Remember these? I thought I should evaluate -- see just what I have accomplished so far and what changes I still need to make.

1. Finances: I think I have been doing a fairly good job with this one. I think there can still be some improvement. So far I have: eliminated my book buying budget (this has been difficult but I have been sticking to it); cutting my grocery/household expenses by making my own laundry detergent and bread, I have also been getting milk from the farm instead of buying it; watching my entertainment spending.
   
   
2. Household: Although I haven't kept up a daily schedule, I have been keeping to a weekly or bi-monthly schedule. I have to say I am fairly happy with this so far.
   
   
3. Health: I haven't been walking as much as I would like but I have been monitoring my eating habits (except for this evening -- there is a reason I rarely buy ice cream).
   
   
4. Spiritual life: This is the area I want to focus on the rest of the year. More on this one later . . .
   
   
5. Appreciation: I have been working on this one. One thing I did recently is purchase some thank you cards. I have plans to write notes to some people in my life that I especially appreciate.

Three out of five so far. And the year is 4/5ths over. Not too bad. I already have gotten farther than I expected!

Changing of seasons

The time has come . . . I turned on my heat last night.

The furnace only kicked on a couple times, scaring the cat, but it marks the end of summer for me.

It is the beginning of:

• Hot cocoa

• Blankets, blankets, blankets, and more blankets

• Crisp, cool evenings

• Frosty mornings

• Kitties that snuggle (when of a mind too, that is)

• Leaves that crunch

Photo from www.nationalgeographic.com!

Makin' some changes of another variety altogether

Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. Matthew 7:3-5

I hate being wrong. I hate is so much that I took fifteen minutes to figure out how to underline the word hate simply to show how much I hate being wrong. Bah!

I have this person whom I interact with often. This person drives me nuts with complaints, lies, disrespect, inconsideration, unfairness, etc, etc, etc. One of the things that dislike most about the situation is that this person complains about others who complain, lie, disrespect others, inconsideration, and unfairness. See where I'm going with this . . . yeah.

I am my own worst enemy.

Thankfully . . .

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9

Now the tough part . . . going on from this point . . . making the changes.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

And lots of prayer!

Makin' some changes (around the house)

My dad and his workmen came over last week beautified my yard. Well, they would probably say they water-tightened the basement -- but I'm a girl and I say beautify!

The basement has been filling during the spring thaw and if it rains hard and much. So they (my dad and this workmen) put some plastic along the base of the house so the water would not drain right next to the house.

Like I said . . . pretty! :-)

BONUS: My weeds are gone!

Front (above & below)

Back (below)

I cleaned and rearranged my living room on Sunday afternoon. (I vacuumed a million spiders and cobwebs up!) If you want to compare: this and this is how my living room looked last year about this time. I had changed it a little bit after Christmas. But I like the new arrangement a lot!


Try to ignore the sea green carpet . . .

If you'll notice, Cleo nonchalantly walks through almost every photo . . . attention-monger . . .

This of course never changes . . .

Book-aholic

I was reminded today that I have an addiction to books. When I read this post, I thought "that's me." I have a compulsion to buy books when I step into bookstores. I have stacks of books I haven't read yet -- I'm waiting for a rainy day, of course -- and books I just can't wait to read that I just have to buy.

But I am trying to change my ways.

I have been 'weeding' my book collection. I am trying to even exchange my books. If I buy or receive one I try to sell or give on away. In fact, just this morning I was looking at my bookshelf thinking I needed to pull some of my books.

I have also been using Bookins to swap my books. This is a much cheaper alternative to purchasing books -- even though I may have to wait a few months longer.

And of course I use the library. I do have easy access! :-)

One thing I will have to finish this year is the commitment I have to purchase books from the book club I joined. I only have one book yet to purchase on that commitment and then I will discontinue the membership.

I do know that I have spent a whole lot less this year on books than I did last year.

60 percent less. Not too bad I'm thinking. And next year maybe 60 percent less than this year?

I could make that my New Year's Resolution!

Resolutions revisited

As I begin my second year of blogging (yea!) I thought I would evaluate the progress of my New Year's resolutions.

1) Spending habits & saving -- I'm getting better at this. Using coupons, curbing my unnecessary spending, saving more, paying off my debts.

2) Household management -- I still haven't gotten the hang of this one yet but I am still working on it. I think this one is hard simply because I dislike the cleaning part. :-P

3) Health and fitness -- I have been doing pretty well on this one I think. Walking and eating fairly well.

4) Spiritual life -- This one still needs some work but I have some things in the works.

5) Focus on those around me -- This one I have to be constantly aware of but I think I have been doing better.

Overall, I think I am in a better place than I was 6 months ago. Which I think is the point of resolutions . . . to better one's self.

I just need to keep pluggin' along.

Around the corner

You know when you are a senior in high school (or college) and you wake up one day and think, "Yeah, it's all down hill from here"?

Or your working through as difficult situation or problem in your life and you realize you have turned the last corner. Yeah, you still have some things to deal with and process but the hardest part is over. The end is in sight.

Today feels like that.

Yeah, it is still cold out, there are still piles of snow everywhere I look, but the sun is shining. I haven't had to shovel my driveway in weeks. I think winter has finally turned the last corner.

Oh look . . . is that a hint of spring?

Dodged a bullet

Needless anticipation. ::Sigh::

I wasted all that effort yesterday worrying about a snow/freezing rain storm that by-passed us completely. Now if I lived about 100 miles to the south I would be telling a different story right now. Either way the worry was needless. I couldn't change the outcome. Despite any latent childhood dream to be about to control the weather, I have not yet developed that talent. :-)

I would have had to deal with results of the storm just as I am dealing with the beauty of the sun shining. Well, not exactly the same. The storm results would have lead to excessive complaining and sore shoveling arms.

I don't think I am an excessive worrier. Which is a miracle considering some of the genes I inherited. But I still worry sometimes. I think that is one of the things I should try to work on.

Now . . . how exactly should I go about that?

5 things I want to be in 15 years

1. A better friend
2. A better neighbor
3. A better daughter
4. A better sister
5. A better Christian
   

The missing piece?

I have been thinking a lot lately about the way my life gone so far. I think that if I would have asked my self 15 years ago, "What is your life going to be like in 15 years?" I would have responded with an answer that in any way resembles my life today. I haven't decided if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

My 15-year-old self probably would have said:

• married
• kids
• maybe a job but not necessarily
  

I don't think I ever had a notion as to what I wanted to be when I grew up. (I still don't. Course I don't consider myself grown up either.)

Out of the three items listed above I (almost) have one. :-)

I am happy, I am content most of the time -- infrequently I have those niggling "what ifs" pop into my brain.

I wonder what my 45-year-old self ::cringe:: will say about this post and about my life. Think I will be a grown up then?