November Goals & October Goal Update

Well I'm finally getting around to catching up on my goals. October was a bust on some of my goals but I will just push ahead and try to do better.

October Re-cap

Here were my October goals. I did not get my Bible read like I wanted to but I have spent time in the His Word in other ways this past month so not all is lost. I also did not "read" a book but I did listen to one audio book and it was awesome! I listened to The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. It was such a moving, historical and suspenseful book. The story is told by two different characters and the voices were different and authentic for both of the characters so that is why it was so great to listen to. I highly recommend it!

We did make it to the pumpkin patch and I did take lots of pictures of my kids this past month so both of those were wins! I also decorated up my hutch for Halloween and enjoyed it! Now it all decked out for Thanksgiving!

We did eat more at home and enjoyed some potlucks with church and family this month as well. We did not carve a pumpkin this year though. Boo! (I can't say I missed it though because it's lots of work and mess and I would have ended up doing all the work) :)

My November Goals

1. Study the book of Matthew and follow along at Hello Mornings.

2. Do better about starting my mornings off on the right foot by spending 10-20 minutes in the Word, making my plan for the day and doing some movement.

3. Get started on buying Christmas gifts for everyone. I really want to be done by early December!

4. Get the Christmas tree up so I can work on decorating it. We usually do this the day after Thanksgiving but I am hoping to convince the hubby to do it a week early this year. (He is my muscles)

5. Get our Christmas cards designed (DIY) and ordered so I can mail them in early December.

6. Read one book or listen to one audiobook.

7. Do some Christmas crafts for the house and plan out our family events & traditions before the busy month gets here.

8. Host my first Favorite Things party with girlfriends and family at my house the last weekend of the month! I am so excited to do this type of party!

Whew! Seems like a lot but I am sure I'm forgetting something else. I am just loving this time of year. It's busy and fun!!

October Goals

Setting a few more goals for this long month full of seasonal changes and fun family time.

1. Read 1 & 2 Peter and do the She Reads Truth devotionals.

2. Read 1 other book, possibly a self-help one or a parenting one that I've been meaning to finish.

3. Go to a pumpkin patch with friends. This is on the calendar so hopefully we will have good weather!

4. Carve a pumpkins with Jonah. Now that he is 4 I think he would enjoy doing this more.

5. Decorate for Halloween!

6. Stick to my meal planning (for suppers) and eating out less.

7. Take lots of pictures and especially a lot of pictures of the kids in their costumes.

I think that's it but I know there will be a lot of fun things coming up this month and I am crossing my fingers for some cooler temps this weekend! We have a fun-filled weekend planned with family pictures on Saturday and our annual Fun Day with our church family on Sunday.

How September Went

Hi there to anyone stopping by! Just wanted to pop in and do a little update on how my September Goals went. Here is where I posted about my September goals in case you missed it.

1. The health goals I had did not get met at all! September was not my healthiest month for eating. I do good on getting fruit each day but the sweets have been very tempting and just snacking in general. I also don't think I walked at all (for exercise) this past month. Boo on me! I have to do better in October!

2. I have kicked it on the Bible reading though. I read Ecclesiastes and did a devotional in the first part of the month. Then I just finished doing the "Open your Bible" study with She Reads Truth and very much enjoyed that. I just started the 1 & 2 Peter study with SRT as well!

3: Book reading: I read more than 1 book! I read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and it was awesome!! So, so good! I love historical fiction and love stories and this one was such a great love story! Now I want to read all of Francine Rivers' books! I am also listening to Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty and enjoying it for the most part but I am ready to get it done so I know what ends up happening. Sidenote: I watched a 73 questions interview with Reese Witherspoon yesterday and she mentioned she had just read Big Little Lies too! A fun coincidence to me!

4. I have done my best to stay off-line and unplugged in the evenings and I am getting better with it!

5. I have taken a few pictures here and there will do a post soon with them. The kids are growing so fast!

6. I still have a lot to scrap of Haley and hope to do more of that this month once work calms down some. This is our busy season.

7. House Update: We received our first offer on our house and it was a really low price offer. We countered giving them a lot of things they wanted and came back with a higher price that was a little under our asking price. Then we didn't hear anything back from them and found out that they didn't even go over the counter offer with their realtor!! Such a bummer to get our hopes up somewhat but I guess that is just par for the course when you are trying to sell.

This post is already long so I will post my October Goals tomorrow! Have a great day!

September Goals

I think this is the first year that August has ever flown by for me. In years past this would be the month of the year I dreaded the most (start of college courses or busy work season) but this year I looked forward to it. I think having my little baby girl's birthday this month had a lot to do with that and the fact that Jonah would be starting PreK.

Anyways, I am excited for September and the start of Fall. I am looking forward to finishing up a lot of work for the busy tax season at my job and then hopefully slowing down a little in that area. I am looking forward to the change of seasons and hopefully cooler temps but you never know with Tennessee weather.

I finished out fairly good on my August goals. I hit all but a couple. I still didn't take as many everyday life pictures as I wanted to but I did take some. I also did not make as good of eating choices as I wanted to but I did not gain a lot of weight. I just stayed about the same. I guess that counts for something. :)

Here are my September Goals:

1. Take my It Works Thermofit every day and try to eat healthier by staying away from carbs (potatoes and bread). Also try to walk 2-3 times a week.

2. Bible Reading: Read the book of Ecclesiastes (right after Proverbs) since Solomon wrote it as well. There are only 14 chapters but I will try to read the same chapter twice and/or read any devotions related to Ecclesiastes to better understand the whole book.

3. Read one other book or listen to a book on CD.

4. Stay off-line and unplugged in the evenings and on weekends as much as I can. (Easier said than done)

5. Take more pictures of daily life.

6. Get started on Jonah & Haley's yearly books since I start after their birthdays, all over again. I've already started Jonah's but need to get going with Haley's.

7. Hopefully get an offer on our house!!! (I can't really control this one but I would love to check it off my list. LOL)

Once again, nothing earth-shattering or crazy but just trying to be more intentional with my time outside of work and household duties.

August Goals!

Nothing earth-shattering here but I have been working on my August Goals all this month. So far here is what they are and what I have checked off. I think having monthly goals works better than doing one big goal/resolution for the whole year. So far I have kept myself somewhat accountable, but like I said, these are just personal goals for me that probably no one else would think meant much.

1. Celebrate Haley's First birthday with her special party. DONE and it was a success!

2. Help Jonah have a great first day of preschool. DONE! He loves school!

3. Continue to make better eating choices. This one is still a work in progress and I don't think I am doing very well on this one considering we ate at Jersey Mike's subs and had pizza for supper yesterday. :( I am taking my It Works! Ultimate Thermofit each day and I haven't gained a ton but I haven't lost either. Thinking of restarting the Flat Belly Diet next week.

4. Read one chapter of Proverbs a day. I am all caught up on this and enjoying it immensely. Trying to savor the Word!

5. Read one book. I accomplished this thanks to our awesome public library. I read The Women of Duck Commander: Surprising Insights from the Women Behind the Beards About What Makes This Family Work. I really enjoyed this book and loved learning more about these Godly women. I read the book really fast and couldn't put it down. These women are definitely ones you cannot judge by their cover. I am actually hoping to read a few more books and listen to a couple while I work.

6. Stay off-line and unplugged in evenings and on weekends. I am doing so-so on this one. It's hard, I"m not going to lie! I am working on it and trying to only plug-in if both kids are asleep.

7. Take more pictures of daily life. This one is hard for me too but I'm trying to do better. My phone camera is horrid but I am going to try to take more pictures with it. Hopefully I can upgrade to a nicer phone soon!