A year of mindfulness

January 20-26
This week's focus was "count your blessings".
Every day this week I wrote 3 things that I'm grateful for or that I count as a blessing in my life.

January 27- February 2
This week's mindfulness exercise was "priorities".
Each day I planned out my top 3 things to do that day and no matter what, those things got done.

To see the other exercises for January,  check out this post.

A year of mindfulness

This year one of my goals is to practice a different mindfulness exercise each week.

January 13-19
This week I chose to focus on standing and stretching at least 3 times a day. I set an alarm because I knew I'd forget if I didnt lol. I get caught up in my stitching or reading or whatever and end up sitting for a long time. This would be good for anyone who works in an office.

I've been loving this one. It really feels good and gave me a little boost of energy throughout the day.

A little catching up...

Dec. 30 - Jan. 5
I started the year with my morning routine.  I knew after 2+ weeks of vacation that it would be hard to get back into the swing of things.

I wanted to really focus on each item on my list. Be present and enjoy the process. And get it done before 9 am!

Jan. 6-12
I struggled with the morning routine, so I chose to repeat it again this week. I was getting it done, just not all in the morning and not really mindfully.  I'm glad I gave it a second week. It was just what I needed to get back on track.

*Stay tuned to see what I choose for next week!

Plans for 2020

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I love this time of year. Making new plans and goals, filling out a new planner. It all makes my heart sing.

2019 was a pretty good year. I accomplished several of my goals, decided some of them just wasn't for me and flat out failed at a couple. But it's all ok. I learned from my experiences and I'm moving forward a better, stronger person than I was a year ago.

You all know I set many, many goals each year. In 2019 I had 22 goals and I completed 16 of them. That's 72%. Not bad, but I think I could have done better.

And I've done it again this year. Twenty nine to be exact! Some are one and done type things while others will take all year to get done.

Let's break them down, shall we? Some are carried forward from last year. But they are still things I want to do.

HEALTH
1. Weigh 130.
2. Bike/walk 1,000 miles.
3. Exercise at least 3 times a week.
4. Learn about and try Tai Chi.

Home
1. Complete the kitchen projects list. There are 12 items on this list.
2. Save for new carpet and paint.
3. Continue yard work and organizing the garage.

Family, Friends and Pets
1. My son's wedding in April.
2. Grandson spending a week with us in the summer.
3. Host 4th of July weekend.
4. Host a friends BBQ.

Spouse/Romance
1. One out of the house date each month.
2. Anniversary week. Either a short trip or staycation.
3. Weekend trip in the fall.

Finances 
1. Pay off 12 bills.
2. Buy a camper.
3. Stick to the budget and build savings.
4. Pay for R's class.

Personal Development 
1. Read 12 self-help type books.
2. Practice one new mindfulness exercise a week.
3. Complete personal development journal and Q&A journal.
4. Learn to cook catfish and hushpuppies.
5. Learn to make strawberry jam.

Hobbies/Fun & Recreation 
1. Complete monthly cross stitch patterns.
2. Complete row 3 of the dragon cross stitch.
3. Attend monthly craft nights.

Self Care/Mental Health
1. Daily affirmations.
2. Incorporate deep breathing and yoga into routine.
3. Prepare for dental work.

Now, your head may be spinning from just reading all these goals. But do not dispare, I have a plan. The big things have all been broken down into smaller steps. If I work on them each month, each week, they are doable. I'm sure going to give it a try!

2019 Change Jar Challenge

In 2019 we saved $335.95 in our change jar. Time for a bigger jar LOL. We've decided not to cash it in until our anniversary in September. Can we double it in the next nine months? I'm not sure, but whatever it gets up to will be a nice little gift to us!

2020 Word of the Year

I've always believed that choosing a word of the year gives me focus and sets the tone of my year.

Sometimes I try to choose a word that I "like" but it never really feels right. And if I force it, it just doesn't work out.  Usually my word "chooses" me.

And that is what happed this year. Conquer is not a word I would have chosen. It conveys strength,  boldness, leadership and power. All of which I have never felt I had. But for some reason every time I tried to work on finding my word, it kept coming up.

Maybe it's my year to take charge?!

To successfully overcome and take control of

There are several things I want to conquer in 2020. My weight and my finances to name just a couple. I'm excited for the new year and march bravely forward into whatever lies ahead.

November plans

On the calendar 
3 - Brother's birthday, time change, football at noon
5 - Craft Night 5:30
8 - Pay day
10 - USMC 244th birthday, football at noon
11- Veterans day, R PTO, Pepper's 12th birthday
12 - Full moon
15 - Mid-Month stitches
18 - Football at 7:15 PM
22 - Pay day
23 - Pick up mom, lunch with B2
28 - Thanksgiving, R PTO
29 - R PTO
30 - Take mom home

November goals
1. Pay $40 extra on debt snowball
2. Work on Christmas crafts
3. Order new planner
4. Print October photos
5. Walk 45 miles
6. Goal weight: 165 on Nov. 30
7. Finish reading book #9 and #10
8.  Stitch 5-10 hours a week

To do
1. Contribute to change jar challenge
2. Save for R's class
3. Start disability paperwork
4. Holiday prep
5. Don't get out of routine, complete all zone work
6. Purchase Christmas gifts

May Review/June Goals

Goodbye May, Hello June

May Review 
Word of the month: RAIN
Everything that happened in May revolved around rain. We started the month with a flood on May 1st. Little did we know that on May 22nd we would be flooded again. This time with much higher waters and a mandatory evacuation.

Things we missed because of the rain:
1. A trip to my brother's house.
2. My mom's heart surgery.
3. A relaxing 2 week vacation and several day trips.

May's goals:
HOME
1. Build a fairy garden. *I didn't get to set it up outside (blame it on the rain) but I did purchase several new pieces for it.
2. Paint porch and finish painting deck. * Nope, too wet.
3. Save $100. ☆ Done!

HEALTH
1. Walk 50 miles. * I walked 40.86 miles.
2. Lose 4 pounds. * Nope. May 1st 169.8, June 1st 170.6

This area was such a struggle for me. I only purposefully walked on 3 days. My weight went off the chart (the top of my chart is 170). All my exercise plans were pretty much ignored. I drank way too many sodas. Why is it that they taste so good during stressful times?

HOBBIES
1. Stitch 10 hours. *I knew this month would be slow for stitching so I set the goal low. But still didn't make it happen.
2. Read one new book. ☆ This I did.
3. One new painting. ☆ Call me an over achiever, but I painted 5 new ones this month.
4. Photo-a-Day May. ☆ Another success.

SELF-CARE PLAN
1. Habits to adopt: Never miss a Monday workout.
* Still working on this.
2. Skills to learn: make pretzels.
☆Think I've got this one mastered.
3. Things to avoid: Procrastination.
☆ Because the schedule and routine was so messed up, I'm not sure about this one. I don't feel like I procrastinated this month. Maybe because everything we did was so necessary.
4. Places to go: Evel Kenevel museum.
☆ We actually made it there.
5. People to see: my brother.
* Nope. (Again with the rain!)

THIS MONTHS WINS
1. No flood water actually got in the house. (Thank goodness for building the house up on a high foundation.)
2. We did get to spend lots of time together during his vacation,  even if it wasn't as planned.
3. Completed 5 out of 9 goals.
4. Completed 3 out of 5 self care goals.

So, are you as tired of hearing about the WATER, FLOOD,  RAIN as I am of living through it? Let's move on shall we?

June plans
ON THE CALENDAR
1st - Uncles birthday, sister's wedding
4th - Craft Night, post May Review
5th - American Discovery Trail Update
7th - Payday
14th - Post mid-month stitches
16th -  Father's day
17th - Full moon
18th - Mom's birthday
20th - Appointment with lawyer
21st - Payday, friend's memorial

GOALS
Home:
1. Save $100
2. Paint the porch and finish painting the deck
3. Prep for 4th of July
4. New shelves in garage

Health:
1. Lose 4 pounds
2. Walk 50 miles
3. Limit soda to one a week
4. Exercise 3 days a week

Hobbies:
1. Stitch 20 hours
2. Work on rug
3. Read one new book
4. One painting for son

Self-care plan
1. Habits to adopt: morning stretch
2. Skills to learn: not sure, maybe something will surprise  me.
3. Things to avoid: soda
4. Places to go: we don't have anything planned yet.
5. People to see: schedule one Friday afternoon with the craft girls.

Hope you have a happy,  successful June!

January Review

It seems like January just flew by! I struggled a little bit mentally, but I'm thankful that it didn't turn into a full blown depressive episode.

In January we celebrated my oldest son's 29th birthday. (I'm pretty sure I'm not old enough to have a 29 year old son.) We celebrated R's birthday by having friends over for lunch and games. I finally got to sign some important papers that have been in the works since 2014. R got good news at his kidney doctor's appointment and doesn't have to go back until next January, unless he has problems.

For our out of the house date this month we went to lunch at Olive Garden and spent the day shopping.

Now let's check in on my goals.

HOME
1. Save $100, plus penny challenge
☆ I saved  $50 on each payday... $100
☆ I saved $18.32 for my penny challenge.

HEALTH
1. Walk 83 miles, 2.5 a day
* I walked 51.97 miles. Only getting 2.5 or more on 11 days this month.
2. Lose 3 pounds
* I went in the wrong direction, gaining 2 pounds this month.
3. Yoga, strength or stretching exercises 3 times a week
* Only did this on 4 days, all at the beginning of the month.

Bonus health win:
♡ I exercised for 530 minutes in January.

HOBBIES 
1. Complete one page of the dragon cross stitch
* I stitched for 5 hours, 40 minutes.  Adding 630 stitches.  I did not complete the page.
2. Read one book
☆ I read two books!

Bonus hobbie win:
♡ One of the things on my bucket list is to make a quilt by hand.  I started  with a nine block.

HOW CAN I IMPROVE NEXT MONTH?
1. More walking.
2. Schedule stitching time.
3. Schedule exercises.
4. Increase water intake.

FEBRUARY GOALS 

HOME 
1. Save $100, plus penny challenge.
2. Pick paint for bathroom.

HEALTH
1. Walk 70 miles, 2.5 a day.
2. Lose 4.5 pounds.
3. 32 oz water a day.
4. Strength exercises 3 times a week.
5. Calories and minutes challenges.

HOBBIES 
1. Stitch 12 hours, 3 hours a week.
2. One acrylic painting.
3. 2nd quilt block.

Things to get done in February 
1. Schedule eye exams.
2. Schedule mammogram.

Important dates
Feb. 1 Imbolc
Feb. 2 Groundhog' s Day
Feb. 3 Super Bowl
Feb. 14 Valentines Day
Feb. 17 Daytona Day
Feb. 19 Full Moon
Feb. 26 MIL's memorial
Feb. 27 Great nephew's birthday

2019 Goals

HOME
A. Around the house
   1. Flower beds.
   2. Move the fence.
   3. Paint R's bathroom.
   4. Paint deck and porch.
 
B. Finances
   1. Save for anniversary trip.
   2. Buy a camper.
   3. Pay off credit cards.

C. Family, Friends, Pets
   1. Two visits with mom and the kids.
   2. Visit brother.
   3. Have niece stay a week.
   4. Host Christmas in July.
   5. Host one friends BBQ.
   6. Install the dog door.

HEALTH
A. Physical
   1. Lose 40 pounds.
   2. Walk 1,000 miles.
   3. Finish breast reduction prep.

B. Mental
   1. Daily meditation.
   2. Journal.
   3. Me time.

Hobbies
A. Cross stitch
   1. Focus on dragon, finish 12 pages.
   2. Post weekly updates on blog.

B. Journals
   1. Final year of 3 year journal .
   2. Daily dozen.
   3. Wreck this journal.

C. Other
   1. Finish my rug.
   2. Read 12 new books.
   3. Sell at least one painting.
   4. Improve my handwriting.

Weigh in

Weekly weigh in:
Dec. 23:  171.6
Dec. 30:  171.2
Loss/gain:  -.4

My December goal was to lose 4 pounds. Realistically, I knew I'd be happy to just maintain.  I spent the month just above and just below the top of my goal range.

On December first I was 171.6 and on the 31st I weighed in at 169.8. That's a 1.8 pound loss for the month and I'm happy with that.

Let's look at 2018 overall.

January first I was at 176.2 and December first was 171.6. That's a loss of 4.6 pounds.

But if you look at my highest weight this year, March first, 178.8 and my end of December weight of 169.8 that's a loss of 9 pounds!

It's not the most impressive year of weight loss, but it's pretty good. I'm super happy that it was at least going in the right direction .

I still want to lose 40 more pounds. 2019 will be another year of progress and hopefully I will reach my goal.

October weight

Let's look at my October weight tracker.

I started the month at 174.4
And weighed in today at 172.8
That's a total loss of 1.6 this month.

As you can see though, my weight goes up and down daily.  Never too far out of range, but still up and down.

My highest weight this month was 174.6.
My lowest was 172.6.
My 31 day average was 173.3

So over all I'm trending down. But it is really slow. I am currently working on making some changes to my plan. I'll also be changing my tracker in December.  I'm hoping that by making these changes now,  I'll be going into the new year on a solid foundation with good momentum. I have 38 pounds to my goal and I'd love to get there in 2019!

This week

For the week of June 4-10, 2018.

Goals:
1. Moving prep.
2. Walk 1 mile a day, drink lots of water.
3. Continue working on dragon and hummingbirds.

On the schedule:
1. Packing.
2. Call in insulin prescriptions.
3. Charge camera battery.
4. R Dr appointment.
5. Post walking update.
6. Payday.
7. Keep up with routine cleaning.

Moving countdown - 1 week:
1. Finish packing.
2. Limit grocery shopping.
3. Meal plan for moving day.
4. Cancel renters insurance.
5. Pay utility deposits and schedule date to turn on at new house.
6. Order new address labels.
7. Notify storage owner of plans to empty unit by end of June.

Meal plan:
1. Spaghetti
2. Chicken teriyaki
3. Beef and fried rice
4. Biscuits and sausage gravy
5. Chicken fried steak
6. Leftovers
7. Sandwiches and chips



☆"Imagine life at its best, and then make it so."

Mid-Year Goal Review

Can you believe we are almost at the half way point of 2018? It's going by so fast!

Did you set goals for this year in January? How's your progress? Are you on track, or do you need to focus more on something in order to meet your goals?

I, as usual, set many goals for the year. It's time to check in and see how I'm doing.

Home
a. Household management 
1. Buy a house. 
☆I'm very excited to say that this is done!

b. Finances
1. Pay off medical and credit cards. 
♡We are on track with the credit cards, but have decided to pay off the truck instead of the medical bills.
2. Save for 2019 trip.
♡We have a good start.

c. Family,  friends and pets
1. Visit with mom and the kids.
♡They will all be coming to our new house in July.
2. Monthly date night.
♡So far we have planned and carried through with at least one "out of the house" date a month.

HEALTH
a. Physical 
1. Lose 45 pounds
*I'm not making any progress with this. On January first I was 176.2. I weighed in at 176.8 on June first.
2. Walk 800 miles
*I've walked about 154 miles so far. That leaves 646 miles to go. Or about 92 miles a month. I'm way behind on this!

b. Mental
1. Daily affirmations.
♡I love this part of my routine!
2. Meditation. 
♡I don't do this daily,  but I do at least once a week.

HOBBIES 
a. Cross stitch 
1. Be more active on my craft blog.
♡This is going well.
2. Finish my birds. 
☆This was completed in March.

b. Journals and planners
1. Write in my 3 year journal daily .
♡This is on track. Haven't missed a day.

c. Other
1. Use my Nikon more.
*I haven't done this yet. I will be taking more photos with it after we move. Right now its just so easy to use my phone.

2. Read 12 books.
♡I've read 8 so far, so this is on track.

3. Try acrylic pour painting. 
*Not yet, but still really want to do this.

My thoughts
I've actually accomplished a couple of my goals and a lot of them are definitely successful works in progress.

But as I expected,  a few of them are not going well. It doesn't surprise me that these are mainly my health goals. I just haven't been active enough. I need to make this a bigger priority in the second half of the year.

Next week

On the schedule:
Monday - R doctor's appointment

On the menu:
Monday - waffles and bacon
Tuesday - chicken and rice
Wednesday - pork chops
Thursday - chili
Friday - Frito pie (with leftover chili)

Goals:
♡Home - update home binder and housework routine
♡Health - 3 meditations, plus Healthy Me goals
♡Hobbies - stitch 2 hours

Tasks:
*Mail B1s birthday card.
*Print December photos.
*Schedule eye doctor appointments.

Healthy Me 2018

A new year, 365 new opportunities to get things done!

My goals for this year:
1. Lose 45 pounds
2. Walk 800 miles


I can't put it off any longer.... weigh in.
January 1, 2018 - 176.2

I am continuing to track my miles across the U.S. using the Webwalking USA Program. So far I have walked 601.81 miles. I have 4,446.19 miles to go.

TKO Challenge  Round 1
1/1/18 Start weight: 176.2
2/5/18 Goal weight: 166.2

Goals this week:
1. Walk 14 miles
2. 120 minutes of exercise
3. 35,000 steps
4. 112 oz of water

Exercise plan:
Monday - oxycise, strength training, walk 2.5 miles

Tuesday - Max trainer,  walk 2.5 miles

Wednesday - oxycise,  strength training, walk 2.5 miles

Thursday - Max trainer,  walk 2.5 miles

Friday - oxycise,  strength training,  walk 2.5 miles

Saturday - Max trainer,  walk 2.5 miles

Sunday - Rest day



The new year is full of hope and possibilities.  Today I am motivated, determined and dedicated to reaching these goals.

2018 Goals

In reviewing the past couple of years, I noticed that I keep setting the same goals and not getting anything accomplished. (Some of this is due to things out of my control.) I started wondering if I am doing something wrong or if these goals just aren't important to me.

So I took a long, hard look at my goals and my actions.
1. Are these goals still important to me?
My answer is yes.

2. If they are, why aren't I reaching them? Are they realistic? Is the timeline doable? Am I putting in the work it takes to get them done?
These questions were a lot harder to answer.  First I looked into the definitions of "goal" and "task". I read a lot of articles on setting and reaching your goals. My conclusion is that yes, they are realistic goals. And the timelines are good. Am I giving it my 100% effort?  I don't think so. This is where I'm falling short.

I'm breaking my goals down into smaller steps, but then monthly, weekly, daily I'm just not working hard enough. It's not a matter of "not enough time ". I have tons of time. I think I get distracted easily and waste a lot of time. Sometimes I lose motivation because I think no one cares if I reach these goals or not.  The world is not going to fall apart if I don't drink 8 glasses of water a day or if I don't journal daily or don't finish my cross stitch.

The world may not fall apart, but my spirit does.  I care if I don't reach these goals! I'm tired of coming up just a bit short.

The following quote from Ralph Marston has pushed me to expect more of myself in 2018.

"Choose wisely what you truly expect from yourself.  Because whatever you continue to expect is precisely what you will do."

I chose PROSPER as my word for 2018, because I'm expecting it to be a great year. In order to prosper, I know I need to give my best effort in everything I do. My challenge is to figure out how to do just that.

I brain stormed some possibilities.
*accountability, find a friend (not as easy as it sounds since I never leave the house)
*better time management
*take pride in a job well done
*small successes feel great, use that feeling
*participate in challenges  (again, accountability)
*make a list of things to do when I lose motivation.
*have a reward system

So with my self-evaluation done, let's look at my goals for 2018. Several of them are the same as 2017, but I EXPECT to get them done this year!

HOME 
a. Household:
☆buy a house

b. Finances:
☆pay off some of the medical bills and 2 credit cards
☆save for 2019 trip

c. Family, friends, pets:
☆have mom come for a visit
☆trip to see the kids
☆monthly date nights

HEALTH 
a. Physical:
☆lose 45 pounds
☆walk 800 miles

b. Mental: (these are more tasks than goals, but they fit into the mental health category. )
☆daily affirmations
☆meditation

c. Spiritual:
*leaving this one private

HOBBIES 
a. Cross stitch:
☆finish four seasons birds

b. Journals:
☆continue 3 year journal
☆continue bullet journal

c. Other:
☆be more active on my craft blog
☆use my Nikon more
☆read 12 new books
☆try the acrylic pour technique of painting



This has been a very long post and I'm sure you're bored to tears. Thanks for reading through it all. I'm hoping that at least a few of you can help keep me on track.  It will be fun to look back at this post this time next year and see just what I got accomplished.

2017 Review

We saw many changes and faced many challenges in 2017.

We moved 3 times. I had shoulder surgery and physical therapy.  R spent so much time in the hospital!! If you add it all together it was more than 2 months. He had 6 stints put in his stomach and pancreas throughout the year with many serious complications along the way. We continue to deal with his health issues and at some point they will have to remove half of his pancreas.

We started house hunting, but didn't purchase a new home yet. That will be added to our 2018 goals.

I had a great visit at my mom's house this summer. And loved having the kids and grandkids visit us in November.

My health and fitness was a big focus this year. However,  despite my improved meal plan and increased activity, I was not very successful.  I did have several small accomplishments, but my ultimate goal was to lose weight and it just didn't happen.  This journey will continue next year.

I wanted to walk 300 miles in 2017 and I'm excited to say that I walked well over 500 miles.  ☆Official total coming soon.

I also had a craft goal to complete one small cross stitch project each month. Unfortunately I only completed 7 months.  I just lost interest mid year.

I met several friends online this year and for that I am thankful. Without you my blog would be a lonely place and I probably would have quit posting. Your support and encouragement has been a great source of motivation for me this year. I look forward to following your journeys next year. Great things are in store for all of us I'm sure!

My word for 2017 was

My goal was to intentionally work towards our big goals.  I feel like we did that.  We are closer to buying a house and we paid off over $15,000 debt.

Even though we faced several challenges, we end the year in a good place. We've set our goals for 2018 and we are ready to march strong and steady into a brand new year!

This week

Home
Housework: Zone 4, master bedroom.
*Walls, switches, door knobs, lights, fan
*Night stands
*Dresser
*Bed: change sheets, vacuum under
*Closet
*Window, blinds
*Baseboards
*Floor

The weekly stuff:
*Water plants
*Clean Brill's cage
*Wash dog bowls and beds
*Trash
*Dust
*Glass door
*All floors
*Laundry

Also this week:
*Prepare for Yule
*Payday
*Christmas eve ~ make an egg nog pie
*Mail birthday card
*Wrap one last gift
*Finish setting up 2018 files
*Watch more Christmas movies
*Remind R to go to meat store and Wal-Mart
*R pick up new chair

Health
Doctor's appointment
Walk M-W-F
Strength training T-Th
Max trainer T-Th

Hobbies
Cross stitch
Journal daily


Looks like it's mostly housework again this week. I also plan to continue my Gilmore Girls Netflix binge. Last week I watched 17 episodes in two days LOL.

I hope you have all your holiday prep done and can have a stress free week. Remember to enjoy the hustle and bustle, the lights, the cold weather and all the little things.

This week

For the week of December 11-17, 2017.

Note to self: If I'm going to post every week what's on my schedule,  I should plan more exciting things than housework.

Update: R is home from the hospital and feeling pretty good.  In and out of the hospital and crappy days are just a part of chronic illness.

Did you notice the Santa birthday candle in the photo above? This week starts off with my birthday!  That's probably the most exciting thing all week. We celebrated with a steak dinner last night.

Also from the photo above, you can see that I've taken my bullet journal back to a very basic layout with no color. All the lines and chaos were giving me a headache LOL.

This week I'll be working on my cross stitch and will post an update on Friday.  I also want to really stick to my exercise schedule this week. It's so hard in the winter.

I hope you all have a great week.

This week

December 4-10, 2017.

Home
I'm working in zone 2 this week (the kitchen).
1. Corners,  walls and switch plates.
2. Refrigerator  (in, out, under, behind)
3. Counter tops and sink
4. Small appliances
5. Cabinets  (inside and door fronts)
6. Drawers (inside and fronts)
7. Pantry
8. Stove  (in, out, under, behind)
9. Baseboards and floor

My WHB - Weekly Home Blessing
1. Water plants
2. Clean Brill' s cage
3. Dog bowls and beds
4. Trash
5. Glass door  (it always has dog nose prints LOL )
6. Dust
7. Vacuum,  sweep, mop

Also on the home front:
1. R's doctor appointment on Friday
2. Savings deposit for 2019 trip
3. Finish all magazines and discard
4. Watch at least one Christmas movie

Health
1. Walk 15 miles
2. Weights 3 days
3. Max trainer 3 days

Hobbies 
1. Cross stitch
2. 3 year journal
3. Blogs and other online things
4. 6 word story challenge every day

Not a very exciting week.  Mostly just routine stuff. Maybe something fun will pop up?