Insane Goals: August Update {link-up}
Another month has past. Here is how I did with my list of goals last month.
August Accomplishments:
1. I was hoping to can something (even if I cheated and only made cookies-in-a-jar gifts) and I did it! Peaches, salsa and pizza sauce! OH MY!
2. I purged and reorganized Grace’s closet. The biggest task was reorganizing Grace’s clothes. My mom and I packed up all the clothes she has outgrown and put them in the attic. I can’t believe how empty it looks! Check out these before & after photos:
3. I hosted my parents and sister’s family for the first time ever last month! It feels good to have the space to be able to do this now.
4. I wanted to read 6 books this summer and I only read half that number, but I still won the drawing for the summer reading program at the library!
5. We didn’t cross every single thing off the Summer Fun List, but we got really close! I’m happy with how we spent our summer and I’ll certainly do a summer fun list again.
August Disappointments:
1. I did TERRIBLE at sending cards this month. I missed my mom’s birthday and my parent’s anniversary!!!
2. I need to get serious about these photo books I want to finish. I’ve uploaded a lot of pictures to Snapfish, but I haven’t started the books yet. <— This is word for word what I said last month and it still applies. Bummer.
3. We were going to finish staining our balcony, but Hurricane Irene had other plans.
4. I’m struggling with all of my faith based goals. Honestly, I’m just struggling in general. My friends are loosing their 5 year old son to cancer and I just don’t have that warm and fuzzy feeling about God right now. I’m just sad.
5. Did I really not put up a clothes line this summer?!?!?! Ugh…
6. I’m starting to panic about my list. I have 4 months left to meet the rest of my goals this year. What does it say about me if I can’t accomplish these things, even when I give myself an entire year to do it?!?!
You can see all my progress from this year below. Plus be sure to add your link below and check out the other blogger’s goals!
My complete list of goals for 2011:
Host Once a Month
Mail More Cards
Organize Our Photographs – Photo books I want to finish in 2011:
- The Year 2008
- The Year 2009
- The Year 2010
- Grace’s First Year Book
- Mystery Book
Create & Follow a Cleaning Checklist
Garden
Can Something
Organize The House – Rooms I want to conquer in 2011:
- Basement
- Attic
Grace’s Closet- Bathroom
- Guest Bedroom
- Master Bedroom
- Mud Room
- Kitchen Steps
Home Improvements
- Purchase Patio Furniture
- Pick out & Buy Blinds for all Downstairs Windows
- Stain the Balcony Railing & Deck Lattice
- Hang Pictures
- Solve the No-Coat-Closet Problem
- Solve the Bathroom Storage Problem
Goals for Grace
- Continue to limit her pacifier use to only in the crib & eventually wean from crib use.
- Develop a better routine for giving her a daily vitamin & brushing her teeth in the morning. I just can’t seem to nail down a solid time for this each day.
Have Grace drink milk from her sippy cup.- Work on her stairs climbing skills so we can get to a place where we feel comfortable with her going up & down the stairs on her own.
- Have devotions from her “baby” Bible.
Personal & Spiritual Goals
- Drink more water.
- Exercise at least a little!
Eat more fruitinstead of sugar & chocolate.- Read daily devotions.
- Increase personal prayer time & prayer time with Nate.
- Schedule more time for myself.
- Schedule monthly date nights with hubby.
Insane Goals Summer Edition
Buy New Pool for Grace & Throw Out Old One
Clean Out Gutters
Add a Clothesline
Dig Up Unwanted Plants
Complete the Summer Fun Checklist
Read 2 Books Each Month
Try to “Preserve the Harvest” – Things I want to accomplish:
- Rhubarb Jam
- Strawberry Jam
- Freeze Strawberries
Freeze Blueberries- Try New Zucchini Recipes
Peach JamCan PeachesSalsaPizza Sauce- Applesauce
Check back next month and I’ll let you know how I’m doing on my Insane List of Goals.
Now it is your turn to share your lists! I would love to hear about your progress in the comments or you can use the link-up to add a link to a post on your own blog (click on the blue frog icon).
- For more details about the Insane Goals Monthly Link-Up click here.
- Link directly to your post & not your homepage.
- Please link back to Simply Rebekah in your post and feel free to use the Insane Goals Link-Up image in your post and/or sidebar.
Two comments and we’ll start with the easy one first.
Regarding not finishing your list, if that happens: That is the fact of being a mom. Everyday I have a list of things to accomplish, and everyday, most of those things remain undone. Why? Because I’m a mom and everyone else has things that they need me to get done as well. They are usually unplanned, but important nonetheless. My toddler has a rough day missing her big brothers while they’re at school and needs extra cuddling time. My boys have homework projects that need extra guidance from a grown-up. My husband has an important presentation to give at work and the slides won’t format correctly. I’m busy all day long but you’d never know it if you looked at my To Do list (or my house) which is very frustrating for me. So, to help myself see what I have accomplished, I leave lots of space on my list to add in all the things that came up for me to do. I can immediately cross them off as completed and feel the sense of accomplishment at what’s been done. And after all, I’d rather see “extra cuddling with Baby Girl” crossed off my list than “Finally filed all the office paperwork.”
Secondly, regarding your faith-based goals, I think it is normal to feel less than warm and cuddly toward God when dealing with a family member’s difficult illness or loss. Maybe I’m only saying that because I felt the same way when my father took ill and passed away. I was downright mad at God and it took years for me to reconcile that. Someone told me that God took the good people to be with Him…you know like “only the good die young.” That angered me tremendously. I thought “how selfish. He doesn’t need the good people. We do! I need my Dad.” It seriously took me years to move past that anger. But God understands. Be there for your friends now. Assist them and comfort them in the ways that you are best able. If you are doing that, God will be working through you to help them even if you can’t feel it that way now. Good luck to you. I will keep your friends in my prayers and offer another prayer for comfort and understanding for you during this difficult time.
Best wishes.
Julie, to quote you… “Two comments and we’ll start with the easy one first.”
I love your idea of adding accomplishments to your to-do list to make yourself feel better about the day! 🙂
And now… I need to confess that when I started reading the second part of your comment about my faith based goals, I was expecting a lecture. I actually took a deep breath before reading and thought to myself, “Ok, here we go. Someone is going to pile on the ‘God is good all the time’ speach.” But you didn’t. Instead you heard me. The line that stood out to me the most was, “But God understands.” Thank you. You are so right and I needed to hear that. God does understand and although he isn’t bringing a miracles to this family in need, I’m sure He is crying along with us.
Your comment really touched me and brought tears to my eyes. Thank you so very much. Seriously.
When I look at your list and see all you have accomplished so far, I say “wow”. So what if all of it doesn’t get crossed off. You have made a mighty big dent in what you would like to do. Also, we may have “plans” but God may have another plan for us on that day or month that is much more important than any plan we have.
Life is hard and bad things happen to good people. Just remember that God loves all of us more than we can imagine and when we go through the tough times, he is holding us in his lap and crying right along with us. His love never never lets go of us.
Blessings to you today
Kathleen, thank you very much for your encouragement. This has been a very hard time and it is only going to get worse. I would appreciate your prayers as my friends and all of us close to them continue to cry “in the lap of God” as you said so beautifully.
Thanks also for the kind words about my to-do list. I need to be more of a “glass half full” kind of person when looking at all I’ve done!
Regarding your photos – have you tried using Hotprints.com at all? You can make 4 books (same or different) each month for FREE. The books come with a removable page of ads in the center. All you pay is shipping. The books are soft cover, but it is a cheap and easy way to get books done! I like to do one book every few months and mail copies to the grandparents.
Audra, I had never heard of HotPrints.com before!!! This sounds great!! I will certainly check it out. Can I admit though, that I’m a Snapfish snob? I’ll often do great promo deals that come around for other photo sites, but never for the books. I like to keep all my photos in one online location. Have you used Snapfish? How do you think HotPrints compares?
I am watching an interview right now with the mom of Mattie Stepanick. This mom and child have such great faith. Mattie died from a rare disease at 13. His mom said you never get over the grief but Mattie wanted her to go on. She is talking about choosing to do what you can and being grateful. She lost four children to this disease and has it herself now. I have never been in the position of your friends but my blogging friend Lynnette (http://lynnettekraft.com/) has. She has lost three children -two as infants, one at six- and she now ministers to others. You and your friends might want to check out her blog and book. She says it was painful but she felt closer to God in the pain. It reminds me of the new song Falls Apart by Josh Wilson. I thought of her as soon as I heard it. I will pray for you and your friends.
Oh, I remember what I forgot the first time. I found Lynnette’s blog when my son was diagnosed with a heart condition. Her daughter, who was six, died from a different heart condition. I try not to think about it but sometimes the fear kicks in that something could go wrong with him but you can’t live in fear. My husband, who has always had more trust than me, when the future was uncertain, said whether he is with us six months or sixty years he is a gift. Mattie mom has hope that she will see all her children again and that is part of what carries her through. She talked about his compassion for others.
Amy, thank you for sharing this. I think that finding others who have lost a child will be really important for my friends. We can’t even imagine the pain. Talking with others who do know how it feels certainly won’t make that pain go away, but I think it would be nice to have someone that relates to what you are going through.