Currently... February 2020

The month of love has arrived!  The stores are bursting with hearts, flowers, candies and all the rest of the Valentine's Day trimmings.  Love is definitely in the air.   I hope you feel it.  Whether you have a significant other or not.  From your family, your friends, yourself.  And always from God.  

If you're looking for some inspiration this Valentine's Day, be sure to check out Romancing Him: The 14 Day Marriage Challenge or A Date A Month  - two of my favorite ideas I have come up with in recent years for my valentine (aka: The Man of the House). 

Working On:  Creating weekly and daily schedules that work for my life.  Also have some ideas for upcoming blog posts that I am pretty excited about!

Reading:  Finishing "The Starless Sea" by Erin Morgenstern and getting ready to start "Tidelands" by Philippa Gregory.  I am mid-read on both 168 Hours and The Fringe Hours.  Unfortunately both were due before I completed them and since there were holds I could not renew.  Now I have them on hold so I can (hopefully) complete them soon. Until then, I am reading "Hallelujah Anyway" by Anne Lamott.

Loving:  Still loving my sweet little dachshund puppy, Max.  I have to admit it - he's a spoiled brat at this point.  It's all mostly my fault, and I have enjoyed every minute of it.   But c'mon... look at that face!

Celebrating: Valentine's day is the only thing I can think of that's coming up this month.  Birthdays,  anniversaries,  etc seem to come in clusters for our family.  Next month will be a busier one.  Oh, wait... I almost forgot - one of my brother in laws' has a birthday this month.  Oops!

Wanting/Needing:  Sleep!  Having a new puppy who likes to stay up past my bed time playing, and gets up early wanting to go outside has put a hurt on my previous sleep schedule.  I am not getting as much rest as I need.  There are many afternoons when I sit down to write or read or work on my Etsy shop and instead I end up taking a nap with Max.

Dreaming About:  Going back to Disney in 2021.  Can't wait!!


February Goals:

1.  Lose 5 pounds
2.  Drink 75 ounces of water per day (I have been very slack about my water lately)
3.  Etsy shop sales increase 20% over January
4.  List at least 5 new items in Etsy shop
5.  Prepare graphics for March Thankful blog posts
6.  Schedule Sunday Inspiration blog posts for March

What do you have planned for February?

Currently... January 2020

Happy New Year, y'all!!   I don't know about you, but for me there's something extra special about a January 1st that brings not just a new year - but a whole new decade.  I am so excited to see what 2020 has in store, as well as what the next ten years hold for me!

Working On:  I'm making plans and setting goals based on my One Word for 2020, which is "Intentional" (we'll unpack that in an upcoming post)

Reading:  The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin and 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam.  Next up I have The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern and The Fringe Hours by Jessica N Turner checkout from the library and ready to go.

One of the things I received for Christmas was a book light.  I do most of my reading these days on the Kindle.  Nothing wrong with that!  The digital books from my public library are so easy to access and no late fees.  But I would like to get back to reading more physical books.  However, I don't like having my lamp on when I read before falling asleep.  I'm looking forward to using my new light for this purpose.

Loving:  My new dachshund puppy, Max.   I'm not gonna lie - I'm a little bit obsessed with him!  I can't help it.  He is the cutest little thing.  I adore his little face and his stubborn little personality.  He makes me laugh every day.

Celebrating:  No birthdays or holidays this month.  But my youngest sister is coming to visit me this month.  That's worth celebrating!

Wanting/Needing:  I have let my healthy eating slide during the holidays and it is time to get back on the program.  Fortunately, I didn't gain back much weight.  But, I know that if I don't get it under control now the pounds will keep creeping up.  Time to get back on track! 

Dreaming About:  Snow.  I love a snow day.  But we've had mild temperatures so far this winter.  Even the few days that there was snow in the area, I never saw a flake here at the house.  Hopefully I'll get to see a little of the white stuff soon.

January Goals:

1. Weight dropped below the next decade mark
2. Scheduled a trip to Texas for the spring
3. Attended a Knit/Crochet group
4. Wrote 1 newsletter email for Etsy shop
5. Received 20 new orders
6. Scheduled Pinterest posts for Etsy shop to publish during Jan & Feb
7. Scheduled February Thankful posts for blog
8. Scheduled February Sunday posts for blog
9. Scheduled Pinterest posts for blog

What does the beginning of the year look like for you?

Currently... March 2019

We all know that February is the shortest month of the year.  And, it certainly did feel like it this time around!  It was a busy month, which always make the time fly.  Between confirming the venue for our daughter's wedding and reception, wedding dress shopping, celebrating Valentine's day, and keeping up with all the usual day to day of work, family, etc - we have barely had time to slow down for even a moment.

Reading:  This month I will be reading the 2nd of my never-before-read classics from this list.  My first (as you may remember) was Anna Karenina.  The 2nd book I have selected is Fahrenheit 451.  Which I will be starting just as soon as I finish See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt.

Celebrating:  My mother celebrates her 70th birthday next week!  Yeh, I said it out loud. Or rather, I typed it.  Sorry, Mom - not sorry.  Happy Birthday!

Our future son-in-law also has a birthday this month.

Working On:  Some pre-Spring cleaning, purging, and organizing.  So far, I have cleaned out and re-organized the hall/guest bathroom, the linen/cleaning closet, the pantry, and the refrigerator/freezer.  This week I have been focused on the living room and next week I'm on to the master bath. 

Enjoying:  Wedding planning with my daughter!  We went shopping last weekend for her dress.  I can't give away any details, but I  can say that she is going to be a gorgeous bride.  The dress she chose is perfection!

Anticipating:  I was going to say something about the coming of spring with warm weather and blooming flowers.  But... honestly, I'm anticipating all the Easter candy being stocked in the stores. I have a teeny little addiction to jelly beans.  I don't eat them year 'round - but this is the time of year I allow myself to indulge that 

Needing:  To make some couple time with the Man of the House a priority.  We've both been so busy lately that we haven't had much opportunity for date nights.

Wanting:  To figure out what I will do for Lent this year.  I don't want to do something mundane or empty just to be doing something.  I want to give something up - or work at developing a new habit with will have real impact on my life and help me to grow closer to God. 

Making:  Some cute little bunny baskets for my Etsy shop.  They should be listed by sometime next week.  

Feeling:  A little waterlogged.  We have had so much rain down here in our part of North Carolina.  I'm hoping that as we move into Spring later this month the weather will dry up a little and give us a chance to get out of doors a little more often. 

Favorite Things:

1. Egg salad
2. Simply Clean by Becky Rapinchuk  (also her blog Clean Mama)
3. Spring flowers in bloom