January Goal Update/February Goals

I downloaded the Kindle edition of Attack Your Day to my iPad to help with my disorganizedness. I am in a constant state of learning to be more organized but I think I have attention deficit disorder when it comes to organization. It's often one step forward, two back but sometimes it's three or four steps forward and only one back. Hopefully this book will help. At the time of this writing, the Kindle Edition of Attack Your Day is FREE! At Amazon that doesn't usually last long so if you're interested, hurry on over!

So, this is how I did on January's Goals! I have a lot of improving to do for February but it was a start!

1. Complete Carla's January No/Low Spend & Decluttering Challenge which means I will be removing 100 items from my home (throw away or give away) and I have limited myself to spending only $20 of this month's allowance. Hubby does the grocery shopping and takes care of the bills so I don't worry about that money (he is sooo good with money). I do however want to start saving some of my allowance and stamping income each month. I flunked this challenge==big time:( I spent most of my allowance and ALL of my Stamping income:( 
2. Bible Study for 30 minutes per day. I did pretty well with this one but will continue on with it in February.
3. Write in my journal 3 x per week. I haven't written in my journal once this year...yet!
4. Exercise 30 minutes 3 x per week. I flunked this one too but will work on this in February.
5. Make two of the sewing projects on my list and post on blog. Haven't started yet
6. New Blog Header sooner than later! Done! Do you like it?!!!
7. New Thankful Thursday button! Done!
8. Make Thank You cards and send for Christmas gifts received and to hubby's clients. 5 done and about 10 more to go but am giving myself a pass on this one.
9. FINISH pair of socks I am knitting--both of them! Haven't been working on them but I did make two knitted headband/earwarmers.
10. Complete and post my Design Team project for The Cupboard Trilogy Challenge for February. Finished and posted:)

It looks like I have a lot of improvements to make in February so will need to get busy! My goals for February are...

1. Bible Study for 30 minutes per day.
2. Exercise 30 minutes 3 x per week.
3. Make two sewing projects and post on blog.
4. Write in Journal 3 x week.
5. Finish pair of socks I am knitting--both of them
6. Make/buy and send one RAK
7. Clean one closet, cupboard or drawer per week
8. Declutter 50 items this month
9. Make and keep lunch date with girlfriend
10. Finish reading Happiness Key series (almost finished with book 1 of 3 and it's finally getting good).
11. Read Attack Your Day!!!

Well, that's it for my February Goals. I will keep you updated weekly as to my progress. Hopefully my new book will help!

Are you super organized or a wannabe? It's a lifelong dream of mine to be organized but so far it hasn't happened:(

Have a great day!

Kat

A Little This and a Little That

The Weather in North Central Oregon

High temperature for us today

Ice covering the tree and bushes

We are still living with freezing fog here in North Central Oregon:( We are hoping it will break tomorrow and I don't mean the tree branches! There is ice on everything but you have to admire the beauty of the ice patterns.

Check out the ice on the pickup antennae!

January No/Low Spend and Decluttering Challenge:

Now, on to the January No/Low Spend and Decluttering Challenge...I flunked:( I still have a week to do some more decluttering and I will work on it and plan to continue decluttering through February! By the way, does decluttering my email count? I have been going through and unsubscribing to emails that I'm really not interested in anymore! I have unsubscribed to at least 20 so far--whoo hoo!!!

Where I really flunked was the spending! Last week I spent...

• $10 for 1" Hexie kit and a special ruler that adds 1/4" seam allowance
• $10 donation to Neighborhood Center as part of the January Challenge at My 1/2 Dozen Daily.
• $15.75 to Avon lady for Magix Face Perfector (love this stuff! I am using Maybelline BB Creme currently and don't like it near as well as the Magix); it was buy one get one for 1/2 off:)
• $37.00 to purchase stamping items from a demonstrator who is quitting her business--I think I paid too much because shipping was a killer but it helped her liquidate a little of her inventory.

This week I was hoping to keep my stamping order at $30 but ended up spending twice that! I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator so what I spend is a business expense (that's my justification--is it working?). To make the projects I picked for next month (St. Patrick's Day and Easter), I needed more supplies than normal. I will also be trying to save next month as well so hopefully I will actually be able to save something. 

Happy Stampers Project:

Flash Card inspired by Connie Stewart

The card above was my favorite project from last Wednesday night's Happy Stamper's Club. I added the flower and Love ticket afterward. I am a huge fan of Connie Stewart's Flash Cards and this one has so many fun elements on it!

For this project I used the following Stampin' Up! products:

• Very Vanilla and Pink Pirouette card stock
• You are Loved stamp set
• Crumb Cake and Pretty in Pink Classic Stampin' Pads
• Big Shot with Delicate Designs Folder and Hearts Collection Framelits
• 5/8" Victoria Crochet Trim; Crumb Cake 1/2" Seam Binding Ribbon; Flower and Love Ticket from Artisan Embellishment Kit (Spring Catalog)

What is the weather like where you live? 

Kat

Update on January No/Low Spend & Decluttering Challenge

Well, I am behind on reporting my progress on the January No/Low Spend and Decluttering Challenge but better late than never, right?!!! I did do an update on January 6 and don't have a lot to update but will add what I have.

Decluttering:

• 4 pair pajamas
• 10 books
• 1 set of hot curlers from the 80s!
• 5 bottles of vitamins/supplements that were past date
• stack of old magazines
• stack of old catalogs 
• 9 dishtowels and 3 dish cloths ( I gave to our church kitchen)
• lots of paper!!!

Spending:

After my spending "spree" last week, I haven't spent anything! I have downloaded some FREE Kindle books to my iPad and am making a list of other ones I might want to purchase later. This week I am starting a list of needs/wants. If it stays on the list for 3 weeks and I still need/want it I will go ahead and purchase it. So I still have $31.83 left to spend this month. However, my stamping club order is coming up on the 22nd. I received $59.00 from Stampin' Up! (don't know how to describe this but it's extra; overrides from downline and extra sales "bonus") so that goes into my savings:)

Carla had a couple of challenges for us and I met both of those challenges. The first was a clutter trouble spot and mine is my desk. It is right by the door in the dining room plus when the dining table needs cleaned off I tend to put everything on my desk to "deal with later"! Sometimes later is a long time coming!

Before

Ta da! After:) Hubby was sooo pleased!

Then she issued Challenge #2 which is the Junk Drawer! Now, I aced this one because I had recently cleaned it. So just needed to do a quick straighten to the drawer:)

Before

After

I know, not much difference but it works for me. Our "junk" drawer houses kitty treats, packing tape, seeds for next season, a few pens/pencils, rubber bands and scratch fixing stuff for wood. It's a tiny drawer.

Okay, that's it for me today. How is your decluttering going? Got any trouble spots or solutions you want to share? 

Kat

January Decluttering and No/Low Spend Challenge

I meant to get this post up on Friday but when I visited the doctor on Thursday he told me to go off the Prednisone. Sounds simple enough. He said in a couple of days I might have a "slump" but not to worry. Well, 24 hours after I took my last Prednisone I went into a major slump--tired (slept for hours), achy muscles (lower back was killing me), headache! I would call it a little more than a slump. Today I am still really tired but the aches are pretty much gone! I will do an update on my doctor visit tomorrow:)

Decluttering:

• 4 pair pajamas
• 10 books
• 1 set of hot curlers from the 80s!
• 5 bottles of vitamins/supplements that were past date
• stack of old magazines

Spending:

Ah, I've only been through one week of the month and already have to revise my spending. I had hoped to only spend $20 this month. Since I am only working with my allowance I thought that should be doable but I guess NOT!!! At the end of last month I had $52.80 left which is amazing since we had just gone through Christmas!!! So, my revised plan is that I not spend more than that $52.80 during the month of January! So far this month I have spent the following:

• $2.99 on the Paperless App for making lists (LOVE it!!!)
• $2.00 for tip when Hubby an I ate out last Thursday (he didn't have enough cash to cover the $5 tip)
• $12.99 for Bamboo Circular Knitting Needles--I couldn't find the yarn to finish my scarf so decided to purchase the needles needed to make it a Cowl instead.
• $2.99 for the Kindle download of The "Do What You Can" Plan...21 Days to Making Any Area of Your Life Better by Holley Gerth (thank you Sandra for the heads up on this book only sorry I missed the free download)

According to my new Spending app (free) I have $31.83 to last me through the month. I will need to spend some mid month to purchase items for February's stamping club but am hoping I can do it for $30 or less:) At least I am really thinking about each purchase before I make it. I have to hand it to those of you who are working with a whole family budget! Fortunately, hubby takes care of that and does a fine job so I'll just stay out of his way:)

Hopefully I will have a few more inches on the Cowl down to show you tomorrow:) And I have a before and (hopefully) an after shot of my trouble spot--my desk! It has been a disaster since before Christmas!!!

I will be back a little later for the Sunday Night Chit-Chat so be sure to check back by!

Kat

Thankful Thursday

Welcome to Thankful Thursday! For any newbies reading my blog, this is the day each week when I share with you what I am thankful for! 

#1...I am thankful that I was able to get my new Thankful Thursday button up and running for today's post:) I can mark one item off my monthly list!

#2...I am thankful for my wonderful husband who loves me and does so many things to take care of our family...he works hard, takes care of the family budget, does the grocery shopping, takes care of the car's needs plus much, much more!

#3...I am thankful for Carla's January Decluttering and No/Low Spend Challenge to get me on track for the New Year! Today I spent $2.99 of my $20 on a listmaking app called Paperless for my iPad. I was hoping to put it on my iPod Touch but the iPod is too old:( Love the new app though!

#4...I have dropped 2 pounds in the last week. My doctor says that losing weight is easier if you're not eating foods you're allergic to. Maybe I will be able to lose that 30 pounds after all.

#5...I am thankful for the medication (prednisone) that is keeping me sane while I am weaning my body off the foods I am allergic to. Unless you have had chronic hives, you have NO idea what it was like! This little vacation has been a real blessing:)

Okay, it's your turn...What are you thankful for today?!

Have a great day! I'll be back tomorrow with an update on my January Decluttering and No/Low Spend Challenge!

Kat

January Goals 2013

Borrowed from The Every Girl

January Goals

The holidays are finally over and it is back to life as usual if that is possible in a week that has already had THREE Sundays in it! Do you know what I mean?!!! The guys went back to work today so now it feels like Monday but is in fact Wednesday! Maybe by next Monday I will have the days all sorted out again:)

I have been reading blog posts about Goal Setting in the New Year. I have tried the New Year's Resolutions and the yearly goals and can't seem to stay on track  till Valentine's Day! I say I'm ADD but most likely just have ADD tendencies--I have great ideas and can start projects but have poor follow through. As soon as I see in my mind what a project will look like finished I am off to the next one even if that one isn't actually finished! Have I mentioned the SIX unfinished  crocheted afghans in my craft room?!!! I think it was on last year's goal list but I am afraid to go look for fear of seeing all the other things I didn't do:(

Sooo, this year I am going to try monthly goals. No more than 10 in a month. And try to keep them reasonable. My goals for this month are...

1. Complete Carla's January No/Low Spend & Decluttering Challenge which means I will be removing 100 items from my home (throw away or give away) and I have limited myself to spending only $20 of this month's allowance. Hubby does the grocery shopping and takes care of the bills so I don't worry about that money (he is sooo good with money). I do however want to start saving some of my allowance and stamping income each month.
2. Bible Study for 30 minutes per day.
3. Write in my journal 3 x per week.
4. Exercise 30 minutes 3 x per week.
5. Make two of the sewing projects on my list and post on blog.
6. New Blog Header sooner than later!
7. New Thankful Thursday button!
8. Make Thank You cards and send for Christmas gifts received and to hubby's clients.
9. FINISH pair of socks I am knitting--both of them!
10. Complete and post my Design Team project for The Cupboard Trilogy Challenge for February.

Next month I want to start adding some of my unfinished projects to the list and see if I can get them done. Also REALLY want to start making Christmas and Birthday gifts so I don't save them all till the last minute.

Do you set goals for a year, month or ??? What are some of the goals you are setting for yourself?

Kat