January Goals Update

I feel like it took FOREVER for this month to be over. Then, this week was a blur. Probably because I got to see some of my favorite people for a 4-H Program Rally. I love my job and a good percentage of that is the wonderful people I've met along the way. :-) 

Staying accountable by letting you all know how I'm doing on my goals. Not too shabby for month 1! 

2020 Goals 

Read 12 Books: 1/12 Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Started my 2020 reading with a heavy one. It was very well written but hard to read. It made me reflect on why race tensions are still so real and hard. I can't turn a blind eye to the history of my country, even if I want to. I think I'll read from my work books pile next month. 

Knit 4 Things (and no new yarn!): 1/4 Headbands! 

I got two headbands for my friend Jenny and her daughter. Both from some leftover handspun. She put the buttons on them but I'm still counting them! 



Make 2 Quilts : Haha No....

Run 600 Miles: 53

To make 600 miles that is 50 a month. I ran 53 this month so I will take that as a win! Starting to ramp up for my first half marathon in 2020 April 25th. 

Save 2,000 Dollars: 200

I am very proud of the 200 dollars I put away in January. I didn't by any new clothes and I really wanted a new chiefs shirt. That is the first on the list when my streak gets broken. I DIDN'T EVEN BUY A WALK KANSAS SHIRT. You guys this is serious. 

5 House Projects: None yet but getting bids on the tree removal.
Put in a ceiling light in living room
Put in a ceiling light in my bedroom office
Get a new stove
Remove a scraggly tree
Get my Garage door working

Two headbands headed for SE Kansas! 

Just another picture of my ADORABLE cowboy

Proof! Can't wait to be done with the treadmill! 

Daryl and George

It is hard to be a country boy when you live in the middle of the city. You can't have animals, you can't walk to a fishing hole and none of your friends wear boots to school.

These are Daryl's daily struggles. I don't know why ranching, fishing and hunting appeals to him over everything else. However, as far as hobbies go it could be much worse. So I indulge him when I can. For Christmas I got Daryl tickets for George Strait in Wichita and last night we got to go!

It was so fun to see Daryl get his country on, even if he said our nose bleed seats were scary! Lol

Alex, Daryl and I sang songs, danced and thoroughly enjoyed the show. George is very entertaining and his voice is something else. Merry Christmas Cowboy D, I had more fun watching you than the show!

Ice, Cold and Hoops!

It is January, the temps are dropping. This means it is time for Upward basketball! This is the second year the boys are playing in this league and they enjoy it. This year Daryl is playing with the older kids at another location. While the two location are only three minutes away from each other, it is still stressful to get kids to the right place when you are waiting for another game to be over. Today I only got to see the first half of Daryl's game before I had to take Alex to his game. #firstworldproblems

Watching the boys run around reminds me that I can't slack off my running just because it is cold. I have a gym membership just for this reason! I am at 32 miles for this month. To keep pace with my goal I should finish with 50. Totally doable as long as I stay motivated.

Between the never ending loads of laundry today I've been trying to sew my 3rd Dress #2. I don't know why inseam pockets throw me so bad but I'm on my second attempt to sew them in. Just like last time I tried to do it from memory, and that just leads to seam ripping. Grrrr I have stopped for today, I might try again tomorrow. Ripping black thread out of navy fabric is making me blind!

I did get to see Daryl make one long shot! It was awesome! 

Alex had four baskets today! 

Stupid pockets, why do I need you in all my dresses?

That's Not How We Use the Dictionary

Daryl did a thing last week. He got second place in his grade school spelling bee! I was really proud of him because I really didn't know he was that good at spelling. I should have known, he has always been an excellent reader. Oh well, you learn new things about your kids every day!

Under the guise of studying he dusted off our dictionary on Saturday and was flipping through it. The next thing I know he is laughing very loudly.
Daryl-"Mom! Did you know they have cuss words in here!?"
Me-"It's the dictionary it has all of the words."
Daryl-"I looked up the A word and the B word, but Mom it EVEN HAS THE F WORD! Alex, come look at this!"
Me- "Daryl that is not how you use a dictionary, give it back to me!"

What Am I Going To Do With This Kid!!!


15 days of no clothes buying down!

The boys and I baked a cake on Saturday, we couldn't agree on the frosting.
Then Daryl accused me of always giving Alex what he wants.
So, we compromised! 

The Post I Wait all Year For!

I was successful with my goals for 2019. I had them all done by the end of November. It just proves that if you make a plan, and you check that plan, you can accomplish big things! I don't always crush it, I looked back and in 2018 I only accomplished one of my three goals. So any progress, IS PROGRESS.

My motto last year is the same as this year.  It's not about changing yourself, it's about bettering yourself. :-)

So these are my goals I will focus on in 2020, to make me a better!

I'm upping my reading goal from 10 books to 12 books. This should be easy because I'm not reading for school anymore! 🙌🎇🎈

I would like to finish 4 knitting projects again this year AND finish 2 quilts. I'm challenging myself this year, so if some of this seems crazy, it just might be.

Last year my goal was to run 400 miles, I finished with 530. This year my goal is 600 miles. I feel like I ran a lot last year, so this is another big goal.

I have 5 House project I want to get done in 2020:
Put in a ceiling light in living room
Put in a ceiling light in my bedroom office
Get a new stove
Remove a scraggly tree
Get my Garage door working

I'm adding a new goal to the list this year. I want to save $2,000. I had a nice savings account when I bought my house and now it's anemic. I do what I focus on, so every month I will be looking for the extra pennies to save.

Because of my savings goal I'm going to start 2020 with a personal challenge. I want to see how long I can go without buying any new clothes. I have enough clothes! When I was paying off all my student loans I would only purchase what was absolutely necessary. Maybe one pair of jeans and an outfit for a work event or special event. So, I know I can do that. I'm not saying I can't buy clothes all year, I just want to see what the date will be when I crack! I'm pretty stubborn with myself so I'm hopeful I can go months! Full disclosure, I made an Gap order before the end of Dec. with a new pair of jeans and a bra. So my last purchase date is officially Dec. 27th.

What are your goals? How are you going to check up on yourself? I will post an update every month on how mine are going. I think that is what got it done last year. Good Luck to all of us! We are getting better!

Two days into the year, I already have 5 miles! 

Took the boys to Free State after my haircut with the
Wonderful Ms. Molly. They took pictures of each other while we waited for food. 

Daryl was a good model for Alex. He loved his fish and chips!