Welcome back!

Here’s the link to my December Goals post: Getting Personal #231: December Goals

Here were my goals for the month of December:

1. Donate blood. — Did not accomplish.
2. Publish at least one Book Review. — Did not accomplish.
3. Publish my annual “Favorite Things” post. — Accomplished!
4. Make progress with laundry. — Accomplished!
5. Make progress with my office. — Accomplished!
6. Celebrate Christmas! — Accomplished!
7. Finally send my second draft of my novel to my readers. — Accomplished!
8. Celebrate New Year’s! — Accomplished!

I wasn’t able to donate blood because I had icky sinus/congestion issues for the entire week before the blood drive. It also took me out of my normal volunteering role. But, I’m glad I stayed home and wasn’t spreading any germs. It was a great drive though – 78 units collected and four first-time donors!

You can read my annual Favorite Things post here: Getting Personal #232: My Favorite Things of 2020

I spent the better part of two hours a couple weekends ago devoted to laundry. I finally emptied the ridiculous basket of clean clothes in front of my side of the bed, went through everything in the smaller basket that was parked in front of my closet for months that Al kept tripping over, and have kept my closet doors closed and clear! Podcasts are my friend, especially the long episodes of Dateline NBC.

One of my big goals for my office was to clear the floor space between my desk and the floor lamp. I did that the weekend before Christmas, and I’ve kept it clean! I gave Al a huge pile of ancient paperwork to shred, filled a trash bag of other discarded things, and recycled two empty copy paper boxes. Al was also nice to clean off one of the filing cabinets that his dad brought down last year, and hauled it from the detached garage into my office. The printer is now far more stable on top of it. The next item to tackle is filling the filing cabinet with hanging folders and paperwork that’s been overflowing between our fireproof box and the dining room buffet drawers.

I sent the second draft of my novel, now with proper chapter distinctions, page numbers, double-spacing, and a lot of wonderful feedback closely noted and appreciated, via email to my amazing readers.

Although Christmas and New Year’s have definitely been different this year, it’s also been a bit more relaxed, if that’s the right word. Al grilled some delicious steaks for Christmas dinner, and I made amazing crab puppies. Al’s already requested them again for his birthday in late January. We had a Zoom call with Al’s parents and his brother’s family. We called my parents and talked to them for a while on Christmas morning. We exchanged gifts socially distanced on our porch on Christmas Eve, and that was such a boost to my spirits! We ate bacon-wrapped scallops and had a meat/cheese tray for New Year’s Eve tonight. I need to finish this post so I can go hang out with Al and the dogs, watch a movie, and then watch the ball drop on TV. We’re excited to ring in 2021 with feeling thankful that we have remained healthy throughout this pandemic, an overflow of gratitude for the essential workers and many other helpers, and good thoughts for the year to come.

Did you have any goals for the month of December?

Come back tomorrow to see my January Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Welcome back!

Here are my goals for the month of December:

1. Donate blood.
2. Publish at least one Book Review.
3. Publish my annual “Favorite Things” post.
4. Make progress with laundry.
5. Make progress with my office.
6. Celebrate Christmas!
7. Finally send my second draft of my novel to my readers.
8. Celebrate New Year’s!

What about you? Do you have any goals for this month?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Welcome back!

Here were my goals for the month of November:

1. Publish the post about my July Camp NaNoWriMo session. — Did not accomplish.
2. Celebrate Grandpa’s birthday! — Accomplished!
3. Celebrate our wedding anniversary! — Accomplished!
4. Publish at least two Book Reviews. — Did not accomplish.
5. Create a solid, stickable schedule for blogging, housework, and downtime. — Accomplished!
6. Put away all the clean laundry. — Did not accomplish
7. Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Did not accomplish.
8. Celebrate Thanksgiving! — Accomplished!
9. Clean off the couch in my office. — Did not accomplish.
10. Complete my American Girl re-organization project with my blue storage cubes. — Accomplished!
11. Send my completed second draft of my novel to my readers. — Did not accomplish.

November was decent. Lots of celebrations, albeit different because of COVID. I had a couple days off from work, and that was nice and helpful.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Welcome back!

Here are my goals for the month of November:

1. Publish the post about my July Camp NaNoWriMo session.
2. Celebrate Grandpa’s birthday!
3. Celebrate our wedding anniversary!
4. Publish at least two Book Reviews.
5. Create a solid, stickable schedule for blogging, housework, and downtime.
6. Put away all the clean laundry.
7. Make at least one thrift store donation run.
8. Celebrate Thanksgiving!
9. Clean off the couch in my office.
10. Complete my American Girl re-organization project with my blue storage cubes.
11. Send my completed second draft of my novel to my readers.

What about you? Do you have any goals for the month of November?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Welcome back!

Here were my goals for the month of October:

1. Donate blood. — Accomplished!
2. Celebrate Mom’s birthday! — Accomplished!
3. Publish a post about my July Camp NaNoWriMo session. — Did not accomplish.
4. Keep up with my pen pals! — Did not accomplish.
5. Put away all the clean laundry. — Did not accomplish.
6. Go through my fall/winter clothes. — Did not accomplish.
7. Designate what clothes to donate. — Semi-Achieved.
8. Publish my regular TBR Recap post. — Accomplished!
9. Continue work on the filing system. — Semi-Achieved.
10. Clean off the couch in my office. — Did not accomplish.
11. Complete my American Girl re-organization project with my blue storage cubes. — Did not accomplish.
12. Prepare for NaNoWriMo 2020. — Did not accomplish.
13. Help my former professor by reviewing and giving feedback on her book. — Accomplished!
14. Send my completed second draft of my novel to my readers. — Did not accomplish.

October was even worse than September, if that’s even possible. Working took everything out of me, and the weekends were spent doing other things with the house and trying to keep my mental health together. I’ve gone through a ton of guilt, stress, anxiety, worry – The whole nine yards. I’m trying so hard not to complain though – We have remained healthy and still have our jobs!

With all that said, I’m determined to set up a firmer schedule to stay on top of the blog, and finally clear out the literal clutter surrounding me. I’m so tired of looking at it!

To preserve my mental health, I decided to not participate in NaNoWriMo in November. It was a difficult decision, but I’m really glad I stepped away. As soon as I said it out loud to Al over dinner during the last weekend of October, I felt a lot better. I’m looking forward to Camp in April!

I really enjoyed helping Dr. W. with reviewing and giving feedback on her book. That was a really nice change. She was so appreciative, that she sent me the sweetest thank-you card and a very generous gift card on top of it. That was awesome!

I’m writing this on Friday morning because I’m off from work today for the first time in quite a while, and it feels good!

Also, in major celebration news, I finally paid off one of my credit cards. That feels amazing! I’m determined to be more responsible with it going forward, as well as using the 2X points feature on certain purchases (gas and the occasional dining out/takeout) to my advantage.

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only two weeks away now. It seems like the holidays seem to accelerate time!

What about you? Did you have any goals for the month of October?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for November!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Hello, October! I’m loving the cooler weather. Fall is on its way.

Here are my goals for the month of October:

1. Donate blood.
2. Celebrate Mom’s birthday!
3. Publish a post about my July Camp NaNoWriMo session.
4. Keep up with my pen pals!
5. Put away all the clean laundry.
6. Go through my fall/winter clothes.
7. Designate what clothes to donate.
8. Publish my regular TBR Recap post.
9. Continue work on the filing system.
10. Clean off the couch in my office.
11. Complete my American Girl re-organization project with my blue storage cubes.
12. Prepare for NaNoWriMo 2020.
13. Help my former professor by reviewing and giving feedback on her book.
14. Send my completed second draft of my novel to my readers.

What about you? Do you have any goals for the month of October?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

I’m back, with a vengeance!

I fell into a terrible slump in early September. Dealing with my generalized anxiety, COVID-19, work stress, and feeling like a failure. But, I’ve picked myself up, and I’m ready to get back to the blog!

Here were my goals for the month of September:

1. Celebrate our 10-year dating anniversary! — Accomplished!
2. Get the photos and other wall hanging items off the floor in my office and get them on the walls. — Did not accomplish.
3. Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!
4. Finish getting my P.E.O. President materials organized. — Semi-Achieved.
5. Publish a post about my July Camp NaNoWriMo session. — Did not accomplish.
6. List at least one of my three boxes of American Girl items for sale. — Accomplished!
7. Keep up with my pen pals! — Did not accomplish.
8. Publish at least one Writing Prompt post. — Did not accomplish.
9. Put away all the clean laundry. — Did not accomplish.
10. Finish re-organizing the filing system. — Did not accomplish.
11. Finish de-cluttering the dining room buffet. — Did not accomplish.

Al and I celebrated the 10th anniversary of our first date by getting take-out dinner from a wonderful local restaurant, Lobscouser.

September was full of working from home, going into the office a bit more frequently, paying off more credit card debt, and developing some strategies for the next few months. I feel like I’ve been more on top of things with the house, with the exception of my office. I need to get that mojo back!

I’m also really close to finishing the book I’m reading. It’s been a breath of fresh air, but I’ve been so tired at night that I don’t have the energy to read more than a few pages. We have enjoyed sitting on our porch more often, now that the weather is cooler.

In terms of writing, I made some more notes about my second draft. I need to go back into it and add a few more things before sending it back to my readers. I’m long past my self-imposed deadline of getting it to them (originally the end of August), but I will persevere in October!

I’m excited to participate in NaNoWriMo in November, but I currently have no idea what I’m doing for it yet.

What about you? Did you have any goals for the month of September?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for October!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Welcome back!

Here are my goals for the month of September:

1. Celebrate our 10-year dating anniversary!
2. Get the photos and other wall hanging items off the floor in my office and get them on the walls.
3. Make at least one thrift store donation run.
4. Finish getting my P.E.O. President materials organized.
5. Publish a post about my July Camp NaNoWriMo session.
6. List at least one of my three boxes of American Girl items for sale.
7. Keep up with my pen pals!
8. Publish at least one Writing Prompt post.
9. Put away all the clean laundry.
10. Finish re-organizing the filing system.
11. Finish de-cluttering the dining room buffet.

What about you? Do you have any goals for the month of September?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Welcome back!

Here are my goals for the month of August:

1. Donate blood.
2. Celebrate my birthday!
3. Finish the book I’m currently reading, and publish the review.
4. Get the photos and other wall hanging items off the floor in my office and get them on the walls.
5. Make at least one thrift store donation run.
6. Start the second round of editing for my first novel – Translate my handwritten notes from April’s Camp NaNoWriMo session into my computer.
7. Get my P.E.O. President materials organized.
8. Write a blog post about my July Camp NaNoWriMo session.
9. Put away all the clean laundry.
10. Commit to putting away clean laundry in a more organized, efficient manner.
11. Participate in a fun pet portrait session that was a giveaway win.
12. Finish re-organizing the filing system.
13. Finish de-cluttering the dining room buffet.

What about you? Do you have any goals for the month of August?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂