Image Credit: East Willow Grove

Hello, March! It’s lovely to see you arrive. I’ve started to see the daffodils bloom, and buds on the trees!

Here are my goals for the month of March:

1. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.
2. See A Wrinkle In Time.
3. See Ready Player One.
4. Attend a meet-and-greet with Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption.
5. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month.
6. Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition.
7. Make chocolate mousse for the office.
8. Make at least one thrift store donation run.
9. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

Here’s the breakdown:

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.

• As I mentioned in my February Goals Recap, I simply didn’t have the time or make the time last month. I’m determined to make some sort of progress now!

See A Wrinkle In Time.

• This comes out early in the month. I’ve read the book several times. The cast and cinematography look AMAZING!

See Ready Player One.

• This movie’s trailer intrigued me from the beginning. Al is reading the book that the movie is based on now, but I’m excited to see it. Plus, it’s Spielberg!

Attend a meet-and-greet with Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption.

• We are looking forward to this! Al has done a ton of research over the last several months, and we’ve determined that a greyhound is likely the best breed for our house and current working situations, etc. It’s exciting to think about!
• This is the first big step in a lengthy process, but we’re excited that we found this local place that specializes in greyhounds!

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month.

• When Al and I bought our house, I started an Excel spreadsheet which is a space where we can log and track all of our expenses and discretionary spending.
• I did a massive update at the end of February, and we’re finally caught up after getting buried in receipts.
• My goal is to make this a monthly priority!

Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition.

• I have been nominated to be my P.E.O. chapter’s next Treasurer. This is a completely new role for me, but I’m excited to have been nominated.
• If elected, I will be making my transition from Recording Secretary to Treasurer soon.
• It’s a great opportunity, and a resume booster, too.

Make chocolate mousse for the office.

• Now that Chris has completed the Disney Marathon, it’s time to celebrate!

Make at least one thrift store donation run.

• Al cleaned out his closet, and filled two big trash bags full of clothes to donate. Yay!
• I also have a few clothing items, books, and DVDs to give away. I may give some of the books and DVDs to the local library.

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

• I’ve been feeling the itch to start writing / working on this again. I’m hoping to write at least 500 more words this month, if not more!

Do you have any goals for the month of March? I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Planning Inspired

February seemed like a really long month, for once. It was mostly good, but a bit wild and crazy. The recent spring-like temperatures have me very excited that it’s almost March!

Here’s the link to my February Goals post:

• Getting Personal #102: February Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Host my first P.E.O. meeting. — Accomplished!
2. Get back to a regular cleaning schedule. — Semi-Achieved.
3. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Did not accomplish.
4. Donate blood. — Accomplished!
5. Use my diffuser more often. — Accomplished!
6. Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses. — Semi-Achieved.
7. See Black Panther. — Accomplished!
8. Wear my contact lenses every day this month. — Accomplished!
9. Write in my journal at least once a week. — Did not accomplish.
10. Read at least two books. — Accomplished!
11. Explore options for essential oil storage. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Host my first P.E.O. meeting. — Accomplished!

• Hosting my first P.E.O. meeting went as smoothly as it could have. We did have some excitement the night before (of course, Murphy’s Law!) when Al discovered a stream of water coming out of the crown molding in our dining room! After some “exploratory surgery” between Al and my dad late Friday night, we discovered the drain pipe from our bathtub was definitely leaking – An old cast iron pipe, probably original to the house (50+ years old). Luckily, my dad was able to drain the rest of the water and stop the leak!
• The meeting went along as scheduled on Saturday morning. Thirteen lovely women shared coffee, refreshments, and good company. It felt good to open up our house to visitors other than our immediate families!

Get back to a regular cleaning schedule. — Semi-Achieved.

• I did more spot cleaning this month, like wiping down certain areas while in the kitchen, laundry room, etc.
• We bought an AWESOME Shark DuoClean vacuum cleaner to keep in our downstairs closet. It was a hefty price tag (Over $300), but seriously, this vacuum cleaner is worth it! It works on all surfaces – Wood floors, tile, and carpet. I’m actually excited about vacuuming now!
• Al and I worked together this past week to do a massive deep clean – Stuff we hadn’t touched in months. We got all the dust and junk out of our bedroom – Under our bed, and I used the Swiffer dry and wet cloths on the bathroom floor while the rug was in the wash. As long as we mark dusting more often on the calendar, it will be more manageable and less time-consuming.

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Did not accomplish.

• This schedule didn’t work this month. I moved a few things around, but wasn’t able to invest the time that I wanted to.

Donate blood. — Accomplished!

• My iron was high enough, on the first stick!
• I’m now one pint away from six gallons (48 pints) donated!

Use my diffuser more often. — Accomplished!

• I diffused the sample “Gratitude” blend that April made for me, and “Raven” twice. The house smelled amazing!

Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses. — Semi-Achieved.

• I have the box filled to the brim – I just need to mail it!
• Also, Darby recently created a new Facebook group, solely dedicated to her boutique items that she sells – Check it out! It’s called Darby’s Dresses Boutique.

See Black Panther. — Accomplished!

• We saw the movie with our friends Mike and Shana on Sunday, February 18th. It was a really good movie – I think it’s one of the best that Disney/Marvel have produced.
• Getting excited for Avengers: Infinity War to be released on May 4th!

Wear my contact lenses every day this month. — Accomplished!

• This was a super easy goal, and I’m glad that I overcame my laziness!
• I even started wearing makeup nearly every day, too!

Write in my journal at least once a week. — Did not accomplish.

• This literally got buried!

Read at least two books. — Accomplished!

• I made it, just under the wire, but I did it!
• Here are the links to my recent Book Reviews:
  • Book Review #53: “Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America”
  • Book Review #54: “A Winning Spirit: A Molly Classic 1”

Explore options for essential oil storage. — Accomplished!

• Thanks to Ariel at Writing Radiation, she led me to Amazon to find this beauty of an essential oil storage solution: Essential Oil Wooden Box.
• I love it! I had forgotten how many oil bottles that I needed to store. But, I still have room to spare. This things holds 68 bottles!

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to seven out of 11 goals: I’ll take it!
• The two goals that were Semi-Achieved: Just a few more steps, and I can mark them as complete. It feels good!.
• The two goals that I did not accomplish: I simply didn’t have the time, or make the time this month.

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

Come back tomorrow to see my March Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Balancing Today

Welcome to February! We’ve almost turned the corner for winter. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for spring!

Here are my goals for the month of February:

1. Host my first P.E.O. meeting.
2. Get back to a regular cleaning schedule.
3. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.
4. Donate blood.
5. Use my diffuser more often.
6. Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses.
7. See Black Panther.
8. Wear my contact lenses every day this month.
9. Write in my journal at least once a week.
10. Read at least two books.
11. Explore options for essential oil storage.

Here’s the breakdown:

Host my first P.E.O. meeting.

• I’m hosting our meeting for the first time! We are trying a few Saturday meetings to see if it increases attendance, among other things. Our typical meetings are held on Monday nights.
• What is P.E.O., you ask? It stands for Philanthropic Educational Organization. The way I describe it is it’s women helping women, where we raise money for scholarships, grants, and loans.

Get back to a regular cleaning schedule.

• The holidays were a blur, and I had little to no consistency with my cleaning schedule in December and January. Like last month, I want to dust and vacuum more often, so that’s going on the calendar.

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend.

• Every time I look at my Lady Lounge, I want to scream. I have been so lazy recently, and the clutter and boxes are driving me nuts. I want to find permanent homes for everything in the lounge, and in the garage.
• I figure committing a time to each weekend will hopefully hold me accountable. My plan is to set the oven timer for an hour, and then see what happens.

Donate blood.

• Our next blood drive is on Saturday! Fingers crossed for high iron.

Use my diffuser more often.

• I love my Desert Mist Diffuser in our living room, but I want to use it more often. I have an abundance of oils, and I want to use them!

Send another box of clothes to Darby’s Dresses.

• I’m part of this awesome Facebook group / small business called Darby’s Dresses. Darby is an awesome woman in Tennessee, and she sells women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories on consignment for very affordable prices. I’ve sent her two big boxes already, and I’m almost ready to send her another one!

See Black Panther.

• We are so excited for this movie! We’re hoping to see it at least once with our friends Mike and Shana.

Wear my contact lenses every day this month.

• I need to give my glasses a break, and stop being so lazy in the mornings!

Write in my journal at least once a week.

• Last month’s goal was a bit ambitious, so I’m hoping that committing to once a week will help motivate me.

Read at least two books.

• I started reading my current book two nights ago, and I devoured the first chapter. It’s really interesting so far!

Explore options for essential oil storage.

• I love all my Young Living essential oils, but they’re currently cluttering the end table next to our couch. I’m exploring building a shelving unit out of wooden crates at the moment, so that they can be displayed in the Lady Lounge. More to come!

Do you have any goals for the month of February? I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: See Jane Write

I’m pretty sure that I say this every month – That it flew by! I looked at the calendar today, and was stunned. February starts tomorrow!

Here’s the link to my my January Goals post:

• Getting Personal #99: January Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. See The Post. — Accomplished!
2. Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner. — Accomplished!
3. Dust the house more often. — Semi-Achieved.
4. Get better at weekly meal prep. — Semi-Achieved.
5. Commit to regular journaling. — Did not accomplish.
6. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Did not accomplish.
7. Read at least three books. — Did not accomplish.
8. Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry. — Semi-Achieved.
9. Celebrate Al’s birthday! — Accomplished!
10. Update my TBR. — Accomplished!
11. Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018. — Did not accomplish.

Here’s the breakdown:

See The Post. — Accomplished!

• We went to see the movie this past Sunday. It was really good. I’m a sucker for historical dramas, and this one absolutely did not disappoint. I highly recommend it! I look forward to seeing it again.

Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner. — Accomplished!

• Al and I attended the dinner at the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton, Virginia. I was one of over 800 employees honored for milestone anniversaries – Five years, up through 40 years. It was a really nice experience!

Dust the house more often. — Semi-Achieved.

• I want to keep improving upon this goal, but I pulled out the vacuum, Swiffer, and broom a bit more often this month.

Get better at weekly meal prep. — Semi-Achieved.

• Like the above goal, I want to keep improving. I did successfully make this Goddess Curry Chicken Salad, and it was delicious!

Commit to regular journaling. — Did not accomplish.

• I didn’t write a single word! Womp, womp.

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Did not accomplish.

• This was the farthest thing from my mind this month.

Read at least three books. — Did not accomplish.

• I finished two!
• Here’s the link to the first Book Review: Book Review #51: “Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond”
• Look for that second Book Review, coming to the blog very soon!

Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry. — Semi-Achieved.

• I was really good at this at the beginning of the month, but faltered a bit in the middle. Oh well, there’s always next month!

Celebrate Al’s birthday! — Accomplished!

• He picked out New York strip steak, which I marinated in Peppercorn and Garlic mix overnight. It was delicious!
• We also feasted on shrimp cocktail, Red Lobster Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Biscuits, and cookie cake!
• Al’s parents also came to visit this past weekend to celebrate. His mom made amazing lasagna!

Update my TBR. — Accomplished!

• Here’s the link to my TBR post: Getting Personal #100: Fifth TBR Recap

Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018. — Did not accomplish.

• I went back and forth over this all month long. I couldn’t find anything that was particularly interesting or inspiring.

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to four out of 11 goals: I’ll take it!
• The three goals that were Semi-Achieved: There’s always room for improvement.
• The four goals that I did not accomplish: Most of these were based on time and effort. I’m looking forward to continued progress in February.

What about you? Did you have goals for the month of January?

Come back tomorrow to see my February Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Pinterest

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s the first day of 2018. I’m looking forward to a wonderful year ahead!

To you, my readers, I wish that this year brings more peace, harmony, health, happiness, and joy to your lives! I’m so grateful that many of you, all around the world, continue to follow my blog and support my writing! Thank you!

Here are my goals for the month of January:

1. See The Post.
2. Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner.
3. Dust the house more often.
4. Get better at weekly meal prep.
5. Commit to regular journaling.
6. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
7. Read at least three books.
8. Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry.
9. Celebrate Al’s birthday!
10. Update my TBR.
11. Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018.

Here’s the breakdown:

See The Post.

• Al and I have been looking forward to this movie for a while now. Some of you may have guessed that I’m a sucker for movies involving journalism, so I’m excited to see Spielberg’s adaptation of the journalists publishing the Pentagon Papers. Plus, I can’t pass up a movie that stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

Attend the Annual Riverside Service Awards Dinner.

• In honor of my five-year anniversary with Riverside Health System, I have been invited, along with a guest, to attend their Annual Service Awards Dinner this month. Al and I are excited to have dinner at the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton!

Dust the house more often.

• We’ve been plagued with sinus issues and allergy symptoms since the weather turned cold. I figure dusting and vacuuming the house a bit more regularly may help a bit.

Get better at weekly meal prep.

• Al recently tagged me in this video from Tasty: Meal-Prep Chicken 5 Ways.
• Our plan is to use Sundays to get everything ready for the following week.

Commit to regular journaling.

• I’ve received several really nice hard-bound journals as gifts. It’s about time that I start using them!
• My initial goal is to start with this 100 Writing Topics post – One topic at a time – and see where that takes me this month!

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

• I’m not setting a specific word count goal this month, since I want to get back into the swing of things after being on hiatus for a while.

Read at least three books.

• I just rearranged my stack on my nightstand to include the books that Al gave me for Christmas. Get ready for more Book Reviews, coming soon!

Put away the laundry as soon as it’s clean and dry.

• After spending well over an hour tonight emptying three full laundry baskets between the two of us, it’s nice to reclaim some space in our bedroom. I want to be more efficient!

Celebrate Al’s birthday!

• Al’s birthday is toward the end of the month. I’m excited to make him his favorites: Surf and turf, plus cookie cake! Yum!

Update my TBR.

• The newest quarterly update is coming to the blog very soon!

Announce my new blogging challenge for 2018.

• Look for this announcement before this week is over!

Do you have any goals for the month of January?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: LoveThisPic

I’ve been saying for days and weeks that it’s hard to believe it’s December, that it’s the last month of 2017. Now, today is New Year’s Eve. Wow!

Here’s the link to my December Goals post:

• Getting Personal #97: December Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Decorate for Christmas. — Accomplished!
2. Enjoy Al’s company Christmas party. — Accomplished!
3. See Star Wars: The Last Jedi. — Accomplished!
4. Celebrate Lyndsey’s birthday! — Accomplished!
5. Host Christmas Breakfast for the first time. — Accomplished!
6. Make chocolate mousse for Christmas dinner. — Accomplished!
7. Get back into reading. — Accomplished!
8. Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Decorate for Christmas. — Accomplished!

• We put up our Christmas tree in our living room on December 10th, and I set out the wooden Jingle Bells blocks. I also changed out the Halloween ribbon on our monogrammed “V” wreath. It’s not super fancy, but it’s pretty.

Enjoy Al’s company Christmas party. — Accomplished!

• We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on December 8th. So many people got into the theme and really liked it. Plus, Al, Frances, and Kathryn actually got to relax a little and enjoy the cocktail hour and the party. We all had fun!
• Al and I even won one of the door prizes – A weekend getaway to the Williamsburg Winery!

See Star Wars: The Last Jedi. — Accomplished!

• We saw the movie on Thursday, December 14th. It was SO GOOD. Al’s seen it twice now. We received several generous gift cards to the movies for Christmas, so we’ll definitely be seeing it a few more times!

Celebrate Lyndsey’s birthday! — Accomplished!

• We drove up to Lynchburg, Virginia on Saturday, December 16th. We met Lyndsey and many friends at O’Charleys for dinner, games, photos, and gifts. We had a lot of fun.

Lyndsey had awesome photo booth props!

Host Christmas Breakfast for the first time. — Accomplished!

• On Christmas morning, we hosted Al’s parents, my parents, Nick, Savy, and Mia. Between Al’s mom, Savy, and me, we had waffles, egg casserole, goat cheese and tomato tarts, kielbasa, coffee, mimosas, and more! Everything was delicious!

Make chocolate mousse for Christmas dinner. — Accomplished!

• It was the consistency of chocolate pudding when dessert time rolled around, but everyone really liked it. We even had leftovers!

Get back into reading. — Accomplished!

• Finally! I’m almost finished with my current book. Look for a new Book Review soon, hopefully this week!

Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!

• Earlier in December, Al and I loaded up my car to the gills (full trunk, full backseat), and went out in the cold and drizzle to the local CHKD thrift store. More to come, but we got our dining room back!

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to ALL EIGHT THINGS!!!!!! YAY!!!!!

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

Come back tomorrow to see my January Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Pinterest

I’m just stunned that we’re one day into the last month of 2017. I can’t believe it!

Here are my goals for the month of December:

1. Decorate for Christmas.
2. Enjoy Al’s company Christmas party.
3. See Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
4. Celebrate Lyndsey’s birthday!
5. Host Christmas Breakfast for the first time.
6. Make chocolate mousse for Christmas dinner.
7. Get back into reading.
8. Make at least one thrift store donation run.

Here’s the breakdown:

Decorate for Christmas.

• We’re already planning to put up the tree, hopefully this weekend!
• I’m excited to go to Michael’s and switch out the Halloween ribbon on our monogrammed wreath.

Enjoy Al’s company Christmas party.

• This year’s theme is the roaring ’20s / The Great Gatsby. I’m so excited!!

See Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

• We have tickets for December 14th, but I’m pretty positive we will see this more than once before the month ends.
• I was excited for The Force Awakens and Rogue One, but my enthusiasm for this one is at an all-time high.
• I know I will cry every time I see or hear Carrie Fisher. May she rest in peace.

Celebrate Lyndsey’s birthday!

• Lyndsey’s turning 30! We can’t wait to celebrate at Wintergreen Resort!

Host Christmas Breakfast for the first time.

• I’m looking forward to having Al’s parents, Nick, Savy, Mia, and hopefully my parents to our house on Christmas morning. We’re already planning sausage casserole, cinnamon rolls, coffee, and more!

Make chocolate mousse for Christmas dinner.

• Al and I were successful in making this for Thanksgiving, so we’re looking forward to making it again for Christmas dinner at my parents’ house.

Get back into reading.

• I have been in such a slump. I can’t explain it. I want to dive back in, but nothing on my bookshelf has peaked my interests. Suggestions are welcomed!

Make at least one thrift store donation run.

• There’s already two gigantic piles of things to be donated. It all needs to go!

Do you have any goals for the month of December?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Mathnasium

November felt like a long month, but it was full of excitement!

Here’s the link to my November Goals post:

• Getting Personal #94: November Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Celebrate our second wedding anniversary! — Accomplished!
2. Keep our kitchen table clean. — Did not accomplish.
3. Write some snail mail! — Did not accomplish.
4. Start organizing my “Lady Lounge.” — Accomplished!
5. Enjoy Thanksgiving! — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown!

Celebrate our second wedding anniversary! — Accomplished!

• We celebrated our anniversary with a wonderful dinner at River Stone Chophouse in Suffolk. Al had their biggest steak, and I enjoyed their Colorado Lamb Chops. Everything we ate was fabulous. We didn’t have room for dessert, but we will be returning. They just started brunch service on Sundays, too!

Keep our kitchen table clean. — Did not accomplish.

• I de-cluttered some of our old mail, but I don’t feel satisfied with my progress.

Write some snail mail! — Did not accomplish.

• This didn’t happen. I even forgot to mail several birthday cards!

Start organizing my “Lady Lounge.” — Accomplished!

• Every weekend, piece by piece, I’ve hauled boxes from the garage and started organizing. My biggest success has been my bookshelf. I’ve already filled three boxes of books and DVDs to donate to the local library!

Enjoy Thanksgiving! — Accomplished!

• We took nearly a week off of work, and headed to the farm. Al’s mom fed us so well every single day!
• We spent Thanksgiving Day with about 40 members of the Chambers family (Al’s mom side). We drove about 2 1/2 hours toward the mountains. There were four tables full of food, and one full table of desserts. Delicious!
• When we weren’t eating, we relaxed. We went on several drives through the countryside, built a bonfire, and saw the International Space Station fly by!
• We saw Justice League with Al’s dad. It was a good movie!
• We also went bowling, and played about 20 rounds of UNO over two different nights.
• It was so nice to get away!

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to three out of five goals: Yippee!
• The two goals that I did not accomplish: It was slightly disappointing, but I just need to dedicate more time and effort to these.

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

Come back tomorrow to see my December Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂