Image Credit: OJ Benson Notes

Hello, May! It’s nice to see you! Everything is in bloom, the beautiful spring colors are back, it’s riding in the car with the windows down weather!!

Here are my goals for the month of May:

1. Drastically curb my spending habits.
2. See Solo: A Star Wars Story.
3. Finish prepping the Lady Lounge for the new standing desk.
4. Schedule the replacement of our ductwork and HVAC system.
5. Finish the book I’m currently reading, plus write the Book Review.
6. Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018.
7. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet.
8. Visit the farm!
9. Prepare for P.E.O. State Convention.
10. See the Virginia Symphony Orchestra perform the music to Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets live.
11. Publish my first “Down The TBR Hole” post.
12. Continue progress on my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

Here’s the breakdown:

Drastically curb my spending habits.

• Maybe, just maybe, if I write everything down here on the blog, I can actually make this work.
• My pledge, to myself, is to spend as little money as I possibly can during the month of May.
• This means doing everything I can to: (a) not buy any more new clothes [both for Laura Beth, and Laura Beth’s American Girl dolls], and, (b) not eat out as much for my lunches.

See Solo: A Star Wars Story.

• This movie looks really good. We’re looking forward to seeing it at the end of the month!

Finish prepping the Lady Lounge for the new standing desk.

• I just need to: (a) clear out the remaining boxes, (b) sell off my box of American Girl items that are duplicates or things I don’t need anymore, and (c) give the room a good deep clean.
• We may not necessarily buy the standing desk this month, but the room will be ready for it.

Schedule the replacement of our ductwork and HVAC system.

• This is one of the big home improvement projects that’s been hanging over our heads for a while. After we suffered for nearly two weeks last summer without A/C, it’s time to suck it up and get everything replaced.

Finish the book I’m currently reading, plus write the Book Review.

• I’m motivated to break out of my reading slump!

Work on a goals list with Al for the remainder of 2018.

• This is something that Al mentioned recently, and we just need to sit down and do it. The plan is to make a “map” for the rest of the year, and plot out what goals we want to accomplish every month, whether it be something for the house, traveling, and so on. I have a good feeling about this!

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet.

• I’ve fallen behind again. I’m determined to get caught up, and stay that way!

Visit the farm!

• We’re excited to head to the Vardaro Farm again this month!
• Look for an Adventure Time post after the trip.

Prepare for P.E.O. State Convention.

• I’m headed to P.E.O. State Convention again! This time, it’s in Blacksburg, Virginia, near Virginia Tech!

See the Virginia Symphony Orchestra perform the music to Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets live.

• My parents weren’t able to use these tickets, so they gave Al and I first dibs.
• We didn’t have the heart to drop $100+ on tickets when the symphony performed the music to Harry Potter and The Sorceror’s Stone back in November, so my parents’ loss is our definite gain.

Publish my first “Down The TBR Hole” post.

• A friend of mine commented on how long my TBR had gotten when I published the latest recap in April. It’s gotten out of control!
• So, inspired by my friend Destiny at Howling Libraries, I plan to take a virtual chainsaw to my list, and definitely clean it up!
• Here’s an example of one of Destiny’s posts: Down the TBR Hole #27
• My post will probably be a little different than hers, but I’m excited to do this!

Continue progress on my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

• I made AMAZING progress on the novel during Camp NaNoWriMo during the month of April!
• So, I’m not setting a specific goal here, but I want to keep writing, as consistently as possible.
• I’m definitely signing up for Camp NaNoWriMo again in July – I can’t wait!!

Do you have any goals for the month of May?

If so, I’d love to hear about them! Comment below!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

Welcome back! April was a relatively busy month. But, the weather has finally started to stabilize, several rains have washed away the nasty pollen, and we’re already a full quarter through 2018. How crazy is that!!

Here’s the link to my April Goals post:

• Getting Personal #113: April Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Give blood. — Accomplished!
2. Celebrate Dad’s birthday! — Did not accomplish.
3. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2018. — Accomplished!
4. See Avengers: Infinity War. — Accomplished!
5. Continue working on my Lady Lounge. — Accomplished!
6. Read at least two books. — Did not accomplish.
7. Enjoy time with Melissa! — Accomplished!
8. Attend the TAPA Spring Luncheon. — Accomplished!
9. Attend Olivia’s bridal shower! — Accomplished!
10. Visit LanternAsia with Al, Casey, and Beth. — Accomplished!
11. Attend the P.E.O. Family Gathering. — Accomplished!
12. Update my TBR. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Give blood. — Accomplished!

• We celebrated our 18th Anniversary blood drive on Saturday, April 7th.
• I was able to give a Power Red donation for the first time! Yippee!
• What is Power Red? — Power Red is where you essentially donate two units of your red blood cells. Everything is spun through a centrifuge, and you’re given back your platelets, plasma, and some saline. You have wait 16 weeks to donate again, which is okay because I’m going to be out of town for the June blood drive. I don’t feel guilty now!
• For more information: Power Red Donation – American Red Cross Blood Services

Celebrate Dad’s birthday! — Did not accomplish.

• Dad’s birthday fell in the middle of the week. We’ve offered to take him to dinner at some point, but our family experienced a series of crises the week after his birthday (Family illnesses, and Mom and Dad needing to travel down to care for said family).
• So, we’ll officially celebrate some time in May!

Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2018. — Accomplished!

• I feel SO GOOD that I did this!
• I can’t wait to do it again in July!
• I’m writing a Getting Personal post about my experience, so look for that on May 2nd!

See Avengers: Infinity War. — Accomplished!

• Al and I went to the Peninsula Movie Bistro on Saturday, April 28th.
• No spoilers, but if you’re a fan of Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), this movie is a must. We’re already planning to see it again in the next week or so.

Continue working on my Lady Lounge. — Accomplished!

• Oh, man! I’m so excited!!
• Al’s dad delivered the custom doll cabinet he built for me on Saturday, April 14th. So, I hustled my butt and got all the boxes cleared out for him during that Thursday and Friday.
• The last piece is to move the remainder of the boxes that are along the wall where my standing desk is going to be. Almost there!!
• Look for an upcoming Home Improvements post soon, with photos!

Read at least two books. — Did not accomplish.

• With the aforementioned family crises toward the beginning of the month, I’ve been so exhausted by bedtime that I fall asleep pretty quickly.

Enjoy time with Melissa! — Accomplished!

• Al and I drove up to Richmond on Sunday, April 29th.
• We had such a nice visit. Her mom made amazing paella, and then we hung out with Melissa for several hours, just catching up. I didn’t want to leave! We finally left, reluctantly, at 8:00 p.m. to drive home.

Attend the TAPA Spring Luncheon. — Accomplished!

• The luncheon was held on Saturday, April 14th. It was a gorgeous day!
• One of my sorority sisters, Beth McOsker, was honored as the “Greek Woman of the Year.”

Attend Olivia’s bridal shower! — Accomplished!

• Olivia’s shower was hosted by my mom on the afternoon of Saturday, April 14th. It was so wonderful!

Visit LanternAsia with Al, Casey, and Beth. — Accomplished!

• We went to the Norfolk Botanical Garden on Saturday, April 21st.
• Here’s the link to my Adventure Time post: Adventure Time: Norfolk, VA Edition (Round 4 – LanternAsia 2018)

Attend the P.E.O. Family Gathering. — Accomplished!

• The Family Gathering was held on Saturday, April 28th.
• Although I arrived a little late, it was a very spirited, positive discussion. We met until noon, and everyone came away with several great ideas!

Update my TBR. — Accomplished!

• Here’s the link to my TBR post: Getting Personal #115: Sixth TBR Recap

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to 10 out of 12 goals! Yippee!!
• The two goals that I did not accomplish: Family illnesses suck, so much. But, it’s okay. We’ll get through this!

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

Come back tomorrow to see my May Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: Maria Estes Photography

Hello, April! I’m so happy that you have arrived. Bring on the warmer weather!!

Here are my goals for the month of April:

1. Give blood.
2. Celebrate Dad’s birthday!
3. Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2018.
4. See Avengers: Infinity War.
5. Continue working on my Lady Lounge.
6. Read at least two books.
7. Enjoy time with Melissa!
8. Attend the TAPA Spring Luncheon.
9. Attend Olivia’s bridal shower!
10. Visit LanternAsia with Al, Casey, and Beth.
11. Attend the P.E.O. Family Gathering.
12. Update my TBR.

Here’s the breakdown:

Give blood.

• Our 18th Anniversary blood drive is this coming Saturday, April 7th.
• If you’re in the Hampton Roads area, come on out and Give the Gift of Life.

Celebrate Dad’s birthday!

• Al and I likely going to take my dad out to dinner to celebrate his birthday very soon!

Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo, April 2018.

• See my announcement post from March 27th: Getting Personal #111: Camp NaNoWriMo.
• I’m SO PUMPED to do this. Seriously! I haven’t felt this invigorated to write in months. Bring it on!

See Avengers: Infinity War.

• We’re definitely seeing this on either the Thursday night it premieres, or Friday night. We’re so stoked!

Continue working on my Lady Lounge.

• I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

Read at least two books.

• I’ve finally broken out of my reading slump. I stopped reading the book I was attempting to finish, set it aside, and moved on to a different one.
• It was an excellent decision – I’ve been powering through 5-6 chapters per night!

Enjoy time with Melissa!

• My best friend is coming home for a visit!
• She’s invited Al and I to drive up to Richmond on a Sunday, to eat lunch with her, her mom, and her stepdad.

Attend the TAPA Spring Luncheon.

• I am part of the Greek Woman of the Year Committee, so I look forward to being part of the award ceremony on Saturday, April 14th.

Attend Olivia’s bridal shower!

• After the TAPA luncheon, I’m headed to my mom’s to celebrate Olivia! She’s getting married in July. She’s one of the first friends I made when we moved to Chesapeake in 1992.

Visit LanternAsia with Al, Casey, and Beth.

• We’re excited to have dinner and visit LanternAsia at the Norfolk Botanical Garden with Casey and Beth very soon!
• Look for an Adventure Time post after we visit!

Attend the P.E.O. Family Gathering.

• This is something new we’re trying as a chapter. It’s not a formal meeting, but a space and place to harbor open discussion and idea sharing.
• I’m hoping for a good turnout and positive discussion about the upcoming year!

Update my TBR.

• It’s that time of year again! Look for my post within the first two weeks of the month.

Do you have any goals for the month of April?

If so, I’d love to hear about them! Comment below!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

So far, 2018 is turning out to be very busy. Most of our weekends have been chock-full, although we have had a blessed few where absolutely nothing was on the calendar. March seemed to drag on a little bit, probably because of the crazy weather! At least now it’s a bit more spring-like. Temperatures in the 60s and 70s – I’ll take it!

Here’s the link to my March Goals post:

• Getting Personal #106: March Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Semi-Achieved.
2. See A Wrinkle In Time. — Did not accomplish.
3. See Ready Player One. — Accomplished!
4. Attend a meet-and-greet with Old Dominion Greyhound Adoption. — Accomplished!
5. Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month. — Accomplished!
6. Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition. — Accomplished!
7. Make chocolate mousse for the office. — Accomplished!
8. Make at least one thrift store donation run. — Accomplished!
9. Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Work at least one hour on my Lady Lounge every weekend. — Semi-Achieved.

• I was able to do this for a few weekends, but not all.
• I spent two solid hours on one Sunday afternoon, and I was immensely proud of myself. I’m slowly carving a path through!

See A Wrinkle In Time. — Did not accomplish.

• This wasn’t a priority for us. Maybe one day soon!

See Ready Player One. — Accomplished!

• We have tickets to see it TODAY! Cannot wait!

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

• We did this on Saturday, March 10th. We had so much fun!
• You can read more about it in my post from March 12th: Adventure Time: Newport News & Williamsburg Edition (Greyhounds, Colonial Williamsburg, and Romantic Escape Package)
• We have the application in hand, but we’re waiting a little longer to submit it. We need to build the fence!

Update the Household Bills spreadsheet by the end of the month. — Accomplished!

• It feels good!

Prepare for my P.E.O. officer transition. — Accomplished!

• I was officially elected and installed as the chapter’s treasurer!
• Thankfully, almost everything is logged and recorded through Excel. That makes me happy!
• I’m excited for this new role!

Make chocolate mousse for the office. — Accomplished!

• Al helped me make it, and I brought it to the office last week. Out of three I’ve made since Thanksgiving, this one was the best of them all. It was awesome!
• My department director was even able to find the original recipe online, and sent it to everyone.

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

• We dropped off all the clothing donations, plus the big boxes of books and DVDs.
• Then, after that solid two hours of work in my Lady Lounge, I had quite a bit to donate. We loaded up the car and dropped it off at the CHKD Thrift Store near our house.

Continue to make progress with my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. — Accomplished!

• I signed up for CampNaNoWriMo for the first time, with a singular focus on this endeavor.
• Read more in my March 27th post: Getting Personal #111: Camp NaNoWriMo
• Feeling inspired, I went on an awesome sprint this past week. When Al was in the shower on Thursday morning, I wrote over 1,100 words! Woohoo!
• And then, last night, I wrote another 884 words!
• I’m up to 37 pages now. It’s really starting to come together, and I’m enjoying writing again.
• I wrote approximately 2,025 words!! Happy dance over here!!
• Current word count: 13,241 words.

Final Thoughts:

• I was able to put Accomplished next to seven out of nine goals. More than 75 percent – I call that a win!
• The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: This was mainly due to time constraints. However, I’m happy with the progress I made.
• The one goal that I did not accomplish: I’m not too worried about this one. Movies will always be there to watch.

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

Come back tomorrow to see my April Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

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 🙂