Happy New Year!!

Here are my goals for the month of January:

1. Help Al maintain our new and improved budget spreadsheet.
2. Check out savings and investing apps.
3. Clear the clutter in my Lady Lounge.
4. Donate, donate, donate.
5. Continue work on my 2013 WIP.
6. Reset our cleaning schedule.
7. Get back on track with The ABC Book Challenge posts.

Here’s the breakdown:

Help Al maintain our new and improved budget spreadsheet.

• We decided to start a Google Doc that has all of our budget items for 2019. Hopefully, this will be much more manageable and less frustrating!

Check out savings and investing apps.

• Since I listen to a lot of podcasts, there are always advertisements. I’ve heard about Robin Hood, an investing app. I don’t know if I’ll commit to it, but I want to check it out.
• One app that our sister-in-law loves and swears by is ibotta.

Clear the clutter in my Lady Lounge.

• I started recently – I spent nearly two hours in there last Saturday afternoon. I filled four donation boxes, finally organized my bookshelf, replaced the light bulbs in the ceiling fan fixture, filled a trash bag completely, and cut up at least 10 various-sized boxes for recycling.
• Next weekend – I want to concentrate on the filing system.

Donate, donate, donate.

• I’m long overdue to make a few trips to the thrift store and the library.

Continue work on my 2013 WIP.

• Current word count: 14,247 words.
• My rough goal is to reach at least 17,000 words before the end of January.

Reset our cleaning schedule.

• I started using our wall calendar to mark what area of the house needed cleaning every weekend. This was a good system for us, since we typically divide and conquer the cleaning together. Just need to get back to it.

Get back on track with The ABC Book Challenge posts.

• My original plan was to post these every Monday, but it’s fallen by the wayside recently. However, I’m committed to posting one every Monday in January!

Do you have any goals for the month of January?

If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: First Baptist Church

It’s the end of 2018! Wow!!

Here’s the link to my December Goals post:

• Getting Personal #149: December Goals

—

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Finally reach at least 50,000 words for my 2012 WIP. — Accomplished!
2. Finally send my 2012 WIP to my best friend for the first round of editing. — Did not accomplish.
3. Make an outline for the remainder of my 2013 WIP. — Did not accomplish.
4. Start planning next steps for my 2014 and 2018 WIPs. — Accomplished!
5. Decorate for Christmas. — Did not accomplish.
6. Read at least three books. — Did not accomplish.
7. Enjoy Al’s company holiday party. — Accomplished!
8. Seriously send some snail mail! — Did not accomplish.
9. Be a Secret Santa! — Accomplished!
10. Take donations to the library and thrift store. — Did not accomplish.
11. Make an “essentials only” spending list for 2019. — Accomplished!
12. Enjoy Christmas and New Year’s! — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Finally reach at least 50,000 words for my 2012 WIP. — Accomplished! 

• December 8th: 606 new words
• December 9th: 217 new words
• December 30th: 620 new words
• December 31st: 2,372 new words
• Current word count: 50,461 words
• I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!
• I DID IT!!!!!

Finally send my 2012 WIP to my best friend for the first round of editing. — Did not accomplish.

• I haven’t finished the story yet.

Make an outline for the remainder of my 2013 WIP. — Did not accomplish.

• This was put on the back burner.

Start planning next steps for my 2014 and 2018 WIPs. — Accomplished!

• I have a timeline established for these two. I want to use Camp NaNoWriMo in April to work on the 2014 WIP, and then the July session to focus on the 2018 WIP.

Decorate for Christmas. — Did not accomplish.

• Since we didn’t celebrate at home this year, we decided that the tree wasn’t necessary.
• I wanted to put up the wreath on our front door with battery-operated Christmas lights and Christmas ribbon, but that didn’t happen.

Read at least three books. — Did not accomplish.

• I just barely managed to finish one.
• Book Review #67: “Small Town”

Enjoy Al’s company holiday party. — Accomplished!

• We had ourselves a good time!

Seriously send some snail mail! — Did not accomplish.

• No effort at all.

Be a Secret Santa! — Accomplished!

• See the photos below!

Take donations to the library and thrift store. — Did not accomplish.

• The boxes are stacked and ready, but they didn’t make it to their destinations this month.

Make an “essentials only” spending list for 2019. — Accomplished!

• Here’s my list: A new pair of glasses, a new pair of prescription sunglasses, my first pair of Rothy’s shoes, continuing Rodan and Fields skincare, and a new business suit.
• A good chunk of the rest of my money will be squirreled away!

Enjoy Christmas and New Year’s! — Accomplished!

• We had a wonderful time at Al’s parents for Christmas. We took almost a week off of work, and it was great. Al had nearly two weeks off altogether.
• No New Year’s parties for us – Just a quiet night at home with our dogs, a delicious dinner, and watching movies until midnight, with Martinelli’s sparkling cider.

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to six out of 12 goals. I’ll take 50 percent. Not bad for the end of the year!
• The six goals that I did not accomplish: A lot of these were due to time constraints, and lack of motivation and effort.

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

Come back tomorrow to see my January Goals!

Happy New Year!!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit:BeautyBeyondBones

Holy moly. It’s already December. December of 2018. This year absolutely FLEW BY!

Here are my goals for the month of December:

1. Finally reach at least 50,000 words for my 2012 WIP.
2. Finally send my 2012 WIP to my best friend for the first round of editing.
3. Make an outline for the remainder of my 2013 WIP.
4. Start planning next steps for my 2014 and 2018 WIPs.
5. Decorate for Christmas.
6. Read at least three books.
7. Enjoy Al’s company holiday party.
8. Seriously send some snail mail!
9. Be a Secret Santa!
10. Take donations to the library and thrift store.
11. Make an “essentials only” spending list for 2019.
12. Enjoy Christmas and New Year’s!

Here’s the breakdown:

Finally reach at least 50,000 words for my 2012 WIP.

• I’m seriously *this close* (Imagine me making a small space between my thumb and index finger) to reaching 50,000 words!

Finally send my 2012 WIP to my best friend for the first round of editing.

• Once I hit 50,000 words (or more), I’ll send the Word document off to Melissa! I’m so excited that she agreed to do the first round of editing!

Make an outline for the remainder of my 2013 WIP.

• Doing all these writing projects and endeavors in 2018 is inspiring me to pick up my other WIPs. I really want to flesh out the rest of this one, tentatively titled “Specialton.”

Start planning next steps for my 2014 and 2018 WIPs.

• Along the same lines, I want to set deadlines for outlines and fleshing out my 2014 WIP, tentatively titled “Discussion of Differences,” and my newest WIP, tentatively titled “Tunnel Vision.”

Decorate for Christmas.

• We are going to decorate this weekend!

Read at least three books.

• I’m nearly finished with my current book. I’m itching to finish it, and start on the next one. My nightstand stack needs to decrease!

Enjoy Al’s company holiday party.

• I’m excited to attend the “Masquerade” on Friday, December 7th.

Seriously send some snail mail!

• I’ve been a pen pal to an 8-year-old boy in another part of Virginia since the school year started. I can’t wait to send him a birthday card this month.
• I also want to send some other mail to a few friends that I enjoy corresponding with throughout the year.

Be a Secret Santa!

• I’m excited to be a “Secret Santa” to three teenagers this year!

Take donations to the library and thrift store.

• This is self-explanatory. Clearing out the Lady Lounge and garages!

Make an “essentials only” spending list for 2019.

• My savings account has been woefully depleted since the middle of 2017, due to high credit card bills. I’m determined to commit to saving as much money as humanly possible during 2019, so I want to make this list and stick to it.
• A few examples: New glasses, new prescription sunglasses, a new pair of black flats/dress shoes.

Enjoy Christmas and New Year’s!

• Both holidays will be here before we know it!

Do you have any goals for the month of December?

If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

Image Credit: BeautyBeyondBones

November felt like a long month, but it was a good one!

Here’s the link to my November Goals:

• Getting Personal #146: November Goals

—

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Participate in NaNoWriMo 2018! — Accomplished!
2. Celebrate three years of marriage with Al! — Accomplished!
3. Switch over my wardrobe. — Accomplished!
4. Take my lunch to work every day, except Fridays. — Accomplished!
5. Donate items to Project Beauty Share. — Did not accomplish.
6. Continue work on my Lady Lounge. — Semi-Achieved.
7. Write at least two Book Reviews. — Accomplished!
8. Focus on de-cluttering. — Semi-Achieved.
9. Enjoy Thanksgiving! — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Participate in NaNoWriMo 2018! — Accomplished!

• I enjoyed starting the story. I didn’t make nearly as much progress as I wanted, but I did write a good chunk! Look for my NaNoWriMo 2018 recap on the blog soon!

Celebrate three years of marriage with Al! — Accomplished!

• We enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Vintage Tavern in Suffolk. A beautiful dress and coordinating sweater arrived just in time for me to wear it!

Switch over my wardrobe. — Accomplished!

• It felt really good to finally do this. Plus, I pulled out a good pile of stuff to donate, too.

Take my lunch to work every day, except Fridays. — Accomplished!

• Saving money is awesome!

Donate items to Project Beauty Share. — Did not accomplish.

• I didn’t do it this month, but I need a bigger box now. I found more things to give!

Continue work on my Lady Lounge. — Semi-Achieved.

• I didn’t make as many progress as I wanted, but I did spend some time reorganizing a few spaces.

Write at least two Book Reviews. — Accomplished!

• Book Review #65: “Fallible Justice” (ARC Review)
• Book Review #66: “WHO KNEW? … Reflections On Vietnam”

Focus on de-cluttering. — Semi-Achieved.

• The biggest accomplishment was clearing off the dining room table for the party of 11 that we had to celebrate several birthdays and our wedding anniversary during the weekend of November 18th!
• Given how cold it’s gotten recently, I fully expect to fill up a lot more boxes next month!

Enjoy Thanksgiving! — Accomplished!

• We enjoyed a lovely meal with my parents and several family friends. I made chocolate mousse again. Best of all, after everyone else left, A land I spent the better part of four hours with my parents, catching up and sharing stories.

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to six out of nine goals. Yay!!
• The two goals that were Semi-Achieved: A lot of this was time-based. Plus, most of our weekends in November were completely full!
• The one goal that I did not accomplish: I’m not too upset about. More things to donate to a worthy cause!

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 🙂

Image Credit: Carrington Academy

We’re getting close to the end of 2018! It gets faster every year.

Here are my goals for the month of November:

1. Participate in NaNoWriMo 2018!
2. Celebrate three years of marriage with Al!
3. Switch over my wardrobe.
4. Take my lunch to work every day, except Fridays.
5. Donate items to Project Beauty Share.
6. Continue work on my Lady Lounge.
7. Write at least two Book Reviews.
8. Focus on de-cluttering.
9. Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Here’s the breakdown:

Participate in NaNoWriMo 2018!

• I’m so excited to finally start fleshing out this new story!

Celebrate three years of marriage with Al!

• It’s hard to believe we’ve been married for three years!

Switch over my wardrobe.

• The weather has been absolutely nuts. Today, November 1st, we were expecting a high of 80 degrees. It’s ridiculous.
• However, I’m ready to pack away the warm weather items and pull out the sweaters!

Take my lunch to work every day, except Fridays.

• I’m usually pretty good about this, but we’re trying to save as much money as possible right now for some needed home repairs in a few months, so taking my lunch as much as possible will certainly help.

Donate items to Project Beauty Share.

• As I mentioned last month, I discovered this awesome program in Washington state. I just need to a take lunch break to swing by the post office and get it off to them.

Continue work on my Lady Lounge.

• This goes hand-in-hand with the de-cluttering goal, but I really want to clear out more boxes and make space for my desk!

Write at least two Book Reviews.

• I’m super close to finishing my current book.
• Plus, reading before bed has been helping me sleep better.

Focus on de-cluttering.

• This goes for my Lady Lounge, our garage, my closet, and cabinets!

Enjoy Thanksgiving!

• We don’t know our plans just yet, but I know it will be a good time with our family and friends.

Do you have any goals for the month of November?

If so, I’d love to hear about them!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

October was a bit crazy. I haven’t posted about it, but we had to re-home Pablo earlier in the month, due to severe separation anxiety. We were both devastated, but we knew he would be happier, and safer, in a home where someone would be there at all times, and with other greyhounds. We’re hoping to adopt a senior dog after the holidays!

Here’s the link to my October Goals post:

• Getting Personal #142: October Goals

Ready?

Here we go!

1. Make progress with my Lady Lounge. — Accomplished!
2. Write at least 500 new words for my WIP. — Did not accomplish.
3. Prepare for NaNoWriMo 2018! — Accomplished!
4. Get together with several friends. — Accomplished!
5. Finish reading my current book. — Accomplished!
6. Donate items to Project Beauty Share. — Did not accomplish.
7. Donate blood. — Did not accomplish.
8. Celebrate Halloween! — Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Make progress with my Lady Lounge. — Accomplished!

• Small victories. I cleared out a few more boxes. There’s still more work to do, but I call my small efforts progress.

Write at least 500 new words for my WIP. — Did not accomplish.

• I barely opened my laptop this month.

Prepare for NaNoWriMo 2018! — Accomplished!

• Here’s the link to my Getting Personal post: Getting Personal #144: NaNoWriMo 2018

Get together with several friends. — Accomplished!

• We enjoyed the Halloween party at Kathryn and Tim’s house on the 20th.

Finish reading my current book. — Accomplished!

• Here’s the link to my Book Review: Book Review #64: “Forgetting My Way Back To You” (ARC Review)

Donate items to Project Beauty Share. — Did not accomplish.

• I have the box all ready to go, but never made it to the post office.

Donate blood. — Did not accomplish.

• My iron was too low. But, it was higher than my iron was in August. I feel confident that I will be successful in December.

Celebrate Halloween! — Accomplished!

• We didn’t decorate much this year, but handing out candy is always fun.

Final Thoughts

• I was able to put Accomplished next to five out of eight goals. Yay!
• The three goals I did not accomplish: There’s always next month!

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

Come back tomorrow to see my November Goals!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂