Tag Archives: Personal

02.28.17
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Getting Personal #62: February Goals Recap

setting-goals-is-the-first-step-in-turning-the-invisible-into-the-visible

Image Credit: Quotlr

The end of February snuck up on me! Wow!

Here’s the link to my February Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.
  2. Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.
  3. Donate blood. – Did not accomplish.
  4. Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th. – Accomplished!
  5. Finally see Hidden Figures! – Accomplished!
  6. Buy a desk. – Did not accomplish.
  7. Buy a shelving system for my dolls! – Did not accomplish.
  8. Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house. – Did not accomplish.
  9. Make at least three new recipes! – Semi-Achieved.
  10. Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th. – Did not accomplish.

Here’s the breakdown:

Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.

  • I didn’t write one single post!

Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.

  • I didn’t write a single new word.

Donate blood. – Did not accomplish.

  • I got close! But, my iron wasn’t quite high enough. Here’s to April!

Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th. – Accomplished!

  • Hooray!
  • Mr. Barry Katz was lucky #6,000. He’s been a regular donor for years.

Finally see Hidden Figures! – Accomplished!

  • We went to Cinebistro in Hampton – It’s a great place!
  • If you haven’t seen it, it comes highly recommended!

Buy a desk. – Did not accomplish.

  • I finally started to make space for this desk in the Lady Lounge, but I haven’t 100 percent decided what I want to buy.

Buy a shelving system for my dolls! – Did not accomplish.

  • See above – I’m still not happy with my options at the moment.
  • Any tips for a shelving unit that has at least 20 inches of height?

Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house. – Did not accomplish.

  • See the above two!

Make at least three new recipes! – Semi-Achieved.

  • For the Super Bowl, I made Pillsbury’s S’mores Pretzel Cookie Bars!
  • Tonight, we tried Campbell’s Skillet Meals for the first time!

Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th. – Did not accomplish.

  • Unfortunately, the week before the meeting, I came down with the flu!
  • Although I was feeling better by the day of the meeting, I didn’t want to infect anyone.

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to two out of 10 goals. I’ll take it!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I want to get back to home cooking! We ate a lot of pre-packaged food this month (frozen pizza, Bertolli meals, etc.), so I want to get back on track again.
  • The seven goals that I didn’t accomplish: This one hurt, a lot. But, I’ve been busier this month for several different reasons (See more in tomorrow’s post!). Plus, being sick for the better part of a whole week was frustrating!

Did you have any goals for February?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for March!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.19.17
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Getting Personal #61: My Skin & Makeup Routines (Part 2)

makeup

Image Credit: The Odyssey Online

As promised, here’s Part 2 of my skin and makeup routines!

If you missed Part 1, here’s the link to the post:

Ready?

Here we go!

Makeup

Like I mentioned last week, my makeup routine is pretty simple. I’ve tried both foundation and powder over several years, and I’ve finally decided that I don’t want to use either one!

Here’s my current makeup routine, in four easy steps:

  1. Blush
  2. Eyeshadow
  3. Eyeliner
  4. Mascara

—

I remember getting introduced to Mary Kay products back when I was in middle school. Between my mom using their skin care products (She still does now!), and several friends having free facials and makeovers at sleepovers, I loved their makeup back then.

Think of a early teenage Laura Beth experimenting with shades like Cotton Candy, Lime Green, Icy Blue, and more …

Years ago, a friend started selling Mary Kay to help pay her way through college. I bought several things at that launch party that I’ve loved since:

I still like a lot of what Mary Kay makes, but I don’t have a regular rep that I buy from right now. Most makeup that I’ve bought in the last year or so has actually come from the Dollar Tree, Walmart, Target, or your average drugstore (Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy, etc.)

—

Three Mary Kay items that I currently use actually came from a local Goodwill store:

So, back to my current four-step routine. This is what I do, and use, on an almost daily basis:

  1. Blush – Either Sparkling Cider or Cherry Blossom. With my skin tone, I can be liberal with Sparkling Cider, but cautious with Cherry Blossom. Too much of that, and I turn into a porcelain doll!
  2. Eyeshadow – I use the Eye Definer brush for either Truffle or Chocolate Kiss, on my eyelids. I use the Eye Crease brush for Spun Silk, on the skin between my lids and my brows.
  3. Eyeliner – I normally like/prefer a crayon or twist-up black eyeliner, but recently I’ve been loving my L.A. Colors liquid eyeliner. This came from my local Dollar Tree!
  4. Mascara – I used a few different types of mascara from Mary Kay until it ran out. Then, in 2015, while planning my wedding, I found L’Oreal Paris Telescopic Original Mascara from Walmart.com. I loved the look so much on my wedding day, that I bought a second tube!

This morning – Fresh face, no makeup.

Just ten minutes later, all four steps complete.




—

I definitely love my Mary Kay brushes, don’t get me wrong!

But, I recently found something amazing:

Wizard Wands!!

I ordered these from Storybook Cosmetics a while back, and they are awesome!

Makeup Tips

  • Pay attention to your eye color.
    • I have hazel/green eyes, so I naturally lean toward more brown/beige/suede tones for my eyeshadow.
    • For eyeliner and mascara, I tend to go back and forth between black and dark brown. Both colors work well for me.
  • Always moisturize your face before applying makeup.
    • As mentioned in Part 1, I use Enzymion and Tea Tree Toner from LUSH Handmade Cosmetics. I’ve found that this combination, right now, works the best for my skin. I highly recommend for you to research your skin and test (and re-test) until you find something that works best for you.
    • When I wear makeup (not every day), my skin still feels hydrated and fresh all day.
  • Always take your makeup off before going to bed!
    • I cannot stress this enough – It’s so important. Your face will thank you.
    • This has never happened to me (knock on wood), but one of my friend’s wives got a terrible case of blepharitis (eyelid inflammation) the week of their wedding! It happened mainly because she wasn’t taking off her eye makeup before going to sleep. Lucky for her, she received prompt treatment and everything cleared up for their big day!
    • I currently use oil-free makeup wipes, but you can also make your own.
    • You can also use Coalface or Dark Angels from LUSH. I want to try one of these products next, primarily to cut down on the waste that wipes create.
  • If you’re interested in learning more about makeup, I definitely recommend contacting a Mary Kay representative near you. However, two other good places to learn and explore are Ulta Beauty and Sephora. If you decide to go with either of those, I suggest going into a store. I’ve found that employees at both are not only knowledgeable, but super helpful! Sephora even has the Color IQ test, where you can find out your exact skin tones (red, yellow) and the employees will help you with specific product recommendations for lips, foundation, and concealer.
  • Learn how to wash your brushes/applicators properly, and how often.
  • Make sure to read expiration dates on all of your makeup. Most companies are now required to have a jar symbol with an indicator such as 6M (six months after opening), 12M (twelve months after opening), and so on. There are different recommended dates of use for different types of makeup.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.13.17
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Getting Personal #60: My Skin & Makeup Routines (Part 1)

lush-harbor-east

Image Credit: Harbor East

Many thanks to Megan over at Freckled Italian for inspiring this post!

Here’s Megan’s original post:

Ready?

Here we go!

Skin

Some of you know that I got into LUSH Handmade Cosmetics products well over a year ago, thanks to a few friends who talked it up. I wasn’t disappointed!

It helps that there’s a store in Norfolk’s MacArthur Mall. It’s an expensive investment, but the benefits have absolutely paid off in spades.

Before I found LUSH, I was using a combination of Clean & Clear products and a few things that my mom and others had recommended. I couldn’t seem to control the oil, and I had absolutely hellacious breakouts during that lovely time of the month. I was massively frustrated. I didn’t want to wear makeup. My skin is relatively sensitive, but I never, ever realized what I was using to wash and moisturize my face could be harming it.

—

In December 2015, I walked into LUSH for the first time. The staff were wonderful! I was immediately entranced by everything that they offered. They update their product lines regularly, and they always seem to have something new when I visit.

The idea is to use just a little bit of the product every day. Some of my LUSH stuff lasts for MONTHS, and it’s awesome. In all of 2016, I only visited the store four times to make purchases.

—

This is what I have used and/or sampled since Day 1:

I liked Angels on Bare Skin and Movis, but I probably won’t buy those again. Some of the smells were super strong!

I may buy Aqua Marina again, because it has calamine lotion in it. Considering I usually get eaten alive by mosquitoes in the warmer months, I’ll probably keep a small “pot” of it at home. I will probably do the same with either Dark Angels or Coalface, since both are good to use for makeup remover.

I definitely want to buy Ocean Salt again, closer to the summer months. It smells like the beach, and I felt like I was in a spa every time I used it!

I love the variety of bath bombs that LUSH offers. The baths I have taken with them – Three since we bought our house – have been calming and soothing.

—

I currently have the following in my bathroom:

The one without a side label is Enzymion. The pots fit perfectly on the shelves in our mirrored cabinet.

Buche de Noel is one of my favorite products. It smells like Christmas, and it does a great job on my face and skin. I use it every day in the shower on my face (unless I just got my eyebrows waxed), and I usually scrub it all over my arms and heels. It’s really helped when the skin on my heels has been very dry and rough. It’s a seasonal item, so I try to make this last as long as possible.

Top: Buche de Noel. Bottom left: Christingle. Bottom right: Enzymion.


Christingle is a new product that I discovered on my last store visit. It smells amazing, and the cool, refreshing tingle I feel after I use it in the shower feels awesome. Like Buche de Noel, I’m trying to make it last, since I won’t be able to buy it again until later in 2017.

Enzymion and Tea Tree Water have been with me since Day 1 – I will always buy these. Enzymion is the perfect moisturizer for my skin. This has helped dramatically reduce breakouts, and my skin feels lighter and far less oily now. The Tea Tree Water is so refreshing. I spritz it on right after I apply Enzymion. In the hotter months, I like to put it in the fridge. It makes the hot and humid days bearable!

I haven’t tried Rose Jam yet. Soon!

—

This is just a short list of what I want to try in the future:

The other bonus – When you bring back five clean labeled “pots” after using the products, LUSH will give you a free face mask. They reuse the pots, and then recycle them later on.

I’m excited to do this for the first time soon – I had enough pots to redeem in December, but they didn’t have any face masks to give me! I’m collecting them in a box. During my next trip, I can’t wait to see what I get.

Makeup

Since Megan’s post focused on makeup, this is was my comment:

“For me, I completely skip foundation and powder – The different stuff I’ve tried over the years seems to just clog my pores and makes me itchy! I do four things on a regular basis. First, I sweep on some blush – I love Mary Kay. I switch between “Sparkling Cider” and “Cherry Rose.” Second, I do eyeshadow – Also Mary Kay. Since I have green/hazel eyes, I prefer brown/suede/beige tones (“Truffle,” “Chocolate Kiss,” and “Spun Silk.” Third, I’m loving liquid eyeliner right now – The stuff I use currently came from the Dollar Tree. Lastly, I put on mascara. I loved the Maybelline Telescoping Lashes mascara that I bought for my wedding so much, that I saved the information and bought a second tube! It probably takes 10 minutes total, but the compliments are totally worth it.”

—

However, since the Skin section took up such a huge chunk of this post, I’m dividing this post into two parts.

Come back this time next week to learn more about my makeup routine!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.05.17
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Getting Personal #59: “Snow Cabin, Mora, Sweden” (Reblogged)

This photo is so beautiful. Personally, I love to see snow at least once per winter, which isn’t every year here in Hampton Roads. We did get socked with 7-8 inches one weekend in January, so I think we’ve had our fill for 2017.

Now, here we are, in early February, going back and forth between 40 degree and 70 degree temperatures! Ugh. No wonder everyone’s been sick recently.

Anyway, I wouldn’t mind taking a vacation and spending a week in this gorgeous cabin. Scandinavia is on my growing list of places to travel!

Enjoy the Super Bowl today!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.01.17
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Getting Personal #58: February Goals

february2015goals

Image Credit: Michael and Tara

 

Wow, welcome to February 2017!

Here are my goals for February:

  1. Begin my journal adventure.
  2. Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
  3. Donate blood.
  4. Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th.
  5. Finally see Hidden Figures!
  6. Buy a desk.
  7. Buy a shelving system for my dolls!
  8. Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.
  9. Make at least three new recipes!
  10. Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th.

Here’s the breakdown:

Begin my journaling adventure.

  • I’m determined to do this!
  • I’m not setting a goal of an entry every night, but I want to get pretty close to that.

Finish my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I’m doing it. I want to set aside at least 15 minutes for three nights a week. If I feel motivated to do more than that, I will!
  • My plan is to work toward the 50,000 word count. I have a ways to go, but I want to finish it, once and for all. This one has dominated my thoughts since Christmas.
  • I’m excited to share my progress!

Donate blood.

  • Our next blood drive is on Saturday. I hope to have a high enough iron level!

Celebrate our 6,000th donated pint at our blood drive on February 4th.

  • We are just 46 pints away from number 6,000!
  • This is so exciting. We have a big celebration planned!
  • Doing the math – That will be 750 gallons donated!

Finally see Hidden Figures!

  • I’m so excited to finally see this movie, this weekend!
  • The author of the book is from Hampton, and the movie is set at NASA Langley, also in Hampton. I see the sign for the base every day on my commute!

Buy a desk.

  • I’m ready to pick out a desk for the Lady Lounge!

Buy a shelving system for my dolls!

  • We received a generous Target gift card from family friends for Christmas, so I’ll be buying a shelving system for my American Girl dolls.
  • I’ve been looking around for the perfect size – At least 24 inches between shelves, and around that depth. I’m excited to finally display them properly!

Move my huge bookcase, books, and dolls from Mom and Dad’s to our house.

  • This is the last of my things from Mom and Dad’s. I’m excited to start to bring the Lady Lounge to completion!

Make at least three new recipes!

  • Recently, I’ve found a ton of mouth-watering recipes! I made Cajun Chicken Alfredo this past weekend – Yummy!
  • I’m excited to make something new – A delicious dessert – for the Super Bowl party this weekend
  • I also want to find at least one other recipe in Megan’s cookbook!

Successfully co-host the PEO meeting on February 13th.

  • As co-hostess, I’m in charge of refreshments for the hostess, in Virginia Beach.
  • Since the meeting is the day before Valentine’s Day, I plan to have several heart-shaped or heart-themed goodies!

Do you have any goals for February?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.31.17
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Getting Personal #57: January Goals Recap

Image Credit: quotesgram.com

I can’t believe we’re already a whole month into 2017! So crazy!

Here’s the link to my January Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge. – Accomplished!
  2. Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st. – Semi-achieved. 
  3. Celebrate Al’s birthday! – Accomplished!
  4. Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.
  5. Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.
  6. Update my TBR list. – Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge. – Accomplished!

Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st. – Semi-achieved.

  • I didn’t do the best job of cataloging everything this month – All the receipts went in one big pile. Not helpful when it’s time to record them!
  • However, I did log all of them in our budget spreadsheet, so I call that part a WIN!

Celebrate Al’s birthday! – Accomplished!

  • The food we had last week was amazing – Smoky Applewood steak, shrimp, Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, cookie cake, and ice cream! Yummy!
  • I loved Al’s reaction to his birthday card and gifts – I went on an Amazon shopping spree and gave him three different Batman DVDs, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and this Marvel deck-building card game. It felt awesome.

Begin my journal adventure. – Did not accomplish.

  • I had my journal and pen ready, but it didn’t happen this month. Not one single entry.
  • Tonight, I’m carrying both upstairs when I get ready for bed. My thought is, if I try to read every night before going to sleep – I can certainly carve out a few minutes to write in my journal!

Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor. – Did not accomplish.

  • Argh. This was frustrating. I felt motivated to start this project at the beginning of the month, but working full-time, behind a computer, is exhausting. Most nights, after work, I didn’t want to look at another screen.
  • However, I felt inspired this past weekend, talking to fellow authors and aspiring ones at an event. All of them said the same thing – JUST DO IT!

Update my TBR list. – Accomplished!

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to 3 out of 6 goals. Hooray!!
  • The one goal that was Semi-Achieved: I know what I need to do from here on out to accomplish that goal!
  • The two goals that I didn’t accomplish: Honestly, I completely dropped the ball on these. I felt motivated to do both during the month, but I just didn’t make time for them. Here’s to February!

Did you have any goals for January?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for February!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.21.17
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Getting Personal #55: “To A More Perfect Union”

I’ve tried really, really hard to not be political here on the blog, despite the tumultuous event that was the 2016 Presidential election. Politics have never been something I’ve been incredibly comfortable discussing, much less writing about, so I decided a while ago to keep quiet, unless something significant struck my heart or soul, and stirred something in me to write.

And then, yesterday, my stomach was in knots for most of the morning. The thing that most of us thought would never come true, actually happened. Donald Trump was inaugurated as the next President of the United States.

—

During lunch, as I was contemplating the future of healthcare, women’s rights, and other things, I turned to one of my favorite blogs, Freckled Italian.

Her post for Friday, January 20th couldn’t have been more aptly titled:

After reading it, and re-reading it, and reading it for a third time, I started to feel my stomach un-knoting itself, ever so slightly.

toamoreperfectunion-freckleditalian

Image Credit: Freckled Italian

I downloaded the poster, printed it, and I plan to buy a frame for it this weekend. On Monday, I’ll place it in said frame and find a good spot for it on my desk, where I can look it every single day.

Thanks, Megan, for sharing. I needed it, and I think a lot of people needed it, too.

—

I’m raising my coffee mug this morning, one day after a historic inauguration, silently toasting, “Here’s to a more perfect union.”

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

01.20.17
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Getting Personal #54: “Zurich University Library, Switzerland” (Reblogged)

Honestly, when I first saw this photo, I thought it was a library in a fancy subway station!

I love seeing photos of other libraries, around the world! Seeing these every so often just furthers my desire to travel and take the time to visit them!

What about you? Is there a library that holds a special place in your heart? Where do you dream of traveling someday?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth

01.01.17
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Getting Personal #52: January Goals

goals-new-year

Image Credit: emilysquotes.com

Happy New Year! Cheers to 2017!

Here are my goals for January:

  1. Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge.
  2. Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st.
  3. Celebrate Al’s birthday!
  4. Begin my journal adventure.
  5. Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.
  6. Update my TBR list.

Here’s the breakdown:

Kick off the 52 Weeks of Gratitude Challenge.

  • Thanks to Kristian at Life Lessons Around The Dinner Table, I’m so excited to start a a full YEAR challenge!
  • My plan is to publish these posts on Wednesdays, so look for a new post every single week in 2017!

Catalog all receipts and log them in our budget spreadsheet before February 1st.

  • All I could think about for the last few days was the best ways to keep our mountain of receipts organized and cataloging them in a timely manner. I want to have a good picture of our budget for 2017 early!

Celebrate Al’s birthday!

  • Al’s birthday is later this month!
  • It falls on a Wednesday this year, so we’ll be working that day, but I’ll make sure it’s a special day.
  • Surf and turf, and cookie cake! Yum!!

Begin my journal adventure.

Start editing my 2012 NaNoWriMo endeavor.

  • I started a series called Writing Wednesdays in 2015, where I bravely shared my 2012, 2013, and 2014 National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) attempts / endeavors.
  • Here’s the first post: New Series: Writing Wednesdays
  • I’m excited to finally be at the point where I feel comfortable enough to start editing my first endeavor. The ultimate goal will be to get this piece to at least 50,000 words.

Update my To Be Read (TBR) list.

Happy 2017, everyone! I’m so excited for the New Year. It symbolizes a fresh start.

Do you have any goals for January?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

12.31.16
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Getting Personal #51: December Goals Recap

goals-pinterest

Image Credit: pinterest.com

December was a complete blur. Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone!

Here’s the link to my December Goals post:

—

Ready?

Here we go!

  1. Decorate for Christmas. – Accomplished!
  2. Fully clean up / clean out the attached garage. – Semi-achieved.
  3. Enjoy several holiday parties! – Accomplished!
  4. Donate blood. – Accomplished!
  5. Create our budget for 2017. – Semi-achieved.
  6. Help either a child or a family have a good Christmas. – Accomplished!
  7. See Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! – Accomplished!
  8. Make peppermint bark. – Accomplished!

Here’s the breakdown:

Decorate for Christmas – Accomplished!

  • We bought our first Christmas tree! We enjoyed decorating it together. It’s been such a pretty addition to our living room.
christmas-tree-december-2016

Photo Credit: Al Vardaro

Fully clean up / clean out the attached garage. – Semi-achieved.

  • This is something that’s still a work in progress. We were able to clean out several boxes and find places for some more kitchen items, DVDs, etc. However, we still have a ways to go before it’s completely clean.

Enjoy several holiday parties! – Accomplished!

  • We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Amanda and Dan’s party on Saturday, December 3rd. I got so wrapped up in playing Exploding Kittens and Cards Against Humanity, that we didn’t leave until 11:45 p.m.!
  • Al’s company holiday party was Friday, December 9th. It was a good time, with a Hollywood theme. Al even won a brand-new FitBit Alta!
  • Later tonight, we’ll gather to celebrate New Year’s and Al’s co-worker Kathryn’s birthday! We’ve really enjoyed getting together with her, her husband Tim, and other friends to ring in the New Year! I don’t know about you, but I’m beyond ready for 2017 to begin!
bauer-holiday-party-december-2016

The selfie we took toward the end of the night at Bauer’s Christmas Party.

Donate blood. – Accomplished!

  • I crushed the hemoglobin test with a reading of 13.1 – Women need at least 12.5 to qualify to give. I was so excited! Plus, my favorite phlebotomist, Spencer, was there. He always makes my giving experience pleasant!

Create our budget for 2017. – Semi-achieved.

  • We started the spreadsheet. I’ve been playing catch-up with our 2016 sheet, cataloging receipts for days.
  • Note to self for 2017: Get envelopes and file receipts immediately, and then catalog at month’s end!

Help either a child or a family have a good Christmas. – Accomplished!

  • Just days after making my December Goals post, a friend from college put out a call to for help. She wanted to help a former student of hers and her family have a good Christmas.
  • I went shopping for the two girls, ages 12 and 15. I thoroughly enjoyed buying some horses with hair they could style and brush, along with a pair of jeans and two sweaters apiece.
  • I wrapped everything up and met Amy for lunch in Hampton on Monday, December 19th. She was so appreciative! My heart was full.
  • On Monday, December 26th, Amy sent a Facebook message that had a photo of the girls and their mom, all smiles. It was a fantastic Christmas for them, and they were overflowing with gratitude and appreciation. It felt awesome to contribute.

See Rogue One: A Star Wars Story! – Accomplished!

  • Al and I first saw it in XD at our local Cinemark theater on Thursday, December 15th. It was very good. The theater was buzzing with excitement and the atmosphere was awesome.
  • Then, our friend Drew came down to stay with us that Friday. We saw it at Paragon Theaters in Newport News on Saturday, December 17th. It was good to see it again – There were things that I had definitely missed the first time around.
  • I will admit, although it was very good, The Force Awakens still has my heart.
  • Cannot wait for Episode VIII!

Make peppermint bark – Accomplished!

  • Here’s the recipe I used: Almost-Famous Peppermint Bark
  • The hardest part was standing up for nearly an hour to melt both kinds of chocolate. However, judging by the look and smell from last night, it’s gonna be delicious.

Final Thoughts

  • I was able to put Accomplished next to 6 out of 8 goals. Hooray!!
  • The two goals that were Semi-Achieved: The weekends this month were exceptionally busy this month, and I wasn’t as diligent on weeknights as I would have liked to be.

Did you have any goals for December?

Come back tomorrow to see my goals for January!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂