February/March Goals

I can't believe it is March already! Although it is not feeling like spring is around the corner at all.

My February goals were:

*do another declutter challenge: I joined a FB declutter challenge hosted by Erin Tannehill. It was for the month of February and I loved every minute of it. She is an awesome host and was so encouraging to everyone. The members of the group have all been wonderful and we all cheered each other on.

*have another mini party with friends: I hosted a "Gal"entine Party

*exercise 3x/week: I did better, but not perfect

*keep working on craft room: I worked very hard at this. On the days that the declutter challenge didn't apply to me, I worked on the craft room. I have 5 bags plus more ready to go to Goodwill.

*make a new recipe: I made homemade crackers from THIS youtube video (I made it according to their recipe plus I added dried chives). These were VERY good and I'll be making again.

I also made Red Velvet Crepes, also very yummy. I filled mine with homemade hot fudge, homemade whipped cream, and sliced strawberries.

*do a craft project: I didn't get this done as I spent more time cleaning and decluttering my home.

March goals:

*go through the declutter challenge again on my own

*join a mental declutter challenge (this is hosted by the same gal as the declutter challenge I did for February)

*take bags to Goodwill

*crochet booties for granddaughter's baby dedication 

*make a new recipe

*host another gathering

January/February Goals

I can't believe we are already well into Feb! I wanted to pop in and let you know how I am doing on my goals.

My January goals were:
*completing a declutter challenge for the month of January. I chose to follow this one: 30 MINUTE, 30 DAY ORGANIZATION CHALLENGE.  

Yes! I did this.

*decluttering and organizing craft room

We have had a LOT of cold weather and the upstairs (where my craft room is) is not heated. So while I didn't get to work up there as much as I wanted, I took advantage of every "warm" day we had and put a big dent in getting it done.

*friendships: 

          *have some friends over for a cup of tea/coffee "just because"

This was fun. I had a couple friends over for a Winter White party. You can read about it here.

          *send a card to someone letting them know I'm thinking of them

I didn't send a card, but did send several messages.

*my health: I had a lot of health issues that happened in 2018 and are carrying over to 2019, so my goal is to keep better notes of what is going on when and to increase my exercise to 5 days/week

I didn't exercise 5 days/wk, but did exercise a lot more than I had been. Also on the days when I was gone all day out of town, I would park far from wherever I needed to go in and walked to get in more exercise.

For February, again I'm keeping it simple...

*do another declutter challenge

*have another mini party with friends

*exercise 3x/week

*keep working on craft room

*make a new recipe

*do a craft project

My Word for 2019

I chose "focus" for my word for 2019.

2018 was a very hard year and so many things that I planned to do did not happen. I have many things that I want to focus on this year, in part those that didn't happen last year and in part focus on things I learned from some of the hard last year that I feel is /are important. I will be sharing these throughout the year.

In the past I have made plans/resolutions/goals for a whole year. While I have reached some of those goals, it seems for the most part I start out gung-ho and then get distracted/bored/unfocused. So this year after reading one of my favorite blogs (thehomespunheart), I've decided to follow her lead and just set monthly goals.

So to keep it simple, I only have a few goals to focus on for January...

focus on:

*completing a declutter challenge for the month of January. There are so many out there, you can just google it or look on Pinterest and you will have many to choose from. I chose to follow this one:

30 MINUTE, 30 DAY ORGANIZATION CHALLENGE. 

*decluttering and organizing craft room (this will take a good part of the year as I would like to completely remodel it as well and this will take time and money that I need to save for)

*friendships: 

          *have some friends over for a cup of tea/coffee "just because"

          *send a card to someone letting them know I'm thinking of them

*my health: I had a lot of health issues that happened in 2018 and are carrying over to 2019, so my goal is to keep better notes of what is going on when and to increase my exercise to 5 days/week

That's it for January...simple, but things that will take my time and focus. My goal is to post in Feb how I did and list some new things to focus on for February.

2018 goals check-in August

You can read more details about my goals HERE and how I did in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul

*note: some of these are completed, I will continue doing them, but won't keep updating the totals

1. 2018 in 2018 Decluttering Challenge...I have decluttered 1579/2018 items from my home

2. 40 bags in 40 days...
**COMPLETED**

3. Create 365 cards...I am behind on this challenge, it may not happen this year

*total to date: 85/365

4. Try 2 new recipes/month...
**COMPLETED** 

5. Read 25 books...
**COMPLETED** 

6. Put items on Buy/Sell/Trade...still haven't done this and probably won't at this point

7. Completely decluttering and organizing my creative space. slowly working on this as I work on the rest of the house as well

8. Create/Design/Etc 2 pinned items/month that are not food related...2 new this month, but I can't show as they are gifts that haven't been given yet

total to date: 12/24

9. Twelve RAK's for the year...if you are unfamiliar with RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness.
**COMPLETED** 

2018 goals check-in July

You can read more details about my goals HERE and how I did in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun

*note: some of these are completed, I will continue doing them, but won't keep updating the totals

1. 2018 in 2018 Decluttering Challenge...I have decluttered 1579/2018 items from my home

2. 40 bags in 40 days...
*total to date: 51/40**COMPLETED**

3. Create 365 cards...I am behind on this challenge, it may not happen this year*total to date: 85/365

4. Try 2 new recipes/month...
21. Christmas Lasagne made this for our Ladies Night Out "Christmas in July" theme
22. Rhubarb Cake with streusal topping; one of the best rhubarb cakes I've had
23. Frosting
24. Sour Milk Cake

*total to date: 24/24 **COMPLETED** 

5. Read 25 books...
23. "Round the Corner" by Nancy Moser & Vonette Bright
24. "Undivided Heart" by Nancy Moser & Vonette Bright
25. "A Place to Belong" by Nancy Moser & Vonette Bright
26. "The Celebration" by Wanda Brunstetter27. "The Blessing" by Wanda Brunstetter

total to date: 27/25**COMPLETED** 

6. Put items on Buy/Sell/Trade...still haven't done this and probably won't at this point

7. Completely decluttering and organizing my creative space. slowly working on this as I work on the rest of the house as well

8. Create/Design/Etc 2 pinned items/month that are not food related...2 new this month, but I can't show as they are gifts that haven't been given yet

total to date: 12/24

9. Twelve RAK's for the year...if you are unfamiliar with RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness.
13. gift basket to a friend
14. surprised someone with supper
**total to date: 14/12

**COMPLETED** 

2018 goals check-in June

You can read more details about my goals HERE and how I did in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May

I'm a little late checking in, but here are my June updates:
*note: some of these are completed, I will continue doing them, but won't keep updating the totals

1. 2018 in 2018 Decluttering Challenge...
I have decluttered 1400/2018 items from my home

2. 40 bags in 40 days...this challenge ran from Feb 14 -  March 31, I did 32/40 bags. I am going to continue this challenge throughout the rest of the year.

*total to date: 46/40
**COMPLETED**

3. Create 365 cards...
I am behind on this challenge, it may not happen this year
*total to date: 81/365

4. Try 2 new recipes/month...
18. Dark Chocolate Rhubarb Brownies
19. Rhubarb Cookies w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
20. Kraft Shake n Bake copycat this recipe is the perfect amount for 2 leg quarters. growing up, my mom used to make shake 'n Bake chicken. I couldn't believe how much this smelled like what I remembered from my childhood.

*total to date: 20/24 

5. Read 25 books...
23. "Round the Corner" by Nancy Moser & Vonette Bright
24. "Undivided Heart" by Nancy Moser & Vonette Bright
25. "A Place to Belong" by Nancy Moser & Vonette Bright
26. "The Celebration" by Wanda Brunstetter
27. "The Blessing" by Wanda Brunstetter

total to date: 27/25
**COMPLETED** 

6. Put items on Buy/Sell/Trade...still haven't done this and probably won't at this point

7. Completely decluttering and organizing my creative space. 
slowly working on this as I work on the rest of the house as well

8. Create/Design/Etc 2 pinned items/month that are not food related...
made 4 burp cloths using this tutorial

total to date: 10/24

9. Twelve RAK's for the year...if you are unfamiliar with RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness.

13. gift basket to a friend
14. surprised someone with supper

**total to date: 14/12
**COMPLETED** 

2018 goals check-in May

You can read more details about my goals HERE and how I did in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr

1. 2018 in 2018 Decluttering Challenge...
I have decluttered 1357/2018 items from my home

2. 40 bags in 40 days...this challenge ran from Feb 14 -  March 31, I did 32/40 bags. I am going to continue this challenge throughout the rest of the year.

*total to date: 39/40

3. Create 365 cards...
none this month, I thought March was a hard month, but May has been worse. Some major issues with my health and a double funeral with my dearest friend passing away a week later has been almost too much.
*total to date: 68/365

4. Try 2 new recipes/month...
13. Rhubarb Streusel Cake with Vanilla Sauce (I retyped the recipe and have it posted below as the link has spelling and other errors)
14. Garlic Roasted Asparagus with Bacon and Feta Cheese (so good! we've had twice already)
15. Creamy Italian Asparagus good, but I would use 1/2 the Italian seasoning. I didn't like it overpowering the asparagus, but otherwise, very good
16. Shaved Asparagus Pizza this is sooo good!
17. Asparagus Gratin it was so-so

*total to date: 17/24

5. Read 25 books...
20. "The Road Home" by Beverly Lewis
21. "The Sister Circle" by Nancy Moser & Vonette Bright (this is book 1 in the series, definitely looking for the others. loved this story line)
22. "The Seekers" by Wanda Brunstetter

total to date: 22/25

6. Put items on Buy/Sell/Trade...still haven't done this

7. Completely decluttering and organizing my creative space. 
slowly working on this as I work on the rest of the house as well

8. Create/Design/Etc 2 pinned items/month that are not food related...
made these using this and this tutorial

total to date: 9/24

9. Twelve RAK's for the year...if you are unfamiliar with RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness.

10. shared rhubarb cake with vanilla sauce with someone
11. gave someone rhubarb
12. made cinnamon rolls and delivered

**total to date: 12/12

Rhubarb Streusel Cake with Vanilla Sauce

Cake:

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 2 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

• Streusel Topping:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup sugar

• 4 tablespoons butter, softened

Vanilla Sauce:

• ½ cup butter

• ¾ cup sugar

• ½ cup evaporated milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for the cake. Beat in the egg. 

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter/sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating just until moistened. Fold in the chopped rhubarb. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the batter to the edges.

In a medium bowl, combine the streusel topping ingredients, mixing them together until the mixture is coarse and combined. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top of the cake is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

For the sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened (it will thicken more as it cools slightly). Remove from the heat; stir in the vanilla. Serve warm with the cake.

2018 goals check-in April

You can read more details about my goals HERE and how I did in Jan, Feb and Mar

1. 2018 in 2018 Decluttering Challenge...
I have decluttered 1324/2018 items from my home

2. 40 bags in 40 days...this challenge ran from Feb 14 -  March 31, I did 32/40 bags. I am going to continue this challenge throughout the rest of the year.

*total to date: 34/40

3. Create 365 cards...
I created 18 cards this month (I'm a bit behind, but I made a whole bunch of card fronts, so if I can get those finished up in May, I might be back on track)
*total to date: 68/365

4. Try 2 new recipes/month...
9. Carrot Cake Cheesecake (made for Easter)
10. Instant Pot Easy Chicken Wings (a winner and I've made twice so far using my own sauces)
11. Cream Biscuits (okay, but won't make again)
12. Orange Rhubarb Muffins (very moist, but could barely taste the orange, so will add orange essential oil next time)
*total to date: 12/24

5. Read 25 books...
17. "Where the Fire Falls" by Karen Barnett
18. "Welcome Home: Our Family's Journey to Extreme Joy" by Kimberley Woodhouse (I read this during our power outage due to the blizzard. Really put things in perspective!)
19. "936 Pennies" by Erin Lynum

total to date: 19/25

6. Put items on Buy/Sell/Trade...still haven't done this

7. Completely decluttering and organizing my creative space. 
slowly working on this as I work on the rest of the house as well

8. Create/Design/Etc 2 pinned items/month that are not food related...
made these using this and this tutorial and just combined some of the info from both.

total to date: 7/24

9. Twelve RAK's for the year...if you are unfamiliar with RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness.

None for this month

**total to date: 9/12

2018 goals check-in March

This month was hard. There were some hard, unexpected things that happened in our family and not much about this month was normal and scheduled. Hopefully we will have a very "boring" month in April. I have been physically and emotionally drained and for April I am hoping to get back on track.

You can read more details about my goals HERE and how I did in January and February

1. 2018 in 2018 Decluttering Challenge...
I have decluttered 1313/2018 items from my home

2. 40 bags in 40 days...this challenge runs from Feb 14 -  March 31, I did 32/40 bags. I am going to continue this challenge throughout the rest of the year.

*total to date: 32/40

3. Create 365 cards...
I created 20 cards this month 
*total to date: 52/365

4. Try 2 new recipes/month...
due to my schedule being off, not only did I not make anything new, but I also wasn't able to follow my monthly meal plan.

*total to date: 8/24


5. Read 25 books...
13-16. read 4 new books

total to date: 16/25

6. Put items on Buy/Sell/Trade...still haven't done this

7. Completely decluttering and organizing my creative space. 
slowly working on this as I work on the rest of the house as well

8. Create/Design/Etc 2 pinned items/month that are not food related...
made several of these and these

I made them for a craft show for my cousin and forgot to take pics before I gave them to her. I'll post some pics in a separate blog post if there are any left over and/or I make more

total to date: 6/24

9. Twelve RAK's for the year...if you are unfamiliar with RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness.
*made several mini loaves and a few large loaves of zucchini bread and gave to several people. I forgot to count how many I gave, so just counting this as one.

*sunshine basket for someone

*St. Patrick's Day basket for someone

**total to date: 9/12

2018 goals check-in February

You can read more details about my goals HERE and how I did in January HERE

1. 2018 in 2018 Decluttering Challenge...
I have decluttered 1190/2018 items from my home

2. 40 bags in 40 days...this challenge runs from Feb 14 -  March 31

so far...4 small bags (grocery bag sized), 15 large (big black bag size), 3 trash (which for us is a feed sack)

*total to date: 15/40

3. Create 365 cards...
I created 10 cards this month 
*total to date: 42/365

4. Try 2 new recipes/month...
6. Smashed Brussels Sprouts
7. Cream Cheese and Bacon Chicken Rolls
8. Sugar Cookie Bars

*total to date: 8/24


5. Read 25 books...
4. Set Free by George Michael Loughmueller (do not recommend this book)
5. Going Home by Wanda Brunstetter
6-11. Amish Millionaire Series books 1-6 by Wanda Brunstetter & Jean Brunstetter
12. Unmarried by Julie Frankland

total to date: 12/25


6. Put items on Buy/Sell/Trade...still haven't gotten the nerve to do this, BUT my DIL said she would help me. my goal for Mar is to take pics of what i want to sell and write up details about them and then maybe i can actually report for March that this got done.

7. Completely decluttering and organizing my creative space. 
slowly working on this as I work on the rest of the house as well

8. Create/Design/Etc 2 pinned items/month that are not food related...
*printed these and tied to goodie bags for my youth group kids

total to date: 4/24

9. Twelve RAK's for the year...if you are unfamiliar with RAK, it stands for Random Acts of Kindness.
*had 2 friends over for a birthday coffee (one of theirs, not mine) and sent orange rolls home with both of them for them and their family
*made Valentine goodie bags for 16 youth group kids
*took treats in for senior center coffee drinkers

**total to date: 6/12