2016: Psuedo-Resolutions, Goals and Prayers

2016 is going to start out fairly BIG- we are having a baby in February- which may make elaborate goals a bit too tough of a commitment for the coming year.  I mean, I will be too focused on keeping another human being alive, fed and dressed. Plus, let's all be honest with ourselves - a new year usually brings very specific GOALS that aren't always obtainable.  I often have new years ambitions - and sometimes I follow through (run a half marathon, lose weight, cook more, etc) but generally, I do better with small goals - ie, last spring I committed to train for and run a 10k and I did - or this Christmas, I committed to staying on budget (-ish) for Christmas and I came within $25 dollars!

So, no lofty specific goals from me this January - but I can't let this new year sneak up on me without sharing some general goals, hopes, dreams, etc. 2015 was filled with ups and downs - and no doubt, 2016 will include the same - BUT, there is something about a new year - a fresh clean slate, pages of a book that have no tears or regrets or pain written on it yet....another chance for God to do big things in our lives and through our lives! I can't help but start this year hopeful - for we serve a POWERFUL Lord who can work in our lives in huge ways!

Here are my spiritual, relational, financial and health goals or guidelines for 2016.  As you see, no specific plans, numbers or timelines - just goals of improvement in these 4 categories.  Over the course of a year, I will fail and improve in these areas at various times but my hope and prayer is that at the end of the year, I will see overall improvement and growth in each area.

SPIRITUAL GOALS

(1) GIVE IT A YEAR: PRAYING THROUGH 2016

I want prayer to be a big part of my life this year.  I want to document requests and struggles and confessions so I can see how God is answering in both big and small ways, to see how He is molding and growing me. I want to hope and believe that God can answer in over the top ways and pray for myself and others with this kind of boldness!

Personally, there are a few things in my life that I just want to see changed - circumstances, relationships, sinful struggles, etc. I know you can all relate!  And I have lived long enough to know that some change will happen simply by time and prayer.

Years ago, God placed a little personal motto on my heart - "Give it a year" and I have clung to that phrase ever since. I can do a year.  It's long enough to see change happen, but not so long that it can be daunting.  And, so when waiting and hoping for answered prayers- be it a spouse, a baby, a job change, relationships, finances, etc, I often tell myself that in a year, things could be better. So, in 2016, I commit to give it a year, to dedicate the next 12 months to faithfully praying - and to seeing how God chooses to act - and how He grows me in the process.

(2) READ THE (CHILDREN'S) BIBLE TO ANNE DOUGLAS

I know she will be too young to comprehend a lot of what we read - but I want scripture and prayer time to become a parenting habit.  I look back at my life and do not remember a time when scripture reading, worship and prayer were not a part of my life.  I am grateful that my parents started with Bible study even before I could comprehend - and this year, I want to start that with our daughter.

RELATIONAL GOALS

(1) IMPROVE MY MARRIAGE 

Dave and I are very happy together, but like most couples, we bicker and criticize and fail to show grace at times.  We both have areas where we can and should improve.  This year will be filled with lots of crazy good changes - and some of these changes might add stress to our relationship.  So, my goal is to still take time to focus on Dave - and to work on ways that I can love and serve him better. I do not want to forget to work on my marriage just because I am working at motherhood.

(2) GIVE OURSELVES GRACE IN PARENTING

Being mommy and daddy will be so new to us - and we will fail just as many times as we succeed.  I have lots of parenting goals - a happy well balanced baby, a child that sleeps through the night, breastfeeding, etc.  But the reality is that babies can't be controlled - and parents are humans that will fail and learn and figure out better ways.  So, my prayer is that we can give ourselves a little grace as we learn!

FINANCIAL GOALS

(1) SAVINGS AND BUDGETING

Dave and I have worked hard to save a decent amount of money over the past couple years- but we could always do better with our finances- especially with our budget! (we don't necessarily overspend, but we don't always stick to a budget).  My financial goals for 2016 is to keep saving (even if it's less because of baby expenses, just putting a little away each month helps) and budget better.

(2) TITHING

Confession: We are not the best at tithing.  This stems from the fact that we moved right after we got married and were not members at a church (and still aren't) so we mostly just gave our tithes monthly to various ministries and missionaries instead - with an occasional donation to the church.  I think this was fine for awhile, but the reality is that we are now invested in a local church and are involved in their programs and ministries - and need to be giving monthly to a church (members or not).  So as we learn to budget better this year, I want to add tithing to the church into our budget.

HEALTH GOALS

(1) LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT

Goodness, it couldn't be a new years resolution post without including some talk on weight and health right?  In case you haven't noticed, I have put on some weight over the past year (ha!) - and after AD arrives and we settle into our new life, I would like to get back in shape and lose as much of the weight as I can.

(2) RUNNING

Over the past several years, I have become a runner - not a terribly fast runner, but a runner just the same.  I quit for awhile, but managed to pick it up last spring and train for 10K with my friend.  Soon after the 10k, I became pregnant and sick and quit running. So, post baby, I want to pick it up again - train for a 5k, then maybe a longer race. Picking small running goals like races helps me stick to it!

(3) SCHEDULE BETTER

I am not sure where this goal "fits" in so I am including it in the health category.  Two things have become abundantly clear to me as I read about parenting and think about how we will both work full time, raise a baby, keep up with other activities, etc: (1) some commitments and fun things will get cut and (2) we will have to become schedule people (this will be harder for Dave than me as he goes with the flow a lot more than me!)  I am not sure what our schedule will look like - but we will have to work together with a plan of when things like gym time, baby, etc happen in relation to AD's eating and sleeping schedule.

Well, there you have it, folks - my "general" goals for 2016. I hope I succeed at improvement in all areas, but I am realistic so if I improve in half of them, I will be happy!  What are your goals for 2016?  Something big and specific? (run a marathon or save 10,000 dollars, etc) or general areas of improvement like me?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

What I Did Not Do

So, from the outside looking in, I FAILED at my February goals...and although I love the idea of setting and meeting goals, of keeping myself accountable and on track -- sometimes I just have to accept that life gets crazy and busy and hectic -- and some months are just about surviving! This was one of those months - the perfect storm of personal stress, work stress, unwelcome surprises, sickness to make me say "forget it" to my list. I had to deal with life as it came - and not the life I had planned for the month.

I had 6 goals this month: get a big chunk of our bedroom decorating finished, work out 3 times a week (at least), read one book (at least), take time to make some family goals, organize and don't over commit!

Things I successfully did of that list: ...(birds chirping).... HARDLY ANYTHING.  Although I did accomplish PARTS of goals -- like reading half of 3 different books, working out daily for the first week or hanging a few pictures.

Wait, I had one success --I did not over commit! Most of the month, time outside of work was spent resting and surviving except for the last few days of February which were saturated with commitments and work projects and engagements (all previously planned or out of my control!)

This month was completely unproductive (at least in the way I had originally planned) - and you know what? I am 100 percent okay with my uncompleted to do list. Sometimes we need discipline, order, goals, to do lists - and sometimes we need grace. This month, I needed grace - and rest. So that's what I gave myself :) BUT February was not wasted. It was filled to the brim with joy, disappointment, blessings, heartache, prayer, growth and rest!

So I didn't accomplish my 6 goals this month, but here's what I did do:

• prayed, lots of praying
• read- I did not finish a book, but I enjoyed going back and forth between the 3 I am reading
• binge watched "Brothers and Sisters"
• completed a few house projects - framing prints, painting a monogram 
• went to bed early most nights
• traveled to State College, PA to see the world's cutest nephews and my sweet sister
• dove into scripture daily
• cooked a couple new recipes
• ate (too many) girl scout cookies
• enjoyed wine and cocktails and a couple dinners out with friends
• spent lots of time holding hands with my sweet guy
• drove an hour away to get a Sonic drink
• took my nephew to eat ice cream in negative temps because he wanted "chocat ice cream with chocat sprinkles"
• sipped on vanilla lattes during snow days
• gave myself my first "Jamberry" pedicure
• donated old clothes to charity
• took lots of warm baths 
• cried a lot, but also laughed a lot
• spent time talking to my sweet husband about the future
• dreamed

So, there you have it: February 2015 - a crazy month with no rules, no accomplishments, but still FULL. Sometimes the most happens to you when you aren't busy trying to accomplish anything!

And in case you were wondering, my goals for MARCH:

(1) Get back into my gym routine after a 2 week break.

(2) Work on bedroom decorations

(3) Finish at least one book!

(4) Have a fun date night or day trip with my husband

(5) Cook 1 new recipe.

Goal Setting

Woaaa.....we are already into FEBRUARY. 2015 seems to be moving quickly - although I have been dragging, so it's time to jump in full force, right?

I didn't make goals for January. I pretty much took the month off.  We spent a lot of time watching movies, going to bed early, reading and occasionally hanging out with friends.  We did not explore or enjoy our city that much. I did not tackle any big projects.  I hardly blogged.  I didn't decorate or organize.

The fall and the holidays were wonderful and fun, full of fellowship, family and travel, but after such a busy season, we needed rest, time together and no obligations! For everything, there is a season, right? And we had a wonderful "down" month. If only this season could continue awhile longer....

But, it's the second day of February and it's time to get back to business. Since it's my first month back in goal mode, I am not aiming too high - just a few small goals!

(1) Get our bed room 75 percent completed.

In the fall, we focused on decorating living spaces and the guest room, since that's the area company enjoys when they stay with us. But, with a lull in visitors over the next few months (NO ONE wants to visit DC during the nasty winter months...can't blame them!), I have decided to finish tackling our bedroom.  I want it to be a comfy space for us - perfect for cuddling and watching a movie, curling up with a good book or enjoying a Sunday nap! Luckily, we already have furniture and a few decorations, but I would love to hang more artwork, add a few framed photos, paint a monogram for above our bed (I have one already but it's been sitting in my living room, unpainted for a few weeks now....) I know I probably can't finish the entire room this month, but shooting for 75 percent completion seems doable -- plus, is anything every truly finished? I could always make a few changes to freshen things up, ha!

Small goals to make this happen:

• frame existing photos and artwork to hang on walls
• move NARNIA (what D lovingly named our wardrobe) into our bedroom
• paint our Antler Monogram for above the bed.
• Purchase some type of photo ledge to stack pictures and prints on
• invest in a few more prints, canvases, etc for the walls/photo ledge

(2) Work out 3 times a week. 

I always think it's a bit sad that I have to make working out regularly a goal.  Pre-DC, I worked out daily and even occasionally more than once.  It was a drug of choice during a stressful season and to be fair, the idea of wearing a white dress in front of 400+ people scared me into workout mode, ha! Also, gym time seemed more convenient and I felt comfortable running in my parent's neighborhood at night(which was by my office)

I'd love to one day be a workout daily person again, maybe even run another half marathon, but currently, I am shooting for 3 workouts a week. I was averaging 2-3 gym visits a week during January, so I think that this goal is achievable.

(3) Read at least one book.

Taking time to read (or sometimes on the metro, LISTEN) to books was a priority last year - and one of the only priorities in which I truly succeeded. I love reading, but when life gets busy, sometimes it's quick to go. However, taking time to dive into a good book is perfect me time and it keeps my mind sharp! I finished a couple books last month - and want to keep the reading goal up in 2015!

(4) Take time to make family goals.

In our Sunday School class, we just did a unit on family goals -- short term, mid range and long term goals.  One of the things we learned was to set a list of family core values, so we know what values we won't compromise to achieve our goals (IE, if our goal is to save money, but our value is charity, we shouldn't save a tone at the expense of not giving to others each month)  

The study also talked about making goals in all areas -- financial, spiritual, mental/physical, career, etc.  I really want D and I to sit down and make some goals and determine our family's core values.  We talk goals all the time, BUT having something in writing would be great.  Sure, we won't achieve everything, but it will be good to have guidelines and something to aim for.  Also, the couple teaching the class said that as you accomplish goals, you should add that to the family's accomplished goals list.  When you feel like goals aren't being achieved quickly enough, look at what all has been accomplished.  That was encouraging to me. I think of so many things D and I would love to accomplish but haven't - and then I look at what we did achieve last year and we have come further than I thought.

As our marriage continues and as we start a family, I would love to continue with yearly goal/value setting.  I am hoping to start small this year and learn what works for us  as far as a family plan.  We can readjust in the coming years until we find a goal format that works.

(5) Organize!

Things in our house have gotten sloppy.  Not dirty, per se, just a bit messy and disorganized.  Without so many visitors, our guest bed now hosts a big pile of clothing that I need to hang up.  Our kitchen cabinets are messy, no order at all.  I am not the type of person that needs every thing to be in its perfect place, but a little less mess would be nice.  I think I am going to make a small list of tasks -- like sort through drawers and get rid of items I don't wear or need, clean out cabinets, get rid of toiletries in the bathroom that we no longer use, etc  and each week this month, I can pick a couple tasks to accomplish!

(6) Don't over-commit.

One thing I loved about January was the fact that I had some time to rest and relax -- especially the first few weeks (as the last two weekends have been a lot busier)!  D and I made it a goal to limit our plans last month and it was so good for us -- particularly, so good for me since I am the one who tends to fill my calendar too quickly.  As I aim toward productivity again, I do want to reserve some down time each week!

What about you? Were you able to jump into 2015 - or were you sluggish through January like me?  Do you have any February goals?

Hello November!

Last month, I did a little bit better with meeting my goals.  I also think that I did not over commit to projects in October so that helped me do fewer goals well.

Even without tons of projects, October was still full of life, laughter, traveling (Harper's Ferry, State College trips) and visitors (3 sets!) We also celebrated Dave's 30th Birthday and Halloween. Dave also prepared for one of his licensing exams and passed it! October is always such a pretty month - pleasant weather, pretty colors and all the good things about fall without many of the negatives. As the month came to an end and November rolled in, we have more cold weather and less sunshine, although the calendar is kind to us, isn't it? As temps (and my mood) start to drop, holiday decorations start to go up. I can't remain too grumpy about the weather for long because the holiday season is here! My least favorite time of the year is at least ushered it with the most wonderful season of the year!

November will be busy just like October, 2 sets of visitors and a Thanksgiving trip to NYC (can't wait!). We love travelling and visitors, but it was wonderful to have our first full November weekend free of any responsibilities or plans.  We did chores, cooked a nice meal for a "date night in", slept a lot and watched a lot of football and movies! Many of our friends were on a church retreat, so we couldn't over-obligate ourselves and it was glorious to have time with Dave and time to rest!

 November will also be a time to enjoy the last few days before winter (and I hear its going to be a cold one again, thanks polar vortex!) -- I plan on soaking in whatever last warm days we have, enjoying the beautiful falling colorful leaves, watching a lot of football AND savoring all things pumpkin (except pumpkin spice lattes, those are gross).

Since the busy holiday season has arrived,  I think we will take a break from decorating until January and just spend time with each other, friends, and family. Plus, there will be lights, Christmas concerts and parties to enjoy! For that reason, my goals list is a bit smaller this month.

OCTOBER GOALS ACCOMPLISHED:

• Hang up a Gallery Wall in our living room. 
• Purchase dining room chairs. 
•  Cook 1-2 recipes from “Bread and Wine” Yes, finally tackled this one -- we tried Blueberry Crisp -- and I made the recipe 3 times. 
• Hang Pictures in my office. Still empty walls...probably won't happen until January.
•    Paint our bedroom bookcase and my dresser gray.
•  Paint our kitchen stools. Sadly this probably won't happen until after the Holidays, maybe even the spring as it is soon going to be too cold to paint on our patio.
•   Finish unpacking and organizing the closet.  Finally did this. It is not perfect, but it is at least unpacked and organized somewhat!
• Order a wedding Picture for the dining room. This is also waiting until after Christmas as my focus is now going to be decorating for the Holidays, getting us to NYC for Thanksgiving and Mississippi for Christmas and finishing up buying and wrapping gifts!
•    Read a book I read Inferno for book club and really enjoyed it! I just started Unbroken.....I am enjoying so far as well.
• Celebrate D’s 30^th birthday!! I love this sweet man and am so glad he was born. We had fun celebrating!
•  Add a few fall touches to our apartment. I made a fall wreath and added some mini pumpkins and glitter pumpkins!
•    Make an effort to do 2 fun fall activities We went to a corn maze and on a ghost tour!
•  Enjoy our two sets of visitors this month!  We ended up with 3 sets of visitors and enjoyed them all -- my mom, brother and grandparents came, then Dave's parents came and then Marley and Bech and the boys came!
•  Halloween Costumes!
•   Buy several Christmas gifts! 
•  Put a little in our Europe Jar. Sadly, no. It all went to travel, decorating and gifts.  I feel, like many other goals, this one will get back on track AFTER the holidays.
•  Go to the gym before work 1-2 mornings a week. 
• Blog More.  It wasn't a lot more, but it was more. I am calling that a Win

j

NOVEMBER GOALS:

• Decorate for the Holidays. It may be limited decor because we will only be in DC for 3 weeks next month, but I think it is important for our home  to fill Christmas-y.
• Plan our trip to NYC for Thanksgiving. Parade, lights, museums, friends.
• Complete at least half of whats left on my Christmas Gift list.
• Wrap gifts as they come in.
• Continue with going to the gym a couple mornings a week.
• Enjoy time with guests.
• Be more grateful.
• Help prepare a Thanksgiving menu for our NYC thanksgiving!
• Blog More.
• Read one book. I am currently reading Unbroken for book club.
• Be more diligent about praying for my friends and family.
• Try one new recipe, maybe even one from Bread and Wine.
• Continue in my plan to decrease my caffeine intake. I am now on day 5 with no caffeine.  I still plan on having the occasional coffee or diet coke, but I don't want to be so reliant on it!

Happy Happy November everyone....I hope that the beginning of your holiday season has started off joyfully. This truly is a special time of the year!

October!

I think I blogged a grand total of two times last month. I have to do better, but I promise that you didn’t miss much --- most of what I was doing was unpacking, moving furniture, painting furniture, watching football, adjusting to my new commute, cooking dinner, grabbing the occasional happy hour with friends. Nothing worth writing home about, just living life, all the good, bad and ordinary moments! I am hoping to get back on the blogging bandwagon after a few months of writing inactivity!

October is here -- and goodness, it sure is glorious. Where last month, we had doubts whether the new season had officially arrived, October make's Fall official. Leaves are starting to change and temperatures are dropping. Mild afternoons are followed by chilly evenings. I truly hope to soak up all the glorious early Fall days where both a breeze and sunshine kisses your cheeks, where the leaves make their fantastic colorful farewell for the year, where simple hay seems charming, when you consider Pumpkin as an essential food group and you want to borrow someone's kid so you can take him to a pumpkin patch! Fall gives you the best of both worlds - indoor fun and outdoor fun! You can enjoy a warm-ish afternoon outdoors, followed by a hot bowl of chili, fuzzy socks and throw blanket inside on the couch. I will admit that I have already cooked Chili and worn tights exactly once  - and I have worn boots twice, but now I feel free to unashamedly wear, eat and enjoy all the wonderful treats that make fall fun.  I understand that there are memes and buzzfeed articles all over facebook and pinterest making fun of how white girls, middle class girls, sorority girls, etc obnoxiously LOVE fall -- and that's fine, I am 100 percent okay with being this stereotype or generalization.

(for the record, I don't think I even own a pair of yoga pants, although I do own leggings)

Ok October obsessive talk over -- Moving on the monthly goals.  I accomplished most (but not all) of my September goals, but I am choosing to see the glass half full (of Chardonnay of course!). The good news is that I did get a lot accomplished. And I can move whatever I didn’t accomplish to October!

SEPTEMBER GOALS

·                     Finish unpacking and organizing after our move! Well, we are almost there – but in the midst of projects, decorating, company and you know, life and work, we still have a few boxes of winter clothes to sort through. Hoping to finish that this weekend.  Then we will be done. Luckily for me, the boxes are tucked into the hallway closet so they aren’t annoying me daily with their presence!

·                     Give away/throw away some clothing as we unpack.   We have a few boxes of clothes and books packed up for the Jr League “Tossed and Found” sale this spring.  I am hoping that as I finish sorting through the last couple boxes, I can find a few more things to get rid of!

·                     Complete 3-5 apartment projects on my own. I hung pictures, polished a few wooden pieces of furniture and finished up psome pieces my mom helped me paint by applying a final coat of wax. But, alas, I did not hit my goal of 3-5 projects!

·                     Complete 3-5 apartment projects with my mom.  1.We set up kitchen shelving units (ok my dear hubby set them up) and organized them. 2-4. we painted (and I later waxed) 3 night stands. 5. We set up the guest bed and my mom started a bed skirt which she plans to finish and bring me next weekend.

·                     Pray for others! I hate to even cross this off my “to do” list as an accomplishment  because yes, I did pray for others, but I still don’t pray for them enough – and probably never will pray enough, in general. It’s something I always want to work on!

·                     Read 1-2 books off my list.  Kindof. I read Divergent this summer (it was on my reading list) and on my list, I mentioned that I wanted to read the 2 other books in the series as well--- so I did!

·                     Cook 2 "Bread and Wine" recipes.   I did try a few new SIMPLE dinner recipes, but none were “Bread and Wine” recipes.  Sadly, trying any recipe that was more than 5 ingredients did not mesh well with the whole unpacking, decorating, organizing framework of my life this month. Hopefully, I can try a couple recipes this month!

·                     Start buying our Christmas gifts for others and Dave's birthday gifts.  I made a small start to this goal, buying Dave his birthday gifts and one Christmas gift. Time to start tackling that list a bit more aggressively this month!

·                     Work out 3 times a week. Boom. Really proud of myself for being able to cross this one off the list!

·                     Eat in most nights.  We got out of moving/vacation mode by cooking meals this month. I have a longer commute and Dave gets home a lot earlier, so we have come up with a great system. Basically I put together the casserole or marinade for the meat in the morning and Dave cooks it when he gets home.

·                     Buy a mum! My mom bought me a mixed plant with mums and other flowers to sit on my balcony. But, I would like to buy one for our front door as well. Maybe this weekend…

·                     Decorate our guest room.  The guest room is basically done – just need to hang a couple more pictures which is on the agenda for tonight – and put the bed skirt on.  Of course, there are things I would love to do to the room – like replace the walmart bookcase with a nicer one or replace the desk legs with hairpin legs, but its presentable for now! And ready for guests! However, while I have been cleaning out our clothes, the guest bed has served as a catch all, so while it may be decorated, it is also quite messy at the moment!

·                     Save a little each week for an IKEA/Home Goods/Target shopping trip with mom when she comes.  Saved and Spent. It was a long day at Ikea, topped off with one of their delicious cinnamon rolls!

·                     Put a little money into our "One Day Europe" jar each week. Sadly, nope, no money went into our Europe jar. It all went to Ikea.

·                     Enjoy our balcony as much as possible! We have enjoyed our balcony and we have spent a lot of time outside on the balcony painting furniture, ha! Probably one of our favorite things to do is open the sliding balcony doors and let a little cool air in while we eat dinner or watch tv. I am ready to get a grill and enjoy the balcony a little more!

OCTOBER GOALS

• Hang up a Gallery Wall in our living room. I have a pile of art, prints and other decorations to put on the gallery wall. Just waiting until we have everything framed and ready to hang.
• Purchase dining room chairs. That is being done this weekend! We had some old cheap ones that still serve as desk chairs/extra seating BUT we need some new chairs for the dining room table.
•  Cook 1-2 recipes from “Bread and Wine” Let’s try this goal again….
• Hang Pictures in my office. It's a little bare...
•    Paint our bedroom bookcase and my dresser gray.
•  Paint our kitchen stools.
•   Finish unpacking and organizing the closet. (moved to this month from last month, almost done!)
• Order a wedding Picture for the dining room. Yep, we never ordered a print, but I am going to order one on canvas to hang in our dining room.
•    Read a book (preferably one from my book list, but I’ll just be proud if I read a book during this busy month!)
• Celebrate D’s 30^th birthday!!
•  Add a few fall touches to our apartment. A pumpkin, another mum, a burlap wreath – heck, even just a bowl of candy corn. We need a little fall décor to liven the place up!
•    Make an effort to do 2 fun fall activities – farmer’s market, pumpkin patch, winery visit. And, no, doing 2 winery visits will not count as 2 fun fall activities.
•  Enjoy our two sets of visitors this month!
•  Halloween Costumes! Eek, it’s so close and I have yet to search!
•   Buy several Christmas gifts! (ongoing goal so that it does not hit me all at the last moment!)
•  Put a little in our Europe Jar.
•  Go to the gym before work 1-2 mornings a week. Dave and I have recently committed to this goal, but we have done it twice in 2 weeks, so obviously we need some pre dawn motivation – and quite possibly, an earlier bedtime.
• Blog More.  I almost forgot that one!

So…what about you? Have any goals for the month? Projects, financial goals, fitness goals? New recipes or books or crafts? Habits to break? The beginning of the month is a clean slate – a whole new 31 days to get things done!

Fall Wish List

Today is the first official day of fall. In the DC area, we have been experiencing chilly mornings, pleasant afternoons and even have some trees kissed with just a few red and orange leaves. But now, it's official - the days are getting shorter and cooler and bitter cold winter days are inevitable - but, through God's goodness, we get to enjoy 2 lovely months of sweater weather, cool breezes and sunshine and tons of fall yumminess, beauty and decor before settling in for colder months.

And, almost on cue, summer knew it's days were soon ending and blessed us with a warm front this weekend before cooler temps returned today. I was able to enjoy windows open, sunshine, shorts and t shirts - to properly say goodbye to sweet summertime. All enjoyed, of course with a glass of wine and my current favorite warm weather drink, a Mississippi Mule. (If I could sum up summer 2014 with one drink, it would indeed be the mule. But time to pick a fall beverage of choice!)

D and I have been talking about fall - and enjoying DC and the surrounding area. We both love being outdoors and experiencing the area-- and we both know these pleasant days are limited.**   We came up with a few fall "to do" goals (Let's be honest, we discussed it, and only I was nerdy and am making a list.

OUR TO DO LIST:

1. Lots of football watching

2. 1-2 "fall" activities - pumpkin patch, corn maze, apple picking

3. Fall winery visit

4. Dress up for Halloween! 

5. Driving around NOVA to see fall foliage

6. 1-2 fall day trips -- while the weather and scenery is gorgeous, we thought we might explore some nearby towns. We plan on going to Harper's Ferry and hopefully one other town!

7. Eat lots of chili - already started!

8. Thanksgiving/Macys parade in NYC

9. Take time to do/see a couple things we have yet to do in DC since moving here (particularly outdoor activities) - wonder through the art garden, go to the botanical garden, etc.

10. Do a haunted ghost tour, etc. (There is one in Alexandria we are eye-ing)

11. Go to the Falls Church farmer's market.

12. Fall Premiers (Judge away, I love having a few weekly shows to keep up with!)

Our First Official Chili

BONUS TO DO: Explore our new 'hood. While not as cool as the last neighborhood (but 250 extra square feet is cool, I tell myself), there are fun restaurants and shops nearby. We want to explore this area. Obviously this is not a FALL GOAL as it has little to do with the autumn months, but nonetheless, this goal will be tackled this fall.

A few personal Fall goals:

1. Buy a mum (I still haven't, although that's a September goal too, so I better hurry up!)

2. Add a few small fall touches to our house. (I have tons of Christmas decor, but not many fall decorations) If I start buying a couple decorations a year - then by the time we have young kids, it will feel warm and "fall-y" for them.

3. Cook a few NEW fall recipes -- pumpkin, soups, grilled cheeses, different chilis as mentioned above!

4. Sweatshirts and wine and good talks with D (or friends) on the porch. (it's really a patio, but being the southerner that I am, I often refer to it as a porch.

5. Finish getting our new place decorated enough to have friends over for football or cooking out at least once this fall, hopefully more!

6. Buy a new pair of boots or booties -- many of my boots need to be replaced, so time to start watching for deals!

7. Read more books...on the porch when its good weather, curled up on the couch as it gets cooler.

8. Buy a grill.

9. Decorate a pumpkin - carve it, paint it, do something!

10. Buy sunflowers for our apartment!

Of course, I will gladly add some other traditional activities in to the mix like cider drinking, smores making, wearing crazy amounts of scarves...but these things will happen so naturally that there is no reason to add them to my personal list.

It's going to be a good fall-- one of the best things about living in this area of the country is having 4 full seasons. I feel blessed to witness beauty in every stage of the year.

**I know, I know, I whine about winter a lot...and I am not a fan of frigid temps and lack of sunshine, but even I enjoy having a couple months after the busy and fall/holiday season to stay in, invite friends over, cook warm soups, cuddle, binge watch tv shows on netflix, drink cocoa and go to the movies. Alas, even winter has its own blessings - but I am glad I get Fall first!!)

Fall Love and September Goals

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN??? September has officially arrived. While we were packing, moving and vacationing, the summer season came to an end -- I know, I know, it doesn't technically end until 3rd week of September, but it's essentially over.  Kids are back in school (I say this as if I have kids.....), lovely fall mums have appeared at grocery stores and farmer's markets, college football has returned (PTL) and Starbucks is already selling their pumpkin spice lattes.

Just ignore the 92 degree weather today.... :)

But seriously, after a vacation in Canada where I had to wear pants and long sleeves a couple afternoons, I feel I have had a lovely brief taste of what's to come -- crisp mornings, pumpkin patches, fleece jackets, chilly runs and leisurely evenings spent in sweatpants on the balcony, drinking wine or cocoa. However, a return to HOT DC left me grateful for a few more warm days ahead.  We had a brutal winter last year and word on the street is that we are in for a similar winter this year.  Fall is my favorite season, but winter certainly is NOT, so I don't want to usher in the colder weather just yet.

I know FALL won't completely arrive for another 6 weeks or so. Until then, we will do that awkward yet wonderful dance between chilly and hot, never quite sure if you should put on a sweater or tank top. And as frustrating as this gets -- constantly checking your phone's weather app to make sure you dress appropriately and wondering if you should be eating watermelon or pumpkin muffins, I love that for about 6 weeks each fall and spring, we get to say hello to one season without quite saying goodbye to the old season yet. Until late October, I can enjoy sunshine AND chilly winds, boots AND short sleeves, chili AND snow cones (who am I kidding? There are hardly any snow cones in DC which is ridiculous! add that to the short list of things I don't like about this area)

I have a ton to do this month, so I am glad we still have warmer weather and longer days! I thought I would join in blogger land fun and make a few September Goals!

SEPTEMBER GOALS

• Finish unpacking and organizing after our move!
• Give away/throw away some clothing as we unpack. 
• Complete 3-5 apartment projects on my own. I have a ton of furniture I want to paint, a table I want to stain, artwork to frame, a baby door hanger to make (for my nephew arriving SOON!), etc
• Complete 3-5 apartment projects with my mom.  My mom is stopping by to visit me/help with projects for a few days later this month on her way to meet my nephew, so I hope we can tackle a few decorating projects when she comes!
• Pray for others! I used to be faithful about praying  and used my time on the metro to pray for others, but life got hectic and I fell out of routine.  I want to make a prayer list and start praying for friends and family during my commute a few days a week!
• Read 1-2 books off my list. My goal for my summer reading list was to finish 10/16 books. Instead I finished 7 of the books-- but I have a decent excuse: my kindle died halfway through summer and all these books I had purchased or borrowed from my parents were irretrievable. Although I had the kindle app on my computer, I was not going to drag my computer to work every day, so my reading time was limited. However, I have now downloaded kindle on my phone and hope to tackle the rest of these books this fall!
• Cook 2 "Bread and Wine" recipes. 
• Start buying our Christmas gifts for others and Dave's birthday gifts (so they don't hit all at once!) 
• Work out 3 times a week. Wow, I can't believe that I have to make this a goal -- I used to LOVE working out and would even do it a couple times a day sometimes. But, commuting and working and moving has changed my habits the past few months and I make it to the gym 1-2 times a week-- so it's time to get back in a routine. Starting small with a goal of 3 times a week this month.
• Eat in most nights.  We usually cook in most nights, BUT the past couple weeks, we have packed, moved, unpacked and traveled- so almost all of our meals were at restaurants or take out. That really dents the budget and hurts the waistline, plus I miss cooking. 
• Buy a mum!
• Decorate our guest room.  We have 4-6 sets of visitors this fall (yay!) and we are so excited to finally have a guest bedroom for them to stay when they come (instead of on our couch)  So, my first goal is getting the guest room in order so that it's comfy for guests! I'm using an old bedding set of my mom's, painting some furniture, buying a headboard and hanging art, so this should be an achievable goal!
• Save a little each week for an IKEA/Home Goods/Target shopping trip with mom when she comes.  I have a bistro set picked out for our balcony, plus some picture frames, cushions and a lamp I am eyeing. Time to pocket a little spending money each week!
• Put a little money into our "One Day Europe" jar each week. (yes we have a jar, like a grown up piggy bank)
• Enjoy our balcony as much as possible! I had patio envy all last year, so it's time to enjoy my own balcony!

I am hoping to report back that I accomplished two thirds of these goals!! What about you, what are your September goals? Anything Exciting???