2011 Goals

I know it seems a little weird for me to be writing about this so late in the month when everyone else on the planet has already abandoned resolutions until next year, but I wanted to spend some time talking about my personal goals for 2011.

I don't like the term resolution because no one ever really keeps their resolutions. They seem to just be a novelty that we discard by the end of the first week in January after we've failed and beat ourselves up about it. So this year I decided to write a list of goals for myself rather than "resolve" to do one or two things. I'm a pretty goal oriented person so it helps me to stay on track by having a list.

Here is my list:

1. Pay down debt. (We have already made so much progress with this. My husband and I are working so hard!)
2. Drink more water.
3. Use Wii Fit more often.
4. Read all as many of the books of mine that I have not read but have sitting on the shelf.
5. Increase blogging.
6. Menu plan monthly. (I have actually been doing this, but weekly rather than monthly.)
7. Utilize cookbooks, magazines, and blogs for new free recipes to expand monthly menu.
8. Craft and scrap all of the projects I have before buying new ones. (My crafty friends know how hard this is!)
9. Use Swagbucks more often to reduce spending with our own money. (If you aren't on Swagbucks, you should check it out! www.swagbucks.com)
10. Be better about mailing birthday and anniversary cards.
11. Get organized about cleaning and home chores.
12. Work on family history.
13. Reduce our output for food and household items.
14. Eat dinner at the dining room table most nights rather than in front of the TV.

That last one has been a big thing for me. Prior to now, my husband and I would debate on what to eat and then end up eating in front of the TV, both of which are bad ideas. You tend to eat junk without a plan and you eat more when you eat in front of the TV. I'm not saying we're going to lose tons of weight with this plan, but it is a much healthier choice and actually, I think it's helping us to relax and communicate more. It provides a forum for us to sit and talk without distraction.

I may not reach all of these personal goals, but I'm striving for it. And I'm trying not to beat myself up about the things that haven't been accomplished yet. I will see progress in 2011. That's the important thing. :)

Have you set goals for the new year?

Weekly Goals 1/24/11

Alright, time to check in with my goals for this week and take a look at how I did last week.


This was last week's list:

1. List extra wedding supplies online.
2. Finish the last few (belated, yikes!) Christmas gifts and mail them.
3. Inventory and clean out pantry - including spices and oils.
4. Inventory and clean out fridge
5. Menu plan for the week (Menu Plan Mondays are coming!)
6. Drop off dry cleaning.
7. Iron and rehang bedroom curtains.
8. Run to post office and buy stamps - mail correspondence.
9. Clean and tidy guest bathroom.
10. Clean doggie stuff - and doggie!
11. Update and maintain our receipt spreadsheet.
12. Blog (guess I can check that one off?):

• Coming up soon - Menu Plan Monday, 2011 Goals, Dollar Tree picture frame B&A, Kitchen Cabinet Decrapification B&A

13. Iron on Brownie patches for a friend's little girl. :)
14. Stick to my Chore Chart (I'm using this week as a trial for a new method of dividing up chores so I'm not totally overwhelmed anymore when I put things off - routine is so good.)
15. Try out my new Food Saver the Hubs bought me.



Overall, not such a bad job. To my credit I did start a few projects as well that weren't on the list and items one through four are in progress, just not complete. Also, the Hubs bought me some really awesome baskets from Target so I could utilize some unused spaces in our apartment. If I have learned anything during my time in this apartment, it's organizing in a small space. I can squeeze an elephant into a basket if I want to. Seriously. We've outgrown this place. Help me!


So, now for this week:


1-4 from last week plus,
5. Menu plan for this week and post/link up on blog.
6. Pick up dry cleaning. 
7. Clean doggie stuff and doggie!
8. Blog - Dollar Tree Picture frame B&A
9. Blog - Kitchen Cabinets B&A
10. Blog - 2011 Goals
11. Clean and organize Master Closet I am daunted by this one!
12. Update and maintain January receipt spreadsheet as we continue to track our spending and look for ways to improve.
13. Continue to follow my chore chart and adjust as necessary. (I smell a blog post in this...)
14. Take some time for me and craft/work out/give myself a pedi - anything! 


What are your goals for this week?

Weekly Goals 1/16/2010

Alrighty! Time to get back into this Weekly Goals thing. Actually, I've been doing it behind the scenes since I started on one of my trusty junior legal pads, but I really need a little more accountability for it. I worked really hard last week and reached most of my goals so I was satisfied! So, I think for the time being Sundays will be my Weekly Goals post!

Here goes:

1. List extra wedding supplies online.
2. Finish the last few (belated, yikes!) Christmas gifts and mail them.
3. Inventory and clean out pantry - including spices and oils.
4. Inventory and clean out fridge
5. Menu plan for the week (Menu Plan Mondays are coming!)
6. Drop off dry cleaning.
7. Iron and rehang bedroom curtains.
8. Run to post office and buy stamps - mail correspondence.
9. Clean and tidy guest bathroom.
10. Clean doggie stuff - and doggie!
11. Update and maintain our receipt spreadsheet.
12. Blog (guess I can check that one off?):

• Coming up soon - Menu Plan Monday, 2011 Goals, Dollar Tree picture frame B&A, Kitchen Cabinet Decrapification B&A

13. Iron on Brownie patches for a friend's little girl. :)
14. Stick to my Chore Chart (I'm using this week as a trial for a new method of dividing up chores so I'm not totally overwhelmed anymore when I put things off - routine is so good.)
15. Try out my new Food Saver the Hubs bought me.

What are your goals this week?

I Think I'm Falling in Love

When I lost my job due to the economy, I was really sad. Teaching wasn't just a job for me, it was who I was; my purpose, my life. I cried for a week solid. I kid you not. I went through mood swings and sadness and insomnia. (My poor husband.) What would I do now? The one thing I felt worst about was that I had lost my purpose. I have always felt that teaching was my calling. It was the one thing I was supposed to do with my life. And maybe that's the case. But I have to tell you a secret...

I think I have found a new one. And I am in love.

I never thought I'd say this...and...it's almost hard to do so. I...am falling in love...with...

Ready?

...being a *gulp* housewife.

Whew. There, I said it. But seriously folks, I really kind of do like being at home. I did not come to this conclusion easily. I overlooked the many blessings "housewifing" would bring because I was in a negative space that would only allow me to dwell on what I'd lost. After a lot of prayer and study and gritting my teeth and being plain old grouchy (my husband is a saint...really), I finally just gave in. It helps that I'm still tutoring on the side, but it is such a blessing that I don't have to work. I've struggled for years to relax and enjoy weekends and time off because I always had a to do list a mile long. I never had the time to go grocery shopping or vacuum the floors or do the laundry during the week. It was extremely frustrating and overwhelming for me to have all that stuff piled up around me all the time. I was not a fun person to live with (hubs = saint).

And I'll admit something to you dear readers...I used to have a love hate relationship with the idea of staying at home. On the one hand, I wanted to feel productive and independent through working. I didn't want to depend on anyone for anything. I thought people who stayed home were trapped. I always admired moms who got to stay home because my mom was mostly stay at home while I was growing up and I know how much I benefited from that as a kid, but I didn't want to be bored and lonely (perception, not fact) and having to ask for money to do little things. (My husband is awesome and would never, ever treat me like the little woman...he treats me as an equal.) And that's still kind of hard for me. I've had to learn to depend on my husband more which is like swallowing a lot of pride all at once, but I'm starting to see that maybe this was a lesson I needed to learn.

But I'm also learning that there are so many things I'm getting out of this.

I love the sense of pride I feel after I clean the house and can look around me at the calm, relaxing, clean space I've created.

I love that Sundays have now become a "family day" of sorts for us. We don't make the bed, we don't talk about work, we don't have to run all over creation to buy groceries and household items. We don't have kids yet, but I see this as something we can do when we do have kids. I'm learning to relax. (Yes, learning...I've never been good at sitting still - something I got from my mother.)

I love that I can greet my husband when he comes home from work.

I love that we've started eating dinner around the dining room table and talking about his job and my tutoring schedule and what we've done that day. We even make plans for the weekend ahead. I love that he trusts me enough and values my opinion enough that he talks to me about his job.

I love that my laundry hamper doesn't reach critical mass anymore (mostly...).

I love that I'm learning to cook more things and improvise in the kitchen.

I love that I have time to organize and create a nice home for my husband and I.

I love that the many hobbies I've put aside the last 6 years are slowly creeping back into my life and I am enjoying myself while I'm doing them.

I love the challenge of couponing and figuring out ways to save us money. I figure if I'm not bringing in much, then it's my job to figure out how to keep us from spending more than necessary. (There is serious math involved in being a housewife people!)

But...there's one thing I don't love. I don't like the term housewife. It makes me sound stodgy and old. So...thanks to the suggestion of an old friend, I am now Chief Operating Officer of the Scrappy Housewife Household. (I would say CEO, but I honestly see my husband as CEO...call me old fashioned...it's a choice, and I like it.)

I know that this is not the life for everyone. And I'm sure that some of you will scoff at me that I place my husband "above" me in the chain of command, but honestly, it works for us. We're a little old fashioned but definitely not old. We like it, and I love it and that's all that matters.

Office Decrapification the Before and After

Before the holidays, I started reorganizing our home office. Actually, I kind of ambushed my husband when he walked in the door one afternoon and basically told him I couldn't take the unorganized, never fully unpacked, clutter bomb of an office anymore. (I may or may not have been that nice about it. ;) You decide.)

The office has gone through several transformations since we moved in, but it had up until now, never really been functional. For a long time we didn't even have bookshelves, which is saying a lot considering we have many, MANY books. (The previous office breakdown garnered those. Hehe.) To say the room was a mess was well...generous. This is what it looked like before:

And this:

And this:

Do you see why I was ready to tear my hair out? Let me just tell you that weekend there was much gnashing of teeth at my house! My hubby is so incredibly logical and so utterly calm (read: completely unlike me) and it can be just a teensy, weensy bit frustrating when I want action N.O.W. Sometimes, I don't really feel like planning and coming up with ideas and discussing it thoroughly. I just want it done. And I want it done without discussion. But this is where God laughs at me and nudges me in a playful way. "But you did not marry someone like you did you? Nuh uh. I put you with someone who could even you out a bit!" I am forever sure that He gets a big laugh out of how opposite we are.

Anywho, after much *ahem* discussion I finally broke down and pulled out The Sims 2 (stay with me...) and the Ikea catalog. You see the funny thing about The Sims is that you can build your own house, so, I built our office in the game. Then we sat around playing with the Ikea furniture (did I mention that The Sims 2 has an Ikea "stuff" expansion? Yeah...it's awesome.) and layouts and furniture until we came up with something we thought might work. ("Honey, when can we go to Ikea? Can we go tomorrow? PLLLLEAAAASE???") Honestly, I just don't have the money for fancy design software, so I used something I already had and it worked great.

So here's what we did. We went to my favorite store on the planet, IKEA (Can you hear the bells and angels singing? Seriously, it is awesome.) and purchased two new pieces of furniture. I was a little daunted by this because after taking the before pictures I realized how much furniture we already had in there and it didn't seem to be working, but I also didn't think we had space to put it anywhere else. Oh boy was I wrong. Trading out two simple pieces of furniture and rearranging the rest gave the office SUCH a new look and oh heavens is it SO much more functional.

First, we grabbed a new base piece for my Ikea desk that would replace the already existing tripod leg and provide extra storage for office supplies. They had previously been stored in the apothecary side table and the rolling cart the printer was on, but neither were working well or holding nearly enough. I was determined that I would get it ALL in the new desk piece. This is what it looks like now:

I did manage to get everything from TWO pieces of furniture into the new piece and I smile just a little bit every time I realize that there's a place for everything and everything is in it's place. (And it thrills me to no end that there's a home for my label maker (Love you!).) I also had room for some of the stuff that had formerly taken up real estate on my desk top. It's nice to have a few more inches of work space at my disposal.

Second, we purchased a $99 shelf that can be used a variety of ways. We had originally planned on buying the 8 cube shelf we so love, but they were out in the color we wanted so we went with this one instead and I. Love. It. The old hope chest that had been in front of the window was big, and it held a lot, but it wasn't much in the way of being functional when things were placed on top of it. It is now sitting in our dining room serving as extra storage for linens and dishes we don't use often. So far, so good. This is what that area looked like before:

And after:

The shelf primarily holds photo boxes full of old family and school photos but since I was in a reorganizing mood, I went ahead and purchased new photo boxes in black and while to go with my desk and organized all of the photos inside. It also houses my sewing box, our take out menu file and our home notebook (which I have been working on and will share soon!).

The blue mat is for my dog...yes, really. Who needs kids when you have a 3 year old chihuahua?

The curtains were inspired by an easy window treatment blog post from Thrifty Decor Chick and I made them! You can find a button on the right side of my blog that will lead you to her site. It is TOTALLY worth the read.

While we were at Ikea, we bought a letter file for hubby's desk to help corral the paper. We also took the time to frame his father's certificates from NASA - something near and dear to both of us, and a poster of his hometown - Annapolis. The finishing touches on his side were his chess set - made by his grandfather - and his collection of pewter figurines. I cannot tell you how happy it makes me that I could do that for him. For a long time this room has really been more "mine" than his. Now I feel like he's really a part of this room.

Hubby's spot:

 And the details:

On my side it was mostly a cleaning and organizing endeavor. I chose a pretty basket to house all of my Cricut cartridges and supplies. I will fully admit that the bulletin board, while cute needs some help. I have a plan for that though, and it will be a future Before and After (from here on out B&A).

I also narrowed down the amount of cups holding pens and supplies. I purchased more plastic scrapbook bins to house each of the important scrap projects I couldn't work on until now because I didn't have the space. This area isn't the prettiest in the space, but it is so functional that I can't be bothered about it too much. I'll purge and add the pretty later. I promise to share.

Can you see the floor there? I can and I am soooo excited. The big brown rolling cart houses my sewing machine. (And yes, those -are- Fraggles on my bookshelf...)

This was my first Before and After and I really hope to have more in the future. I'm linking it up to Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party! Check it out over there. Trust me, you'll thank me!