5 Simple Goals

I used to write five goals for the month and track my progress with them. Usually half of them were something I wanted to accomplish and half just fun. I want to get back to that because a.) I love goals, and b.) It keeps me accountable to have fun. I may do them weekly just to watch my progress.

1. See Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! with my oldest daughter. She and I have an obsession with this movie and the music. She's the only one of my three kids that doesn't gag at my musical theater obsession!

2. Walk 30 minutes a day. I've been walking with good regularity this summer but I haven't been consistently at 30 minutes. Sometimes I just fit in 15 or 20 minutes but I'm hoping to up my game and stay at 30.

3. Read Just the Essentials. I've been intrigued with getting more earth-friendly with my cleaning supplies/household items. I've heard good things about this book and picked it up from the library.

4. Weed my front flower bed. It's terrible! I need to put some weed killer in it I think because as soon as I weed it, it's back again. Maybe this is the perils of having a yard, but I've never noticed it being so crazy. We've had a lot of rain, so maybe that's causing it.

5. Replace my empty gel pens with refills! My friend gave me a huge amount of gel pens in December that I am STILL using. About an 1/4th of them are needing refills and the whole pack came with refills so I still won't be out of ink for awhile. I'm guessing it's going to last me all the way to next December ~ it's the gift that keeps on giving! I love using them to color, highlight and write. If you've been around long, you know I'm crazy about my pens and these feel like a treat every time I use them!

30 Day Yoga Challenge Last Thoughts

After having an especially grumpy day, I sat down on my yoga mat to start the day's practice. I wasn't in a great mood and I didn't especially want to do it, but I knew it would help relax my shoulders and possibly lift my spirits. As I began moving through the motions, I could feel the weight of my irritation disappearing. Just the act of breathing and stretching while listening to the calm voice of Adriene took all the worries of the day away.

I haven't done this month's challenge perfectly, but it has been so good for my body and mind. I can tell my mood is lighter when I'm done with the yoga practice of the day. The kinks in my shoulders and neck evaporate.

Participating in this challenge has convinced me that this is a good practice to continue. I am going to continue doing the 30 day yoga practice this next month as well, even if I stumble along at it. I've seen improvement in my balance and flexibility. I'm able to bend forward and touch the floor with much more ease than when I began. I've used the breathing exercises in the middle of anxiety and it's helped to calm me down.

Overall I'm incredibly glad I did this. Every time I experiment with a new challenge, I fight against perfectionism and worrying that I'm not doing something "right"; but I'm learning to let go and enjoy the process.

I'll be revealing next month's challenge at the end of this week. Since last month's was focused on the body, this next month's will be focused on the mind. Starting back to school and all the stresses that come with that, I want to do something that will help me be more mindful and present.

Do you have any recommendations on good books that've helped you be more mindful and present?

5 Happy Goals

5 Happy Goals

Setting goals can be a joy and a curse. The planning stage is bliss, full of possibilities and wonder. But once the pursuit begins, it can feel like an obligation. Our family has had lots of changes this year, nothing bad, just busy and I've found myself feeling anxious. So I felt it was time to create some goals for myself to get my mind occupied. But the thought of having to accomplish a bunch of things didn't sound too calming either. So I decided to start with Happy Goals instead. Goals just for fun's sake ~ goals to make me happy! If I like it, I may do it monthly. Feel free to join in and make your own happy goals. We can cheer each other on!

1.  Blog more.  I love blogging. It seems that anytime life pulls me away from it, I end up returning in the long run. There is something invigorating about creating a post and putting out there for the world to see.

2.  Paint two abstracts. Painting is the most calming experience for me. It allows me to process things I have trouble thinking through while also allowing me to play with color and beauty.

3.  Go swimming. This sounds like a no-brainer for summer. But now that my kids are older, they don't need me with them at the pool so I don't go much. And I LOVE swimming! We have a neighborhood pool literally down our street. I even got a new swimsuit this year that I actually like! There really is no excuse, this one needs to be crossed off ASAP.

4.  See a movie at the drive-in. I noticed Wonder Woman is playing there this week! How cool would that be? The only drawback was it was paired with Baywatch . . . ew, what were they thinking?

5. Get a sno-cone at Josh's Sno Shack. There are so many flavors and it just sounds refreshing. (Watermelon is the best!) Now I'm just making myself thirsty.

Okay those are my happy goals for this month! I'll let you know how many I manage to cross off. If you do it too; I'd love to see your list!

Five March Goals

Remember when I set monthly goals? 

I thought it'd be fun to try it again for March! I like setting goals that help me move forward as well as fun goals to add a little spice to my life and help me "stop and smell the roses".

Here are my five March goals:

1. Write something every day.

2. Decide what I actually use in my kitchen and get rid of the rest!

3. Learn a new yoga pose.

4. Read When Breath Becomes Air and The Art of Memoir.

5. Try something new or go on an adventure!


What would you like to do this month?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! 

I've said it before but I love the start of a new year and the possibilities it brings!

I've been thinking about what I want to focus on this year and I definitely want more connection and more meaning. I want to keep one word at the forefront of my focus: authentic. That word has always been important to me, but feels even more so right now at this time in my life. I want my blog, my relationships, my passions to all be authentic. I want a life full of honesty and vulnerability.

So in light of that, I'm going to be adding more heartfelt posts and share intimately more often. I love getting to share about small wardrobes and simplifying belongings, but I want to add more depth here on the blog.

Thank you all for making 2015 such a great year with your kind connection. I look forward to knowing you more in the coming year!

Do you have a word or a focus for the year? I would love to hear about it in the comments below!

Five September Goals

Well Hello there! I'm back from my long summer break and honestly, I missed you! (Hugs all around)

Since it's now September (already?!) I thought it'd be good to ease back in with a few goals for the month. Since I didn't post any goals throughout the summer, I'll just jump into this month's goals!

September has to be one of my favorite months because it signals the beginning of my favorite season (and boot weather!).  I once heard that you usually love the season you were born in. If that's true then it works in my case (I was born in November); I relish cooler nights and warm fires.

Now for the fun part, my five September goals:

1. Use smaller font on the blog. (See how I did that? One goal done!) Upon returning to blogging, I found that I honestly didn't like the huge size I had been using; so it's back to medium for me.

2. Read Rising Strong by Brene Brown. I've started it this week and I can tell this book is going to push me ~ in a good way. Forward.

3. Have one Pumpkin Spice Latte (and try to find a good Paleo recipe so I can have more guilt-free). I ate Whole 30 over the summer and felt so amazing that I'm trying to stay Paleo as much as possible with an occasional treat here and there when celebrations call for it (and the coming of Autumn deserves a celebration in my book ~ sorry if's that's too blogger cliche).

4. Streamline my Instagram feed. I'm a little obsessed with Instagram; so many beautiful photos, so little time! But I feel like my own Instagram feed has been kind of all over the board so I'm wanting to work on creating a more cohesive feel. I'd love it if you joined me! My Instagram handle is: CatherineDentonPhotos.

5. Paint, paint, paint! I have a lot of time now to focus on my art and I am currently painting a LOT. I want to continue this and branch out in some ways I've dreamed of for awhile.

What about you? Any goals you'd like to reach this month?

Five May Goals

First, let's see how I did last month:

1. See the movie, Insurgent. Nope. The easiest one, and I couldn't quite make it happen. I guess it wasn't a priority.

2. Read two more books. Not really a hard goal to finish, I read some really good ones this month!

3. Get a more organized routine in my daily life. I've been able to implement a more permanent work time in the morning with the help of an accountability partner. I have three solid days a week that I'm getting writing done and I feel more like this is becoming routine.

4. Focus on photography. Last month I shared that I was starting a fun photo project to help me practice photography. I'm calling it Photo Tales. There were two this month, Coffee Break and Takeover.

5. Share more daily life photos. I've incorporated more daily life photos into my Much Love Monday posts and I'm really happy about that. I love capturing moments that I might otherwise overlook.

That's four out of five again! I'm on a 4/5ths roll!

Now for May! What is it about this month that makes me believe I can garden? I kill plants so easily. Cacti are my friends because they're the only plants that last around me. But come spring, I always feel optimistic about growing a garden of some kind. I kept a Stevia plant alive quite awhile last year, maybe this'll be my golden growing year.

1. Plant something, obviously. :D

2. Play with sidewalk chalk. I love having a fun creative message on my porch wall. The last one is still going strong but I'm ready for a change.

3. Practice my lettering. I tend to do this naturally, I love improving my handwriting and making it my own. With this book, I'd like to practice a few new lettering skills I've learned and branch out a bit more.

4. Work on an art journal. I spent time putting fun papers into an adorable binder I bought at Target and I'd like to fill it with memories or photos. This project will be a little different from my Log Book because it'll be more artistic and colorful.

5. Enjoy my Dad's book. I'm so proud of my Dad. He's been working five years on this book. It's his story of fighting in Vietnam. He never talked about this much while I was growing up; in fact he's such a sweet easy-going guy that no one imagined the battles he'd faced. This book is a giant peek into a part of his life I only knew pieces of and I look forward to soaking it in.

What are you hoping to do this month? Any small or big goals?

Five April Goals

Hello April!

Feel like I say this every month, but wow, that month flew by. I guess that means it's on to new goals!

Let's see how I did on March's goals:

1. Stay off the scale. This goal was about freeing myself from the pressure. I won't say that I never weighed in, but I didn't get on near as often as usual and it was refreshing. I just focused on healthy behaviors.

2.  Write 5,000 words this month. I don't know what was with me this month but I really struggled in the writing department. Towards the end it picked up, but I still didn't reach 5,000. 

3.  Read a memoir and a writing book. This was kind of two-in-one but I enjoyed both the memoir and the writing book! I wrote about the memoir (29 Gifts) last week and I'll write about the writing book (The Memoir Project) soon.

4.  Reduce clutter in the kitchen. YES! I had a sweet helper with this one. We cleaned out all the tupperware and reduced it to the ones with lids only!

5. Surprise someone in need of company. I got the privilege of doing this for friends who needed some encouragement; their company was also uplifting for me!

Four out of five is definitely my sweet spot.

Now onto April's goals:

1. See the movie, Insurgent. Just cause I wanna.

2. Read two more books. This is something I love to do, but when I make it a goal it's like giving myself permission so I don't feel guilty doing it. {Yes, I'm aware that's crazy logic}

3. Get a more organized routine in my daily life. I have a few routines down, but I would really like to cement a more permanent writing time and exercise pattern.

4. Focus on photography. I really want to give myself more time to experiment with photography as a hobby and as a help to the blog. I have a fun project I'm thinking of trying but I'm working out the details before I share it.

5. Share more daily life photos. I love looking back through my archives and finding snippets of life throughout the years. I haven't done as well with that lately and I want to get back to it.

Do you have any plans for April? Any goals you'd like to accomplish?

Five March Goals

Wow, I cannot believe February is gone. This year is moving crazy~rapid. But I'm happy we finally got snow at the finish line of winter. I know there are people who've had heaps of it and hate it to death, but we'd not missed one school day by the end of January and I was feeling miffed. To my happy surprise, February brought several little snowstorms that gave us just enough slickness to stay in ~ and I adore staying in on a snow day!!

But today's post is about goals and now it's time to find out how I did last month on mine:

1. Write 1000 words each weekday. I should've given myself a little more slack than a thousand words each weekday. I should've just set a number goal and worked to achieve it; even if it didn't happen each day. Ah well...I did get writing done and that's the important thing.

2. Practice Spanish sounds and spellings in my Anki trainers (by Fluent Forever) daily. Yes! I'm getting faster at this by the minute which makes me so happy!

3. See the movie, You're Not You. I can't believe I didn't finish this one ~ seeing movies is one of my favorite things, gah! It just seems with snow days and various things I didn't make it to the theater. Well, hopefully I can catch up to watch it in March.

4. Get rid of two more garbage bags of stuff. I did, I did! And I could probably unload even more from my kitchen. I'm determined to do that soon.

5. Read two books. Oh yes, delicious ones. I love you, library.

That's not too bad a start for the year, but I hope to get even more goals marked off for this month.

Here are my five March goals:

1. Stay off the scale. {Did you chuckle?}This may seem like a silly one, but I'm giving myself a month off from checking weight. What is it with us and being obsessed with this number? I want to just focus on eating my best and staying active so I feel good. Staying off the scale will give me that chance.

2.  Write 5,000 words this month. That's a low number for an entire month, but I'm going to set myself up for success this time!

3.  Read a memoir and a writing book. These are two of my favorite kinds of books, so this is a pleasure goal.

4.  Reduce clutter in the kitchen. I'd love to see at least one large bag gone by the end of the month.

5. Surprise someone in need of company. We've had lots of sickness with elderly friends who might like a visit.


What are you hoping to do in March?

Five February Goals

I'm really looking forward to another year of setting little goals each month. Like last year, I didn't set any monthly goals for January because I was busy setting up my yearly goals, so February marks the beginning of my monthly goals for 2015.

Here are my five goals:

1. Write 1000 words each weekday. I'm working on a writing project at the moment that I'm really excited about. It's been a long time since I've had time to focus on writing but I'm at a season of my life now where I'm able to. The hardest part is actually sitting down to start each day, but crossing off a list and putting a sticker on my chart helps motivate me. I had an almost perfect record in January so I'm hoping I can beat it in February.

2. Practice Spanish sounds and spellings in my Anki trainers (by Fluent Forever) daily. This is something I never thought I'd say, but I am LOVING learning Spanish! These cards make it super fun, it's like playing a game each day. I find myself recognizing words and sounds that I don't remember knowing and it's just super exciting. I can't recommend enough the book Fluent Forever if you're wanting to learn a new language!

3. See the movie, You're Not You. This movie looks inspiring in the best way. It looks like an incredible movie on friendship in the midst of a horrible disease and the power one person can have in giving hope.

4. Get rid of two more garbage bags of stuff. This doesn't seem to be a difficult one for our family, we have a giveaway box by our door that somehow continues to fill up as we de-clutter our lives. But this goal is for me, personally. I want to get rid of two garbage bags full of MY stuff.

5. Read two books. I lap up books like they're chocolate pudding, but sometimes I can get sidetracked with life so I'm putting this as a goal this month to keep myself on track.

What about you, what are you hoping to do this month?

New Year Beginnings

I love beginnings: new day, new month, new year, new book, new canvas, new manuscript; it makes me feel full of hope and life. I know it's possible to reset your life at any point but I always feel more inclined to do so on the beginning of something.

Last year, I decided to do a five goals each month throughout the year starting in February (If you'd like to see them, start here) This really helped me spread my goal-making out over the year and not stress so much in January. I didn't know if I'd actually be able to finish a year of it but I'm so happy I did. Setting goals really does help me; I'm the type that loves marking things off a list.

I'm going to continue doing monthly goals during 2015 because I loved it, but I also want to add a few more yearly challenges this time. Since I seem to respond well to a challenge or experiment, I thought a few more couldn't hurt.

Here they are:

1. Write 52 Thank You Notes. I recently read a book on gratefulness that really got me thinking. I want to pay more attention to all I have to be thankful for and the people that contribute to my life. I think this will be a physical activity that will help me be on the lookout for what is happening around me.

2. Read 30 Books. This is a low-ish goal for me since I love reading, but the third challenge is making me nervous so I wanted to keep this one simple and achievable.

3. Take 365 Photos. Piggybacking off of the gratefulness goal, capturing something special about each day will help me stay present and remember to enjoy my life. This challenge is the one I'm most nervous about. I've never done such a big photo experiment but I think it's worth trying. I'll be posting them on twitter (@CatherineDenton) and Instagram (@catherinedentonphotos) as well as here on the blog.

4. Write 1000 words per weekday. The hardest part about writing this many words daily is getting myself in the chair and staying there. Once my fingers start moving over the keyboard, I can usually make myself finish but it's the avoidance beforehand I have to fight. I'm going to add a few routines to help get me in place. I'll start with coffee at my desk and a review the previous day's writing. Possibly I'll add some soundtrack music for background inspiration (if it doesn't end up being distracting).

5. Exercise 20 minutes everyday. I would love to say thirty or forty minutes but I know myself; if I start too high I won't even begin. Twenty minutes seems manageable and less time-consuming. I've been doing much better with movement since getting an under-the-desk exercise pedaler for my birthday. Now each time I sit at my desk, it's there at my feet waiting to be used and I feel like a slouch if I don't use it. How's that for peer-pressuring yourself?

Okay those are my challenges for the year. I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew, but I did try to keep the numbers small-ish. (Can you tell I like to number things?)

Here's wishing you a Happy New Year!!

Five December Goals

Here we are at almost the end of December and I never posted my goals for the month! These last few months have gotten away from me here in Blogland, but I'm hoping to reboot next week.

Let's check on November's goals first and see how I did:

1. Read two new books. Done and done.

2. Write every weekday (besides Thanksgiving break). Done! November always inspires me to write, knowing that there are novelists writing thousands of words during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).

3. Finish cleaning out the garage so I can fit my car in. Nope, didn't happen. *Hangs head* I still need to do that.

4. Write a letter. Done! I wrote a letter to one of my new favorite authors.

5. Get a new haircut. Done! Although I could really use another right about now.

Four out of five seems to be my sweet spot. Now for December! Since it's basically the end of December, I'm going to go ahead and tell you how I did:

1. Do something crafty. I made ornaments like the one in the photo above and it was super fun! I could do that all day.

2. Throw a Christmas party. Done! Though planning and preparing for parties is not my strong point, I really enjoy it once the party begins.

3. See the last Hobbit movie. Done! I got to watch it with a whole row of friends, so fun and a little sad that it's the last one, sniff.

4. Find or invent creative wrapping paper. I found the cutest wrapping paper with characters made to color in ~ the best of both worlds.

5. Enjoy time with family. Done and continuing! Savoring this Christmas break.

I really enjoyed writing goals down every month this year. It helped me accomplish some tasks I was avoiding and also some fun that I might not have taken the time for. Thanks for cheering me on and even joining in!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

{See November goals here}

Five November Goals

Well, nothing like setting goals for a month seventeen days into said month. But better late than never, yes?

First, let's look at last month's goals:

1. Rework my fall wardrobe. Done! I didn't get it photographed for you, but I'm happy they're hung in my closet and easy to access.

2. Write every weekday. I don't know if it's the fall air, NaNoWriMo spirit or knowledge of a year closing in on me, but writing has been strangely consistent!

3. Coffee on the porch. Yes, oh the lovely stillness of vibrant leaves whispering to me.

4. Create something autumn-y. Wha-wha-whaa. Didn't happen and I'm not really sure why. Too busy, I guess.

5. One fun, family adventure. Yes! I love crazy outings with my favorite people; they make me laugh so much.

Now for November:

1. Read two new books. I've been on a reading frenzy; it seems the cold weather always spurs me on.

2. Write every weekday (besides Thanksgiving break). I'm on a roll, might as well keep it up!

3. Finish cleaning out the garage so I can fit my car in. It's not too overloaded but I need to take things to Goodwill.

4. Write a letter. I love this old-time tradition because I adore getting real stuff in my mailbox. It's rare, but I love it.

5. Get a new haircut. I probably change my hair a tad every month but I want something that feels fresh.

How is your November going so far?

{See October goals here and December goals here}

Five October Goals

So I'm going to be completely honest here, last month was a bust. I achieved one goal, the end. But you know what? I'm okay with that. Sometimes life gets too crazy and what you thought would be accomplished, doesn't get done. I'm giving myself some grace here.

Let's review September:

1. Find a no-sugar recipe for Pumpkin Spice latte, or pumpkin bread (or pumpkin anything). I found one; haven't made it yet but I can safely mark this one off the list!

2. Write 5000 words on a secret project. I did get words written, just not 5000. That may've been a bit of a high goal since I'm just getting back into the routine of writing.

3. Read The Goldfinch. I checked this book out of the library and it's still sitting on my table (I've rechecked twice). I'm not sure what my hangup was on starting it but on the other hand, I read three ebooks. Can I swap points? :)

4. Put my books back on bookshelves. Nope. I have no excuse, we had beautiful weather but still didn't manage to get this finished.

5. Paint three more paintings (or more!). I got one more done, well that's a 1/3 of the goal!

Now on to October's goals.

1.  Rework my wardrobe for the fall. You know I love doing this! I didn't get a wardrobe capsule done for September, but maybe this goal will help me show you one for autumn.

2.  Write every weekday. I'm not setting a number on how much I write this time. I simply want my goal to be sitting in the chair and writing.

3.  Coffee on the porch. I do this in the Spring when everything is warming up and feels delicious after the cold, but I also enjoy doing it when the heat of summer fades and the cool of autumn is a welcome relief. There is nothing sweeter than having hot coffee in the morning wrapped in a blanket sitting on the porch. I love you, Fall.

4.  Create something autumn-y. I want to say a painting but also want to give myself free reign on this one. Maybe a wreath or something from the kitchen?

5.  One fun family adventure. There are so many to choose from: the fair, pumpkin patch, hayrides, gatherings by the fire pit....I could go on.


What about you, how did your September go? What are you hoping to do in October? 


{See September's goals here and November's goals here}

Five September Goals

This upcoming season is my favorite of the whole year! I love the explosion of colorful leaves, the cooler weather, the cuddling and hot drinks. It just all feels so homey. Sweet, beloved, autumn.

But first let's see how well I did last month:

1. Read Show Your Work and get super inspired!  I did! And it lived up so much. I may re-read it this month just to let it soak in further. I highly recommend this book!

2. Paint three new paintings (at least!).  Three was a good number because I accomplished that no problem. {Here are a few of them}I really hoped to do much more, but with my kids starting school that didn't happen.

3. Add one new movement to my day. Yes! Honestly I figured yoga would be the new movement, but dog-walking ended up being my most consistent activity! It's good for me and good for Ron Weasley (my dog).

4. Go on an adventure to see the blue whale.  I didn't get to the blue whale this month. The heat rose incredibly around the time we were going to go and no one wanted to visit in the melting heat. Maybe when it's cooler...

5. Open a business bank account. Done! I don't know why I was procrastinating this, it was painless. The lady at the bank was so fun, we just clicked. I ended up staying there awhile because we were chatting so much. May've made a new friend in the process!

It seems 4/5 may be my groove, ha. But that's better than zero, right?

Now, on to September!

1. Find a no-sugar recipe for Pumpkin Spice latte, or pumpkin bread (or pumpkin anything). I'm trying to break my sugar addiction so I'd like to have some options when my favorite foods tempt me.

2. Write 5000 words on a secret project. I haven't written much in the last few years except for here on the blog. There was a time I was writing a LOT but then needed to let go of it for a season (or several) for other priorities. Now, I'm free to pursue writing again and I've been enjoying it!

3. Read The Goldfinch. I've heard great reviews about this book. I love a story I can lose myself in! I limit my fiction reading because I'm obsessive on finishing a book once I start it. But sometimes I indulge my love of fiction and this is one I want indulge! 

4. Put my books back on bookshelves. Since we had work done on our house in the Spring, I still haven't put all my books back. I've reduced my library quite a bit, but still have a few boxes of books I need to go through or put up.

5. Paint three more paintings (or more!). I'm really hoping I'll have time for much more than three, but we'll see. :)

What are you hoping to do in September?

{See August's goals here and October's goals here}

Five August Goals

Let's review last month's goals and see how I tally up:

1. Make healthy popsicles. Yes! I managed to do this a little; but I'd like to make some more before summer is officially over. Here's my combination of peach yogurt strawberry popsicles.

2. Make another capsule wardrobe post for July. Done! Although I didn't get to show you all twenty-five outfits, I at least got to show you these twelve. Next month I'll be sharing a surprise guest's capsule with you! So excited. (You may've already guessed who!)

3. Wear nail decals. Finished this one just in the nick of time! We're celebrating a special birthday for my Mom this Saturday, so I wanted to have nails pretty for that.

4. Do something nice for the people who helped us during our house crisis. I started this but didn't get it finished. Guess I can't really count what I didn't complete...but maybe a half point?

5. Chalk art. Yes! I'll be showing my chalk-art porch project next week; it was SO fun to do. I'm thinking of "chalking" a rug on the back patio to see if I like it enough to paint one.

Four out of five again! Hey that's 80%; I give myself a B+. :D

Now onto my five August goals:

1. Read Show Your Work and get super inspired! Austin Kleon's last book Steal Like an Artist, stole my heart. It was just what I needed to propel my art projects forward; so I'm beyond excited about his next book. It's exactly what I'm needing at this point in my journey!

2. Paint three new paintings (at least!). I'm having so much fun painting lately. I've been trying out a slightly different style and really loving it. I set a low goal of three paintings this month because I don't want to overwhelm myself with all the school stuff beginning. {But secretly I'm hoping I'll slam that number into the ground with all I get done.}

3. Add one new movement to my day. Since I'm trying to move more; I want to add another active movement to my day. Maybe yoga...maybe more consistent walking of my dog. I'm not sure yet, but I'm on a good path with this and want to continue it!

4. Go on an adventure to see the blue whale. My youngest daughter has been dying to see this quirky statue of a blue whale. We want to take her before school starts and things get crazy.

5. Open a business bank account. This sounds overly simple but I've been ridiculously procrastinating it and it's super important. It's holding me up because I want all my business pieces into place before I open my shop. This probably should've been done long ago, but...baby steps.

What are your thoughts for August?

{See July's goals here and September's goals here}

Five July Goals

June, where did you go?? Oh my goodness, that month flew by, does anyone else think so? I think that old saying is right, "time flies when you're having fun".

So let's review June's goals before getting to July.

1. Berry picking. Still. haven't. I tried to take my kids so many times this month, but it just didn't work out. I may go with a friend this coming week but since it didn't make it into June, I can't count this as done. :(

2. Decorate my house. Done! We've had so much fun getting pictures on the walls (not too many) and arranging everything into cozy minimalist arrangements.

3. Clean up and cutify the backyard. It's not backyard-barbecue ready, but it's looking much better than it did. I've removed many tree limbs and yuck, removed weeds and growths. It's made me want to paint a pattern on the patio, but let's not get ahead of ourselves...

4. Finish some new upcoming features for this blog (hint: it involves capsule wardrobes)! Did it!! Wanna see? 10 pieces, 25 outfits post. I want to try that again for July. It was a lot of work but I really enjoyed the challenge and it helped me see what clothes work better on me.

5. Swim. Yes! We had a mini-staycation, and I went swimming with my kids. It was a lot of fun! The pool wasn't too cold or too hot, it was juuust right.

Finishing four out of five ain't bad. :D

Now on to July goals:

1. Make healthy popsicles. My kids are really into popsicles this year, which is funny being that they're teenagers. But I'd like to have some healthy options in the freezer instead of sugar ones. There are so many cute recipes on Pinterest, how can I not?

2. Make another capsule wardrobe post for July. I absolutely love doing this. I love making a capsule and figuring out all the ways to wear it. A few friends have asked me to do this for them which makes me giddy with excitement!

3. Wear nail decals. For awhile my nails were growing because I was keeping Jamberry nail decals on them ~ super durable. So I want to get back to that. I have quite a few left to continue with. My nails were actually growing out until I stopped doing this (I'm a nail-biter if you didn't know).

4. Do something nice for the people who helped us during our house crisis. There were so many people that preciously helped us out during our home crisis. People who helped us with the work, and others who gave ~ food and other things. I really want to bake cookies, or have them over for dinner or something. July would be a good time for that.

5. Chalk art. Summer is the perfect time for chalk art. I want to do some cute projects around the house and outside the house with chalk this summer.

Well, that's my five. Do you have any goals for July? I'd love to hear them!

{See June's goals here and August's goals here}

Five June Goals

Time to review last month's goals. Here's what I did/didn't accomplish in May:

1. Read a book outside. Check! It was lovely.

2. Get a cheap pedal exerciser to use under the desk while writing or watching movies. This didn't happen, but I'm hoping it will soon.

3. Paint my desk before moving it into my studio. No, but I did manage to decoupage it (that's close to painting, right?).

4. Grow an herb plant. Yes! Not one but three little plants growing in my kitchen window.

5. Have a picnic. No, but I plan to do this before it gets too hot.

Now for June goals, here we go:

1. Berry picking. This is on my list every year and I still haven't done it. Maybe this will be the year!

2. Decorate my house. With everything off the walls, it's given us a chance to have a fresh start. I've got some fun arrangements planned.

3. Clean up and cutify the backyard. I don't expect it to be landscape perfect, but I'd like to feel confident taking friends out there and not shutting the shades to hide "the jungle".

4. Finish some new upcoming features for this blog (hint: it involves capsule wardrobes)!

5. Swim. I love swimming and although my kids are old enough to go to the pool without me, I really want to get some time in the water before it turns warm as bath water in August.

What are you hoping to do this June?

{See May's goals here and July's goals here}

Five May Goals

This month was full of craziness (major house repairs), but I still finished 4 out of my 5 goals! I enjoyed many morning coffees on the porch; listened to three inspiring podcasts; sent a postcard to a friend; and savored a girl's night out. The only thing I didn't finish was a super-secret painting project for a friend. But life has been topsy-turvy and I haven't been able to get to my paints, so I'm giving myself some slack on that one.

Setting goals at the first of the month is helping  me engage life and accomplish more tasks. The beginning of spring with warmer days and bird songs has me so excited. Fall is my favorite season, but after our long winter, I'm thrilled to see the return of green!

So with all that inspiration, my five May goals are:

1.  Read a book outside.

2.  Get a cheap pedal exerciser to use under the desk while writing or watching movies. (Mother's Day is just around the corner, hint-hint.)

3.  Paint my desk before putting it back into my studio.

4.  Grow a herb plant.

5.  Have a picnic.

What are you hoping to do in May?

{See April's goals here and June's goals here}

Five April Goals

Last month I finished almost everything on my goal list except opening my shop. I've had some glitches in getting the downloadable files up to the quality that I want. So my little shop has been delayed. But hopefully it will be remedied soon and I'll get to throw a launch party.

Doing these monthly goals makes me happy so I'm continuing in April. Here are my five April goals:

1.  Have coffee on the porch and enjoy Spring.

2.  Paint a super-secret gift for a super-special friend.

3.  Listen to three encouraging and/or inspiring podcasts.

4.  Send a postcard to a friend.

5.  Enjoy a girl's night out.

What are you hoping to do in April?


{See March's goals here and May's goals here}