Time for a monthly evaluation! Probably boring reading - but it does keep me on track and I intend for my resolutions to be reachable GOALS this year :-)
I'll have to evaluate them taking into consideration that the last week of the month was an expensive vacation week. St. John is a beautiful little island... great for a VISIT... but I don't think I would like to live there. Gas is $3.91 per gallon... driving is on the opposite side of the road.... but even if it weren't, the roads are tiny with steep grades and sharp curves. Food costs about twice what I pay here in the states... and the lowest price I found for bottled water is $1 each. Water and power conservation are critical there. It's good to be home!
Anyway - evaluation!
I'll have to evaluate them taking into consideration that the last week of the month was an expensive vacation week. St. John is a beautiful little island... great for a VISIT... but I don't think I would like to live there. Gas is $3.91 per gallon... driving is on the opposite side of the road.... but even if it weren't, the roads are tiny with steep grades and sharp curves. Food costs about twice what I pay here in the states... and the lowest price I found for bottled water is $1 each. Water and power conservation are critical there. It's good to be home!
Anyway - evaluation!
Resolutions 2011
HEALTH/FITNESS
1. Weight, weight, weight! Maintain loss and lose a little more. Tighten and tone…. Develop a daily regimen to stay fit for life! Learn to eat like a thin healthy person.
Okay - so rum is cheaper than any other drink in the islands! I definitely fell OFF the food & drink wagon while I was away! I enjoyed all kinds of junk food - have you ever traveled with a teenager? Confined in a small space with candy and chip items... not the best scenario for me :-)
Anyway - on the good side - I have continued to eat a good breakfast and a large salad each day. I struggle with grain free and dairy free eating but still do better than I did when the year began. I also continue to travel with my own snacks to reduce the damage :-)
10. Walk Breast Cancer 3Day again (July) Training has begun! I write a weekly update email letter for those who wish to train with me :-) Let me know if you are interested!
11. Train for and do several races this year.
*8TUFFMILES 2:08 15:22 min pace (a full 30 minutes faster than when I ran / walked it in 2008!)
I am preparing for: The Flying Pirate Half Marathon in OBX (4/10); The Flying Pig Half in Cincinnati (5/1)
*8TUFFMILES 2:08 15:22 min pace (a full 30 minutes faster than when I ran / walked it in 2008!)
I am preparing for: The Flying Pirate Half Marathon in OBX (4/10); The Flying Pig Half in Cincinnati (5/1)
Okay - still enrolled :-) Ballet, clogging, Christian lyrical, Irish soft shoe and Irish hard shoe lessons... preparing for the June recital - and I just tested for my green belt in martial arts
LIFE BETTERMENT
9. Continue debt reduction journey.
I am excited about February progress! INCLUDING vacation expenses, my February food expenditures were HALF of January's..... woo-hoo!! And our credit card balances have been reduced a little bit. We over-tithed and under-saved in January and that has not yet been corrected. I will handle that in March. Our goal is to donate 10% of our income - 5% to the church and 5% to other organizations our family supports. And to save 10% of our income.
7. Organize, unclutter, streamline, purge!
Ongoing progress :-) I will continue to have pockets of clutter for a long time but want to celebrate that which DOES get handled! I have bags of clothing & household items to donate but we live far away from a reasonable place to give them. Family members understand that they go in these bags under pain of death :-) These items will leave but I cannot in good conscience throw away items that can still be used.
I also have tossed, tossed and tossed items! I have shredded many documents this month and have come a long way in taming the paper monster!
Ongoing progress :-) I will continue to have pockets of clutter for a long time but want to celebrate that which DOES get handled! I have bags of clothing & household items to donate but we live far away from a reasonable place to give them. Family members understand that they go in these bags under pain of death :-) These items will leave but I cannot in good conscience throw away items that can still be used.
I also have tossed, tossed and tossed items! I have shredded many documents this month and have come a long way in taming the paper monster!
Did NOT bring back a lot of souvenirs from vacation.. just a few items to use that will bring back memories :-)
PERSONAL PROJECTS
2. Send birthday cards to friends and family / also be prepared with sympathy and congratulations cards
I am pleased to say that I am still getting the cards out! Sympathy ones too, though a little slower.
3. Read a minimum of a book a week for the year
February - I completed reading 6 books :-)
The Happiness Project by Gretchen RubinSyren by Angie Sage
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
St. John on Foot and by Car by Randall S and Rebecca S Koladis
St. John Off the Beaten Track by Gerald Singer
The Forever Queen by Helen Hollick
4. Crochet for charity – and use my crocheted items as gifts when possible
I've completed several items for donations this month but haven't exactly counted them :-) I have continued making lovies for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Weekly pictures of completed objects are going up on Facebook... I am considering giving a day each week of this blog to completed handwork...
Personal projects:
small gifts for each niece / nephew starting with youngest (hats. Scarves, wrist warmers, whatever)
I completed 5 of the 9 scarf sets for nieces and nephews - 3 of which have been mailed out.
I started playing around with some dishcloth patterns to use up crochet cotton and practice new stitches.
Handmade baby gifts for good friends
have 2 to do so far this year.... am planning an afghan for one and am not sure what to make for the other one
Crocheted afghan for relatives / good friends who have momentous occasions
I have 2 afghans in progress and need to plan for and make 3 afghans for guys!
5. Get back to quilting my own projects and mending the quilts my MIL made for us.
A little progress in February - the panel is ready for lap quilting the dividing strips and I've mended 3 quilts and gotten them back in service.
A little progress in February - the panel is ready for lap quilting the dividing strips and I've mended 3 quilts and gotten them back in service.
6. Spiritual reading – I am considering reading the Bible through again.
Downloaded daily readings and read for a couple of days... I am starting a course for Lent and hope that will help me keep my head in a spiritual place!
8. Photo project –
Progress in ways I hadn't planned :-) My original resolution had to do with scanning / organizing the many hard copy photos that are LOOSE! I have them corralled in a container... and this month I did get them to the office - but that is all I did with those.
I did, however, keep up with current digital photos and begin creating photo books when online services had sales. I have photo books for two of my three Breast Cancer 3Day walks and have started working on the third one. And I ordered hard copy prints of some of the photos I needed to continue the albums I have here.
I did, however, keep up with current digital photos and begin creating photo books when online services had sales. I have photo books for two of my three Breast Cancer 3Day walks and have started working on the third one. And I ordered hard copy prints of some of the photos I needed to continue the albums I have here.
I had a few February pledges that I did not fulfill:
Develop/begin a regular core/arm strength routine
Finish hat/scarf to niece/nephew project (5 girls / 4 boys) HALF COMPLETE
Get baby gifts planned and started PLANNED ONLY
Open photo container and start looking at/sorting hard copy photos
March pledges
*get cholesterol levels checked
* get tax paperwork handled early in the month
*continue work of document shredding and cleaning out paper and electronic files
March pledges
*get cholesterol levels checked
* get tax paperwork handled early in the month
*continue work of document shredding and cleaning out paper and electronic files
* complete hat/scarf project for nieces & nephews - 4
* start and finish 2 baby gifts
* Develop/begin a regular core/arm strength routine
* Begin sorting/scanning photos
* start and finish 2 baby gifts
* Develop/begin a regular core/arm strength routine
* Begin sorting/scanning photos
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