I Blinked

I blinked, and missed a month. Okay, almost two. Lots of living going on in our home, just not much in the way of blogging. Amazingly, I'm making some progress on my list.

1. Made the ribbon set for the Bible reading program I'm following, and accidentally made it with 9 ribbons instead of the required 10. Oops! Still, at this point I'm thinking it was a providential mistake. I've added Acts to a cycle of NT readings, and am instead reading through James (using the ribbon my Bible came with) every four day. My church is currently studying James, with our pastor preaching through it on Sunday mornings and my small group discussing it on Wednesday nights. I'm loving the system, although I've not been as consistent as I want to be.

6. We're about halfway into the first Harry Potter book, and it's even better than I remembered. I don't think I've read the first books since the first time I picked them up, when I was pregnant with my oldest. Eleven years ago, now--too long. These are great books.

10. Continuing on, slowly but surely, to lose weight and get healthy. Am still competing with my online friends, for a third round, now, and truly appreciate the daily accountability and encouragement.

18. Purchased some bulbs, and they're sitting in the garage on a shelf. If they're going into the ground this fall, I think I need to move on it quickly--we're supposed to have some nasty weather this weekend. Hoping to get this done tomorrow or Saturday.

25. Confession time: I haven't scrapbooked at all this year, other than at Crop Because You Care in February. Have made zero progress in using up my stash, and have felt very unmotivated to scrapbook. Just today I suddenly felt a spark of interest in doing a specific project, to help catch up a family member who missed a big chunk of our lives. Considering doing this as a quick project for Christmas, using only stash materials. I also learned this person loves scrapbooking, herself, and am now mulling over sorting through my stash and giving her some materials with which to work.

30. While I've made some progress in using up my yarn stash, I've also added to it--kinda counter-productive, but hard to resist some particularly luscious fiber, especially when my fantastic parents gave me a Knitpicks gift card for my birthday.

31. Some good progress towards the goal of knitting a hat for everyone in my immediate family. I completed the one for my guy, and he loves it! I also finished one for my daughter, as well as one for my new niece. I'm currently working on one for my niece's cousin, who will be born in the next couple of weeks. I think they need matching hats, so I'm on a little side tangent right now, but am really enjoying the trip.

All in all, I'm happy to have made the progress I've made so far, but have a long way still to go.

Where I'm at, part 2

Finishing up the rest of the list today.

Creative

25. Use up my current paper/product stash for my scrapbooks.

This is going to be a challenge. I have a lot--kinda a ridiculous amount--of paper and product for scrapbooking. And the sad truth is, I haven't done any scrapbooking at all since January. That's over eight months it's just sat untouched. At this point, I need to focus on organizing my stash so it's accessible and usable, and then I'll be able to think about getting going on it again.
26. Get all the children's baby and school albums current, as well as our Christmas album and our family album.

Working towards this goal should significantly move me in the right direction for completing the previous goal. Some of these album haven't even been started, so I need to get moving on it. I'm thinking I'll plan at least a once a month night to go to a crop, as a way to begin. But before going to any crops, I need to organize the pictures and ephemera I want included in the album. Again, organization.
27. Scrapbook albums of me and my husband before our marriage, and complete our wedding album.

Our wedding album was the first one I made, and I now can't even look at it. It's just too rough. I need to start completely over from scratch. The albums for me and my guy will require getting pictures from my folks and his mom, as well as plowing through the boxes (and boxes and boxes) of slides we have from his dad, putting them into a digital format, and finding the missing pictures of his childhood.
28. Make the move to primarily digitally scrapbooking.

I'm excited to think about doing this. I have Photoshop--an older version, but it works for me--and I've played around with it a bit. Very fun. Primarily digi-scrapping will have to wait until I've plowed through my current stash and projects, though, so it's going onto the back burner for now.
29. Set up my own Library of Memories system for scrapbooking

I'm hoping to implement this with all new pictures I upload, and then to gradually work through older pictures. I need to purchase some storage so I can make the drawers, and also work through the thought process of how exactly I want to break down the years/people. In the next month, I want to have the bare bones system set up on my computer, so I can tag and label appropriately.
30. Use up my current yarn stash for my knitting.

My yarn stash isn't as big as my paper/product stash, but it's still pretty good-sized, especially for someone who only began knitting last year. I'm looking forward to going through my stash and thinking about assigning projects to yarn.
31. Knit a hat for everyone in my family (husband and kids).

I have a hat almost completed for one of my twins. It was originally intended for my guy, but when I was done it was obviously not going to work for him. I do have the yarn to start a hat for my guy again, so that will be next, after completing the hat for my boy.
32. Knit other cool stuff. Lots of it. Document on Ravelry and eventually scrapbook.

This is going to be purely fun. And, bonus, will use up my stash. Happy for me.
33. Make quilts: for each new baby in my extended family, for each of my children, a memory quilt of my father-in-law as a gift to my mother-in-law.

I have the materials to make a quilt for my soon-to-be-born niece, and need to pull out the ironing board and my cutting supplies. Hoping to get this done this week--we'll see how it goes, with my kids off track and my guy out of town.

For my father-in-law's memory quilt, I have some clothing from when we were in Oregon for his funeral. At the moment, I'm waiting on my mother-in-law to get me the rest of what she wants in the quilt, so on hold for the moment.
34. Start singing again.

I'm hoping to find an opportunity to join the worship team at my church or a local choir at some point, but it isn't an option right now, with my kids all being quite small and my guy traveling so much. On hold for now.
35. Cross stitch a beautiful piece for our bedroom.

I began this a few months ago--designed the text portion, and started. On hold for now. I need to focus on other creative projects for the moment, and this is a project that I need to reserve for times when I feel up for it.

Community

36. Something with the ladies in my church. 

This needs some thought.

37. Volunteer at the kids' school.

Again, I need to think about how to do this. Logistically, I need a sitter for my little guy if I'm going to the school. 
38. Volunteer at the local PRC.

On hold for now. Thinking about it.

Reaching Beyond
39. Go back to school. Eventually (after 40) get my Bachelor's degree.

Also on hold for now. Finances are an issue, as well as the time commitment. I'm hoping to be able to take a portion of our tax return next year and allot it for this. Need to discuss with my guy.
40. 

So, there it is. I have a long way to go. I'm looking forward to the process, as well as the results.

I wasn't kidding about the OCD thing

I couldn't handle the randomness of my first list. Here's the newest version of my list, properly categorized.

Spiritual

1. Read through the Bible at least 3 times.
2. Have a consistent quiet time, including Bible reading, prayer, and journaling.
3. Complete the 3 year discipleship course I'm in at my church.
4. Establish and maintain a regular time of family worship with my kids, and my guy as he's available.
Relational

5.  Go to the Oregon Coast for a few days with my guy

6. Read through the Harry Potter series with the kids.

7. Stay in close touch with my parents, siblings, and in-laws, as much as it lies in me.
8. Establish the habit of sending a minimum of one snail-mail letter weekly.

9. Get to know my neighbors.
Health and fitness

10. Get to a healthy weight. 
11. Get into a regular routine for fitness.
12. Use the C25K program when I've lost enough weight to safely start running.
13. Complete a 10K race.
14. Find a hair style I love.
15. Find the skin-care routine and products that work for me, and maintain.
16. Take daily walks with the dog, weather permitting. 

Domestic

17. Harvest and preserve a vegetable garden yearly

18. Plant bulbs in the fall. Enjoy them in the spring.
19. Tackle our front yard. Grow something pretty.
20. Make our bedroom a pretty, peaceful haven.
21. Paint and decorate our home.
22. Create a master menu list, monthly menus/shopping lists, and consistently use them.
23. Master living in my budget.
24. Maintain a clutter-free and tidy home.
Creative

25. Use up my current paper/product stash for my scrapbooks.
26. Get all the children's baby and school albums current, as well as our Christmas album and our family album.
27. Scrapbook albums of me and my husband before our marriage, and complete our wedding album.
28. Make the move to primarily digitally scrapbooking.
29. Set up my own Library of Memories system for scrapbooking
30. Use up my current yarn stash for my knitting.
31. Knit a hat for everyone in my family (husband and kids).
32. Knit other cool stuff. Lots of it. Document on Ravelry and eventually scrapbook.
33. Make quilts: for each new baby in my extended family, for each of my children, a memory quilt of my father-in-law as a gift to my mother-in-law.
34. Start singing again.
35. Cross stitch a beautiful piece for our bedroom.
Community

36. Something with the ladies in my church. This needs some thought.

37. Volunteer at the kids' school.
38. Volunteer at the local PRC.

Reaching Beyond
39. Go back to school. Eventually (after 40) get my Bachelor's degree.
40.