November 3 in 30 Wrapup

November is winding down and Christmas will be here soon. Traditionally, this is the hardest time of the year for me to set and keep goals. I think I just get bogged down with the busyness of the holidays and I lose track of me. I think I have been doing pretty well the past couple of months and I hope that December is just as good. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

The goals I set for November were…

Make something from Pinterest—I did that the very 1^st week (not sure if I was motivated by making something or just crossing it off my list!) It really was fun and I would like to make more things that I have pinned. Right now, it doesn’t really make sense unless I plan to give them away when I’m done. We are crowded in our little house and I must give away tons of stuff so we will be comfortable.

Get out and sort through winter clothes—Done! We worked on this over the long holiday weekend and now have 2 giant bags full of giveaway clothes. I finally decided to part with some of my clothes that don’t fit. I was holding on to them hoping that I would magically drop 2 sizes and they would fit again. Reality finally hit me and I caved. I don’t have room to hang on to the “someday” stuff. Besides, maybe it’s like maternity clothes and baby stuff—when you get rid of everything, another baby comes along! Maybe it works the same with outgrown clothes. I’m not holding my breath.

Keep up with Bible in 90 Days reading—I’m a little behind I think. I know I am behind with the Old Testament but I took a Jesus break and skipped to the New Testament. I felt like it was what I needed to do. Of course, that puts my schedule a little out of whack but I am crossing off what I have read in the NT so once I make it there, I will be ahead of myself (how do you like that logic?!)

So that’s how it went in November. If you need accountability or help keeping up with your goals, please join the 3 in 30 Challenge and linkup with us each week. It has helped me tremendously and I am very thankful that I have been able to do this.

Week 3 Already?

It's already the 3rd Friday in November?!  Aaaaaahhhhh!!! The month has gone by so fast and I haven't really made a dent in the things I need to make a dent in. At some point, I'm sure the stress will catch up with me but right now, I denying the fact that I have way too much to do. 

My 3 in 30 momentum has slowed a bit but I'm still hanging in there. 

Drag out, sort through and organize winter clothes--Still not yet. We spent last weekend moving and organizing some things, mainly moving clothes from the laundry room into closets and dressers. By the time we were through, I couldn't imagine sorting through stuff. The good news is that the boy has all his winter stuff out and the girls have a few long sleeve shirts and coats. Most of their winter gear is still in bags and boxes. Ugh, I really need to get on this one. 

Continue with Bible in 90 Days--I'm doing great with this. I spent most of the week in the Psalms and have moved into Proverbs. I have read many of the Psalms before but never in order and straight through. I was surprised at how dark and angry it sounded in several places. That confused me a bit and I asked my husband to help me understand the anger (he's a bigger Bible scholar than me). His comment was that I was reading them with a New Testament perspective. Jesus forgave all our sins and we should forgive each other. These were written before Jesus though--forgiveness isn't much of a theme there. 

Make something crafty that I have pinned on Pinterest--Done. I do get to be crafty again tonight, although not because of Pinterest. My oldest daughter is in a play and the costume director recruited my middle child to help make 10 halos out of pipe cleaners and garland. What this really means is that I will make 9 and she will make 1. It will be a great time of stress bonding for us.

My First Guest Post

During the month of November, Melissa at Beautiful Mommy Feet is celebrating the wonderful works of God by featuring a different blogger each day who will share a testimony of praise. I am honored to be featured today...my post is titled He Knows the Plans. I hope that you are blessed by it.


 

Ups and Downs--3 in 30 Week 2

My progress this week has been minimal, at best. Oddly enough, I don't really feel like I'm behind. Actually it's just the opposite. I feel like I may be getting caught up and can really see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, I say that and something will go terribly wrong and I will be back to stress kitty stage. But for now, I think I will enjoy the calm before the storm. So here's the scoop...

Pinterest project--Done. I was considering another one but I can't focus on decorative stuff right now--there's too many functional projects to be done.


Bible in 90 days--I'm proud to say I've done really good this week. I really like my new NLT Bible. It's very readable and the notes are helpful. I have made it to Psalm and that's where I will spend the weekend. I'm looking forward to it.

Winter clothes--Sort of. All the buckets my husband pulled out for me to sort through happened to be Ethan's clothes, our clothes (that mostly don't fit and need to go away), and blankets. The girls' clothes are still mia. According to the One Who Knows Where Everything Is (husband), they are in giant trash bags in the garage. So this weekend, it's girl clothes sorting, I hope. 

I have decided to put my One Bite goals on hold until after Christmas. I don't feel like I could be very productive with even small changes. I really want my goals through the end of the year to focus on getting settled and taking care of things that are really necessary (just ignore the Pinterest goal above!) I need to re-establish the routines I already have before making new ones. I am going to pick it up again after the holidays. I think the small goals there are perfect for New Year's resolutions and I'm looking forward to bettering myself. Until then, I'm just surviving. 

I do want to update one of my goals from last month which was to drink more water. I rarely pick up a soda anymore. I have some in the pantry but it's not a habit like it used to be. I've had 2 people tell me I look like I have lost weight. I have no idea if this is actually true--I don't own a scale and I can't tell that my clothes fit any different. My husband's comment was "I've noticed that your belly lays a little different." Gee thanks honey. The belly that has been there since the 1st pregnancy 11 years ago is "laying different." He really did mean it in a good way and I applaud his efforts. The comment was just funny. He's a keeper.

3 in 30 November Week 1

There's something about Friday that just makes me giddy. It is exciting to end my work week and just slow down and decompress. My wonderful husband snagged a pair of tickets to see the Razorbacks play tomorrow night and I was really excited to go with him...for about this long. I don't know what brought the apprehension on but there is a nagging feeling that I need to stay home tomorrow. It's not an impending sense of doom (yet) but I just have things to do this weekend and being away from home most of the day tomorrow isn't going to help. There are soccer games, a baby shower to attend, winter clothes to sort through...and I'm just tired. I know that if I indulge myself at the game I will have a great time, but then the crash will come when I get home and I won't want to do anything that I have to do and will end up being lazy with the kids. So I'm being a sacrificial adult and tending my sheep tomorrow. And I will convince the kids that we need to watch the game on tv so we can see if they see Dad.

It was only a couple of days ago that I planned out my 3 in 30 goals for the month so the progress is minimal, but still worth sharing.

Drag out, sort through and organize winter clothes--Not yet but it's on the agenda for the weekend. As a bonus motivator, the weather has taken a dramatic turn toward winter so if I don't get this done asap, my kids may freeze.

Continue with Bible in 90 Days--Sort of. I misplaced my checklist and actually re-read some parts of 2 Chronicles that I had already read. I knew I had read that before but since 2 Chronicles parallels the books before it, I thought maybe I was just remembering the books before it and I didn't want to not read it, just in case. I did find my checklist last night so I'm back on my schedule. I also ordered a new NLT Study Bible this week and have found it to be very readable and I love the notes and explanations. 

Make something crafty that I have pinned on Pinterest--Done! I made a dry erase calendar last night in about 20 minutes. Cost less than $15 (frame was $10 and paper was $5 for the pack-I only used 8 partial sheets). Forgive the sloppy handwritten days...I'm still experimenting with that. And the beautiful hands belong to my middle child.


So that's it for this week. I did choose a One Bite goal this week but ended up rethinking it and laying off for the week. I hope your weekend is fun and excited.

Happy November!

Today is November 2nd and I am very proud to announce that I have my Thanksgiving menu all planned out! Drumroll please...chicken strips, cheese cubes, fruit/veggies and dip, crackers and spreadable stuff, sliced deli meat--you get the picture. It's our 2nd Annual Finger-Food Thanksgiving Feast! It was such a hit last year that we are repeating it. Honestly, last year was completely an accident. We save our traveling for Christmas so there's just 5 of us to feed. My options are to cook a giant dinner, complete with all the trimmings (can't leave anything out) or go out to eat. I *can* cook a complete dinner with all the trimmings but I just don't want to. It takes forever, gives me stress and is usually gobbled up in about half the time it takes to say the blessing! Meal planning last year was done the night before, walking around the grocery store with the kids picking out random things we wanted to eat. Oddly enough, they were all finger foods. Thanksgiving day was relaxed and casual. I put out the food (not much to cook), and we grazed like cattle all day long, while we watched tv show reruns on dvd. We ate in the living room, on paper plates, with plastic silverware and plastic cups. The biggest stress-maker was keeping the dog away from our plates. It was the best Thanksgiving dinner yet. And since the idea of "normal" is not embraced well by my family, we are making it a tradition. I hope to post pictures and a complete menu/agenda closer to the big event (or shortly after).

November also begins month 2 of my participation in the 3 in 30 Challenge. Last month I picked goals that weren't really hard, but they just needed my attention and a bit of motivation. This month, the goals I chose are different in that one of them is purely selfish, one is going to happen with or without me, and the other is something I'm way behind with. 

1. Make 1 thing that I have pinned on Pinterest (selfish)--I'm a compulsive pinner. I have only ever made 1 thing that I have pinned (a battery box) and if I were to be completely honest, my husband made it, I just told him how to do it. So this month, I'm going to get crafty and make something--food doesn't count. 

I'm considering this:

Source: fey-next2heaven.blogspot.com via Melanie on Pinterest

or this:

Source: manditremayne.blogspot.com via Melanie on Pinterest

2. Drag out and organize winter clothes (with or without me)--It's that crazy time of year in the South where you will be wearing shorts one day and a heavy coat the next. I turn on the heat at night and a/c during the day. My closet is great. I don't rotate clothes based on the seasons. What's in there is in there all year, or until I outgrow it, stain it, or wear it out. My children, however, need me to get out their winter clothes and sort, toss, donate, etc. This is going to happen with our without me. If I want it done right, I may as well do it myself. So by the end of the month, the kids' closets will be winterized. Can I just say in advance that I HATE THIS GOAL! But it must be done. All dreading aside, it *will* be done.

3. Get back on track with Bible in 90 Days and finish before the end of the year--I started this challenge long enough ago that I should already be finished. I thought it would be easy...what's 12 pages a day? It's not easy and I'm ashamed to admit that I have let life get in the way. I have made excuses...I don't have time (yes I do), I can't focus (try prayer and coffee), I will make it up tomorrow (no I won't). So no more excuses. I'm picking up where I left off (2 Chronicles) and just moving on. I won't finish in 90 days, more like 150 days. But I will finish, and that's what is most important.

So there you have it. My 3 in 30 November goals, out here for the world to see. Thanks for stopping by! What are your goals for November?