November 2014 Goals

I was home most of the month of October. My doctor hadn't cleared me to exercise so I took that as license to eat tons of candy and cereal. (I seriously have a Lucky Charms problem!) Despite being confined to the couch, I was able to do a lot a of "when I am well" planning.  I started my 101 in 1001 list last month. Here is a quick recap of last month's goal progress and what I hope to accomplish next month. 

October Goals Recap:

1. Pray daily
2. Purposefully encourage 5 people daily
3. Finish Skillshare class (Instead of worrying about my logo, I decided my time could be better spent pattern making.)
4. Make a plan for starting my fashion line
5. Get closer to my goal weight (I gained a few pounds while I was recuperating at home.)

November Goals:

1. Pray daily
2. Stay in sync with Bible reading program
3. Save $300 towards mini emergency fund
4. Lose 10 pounds
5. Drink 8 glasses of water everyday
6. Finish Round 3 of the 21 Day Fix
7. Start Round 4 of the 21 Day Fix
8. Complete November series the "12 Handmade Days of Christmas"
9.  Launch Shopify Store

Most of my goals involve what I call the Daily Five: Prayer, Read the Bible, Exercise, Encourage Others, and Pookie Time! 

Some of my goals will require little to no effort, like sipping water all day. The rest of my goals will require a little more effort and a lot more baby steps. I will check in half way through the month in order to keep myself on track. 

I am off to work on my blog and fashion line! What are your goals for this month?

No Spend Decorating: Home Decor Remix 6

 

Yay for the sixth installment of no spend decorating. My husband and I decided that one of our family goals was to start saving for a second honeymoon/vacation and for my fashion business. I searched around for some saving funds crafts. I saw some really cute ideas on Pinterest for a honeymoon fund, but that would require me to buy a shadowbox frame and metallic sharpie.

Instead of spending money to create cute jars to save money, my husband and I searched around the house. This craft took less than five minutes and helped me maintain my pact with myself to not spend any money on home decor this month. 

 Items Used:

1. Scrapbook paper

2. Spaghetti Sauce Jars (Hint: Let the spaghetti sauce jar air out for a few days before you use it.)

3. $4 Dollars

The star jar is the honeymoon fund and the polka dot jar is for my fashion business fund. We didn't have much cash on hand. If the money is left in our savings account, I can access it online. If I can access it online, I can transfer it. If I can transfer it, I can spend it. Thus, I will lose the tiny amounts of interest I can gain in a traditional savings account and actually save the money in these cute jars.

What are you saving for?

No Spend Decorating: Home Decor Remix 5

Happy Monday! I am choosing to be joyful that it is Monday because I get to start another week. 

For today's remix, I added a little vignette to my master bathroom tub. The ledge looked empty and sad so off I went around my house gathering items from various rooms.

Items Used: 
1. Decorative boxes from a friend;
2. Two candles from Ikea;
3. A canvas of the Eiffel Tower that was sitting on my sewing room floor;
4. A book that was hidden on my bookshelf; and
5. Lotion and a bath sponge stuffed in my bathroom drawer.

Are you working on any home decor projects? Post a link; I would love to see what you are working on!

October 2014 Goals

This is one of the idea boards from my sewing room. I love pinterest, but there is something about being able to touch paper that makes me feel happy and inspired!

I am off work on medical leave until October 24th so most of my plans must be achievable from my favorite living room chair. My goals for this month are:

1. Pray everyday.
2. Purposefully encourage 5 people daily.
3.  Finish this Skillshare class: Beyond the Logo
4. Make a plan for starting my fashion line
5. Get closer to my goal weight.

For each goal, I like to write baby steps to getting the bigger tasked accomplished. I also think it is wise to set what the ideal for getting my goal accomplished looks like, as well as setting up a backup plan in case the ideal doesn't work out. (And it usually doesn't!)

Baby steps to getting each of these accomplished:
1. Pray Everyday
Ideal: Pray immediately after I have my morning potty break. I like to get this in early to ensure that it gets done.
Backup Plan: Pray before I fall asleep

2. Purposefully Encourage 5 People Daily
Ideal: Text and/or call friends and family after my morning prayer
Backup Plan: Spread out the texts/calls throughout the day as people pop into my mind.

3. Finish the Skillshare Class
Ideal: Watch the videos after lunch and spend nad hour a day on the projects for the course
Backup Plan: Watch the videos all at once on a Saturday afternoon

4. Fashion Line Plan
Ideal: 1 hour day. Preferably an hour before my husband gets home so I can talk about it with him. I like the way his brain works and like to have his input on things.
Backup Plan: I can dedicate a Saturday afternoon to getting a rough draft down.

5.Get Closer to My Goal Weight
Ideal: I would like to lose at least 10 pounds this month. I am not allowed to exercise so this will be a matter of 95% of the weight loss work in the kitchen and 5% of mini walks.
Backup Plan: Progress makes progress. Even if I cannot lose 10 pounds, even a few ounces closer to my goal weight is progress!

What are you working on this month?

February 2014 Goals

January 2014 Sunset| Plucky Gumption Copyright 2014

 I was able to work on each of my January goals a little bit each day. I am proud to be able to strike through my initial list. The real test will be whether I keep going past the January enthusiasm. If “January is for dreamers, and February is for doers,” then I hope I cross over into the latter category.

JANUARY GOALS

1. Start the Nike Training Club Get Lean Beginner Program  

2. Lose 4 pounds.  I was able to lose 3.4 pounds! Yay! 

3. Start a family garden.  Pookie (my husband) and I started carrots, tomatoes, basil, peanuts, tangelos, and strawberries. We started everything, but the strawberries, from seed. More posts to come on our gardening adventures!

4. Revamp the Blog.  Thank you 17thAvenue Designs for the beautiful template.

5. Revamp Etsy Shop. New banner! New tags! Just a little freshening up made me feel better about my shop. Check out the GATON Etsy shop.

FEBRUARY GOALS

1. Nike Training Club Get Lean Intermediate Program

2. Lose 4 pounds

3. Sew the clothing for the spring 2014 collection 

4. Host a spring boutique party at my home for other artists, designers, and home based sellers that I know.

5. Finish redecorating "the side room"

What are your February goals? Did you survive the initial January resolution activity burst?