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february 2015 goals

Happy February! I know this is lots of people’s least favorite month because it’s winter with no sign of spring, but thankfully it is my birthday month so I’ve always had a sweet spot for it. :) Here are my goals!

Nagging task: replace dead light bulbs

This is pretty straightforward, but it’s one of those things that I tend to put off and then when we finally get around to doing it, it makes such a huge difference. Anyway, we’ve got a bunch of dead bulbs right now.

Purchase: iPhone tripod

I wanted to make my purchase this month something fun, but also that is practical and has been on my wish list for a long time. Since my phone is my only camera right now, having a flexible tripod will be a huge help to me.

Style & Beauty: find a tinted facial moisturizer

My tried-and-true routine of regular facial moisturizer + powdered mineral foundation is not cutting it right now. My fine wrinkles seem to be multiplying lately, and the powder just enhances them in this weather. I think I need a light, cream foundation instead. I’ve heard good things about this one, so I’m going to try it!

Leisure: take a knitting class

This is my mom’s birthday gift to me and I’m so excited to learn! We are going to go to this adorable independent yarn shop for the class.

Memory-keeping: complete Wednesday and Thursday in my Week in the Life album

Getting ambitious and aiming for two days completed this month! After all, I want to have it finished before the next one starts! ;)

Blogging: design business cards

I just need to do this for Texas Style Council, which I am attending in March, and I don’t want to leave it till the last minute. It will be good to have it done for the future as well, though.

So those are my goals for this month, and here’s how I did in January…

Clean the car – yes!

Purchase running gear – I bought a band to attach my phone to my hand while I run and that was the main thing I needed. I do need a jacket but this is more of an investment that I will save up for. And I’ll probably need another couple of shirts in the summertime.

Make a list of needs for my cold-weather wardrobe – I did it, but it’s going to take me a long time to purchase all the items! It’s good to have a guide though.

Read three books – I read five!

Complete Monday in my Week in the Life album – I did Monday and Tuesday.

Choose blog fonts – I think I’m settled on Gill Sans and Didot for my graphics.

February 3, 2015
what i read : january 2015

I’m patting myself on the back over here for all the reading I did this month! Not only did I finish five books (which is a lot for me lately) but they were all good ones.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman : I was so into this. One big criticism I had read that had kept others from enjoying it was that they didn’t like the main character. I liked him fine, though, despite some of the awful things he did. I could also see him changing and redeeming himself by the end which makes me excited to see where the story goes. I just love a good fantasy. (4 stars)

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng : I expected this to be a mystery, and although there was that aspect it was more of the story of a family dealing with mixed-race issues. It was absorbing and gave me a lot to think about in regard to the mother-daughter relationship. (4 stars, audio)

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel : The hype is for real, guys. This is a dystopian set after a worldwide flu has eliminated most of the entire planet’s population and all modern conveniences (like electricity) have been lost, but you also get the story leading up to the outbreak. It follows some very unique characters – a film star, a traveling symphony, a cult leader – and has a sort of mystery to it as well. (5 stars)

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin : I probably had too high of expectations for this one, since everyone was telling me that if you like books, you’ll love this one. And I like books! But I didn’t love it. I did like it, though. The tone of the book was a lot lighter than I was expecting, so I felt like I was reading chick-lit or a romantic comedy, but yet it dealt with a lot of serious issues. So it was confusing. (3 stars)

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro : I knew very little about the premise of this book going into it and I think that really added to the experience so I’m not going to say much. It’s a quiet book that relies heavily on characterization and atmosphere; it was thoughtful yet disturbing and haunting. Can’t wait to discuss it with book club. (4 stars)

Reading challenge:

This year I’m participating in Modern Mrs. Darcy’s reading challenge. This month The Magicians will count as a book I’ve been meaning to read (as evidenced here!)

February 2, 2015
LIGHT : january

Necklace from this Etsy shop and I love it.

I am one month into the year of living with the word “light,” and I wanted to share a bit about how this process is going for me. In our prompts this month (for the class run by Ali Edwards) we set intentions and there were some suggested categories to focus on, so that’s how I’m going to structure these update posts.

spiritual

what’s been going well : so far I have been keeping up with my scripture memory challenge (one verse every other week), volunteering to help out at church, being involved in our life group and my own personal Bible study.

still weighing on me : here’s the thing. Being a light and being filled with the light aren’t items you can tick off a to-do list. This is a lifelong pursuit and all I can do is try to be obedient and do better. The one thing that I really want to do better with is praying. I want praying to be such a part of my life that I do it like breathing.

physical

what’s been going well : running has definitely been a positive part of my life. I have one more half marathon to run on February 7 and then I’m going to stick to shorter races. I hope to incorporate other forms of exercise at that time.

still weighing on me : I haven’t been curbing my sugar intake lately and I’d like to clean that up.

emotional

what’s been going well : I started personal journaling again on a private blog. I still hand write in my prayer journal sometimes, but this is much more effective for me on a daily basis. I also conquered a few nagging tasks this month.

still weighing on me : the weather wasn’t good for most of the month and it got kind of depressing. I overbooked myself for a few weeks (granted, we have six close family birthdays in January that had to be celebrated, sometimes in multiple ways). We haven’t made any progress toward paying off debt, and I am very low on PTO at work because of sicknesses.

relationships

what’s been going well : several times when I felt my patience running thin with the kids, and I could tell I was about to lose my cool, I thought to myself light light light and took a deep breath and was able to stay calm.

still weighing on me : I definitely still struggle to stay gentle with the kids, especially Meredith, since she can be so intense. David and I haven’t had a date night in quite awhile, and I am working on not taking out on him any grumpiness I may feel.

creative

what’s been going well : I have a memory-keeping framework set in place now that makes me feel confident (will share soon) and keeping up with editing/ordering photos relieves a lot of stress. I am happy with where this blog is. I am excited about getting knitting supplies & lessons for my birthday.

still weighing on me : just being behind on projects and trying to let go of that self-imposed pressure.

Here is how my album is shaping up:

It’s an 8.5 x 11 album, and I plan to use it every year until it gets full. I’m hoping I can get 3-5 years in here.

This project is a little bit creative but mostly reflective. The album isn’t the focus but I appreciate having a place to keep all my thoughts gathered, and working on the prompts – creative or reflective – will help me keep my word in mind throughout the year.

January 30, 2015
week in the life 2014 : tuesday in the album

Hi there! Just want to quickly share my layouts for Tuesday of the week in the life album I have in progress. This one came together faster than Monday since I knew what I was going for.

I’m starting every day with a full page photo with date stamped on the gold foil labels. I also plan to do a rundown of my meals on this narrow 3×8 page for each day.

On the back of this one I wrote out a few Meredith quotes. The right side is some morning photos.

The below layout encompasses the bulk of my day. Work (with pumping) and running on the treadmill after. It’s funny because I really can’t document much of what I spend most of my time on – work – because of patient privacy reasons. My job is super important to me and very fulfilling, but almost all of my memory keeping is family-focused and that’s okay.

I loved this little photo of me picking up Liam from daycare. He always clings to me as we walk out to the car and I usually spend a few extra moments hugging him before putting him in the car seat (which he hates).

On the last page of the spread I wrote my gratitude list and included a couple of evening photos. The one of our family dinner is a favorite. Then again I wrote out all the happenings of the day.

Slowly this album is coming together and I am really enjoying the process!

January 28, 2015
liam at one year

He:

>weighs 23 pounds, 15 ounces (85th percentile) and is 30.5 inches long (74th percentile). Slowed down on the growth but still a big boy. :)

>just got over yet another sinus infection, this time with eye involvement for fun. Oh the joys of giving a one-year-old eye drops three times a day!

>has been super cuddly lately and is very much a mama’s boy (still).

>is obsessed with this one mole I have on my upper chest and is always trying to pick it up. He doesn’t realize it’s not going anywhere.

>likes to stick his fingers in my ear while he nurses.

>is transitioning away from breastmilk at daycare which means we are nursing a lot more in the evenings and mornings.

>got a haircut! He cried through it and wanted to be held. At first I was so sad because of how different he looked, but now I love it.

>has his two upper teeth coming in; they are clearly visible now. So that makes five teeth.

>waved for the first time a week or so ago, but hasn’t done it since. He also knows how to shake his head “no.” For the most part he is kind of behind on developmental things, but not to the point where I’m worried.

>HATES being put in the car seat. I always feel like I’m strapping him into some torture device.

>hasn’t been sleeping all that well lately.

I:

>took most of last week just to recover from my stomach bug and am finally feeling back to normal.

>was hardly sore at all the next day following my half marathon, which really surprised me. Haven’t run since then either, though.

>have a lot of work to do on my various memory-keeping projects, but I am keeping up with photos which is the hardest part for me. As long as I can do that, I feel confident I can get the albums made.

>am pretty nervous about leaving town for 4 days in March because both kids are super attached right now.

>was really bummed that Liam broke a brand new necklace, but really what was I thinking wearing it around him?

>don’t know if Liam is our last child or not, but I really am enjoying every stage he’s in. Something about having gone through it before and knowing what comes next (the good and bad) is very helpful.

>turn 33 in a week and a half. I’m kind of happy about it because I really like the number 3.

>recently started foregoing all foundation and blush because it was just enhancing my wrinkles in this dry weather. Instead I’m just doing extra moisturizer and I think my face looks better for it, freckles and all.

>am very excited about the two book club books I currently have on deck. I’m also very excited about the awesome weather we are finally having, after a month of no sun. These two things have done wonders for my mood. :)

For reference:

0 months
1 month
2 months
3 months
4 months
5 months
6 months
7 months
8 months
9 months
10 months
11 months

Meredith at one year

January 26, 2015