So a friend of mine posted a blog the other day about 12 goals she wanted to complete in 2012. I've been thinking long and hard about this. At first I was reluctant to do it because I didn't want to just list my goals without some sort of method into my madness, but I think now I've figure out how to not only make a goal, but to say how I'm going to accomplish each one of them or at least get them out there so I know what I need to do (at first, some of them didn't seem possible). I also couldn't set a number for how many goals I wanted to list and some of them I know are going to probably keep going into 2013.
So lets get the ball rolling and start making this list. I've also decided to divide them into categories and they are ranked in importance. Can you tell how crazy I am yet, if not keep reading?
Category #1- My House
1) Making my bathroom a little bigger: There is a wall in my bathroom that needs to come down. (And yes as I'm writing this right now the wall is already down, but I had to write it because it goes hand in hand with the other things I'm about to say). My bathroom is very small and this wall made it almost impossible to do anything, plus I have no storage in there. Technically there was a storage closet inside this wall, but my exhaust pipe was also in this closet so if I put anything in there it could have possibly melted, exploded, or caused real damage to my stuff and the house. Also already finished was re-tiling the floor. So now is the next step, buying/making a bathroom cabinet that has plenty of storage room for toiletries, towels and even a tilted cabinet for a laundry basket. I also need to re-paint the bathroom from a puke green to a soft blueberry and brown and install new towel racks, toilet paper holder and shower curtain. Also plan on purchasing new towels and a bath mat which will be nice.
2) My office: My office needs a complete makeover. It's the 3rd bedroom in my house and I'm sorry, but I don't know how anyone could live in there it's so tiny. Currently it is filled with all the crap that fits no where else in my house. I would like to turn it back into my office/sewing room/workout room. I want to clear everything out and start over. I need to get a smaller desk for my computer and put shelves on the wall for all my little knick knacks. I need to clean out my bookshelves and get rid of things that I don't need anymore. I would also like to get two 3-foot bookshelves and place a board over them to make a sewing table, and then I can get everything off my kitchen table. Lastly I want to make room for my treadmill because it's too hard to move it back and forth into my living room.
3) Kitchen table: My kitchen table needs to be sanded again and then re-stained. I'm looking to have this project finished as soon as I make my sewing table so that I can get all my sewing stuff off the kitchen table. This also can't be done until it is a little warmer outside so that I can use my garage to allow the table to dry.
4) Basement: This summer when it gets warmer I want to go down and re-organize my basement. I want to go through all my rubbermaid tubs and label them and get rid of things that I don't need or want anymore. I don't like my basement, but it desperately needs to be cleaned and re-organized.
5) DECLUTTER/organize: This includes every room in the house, but unfortunately I can't really start this until I get the above project completed. I've already mentioned above to get rid of things that I don't need or want, but this includes going through every room with a fine tooth comb and purging/donating everything that is no longer of significance. Then I need to find new ways to organize the things I need to keep. I've been saving lots of ideas on Pinterest and hope that I can make a couple of them to help with storage in some of my most cluttered parts of the house.
6) Purchases for the house: dresser and vanity for my bedroom; bed frame and mattress for my bedroom; dresser for Dalton's room; bookshelves and board for sewing desk; new porch fence; shelving and hooks for garage
Category #2-Work
1) Starting a teacher website: I have been wanting to do this for ages. I have the know how, but am too cheap to purchase a domain name. I think if I looked more into this I could find what I want and what I can afford. I have so many ideas and things that I have made that I would love to be able to share my products with other teachers. I've always believed in "Why invent the wheel, when someone else has already done it?" I have so many games, word sorts and other things that I could put online and charge a small fee for and then people could use them.
2) Making/designing more word card games: I've got a list of games to play, but the problem is I don't have the cards and I'm trying to make them in levels of easy, medium and hard. I just haven't had the time to sit down and make them. I have to type them up, print them out, laminate them and cut them out. However the more I get this done, the more I will have to offer on my teacher website.
Category #3- Myself
1) My sanity: I don't want to sound like all I care about is me, but if you know me then you know that I rarely focus on myself. Others always come before me and I think it is time that I set aside some time to look at my own life. I'm still single and I really want more kids. My time clock is ticking too. I need to get out more and do more things. I love my son and I really just don't want to be away from him, but I also understand that I'm not getting out and meeting people because I always want him by my side. I also want to start reading more self-help books. First one on my list is the book that is being referred to at Church, "Discover the Power Within You" by Eric Butterworth.
2) Financial safety: I really couldn't think of a nicer, politer way of saying this to myself because what I really want to say to myself is stop being stupid and spending money that you should be saving. I have all these projects that I need to complete, but I also need to look at saving more money. Now that Dalton is in Kindergarten, I'm not paying the ridiculous fees for childcare and should be saving all that money. I even got another job to help me save more money, but I don't seem to be saving as much as I need to be. I need to do a better job of keeping track of my finances. I started keeping track and then things got busy and I haven't been doing a good job with it. Now I need to get back into it and force myself to keep up with it.
3) Weight management: So I've lost 10 lbs, but unfortunately this is no where near as much as I need to lose. I am dancing again which is a good thing, but I need to increase it to even more exercise per week. Running on the treadmill was great, but now I don't have room for it, so the project up above needs to begin immediately so that I can get back on the treadmill. My goal is to run a 5K this April. I'm eating better and exercising so it's a start, but I again need to force myself to stick with it.
4) Buy a new car: This is probably my biggest goal and yes even though #2 says save money, I have been preparing for this one. My car is on it's last leg and it will cost me more to repair it then the car is worth so I've come to peace with knowing that I need to buy a new car. I'm really nervous because other than my house I've never made a large purchase. My plan is to buy a Honda CR-V, 4-wheel drive. Due to my driving almost 80 miles a day on a highway that doesn't get cleared real well during the winter I need this car asap. Now I just need to find time to go and test drive it. Why am I so worried? Why am I putting it off? I can't answer either of those questions. I just thought if I asked them maybe the answer would pop into my head. (They didn't!)
So now that I have those out in the open, I need to start focusing on them and completing these projects. I'm the type of person who makes a schedule and plans out everything, but I can't do that this time. It's just too hard to do when you have 2 jobs, a house to take care of, a child to take care of and most importantly keeping myself sane with all that I have going on. However, I need to start making these a priority in my thought process so that I am more likely to get them done. As I finish things I will post about them and if I can ever figure out why my pictures aren't loading then I'll post pictures as well. So, I've been at this for over an hour and it's time for bed. I'm out!!!!!!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Cottonbowl Adventure
Good experiences don't come often and when they do you have to make the most of them no matter the outcome. I had a great experience this past weekend. I took Thursday and Friday off of work this week only after being back on Wednesday. It was nice to be able to go without any worries. We left Thursday morning to go and get my grandma in Manhattan. Left at 9am and arrived in Manhattan at 10:45. Love that the speed on the highway has changed to 75, and there wasn't much traffic on I-70 so it was really simple to get there. After picking her up we then had to drive back to Topeka to the Topeka airport. We got there by noon and had an hour to kill so we went to the cafe at the airport for lunch. Not the best food, but it satisfied our hunger pangs.
We headed back over to the hangar at 1:00. Our friends were already there getting the jet ready to take off. Dalton was super excited and really wanted to get on the jet as soon as we got there. However, we were still about 30 minutes away from takeoff. We finally boarded at 1:30 and were in the air shortly after that. Anyone that knows me knows that I have high anxiety when it comes to flying. I hate being up in the air, but because of my son I had to have a brave face. However, this trip was actually one of my better ones, probably because I knew the pilot. I felt safe in the air and only had to deal with my son being scared. He was super excited until the plane started going really fast and then went up in the air. He grabbed my leg and then was holding on to the cup holder for dear life, but he eventually relaxed and did some homework and of course talked the whole way. Not sure where he gets it from!!!! :)
We finally landed at Aviation Landmark in Dallas, TX around 3:10. It was much nicer than driving there. My parents picked us up at the airport and then took us to the hotel. I'm not sure you can call the The Westin a hotel, it was extremely nice. The mall was attached to it so it was huge. I don't remember how many floors there were, but we were on the 16th floor, which was really high. The room was gorgeous and the view was magnificent. We didn't get to hang out at the hotel for very long because we had to head over to the Rangers Stadium for the K-State pep rally. It was about a 30 minute drive from the hotel and of course we hit rush hour traffic. The pep rally was filled with people, there was no where for us to sit so we had to stand. The pep rally was good, but too long for Dalton. The cocktails afterwards were great though. We went to the Diamond Club in Rangers Stadium for the party. It was awesome; they handed us Raspberry champagne as soon as we walked in the door, which of course made it purple. There were people all over the place and buffet lines galore. There was cheese, spinach dip, buffalo chicken, cookies, brownies, etc. It was so good. We got home before 10, which was nice.
The next day we had free time until 3:30. I really wanted to go to the aquarium, however it was 14 miles from the hotel, we would have needed to take a taxi cab and unfortunately in Dallas, cabs are expensive. It was going to cost us $60 one way, which is absolutely ridiculous. So instead we just walked around the mall. We only went in a few shops, but I had the most delectable ice cream (peanut butter cups, reeses pieces, and a scoop of peanut butter); blew my diet with that meal. We went back to our room to nap and wait for 3:30 to roll around. Then we headed over to Jerry's World aka Cowboy's Stadium!!!!
This is where the story gets exciting. We got to the stadium and made our way down to the club level. I've never been inside the workings of a stadium, it was awesome. It was a long walk, but we finally made it. There was complimentary food and drinks being served and we got to see the field right in front of us. Dalton was in heaven. He stood at the gate and just stared and stared. I even got a picture of him touching the field. He was super excited. We got to be down there until 6:30 which was awesome because we got to see so many things. Dalton was watching the jumbo tron above and Fox Sports News came over and starting video taping him. They said it would air later, but no one ever saw him on the tv, which was a bummer. Then Willie the Wildcat came over and Dalton got him to autograph his shirt. It was awesome and we all took a picture with him. Then a special guest by the name of Eric Stonestreet (aka Cameron on Modern Family) came over. I had my sharpie ready for him to sign my ticket and as I got ready to hand him my sharpie he said "I have my own, would you like me to sign your pen?" I laughed and said no, would you sign my ticket. Funny guy. Not only was Dalton in heaven with all the excitement, but I was too. Never had an actor's autograph before.
At 6:30 we had to go up to our seats which were in Section 336 and right on the 50 yd line. We had a great view of the field and the jumbo tron. The bad news is K-State didn't win, but to me that's only a minor problem. The excitement of just being there was enough. There is always next year, so I'm not worried; this was a year to build and I think they need a little more confidence in themselves. Left the game a little early to avoid traffic which was a good plan, but didn't get home until 11:40. Dalton was out in the car, woke him up to make it upstairs and then he was out again. Big day with great adventures.
We left Saturday morning after breakfast at the hotel for the airport. We were early and had time to kill. Wasn't long before Noel and Mary and the rest of the crew showed up and we were ready to go. Quick flight back to Topeka and we were on our way to Manhattan to drop my grandma back off. Then back home to KC. Happy trails and EMAW no matter what the outcome!!!!!
We headed back over to the hangar at 1:00. Our friends were already there getting the jet ready to take off. Dalton was super excited and really wanted to get on the jet as soon as we got there. However, we were still about 30 minutes away from takeoff. We finally boarded at 1:30 and were in the air shortly after that. Anyone that knows me knows that I have high anxiety when it comes to flying. I hate being up in the air, but because of my son I had to have a brave face. However, this trip was actually one of my better ones, probably because I knew the pilot. I felt safe in the air and only had to deal with my son being scared. He was super excited until the plane started going really fast and then went up in the air. He grabbed my leg and then was holding on to the cup holder for dear life, but he eventually relaxed and did some homework and of course talked the whole way. Not sure where he gets it from!!!! :)
We finally landed at Aviation Landmark in Dallas, TX around 3:10. It was much nicer than driving there. My parents picked us up at the airport and then took us to the hotel. I'm not sure you can call the The Westin a hotel, it was extremely nice. The mall was attached to it so it was huge. I don't remember how many floors there were, but we were on the 16th floor, which was really high. The room was gorgeous and the view was magnificent. We didn't get to hang out at the hotel for very long because we had to head over to the Rangers Stadium for the K-State pep rally. It was about a 30 minute drive from the hotel and of course we hit rush hour traffic. The pep rally was filled with people, there was no where for us to sit so we had to stand. The pep rally was good, but too long for Dalton. The cocktails afterwards were great though. We went to the Diamond Club in Rangers Stadium for the party. It was awesome; they handed us Raspberry champagne as soon as we walked in the door, which of course made it purple. There were people all over the place and buffet lines galore. There was cheese, spinach dip, buffalo chicken, cookies, brownies, etc. It was so good. We got home before 10, which was nice.
The next day we had free time until 3:30. I really wanted to go to the aquarium, however it was 14 miles from the hotel, we would have needed to take a taxi cab and unfortunately in Dallas, cabs are expensive. It was going to cost us $60 one way, which is absolutely ridiculous. So instead we just walked around the mall. We only went in a few shops, but I had the most delectable ice cream (peanut butter cups, reeses pieces, and a scoop of peanut butter); blew my diet with that meal. We went back to our room to nap and wait for 3:30 to roll around. Then we headed over to Jerry's World aka Cowboy's Stadium!!!!
This is where the story gets exciting. We got to the stadium and made our way down to the club level. I've never been inside the workings of a stadium, it was awesome. It was a long walk, but we finally made it. There was complimentary food and drinks being served and we got to see the field right in front of us. Dalton was in heaven. He stood at the gate and just stared and stared. I even got a picture of him touching the field. He was super excited. We got to be down there until 6:30 which was awesome because we got to see so many things. Dalton was watching the jumbo tron above and Fox Sports News came over and starting video taping him. They said it would air later, but no one ever saw him on the tv, which was a bummer. Then Willie the Wildcat came over and Dalton got him to autograph his shirt. It was awesome and we all took a picture with him. Then a special guest by the name of Eric Stonestreet (aka Cameron on Modern Family) came over. I had my sharpie ready for him to sign my ticket and as I got ready to hand him my sharpie he said "I have my own, would you like me to sign your pen?" I laughed and said no, would you sign my ticket. Funny guy. Not only was Dalton in heaven with all the excitement, but I was too. Never had an actor's autograph before.
At 6:30 we had to go up to our seats which were in Section 336 and right on the 50 yd line. We had a great view of the field and the jumbo tron. The bad news is K-State didn't win, but to me that's only a minor problem. The excitement of just being there was enough. There is always next year, so I'm not worried; this was a year to build and I think they need a little more confidence in themselves. Left the game a little early to avoid traffic which was a good plan, but didn't get home until 11:40. Dalton was out in the car, woke him up to make it upstairs and then he was out again. Big day with great adventures.
We left Saturday morning after breakfast at the hotel for the airport. We were early and had time to kill. Wasn't long before Noel and Mary and the rest of the crew showed up and we were ready to go. Quick flight back to Topeka and we were on our way to Manhattan to drop my grandma back off. Then back home to KC. Happy trails and EMAW no matter what the outcome!!!!!
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Beginning of my Organization
So I'm looking around the room thinking to myself, my child is asleep, the cats are asleep and there isn't a sound in the house. Guess it's time to do some cleaning/organizing.
I ordered an "Under the bed shoe organizer" from Walmart.com about a week ago and picked it up on Saturday at the store. Totally worth it!!!! I decided to get off my rump and put it together. When I first opened it, it wasn't exactly what I expected because it was very flimsy. I was starting to worry, what did I spend money on and why didn't the picture on the front look like what I was looking at in front of me. I placed it up on the bed and put shoes in it, but got frustrated that my shoes weren't staying in the correct rectangles so I moved it to the floor. That meant I had to clean the floor around my bed to actually lay it on the ground, another accomplishment!!! (I'm on a roll!) Technically all that was on the floor were the said shoes I'm trying to organize.
After putting the organizer on the floor and putting one shoe in flat and the other in sideways, the bag began to fill up to it's actual size and my shoes were no longer shifting around. After I had put in all my shoes (we're talking a 16 slot shoe organizer that, naturally I fit 22 pairs in to) in the bag I thought what if I put shoe boxes in each slot to help it keep it's form, but because I try to recycle all that stuff I only had 1 shoebox which did fit perfectly in one spot. This is when I'm thanking my mother for small feet- size 7! Although after looking at it I'm not sure I could fit another box in there next to it, but at least it helps keep it's form. My goal is to get 3 more boxes and put them at each corner, but, oh wait, that means I need to buy 3 more pairs of shoes. Hehehe!!!!
The fact is I finally got my frequently worn shoes organized and off my floor. Plus, they are not only organized but will be dust and cobweb free thanks to the zippered top. Now it's time to organize all the rest of my shoes that I don't frequently wear. Hmmmm... where do I put those?
I ordered an "Under the bed shoe organizer" from Walmart.com about a week ago and picked it up on Saturday at the store. Totally worth it!!!! I decided to get off my rump and put it together. When I first opened it, it wasn't exactly what I expected because it was very flimsy. I was starting to worry, what did I spend money on and why didn't the picture on the front look like what I was looking at in front of me. I placed it up on the bed and put shoes in it, but got frustrated that my shoes weren't staying in the correct rectangles so I moved it to the floor. That meant I had to clean the floor around my bed to actually lay it on the ground, another accomplishment!!! (I'm on a roll!) Technically all that was on the floor were the said shoes I'm trying to organize.
After putting the organizer on the floor and putting one shoe in flat and the other in sideways, the bag began to fill up to it's actual size and my shoes were no longer shifting around. After I had put in all my shoes (we're talking a 16 slot shoe organizer that, naturally I fit 22 pairs in to) in the bag I thought what if I put shoe boxes in each slot to help it keep it's form, but because I try to recycle all that stuff I only had 1 shoebox which did fit perfectly in one spot. This is when I'm thanking my mother for small feet- size 7! Although after looking at it I'm not sure I could fit another box in there next to it, but at least it helps keep it's form. My goal is to get 3 more boxes and put them at each corner, but, oh wait, that means I need to buy 3 more pairs of shoes. Hehehe!!!!
The fact is I finally got my frequently worn shoes organized and off my floor. Plus, they are not only organized but will be dust and cobweb free thanks to the zippered top. Now it's time to organize all the rest of my shoes that I don't frequently wear. Hmmmm... where do I put those?
Sunday, January 1, 2012
My New Toy
My new toy is a Cupcake maker that my sister gave to me for Christmas. It's absolutely awesome and I used it for the first time today. I mixed the cupcake mixture just like normal and put them into liners while I waited for the cupcake machine to warm up. This machine holds 6 cupcakes and you fill the liners like normal, although I think next time I will fill them just halfway instead of 3/4. I like the rounded tops the best and I had quite a few that cracked at the top. They cook for only 10 minutes which is awesome. I wonder though if I can refrigerate the batter and make them only when I feel like it. The batter makes a total of 24 cupcakes which would take me 40 minutes using the machine or only 22 minutes in the oven. The bad thing about the oven is I always seem to burn them on the top, they are even more coneheaded and sometimes they aren't cooked all the way through. This little machine is awesome and the color and shape of the cupcakes is perfect. Can't wait to take them tonight for my friends to feast on. Now just need to figure out how to decorate them!!! Thank you Charity for getting me this gift. I really love it!!!
New Years Eve 2011
It's New Years Eve and I'm sitting here on the couch looking around my living room thinking to myself, I've been on vacation since the 24th and I haven't accomplished half the things that I intended to have done. Why do I set such large goals, but then not finish them in a timely manner? Well I'm only human so maybe my goals are too large for me to handle.
I've decided to Declutter not only my house, but my life as well. After thinking long and hard about the things I have there are so many more important things out there and my focus needs to shift to those things. I need to think more about my health in the future for my son and my family, and my sanity for that matter. I don't work well when things are chaotic. So I guess in all my ramblings I'm trying to get to my New Years Resolutions. Well here goes:
1) Declutter my house- I will be using a declutter calendar that I found on a blog that I have printed out, will complete each days task and cross it off. I have to have the accountability to finish the tasks.
2) Spend more time with my family- Need I say more here. I know that I spend a lot of time now with my family, but to me time is of an essence. You never know when something may change and I want to take every opportunity I have to be with them.
3) Exercise more- This comes with saying that I want to complete my first 5k in April when the weather gets warmer.
4) Craft more- I really want my little side business to take off. I, first, need to build up my products. Sewing and knitting are both very relaxing to me and I need to take full advantage of it.
And last but not least...
5) Spend less, Save more money- Trying very hard to build up my savings and such. Heard a commercial the other day for a company called Rich Dad and they were saying that you shouldn't save money in today's economic crisis, but that's just crazy because when things go back to normal those people won't have a dime to their name. I'm sorry, but I'm saving and will continue.
I guess that's all for my first post of 2012. I can't believe it's a new year already!!!
I've decided to Declutter not only my house, but my life as well. After thinking long and hard about the things I have there are so many more important things out there and my focus needs to shift to those things. I need to think more about my health in the future for my son and my family, and my sanity for that matter. I don't work well when things are chaotic. So I guess in all my ramblings I'm trying to get to my New Years Resolutions. Well here goes:
1) Declutter my house- I will be using a declutter calendar that I found on a blog that I have printed out, will complete each days task and cross it off. I have to have the accountability to finish the tasks.
2) Spend more time with my family- Need I say more here. I know that I spend a lot of time now with my family, but to me time is of an essence. You never know when something may change and I want to take every opportunity I have to be with them.
3) Exercise more- This comes with saying that I want to complete my first 5k in April when the weather gets warmer.
4) Craft more- I really want my little side business to take off. I, first, need to build up my products. Sewing and knitting are both very relaxing to me and I need to take full advantage of it.
And last but not least...
5) Spend less, Save more money- Trying very hard to build up my savings and such. Heard a commercial the other day for a company called Rich Dad and they were saying that you shouldn't save money in today's economic crisis, but that's just crazy because when things go back to normal those people won't have a dime to their name. I'm sorry, but I'm saving and will continue.
I guess that's all for my first post of 2012. I can't believe it's a new year already!!!
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