Goals

Dear Life,

Well I guess telling people your goals really does increase your motivation to accomplish them. Some of my goals are super measurable (pass or fail) and others are a little more gray. The gray-ish ones I tended to slack on more. Funny how that works, isn't it? But either way... here is my goal update.

1. Write to our compassion kiddos each month. January: pass

2. Lose remaining pregnancy pounds (eating healthy/working out): mostly fail... but working on it! I have spent a large portion of my day today planning out meals, figuring out what healthy calories look like, and figuring in our budget how we can spend more on fresh produce and less on packaged convenience foods. My new mantra from the Less is More book is, "I have more time than I have money!" which means I can shop around more, plan more, and cook more. *Bummer* :)

3. Read one book each month. January: pass (I finished Living With Less so your Family Has More and would HIGHLY recommend it. It's a little cheesy in written form, but the content is practical and challenging. It will probably be a re-read each year.)

4. Send one fun card to someone each week. January: pass (although I had to double up last week to catch up!)

5. Read through the bible in a year. January: I averaged 3 chapters daily. In order to finish the bible in a year I need to read 3.25 chapters a day. I am kicking it in high gear through the rest of Genesis to catch up. Jordan and I have read through Matthew, Proverbs, and most of Genesis. The best part of this is that before I would turn to the bible with (*don't hang me out to dry, I'm being really honest) not much charisma. I felt a little bit at a loss with what and where to read and felt like I was doing my daily duty in order to check it off of a list. This time, though, it is completely different. I am not as maxed out at the end of the day or so early in the morning so I am able to focus on what I am reading and through God's grace and a lot of prayer, I can figure out what I am reading and how it applies to my life and what God intends me to understand through it. And I'm enjoying it. Yikes - I have been asking the Lord to change my heart, and I can tell he fully intends to provide.

6. Spend money wisely. This was not an original goal, but Jordan and I have been working on this, so I figured I would add it. We have been sitting down and budgeting out every penny each month and man-alive it is hard and it is awesome all at the same time. Thankfully we didn't get super used to my full-time income considering I only taught for one year... but even in that year (and in our lives in general) we have been so used to just buying whatever our eyes lay on that we desire. Yikes. We actually had a conversation this week that went something like, "It's actually kinda fun to live with less money. It feels like a challenge to ourselves to see what we really need and don't need, and it feels like we're setting healthy boundaries in spending that we'll teach our children about what is really important in life." Um... never saw that coming.

So there is my update. February means more of many of the same things. I. can't. wait. I just love my life.

P.S. - I got a sewing machine for Christmas and it is the bomb-diggity. I mean... I know I'm in my 20s and a sewing machine isn't the *coolest* thing a person could get for Christmas... but it is practically my new hobby. I tell Jordan that it's my form of hunting. Or working on cars. Or guns. Or something.

Anywho... I made some bibs for a baby-shower gift... and then I just couldn't stop. So I made this little buddy this week:

Almost too cute to drool on, isn't it?

So... you should probably start having children if you don't have some already. And then I can make you baby one too. That is, if you invite me to your baby shower. Just saying.

Yours Truly,

Molly