November

even though i should have probably taken advantage of the fact that it feels an hour later than it actually is and and have gone to bed i didn't.

instead i'm here posting a monthly goal list. hello november. i've got a few good ones for you.

in november i would like too...

...be consciously thankful every day.
...work on our list of house projects
...decorate a cozy home for the christmas holiday
...host a super fun shopping weekend
...develop well thought out christmas gift lists for myself and others.
...move my body more (habit)
...eat well, but don't overdo it

i had a thought the other day, self-care can't only be self-indulgence. tough one for me. i'm not sure where i'm going to take it from there.

november: elise. andrea, hula70. freckled italian, megan.

and now if the clocks hadn't fallen back the living room light would have gone out which signifies it time to sleep. sleep tight friends. wear a lovely scarf tomorrow.

October Goals

FALL 2010

It's been a while since I've done a monthly goals post, and I'm in the mood. So here we go!

one . Work out three - four times a week, plus at least once with Matt.
two .. Track my eating habits again. Make some improvements.
three ... Drink more water.

(Can you tell I'm feeling a little frustrated with some body/health issues issues after a couple of months of slacking?)

 The first day didn't go so well. Gosh darn El Mex, but I admit, it was totally a conscious decision.

four .... Celebrate the Fall season fully with apples, squash, cider, leaves, and Halloween. October's a pretty great month, eh?

five ..... Do a serious "Fall" spring cleaning. Keep the house picked up and start sticking to a cleaning schedule. (I wrote one last December. I need to put it into action, for reals.)

six ......  Budget. I'm pretty excited, for two months in a row I've not overspent my goal amount! woot! This month I'd really like to keep it up. I need to really step up my efforts to save.

seven ....... Keep cooking. I've really enjoyed cooking these past couple of wees, months?, and as the fresh food starts to diminish I'm afraid I'll lose my inspiration. Squash and trying new recipes should keep me in the kitchen though.

Do you write out goals for the month? Are you good at sticking to them? (look at me putting bold questions at the bottom of a post, feeling very bloggery.)

a lovely assortment for your friday [it's still!] morning!

July: one. be diligent about getting workouts in, at least three a week.  two. oh budget, hello there. three. enjoy every moment, especially because it's my birth month. three. walk to get ice cream at least once. four. eat at tikitaki. five. manage my magazines. six. comb the cats every other day. seven. wear a pretty dress once a week. {some fun, some usual, one challenging. trying to keep it simpler.}

1.   The best news I ever received was probably that I got the job at Delta, everything else has fallen into place after that - home, kitties, Matt.

2.  Something I'm looking forward to is this month, mostly planned but a free weekend out there, and all good plans that make my little life quite special. (fireworks, birthday, friends/great lake Huron, chain of lakes on the boat) Bring it on July.

3.  Something I would never do is, well I'm sure there are things but I'm totally drawing a blank right now. Or maybe I'm feeling very open today...

4.  If I could choose someone to be my life coach (famous or not, living or dead), I'd choose my train4change coach, Carla Murphy. She lives with such an open heart, she's a beast at triathlon, she's an Ironwoman, she has a great family, and she drinks beer and always has a burger when we're out to eat. My kind of woman.

5.  If I had to put a label on my style it would be colorful and cozy.

6.  One should always  follow your heart/laugh/as Lauren said, be kind to others.

7.  I want to get some things on my tangible to do list accomplished today, as much as I also want to just stay on the computer all day. Why am I so damn lazy?

now you.

: red

Rouge- crimson, pomegr... TCaponePhoto $30.00

33% Off SALE Red Flyer ... Raceytay $20.10

Photograph: Red Chilis... LeighsPhotosAn... $75.00

Georgia red peony 8x10 ... mistflowerphot... $21.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio. 

Summer Colours Week : yellow / pink / blue / : rainbow

Aw, it's the final day. I'm obsessed with making treasuries now. Imagine that. :)

This is the official check in on my budget goals. I did ok. I went over my projected budget by $357.75, but only went over my earned income by $100 if I save 10% of my paycheck. [Which I should. Which I will.] While I didn't reach my goal, I went over by considerably less than the first three months. Here's the breakdown of what I spent my money on this month. 

bills    50.84%
groceries    12.97%
self    10.91%
eating out    10.08%
gift    5.32%
home    3.04%
gas    1.91% (surprising?!)
fit    1.74%
kitties    1.56%

But here's the loop hole - I got paid three times this month. (!!!) Which means well really, nothing. I went over my budget goal, and because these we're a reward for not doing so there will be no sweet Tom's for me at this time. (It's not like I didn't buy clothes and books for myself this month...) Maybe next month I'll stay within my budget and be sportin' a pair of One for One's. I do however get to put a nice chunk of change into my savings and that feels good. It's been a long time since I've been able to write Xfer C>S in my budget tracker. I think keeping myself honest is the most important thing as I make my way in the budgeting world!

And because this was such a dull post Check out Kyla's beautiful front page of her new planner.

and guess what

I love the look of the insides.

reality check: budget

I overspent, not just spent, enough to buy this plane ticket in March:

$571 RT flight from Saginaw to London (MBS-LHR) 

A freaking (pissing!) flight to London from my home airport. And actually, nearly two...That's alarming.

Why is it so hard for me to stick to a budget? I cheated in February and told myself I succeeded because most of what I overspent came out of my savings. In March I put everything in the total spent column until the very end of the month. A portion of what I spent did come out of savings but not nearly that much.

One of my goals for my twenty-fifth year was not to not spend outside of my budget and I'm definitely not succeeding. NOTE: I AM NOT IN DEBT EITHER. I HAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN MY SAVINGS TO SPEND AS I DO. It's frustrating when I consider myself a responsible, money conscious person and yet I overspend like this. I'm not saving like I should be considering I own a home and love to travel or that I want a comfortable retirement.

"We hate to break it to you, but your financial priorities aren’t last-minute concert tickets or weekend-long birthday celebrations. They’re a little more serious than that: your priorities are making sure that you have enough money to sustain you in an emergency situation, enough to fund your life in retirement, and enough to finance your dreams." http://www.learnvest.com/pages/article/LV-Top-5-Have-A-Savings-Plan

When I read this it makes so much sense. I know budgeting is important. So this month I'm pledging to make a budget and honestly stick to it. If it's not in the budget I WILL NOT BUY IT. This will decrease my regular spending to a third of what I have been spending. A definite adjustment.

I'm happy to say that when I told Matt about my plan he asked, "What can I do to help." I love that kid, he's such a great guy.

From my twentyfive before twentysix:

"8. make and actively stick to a budget, if it's not in the budget don't buy it, no more retrospective"

and 

9. buy toms

Seriously, that's what follows my be responsible grown up goal. follow a budget. Good, now buy something! sounds about right. so i'm actually going to use this as my goal.

If I stick to my budget, which will include the Tom's, I will purchase a pair at the beginning of May.

  

Classic Canvas

"TOMS Shoes was founded on a simple premise: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. Using the purchasing power of individuals to benefit the greater good is what we're all about. The TOMS mission transforms our customers into benefactors, which allows us to grow a truly sustainable business rather than depending on fundraising for support." http://www.toms.com/our-movement/movement-one-for-one

I'm honestly excited to work towards this goal. Twelve days in and I am over half way to my budget. Money goes faaaast.

This is post 151, I was going to do a big hoopla but since I've been lagging in my posting I'm just saying hey, say hello if you would. I'd love to know who's reading.

April Goals

There haven't been a lot of blog posts here, I'm missing it but... I feel out of it. I feel very unbalanced. I know that I am not actively working towards my goals for the year, month or 25before26 the way I thought I would. I knew this a month ago - a very long month - when I wrote it out as a goal. I'm frustrated. I've stopped tracking my training, my eats and it's probably why I didn't do FOUR goals for the FOURTH month yet. Gah. I don't want to whine, but I do want to get this frustration off my chest and writing it out seems like a great way.

Update: I started writing this on Friday and today, Monday, I'm feeling much more positive. It was probably the warm weekend and productivity in the yard and good times with loved ones. Whatever the reason, I'll take it. I feel refreshed and ready for this week!

But we're still going to go here... my sources of frustration:


working out sucks up my free time . I'm slow to get into the gym, slow on the treadmill, and slow to get dressed. It takes longer than it seems it should. When I work out once I get home I just want to sit and stare. So when I work 50 feet from the gym and get out of work at 4:30 it seems like I could get home by 6:30 not 7. What am I supposed to do when Green Friday's start and I don't get out until 5:30 not get home till 8?! Boo. Thank goodness for Wellness time.  I thought working out was supposed to give me more energy. I'm not there yet. I do feel the changes, and I need to focus on them.

not keeping my house tidy/lack of organization . When I get home I drop my stuff and sit instead of preparing for tomorrow. My laundry doesn't get completely finished on the weekends. I can't find my workout socks. It's not easy to step into the kitchen and cook. I worry that Matt gets frustrated by it. It's tidier than it has been, but not where I would like it to be.

cooking fewer yummy meals than I'd like. . see above, cluttered kitchen, boo. Also cooking is kind of overwhelming - picking a recipe, having all the ingredients, the time it takes and unsuccessful attempts. If I just take a breath, get the ingredients organized and read through a recipe before I start it's so satisfying!

time on my own . All the time I get to spend with my love is fantastic, don't get me wrong, but I sometimes wonder how much I'm missing the time I spend on my own. It's been about six weeks since our last day apart and I love it, I do. But I wonder if I'd feel more balanced with an evening to myself, one human heartbeat in the house. Matt and I talked about this Sunday, and I feel better getting it off my chest. I didn't want to blindside him with, well I really don't want to see you tonight, and he totally gets it. Thank goodness.

lack of balance . This all comes down to my word of the year, balance. I think I can do it all, if I balance it out - one or two recipes a week, one night alone once a week or every two weeks (or when needed), better time management of workouts and tidying the house each evening. It sounds so simple and this month I hope to consciously work towards these goals.

FOUR GOALS FOR THE FOURTH MONTH

ONE. Actively work to feel more balance, make a daily list of goals and must do's when needed.
TWO. Bringing this forward from March: KEEP IT TIDY/FINISH ORGANIZING/Get my home ready for Matt to move in!
THREE. Make and stick to an official budget.
FOUR. When there's sun, get some freakin' sun!/Get outside when it's over 50. 45? 


And how did I do in March? ONE. KEEP IT TIDY/FINISH ORGANIZING. Mediocre. TWO. MORE SPECIAL DATE NIGHTS. I'd like to think so. THREE. WORK ON/REEVALUATE/PRIORITIZE MY LISTS Not so good, will work on it more this month.


Check out: Elsie's post on finding time to have a life. 

Well this sure is a lot of words for a Monday... so here's a nice reminder.

 

cosmic

marching into march

so welcome to a new month. we're going to go a little random today, because that's the best.

this morning i made a list. my first of many this month hopefully. i need to keep myself on track and lists will help! what's on this list you ask, well i was just about to tell you. CHANGE CAT LITTER, PICK UP MAIN FLOOR AND SWIFFER, FINISH LAUNDRY. it's not a very exciting list, but you see we cleaned (and cleaned and cleaned) the house on saturday. it feels great and it needs to stay that way! so lists must be made and tasks must be completed. do you call these chores? i'm 25 and have chores.

did you know there's probably (hopefully, omg i hope with every fiber of me) going to be a 70 degree day in the next 31 days. and then it's april. and april showers bring may flowers!

who wouldn't that?

planting, green, growth, fresh, thunderstorms, skirts, bare legs, flip flops, freckles. sunkissed.  it's all right around the corner. this is probably the most optimistic i've ever felt going in to march. i'm just pretending there isn't also a chance of a giant snow storm as well.

check out these beautiful jeans from Nine in the Morning. i particularly love the image in the upper left hand corner.

do you Bright Side? great companies, special giveaways. you should.

SimpleShoes

$30 for a pair of flips, even if made of recycled is a bit steep for me.

i'm an old navy two pair for $5 girl.

this could be color for the season.

or at least the rest of the post, but probably the season too.

last night i had a lesson in gluttony. we went out to dinner at local Harvey's and i proceeded to gorge myself on their delicious seasonal menu. potato wedges with blue cheese and bacon, tomato soup, brushetta burger. and here's the stupid thing, i knew before i even started my burger i was overfull, but proceeded to eat half of it, and thought i was going to burst. no good. lesson learned. 

then i bought goggles so i can swim straighter and get more exercise. i have reached a new chapter in my life. oh! i totally registered for the st pats 5k RUN yesterday in Bay City. my tri team is doing it as a group. i'm hosting an oatmeal smorgasbord. do you think they'll want bloody mary's?! no, probably not. that's ok, i never need an excuse to enjoy a bloody mary.

i think i will leave you with, three things for March, the three things i most want to accomplish for the month.

ONE. KEEP IT TIDY/FINISH ORGANIZING. TWO. MORE SPECIAL DATE NIGHTS. THREE. WORK ON/REEVALUATE/PRIORITIZE MY LISTS (25before26, 11before2012, etc.).

it's november, i should make some goals

starting with, thankful for: feeling whole and goal filled!

 
* stick to goals, track them. be awesome. (maybe stop watching SO much how i met your mother. yeah right.)

* limit sugar. no candied sugar from eleven/five to eleven/twelve.

* be early for work. (get lunch around night before. get up at 6:20. have clothes ready.)

* make a great christmas list

* drink more water. (64oz/day. if i'm up for 10 hours a day. i should try to drink 6oz every hour...)

* cook (i feel so excited about the three four new recipes in my kitchen this week!)

* get fit. write. take pictures. per usual.

* love it and live it all fully. embrace it.

 

looking back at ocotober: 

1. go to the gym or a workout class TWICE a week! - inconsistently but i was sore more times this month than i've probably been all year. 2. write. share. - journaled for myself. facebooked, does that count as sharing? :) 3. walk once a week. - not how i planned. 4. read. finished one book, skipped around another. 5. make a new friend. - oh yeah! 6. love your old friends. for sure! 7. talk less. listen more. think before you speak. - eh. i'm not as good at this as i think i should be. but it's me. 8. sew. - hahaha. 9. be neat. - so good on this one!! 10. find the balance. - ongoing, as it should be.

...i'm finally feeling back to where i should be after the summer debacle. i'm not sure what i'm doing with my life, but at least i'm moving on from that unhealthy bit of it.

ten goals for the tenth month

mine

One of my favorite things of a new month is revealing the newest month of my beautiful SusyJack* calendar. I love unique designs, the colors and that colors are not predictable (not orange for October! not green for March!) It's a beautiful calendar and I may leave it up well into 2011.

I have a huge amount of goals for this month. I'm officially on online dating sabattical and with that there's a lot I want to achieve for myself, my health, my heart and my head. I want to find some balance in my life and not obsess about one particular thing. "one track mind"

here we go ten goals for the tenth month:

1. go to the gym or a workout class TWICE a week!

2. write. share.

3. walk once a week. 

4. read.

5. make a new friend. 

6. love your old friends.

7. talk less. listen more. think before you speak.

8. sew.

9. be neat.

10. find the balance.

plus i'm doing this new health challenge game called health month. here are my six goals (some duplicates):

1. No fried food  2. Take a multivitamin every day  3. Drink at least 40 glasses of water per week  4. Exercise for 30 minutes at least 2 times a week  5. Get quality alone time at least 2 days a week  6. Go out and be social at least 2 days a week

 

And with that I'm out. Thanks for stopping by (my dear ghost George who I am sure is the only person actually reading this! :)

welcome to july!

it's my favorite month because of sunshine, my birthday, summer is in full swing, time on the water, the boat, an occasional storm, loved ones, i just love it all!

seven things i want to do in july:

one. ring in twenty-five with a bang and my favorite people!
two. spend time in my house and yard that doesn't not include oodles of work.
three. walk more. talk more picture. be more. be me.
four. write my life list & a 25 things to do before 26.
five. visit my friends around the state!!
six. enjoy
seven. summer!

this is it, the wheatfield
i love, love, love wheatfield!!

july. JULY. UNDERSTAND. LAUGH. YES.

quick june recap: just & now - i think i tried, but failed because of how i wanted this to go. i think by saying i wanted it to be just now, i was trying to hold something (see previous depressive posts) together that shouldn't have been. update - so well, except that most of it didn't even happen until july! haha. i will post pictures post bday bash/housewarming! it looks AMAZING! enjoy - i think i might have learned  more about this than anything. i realized that i'm scared if i don't get everything i want right now i'll be disappointed and unhappy forever. but then i opened my eyes and saw that all of the amazing people i know have had amazing chapters in their lives. i have to enjoy what is right now and try not to be a know it all. (and yes, i realize that this probably contradicts j&n)

reflection

F antastic, E njoyable, B eautiful, R ed, U nique,  A dventurous, R ejuvenatory, Y ou and me

 

Fantastic, Enjoyable

 For the most part. I had a wonderful dinner party with fabulous friends, learned I could fall for someone, enjoyed snuggles with said someone and had a fantastic trip to Chicago. (the highlights)

 

 Beautiful, Red

Yes. Had an absolute blast decorating for vday holiday, making ridiculous hearts for my cats to wear and a handmade valentines day card.

 

Unique, Adventurous

Certainly. I'd never been broken up with before by someone I was falling for. I'd never adventured in new parts of Chicago (Renegade Handmade, Friars, etc). I threw my first dinner party and decorated my home with hearts (that are still on the front door - in June!)

Rejuvenatory

No. I got hurt and that threw me off. I was all wrapped in ideas and plans and daydreams. I didn't write much, I don't think I took time for myself. So no, plans of rejuvenation fell through.

 

You and me 

 Sigh. We had some good times, some real sweet times. I think he might have been the perfect first person to fall for as I started this dating adventure. We had ideas and talked a lot, but in the end it didn't work out and I understand why. It was fun to think though. 

 

myself, art journal, yard

 

myself

so wrapped up in myself. this was a yucky prediction of the future. i think i related everything that happened in may to me. how ever unrelated to me it was. this may be something i struggle with for  a long time. but i'm learning. 

 

art journal

nada. i did buy some supplies and thought i would start a bit late. didn't follow through. but just like with style school. i can do it another time when i'm feeling more crafty and creative.

yard

success! i've had so much fun working in my yard. everyt time i go out there i realize how much work we've done and how much work we still have to do. it really is a wonderful yard and so fun to work in. over the years (yes, it will take years!) it will really look fantastic and more like my yard! 

 

  so. while i didn't not have the month i expected in february or may (or march or april) it was something. i learned things. absolutely. thank goodness. because what is life without learning? and that's truly all i can hope for. 

"It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth — and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up — that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kubler-Ross (via)

 

ps. i'm in the mood to write, so i might as well post back to back. i might even write another one (or two!)

 

 

six things

six things i want to accomplish this june.

1. wash walls and paint main floor a lovely color or two. or five.
2. stick to my budget.
3. decorate my home.
4. learn to use my grill and lawnmower and make a fire in my firebowl.
5. drink more water.
6. keep my house picked up and dusted.

holy june where did you come from?!

oh life, where have you gone with the first five months of twenty ten? i'm oh so happy it's june, and i certainly don't want to go back but "holy june where did you come from?!"

and as it is june first i spent the last few hours of may thinking about what i wanted my words to be and how i did with may's. well i don't think i'm super pleased with may but i'll write about that tomorrow. today is about looking forward.

JUNE

. Just . Update . Now . Enjoy .

Just . breathe, be, relax. don't over think. just take in the moment. enjoy it Now. i'm such an over thinker and i really just almost missed an opportunity because of it. and Now i'm here Just Enjoying it. i'm hoping it'll keep going, wherever that is. i'm Just along for the ride.

Update . paint, wood, color, natural, art. putting some of my style on to the walls of my home. the wood was uncovered in may and now the yellow and orange will soon cover the white. it will feel like my place in so many more ways. i think i will do a little etsy art window shopping soon. and maybe make some purchases.


Now . don't overplan the house, don't over think the path, don't get distracted by the unimportant. just be here Now, and focus on what you can accomplish today, in this moment, in this month. tonight i'm going to go home and make a list of all the things that i want to do in my house. and then i will figure out what i can do between now and seven*eleven and the big two*five.

Enjoy . sensing a theme? don't worry, Just Enjoy. maybe if i focus on one task, of having a fully enjoyable month right here and Now. i'll come back in july feeling relieved that i finally accomplished my goals for the month. let's hope! relieved and refreshed and ready to turn twenty-five. 

 
(so perfect)

M-A-Y

happy tuesday. pink tights and a pretty dress make katy a happy girl. it's the little things that i find happiness in and without them, well life just wouldn't be as great. 

it's the fourth day of may already, but it took me awhile to nail down just three words for the month (remember i did this back in february, maybe a reflection post would be nice.)

MAY

myself, awesome, art journal, yard

myself: you know, i'm a pretty selfish person and i mean this in the best of ways. i stick with what makes me happy, what makes me feel comfortable, what i know. but what i want to accomplish for myself this month is to improve. to improve my ability to carry on a conversation without relating it to myself, just listening. and to really focus on eating right and moving my body. just starting in small ways is all i can ask for now.

 

awesome: eh, kind of a cop-out word, but who doesn't want life to be awesome? i really want a well rounded, awesome month.

art journal: i bought acrylics and two fancy pens. now i just have to follow the prompts and see where this can lead me. yes i signed up for another elsie (&rachel) class! now i just need to get my but in gear! hehe

yard: eek! there is so much to do. weeds to be pulled, dead to be cut away, dreams to be had underneath the white blossoms of a crab apple tree. i have to be patient because it is just may. i can't do any planting, but i can get it ready. i can plan.

love, kate

and happy february

F antastic

E njoyable

B eautiful

R ed  

(and pink, and purple, and turquoise)

U nique

A dventurous

R ejuvenatory

Y ou and me

hi. a second post in less than 24 hours, happy day.

Fantastic, Enjoyable, Unique

all sort of general goals for any month, but beautiful none the less. life should always be 

Fantastic, Enjoyable, Unique

At least, I think so. 

I'm really excited about the red and pink holiday coming up. Maybe it's because I have a house to decorate, maybe it's because I have a boy to like [You and me], or maybe it's just because I'm addicted to color right now. Whatever the reason I'm going to enjoy it. Actually I think I'm going to skip work out class (not so bad, considering I just spent an hour and a half in RAD training) to go home and make some hearts. 

Adventures, the above mentioned boy meeting the folks; a trip to chicago; creating a blog that gets updated regularly, yes i said it, I'm going to make an effort. 

Rejuvenatory, I think chicago and writing can fit both words... also January can get kind of long. February, if I fill my house with beautiful things and people and ideas, can be fulfilling. Need to stock pile it for March. the longest. month. ever. 

a FEBRUARY gift for you:

11 projects  - a list

7 little lovelies

crafty goodness

a moment

four blog ideas, ya know other than my ramblings, is a good start.