Goals for 2009

I'm a bit rusty now on blogging about my personal life, so you will have to bear with me, please! Hopefully I haven't lost all of my readers to the reviews I've had to do. I didn't intend to let those take over my blog, but they happened to come at such a busy time...oh well...enough about that!

As I did last year, I wanted to post my goals for the upcoming year. I suppose I should first update you on how I fared with the goals for 2008. Let's see...

1. Daily Bible study with prayer journal
**I have had a fairly consistent quiet time this year and I've seen such a difference in myself because of it. Didn't keep up with the journal, though.
2. Get up earlier than my girlie so I can actually complete goal #1
**Uh...well...you see...um...yeah, we'll try that again this year.
3. Reach out to my *new* neighbors once we move
**Haven't done a great job of this yet, but I'm working on it.
4. Begin a more structured homeschool schedule (later in the year)
**Yes! Finally a goal I accomplished completely!
5. Craft MORE! And sell more homemade goods in my Ella Bella Bowtique
**It's not fair that because of my #4 goal, I've had much less time to work on this goal!
6. I hope to be a more consistent blogger. Now that I have a laptop (thanks to DH!), I will hopefully be able to follow through on this one!
**Well, you know how that one went!

Since I don't want to dwell too much on the past, I will now focus on the future. Here are my goals for 2009:

1. Make God the priority of each day. It's a bit broad, but it truly encompasses what I want to accomplish this year.

2. Less of me and more of the Holy Spirit. That may sound a lot like the first goal, but I have had some really cool experiences with the Spirit this year and I want to allow Him to keep showing me His power. It would be awesome if it became a daily thing!

3(a). Reach out to other adults. I have felt a bit isolated this year as I've taken on the title of homeschool teacher. I am going to make a better effort of being a better friend to the ones I have and making new friends.
3(b). Give my daughter more time with other children.

4. Less idle time = more time spent being productive. This means not sitting at the laptop for a few hours after school is over each day (even if I am researching school-related subjects!). It hopefully means more sewing, crafting, guitar practicing, photographing, etc. It also leads straight into #5.

5. Get moving! I have let exercise slide because I've been busy with school. But, I realize that my immobility hinders Ella from getting enough exercise and we both need it. Along with this, I plan to get back to a healthier diet.

6. Try to get on a regular sleep/wake schedule. If I can wake up a bit earlier (don't laugh!), Ella and I can get showers before starting school each day. This would be a BIG boost to get my day going. Right now, it's after lunch before we're motivated to get cleaned up, then it just gets to be too late in the afternoon to do anything else (see #4)!

That's all I can think of tonight. It's late now, so I'd better get to bed and start gearing up for #6! I'd love to hear what everyone else wants to accomplish in 2009. I'm praying God's favor on all of you in the new year! :)

Happy New Year!

Since I completely skipped blogging about Christmas, I thought I'd post a bit about the new year, but I will be sure to post some Christmas pics later in the week (plus some new pics of the house!). I quit making resolutions a long time ago, but instead just set some goals for myself for the new year. That way, I can continue to work towards a goal, even after my "resolve" is long gone. So far, I've come up with a few, but the list will probably grow over the next couple of days.

Goals for 2008 (wow - 2008!!)

1. Daily Bible study with prayer journal
2. Get up earlier than my girlie so I can actually complete goal #1
3. Reach out to my *new* neighbors once we move
4. Begin a more structured homeschool schedule (later in the year)
5. Craft MORE! And sell more homemade goods in my Ella Bella Bowtique
6. I hope to be a more consistent blogger. Now that I have a laptop (thanks to DH!), I will hopefully be able to follow through on this one!

Now that you know my goals for the year, please let me know about yours!

Moving on...I was "tagged" about a week ago by my friend Sheree. I'm supposed to tell you 5 things about myself that most people don't know. Here goes:

1. I am afraid of clowns. Irrational, I know, but it's a very real fear for me. There are a few clowns I can handle, but for the most part, I go running when one is spotted! I have tried to bring myself to take Ella to the circus, but I always chicken out at the last minute. There. It's out. I feel much better.

2. I'm a bit of a pack rat. I have a hard time parting with things that have even a remote bit of sentimental value. I am working on this and will have to bring myself to throw out things I don't want to when we move (I'm dreading it!).

3. I'm pretty competitive. Not athletic...just competitive! I just love a good Scrabble throw down! My first round of golf wasn't pretty - and that was me competing against myself. Enough said.

4. I like change and actually welcome it (DH hates it!). This is probably why I went to 2 different high schools and 3 different colleges (all by choice). I can't stand to have the same hair cut for too long (6 months is too long), but I try to pick cuts that can be styled several different ways.

5. I snore.

OK, there you have it. 5 things I'm sure you really wanted to find out about me. Penny, since you're the only other person I know who reads this blog, you're now tagged.

Happy New Year, everyone! Here's to a year full of love, laughter and joy that comes only from the Lord. :)