Goals Update February 2021

Here we are already through another month! I made some progress on some of my goals for the year. You can see my original Goals for 2021 post here, and my January progress here.

Here is my progress for February.

Career:

Goal: Begin working outside the home in the summer or fall of 2021.

I’ve been thinking a lot about returning to work. I’ll be volunteering at my grandson and granddaughter’s preschool once they allow volunteers again. I think volunteering will be a good way to reacquaint myself with being in the classroom before I go all in working. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too old for the chaos of a preschool classroom and maybe a calmer and quieter job would be more suitable. We shall see.

Family:

Goal: Visit out of town family every other month.

Well, this turned out much differently than I’d expected. It was looking like my February visit to see my mom was going to happen in March. Then, the last week of February, she fell and fractured her kneecap. She’s having quite a hard time getting around. So I stayed for a couple of days and my aunt and daughter are helping as well. I’ll be making many trips back and forth until she is fully mobile again.

Spiritual:

Goal: Memorize two Bible verses per month.

The Bible verses I worked to memorize this month are Isaiah 41:10 and Psalm 130:5. To help with memorization, I write the verses on sticky notes and put them on cabinet doors and the mirror in the bathroom. This way I see them often. I also write them out in my journal.

Financial:

Goal: Increase savings, decrease debt by $200-$300 per month, and better manage grocery/household spending.

We received our stimulus payment at the first of February so that is what helped our savings increase this month. We are at 77% of our savings goal. I was able to make a small extra payment on our debt, so we exceeded our goal for that. Our debt went down by $343.15 for the month. Because we are eating mostly from the pantry and freezer, grocery spending has been lower than most months. We have had some meals out while I’ve been helping my mom as my leaving was unexpected. We did have expenses associated with our kitchen makeover, but I am keeping those in a separate category.

Social:

Goal: Call or message a friend at least once per week.

I did message a friend several times and actually was able to meet with a friend for a wonderful (but short) visit when she was in town.

Physical:

Goal: Schedule/attend medical appointments, maintain weight and follow eating guidelines.

I was worried about my A1C, but I had my doctor’s appointment and my A1C is at a very good level. If it goes lower, I can stop taking the diabetes medication I’m on. I have gained a little bit of weight, which usually happens in the winter. I’m eating more salad (which is my preferred lunch) and cutting back on snacking. When I went through my closet and dresser, I tried on the capris I wear in the summer, and they all still fit, so I won’t need to purchase clothing for the summer.

Intellectual:

Goal: Write 1-2 blog posts per week and work on photography skills.

I wrote 6 blogs posts in the month of February. Some of the posts I’ve been working on just don’t seem to flow like I want them to and I just can’t get my words right. So I’ve put them aside for a bit to see if taking a break from them helps me figure it out. Working on my blog is something I find very relaxing, so it will be something I’ll be doing a lot of while I am figuring out care for my mom and stepdad.

There are several fruit trees on the property, so I’ve asked Grampy if he will give me photography lessons when they blossom. We have apple, pear, plum, currant and chokecherry trees which are all pretty when they are in bloom.

Gardening:

Goal: Amend soil, build raised beds and keep size of garden manageable.

It had snowed, so the gardens are muddy. I took things pretty easy after injuring my wrist, so I didn’t do any garden work.

Marriage:

Goal: Go on drives together, exploring the area and taking photos.

Other than trips to the hardware store, we did have the two-hour drive to my mom’s house, which isn’t exactly scenic, especially this time of year. We are waiting for spring. I’m hoping to stop by the park near my mom’s house. There is a pond there with lots of mama geese and baby geese. They would be fun to photograph.

Home:

Goal: Finish the multitude of unfinished projects around our home.

The laundry area is as finished as it’s going to be for now. The main finish work is done (paint, trim, cabinet doors.) In the future I would like to add a stained wooden shelf for my laundry supplies and a noodle board on top of the dryer. But it was time to move on to the kitchen.

When I started touching up the paint on the upper kitchen cabinets, I discovered the new paint I’d gotten was a much lighter shade than what I’d used before, even though the containers were identical. So I gave the upper cabinets a quick new coat of paint. It only took a morning, and I actually like the lighter color a little better. It can be easy for me to feel discouraged when things aren’t getting done as quickly as I’d like, but even small progress is still progress.

Progress on my Word for the Year: FINISH

This is really my favorite thing. I am still so excited to finally get all the homely little parts of our house fixed up.

So far in the kitchen we have:

• Painted the cabinet above the fridge and the wall behind the fridge.
• Put in a new stained wood window frame and windowsill above the sink.
• Installed tile behind the sink area.
• Changed out the light switches and plug-ins.
• Repaired the trim above the upper cabinets.
• Repainted the upper cabinets on the south side of the kitchen.
• Repainted the cabinet knobs.
• Installed the beadboard backsplash and trim.

Once the kitchen backsplash is painted and sealed, I’ll be moving on to the bottom kitchen cabinets and the island. I have big plans for organizing my spices and overall organization of the kitchen in general.

Other areas of the house won’t be quite as involved as the kitchen. I’m working on it first because it needs the most things finished/changed/repaired. When the kitchen is done, I’m going to do the hallway, which will be relatively simple.

My timeline for finishing projects will change a bit while I’m helping my mom, but I’ll still be able to make progress. I’m happy I’m able to be available to help her. There are lots of projects at her house too. 🙂

If you’ve set goals for the new year, I hope you are making progress as well. I’ll be back at the end of March with another monthly update, and hopefully a finished (or mostly finished) kitchen makeover!