September/October Life 2017

Personal Life// At the beginning of September I moved to a new apartment which was a majorly positive change. I'm struggling a little to get out of the work-place bubble. I really miss being involved in Guiding but the closest units are about 45 minutes away and that's just not practical in winter. A coworker/friend is determined to set me up with someone, the first guy hasn't worked out because he moved out west for work (much like most males in my dating age bracket). Now she has someone else in mind so stay tuned for those developments. 

Hobbies// I've managed to catch up as far as mid-June in my Project Life album so that's coming along. It's been awhile since I've done any pretty planning in my planner but I did buy a new sketch book and have done a few pages of what many would consider 'art journalling'. Books have been gathering dust in favour of re-watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix. I usually read about one book a month but could (and should!) be reading more.

Career// Some days I feel like it's starting to come together. Other days that statement couldn't be farther from the truth. 

Spirituality// I still really like the idea of Bible Journalling but haven't done a darn thing to make that a reality. I'm still journalling and keeping a gratitude journal with an acceptable level of consistency. Recently I discovered a really great podcast that I've been trying to listen to and reflect on at least every second day.  

Health// It's ironic that one of the reasons I'm spending some time blogging this afternoon is because I've somehow acquired a cold and lack motivation to move from my couch. I was in a good rhythm for a while with eating & sleeping & hydrating and then I made a hard left. Now my sleep schedule is inconsistent, I've been eating weird meals and drinking too much coffee and not enough water. 

Goals// I've been doing some research on 'goals' versus 'intentions' and it's really changed my perspective on the whole topic. The difference between setting a goal to practice self care implies that there's a time limit on it and once it's achieved it's done. Having the intention to practice self care implies that it's not just something you do and is done but something you are constantly considering when you're thinking about goals. Moving to a new apartment was definitely a goal because now it's accomplished and it's not something I need to think about again for a while. All that to day I'm doing some reevaluating on what are my goals and what are my intentions. 

I have some drafts kicking around that I'm going to attempt to edit and get published this week. First though I'm going to eat some soup and watch an episode of Grey's before summoning all the motivation to move off the couch. 

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#goals

In the words of Mulan, "let's get down to business". 

October Goals:

1. Finish Project Life album for camp. 

In a quest to practice better self-care this year at camp I took more photos during sessions and then between session breaks printed photos and made spreads. It worked really well and it's something I'll almost certainly do again in the future. Inevitably, about half way through the summer I fell behind because I was spending breaks doing things. At this point I have about two weeks left of camp to finish and mostly it's adding journalling and embellishments. 

2. Get caught up with 'everyday' Project Life Album (April - September)

I knew this was going to be a problem when I first came up with the plan to do a separate camp album. In January I started my Project Life album using the monthly format but then did more of a weekly format during the summer in my camp album and didn't do anything in the album I started in January. I sort of have a game plan in mind using leftover photos from each week (I almost always printed too many) adding in a few extras and calling it a day. 

3. Organize & De-Stash Project Life/Scrapbooking/Planner supplies.

I am 100% on the Project Life bandwagon and can't imagine going back to 'traditional' scrapbooking. That means I have a lot of 12x12 papers that are just sitting around. Thanks to PLers on YouTube I got the idea to cut down some of those 12x12 papers into PL pocket sizes. I'll keep some large sheets because they come in handy for other crafty endeavours but for the most part I have no need for those big papers. Since I've enjoyed the Project Life bandwagon so much I've decided that in 2017 I'm also going to jump on the Happy Planner bandwagon! So I'd like to sort through all of my stuff and separate it into Project Life, Planner and General Crafting categories. This might be a bit of a lofty goal but we'll see what happens. 

4. Finish 2 books.

I am 75% through one I started in July about the FLDS but then put it down in favour of something a little lighter. I need to finish that one plus another one that I started and didn't finish because I got distracted re-watching How I Met Your Mother. 

5. Map out NaNoWriMo.

..2016 is the year, friends.

6. Take photos during Thanksgiving, Spark Camp & Friendsgiving.

I have lots of fun stuff planned for October this upcoming weekend is Thanksgiving and then I have a plan free weekend followed by a weekend of Spark Camp and then hopefully the next weekend a Friendsgiving weekend with H. & R.. And circling back to the getting caught up with Project Life I've learned it's much easier to stay caught up when you have photos to use! 

7. Publish Blog Posts!

I searched high and low for a 'Blogtober' link up of some sort since I missed out on Bailey Jean's Blogtember but I didn't find anything so I'm just going to make things happen on my own. It's highly unlikely (and impossible at this point) that I'll blog everyday in October but the plan is to make more of an effort and at least press the publish button a few times a week. 

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Goal Time

I wanted to read five books but I only read three books this month. One of them took me two weeks to read which obviously impacted my ability to read more books.

I planned to send snail mail packages and that was a success. I sent little Halloween themed packages to N. & R. and a combination birthday/Halloween package to H.

I thought I would be ambitious and plan every Spark meeting until December. I spent a lot of time on Pinterest and making notes and calendars but didn't write out any actual meeting plans. I'm not super worried about it though, even if I didn't write out every meeting plan I do have a bunch of ideas and themes for meetings it's just a matter of putting things together. 

I wanted to go on two actual dates (not sitting in front of the TV watching home reno shows and hockey games). I'm pretty sure J. and I went on two actual dates this month...I'm calling it a win.

I aimed to publish 15 blog posts in October. Honestly, I forgot that was even a goal this month. I did it though, although it was entirely unintentional.

I thought it would be a good idea to write using pen & paper everyday in October. I did a quick count and wrote in my designated journal notebook 17 times in October. Not bad, but could be better. 

Let's move on to November...

It is November 5th, I have decided I will not be NaNoWriMo-ing so that means I need to come up with some things I'd actually like to accomplish this  month. 

I'm still on the library's waiting list for the The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up but I'm going to go ahead and make a decluttering goal anyway. Since there are 31 days in November my goal is going to be to donate/repurpose/trash 31 things this month. 

I am not ready to blast Christmas carols or deck the halls anytime soon but any Christmas gifts that I'm planning on ordering online need to be ordered this month. I know for sure I have to put together a calendar for my grandparents and probably order a couple of things for J..

Even though I'm not doing NaNoWriMo I'm going to revisit the pen & paper writing goal everyday this month is a little lofty but I can write 20 times this month. 

It's been awhile since I've made a conscious effort to try any of my pins. This month I'll try three pins, ideally a recipe, a craft and a DIY/Organization/Life Hack thing. 

Read 3 books. I haven't read a single word that wasn't written on a blog or BuzzFeed post yet this month so I'm being realistic. 

I'm not feeling particularly motivated this month so I'm stopping at five. There's a few other things I'd like to accomplish this month but I don't necessarily classify them as goals. 

Linking up with My So-Called Chaos  for the monthly goal link up! 

Blogtember 2015: October Inspiration

Blogtember is drawing to a close and today's prompt is refreshingly simple! Come up with 10 blog posts/ideas for next month. October is shaping up to be a busy month so it's going to be helpful to have some posts in mind before the month even begins! I'm spending one weekend camping with a group of Girl Guides, one weekend is Thanksgiving and I've made some potential plans to spend a weekend in the city and another weekend going for a fall drive and trip to the pumpkin patch with J.. All things that I'm looking forward to, but things that are filling up my time none the less. 

What I liked about this prompt was is forced me to look at a calendar and brainstorm about what things I can blog about this month and when I'll have make time to blog. 

1. October Goals. - I like goal setting and I really want to get better at setting goals & achieving them.
2. Books. - I really liked writing the Blogtember post about my September Reads and I want to make it a monthly thing. 
3. Thankful. - October is Thanksgiving here in Canada! 
4. Ode to Organization. - October will be a good month to write about my planner.
5. Fall Photos. - The leaves around here are world famous. Time to put the camera to good use!
6. Coffee Date. - I've been writing one of these for the last few months and I like having a 'catch all' type posts and a monthly overview.
7. Nature Lovers. - I love being outdoors and I think kids/youth need to be outdoors too. Plus, just because it's getting cold outside doesn't mean you have to stay inside. 
8. Food Stuff. - This is vague, but that's the point. I'd like to blog about a recipe or just my meal plan. 
9. Fall Date Day. - J. and I made plans to visit a pumpkin patch and corn maze and go for many evening strolls to admire the leaves. 
10. Fall Care Packages. - J.'s sister is studying abroad and three of my close friends are living away from home too so I'm going to put together some fall themed care packages. Maybe it'll give someone some inspiration!

What blog posts do you have in mind this month? I'm also linking up my fall themed post ideas with the Blogging Elite!

October Goals

It's been a while since I've set any monthly goals and shared them with blogland but the chaos of summer is behind me, I've eased myself back into the real world and overall things are really coming together. So it's only logical that I get back into the habit of writing out goals and holding myself accountable. 

• Finish Smash Book for Camp 2014
• Publish 20 blog posts
• Mail Halloween Themed Packages to H. & R.
• Read 3 books
• Plan for NaNoWriMo
• Yoga 3 times

I realize none of those goals are super challenging or more than an arms length from my comfort zone. Life is coming together but there are still some variables so I am managing my expectations about what I can accomplish this month. 

October Goals

 

I'm linking up again this month with Erica for her Monthly Goal Link Up! I love this link-up, it forces me to think about what I want to accomplish during the month, gives me something to blog about and I've gotten some great ideas for future goals from browsing other bloggers posts!

My main goals for last month were to blog, find a Girl Guide unit to volunteer with and complete a Bible study. I only blogged 9 times in September, which is pretty pitiful. I'm blaming my lack of blogging on computer troubles. I'm going to give myself a pass on Guiding, I did talk to a lot of people about it but right now I can't commit to a unit when I could be moving away. However, I am on the volunteer list for special events and last week I went to a Ranger meeting when a leader couldn't make it. I did join a Facebook Bible study group and the first 3 weeks were great but I started to fall off the wagon (it's hard to participate in an online study with computer problems!) there are still 3 weeks left so hopefully I can participate more and make up for the time I missed.

This month I actually took the time to make SMART goals. (SMART goals = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time bound) 

Blog 15 times in October

Participate in 2 new Link-Ups/Blog Hops

Try 3 new recipes

Read 2 books

I'm excited about October. I have a few fun things planned and by the middle of the month I should know whether the organization I work for is going to get funding to make my position year round. If you could send some extra positive vibes & prayers that the funding will come through it would really be appreciated!