Monthly Missions

In which I wrap up my old and introduce my new monthly missions (#32).

I completed my monthly missions for January! Off to a good start for completing this goal in 2012. I will continue to test winter cocktails, so they might appear from time to time, but I really love the Ginger Whiskey Sour. It is going to be hard to pull ahead of that one. I did a lot of work on our finances, but I still have some to go. And the pile of things we have to donate now is so exciting that I’ll be taking a very critical eye to the rest of my stuff between now and our eventual move.

After taking a nice break after the posting every day last month for my challenge, I’m finally back with my missions for this month. I’ll be focusing on joy.

1. Eat more dinners at our dinner table.
We always used to eat dinner at the table. But since we moved over a year ago, we’ve really degenerated more and more into eating in front of the TV. Sometimes that  works, and sometimes I feel that it is necessary to do more than one thing at once. But I have been really happy the past few times we’ve actually eaten at the table. We can make meals a bit more elaborate, and it’s certainly better for our furniture.

2. Take and send photos for a house tour for my grandparents.
I got distracted with the holidays, but I want to finish up sending my grandparents photos of our townhouse before we move out of it. Plus, the more I practice with my camera, the more comfortable I’ll feel. (At least, I hope so.)

3. Go out for drinks twice.
Such a simple thing, but it makes me feel good. And it is cheaper than going out for dinner!

And so, it ends…

In which I reflect on this month’s challenge to post every day.

(You’re welcome for the sweet, sweet jam. That’s what happens when I try to think of a post title this late in the day.)

So, here we are at the end of a full month of posting. I did this last January as well, in an attempt to harness that New Year energy into my 101 project. I think this month was more successful. Sure, some nights I was blogging before bed because I hadn’t fit it into my day yet, but the idea of blogging each day certainly kept my list in the forefront of my efforts each day. And despite the fact that I had to take a day off yesterday, I was still thinking about my list and my goals. So that seems to be a win.

When all is said and done, I’m just not as burned out on this as I was this time last year.

Although we’ve come
To the end of the road
Still I can’t let go
It’s unnatural
You belong to me
I belong to you

I wish that I had thought a bit more about what else would be going on this month in my life — travel, babies, and increased workload have been the main forces I’ve been working against. Having the self-pressure to post something each day has also forced me to spend some time doing things for myself, and I think it is a key reason that I haven’t been lazing about, feeling sorry for myself.

I’ll definitely be around more over the next month. Can’t let all this momentum go to waste!

Back to your regularly scheduled program…

…tomorrow.

Until then, I give you this wonderful jewel of YES.

To Donate – Week 4

In which I identify the items I’ve chosen to donate this week as one of my monthly missions (#32).

1 – outsized earmuffs that I bought this month and should have returned but didn’t, along with stretch gloves that I don’t wear

2 – sunglasses I haven’t worn in years

3 – shoes that the lovely Katie W. gave me, but I’ve never worn and aren’t really my style (but she had double, so I don’t feel entirely guilty)

4 – tights that are too long and too bright for my taste, but would be lovely on someone else

5 – Harry Potter glasses that were awesome, but now are clutter

6 – jewelry that I won’t wear

As you can see, that’s only six things I’ve identified to donate. The seventh deserves more explanation, because it was one that I wrestled with. I’m happy with my choice, but that guilty feeling still threatens. This is my seventh item for this week:

The best friend gave me this angel as a reminder of an inside joke about how important we are to each other. I’ve had her for years, and I still like what she represents to me. But angels obviously convey a certain religious feeling to the rest of the world, so I haven’t displayed her in a long time. I’ve decided that I no longer need the reminder of the inside joke or our friendship, but I couldn’t bring myself to just donate her because of how much I have enjoyed it. So I’m going to give this to my sister, who started collecting this type of nativity scene this year. I think the angel will fit in and be more appreciated there.

I have a few more days to identify things to give away. The hubs has also been choosing some items to let go, though not on a daily basis. All in all, we have a substantial pile that will be leaving our home soon. It feels good to look at my stuff a bit more critically. I’ll be casting a hard eye around for the last few days of the month to see what I can find. Back for a glimpse of the whole stash in a few days!

Donations Delayed

Just a quick note to say that I’ll be double-posting tomorrow.  I’ve been gone for three days, and need to back-fill my donation choices for the days that I wasn’t home.

See you tomorrow!