Financial Goals

This is one area of my life that I dread more than weight loss! I am a Dave Ramsey gal and definitely a free spirit. However, my sweet and wonderful husband is also a free spirit, so we both dread having to be nerdy and make sure we know where our money is going. Combine that with the fact that rarely does the income match the monthly expenses!

I know there are always areas to trim, but we are getting pretty lean, that there isn't much more to trim!

This category is out of duty, not desire.

2011 Resolutions:
1. Make the budget at the beginning of the month and stick to it! There is nothing more to say about this...just yuck!

2. Trim the groceries. I hear stories of people surviving on monthly food budgets of $400. Impossible I say! However, I know I could be creative and cut our food budget. I'm going to try cutting it by $25 each month for the first four months of the year. Of course resolution #1 might require this goal to be altered.

Relational Goals

So this one is all about people! Life would be easier without other people, but it sure would be boring!!


One thing I have learned over the many moons of my life (just call me Meemaw now!) is that you have to be intentional about your relationships or just like everything else in your life, you may not end up where you wanted to be.


For example, there are friends of ours that we have wanted to get together with for several months. We keep saying we should get together, but our schedules never seem to gel. Really, we should put something on the calendar even if it is two months out, or it will be six months from now and we will be saying we should get together soon.

The second issue I seem to struggle with is communication. I know I am bad at answering email and responding to voicemail (really I only check voicemail about once a week). Having been on the receiving end of that, I know it is frustrating. So if I have neglected responding to you, I apologize right now!

2011 Resolutions:

1. Choose one family member or close friend to focus on for a week. This will involve praying for them, sending them a note, making a phone call, etc. Tonight before bed I am writing their names on small slips of paper and putting them in a basket by my computer. Every Sun night, I will pull out the next name and tape it to my desk. (yeah for action steps) This is an experiment to see how this one works. I'll let you know how it is going in the next few weeks.

2. Communication. If that isn't the root of most difficulties, whether work, family, marriage, church, etc. I don't know what is! For MOPS, I am supposed to respond to email and voicemail within three days. I usually do pretty good with MOPS stuff (I think), but my personal stuff...not so good. I listen to the voicemail, read the mail, read the email or facebook message and then think I will respond later only to get distracted later and never follow through. So like Creative Memories says, I am starting today, staying current, and then work backwards to "catch up". So if you sent me something and I didn't respond...send it again and it will go to the top of the list!

3. My family. I'm adding this as another area for me to work on. I want to have my "chores" done by the time the kids come home from school so that I can have time to sit and work on homework, read that book, play that game (as long as it isn't monopoly!) and just be with my kiddos. Because this as a goal seems a bit overwhelming, I decided to start with a day...Wednesday...and make sure that every Wednesday is reserved for my kiddos. Hopefully by May there will be more than one school day afternoon like that.

Spiritual Goals

If it doesn't start there is is doomed isn't it. In years past I haven't made spiritual goals other than to say I was going to read my Bible every day. This year, my generic goal is to grow closer to God. But really? That should still be my goal when I am 78! This year I am trying to be more specific about how I am going to strive for that goal.

2011 Resolutions:

1. Read through the New Testament I have been the voice in the past to say it was silly to read through the Bible in a year. I know open mouth insert foot...I do it so well. I did not see how anyone could possibly get any depth from reading that many chapters every day. But I was inspired by a couple that we know that decided to read through the Bible as a couple for 2010 and on Dec 31st. they finished. Hearing the things that they learned from doing that was amazing. They may have not come out with these deep theological "aha moments", but the sense of accomplishment and the way they saw how the Bible intertwines themes - it was very cool. Reading through the New Testament is a compromise for me...and an attainable goal.

2. Memorization I have tried to be consistent with memorization, even having a wonderful accountability partner. But busy schedules have derailed me after a few months. Also I tried to memorized large sections of the Bible in small time periods. So this year I am participating in Beth Moore's Living Proof memorization challenge on her blog. Memorize two verses every month for 12 months and there is a party at the end and prizes...I'm not ashamed to say that I will memorize for prizes! My first verse for the year:

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you
are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Luke 12:7 NLT

I often feel insignificant, forgotten, unnecessary...I want to remember that I am valuable to God and ultimately He only should be where I find my worth.

1-1-11

If that doesn't signify a new start!!! I love new starts. I love lists. I love goals. So New Years and its resolutions just call to me. Every year I make new resolutions and like everyone else, often by Jan. 2nd, I have messed up on most of them. Almost every year there is a resolution to lose weight, and to keep in better contact with friends and family. Most years in the past I have resolved to send cards for birthdays and anniversaries. I usually make it to Feb. and fizzle out.

So this year I have a new approach to my resolutions. I am approaching the "marathon not a sprint" analogy and looking long term to make these resolutions stick. I will be taking this first week of January to set goals (really just another term for resolutions) and to really think out how to implement them and follow through.

Here is the schedule I will follow this week:

• Sun: spiritual goals


• Mon: relational goals


• Tues: financial goals


• Wed: physical goals


• Thurs: culinary goals


• Fri: household goals


• Sat: recreational goals

Seems God even thought today should be a fresh start and blessed us with fresh snow!

Walkin' the Catwalk

Yesterday I had the unique opportunity to be a model. It was more fun than glamorous though. A friend of mine works at the country club and was in charge of the ladies luncheon. He had asked a local boutique to put on a fashion show for the ladies. Only problem was that he had to supply the models. He must have be desperate, or I was just in the right place at the right time, because he asked if I would be willing to do so.

I do like doing thinks that stretch me, but this was opening myself up in an area that I am self-conscious about. The boutique is one of those stores that is very trendy, expensive, and made for women that wear a size 2. Or at least, that is what I thought.

The day before the luncheon, I had to go to the boutique so they could figure out what outfits I would wear. Then the day of the event, we would walk around to the individual tables and tell the ladies about the clothing and the boutique. Really, we were glorified sales-women.

I had the opportunity to go to the boutique sans kiddos, which was a good thing since things were pricey. One of the rings that I thought was very cute was $198, however the shoes that were very fun were only $80.

The owner was very nice and a great encourager. We settled on two outfits. The first was a sequin tank with a cropped off the shoulder sweater, skinny jeans, and a J.J. Winters clutch. Apparently sequins will be a hot trend into the spring and the sweater made it more casual. The jeans were a problem. Size 2 two and not a size 2 body. Actually she has larger sizes, just not my size. So I wore my own dark wash jeans. and the clutch - very cute, but so not practical for a mommy - even one out on a date with the hubby.

No pictures of me...I even had a camera with me...but I took not a single picture! That seems to be a trend with me. And why my "day by day" blog has not been successful. I'll try and link some of the pieces so you can see what they looked like.

So we started in outfit #1 and walked around from table to table. Some of the ladies asked questions about the outfit and the store, others ignored us and ate their lobster squash soup. One older lady even lifted my sweater to get a good look at the sequin tank!

The second out fit was a black long tunic with a high collar, and a gray cardigan that had a lace back - like see-through lace. Good thing for the black tunic. I wore fun strappy, 4 inch heels that were surprisingly comfortable and carried a Botkier bag. That name meant nothing to me, but I do know that it cost $495!!!

It was a fun afternoon and Morgan got to sit with the bartender and eat maraschino cherries and talk to the older men playing gin. That could be a whole story by itself! Needless to say, I had difficulty getting her to leave!

Snow Driving and other Stressful Situations

I'm thinking I should write a book with that title! It is no surprise that I do not like the winter. I would far rather be laying poolside toasting my skin in 100 degree temperatures than layering clothing until I feel like a marshmallow and attempting to find lost gloves daily.

This past weekend, Billings received a bunch of snow. Really no one knows how much, so we'll just define it as a "butt-load". I really couldn't define how much that is, but I know it would be less if I hadn't given birth to six children!

The city of Billings has done a stellar job of plowing the main roads. Those roads are almost bare, dry pavement now. The side roads, however, are a different story. They are deep ruts of snow with a layer of ice underneath.

My large van really isn't the greatest in the snow, but it does okay. However, in the past three days I have gotten stuck - so stuck that people had to either push or tow my van out of it's stuck place. Six times in three days! I have learned several techniques for getting unstuck. I have done the research, and I will tell you that the best solution so far is a tow rope and another vehicle. Digging out around the tire, moving forward and backward, throwing down salt or kitty-liter - all possible options, but the tow rope - it is the least stressful. My shoulders can testify to that.

So, I'm thinking a letter to the city asking why streets surrounding schools are not plowed might be in order. Then maybe another one to the school superintendent questioning why school is in session when it is unsafe to travel. And for good measure, how about a letter to the news station asking them to investigate the city's policy on snow removal and to point out how ridiculous it is.

I hope they don't mind hand-written letters since I am stuck on a side street in the snow.

Veg-e-table

I was cleaning out my drafts in my blog todayand discovered this little gem:

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and
pumpkin pie.
— Jim Davis

I put it in my posts back in 2007 - apparently this is a life-long struggle I have with dessert and vegetables!