Goals

I love this quote from my new planner!

I have so many 'wishes', bucket lists, 'some days'....(whatever you'd like to call them) that I can't make plans for all of them because there just isn't physically enough time for them. There's also the danger of wanting to do all the things, so I don't actually do anything well. Goals are tricky things.  You have to make it high enough to have something to aim for while making it attainable. We have to "know our limits".

This year, I'm trying something different. I'm trying to do a list of specific goals and keep track of my progress. But my view of goals is very grace filled. :-)  I'm going to set a goal and if I get anywhere in range, I'll count that as a success.  See???  Lot's of grace!  With all the littles and the pets around here, you have to have breathing room on your goals.   I'm also going to try reporting back on progress, so I'm accountable for it.

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars.

Les Brown

1. Read 12 books this year (honestly if I can make it to 10, I'll consider it a win)

This month I read  Cozy Minimalist Home  by Myquillyn Smith.  Loved it! You can read my review of it here. I'm currently reading Sacred Holidays by Becky Kiser.  It definitely makes you think about holiday expectations, and living intentionally and with grace. 

2. Explore the alphabet with my preschooler: our "preschool" takes different forms through the seasons. Sometimes we do letters, but through the holiday season we've read a ton of books and maxed out the reserve limit at the library multiple times. (When they have over 300 Christmas books for little ones, you have to check out a lot to narrow down your list of favorites for next year) :-) Her new favorite thing is books with cd's so she can follow along with the story instead of waiting around for me to read. 

3. Identify 5 plants/tracks: I think it would be amazing to be able to go on our nature hikes and .....gasp....name what I'm looking at. But, alas! I have no idea. So I ordered this book based on a recommendation from a friend.

Tree Finder by May Theilgaard Watts

And these ones Winter Tree Finder by May Theilgaard Watts,



Flower Finder by May Theilgaard Watts,

Track Finder by Dorcas Miller.






Now, the trick to being able to identify things is... I have to read the books. (sigh, there's never enough time to read all the books I want) Hopefully this summer I can practice identifying plants/animal prints.

4. Get rid of 50 things
Update: I passed on 1 cookbook in a book swap.

5. Learn to make more things from scratch.
Update: So far I'm learned to make yogurt, bread in the dutch oven, homemade cream of chicken soup, and my husband has made pretzels.  I'll have to share those photos in another post.

6. Prepare for secret project

7. Blog/writing (I have ideas...but life seems to take all my time)

8. Finish 2nd kids baby book and do the 3rd kid's book

9. Clean out freezer and use up pantry (you know all those unmarked surprise dishes you find in the back of your freezer? yah....)

10. Do 10 projects with the little ones.


I'll be posting some progress updates on Instagram so be sure to check out that page. How about you?  What are your goals or dreams for this year?  Comment below so we can cheer each other on.  Remember....grace filled. Make it something that is attainable and life giving. And if there is any way I can help, please let me know.

Sojourning together,
 Felicia

(may contain affiliate links which do not affect purchase price)

1st book of the year and my word for the year

The last couple years, I set the goal of completing twelve books (not including the million children’s books I read). Last year was a busy year with being sick a lot and having a baby, and I didn’t meet my goal. But I’m hopeful this year I’ll be much closer to the goal!  I just finished Cozy Minimalist Home  by Myquillyn Smith and loved it! It’s a home decor book, so way out of my usual genre. I skimmed her first book (The Nesting Place) last year, and appreciated her practical approach to decorating. Let me tell you, this second book was even more spot on. I posted a number of quotes on Instagram (follow me @sojourner_by_his_grace)  that hit the spot. I looooved the section on being a home cultivator and not a stuff organizer.

“A curator always keeps in mind the overall goal and purpose of a space. She knows there are many good and beautiful things that can be included in a space, but she always keeps the interests of her people at the forefront when making her choices. That’s all design is-making rational, informed decisions about the best things to use in your home based on your needs and personal preferences. We need homes that truly serve us and our families..” Our homes serving us, not us serving our homes.

We often collect more and more things in an effort to create the beauty we long for. Or we are ashamed of our space, because it’s “not ready”.  In this book, she encourages us to find the balance between the cozy and the minimal.  Both require courage. The courage to purge unnecessary items to allow your space to breath and the courage to finish a room (good enough counts as done).

Speaking of courage, do you ever pick a ‘Word for the Year’?  I’ve never joined that group until this year and so far I’m doing great with my words…..in January. We’ll see how long I follow through with this.   The idea is to pick a word or phrase  that sums up how you want to develop as a person that year. People may choose  words like rest, trust, excellence, faith, grace, basic, yes (to more adventures) etc. At first I thought my word was balance, because I’m constantly trying to find the balance between kids/spouse, chores/rest, healthy eating/easy meals, etc. But somehow I don’t think I’m ever going to find the perfect balance. Life is like a teeter-totter where you stand with one foot on each side of the middle bar and keep adjusting your feet to keep it “balanced”. It requires constant movement to be perfectly balanced.

Through some events and personal reflection, it became clear that ‘courage’ was actually my goal. Far too often I live with a fear of missing out or a fear of what others think. As a mom, there’s also the constant fear that I’m not doing a good enough job. These hinder my ability to create a healthy balance in my life and for my family. Instead of choosing what is ‘best’, I may choose something out of need for approval. Or I may make a choice out of fear I won’t have enough later.

This year as I keep that word ‘courage’ in mind, I want to develop courage to do what is best for my family despite fears that it won’t measure up in other people’s eyes. This courage will also place my/our needs above my fear of missing out on all the cool stuff everyone else does (I’m super sure everyone else is always doing super cool stuff all the time) :-).  I also need courage to speak up or share out of my comfort zone. This year, I joined a local mom’s group which gives my kiddos the opportunity to get to know other kids, and I get some adult time. Two different meetings I felt the urge to speak up, but didn’t because this group is new to me. Afterwards, I felt so frustrated with myself! I need courage to be obedient to share what’s on my heart.

How about you? What lesson are you wanting to learn this year? Have you ever picked a word for the year?

Blessings,

Felicia