December Goals

Oh, December…how have you already arrived at our doorsteps?! Barreling in with howling winds, quickly trailed by frigid temperatures and more unpredictable weather to come. November flew by in a flash. And, you know what, sweet friends? Not. a. day. passed. by. that. I. didn’t. think. of. the. goals. I. had. made. at the start of the month. Seriously. It was invigorating to create such a to-do list and work to hold myself accountable. And December? My mind was twirling and spinning before the month even appeared.

Before I dive into this month’s goals, I want to review and assess November’s aspirations:

1. Send out eight pieces of snail mail: mission f.a.i.l.e.d. However…I did give out at least that many. Most of which were in person, or handing off from one person to another. So, not “snail” mail, but hand-delivered mail. I would like to try this one again in December, Christmas cards not counted!

2. Do something special for me, once a week: mission a.c.c.o.m.p.l.i.s.h.e.d.! Not only did I find myself at the salon, but I also managed to paint my nails, bake some goodies for others, and read a book that I wanted to read. For adults. Embracing those little “me” moments is beyond refreshing, because the opportunities don’t always swing my way.

3. Read a book; an entire book: mission a.c.c.o.m.p.l.i.s.h.e.d.! I am so proud of myself. I finished Love, Skip, Jump and fell in love with it! So totally and completely inspiring. And I am also 2/3 of the way through The Best Yes. It took me a few chapters to really lose myself in the book, but wow. Filled with dog-ears and quotes to remember!

4. Plan something special for my husband’s birthday: mission half-way completed. My husband is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. As a partner. A father to three little girls. And as a provider. He r.a.r.e.l.y. e.v.e.r. takes time for himself. It is hard to get him to slow down long enough to spoil him. Honestly, I wanted to plan a night out, but instead, we had him for a full Sunday, all to ourselves, and I would say it was a wonderful day!

5. Create a Christmas shopping list. Create a budget. Stick to it. : ehhhhhh….mission half-way completed. Good grief, friends. Having three little girls makes it hard to stick to a list. Or a budget. They melt my heart. Their excitement for the holidays and spirit of the season excites my soul. So, yes, I created a list. No, I have not created a hard copy of a budget. (Dear husband is still waiting for that…) So, obviously, I can’t stick to it 😉 Working on this still…

Now, onto December!

1. Help Miss Observant with her big dream! I truly do not know how this will all play out. We have contacted the necessary personnel and are just waiting to hear back. If her goal of creating a library or craft center does not work out in our chosen location, we may look elsewhere, but we have a back-up plan ready and are preparing to get started very soon!

2. Read a book; an entire book! I need help with this one, friends! Do you have any recommendations? For a mother. A woman. A Christian. Although romance novels and such are exciting stories in which to lose ourselves, I am looking for meaningful. Substantial. Thought-provoking.

3. Carry out 12 (random) acts of kindness. Twelve is kind of my number. In a lot of ways. And the Twelve Days of Christmas has been spinning through my mind. I love showering others with those little thoughts, gifts and little blessings. I would love to not only continue it within my own circles of family and friends, but possibly also be able to carry it out further into our world.

4. Plan a date-night with my husband. We don’t even have to leave the house. Because, that is hard for us to do at this stage in our life. Just putting together a genuine, fun evening together. This is one goal I definitely hope to reach!

5. Walk away from, or ignore (defer, if needed) any situations that involve gossip about others, no matter the person. It. is. so. easy. to get pulled into a trap of talking about someone else (and their personal lives, faults, etc.), especially within a crowd. I am guilty. And it never feels good when the conversation ends. Because I would never want others to sit around and discuss me and my own life. So, I hope to really carry this goal through, from December and then beyond. It is a very important one to me, as a Christian.

So what do you think, sweet friends? Life is busy. As always. We already know that. So, I am hoping, wishing and praying that I can pull these off. What about you? Do you have any goals? Have you thought about setting/creating them? This has been perfect for me. Setting aspirations and working to achieve them. Just perfect. I am excited to see where these lead me this month and can’t wait to share how things went at the start of the new year!

This post is part of The Tiny Twig’s December Goals.