Small Goals

June was a really wonderful and really jam-packed month. We had a lot to celebrate: My mom came home after spending months in hospitals and in-patient physical therapy. My family and I spent a lot of time helping her get readjusted and while it’s been challenging at times, I couldn’t be happier. All this considered, I still managed to tackle some personal goals which is shocking and satisfying.

1. Celebrate our anniversary. Oh my goodness! Michael surprised me with a short getaway to the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee—perfect for our iron anniversary. It was a beautiful weekend to enjoy their patio and walk around the Third Ward.
2. Get to the farmers market. Done! I visited the Wauwatosa one a few times.
3. Visit the beer garden. Nope. I tried to get some coworkers together for this, but every time I planned, it rained. Another time.
4. Organize a closet. Not a chance.
5. Have my family over. Done! It was a real treat to have my family over for Father’s Day. It was my mom’s first trip out for fun (not to go to see a doctor, physical therapist or speech therapist), and I think she really enjoyed the change of pace.

3/5. You know what, 3/5 this month wasn’t so bad. I accomplished the three goals that were most important to me. A closet cleaned three weeks ago surely would already be dirty. And the beer garden will be open through the fall. I’m OK with missing those.

As for July, I’m going to continue to take things easy. I just want to be at the ready for my family and enjoy a big event I’ve got coming up!

1. Prep for my first market in 16 months. !!! It’s been more than a year since my last craft fair, and I am ready to get back at it again. Selling in person is hard work, but I much prefer it to selling on Etsy. I’m going to be at the Madison Makers Fitchburg Mini Market on July 24. This event is all new to me, but it sounds like a lot of fun!
2. Use some PTO. I am a lucky person to get paid vacation. It’s been a stressful year, so it’s time I take some time off for myself (and also to prep for this fair).
3. Plan a getaway. Despite it being July, summer plans are very much in the air. I’d like something on the books by the end of the month.
4. Make pickles. I’ve got dill drying in the kitchen just waiting on the cucumbers in the garden to get big enough. It’s time for I Can Pickle That 2021.
5. Visit the beer garden. OK, I just really want to do this.

Alright, that’s all for now!

May went by in a flash! And it was a good month to finally spend a little time outdoors. Here’s how I did on my goals:

1. Get a few plants in the ground. Done! And more than a few. We planted more perennials, plenty of veggies and a good amount of herbs. I’m very excited about the growing season.
2. Put out the patio furniture. Done and early in the month to boot! We broke out the patio gear on May 2 and got in a few rounds of croquet after.
3. Go to a restaurant. I did it. Being fully vaccinated and hearing the new CDC guidelines, I feel pretty comfortable with this—especially with patio season here.
4. For the love of all things good, clean up the house. You know what—I did it. It’s not perfect, but it is cleaner.
5. Organize the pantry. Nooooo.

4/5. May wasn’t a bad month for goals! It was the first month in a long, long time where I got to do a few normal-ish things like eat at a restaurant, get my hair cut and have a few friends over.

I’d love to keep the momentum going for June, but I’ve got to reign that in a bit for now. After a few months in and out of hospitals and in-patient physical therapy, my mom is coming home! That means I’ll be spending a lot of time at my parents’ house helping out and probably not as much time doing summery stuff. So my goals for June are going to be pretty mellow.

1. Celebrate our anniversary. On June 12, we celebrate six years! Unfortunately, I don’t think a grand vacation is in the cards this year (it definitely wasn’t last June either). But I’d still like to mark the day in the biggest way we can manage.
2. Get to the farmers market. I love visiting a good farmers market. While I will be busy the first few Saturdays this month, I do hope to make it to the Wauwatosa market or maybe even Dane County if I’m feeling extra ambitious.
3. Visit the beer garden. I also love a good beer garden, particularly the Landing at Hoyt Park. It’s a good feeling to be outside, grab a beer and bring some snacks.
4. Organize a closet. I don’t care if it’s the pantry or my craft closet. One of these junk traps needs to be tidied.
5. Have my family over. It’s been over a year since my family has visited me at my house. I’d love to have them over and grill for them!

OK, that’s all for this month. I’m hoping that it’s a great one for my mom!

April was a rollercoaster of a month. Yet, I still managed to do pretty well here. Let’s go over April before jumping into May (which I hope is way more fun).

1. Visit Wind Point Lighthouse. Done! It was a gorgeous day out for it too.
2. Master this baby bunny Bundt pan. Also done. The secret to greasing a Bundt pan is brushing it with melted shortening and then dusting it with flour. I learned that from one of the pros at Taste of Home. I made two batches of bunnies: one set of carrot cake bunnies and one set of almond poppy seed.
3. Plant a few trillium plants. Planted! But the next day it snowed! Let’s see if they sprout.
4. Start using my Caraway cookware. Checking this one off feels good!
5. Celebrate my second vaccine dose. I treated myself a lot, but why not? I bought a new pair of sandals, a few new spices from the Spice House and sipped an Oreo shake. It was all medicinal, of course, because that second shot is no joke! But 12 hours of achiness is absolutely well worth it!

5/5. Who knew that five joyful goals would be easy to accomplish? But I think that’s a lesson for this season of life. My mom has been in and out of the hospital recently, so heavy goals are not going to happen. Instead, I’ve been trying to give myself the room to relax when I can and be available for her and the rest of my family whenever possible.

So I’m going to continue with some lighter goals for now. I really think that’s the best thing. Here’s what I’ve got on the docket for May:

1. Get a few plants in the ground. As I’m writing this, it’s 43º and drizzly. But I’m hoping that May will be warm enough to get at least a few things planted. Over the years, I’ve learned a bit about what veggies are worth planting and which are just space-hungry flops (ahem, kohlrabi).
2. Put out the patio furniture. Again, I’m hoping that May will be much different than April.
3. Go to a restaurant. I am officially vaccinated! According to the CDC, it’s pretty safe to do a few more things, including eating outdoors. I’m ready to give it a try.
4. For the love of all things good, clean up the house. I’ll be real: The house is real cluttered right now. We’re not living in filth, but we are living with a lot of items that just never get put away. I’m not going to feel bad or beat myself up about it because life has been hard, but I can take a few steps to a cleaner house.
5. Organize the pantry. Hooo boy: I do not want to put this on the list, but it’s something I probably should do. This is what I like to call a stretch goal.

See you back here soon with some updates!

Nope, you didn’t miss it. I totally skipped any sort of goals for January and February.

To be honest, we spent the start of 2021 really in the shit. Lots of bad news, lots of stress—not the time to be focusing on anything other than just taking care of ourselves and our families.

Life is still hard (more on this later), but I feel ready to set a few goals for myself, if for no other reason than to propel myself forward.

But first, let’s look at December because why not?

1. Mail our holiday cards during the first half of December. We did it. All of our cards were in the mail by the middle of the month. We sent out more than 40 so that was a feat!
2. Do most of my Christmas shopping with small and local businesses. I think I did a good job with this. I can safely say that 75% of my shopping was done at small businesses, most of which were located in Wisconsin.
3. Make homemade ornaments. Done. I made two ornaments from my Hello Bargello kit. I put the kit in with our decorations so I can finish a few more next year. This was a super fun craft.
4. Tackle a Christmas sewing project. Done. I made a holiday runner for our bar cart and a lot of holiday masks. Not a lot, but definitely something.
5. Get prescription sunglasses. Done! The people at Be Spectacled make choosing stylish glasses very easy.

5/5. These goals are a long time past, but I’m happy that I was able to check them all off my list.

Now, onto spring!

1. Sign up for Libro.fm. I signed up for Audible last year and I really, really love it. But of course, I have that little voice telling me that I should not be giving Amazon more money. So I plan on making the switch to Libro.fm this month. It’s pretty much the same as Audible but it costs five cents more a month and supports independent booksellers.
2. Clean and repaper our kitchen cupboards. This is such a grandma thing, but I need to put new contact paper in our cupboards. The shelves just need some spiffing up, especially because I’ve got new Caraway cookware to put inside.
3. Work on an Easter cross stitch pattern. This has definitely been my go-to hobby lately, and I really enjoy making seasonal pieces. They let me stitch to my heart’s content without having to have a million cross samplers on my walls at all times.
4. Go on more lunchtime walks. I was going on walks every day for a long while and then just stopped. Now that the coldest days are behind us, it’s time to get outside a bit more. Let’s say four days a week, OK?
5. Clean the den. The den is my workspace and it’s almost always a mess. Time to clean it (and then slowly clutter it up again).

I’m hoping that these goals aren’t too ambitious for me right now. I’m pretty confident that even now, when I’m at peak stress, I can get a few done. Until April!

Hello, November! Here’s how I did in October re: goals.

1. Get pumpkins. We did it! And carved them. And made seeds.
2. Read something spooky. Done! I read a few spooky things.
3. Clean up the den. Done! I’ve been sewing nonstop since springtime. I cleaned up my fabrics (mostly) and put away the machine. Now I have a real workspace for my 9-5 (meaning the kitchen table is also clean now!).
4. Make rye bread. Done, but not satisfied! I used the recipe from Wild Honey & Rye—twice. The first time, I totally misread the recipe. The second time, well, I just didn’t care for how it turned out. It’s a work in progress, but I definitely gave this one a go.
5. Do six video workouts. I was on track with this one, I swear (I did four videos by midmonth)! But I busted my foot and tore a ligament so I have to rest a few weeks.

4/5. Considering I’m hobbling around right now, I think I had a pretty good month. I also feel like I had a really full spooky season. Books, podcasts, movies, shows, online scary storytelling (highly recommend). I spent a full month (OK, almost two) immersed in all the spinetingling things I adore.

Now that October is done, though, I’m ready to lift the veil and just enjoy the cozy, comforting vibes of November. The holidays on the horizon do stress me a bit, but there’s a lot of really good things about the holidays that I can do from the comfort of my home.

1. Finish custom hoops. I’ve got a custom hoop in the works. Time to get it finished so the recipient can enjoy it (and I can start on other projects).
2. Photograph hoops. I know that virtual craft fairs are popping up for the holidays. Time to snap photos of what I’ve got made and see what I can do!
3. Make cinnamon rolls. That’s Taste of Home’s Bakeable challenge for the month, and it’s perfect for November. Plus, I’ve got a bunch of new types of cinnamon from The Spice House and I’m excited to use them!
4. Start holiday cross stitch projects. I’ve gotten really into cross-stitching lately. I downloaded a bunch of new patterns and I’m so excited to get into them!
5. Get our hi-fi up and running. We have a 1950s Magnavox hi-fi and love it—when it works. Right now it’s out of commission, but I’m taking it to a local repair place to get a tune-up. I’m hoping to get it back this month and treat myself to a new record to re-christen it.

That’s all for me folks! I hope that you are all staying safe out there. Stay in as much as possible, keep your distance and stay busy! These goals help keep boredom and cabin fever at bay.

Welcome to September! I’m ready to embrace all things fall (even if it’s still warm outside).

Also quick update from July’s goals: I tackled two of them on that list within the first week of August (I finished my popover dress and made a recipe from Heirloom Kitchen). Better late than never! Now onto how I did with August:

1. Update my photo here on the blog. Done is better than perfect, right? I might tweak it, but it’s one of my favorite recent photos. Plus, it combines two things I love spooky stuff (that’s Salem!) and books.
2. Sew a shirt. I didn’t do this. It’s still on my project list, though! I’ll share when I make it.
3. Stitch up a hoop for a friend. I did this and I got a custom commission this month.
4. Become a planner person. Yes! This has really helped me organize my workdays. Who would have thought?!
5. Organize the linen closet. Done!

4/5. I feel good about what I accomplished this month. I struggled a lot this August, so being able to look at the month and still call it a success in some regards feels good.

As for September, I am ready for it! I love fall, I love the cool nights and the back-to-school feelings. Time to embrace a few new habits and settle into a new season.

1. Get my typewriters up and running. I’ve got two vintage typewriters at home—one from the ’20s and one from the ’60s. They both still click-clack away, but they desperately need ink. I have grand visions of becoming a serious letter writer with these gadgets.
2. Start on some Halloween projects. I love Halloween and all things spooky. I recently downloaded a few scary cross stitch patterns and can’t wait to work on them!
3. Bake apfelkuchen. The Taste of Home baking club’s monthly recipe is this old-fashioned apfelkuchen. I’ve gotta make it.
4. Tackle a sewing project. I’ve got a few projects on deck, including that mushroom shirt, a skirt pattern from my great-grandma’s stash and a few more masks. I’d like to check one of these off the list.
5. Do two workout videos a week. Plain and simple!

That’s all for me today, folks! Enjoy a safe Labor Day weekend.