2022 GOALS: week 1 of 52.

Posted by Michelle on January 9th, 2022

Hey, I actually came back for a week 1 update.

Below are my goals for the year of living and giving and how I did this week.

 

1.  Buy 500 toys and books by October 31 to donate 250 each to Toys for Tots and Santa’s Toy Box at St. Luke’s.

I bought (26) more items for the cause. 
Books from Amazon, and a few baby toys from Walmart (that look like pet toys hence my dog all up in the picture).

 

I am currently at 109 of my 500 goal; only 391 to go!

 

2.  Set aside (1) $20 bill per month every month through October which will yield $200 to grocery shop for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.

I have this month’s $20, and I found something to keep it in. Now I just need to put the two together.

 

I am currently at $20 of my $200 goal; only $180 to go!

 

3.  Bake once per month.

Still planning to bake a La Viña San Sebastian Baked Cheesecake

 

4.  Purge 5 items per week and donate to the Idaho Youth Ranch.

I started organizing my messy bedroom and dresser this week, and found 5 things there.
I also started a bag in my craft room … the amount of crap I hang on to is mind-boggling.

 

Goal of 5 items per week – achieved.

 

5.  Drink more water.

I’m not sure if I drank more water, but I found another water drink that I enjoy.  Vitamin Water Zero, Rise.  It tastes like Tang and it’s not super diety.

 

 

6.  Eat more fresh fruits & vegetables.

Ate the fresh broccoli that I bought – and dipped it into some Marie’s Creamy Ranch Dressing – and it was delicious.  Today I have some cut up fresh pineapple for afternoon snack.

 

7.  Things I’d like to do with our home.

I can’t really go into it right now, but we had something significant come up this week that may alter this (and maybe other) goals.
I didn’t do anything on them this week – (there will be a lot of planning involved) – but, we’ll see how it goes.

– New living room furniture:  

– New dining room set:  

– Wallpaper in the living room:  

– Carpet:

 

8.  Start Christmas cards earlier.

I got all the addresses into the new book.

So, there you have it. 

Week 1 of 52 is in the books.

2022 GOALS: the year of living and giving.

Posted by Michelle on January 2nd, 2022

WOW – has it really been almost 3 years since I’ve posted? 

 

Wow.  Just Wow.

 

I could use the pandemic as my excuse, but I fell off the wagon well before that.  Though that’s probably a reason for not coming back.  Life’s been crazy – (for everyone, I know) – but for me, work shit, family shit, health shit … just a bunch of shit.  But, you know, new year, new beginnings and all that optimistic kind of stuff has brought me back to the ol’ blog to see if I can set – and keep – some goals.

 

I’m calling this year the year of living and giving – – and my goals reflect that. 

So, without further ado, let’s check ’em out.

 

1.  Buy 500 toys and books by October 31 to donate 250 each to Toys for Tots and Santa’s Toy Box at St. Luke’s.

This is a cause that is very personal for me because when I was a kid, we didn’t have shit.  We didn’t always have food, and most Christmases and birthdays were skimpy on the gifts.  At holiday time, we were often the beneficiaries of food and gift boxes from churches and other organizations.  So, now it’s my turn to give back and try to bring a little more joy to some kids at holiday time.

I sort of gave myself a running start on this goal as I worked a lot of overtime at my second job the last couple of months, and paired the extra money with the holiday sales that were happening.

Walmart had these pop pop toys on sale for $5.67 each (they are showing now for $17 for the blue ones and $23 for the pink ones), so, I bought 10 blue ones and 10 pink ones for a total of 20 toys to start out.

When I saw a toy or a book for cheap, I bought it. 
My daughter and I were at Target and found some Paw Patrol cars at half price ($1.99) and snagged a bunch of them.  Amazon had Little Golden Books for $1.99, so I bought a bunch of those too.  I ended up with 63 additional toys and books.

 

I am currently at 83 of my 500 goal; only 417 to go!

 

2.  Set aside (1) $20 bill per month every month through October which will yield $200 to grocery shop for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.

Like I said in goal #1, we received food boxes at holiday time, so, it’s time to give that gift back.  I’ll see what their needs are when the time comes – it may just be the usual tuna, peanut butter and jelly, and mac & cheese, but whatever they need, we’ll spend $200 on it.  I asked for cash back when I was at Target and have $20 in my wallet now.  I need to find something to keep the cash in so that it’s not in my wallet and at risk of being spent.

 

I am currently at $20 of my $200 goal; only $180 to go!

 

3.  Bake once per month.

I love to bake, it brings me joy to do it, and to eat it, and to share it.  So, whether it’s baking for my family or baking as a gift for someone outside of our home, I’d like to get back to doing it and once a month seems manageable.  The plan is to bake a La Viña San Sebastian Baked Cheesecake.  I first saw this on Instagram, and then I had a piece of it at a restaurant last month ($8 for the teeniest piece!).  I have cream left over from rice pudding I made at Christmas, and I just bought the cream cheese, so, I’m all set.

 

4.  Purge 5 items per week and donate to the Idaho Youth Ranch.

We have a lot of stuff.  I mean A LOT of stuff.  Sale and clearance shopping is my jam.  And while I wouldn’t call myself a hoarder (though my family may), I have collected a lot of stuff over the years.  Clothes I bought that I would never wear or doesn’t fit me but I’ve been hanging on to for whenever I got back to a certain size (up or down); household items that we no longer use – like a Winnie the Pooh waffle maker now that my kids are 19 and 17; costume jewelry and other gift items that I’ve collected or received over the years that just aren’t me.

I started by going through my dresser yesterday, and a quick pass through my closet.

 

I did not count, but I am well over 5 for the week; looks like at least 20.

 

5.  Drink more water.

I don’t particularly care for water, but I know that it’s good for you.  My expression used to be “fish fuck in it, so why would you drink it?”  I don’t know where I heard that, but, like I said, I’ve never really liked water.  However.  I have gotten into Hint water and really like that.  And Crystal Light (or generic) packets to get water in that way too.  These days I’m drinking (1) 16 oz. bottle of Hint – or less – per day.  So, I’ve got some room to improve there for sure.

 

6.  Eat more fresh fruits & vegetables.

I was going to set a weight goal like I do every. single. year.  But decided that with the water thing and eating better, the weight loss should come.  Just a different approach to losing weight instead of being focused on counting calories and carbs and tracking apps and the scale, etc.  I mean, that’s all helpful, but, I want to be mindful of what I’m eating – the good stuff.  This week I bought some fresh broccoli and a fresh pineapple – and will typically sale shop to decide what I’m going to have each week.

 

7.  Things I’d like to do with our home.

– New living room furniture:  we keep buying the cheap shit and it never lasts.  You get what you pay for.  So, I’d like to get some good, quality stuff that’s going to hold us – (and our dogs) – and last for years.

– New dining room set:  the dining room sets that we’ve had lately have been given to us, and they aren’t practical for the space we have, and they aren’t in the best condition.  I have my Yaya’s hutch which I am going to keep forever and will be something that my family continues to pass down, so, whatever we get has to go with that.

– Wallpaper in the living room:  wallpaper is making a comeback!  We have tall ceilings and a fairly large living room and it just seems cold.  I was thinking of doing an accent wall, but I have read that accent walls are out and wallpaper is in.  And, I have seem some gorgeous wallpaper out there.  I’m not sure if we’ll do a wall or the entire room, but, we’re doing it.

– Carpet: we’ve had the same carpet in our home since we built it over 5 years ago.  But we are (4) big people and we have (2) dogs and it just doesn’t look great anymore.  I need to figure out the furniture and the wallpaper first and then decide on carpet.  Again, quality will make it last longer.  I would also like something fun.  My in-laws had cranberry carpet and I loved that!

The first step here is to consult with a decorator/designer to come in and look at our home and give us their thoughts on what should go where because maybe we aren’t making good use of our space, and, we certainly aren’t the experts on what’s on-trend.

 

8.  Start Christmas cards earlier.

I love love love love loooooooooooooooooooove Christmas cards and have 120+/- on my list.  But this past year I kept putting off updating the list, lost the address book, and started them way late.  I want to start them I guess in October?  Because I want to deliver them to the post office on Thursday, December 1.  I ordered a new address book to get updated so that I’m not checking texts and Instagram DMs to find peoples’ addresses, I ordered Christmas stamps, and, I’ve started sorting through the cards – – I have plenty.

 

So, there you have it. 

I’m back – hopefully for a while, and I’ve got some goals for the new year,
and the plan is to update here every Sunday. 

* fingers crossed *

7 GOALS FOR 2019 – WEEK 13 OF 52

Posted by Michelle on April 1st, 2019

 

Hey hey, I’m back today with an update on my goals for the year.

So let’s get right to it, shall we?

 

 

1 – Lose 100 pounds.

 

Oh my God, people.  I was a virtual saint last week.  The picture of eating perfect.  I had my little Tupperware boxes with measured/weighed food, healthy snacks, no soda, just water (Crystal Light) or milk.  I mean I was a damn diet beast.  And you wanna know how much I lost last week?  NOTHING.  NADA.  ZILCH. Not one freakin’ ounce.  So frustrating. But because I lost 14.7 pounds in 11 days prior to this week, maybe my body is adjusting?  I’m not sure.  But I’m pretty damn annoyed.  I am not going to change anything that I’m doing just yet, and stay the course.  Some quick math has me making my goal if I can lose 9.5 pounds a month each month through December.  It’s doable.  But damn.

Only 85.3 pounds to go!

 

2 – Read 4 books.

 

I started book #3 The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations by Oprah Winfrey.  And I am not loving it.

2 down, 2 to go!

 

3 – Canning.

 

 

Spring weather is here, the husband took a trip to D&B Supply, I’ve added some things to his garden planning list – I want to try making/canning pickles – so the time is near …

 

4 – Bake a pie from scratch.

 

 

Not yet.  Though I did make some fabulous chicharrones en salsa roja.

 

5 – Save $1000 cash.

 

I scratched this one off the list early on due to medical expenses + the husband booking a spring break trip for next year. Extra money that I would be setting aside would need to go to these causes. Maybe in a roundabout way I will hit the goal, but I’m not tracking or stressing about it anymore. I worked extra hours at my side gig last week, and will again this week, to the tune of about $500. Plus I had over $100 saved before I quit on this goal. So I bet I would have $600+ by now. But that money is going to other things.

Only $878 to go!

 

6 – Self-care.

 

I worked a lot last week – picking up extra hours at my side gig – so self-care was a little tough.  My body clock is on point and woke me up at 4:04am on Saturday even though I didn’t have to go in to the side job until the afternoon.  So I got up, made myself a coffee, headed in to my craftroom to enjoy the quiet and worked on wrapping more birthday gifts, and writing out cards for April birthdays.  Also, because I’ve been working so much lately, I decided to treat myself to a fabulous sale purse and matching wallet from Kate Spade.  I’ll share it when it gets here.  It’s fabulous.

 

7 – Do something with the blog.

 

I’ll catch you here next Monday with this week’s update.

TTFN!

7 GOALS FOR 2019 – WEEK 12 OF 52

Posted by Michelle on March 25th, 2019

 

Hey hey, I’m back today with an update on my goals for the year.

So let’s get right to it, shall we?

 

 

1 – Lose 100 pounds.

 

 

If you remember from last week, my number one focus is the damn weight.  I had a meltdown because of some health issues, and smacked myself in the face and recommitted to getting this weight off.  And I am happy to report that this train is back on the track.  From Thursday, March 14 (the high point in the graph above) to this morning’s weight, I am down a whopping 14.7 pounds – in 11 days. I am not counting calories.  I am not starving.  I am really just trying to get the carbs cut down significantly.  I did have a donut (on 2 separate occasions) in that time.  And a corn muffin at Goodwood when the husband and I had a day date while the kids were both at work.  And some Easter candy at the office.  And an ice cream cone at DQ (did you know that they can dip their cones in orange now??!)  And I was still able to accomplish this.  My plan now is to stay this course until the weight stops/plateaus and then change my approach at that time.  But for now, this works for me – and the results are there.

Only 85.3 pounds to go!

 

2 – Read 4 books.

 

 

I finished book #2 In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume.  I wish it would have ended a little differently.  It went from the story time and then the end was 35 years later.  I was so hoping that when she ran in to him, they would have gotten back together.  But it was a fabulous book and I’m really enjoying reading again.  Up next:  The Wisdom of Sundays: Life-Changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations by Oprah Winfrey.

2 down, 2 to go!

 

3 – Canning.

 

 

The Botanical Interests catalog arrived and the husband is now planning the garden.  So we are moving towards actually having something to can when I have all the supplies and am ready to go.

 

4 – Bake a pie from scratch.

 

Last week at the office, a visiting business associate mentioned oatmeal pie.  I googled for a recipe and have it on the list.  It sounds like it’s similar in texture and goo like pecan pie which I love but the family does not.  Maybe most of them will like this though.

 

5 – Save $1000 cash.

 

I scratched this one off the list early on due to medical expenses + the husband booking a spring break trip for next year. Extra money that I would be setting aside would need to go to these causes. Maybe in a roundabout way I will hit the goal, but I’m not tracking or stressing about it anymore. I worked extra hours at my side gig last week, and will again this week, to the tune of about $500. Plus I had over $100 saved before I quit on this goal. So I bet I would have $600+ by now. But that money is going to other things.

Only $878 to go!

 

6 – Self-care.

 

 

Anyone else on the Marie Kondo train?  I watched the full series on Netflix last week and have totally drank the Kool-Aid.  I saw this little cart on sale at Staples for $8.54 and picked one up to help me more better organize my craftroom.  I also picked up a bunch of white wire baskets at the dollar store to help me organize the drawers in my bathroom.  I’m super stoked!  I also got caught up and current on RHONY and Victoria (on Masterpiece), and started Call the Midwife on Netflix.  My Papyrus wrapping paper order arrived and I spent time in my craftroom listening to the Frank Sinatra station on my Amazon Echo and wrapped more gifts for my husband and kids’ May, June and July birthdays.  Saturdays are my only day off so I have to plan and prepare a lot more than I used to and get ahead of things as much as I can.

 

7 – Do something with the blog.

 

 

I’ll catch you here next Monday with this week’s update.

TTFN!

7 GOALS FOR 2019 – WEEK 11 OF 52

Posted by Michelle on March 18th, 2019

A little late, but I am here.

I’m doing it a little different this week and only going to talk about my big 100-pound goal.

I have been up and down playing with the same 12-15 pounds since the beginning of the year. I’ll do good for a couple of days and then someone will bring donuts in to the office and that starts me on a path to destruction. Have a donut and then think well, since I already messed this day up, I might as well keep eating more crap for lunch … and snack … and snack … and then dinner … and then dessert.

But something happened last week, a couple of things actually, that sort of smacked me in the face and woke my ass up. I mentioned before that I have a jacked-up knee and have been hobbling around on a cane. Lugging my fat ass around on a cane. I feel like I’m dragging myself around. Like I’m pulling a rhinoceros around with me everywhere I go. I have had the 3-week Synvisc injections and they did nothing. And then a Cortisone injection that did nothing either. I am in so much pain. There is literally no medication I can take during the day that helps, so I just suffer. And then in the evenings, I do have narcotics that help, but then they wear off and I can’t sleep. I haven’t been sleeping. Sometimes I’m up between 2-5 hours in the middle of the night. And then I’m falling asleep at the office. And that’s not good.

So, I went back to my orthopedic doc and he said, “let’s get an MRI, because if you have a tear, we can just go in arthroscopically and clean it up.” Great. So, I went and had the MRI and then the doctor called me back and told me that I have not one, but two meniscus tears in my knee – one on the outside and one on the inside – and that one of them is flipped which makes it more painful. I was glad that they found something and that I can finally get something done about this. So, he referred me to the surgeon.

I met with the surgeon on Wednesday and I’m going in to this appointment all ready to book a surgery and get on with my life. He goes over the MRI results with me blah blah blah tear blah blah blah tear blah blah blah flipped. And I’m thinking yeah, yeah, just get me on the calendar for a surgery, so I can get out of here. And then he says “if it were just that I could go in arthroscopically and …. “ and I don’t remember what the hell else he said after that. He said that there is more to the MRI report. Blah blah blah end stage arthritis, blah blah cartilage something. And that if he goes in to clean up the meniscus tears, that will take out what little cushion I still have there and make it worse for me because of the other blah blah stuff.

He tells me I need a new knee. And I am too fat to get one. And too young. But if I weren’t so fat, a case could be made for me to get one at my young age. I started bawling. I. Was. Crushed. Like I really have to suffer with this until I get weight off. And I don’t even know how much weight I need to get off before they would consider me for it. He wants to refer me to some lifestyle bullshit team of a dietician and a psychologist. Because I must be crazy with the way I eat? LOL

Well, I already see a counselor, so, yeah. And I know what to eat and what not to eat – I just don’t do it. (Consistently anyway.) So, I cried all the way back to work. And then throughout the day got all teary. I just can’t imagine living with this pain and this cane forever. And I happened to have an appointment with my counselor that night, so that was good timing.

And then Thursday morning I had an appointment with my endocrinologist. I see her because I had Thyroid Cancer and they have to monitor me for recurrence and also adjust my drugs (like when my weight goes up and down). And a bonus (sarcasm) she checks my blood sugar (A1C) too. Well, that’s gone up 2 whole points since I was there 9 months ago. And so has my weight. I thought the number may go up, but I didn’t think it would go up that much. I told her about my knee stuff – she mentioned that those injections would make the A1C number go up for sure, but also, with that high of a number they wouldn’t touch me for a knee replacement. And the hits just keep on comin’….

So, I went back the office that day – crying some more – and was like I have got to get serious. This is like the first time in my life that I can’t do something (get a knee) because of my weight. And I am in pain because of it. I broke out my journal and started writing down everything that goes in to my mouth. Powerade Zero, Lifesavers, every. single. thing.  And my approach has been to cut out the carbs. I am not counting or measuring, just eye-balling portion control, and getting the processed foods and the carbs out of my mouth as much as possible.

And since Thursday morning I have lost 7.2 pounds. Blah blah water weight or whatever, but instant results help. And I feel like I can do this. I mean, I have to. I’m not tryna be old and fat in a Hoveround if I can do something about it.

So that’s where I’m at this week.
Just focused on that one goal.
But I’ll be back next week with an update on the rest of my goals.

TTFN!