michellephilippi.com

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 *