Jan 8, 2019 | Goal Setting, One Little Word 2019 | Rest
For the past three years, I’ve set goals for the year (and month) using the Cultivate What Matters Powersheets. It is always such an incredible experience of reviewing the victories, fruit, and down falls of the previous year in order to make intentional goals for the next. I typically carve out time between Christmas and New Years to sit down and work on the Prep Pages. Writing it all out really helps me to solidify my plan and hold myself accountable.
My process for setting goals, always starts with a word of intention, or a One Little Word. I mentioned last year that I’ve chosen six words so far, and 2019 is no different. The word Rest starting whispering itself to me in September and I officially decided on it in November. As I considered this word, I really had a couple things in mind for why I chose it and how I wanted it to impact my 2019 goals. Here are some of the overarching themes for this year:
- Resting secure in God.
- Cultivating a life of less.
- Drawing from an overflow of rest.
- Listening to my body and heart.
- Resting and rejoicing in change and growth.
This is likely going to be the most challenging one little word, but I can’t wait for all that this year holds.
Here are my 2019 Goals for the year of REST.
Goal 1: Cultivate a life-giving home and marriage.
Why? To continue growing our marriage and make our home a place of rest.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: I want our home to be a place of comfort and rest for everyone. 2018 brought a lot of opportunities to have friends and family in our home and I would LOVE to continue that into 2019. I also want to make it more of a place for us by hanging and making sentimental items more visible.
Mini Goals:
- Love + serve
- Be present at home
- Create a gallery wall of our favorite places + family photos
- Get professional photos taken
- Regular date nights
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Paint the craft room in gracious greige (12/31/2018), find a basket or a place to put my phone while I’m at home (by 1/31/2018), and browse through gallery walls online (12/29/2018)
Encouraging Words: Proverbs 31:10-31, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, 1 Peter 4:8-9
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: Host a gathering and thank God for a place for people.
Goal 2: Intentionally limit consumption of social media and self-help information.
Why? The information I take in from social media and non-fiction books tends to lead to more mental clutter and longer to-do lists. As I consider what it looks like to rest, limiting these things seems like it could make a big difference in this area.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: This could completely change my life and my relationships. I often feel like I want to slow down my pace of life and I think this would be a great way to start.
Mini Goals:
- Limit non-fiction (specifically self-help) books to 2 for the whole year
- Limit screen time and scrolling
- Unsubscribe from emails
- Refrain from taking on new creative projects
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Deactivate Facebook (12/31/2018), unsubscribe from emails as they come through (1/1/2018), and review current list of podcasts and narrow down (12/30/2018).
Encouraging Words: Proverbs 4:23
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: Happy dance, because this one is ALWAYS on my list.
Goal 3: Focus on deeper Bible study and prayer.
Why? To cultivate a stronger relationship with the Lord at a slower pace than I have in the past.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: This changes everything because it will help me to have a more in tune relationship with the Lord and help me to live it out and be more willing to share his Word. More Joy.
Mini Goals:
- New morning routine
- Deeper study of 3 books of the Bible
- Scripture Memorization
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Research habits and morning routines (by 1/31/2018), prayerfully choose 3 books of the Bible to study(12/31/2018), prep my prayer binder for the new year (12/29/2018).
Encouraging Words: Psalm 16:11
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: A day full of random acts of kindness.
Goal 4: Steward and take better care of my body.
Why? To live a more healthy lifestyle and live in better stewardship of this body that the Lord has given me.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: I’ll increase my time outside and moving my body, which will create an overall healthier lifestyle and more self-confidence. Plus, Chloe will enjoy lots more walks.
Mini Goals:
- Kick the soda habit
- Meal Prep Sundays
- Exercise goals (10K with Mom in March)
- Oils
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Start weening off caffeine (12/15/2018), create a loose exercise plan for the year (1/1/2019), and buy meal prep containers (by 1/31/2019).
Encouraging Words: Romas 12:1, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: I’d love to celebrate with an awesome hike.
Goal 5: Love things above, not of this word.
Why? To steward our money well and continue paying down our debt quickly.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: Our debt prevents us from saying “yes” to things we’d like to. Having financial freedom would be a game changer on so many amazing levels.
Mini Goals:
- No spend month(s)
- Capsule Wardrobe
- More ethical purchases
- Intentional gift giving
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Print off a Debt Free chart and fill it out (12/1/2018), review current budget (12/29/2018), and review our debt snowball plan (1/1/2019)
Encouraging Words: Matthew 6:19-21
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: I’d love to celebrate meeting financial goals by enjoying a fancy dinner out.
Goal 6: Cultivate rest by having a weekly Sabbath.
Why? To practice rest as a rhythm and not a rescue and to fill up my cup before it’s empty.
The positive affect taking action on this goal may have on me and others: There are so many good things to come from this. I’ll be more refueled and refreshed to do His good work, which will positively affect all of my relationships and interactions.
Mini Goals:
- Take each Sunday as a day set aside for the Lord – limiting work, social media, and shopping on Sundays in order to leave time to get outside, go on dates, and do fun things.
- Study what the Word has to say about Sabbath.
3 Starting Steps (and when I’ll do them): Research Sabbath in the Bible and online (by 1/31/2019) , start praying for my weekly Sabbath (1/1/2019) and mark Sabbath days on my calendar (1/6/2019)!
Encouraging Words: Hebrews 4
How I’ll celebrate at the end of 2019: I’ll celebrate with a day-long retreat and thank God for a wonderful year of resting in Him!
Shout out to Taylor for painting me the most beautiful Bible to make my word visible every. single. day. this year.
There you have it – six (admittedly) huge goals all aimed at finding rest in Him throughout 2019. Cheers to an amazing year.
Jan 1, 2019 | Goal Setting, One Little Word 2018 | Connect, Uncategorized
Happy 2019! I just love the feeling of a New Year, not because it’s anything special, but because it gives me time to reflect and celebrate victories of the year and look forward to the next. One of my very favorite posts from last year was my year-end review of 2017, and at the end of an exhausting 2018, it feels even more imperative to count the good things.
January
- We rang in the New Year at our house with some very close friends and yummy food.
- I kicked off the year with my one little word, Connect, in hopes of prioritizing my connection with God through deeper prayer, connecting with my body, exploring more natural household and beauty products, being more intentional with my online connections, and creating space for vulnerability.
- We celebrated Chloe’s 5th Birthday with a big ole treat. Our girl is spoiled.
- My best friend, Brittany, got engaged and they set a wedding date for September! I literally screamed when the text came through and was thrilled when I realized I would get to see her multiple times in one year.
- We played lots of games with friends: Bananagrams, Jackbox, What Do You Meme?, Utter Nonsense, Code Names and Forbidden Island.
- Book Read: Grit: Passion, Perseverance, and the Science of Success
February
- I took on a daily photo challenge in February and learned a lot more about the DSLR I purchased last year.
- After lots of studying, I PASSED MY REAL ESTATE EXAM. Kevin surprised me with a sign in the yard and yummy dessert.
- I completed Liz Lamoreux’s 21 Day Tell It: Collage ECourse. Highly recommend.
- Helped Taylor paint almost every room in their new house. Truly one of the sweetest memories of our friendship.
- Brittany asked me to be the matron of honor in their wedding.
- Kevin traveled for work for the first time, and Chloe and I held down the fort.
- We got some amazing weather, so we opted for a picnic and the obligatory family feet photo.
- Books Read: Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better and All the Leader You Can Be: The Science of Achieving Extraordinary Executive Presence
March
- Kevin and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary.
- It snowed the most beautiful sloppy snow, and I snapped my favorite photo ever of our home. Check out Chloe watching me through the window.
- We celebrated a HUGE milestone in our debt free journey.
- Mom and I went to a cooking class to learn all about how to use and cook with an Instant Pot. Macaroni and Cheese game changer, my friends.
April
- We celebrated our Two Year Highridge Ranch-iversary, which meant it was time for a little home reno project. April was the start of the research phase.
- We upgraded to iPhones with Portrait mode. Game. Changer.
- Books Read: A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World and 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge and Found Self-Help That Actually Works, Yes Please
May
- I had an entire week of PTO to burn (or lose), so we took a last minute trip to Las Vegas!
- Sarah saw us struggling to take selfies in our new hammock, and offered to take these photos of us. For sure, my favorite photo of us this year.
- We made the last payment on our Honda Civic – a couple years early!
- Books Read: The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Have Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store, Capturing Light: The Heart of Photography, Ruth’s Journey, and The Road Back to You
June
- We traveled with my family to La Jolla, CA for a week and stayed in a stunning house on the coast.
- We started on our bathroom renovation project after having a window installed and a couple months of researching.
- Books Read: Great at Work and The Sacred Enneagram: Finding Your Unique Path to Spiritual Growth
July
- We celebrated fourth of July at Missouri’s state capital with Alex and Tony.
- Kevin’s brother, Dave, moved in with us (and Chloe gained a best friend)!
- Kevin had surgery to remove his gallbladder and we spent time recovering.
- Books Read: The Genius of One, One Thousand Gifts, 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
August
- I celebrated my 27th birthday (without a major break down).
- I made a prayer binder to help focus on my prayer life and goal of connecting with God.
- We completed the bathroom renovation and I’m thankful (a million times over) for family that helped us through the project. We could not have done it without them.
- Books Read: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, and Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life
Photo by Matt Mason Photography in Lake Geneva
September
- Kevin started streaming Overwatch and PUBG on Twitch regularly.
- I celebrated 8 whole years of blogging.
- I flew with Taylor out to Milwaukee for Brittany’s Bachelorette Party. So. Much. Fun.
- We tailgated a whole bunch and hosted the Ernsts for Taylor’s first ever Mizzou game!
- I stood beside Brittany and Evan as they tied the knot in the beautiful town of Lake Geneva. We definitely celebrated the night away.
- Book Read: Girl, Wash Your Face
October
- We celebrated the wedding of our friends, Alexa and Andrew, in St. Louis.
- I finally finished Friends which I started last December, and despite enjoying the show, took a long break from TV.
- We stayed at home for the first Halloween since moving into our house, and we had lots of trick-or-treaters!
- Books Read: The Road Back to You
November
- We experienced an autumn with the most beautiful colors I can remember…
- …and then it snowed for the first time of the season.
- I got acrylic nails for the first time and loved them.
- I started Bible Journaling through Grace and Gratitude (haven’t finished yet, but the beginning was fun.)
- We purchased a new skinny Christmas tree and put it up way too early. No shame.
- I decided on my 2019 word of the year, rest.
December
- I saw the play A Christmas Carol and spent quality time with my parents while Kevin was in Denver.
- Kevin turned 27 (yep, he’s younger than me).
- The press released Kevin’s biggest project to date. So stinkin’ proud of him.
- We spent a difficult Christmas in St. Louis surrounded by family and friends.
- I tried Top Golf for the first time and somehow managed not to come in last.
- We rang in the New Year with friends, cats, and Barred Owl.
Cheers to 2019!
Sep 20, 2018 | Memory Keeping
I thought I would pop on with a quick post about all the ways I’m documenting my life in 2018. Even though we are only halfway almost three quarters of the way through the year, I’m already starting to think about what next year will look like and how I’ll preserve my stories.
Project Life
Six years in and I still love memory keeping with pocket pages. I love the opportunity to be creative and change my process on a whim while still having the cohesive photo sizes. For the past couple years, I’ve done monthly layouts in 12×12 albums which has allowed me to use three albums for the six years.
This year, I tried mixing it up with this 6×12 cloth album from Hobby Lobby. This size felt much more comfortable to work with as far as flip through, but I just had a hard time keeping up because the one page spread didn’t feel substantial enough for a whole month but I’m just not at a place where a spread per week makes sense either. I ended up switching back to the 12×12 layouts in March and reworking what I had done for January and February.
Otherwise, my process remains the same – photos, words, and the fun stuff of life. Kevin is a pretty avid documenter of life through the Day One app so I’ll continue using both of our photos and experiences to keep the album from both perspectives.
Chatbooks
Chatbooks are photo books made with your photos on Instagram, Facebook or camera roll and only takes 30 seconds to set up. I keep my scrapbooks in my craft room, so I like to have something smaller and less precious to have on the coffee table in the living room. These have been a piece of cake to make and are always a talking point when we have guests over – everyone picks them up. We go with the softcover edition and print them on a yearly basis.
Price-wise, these are super reasonable at $10 (+ free shipping).
One Little Word
This is the first year in a while that I’m not taking Ali Edward’s One Little Word Class. At the beginning of the year, I was trying to pair down some of my projects and this really felt like one I could sustain on my own without the online content Ali provides. I think I’ve been able to keep up with the documenting as much as I’ve wanted to here and in project life, which is perfect for me right now.
As far as my goals go for this project, I could probably be doing a bit better.
Bible Journaling
I feel like Bible Journaling is getting a lot of unnecessary flak right now for being too curated or inauthentic, but I’m still over here loving it. I’ve slowed down a bit because of how my Bible reading looks right now. I am currently reading the same chapter over for multiple days in a row which is allowing me to dig in deeper than I have in the past. Some of my pages look really over the top with color and ephemera while some are literally just words and notes – I’m totally ok with that!
I just want to always keep in the forefront of my mind that this isn’t about being pretty (even though it sometimes is) but more about growth and what God’s word is teaching me. I think the inauthenticity comes when this important component isn’t happening. Hopefully you’ll be seeing more of this around here soon.
Planner
The planner (similar to this one) is a craft-free zone this year and it has been working wonders. Each day has three vertical boxes, one is dedicated to daily reoccurring tasks based on my monthly/weekly/daily goals, another is unique daily tasks, and then work tasks. Even though its not as pretty, there are no distractions and I’m actually happy when all my to-dos are completed and I can throw old pages away.
Traveler’s Notebooks
I recently threw away a lot of my journals that didn’t have sentimental value or stories in them, so I’m now trying to figure out how future journals fit into my life. That seems really dramatic, but in the past, I’ve used Traveler’s Notebooks for ALL THE THINGS. This year with that in mind, I’m reserving them for vacation mini books and collage projects. I tend to find that creating and the outlet is more important to me during the process than the actual result is for me. (Just talking about this format has me itching to go back to carrying my gorgeous Chic Sparrow TN.)
Prayer Binder
At the beginning of 2018, I made a good to put a priority on intentional prayer based on my One Little Word, connect. I read a few books and blogs, but I found The Reset Girl’s prayer binder to be really inspiring as far as how to get my prayer time organized and feel less overwhelming.
Before, I might not have considered this “memory keeping” however I am keeping track of all my prayers and the things that are going on, so I think it makes sense to include this in how I’m documenting my life.
I’m thinking about writing a whole post about what this looks like, but in the meantime, I would highly encourage you to check out this video by The Reset Girl.
The Blog
This has easily been my most successful year on the blog, not only in content, but in the number of viewers that have checked out this little spot on the internet as well. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been blogging for 8 years (read that post here) and I’ve been documenting my story and my photos for just as long.
Even though I’ve considered quitting more times than I can count, I’m thankful for the fact that the internet seems more concrete and “forever” than physical photos and paper. Even though I hate that, I really do think it’s the truth. I look back on posts from 2010 or even just last year, and can get such a clear picture on who I was at the time and what was going on in my life. It might not feel that way for other people, but that’s why I continually keep doing this for me.
What are you doing to tell your story this year?
Aug 10, 2017 | Goal Setting, One Little Word 2017 | Thrive
August, august. I’m so thankful for the changing of the month and the cooler weather that August seems to be bringing us so far. I’ve always been a lover of the summer, but I have to say that I’m seriously looking forward to the fall this year. As we gear up for fall, I’m looking forward to so many things – college football and tailgates, mums on our front porch, taking my pup for more walks when the sun’s still up, and lots of layered clothing. But before I wish away August, let’s talk about goals for this month.
On the blog in July:
July Goals Recap:
Monthly
- [Faith] Ask someone to be my mentor – Womp womp. I’m really bummed that I didn’t put more thought and prayer into this in July.
[Faith] Keep working on my faith binder – I made some serious progress on my binder this month[Health/Faith] Complete Camp Reset – This project overwhelmed me quickly due to the amount of time it required, but I kept up where I could.
Weekly
- [
Creative] Do something creative for myself – I loved being more intentional about this in July!
Daily
[Health] Food journal – I feel like I did great on this, continuing the progress into August.[Health] Work out – I randomly joined a boot camp in July which really kicked my butt into gear and got me excited to work out again. Even though boot camp is over, I’m looking forward to continuing this through this month and beyond.[Creative] Instagram – I posted 8 times in July, which is a bit more frequent than I have in past months.- [Faith] Quiet time – I really just need consistency here.
[Health] Oils – Last month, I used DoTERRA oils every single day. I don’t know if I’ve ever completed a whole month of a daily goal – so I’m super pumped about this one.
August Goals:
Monthly
- Celebrate turning 26 – I had the HARDEST time with turning 25 last year. You’re probably rolling your eyes, but I honestly felt like there were so many (ridiculous) expectations I had placed on myself that I hadn’t met yet. I have a feeling that turning 26 will go more smoothly.
- Schedule a hair cut with a new stylist – I’ve been going to the same stylist for a while and finally got the name of someone new who specializes in curls. I’m ready to keep the most open mind possible.
- Read Artist’s Way and complete challenges – I read this book two years ago but didn’t have time to complete all of the challenges. I picked it up again at the end of last month and have really been focusing on the challenges.
- Send two cards using the INK app – The INK app is an app that makes a post card out of your photos – all you have to do is upload the photo and add your message to the back. I’ve used this app once before and was so happy with the quality, so I really want to send a few more this month.
Daily
- 8 Hours of sleep each night – this will be next to impossible, but it would even be worth it if I could do it a couple nights a week.
- Low FODMAP foods – I mentioned last month that my doctor suggested the low FOD MAP diet for me, so I want to do better at eating foods that fit into these categories as opposed to taking antacids to make me feel better.
- Journal – I’m doing morning pages each morning, which goes hand-in-hand with the Artist’s Way.
- Workouts – Just trying to be consistent with working out this month – probably more of an every other day thing as opposed to daily.
- Oils – Keeping my DoTERRA streak going from last month!
You’re turn! How are you going to kick butt this month?
