January 2013 Goal Review

I guess since it's already the fifth of Februry, I should review my goals from January. Sheesh. It's like I have no respect for the calendar or something. If you are just interested in the list of goals, here's my post from last month (it includes my goal review for Decemeber, so it's kinda lengthy). This post might actually work better for you. Goals with an asterisk (*) are new goals (for this year).

Before I get started, the photos included in this post were all taken over the course of the month. Most have been edited in Instagram and re-sized in Photoshop.

This would have been a perfect picture for Sally's Focusing on Life prompt this past week, "Capture Our Hearts". Oops!

Eat right/better: I did okay overall, but most days had an "except that I ate ____" included in my record keeping. I definitely need to watch those late night cravings a little more. 
Read more books: I need to buck up and book up!! I finished one book and started two more that I'm still working on. Not quite what I had imagined. I just didn’t seem to work in enough reading time this month. 
Make a real effort to keep the house clean: My house was pretty clean overall this month. There were a couple of days where I slacked and let it get out of control, but I busted my butt to get in back in order later. I'd say it was fairly clean most of the time. YAY!!

A bike ride on the Backwoods Trail at the Greater Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores.

Take better care of my face and skin: I started the month off hot and heavy with the face washing at least once a day, but that's gradually starting to drop off again. I definitely need to work on it as I'm having a pretty bad breakout right now.
Make a real effort with my blog: By my account, there were only seven days this whole past month that I didn't blog something. I'd say that's pretty darn good. It didn't feel like I posted that much as I did schedule several of my weekend posts while I was busy with other things. It really worked out for me. I should TOTALLY do that more often. However, there are several other blog-related tasks that I need to take care of (header and sidebar issues) which got no attention. So, there's work still to be done.
Be Grateful/Thankful: Blarg, I attempted several methods to work on this goal. I started by writing down at least 1-3 items in my calendar daily, but the original calendar was messed up so I had to get my new one. From there, I downloaded and app called Gratitude! to help me since I'm a bit of an app freak. I used the darn thing TWICE. This needs OH so much work!
 

An obligatory beach picture.

Declutter/organize at least one drawer/cabinet/area a week: I did pretty good on this and only missed one week. I'm running out of places to de-clutter though. . .except for the Craft room. I need some SERIOUS help in there. For now, I should just be happy that the rest of the house is looking pretty good. Thinking about the craft room's chaos just stresses me out.
Include more tutorials on the blog: I kinda did one tutorial with my calendar pretty-up. But I'm hoping to get a few more in eventually. Maybe.
Continue to get published (if not published then at least submit to a few publications): I did not work much on getting published in January but found out that an item I submitted in December was accepted for Jewelry Stringing Summer 2013!! So. . .that's something. 

Some brass pieces I etched this month

Think outside of the box: I attempted a few things that were a little more 'out of the box' but not exceptional. This could use some work.
Learn to operate my nice camera better *: Other than learning how to use the self timer option on my camera, I really didn't accomplish much on this goal. The days fly by and I've got them filled with so much that I'm not sure how soon I can get to this goal. I'm hoping that Sally's Focusing on Life series does help me focus in on this goal a bit more.
 

I accidentally grew this onion sprout. I tried to keep it, but it didn't last the month.

Craft other items than jewelry (make 2 non-jewelry items a month) *: I got my calendar organized with just some ribbon and paper clips as well as made some backers for my jewelry. However, I really want to dive into some larger, different projects like doing some embroidering, sewing, paper crafting, etc. Again, I'm already filling my days with so much it's finding the time that's hard.
Use analytics more efficiently *: I found a tutorial on creating goals (shared here on the blog earlier in the month) as well as played around with looking at what searches/keywords brought visitors to my blog. Somehow I need to combine those two and learn quite a bit more. 
Grow some plants inside and out: I bought a primrose at the farmer's market to replace the succulents that were there. I also had an onion sprout in my pantry that lived up there for a little while. However, that's about the extent of our plants at the moment. We've already begun discussions of what to plant in the next month or two as it warms up though.

My kitchen window a few weeks ago.

Make my visions of my dream house and this house co-exist: I've thinking more and more about getting some more stuff up on the walls, but other than getting the kitchen window looking pretty (above) at one point in the month, not much has happened on this front.
Go to the doctor/dentist: This really needs to be made a priority, I know. Yet somehow it just falls by the wayside. sigh.
Explore other venue options for selling my jewelry (in the community): I had dinner with some old friends and we talked about options/venues for me to explore. They really helped me realize that I need to get out there more. I did start looking up local craft fairs but need to do more research.
Find some confidence and exert it: There's nothing new here. I just can't seem to find it. . .yet.
 

This gorgeous field of dandelions was in a ditch outside a gas station/package store.

Learn to sew *: There's a place up the street that I think offers sewing lessons and I just haven't made that call. It's on the list, I look at it every day.
Learn use photoshop better *: I did make a few attempts to try some new things in the program, but just made a bigger mess. I need a tutorial I think. I know where I can find one too, but if you have any tips, feel free to share!
Start buying Christmas presents earlier in the year *: This goal is really intended for all gifts. . birthdays, anniversaries, etc. I didn't do so well with mama's birthday and Valentine's day is fast approaching also. I really need to get other "gift days of interest" entered into the infamous calendar along with reminders about the actual gifts.
Support my local bead shops and other etsy sellers more *: I have been to both Hobby Lobby and Michael's over the month but I also made purchases from Miss Fickle Media and Gaea online as well as went to Knot Just Beads in Mobile for some items. So, it had its ups and downs. In all honesty though, I did buy more online than I usually do.

I should note that the Red means I didn't do so well, Purple means needs improvement, and Blue means doing well, keep it up. There's a bit more red up there than I'd like to see, but this is just the first month for several of these. I can't work miracles in a month.

I saw this is a local establishment and laughed out loud when I spotted it!

Overall, I'm pleased with what I have done and am looking forward to this new month.
How are you doing on your goals, resolutions, and words for the year?

October Goal Review

As October has come to an end, it's time for another goal review from me. If you're new to my blog, here's what's going on. At the beginning of the year, I made this list of 'goals.' Keep in mind that they are NOT resolutions and I know that I won't accomplish most of these before the year runs out. However, these are just some things to work toward. At the end of each month, I like to do a review of how I did in order to keep myself accountable as well as propel me to try harder in the coming months.

Monarch butterfly snapped while we were on a bike ride.

In order to break up this list and keep it visually pleasing, I'm including photos I've taken over the month (most of them are from Instagram.)

Here we go!

PERSONAL
1. Exercise: Not so great- did do some walking, bike riding, and simple exercises/stretching at home, but definitely need to get much better about it (as always).

An actual healthy dinner

2. Eat right/better: A month of celebrations does not make for a good diet. We did ok but have faltered on juicing and have eaten out and poorly more than we should.
3. Read more books/watch less TV: I finished two books this month (Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris) but still there's been plenty of tv in the mix. (We're working through quite a few different series's on Netflix.) I don't think I'll ever completely get away from the television, it's just too easy to push that on button.

A snippet of one of my to do lists.

4. Make a real effort to keep the house clean: SO MUCH BETTER! I don't know what's gotten into me this month, but I've made beds and mopped floors. It's crazy! Good crazy.
5. Discover new music: All I can say to this one is. . .nope, didn't happen.

Flower in friends' yard. Such amazing colors.

6. Grow some plants inside and out: Everything we've planted has died. It's so sad. Even Pat's attempts didn't work out. We'll keep plodding along until we discover the key.
7. Make my visions of my dream house and this house co-exist: No work on this at all. It's all just daydreams. . .and Pintrest.
8. Declutter/organize at least one drawer/cabinet/area a week: Did okay with this. Not exactly weekly, but did tackle some major areas like my closet.
9. Have a yard sale: It just didn't happen again. I did take a big load of stuff to goodwill though.

Love the saying!

10. Take better care of my face and skin: Most of the month has been . . .off, but toward the end I was getting better. Needs work for sure, but I've done better this month than any month previously. Success! Sorta.
11. Go to the doctor/dentist: Nope. . .I've thought about it much more, but it just didn't happen.

BUSINESS/CRAFT
1. Make a real effort with my blog: I haven't been the best blogger this month. It's definitely been on and off, but I've been distracted. I'll be better, don't leave me. Seriously though, it hasn't been all bad. Or, am I just fooling myself?
2. Include more tutorials on the blog: Did get ONE tutorial up (my easy Halloween Earrings). But that's all. It's better than most months, but still not where I want to be.
3. Keep the craft room more organized: Oh wow, this was a really bad month for craft room organization. I'm really just now recognizing how very BAD it is in there. Something must be done!
4. Discover my passion: YES!!! You can take a look at yesterday's post for more information on this one. While I know there's still more work to be done, I'm SO MUCH CLOSER than I was before.

Just a bit of my magazine addiction.

5. Get published (or at least try): I made a huge step toward this at the beginning of the month by actually submitting to a magazine, now to keep that ball rolling.
6. Create something everyday: There are days that I cannot tell you whether or not I got something made, but the ones that do have recorded are pretty good. I think I did well between my button bracelet frenzy and playing around with my other supplies. I didn't realize when I made these goals how hard this goal would be to keep. In any case, I really did well on this over the month.

Button bracelet addiction in progress.

7. Explore other venue options for selling my jewelry: Just. . .no. Not yet. Lots of thinking and daydreaming, but not yet.
8. Find a way to use what I have instead of buying more: Have done okay on this. A few craft store trips but mostly trips to antique stores have robbed me of my money. I think it was well spent though!

GENERAL
1. Figure out where my time is wasted and put an end to it: I don't think I'll ever really meet this goal. It's too easy to be tired or a bit lazy and just not do anything. I definitely recognize when I'm 'wasting time' and simply choose to keep it up. Drat.
2. Find some confidence and exert it: I'm getting there kinda, but am still painfully shy.

Playing around with some glass and paper.

3. Think outside of the box: I'm so close on this one I can totally feel it. My discover-my-passion has a lot to do with it.
4. Be Grateful/Thankful: I've got so much to be thankful for and this month has really helped me realize it, but it needs work. . . lots of work.

So that's been my month. All in all, I think it's been pretty good. I'm still really happy about the accomplishments I have made and hope to make more progress on the rest of them. YAY!

September Goal Review (about time!)

As promised yesterday, today I will regale you with the tales of my goal progress. . .or in many cases lack of progress. As a reminder, you can check out my list of goals here, but I'll be going over all of them in this post so it's not really necessary. The last time I did a goal review was in June for the month of May. That doesn't seem right. I can't believe I've put this off for so many months. I'm so sorry. I haven't been accountable at all for the whole summer. Wow. Oops! I'll also go ahead and admit that I didn't keep track of any of my goals for the first half of September. They really just slipped my mind. Geez, I suck! Anyway, let's see what I DID do this month.

I just love the brightness of these glass pieces

As with previous months, I'll be sharing photos from throughout the previous month. These are all photos I've taken and edited with Instagram.

PERSONAL

Used my julienne-er to make raking stripes on this zucchini

1. Exercise- I really didn't do that much all month. I know I need to get out there and be active before it gets too cold to be outside moving around. 
2. Eat right/better - I've done exceptionally well this month on this one between the juicing and the low meat diet. Of course, I've had some slip-ups, but all in all I've been much more conscious about my food. 
3. Read more books/watch less TV - I've gotten through quite a few books since May and am not sure I can list them all here. I've re-found my love for the library system now that I have an app on my iPad for my local branch. It's awesome. However, this hasn't done much to quell my interest in TV. I'll keep working on it. 

   

   What I took home after a recent trip to the bookstore. LOVE!

4. Make a real effort to keep the house clean - I would have to give myself a passing score on this one. The house has been much cleaner and I've even done the floors (that's HUGE for me!) Having a tidy house makes me feel much better. We'll get to the craft room in a bit. . .eek! 
5. Discover new music - Nope. . .didn't happen. Moving on. 
6. Grow some plants inside and out - My succulents inside are barely hanging on and the veggies outside have just about withered away. It's sad. However, Pat has decided to try out his own green thumb and has been talking about hydroponics/aquaponics. In face, he just finished building a self-watering container in which he planted some spinach. I may have to leave the gardening to him and just stick to cooking the harvest. 

   

   I saw these bright cacti at the store and couldn't resist a picture of their Seussian nature

7. Make my visions of my dream house and this house co-exist - Again, we've been a lot of talk and very little action on this goal. We know what we like and some of what we want, but just cannot seem to get there. sigh. 
8. Declutter/organize at least one drawer/cabinet/area a week - The two weeks I was trying to keep up with my goals this month actually resulted in two areas getting decluttered/cleaned. So it wasn't all bad.  
9. Have a yard sale - We've still not had a yard sale of our own, but we DID donate a bunch of stuff to a charity yard sale for a friend of ours. As well, Pat's been trying to get rid of some of the other pieces in the house/garage that we don't use and has been listing them on Craigslist. That's a start I suppose. 
10. Take better care of my face and skin - As always, I come and go with this one. More times than not I just forget to wash my face.  As I see more and more little lines appearing, I know that I've got to nail down a better skincare regimen.  
11. Go to the doctor/dentist - Fail. . .just fail.

BUSINESS/CRAFT

These have been broken out quite a bit over the month

1. Make a real effort with my blog- I did okay as far as I can tell on the blog over the month. It's still not where I want it to be, but it's getting there. 
2. Include more tutorials on the blog - Unfortunately, the closest I came to a tutorial was my explanation of what I did on the Altered Dominoes.  
3. Keep the craft room more organized - Oh NO. That poor room has been an absolute disaster for as long as I can remember. I hope to get in there and make some progress soon. But, isn't that what I always say? 
4. Discover my passion - I'm still on a path to work on this. The Crafter's Devotional book and group definitely has me thinking hard about how I create so it's helping (when I remember to do it). I'm trying to pay more attention to what I enjoy doing versus what I make myself do, what I like in others' designs versus what turns me off, and those kind of things. I'm getting there. . .slowly.   
   

   

   The crackle on this piece of reclaimed wood really caught my eye

5. Get published - I'm pushing myself this month to get this done. I actually have a few pieces completed that I hope to send out today or tomorrow to a magazine. I just have to write up all the info on them and pack them up. It's a big step for me and I'm a little nervous about where my foot is going to land. I'm happy I'm making it though! 
6. Create something everyday - This is WAY HARDER than you would think. With all the business side of things and the marketing, sometimes it's hard to get in the craft room and push something out. I know this sounds a lot like excuses, but I think I need to be more realistic about this kind of goal for next year. 
   

   

   The contents of the bag of supplies I was toting around to my niece's dentist appointment

7. Explore other venue options for selling my jewelry - While I still haven't made any definite steps on this front, I have picked up some fliers for a local market. . .it's really just some storage units that they rent out for commercial space and do a yard sale on the weekends. But, it could work. I also talked to my neighbor at the beginning of the month about opportunities in the community. (her mother makes pottery and sells it locally) So there's that. . .all talk. 
8. Find a way to use what I have instead of buying more. I need less more in my life! - This has been a theme for me throughout the whole month. I do find it really hard not to just run out and get what I need, but I've got to train myself to think about what I have first. The hardest is findings (head pins, bead caps, etc.). I want to make a new commitment on this goal for the rest of the year. I just have too much stuff and I need to USE IT!

GENERAL

It's been a month of football-watching for me. Maybe I should find something to also do during that time.

1. Figure out where my time is wasted and put an end to it - I continue to recognize that a lot of my time is wasted on video games on the iPad. The hardest part is recognizing that when I'm playing them I could be doing something else. Now, I'm NOT going to give up my games, but I need to restrict them to when I actually don't have anything else I could be doing. So the goal right now is to put an end to the wasted time. 
2. Find some confidence and exert it - Still a struggle. . .always. 
3. Think outside of the box - While I wasn't keeping track of my goals very religiously, I think I did pretty good on this goal over the month. Between the Bead Soup Blog Party, the Sequin Hop, and the Domino Exchange I used my supplies and materials in unexpected ways. I need to continue that train of thought throughout my work and marketing now. 



Carved tree in a local park area

4. Be Grateful/Thankful - I've started trying to remember to write down some of the things I am grateful each month and then share them here on the blog. I've just started this practice, so I'm not sure how to grade myself on this yet. It's a work in progress for sure. 

So. . .how do you think I did? I guess it's more important for me to figure out how I think I did. 

I definitely need to get back on track focusing on these goals, but I'm pretty happy with how I'm advancing even if I did take some time off from thinking about them. Where are you in your goals for the year? There's only three months left!!

June in Photos

As promised in yesterday's meandering post, I'm going to share some of my favorite Instagram pictures from June.

As in every month (just about) I got a sunset on the water picture.

I thought the bubble pattern in my beer was pretty neat. What do you see in it?

I actually grew something I can eat!! (and did eat)

June was full of all kind of storms. This ominous one was setting off many alerts/alarms.

I took a Kumihimo class at my local bead store with a friend. That was so much fun!!

This cute tree frog was in my watering can as I struggled to keep my plants alive.

I took some time to bust out a baker's dozen pairs of earrings.

Father's Day meant a beer cake for my step-dad.

Stumbled on this pretty brook while at a playground and geocaching with the nieces.

Finally, I rounded the month out with a rainbow of jello shots (thanks Cindy!) and fun with a few really good friends.

Now. . .it's time to move past the month that got away and on to bigger and better.
New necklace in the shop.

Button Fringe Necklace

As well, there's a few more items in the on SALE section of the shop.

Now, let's see what we can do with July! ;)

May Goal Review

Oh my goodness y'all!!!! May was a big, fat FAIL on so many counts. I'm so, so glad it's a new month and I can just START OVER! Between jury duty, massive amounts of obligations, and my car wreck I couldn't seem to accomplish ANYTHING! Nevertheless, I owe you (and myself) a review of these failed goals.  As in past months, the pictures are some of my Instagram photos from the month.

Sun setting behind the Mobile, AL skyline

PERSONAL

1. Exercise  I did take ONE Pilates class and did some exercise at home ONE morning. I also did a lot of floating (in the river, gulf, wherever I could) but other than that. . .NADA! Must improve on this, desperately! It's not going to be too pretty of a swimsuit season for me.



A waffleized Monte Cristo sandwich for breakfast

2. Eat right/better. I did okay on this. My biggest downfall is always breakfast. I really need to come up with some easy, tasty, healthy options that will compel me to worry with them first thing in the morning. 
3. Read more books/watch less TV (I'd like to read at least two books a month, however that all depends on the length of the book) I also did okay on this one. I finally finished Inheritance and started on Let's Pretend this Never Happened (a Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson (The Bloggess). I'm hoping to FINALLY get into some shorter, easier-to-read books to make up all that missed time. We'll see! As far as less tv, that hasn't been too much of a problem.



My kitchen window.

4. Make a real effort to keep the house clean This is the ONE goal I'm letting myself say met to. Although the house this month did get into some of the worst shape in a while, I also recovered it pretty quickly. I made some strides in getting a few areas cleaned that really make a difference to me. I still have some ways to go, but I feel really good about this one right now. 



Two of my favorites, my man and my Blue!

5. Discover new music  Just, fail. That's all I can really say. I do love my NPR and can't seem to pull myself to listen to new music. 



A gardenia from my mom's garden.

6. Grow some plants inside and out This one's coming along fine. I've got my porch plants. . .the ones that are still alive at least. I've even got a few tomatoes and jalapenos ripening! I'm horrible at remembering to water my plants though. I'd like to get a few more houseplants eventually. All in good time.
7. Make my visions of my dream house and this house co-exist. Not much has been done on this front, more talk and more of me looking in thrift stores but very little action. sigh.
8. Declutter/organize at least one drawer/cabinet/area a week. I got ONE area decluttered in the whole of the month. That's it. Blarg!
9. Have a yard sale (possibly organize a neighborhood one) Nope, didn't happen. Now it's gotten so hot I'll just have to start thinking about the Fall.
10. Take better care of my face and skin. This has always been a stumbling block of mine. I just can't seem to remember every day. Will continue to work on it!
11. Go to the doctor/dentist. Nope. That's all.

Floating in Wasabi Cove on Fish River

BUSINESS/CRAFT

1. Make a real effort with my blog. As this is my first blog post in a week, I'm sure you can tell that I'm not happy with my performance on this goal as far as regular posting. I am pleased with some of the topics I touched on this month, but I'm still just not there yet. 
2. Include more tutorials on the blog. Didn't include a single one. I've got ideas for at least THREE. Why is this so hard?
3. Keep the craft room more organized. I did okay on this. The room is NOWHERE near where I'd like it to be, but I do know where most everything is!



Backers for my jewelry (LOVE these!)

4. Discover my passion. I haven't gotten anything concrete on this front yet. But, there are some ideas formulating. 
5. Get published (at least submit to a few publications). After last's month's hopeful prospect, I haven't heard back from my contact. I did try to follow up and ask, but she hasn't responded so I guess that one's out of the running. I've got this on my daily to do list now. Hopefully that will prompt me to follow through some more.



A new pair of earrings.

6. Create something everyday. It's been harder than I expected to create something EVERY DAY. However, I have gotten a few items made as well as some of the miscellaneous materials I need for the business. So I don't consider this a complete fail. 
7. Explore other venue options for selling my jewelry. I get a big F on this one. I actually had an opportunity pass under my nose and I didn't follow through because of the distance to the location from my house. I might need to re-think this.
8. Find a way to use what I have instead of buying more. I need less more in my life! I've done fine on this, a few shopping trips but nothing outrageous. I've avoided my local beading stores like the plague. I hate that.

Asia kitty

GENERAL

1. Figure out where my time is wasted and put an end to it. I'm doing okay with this. I've been trying to recognize when I am wasting time (not doing something on this list or something productive) and re-directing myself to an activity that will accomplish something.



After my wreck. . .that dent in the rail was my doing. boo!

2. Find some confidence and exert it. I did okay on this one. The opportunity that arose at a local shop was because I admitted to the cashier that I had made my jewelry. That was a big step for me. Secondly, I just completed an application to become a Bead Instructor at my local Micheal's store. That still scares me a little, but it would be a whole lot of fun too!
3. Think outside of the box. This one just didn't fall together for me in any instances this month.
4. Be Grateful/Thankful. As much as I do have in my life, I really should be going out of my way to find ways to express my gratitude. This desperately needs to improve.

Lunch with a friend (this was her meal, mine wasn't near as pretty!)

So that's my failure of a month. Going through this definitely has reminded me WHY I'm doing these monthly reviews. I know they are probably boring as all get out for you, but it's necessary for me to see where I need to focus my attentions. Thank you for bearing with me! And here's hoping that June is full of much more success for you and me both!

Oh. . .and here are my other goal reviews: January, February, March, and April as well as the original list if you're just weirdly interested in that kind of thing!

April Goal Review

Another month has ended and a new one begun. As such, it's time for me to review my goals. All pictures are ones I have taken over the month and shared via Instagram. 

Sunshine on Fish River

PERSONAL

1. Exercise (basically, just be more active)  We just didn't seem to do as well on this as we have previously. We weren't very active during the weekdays, though I did determine that grocery shopping can burn quite a few calories. We did play some disc golf, walk a few parks, and have a single bike ride all month but definitely need some improvement.



Oranges with lunch

2. Eat right/better We've actually done okay on this one. My menu planning does help, but every once in a while we just lose it. We definitely need to cut down on the sweets.
3. Read more books/watch less TV (I'd like to read at least two books a month, however that all depends on the length of the book) I've really slacked with my book reading this month. I wish I could get more invested in Inheritance, but I'm struggling. I did buy Jenny Lawson's (The Bloggess) new book, "Let's Pretend this Never Happened (a Mostly True Memoir)" and am itching to get it started. As far as TV watching, we really only watch in the evening after dinner. So, there's not much change in that.
4. Make a real effort to keep the house clean. I've followed my cleaning schedule a little closer this month, but I don't believe the house is any cleaner than usual. I definitely think I can get better so there's room for some improvement.
5. Discover new music. I've thought about this goal a few times and have listened to a few new-er bands and songs for me, but have not invested any real effort or time on this goal. I totally need to work more consciously on it.



A magical-looking spot on Fish River

6. Grow some plants inside and out. Please note that this is the ONLY goal I'm deeming as MET this month. While the nieces were here for Spring Break, we gave some plants a new home on our front porch. Now, to just work on some inside plants! 
   
7. Make my visions of my dream house and this house co-exist (basically, start decorating this house the way I envision my dream house being decorated.) The plants on the front porch help me some for this goal. As well, Pat and I have continued to talk about flooring and some other decorating issues. Yet, that's it. We're getting there I think, just at a snail's pace.
8. Declutter/organize at least one drawer/cabinet/area a week. Though I haven't done this on a weekly basis as I had intended, I have done it about half the time. I'm pretty happy with my progress and just hope I can continue on this trend.
9. Have a yard sale (possibly organize a neighborhood one) As I've done NOTHING to plan one for this spring and it's already warming up, I think this goal will have to wait until the Fall. Dangit.
10. Take better care of my face and skin I've really not done well on this at all over the month.
11. Go to the doctor/dentist  Just haven't done it yet.

Crawfish (one of the two parties this month)

BUSINESS/CRAFT

1. Make a real effort with my blog. There's definitely a trend toward improvement this month, it's just not there yet.
2. Include more tutorials on the blog. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to make a tutorial. I did download an app for my phone called Snapguide that's supposed to help with making tutorials. Hopefully I'll try it out soon.



Paints organized in Roy G. Biv order

3. Keep the craft room more organized. I won't say that the room's been MORE organized, but I haven't let it get too out of control over the month.  
   
4. Discover my passion. I'm starting to recognize that I'm more conscious about what I enjoy making and materials I'm drawn to. So, I don't think this goal is a complete fail this month.
5. Get published. I've made more progress on this goal in this one month than any other. A Facebook jewelry friend let a group of us know that an editor was looking for some additional submissions for the Fall issue of a magazine. I submitted a design. She liked it but wanted to see one change. I made the change, but haven't heard back from her yet. We'll see. Taking that first step is always the hardest. Maybe it was just the leap I needed.
6. Create something everyday I really didn't focus on this goal at all over the month like I did at the beginning of the year. I definitely need to get back into that habit. I went DAYS without ever going into the craft room. That was not good.
7. Explore other venue options for selling my jewelry (in the community)While I've not made any concrete decisions on this or actual steps toward it, I feel as though I'm getting closer than I've ever been in regards to this goal. I've talked with a friend who is selling in the community, figured out how to find local craft fairs, and contemplated what kind of displays/booth I want. It's not much, but it's still so much more than where I was.
8. Find a way to use what I have instead of buying more. I need less more in my life! I did okay on this over the month. There were a few weak moments, but overall not too bad in the spending department.

Disc golf

GENERAL

1. Figure out where my time is wasted and put an end to it. I'm continually aware that much of my time-wasters are games on the iPad. Yet, I lack the willpower to stop playing them. In general though, I don't feel like I've wasted as much time as previously.
2. Find some confidence and exert it. I know I'm not doing well on this one. I continue to be a wallflower in most situations.



Buttons being printed on the 3D printer

3. Think outside of the box. I have done this somewhat with a few projects. As well, since Pat has the 3D printer built, I'm thinking hard about how I can use that to my benefit. It's something. 
4. Be Grateful/Thankful. I've done a lot of thinking on this one, but have yet to express it as well as I was hoping.

 

Sunset while pontoon boat trailer getting fixed

 
Overall, I haven't had as many successes as I would like, but my failures are not near as big. I'm getting there I think!


Here's a tasty bit for your patience with this post; a new necklace in the shop.

Chocolate Frosting Necklace

For the original goal list as well as my goal reviews for January, February, and March just click on the links included in this sentence! 

Did you set goals/resolutions for the year? How are you doing on them so far?