My Goals for 2010

I have a lot of goals this year. A LOT of goals.

This is the second year now that John and I actually have a written list of goals for our family. About mid-way through the year we started writing the baby steps that get to the big goals. We kind of fell off the bandwagon at one point but we actually did accomplish a few of them!

For this year, I'm posting my top 10 goals here for all to see (and in my side bar). What are they? Here they are!

1. Finish my PhD.

I've been working toward this degree in one way or another since I was 16 years old. Got side-tracked a few times, shuffled off to a parallel field, worked half, full or 3/4 time during the process, had paperwork get lost (three times now!), had the world's worst advisor (not where I'm currently at!), and took 6 years off to work and have my kids in the middle. I went back when my kids were a year old. And I'm SOOOOOOO close now. I have my list of to-dos in my side bar so you can follow along. I had really hoped to be done by now. So, God willing, 2010 will be the year!

2. Reach my Target Weight!

I'll write more about this tomorrow in Healthy Habits 2010. I'm close - really. But not there.

3. Clean out my house.

This has been a loose goal for many years now - since we had the kids it's become more urgent. Now we're getting to the point where I'm getting distracted by all the "stuff". Most of our living spaces are clear but there's a couple of 'clutter corners' that are driving me crazy. I also have things to make/finish/create several projects that I haven't been able to tackle over the last couple of years because of my health that will empty a big chunk of stuff if I can finish those off. We also have all this stuff that comes along with the kids and have to put it somewhere. Since moving isn't an option right now, that means cleaning out!

4. Finish all my unfinished sewing projects.

This list is pretty long. 6 Baby quilts. 3 Quilts Made from Old Jeans. 1 Memory Quilt. 1 Denim Jumper. 1 Pair Pajamas. 1 Wool Winter Coat. 1 Silk Blazer. 1 Nightgown. 2 T-shirt dresses. 3 Quilt Top Comforter covers. 2 Skirts. 2 Busy Books. 1 Apron. 4 Tie Fleece Quilts. 1 Barbie Holder. 1 Christmas Padded Book. 1 Stuffed Dinosaur. 4 Window Toppers. 2 Chair Cushions. 4 Pillow Covers. 3 Table Cloths. 1 Christmas Tree Skirt. 4 Christmas Stockings. 2 chair protectors plus material to recover 6 dining room chairs. No you don't want to know how much fabric and how many patterns I have in my sewing area! (And I might actually have forgotten something as well - I hope not!) I posted this list in the sidebar and hopefully it will all be crossed off by the end of the year!

This year I'm also making glasses cases and contact care kits for John's family (I'll post on that under Frugal Friday one of these days!), doll clothes for Missy's birthday, and name pillows for our nieces and nephews. Yes, I'm trying to both save money and use up my fabric stash!

5. Meet 2 Savings Goals this year.

We have a list of savings goals as long as our arm this year (I'll post more on that after John and I have had a chance to sit down and hash out the details). I'd like to actually hit 2 of them! It seems like something always comes up that is more urgent than what we're saving for. I'm praying that we'll be able to hit at least 5 of them, but my goal is 2 so I'm not disappointed if we don't make it!

6. Finish 2 house projects this year.

We have a list of things to do including 2 big-cost items - one we'd like to do (and that has been on our remodeling the house plan since we bought the house!) and one that needs to be done. I'm hoping to get all of them done, but I'll setting for 2 again.

7. Refurbish my front flower bed.

I've been putting this off in part because it's going to be a ton of work and I haven't been physically able to do it these last few years. I need to haul out the gravel that had been put in, transplant a bunch of plants, and then put in mulch. This fall I will add daffodil bulbs (tulips don't last due to the bunnies) as well.

8. Catch up my kids' scrapbooks to 2009.

My kids' scrapbooks currently end when they were 4 months old. Can you say I'm a little behind? I love to scrapbook so I just need to make time for it. And sort through the mountains of 'stuff' that I've saved for the really important and good stuff. And...

9. Catch up all my family special topic scrapbooks.

I have several 'special topic' books that I'd like to catch up - our wedding and honeymoon (which fell apart and is halfway redone), my album with the photos from John's sibling's weddings (1 wedding to go!), the gaping holes in my Jr. high album, my high school album (senior year only), John's high school book, the second half of our college book, a year summary album (1 page per year to hit the high lights), the Christmas album and a book that I have that has all the professional pics from everyone in John's family in it. If I get these caught up and the kids' caught up, then I just have the family albums to catch up which will be my goal for 2011. :) You can follow along with this progress too!

10. Fill 6 Operation Christmas Child Boxes for $25.

Yes, yes, I know that many of you could fill them for less but this is MY goal. We fill one box for each gender and age group, so six boxes total. This includes $6 to buy plastic boxes rather than using actual cardboard shoe boxes. I like to fill these with school supplies (including a full geometry set for the oldest kids), crayons, some hard candy, socks, small toys, a hand towel, 2 wash clothes, toothpaste, toothbrush, and soap. This year I'm adding hats, mittens, and hopefully either t-shirts or flip flops or both. So, if I spend $6 on the boxes, that means I have $19 to fill the boxes! I'll keep a running total in my side bar for you to keep track with me.

I have a million little things I'd like to do to - things like remembering to write thank you notes within 72 hours of getting a gift, flossing regularly, and the like. But these are the biggies that take more than making a little change. They require planning and time and attention.

The biggest weapon I have in my arsenal with regard to accomplishing this is prayer. I'll pray over each of these tasks and ask God to help me along. And get me out of my frustration moments - like I was in today with cleaning off my dresser. As the year goes on, God may keep me from working on things at certain times and not others. I feel a pull right now to work on cleaning out my house. I believe that that is God guiding me to do the "prep work" first, so to speak, before tackling the nitty gritty (finishing all the individual projects that I have running around and take space to complete). And since all the extra 'stuff' is what's driving me crazy, it will give me more peace of mind too. I like that!

I'll keep you up-to-date as the year goes by and hopefully I'll be able to get some things crossed off my list! Watch the side-bar for progress... hopefully I'll be crossing things off soon!

So what are your goals for 2010?