Monthly Update & New Goals

It's time for another monthly update.  These are just coming so quickly!  I don't get to blog as much as I'd like so instead of these being every 30 or so posts, they are every 10 or so . . . or 5 . . .

Okay - Goals for September:

1. Save something in the emergency fund.  We managed to put away 24 bucks.  So I guess we met the goal, but it really isn't an exciting advancement.  Our car is still holding up, we just have to jump the battery every week or two.  A goal for October is again to just save something.  We haven't even started paying for the airline tickets, we have to hire someone for a home improvement project, and I just reconciled 4 months of bank statements and found $235 of errors that I have to cover.  Gah!  Note to self: Reconcile Checking Account More Often!

2. I didn't make a laundry goal for September as I was focused on killing any bugs with the heat of the dryer.  And while it was beautiful all month our clothesline didn't see any use.  A goal this month is to do a load of laundry each day so it doesn't pile up and overwhelm me.  In the past I've done almost all the laundry on Monday including our sheets.  The beds get remade by bedtime but there are usually 5-7 loads of laundry on the couch waiting to be folded.  Small tasks are so much easier for me so I'm trying a new method.  This week it has actually gone well.  I've been doing one load a day and keeping up with the folding.  So I'm going to try and keep it up all month. 

3. We did pull off an awesome party for DD#1.  Our only bump was that the party favors we ordered 2 weeks in advance (teacup for each girl to take home) did not arrive.  We borrowed some and I had some and we were OK, but we weren't able to give each girl a teacup so it was a little bit of a bummer.  BUT we had fun making Princess pins decorated with ribbons, making lip gloss, and having an excellent tea party.  Eve was really happy with how it turned out (even though she cried a few times) and felt loved by the 11 friends and all the family who attended.

4. I wanted to post 30 days on Project TwentySix but that totally didn't happen.  I managed 10 in total.  I do want to finish the Project quickly, but I can't obsess about it right now.  Today my goal is to just post when I can - hopefully at least once a day - but I'm not making an official goal. 

5. I did keep a thankful list!  Hooray!  In September we were thankful for our friend Jamie who gave us Math-U-See instruction books and manipulative blocks, DH's employer for a bonus, my brother visiting and making significant progress on our basement remodel, my friend Sarah for selling us excellent eggs at an excellent price, my mom and aunt for coming in advance of the party and cleaning the house like I never would have, the chance to work in the church kitchen which just blesses me so much and again my mom and aunt who watched kiddos on a weekday when I was working at church, for DH saying "OK" to the purchase of airline tickets for a trip to Hawaii in February when I am usually dragging emotionally, for a great visit with my heart-sister (and my actual sister-in-law) to help her prepare for a new baby, for my sister-in-law giving me all sorts of great books and supplies that will come in handy for homeschooling, for Dana and Lorraine lending me teacups, for Judy lending me teapots and providing miniature teapots to give as party favors, and also to Judy for listening when I really needed a friend.  I also have some August blessings I remembered.  Thank you to Carly for giving us about ten pounds of apples from her parents' tree, to Lauren for offering to pay for de-licing service for one of my girls who had the hardest time shaking it, and for Christine & Nick who invited our girls to be part of their wedding and providing each of them special memories.  I'll keep a list for October, too!  Hanging up a paper now!

Katie