Goals For 2008

This is being posted a little later than I planned but I've justified it since it's still in the early days of 2008. There have been a lot of random things that I have been been working on. Last year was a very busy and paper-piling, clutter-everywhere kind of year for us and so these random things I've started putting to use will hopefully bring us a better year. I also found out last year that I have high cholesterol. I did find out that one of the culprits was that it's in my family history. Over the past couple of years when I was working full time and going to school part time on top of raising our children, I don't think I made my nutrition a priority as it should have. So last year, I made some immediate changes in my diet. I didn't have to do a whole lot --- just drink more water and eat more veggies and fruits and less eating out and making more homemade meals. I told myself to start out in baby steps because I know that if I do too much too fast, I get burned out and my changes cease. Well, even with these changes and a little exercise (still working on that part!) I'm proud to say that I've lowered my cholesterol by 70 some points without medication. I still have about 30-40 points to go but I'm really happy with my progress. So...with this year, I honestly feel that 2008 is going to bring great results in many areas!

1. GOAL: Lower cholesterol & continue healthy eating habits.

As I said, last year was a changing time with my diet. It was also a good change for the whole family. With John and I as parents, we are to set the example as our children often look up to us and for the most part, eat the things we eat. I looked and searched for many healthy recipes to make for our family meals and with these lovely items given to me this past Christmas from my step mom and hubby, I know I'm in for a TREAT! **THANK YOU!!**These gadgets seriously make me want to cook all the time!

2. GOAL: Form and maintain a healthy lifestyle of exercising - for myself and for my family. I think this goal is more geared for me but again, I help by setting a good example for the rest of my family. This goal also coincides with my goal of lowering my cholesterol. My doctor told me that increasing my activity level will help push out the bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol. And lets face it, I want to be around in my children and their children's lives as long as I possibly can. I personally don't like the atmosphere that the gym brings to me. I suppose it's a little intimidating. Been there and done that so I work out in the mornings from the comfort of my own home before the girls wake up and the daily activities begin. I'm still in the beginning stages of this but I'm coming along and enjoying it. I have found that I have more energy and it helps me stay on track with my healthy eating habits. Okay, okay - getting new aerobic shoes also seemed to help in the motivation department. No complaints here! Also, when it's nice outside (above 50 or 60 degrees) our family likes to go on walks around the neighborhood and take a trip to the local park/ playground.

3. GOAL: Organize! As I mentioned, we have had some organizational issues since moving to our home here in Virginia. One being that we have gone from a garage, to no garage. Makes things hard to store our seasonal stuff like we used to. So we've had to be creative as well and donate the things we absolutely don't need and can live without. It's a great feeling to live with less. Less is more sometimes, right? Sorting papers, shredding what is no longer needed, and filing what we need to keep has for sure been a task! And a continual task at that! It's in fact, still in the works and probably always will be but I had to recently put my foot down. I'm beginning to stress out over paper. PAPER!?!?! I want to live a simpler life so this task MUST be tackled. I don't want to stress over paper...I want to instead enjoy spending time with my family. Too bad we no longer have a dog. The shredding process would go a lot faster!! :)

4. GOAL: Projects I've been anticipating for quite awhile. Not too long ago, I finally broke out my sewing machine and have some projects lined up waiting to be made. Haven't sewed since my high school years but I'm bound to learn and get back at it again. My list of projects include: finish family name sign, 2 hand bags (see picture), quilt & shams (see picture), napkins, pillows, place mats, and a baby quilt (see picture). I also have a few cross stitches that need to be completed and my long list of books to be read. I don't know if I'm going to get to all of my projects in 2008 but I sure am going to try!

{Pretty material scraps for a future project. A pillow maybe? Haven't really decided yet.}

{I made this wooden house late last year at a women's church activity but wanted to show you how cute it turned out. It also has a light attached to the back that lights up the windows and door when it's plugged in.}

5. GOAL: Remodel our home to prepare for a possible move in a year or four. LOL When we moved into our home, the backyard was without a fence. With the spring and summer coming soon, we'd like to have one up so the girls can play freely and we can have some privacy. And BBQ's hopefully! We also want to gut and redo the kitchen and bathrooms entirely, install hardwood throughout the main level, and redo the front door frame (dry rot) and install a new door with a peep hole preferably - note to my dear hubby! :) We know that the market is slow and unpredictable right now. But we hope these changes will add a lot of value and hopefully attract many potential buyers when the time is right. By then, the market should be better. (cross fingers!)

{Don't have any pictures of this goal yet, as it hasn't begun. Will post before and after photos for you to see when this process starts.}