November! Where has the year gone? It’s been a whirlwind of moving.. cleaning.. and moving.
1) Post 1 book review a month on my YA blog.
I have posted 12 reviews. Not one per month, but I definitely have stepped up my pace of posting… so we will average out to one per month!
https://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/
2) Renovate the Master Bedroom & Bathroom.
This is happening!!!!
Walls are being torn out and ground has been broken!
17 years after we first said this needed to be done, it is finally going to be done!
3) Find good homes for the books
They have all been homed outside of my house.
4) Go explore 2 new to me places
1) Oregon - for a little adventure!
2) Turkey Run Park in Virginia. It's on the way home from my Mom's house. Beautiful park on the banks of the Potomac River!
3) Dallas, Texas. I went for a funeral, but stayed an extra day to explore.
5) 40 Bags in 40 Days Lenten Challenge
These were kitchen size garbage bags full of stuff, along with several BIG boxes. I've since gotten rid of much, much more. But the Lenten Challenge was a HUGE success!
If you saw last weeks post, you know that we got rid of 100 boxes of shredding. JUST shredding. We cleaned out a LOT of stuff.
6) Get together with 1 friend each month
I don't think I should have to write this down, but you know, it's been a weird couple of years. I want to make seeing people we love a priority. Doing this after 2 years of COVID Restrictions is going to make this an extra special challenge.
January - Jim & Kathy! We had a fire outside in the fire pit and got to catch up over a couple of hours!
February - Joe, James, Dan
March - Crissy, Gloria
April - This was the month we had Covid, so we saw nobody and went nowhere.
May - Vince & Suzanne, Judy
June - Sharon
July - Crissy and her Mom
August - Esther and Tim
September - All of my cousins.
October - Andrew & Cheryl
The Mission Trail in San Antonio!
OK, so that was back in January. I need to get another stamp.
8) Landscape Front Yard
This has been on the list for several years now. I really want to get this checked off this year!
I don't think this will happen this year. With the renovations going on in the house, I want to wait until they are finished before I begin working on the yard. I don't want the contractors tearing up the new landscaping.
9) Clean out the Garage
If you've read the blog for any length of time, you know that we bought this house 17 years ago from my in-laws. And you also know that they were borderline hoarders. We've made progress in the house, and while there is still clutter in the basement, I believe that we will have the last of it out by the end of this year. (See the 40 bags in 40 days challenge.) There is no longer any junk in our basement! 17 years later and we have finally cleaned out the house. Finally.
But the garage is another story. 17 years, and we have not yet been able to park our cars in the garage because of the amount of stuff. Our goal is to be able to park a car in the garage by the end of the year. when we move back into the house next year.
One major advantage of having hired a trash hauler to finish cleaning out the house is that we now have the name of someone who is willing to come and clean out the garage next year.
10) Get the kayak out in the water once each month during May, June, July, August, September, and October.
Seriously, we have a kayak. Why aren't we getting out in the water with the kayak more often? What is our excuse? The kids have moved out. We don't have to worry about finding a sitter or getting an extra kayak for them.
We didn't get it out at all. Something about clearing out tons and tons of stuff out of the house.
11) Get my Bike fixed and get out for some bike rides.
I bought my bike over 30 years ago. I rode it a lot before the kids got busy in high school. Now that everyone is out of the house, it is time to pull out some of the things I really used to love. The top of that list is riding my bike. In order to do that, I need to get the bike fixed. The tires are dry rotted, and I'm sure it's got a host of other issues going on.
Maybe now that the house is finally cleaned out, I can dig the bike out of the garage and get it fixed up!
12) Visit My Cousins in Texas (a trip postponed from 2020)
Done! We made it down over a long weekend in January! It was so good to see my cousins and my aunts and uncles! I even posted a few pictures from the River Walk in San Antonio. It's been 10 years since I last got down here. I can't wait another 10 years to get back. Family is too important. And time is fleeting.
Breckinridge Park! We met up with my cousins at the same outdoor pavilion where I had my 5th birthday party! That pavilion is just off to the right from this picture.
Second Trip to Texas in September for a family funeral. I got to spend time with cousins from as far away as Japan. We really need to find a way to get together that does not involve funerals. I think this will be one of my goals for next year.
Other Goals:
I’ve got a couple of other goals I would like to accomplish this year, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to get to them. If I do, I’ll be thrilled beyond words. If not? I’ll add them to the list of things I want to get to in 2023.
Goal #1
Get out to Kansas to visit Middle Child.
Done! We went out earlier this year.