April & May Goals Recap

Roses in our backyard

I decided to extend my April goals into May because they were things that I still wanted to be working on!  So here's a recap of my goals and some pictures of life the past couple months in an effort to keep #2:

Strawberry picking in April

1. Enjoy the process:  this was the biggest goal I had for April & May, mostly because we bought a house!  I have really wanted to enjoy all of it - wrapping up the details before closing, packing up, moving, unpacking, and settling in.  It has definitely been a HUGE job, but I think I have enjoyed it for the most part!  We've officially owned our house for a month, but it feels like so much longer because every day has been SO busy.  This week has been the first week that we've been able to come home from work and just be.  We've been grilling out and eating outside and it has been so wonderful.

2. Take more pictures along the way:  I have been doing this, but I think I could do better...  I've been trying to do more weekend recaps (here, here, here, & here), even if we don't do anything super notable.  I want to remember the little things along the way; I started blogging so I could keep a fun record of our life so I need to make sure I stay on top of this!  I also took a picture of every room in our house before we moved in, so that I'll have pictures of each step along the way as we paint and decorate :)

Visiting Baby Mason in the hospital!  He was born April 13

3. Make time for more fun projects:  this has definitely been the most challenging to accomplish.  For so many weeks the goal was to unpack things so we could actually move around in our house, so fun projects got pushed to the side.  I have done some cooking for fun though - which is much more enjoyable in my new kitchen!  My favorites have been freckled lemonade & strawberry ice cream.  I also made a bourbon banana bread pudding (similar recipe here). Sounds delicious, right?  It did actually taste good, but I found out I don't like bread pudding because I just can't handle the mushy consistency (blech).

Our final walk-through the day before we bought the house!

So I'm going to keep plugging along with trying to enjoy the process (and taking pictures along the way) - even if it means enjoying stripping wallpaper and painting every day for a week straight - because this is life and it's full and I'm so thankful to be doing it all with Caleb!

April: Lighten Up

via

So here it is a third of the way through April and I'm just now getting around to posting my goals!  And that's okay because this month's chapter in The Happiness Project is about lightening up!  Gretchen Rubin really focused on parenthood and trying to keep a light and happy household. Obviously there are no little ones running around this house, so my goals are more about slowing down and loving right now.

1. Enjoy the process.  I am so goal-oriented that I find myself wanting to hurry through tasks so I can check things off my never-ending to-do list.  This means that I rarely actually enjoy what I'm doing!  Pathetic, I know.  Two things that come to mind right away are cooking and shopping.  I want to take my time and just cook or bake some things for fun!  And I'm really terrible at enjoying shopping.  I walk in a store, take about 30 seconds to sweep a glance over all the racks, and if nothing catches my eye I leave.  I want to take my time and really look through things, even if it means I look through a bunch of stuff and don't end up getting anything.

2. Take more pictures along the way.  This kind of goes along with #1.  Stopping and taking pictures will force me to slow down, soak in the moment, and enjoy whatever I'm doing, instead of just rushing through it.  Plus having more pictures of the little moments along the way will make me happier in the long run :)

3. Make time for more fun projects.  I haven't been making time for creative and fun projects lately, because I'm trying to do too many other things that I think are more "important".  Example: last night when I got home from work I really wanted to do this craft I've been waiting to do all week.  Instead I felt like I should fold the four loads of clean laundry first.  And then make dinner.  And run some errands.  And then I never got around to it!  I don't want to totally neglect our house and my responsibilities, but I think I need to let some things go and make time for fun projects, too.

Have you made any new goals lately?  Are you good at slowing down and enjoying the moment?

P.S. You can see the rest of my posts on The Happiness Project here!