What I accomplished in 2014 and December report of 2014 goals.

Well 2014 is a wrap....and I think it was a pretty good year!  Did I meet my goals?   Well....mixed success.   I know that keeping them in mind throughout the year, and making myself accountable to write the monthly reports helped me do better.  The one that I am the most disappointed in is the dang average steps being less than the previous year....and that damage was mostly done in the last month.   Oh well....

I have accomplished some things that I did not set out to to...and I wanted to report on those things too. :)

In 2014 I became a Grandmama:  "Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged."
Why am I taking credit for this?   For every gray hair on my head (covered with color thanks Clairol)  that was caused by the joys and worries of raising my own children....I think I deserve a little bit of credit :).   Regardless, he sure does make my life happy :).  

In 2014 I became more creative:    I helped renovate and decorate our master bathroom.  You can read about that here.  I helped renovate our kitchen.  You can see that here.  I created a room for my first grandchild here.  I crafted, I re-did furniture, I quilted, I crocheted.   My 50th year saw me exploring a side of myself I have NEVER before even considered.   I used to say "I am not creative."   I've learned that once you give yourself permission to fail and not stress out over it, you might just develop a skill and have fun doing it.   

In 2014 I think I worried less and trusted God for the outcome more:

I have always been a worrier.  To the extent that I could, I would try to control the outcomes of whatever came into my life....people, events...whatever.   Life beat me down, God built me back up, taught me some lessons, and is bringing good from it.  The lesson?   I am not in control.  I cannot control anyone except for myself, and I do a poor job of that sometimes.   God can give me peace and wisdom if I seek Him.  He is in control.  He cares more about the people whom I love than even I do and He is all about redeeming and restoring.   I just needed to remember to ask Him for living water and trust Him to "make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. Isaiah 41:18"
This is still something that I deal with every day.   Things aren't perfect, but I know where the Well is. :).   

As far as my original goals....

1. Read 100 Books in 2014  I have read 92 books this year so I am 8 short of goal.  Check them out on pinterest!  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/  2014 goal not met. 

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.  I played Words with Friends and Ruzzle and did some Duolingo Spanish.   I started an online Kahn Academy account to review Math.   2014 Goal met! 

Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.  I have gained 2.5 lbs in December.   I am down 34.5 lbs for 2014, and 63.5 lbs since September 2013. Goal met! 

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  In December I averaged 4003 steps/day and ended 2014 with 6700 steps/day.  2014 Goal not met.

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament  

    December: on track   2014 Goal met! 

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

   December:  on track  2014 Goal met!  

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.  I didn't do this in December        In addition to last years books(Genesis, James, Nehemiah, Proverbs, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Habakuk, Obadiah,  Titus, Jude,   Hosea, and 1 John), in 2014  I have written Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.  2014 Goal met.  

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.  

I was sick most of this month, so I am giving myself a break...and a pat on the back for not sharing my sickness.   2014 goal met.   

2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   
I hosted a Christmas celebration in m home. :).  2014 Goal met! 

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip.  

I decided to not go on the Israel trip a couple of months ago,  and so I used the money that have been saving for a car seat and stroller for the baby and a new vacuum cleaner.   I have about 76 dollars left in this fund.   2014 Goal not met.

 Bring On 2015!!!

November Update 2014 Goals

2014 has brought some changes in my priorities that weren't in my original goals for the year.  I just thought I would show you a major shift that has changed thebulk of where my time goes...and I am enjoying every minute of it!   I keep my grandson 4 days a week while my daughter works.   I love this time consuming little guy!

In spite of the shift, I know that my original goals are still important, and so I persevere and continue to keep myself accountable by reporting each month :). 

1. Read 100 Books in 2014  I have read 80 books so far this year   Check them out on pinterest!  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/ Can I read 20 books in December to meet this goal?  We shall see.  

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.  I continue to play Words With Friends. Come and play me (ksw1963).   I also play Ruzzle...but I have really slowed down with my response time as I care for Grandbaby.  I have also started doing an app called duolingo to learn Spanish.   

Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.  I have lost .5 lbs this month.   I am down 38.5 lbs for the year and 67.5 lbs since September 2013. Sloooooooooowww!  But a loss and I will take it!  

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  In November, I averaged 6753 steps/day. I have averaged  6946 steps for the year so far.  Still doing a little bit better than last year...hopefully I will finish strong here.

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament 
On track

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

On track  

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.  I have not done this in November so not making much progress on this goal    In September I started writing Micah, but I haven't gotten very far.     In addition to last years books(Genesis, James, Nehemiah, Proverbs, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Habakuk, Obadiah,  Titus, Jude,   Hosea, and 1 John), this year I have written Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.  

I continue with Mommy and Me Play Day at our church and meet with the ladies every Friday.   

2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   
I hosted Thanksgiving Dinner at my house and had family, friends, and strangers attend.  I also had a family from the church over for supper.   

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip.  

I decided to not go on the Israel trip a couple of months ago,  and so I used the money that have been saving for a car seat and stroller for the baby and a new vacuum cleaner.   I have about 76 dollars left in this fund.   

October Update of 2014 Resolutions

1. Read 100 Books in 2014  I have read 69 books so far this year   Check them out on pinterest!  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/ I am still behind on this goal.   

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.  I continue to play Words With Friends. Come and play me (ksw1963).   I also play Ruzzle. I had to replace my kindle, and my candy crush game got set back to 0 as a result :(.   Seriously not motivated to get into that again.  I have downloaded a new app to teach me Spanish...so I've been working on that a little bit.   

Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.  I have lost 0 lbs this month. :(.   That is the first time in a over a year that I haven't lost anything.   I am down 38 lbs for the year and 67 lbs since last September.  

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  In October, I averaged 5338 steps/day.  I am still not doing well here.     I have averaged  6965 steps for the year so far. Uh oh....getting too close to last years step count.  Must start walking more!  I am still technically meeting the goal.

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament  I am behind a couple of days.  I'm going to catch up today.   

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

On track  

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.  I have not done this in October.  In September I started writing Micah, but I haven't gotten very far.     In addition to last years books(Genesis, James, Nehemiah, Proverbs, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Habakuk, Obadiah,  Titus, Jude,   Hosea, and 1 John), this year I have written Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.  

I continue with Mommy and Me Play Day at our church and meet with the ladies every Friday.   

2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   

We had family in to stay for a few days...great time!  

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip.  

I decided to not go on the Israel trip last month and so I used the money that have been saving for a car seat and stroller for the baby and a new vacuum cleaner.   I have about 76 dollars left in this fund.   

September Update 2014 Resolutions

1. Read 100 Books in 2014  I have read 65 books so far this year   Check them out on pinterest!  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/ I am still behind on this goal.   

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.  I continue to play Words With Friends. Come and play me (ksw1963).   I also play Ruzze and Candy Crush.   I have been playing less and less.    

Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.  I have lost 4 lbs this month.   I am down 38 lbs for the year and 67 lbs since last September.  

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  In September, I averaged 5196 steps/day.  I am still not doing well here.     I have averaged  7146 steps for the year so far. I am still technically meeting the goal.

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament  I am on track.

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

On track  

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.  

   I started writing Micah, but I haven't gotten very far.     In addition to last years books(Genesis, James, Nehemiah, Proverbs, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Habakuk, Obadiah,  Titus, Jude,   Hosea, and 1 John), this year I have written Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.  

I started a Mommy and Me Play Day at our church and meet with the ladies every Friday.   

2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   

I invited one of the ladies from Church to come to our house and MIke and I took her out to dinner.   

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip.  

I have saved $601 (I spent $70 of it on something this month) but I have decided to cancel the trip for now .  Because of the current events with the recent war with Hamas and the trouble at the Golan Heights border, and also because of the trouble with ISIS, my husband and parents were very troubled by the thought of my going on the trip at this time.   Hopefully soon there will be peace, and I will get to reschedule.   

Not in my goals, but accomplishments none the less is I have been scrapbooking and organizing photos and learning to quilt. I helped make a quilt for the babies room, I made one for Christy, and one for her friend.     I finished decorating the babies room and I have become a grandmother!  

August update on 2014 Resolutions

1. Read 100 Books in 2014  I have read 57 books so far this year   Check them out on pinterest!  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/ I am really falling behind here.  

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.  I continue to play Words With Friends. Come and play me (ksw1963).   I also play Ruzze and Candy Crush.   I have been playing less and less.    

Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.  I have lost 1.5 lbs this month.   I am down 34 lbs for the year and 63 lbs since last September.  I wish this would come off faster.   

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  In July, I averaged 5049 steps/day.  That is many steps backward from last month.    I have averaged  7389 steps for the year so far.  I am going backward here.....but still technically meeting the goal.  

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament  I am on track.

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

I have done okay here....sometimes journal, sometimes don't.   I am praying.   

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.  

   I wrote 2 Thessalonians.      In addition to last years books(Genesis, James, Nehemiah, Proverbs, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Habakuk, Obadiah,  Titus, Jude,   Hosea, and 1 John), this year I have written Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.  

I didn't accomplish this in August.

2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   

I hosted the Women's Bible Study on Thursday night...but it is over now so need a new plan.    

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip.  So far I have saved $671 towards my plane ticket   I received the information for the trip in the mail and can register, but I am hesitant because of the fighting that has been going on over there.  My  husband and family is also nervous for me to go with the current state of things even though there is currently a cease fire with Hamas....still fighting going on in the Golan Heights Region....and then there is ISIS.   What to do?   We are waiting to October to see how things are playing out. 
Itinerary can be found here.  

July Update on 2014 Goals

What a tough month this has been!   For some reason I really struggled this month in every way to even "think" about my goals.   I was so reluctant to even gather the data to show up for my monthly report....but hiding never solved one thing or got anyone closer to anything....so here I am..a day late, but here to own it, and get back on the program....

First of all, here are some of the reasons I think I was struggling:
1.  Mike and I started talking about a possible move closer to the church. (Stress and Ick...I don't want to pack another box again...ever...but I want to be open to the Lord's calling...holding it all with open hands.   At this moment we have decided that it is not what we are being called to do.)
2.  I am getting creative again...focus is off of the day to day and on to planning for my first grand-baby.  I've been in full on DIY mode with shopping, pinterest-ing (yes...just made that a verb!),stripping and painting a crib and changing table,  and decorating a room, piecing a quilt, crocheting a blanket...Basically I have been playing before doing my chores.
3.  I did very well last month....so somehow for me it feels like I came to the "end" of something, and it was harder to know and proceed with "this is for a lifetime" mentality.

So....here is the outcome....  

1. Read 100 Books in 2014  I have read 48 books so far this year   Check them out on pinterest!  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/ I am really falling behind here.  

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.  I continue to play Words With Friends. Come and play me (ksw1963).   I finally made it off of level 86 on Candy Crush!!  I continue to play Ruzzle, although I play it super late and have been falling asleep in the middle of the two minute games :).   I haven't played the other games this month....I am a slacker :).   

Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.  I have lost 2.5 lbs this month and am down 32.5 pounds for the year and down 60.5 lbs since last September.  Progress....but so slow!  

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  In July, I averaged 7384 steps/day.  That is many steps backward from last month.    I have averaged 7724 steps for the year so far.  While I am technically meeting this goal...I really had two very bad weeks this month where I was not really even trying, and I have not continued to jog.

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament  I am on track...but played catch up many days.  I have been focused on my Beth Moore Study "Children of the Day" which has 5 days of homework.  I find it hard to do both some days.  

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

I have been pretty consistent with praying...but not journal writing.  I do write a lot in my Bible Study workbook...so some of this is getting done in a different method...not technically meeting the goal, but the "spirit" of it is being met. 

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.  

   I finished writing 1 Thessalonians in conjunction with a Bible Study I am doing. I am also continuing sporadically to memorize 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 and the first 10 verses of chapter 2.     In addition to last years books(Genesis, James, Nehemiah, Proverbs, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Habakuk, Obadiah,  Titus, Jude,   Hosea, and 1 John), this year I have written Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 1 Thessalonians. Since this goal is open ended, I am meeting it...but in reality I only wrote two chapters this month so it kind of feels like I didn't make much progress.

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.  

I met with several of the younger ladies in our church to decorate for the 30th Anniversary Banquet at our church and we had some "get to know you better time."  It was fun.   

2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   

I am hosting a women's Bible Study in my home every Thursday night.   I've had some family in at various times this month...but not much other entertainment. 

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip.  So far I have saved $631 towards my plane ticket which means I only saved a whopping $20 toward the ticket this month. I used the money I would have saved to purchase some things for the expected grandbaby.   I haven't really been "training" for the rugged terrain this month at all. With all of the upheaval over there, I am starting to wonder if it is going to happen.  I also haven't heard anything at all from the organization that we are planning to go with and they have already cancelled their Fall trip.  I haven't done any research yet into another possible group if that one falls through. I haven't given up though.  It will happen sometime...even if it isn't in March.  Maybe the Lord will come back before then and we will be celebrating in the Kingdom!  One way or another, I am going soon!      Tentative dates for the trip are March 16-28 2015. Tentative itinerary can be found here.  I am a little behind on this goal.

So....guess this report isn't all that bad.   Even if I didn't go gang busters, I did make some progress...more than I had expected when I started this blog!  I also accomplished an awful lot that is not on my goal list, so the month wasn't a bomb.   It is a new month so I always have a new chance to do better.   Onward!

June Report (And Half Way Report)

We have reached the half way mark in the year, so it is a great time to take stock in what we have accomplished so far.   In addition to the goals I made, I'm feeling pretty good about some other things that have been accomplished this year.   I have been more creative than ever in my life.   Mike and I have renovated our bathroom and kitchen and redecorated several other rooms.  I have become quite crafty at the age of 50 :). One of my secret joys is that some of my stuff has been re-pinned on pinterest.  I didn't make any goals on that...but just had to brag a little bit :).  

Wisdom:  
1. Read 100 Books in 2014  I have read 42 books so far this year   Check them out on pinterest!  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/ I am at the 6 month mark for the year, so I should be at 50 books by this time so I am a little behind schedule.   

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.  I continue to play Words With Friends.  Thanks for those who responded and started a game with me!   If anyone else wants to play I am ksw1963.  I am still stuck on level 86 on Candy Crush, but I am not playing that as often.   I still play 7 Little Words. My sister turned me on to a new word game called Ruzzle (like Boggle) which is a lot of fun even though I am not very good at it.  Something about putting me on a timer makes my brain stop working.   If you want to play me in that I am ksw1963 in that one too.  6 months in...still fun...still playing...still thinking...Success :)!  

 
Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.  I have lost 5 lbs this month and am down 29 pounds for the year and down 58 lbs since last September.  6 months into this year and I am pretty happy with that.     

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  In June, I averaged 10,618 steps/day.   I have averaged 7780 steps for the year so far.  Another accomplishment for this month is that some of those steps are jogging steps. Yesterday I jogged for 20 minutes straight on the treadmill.   6 months in and I am meeting my goal of beating last years averages. 

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament  I am on track and being much more consistent this month with doing it daily.   6 months in..on track and successful.

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

I have been pretty consistent with praying and writing in my journal this month.   6 months in and I am more consistent than ever with this, but still not writing in the journal every day.   I am intentionally praying for people in my life...so I'm going to call it success.    

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.  

   I am working on writing 1 Thessalonians in conjunction with a Bible Study I am doing, but I am not done with it yet. I have also memorized 1 Thessalonians chapter 1.    In addition to last years books(Genesis, James, Nehemiah, Proverbs, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, Habakuk, Obadiah,  Titus, Jude,   Hosea, and 1 John), this year I have written Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and 3 chapters of 1 Thessalonians.  6 months in and I am making progress...so success!  

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.  

I asked someone, but we weren't able to make it work.   I did have lunch with other friends.  I am wishing that I hadn't specified (from the church) because I am making progress in this with other ladies....and in a non-lunch format I have been developing relationships with the ladies at church.  So in the spirit of it, I am having success.   :).
2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   

I started a ladies Bible Study in my home on Thursday nights.  The first night I cooked dinner for them.  I also had a girlfriend from the church over on another day.  My in-laws came for a visit and my daughter's boyfriend and Dad came over to meet them and my parents.  Lots of entertainment this month.   6 months in, and I'm feeling pretty good about this goal.  

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip.  So far I have saved $611 towards my plane ticket which is a little short of the $690 goal for this point in the year. I called and got myself on the mailing list for information about the trip; however, I guess they are still in the decision making process, because I haven't gotten any information.  They cancelled their Fall trip, so I probably should be looking at alternatives just in case.  I am picking up my walking/running so that I won't have trouble keeping up with a group in the rugged terrain of Israel.  Tentative dates for the trip are March 16-28 2015. Tentative itinerary can be found here.  I am a little behind on this goal.  

I'm feeling pretty good about heading into this second half of the year.  It is tempting to change the goals or make them harder, but I am just going to stay the course because it seems to be working for me.  I just want to keep forward momentum, and not lose ground.  

April Report on New Year's Resolution

2014 Resolutions:  Be more like Jesus!

“And Jesus grew in wisdom, and stature and in favor with God and man.”  Luke 2:52

April:  The big focus this month was on the kitchen renovation, which derailed me on some of my goals.   Truthfully, I was totally focused on the DIY projects, and not focused at all on my resolutions...so I have not done the greatest.  Details follow.

Wisdom:

1. Read 100 Books in 2014 

I am up to 23 books...so I have fallen a little behind schedule.  I need to step it up and stop renovating my house for a while :).    Check them out on my Pinterest board.  http://www.pinterest.com/kathywood1/read-100-books-in-2014/  

2. Brain Training Games on Kindle J.  Hey! Goals can be fun J.

April:  I have played some words with friends (KSW1963) and a few games of candy crush and 7 little words...but haven't focused too much on this in April.  

Stature: 

1. Lose any amount of weight.

April:  I am down 20 pounds for the year.   

2.  Beat my 2013 step average/day (6828 steps/day)  

I walked an average of 8212 steps/day in April.

Spiritual: 

1. Read through the New Testament

April:  I am on track (but I had to do some major catching up in the last few days.)

2. Come up with a system to pray intentionally for people (prayer journal) and then do it.

April:  I didn't do so well on this this month.  I got sidetracked by the kitchen renovation.

3.  Continue to make progress on writing the scripture in my own hand.

April:  I didn't write any scripture this month.  This makes 2 months in a row.  

Social:

1.  Make lunch dates 1/month with one of the ladies from the church with the intent of building a relationship.

 

I did not do this in April.  I didn't even think about it since my kitchen was crazy.

2. Entertain in my own home 1/month.   

April:  I did have a couple of ladies over to see my kitchen. 

Dream:

1.  Save money for a trip to Israel.  Research and plan the trip. 

April:  I have saved $340 for my plane fare to Israel. I am behind on my savings now because I didn't really save any money toward it this month.     Tentative dates for the trip are March 16-28 2015. Tentative itinerary can be found here.