One Month In // 2016 Goal Progress

Hi Guys, can you believe that it's already February?!?!

I feel like January just FLEW! I'm feeling pretty inspired by bloggers like Shea, Kristen, and Lisa who share monthly recaps of how their goals went, and what they hope to do in the coming month, and even fun challenges for the month ahead. I think it would be a really good way to focus on my yearly goals throughout the year, and keep track of how I'm doing from month to month! I kind of do it on my own, but I think there is value in sharing it publicly! :) So, here we go!

January Goal Recaps:

1) Check! - Finish the First (Full) Wedding

The beautiful winter, art deco wedding paper was finished up in plenty of time for their ceremony late in January. The pictures I have seen are lovely, and I am so happy that I got to be a part of it! Congratulations Holly & Rhett! :) Follow my stationery stuff, here.

2) Check! Read as Much as Possible

Um... you guys are probably so tired of reading about what I read in January. So we'll just leave it at "passed with 13 books read".

3) Book April Travel - SO CLOSE

KC did this on Feb. 2nd. It was dependent upon some work stuff, so it just wasn't possible in January. San Francisco here we come!! :)

4) Check! Buy New Bras

Did you know that the average bra lasts 6-9 months?! With as expensive as a good bra can be... (or if you're me... any bra in my sizes... can be) it's pretty depressing. I've read the best way to make your bras last longer, is to have a stock of them and rotate them. I've seen recommendations of 10ish bras (sobs) to have on hand, and then you just put the one you wore on the bottom of the pile each day so they get equal amounts of wear. With the brands I have to buy... each bra is $60+ so I'm sure you can imagine that buying $600+ worth of bras at one time is just not feasible! So, I've made it a goal to buy a few each month, hoping that they will still last a little bit longer. Also, hand wash only my friends. Just do it.

5) Check! Get Into A Groove With My New Planner

I broke down and bought the ECLP in December. It was kind of my Christmas present to myself. I got all sorts of crazy cyber Monday deals, and freebies too which is kind of cool. All in all, I like the way the planner functions, but I'm pretty bummed that it's already wearing down quality-wise after just one month of use. I'll probably do a more detailed post on this later.... but so far, I like the layout, not impressed with the quality of the one I got. More on this later.

6) Check! Plan one Date with KC

We had brunch at the new(ish) waffle place in town (NOM!), and then went to see The Moscow Festival Ballet's performance of The Sleeping Beauty. It is definitely my favorite of the Disney fairy tales, and I LOVE the nutcracker and Tchaikovsky in general, so I really wanted to see the ballet. It was so so so good, and I'm really glad that we went!

7) Check! Send Dad A Birthday Gift

My dad's birthday is in January, and we usually have his Christmas scotch be a combo gift... but I did want to send something in the mail, since this is our first year not getting to see him. :( We sent him a copy of Chef on DVD, and he said he liked it. I really like that movie, and the main character in some ways reminds me a lot of him. :)

8) Check! Cook Five New Recipes

One thing KC and I have a hard time doing is having time to cook. Sometimes we do OK, but we usually run out of time or energy to carry out our menu plans. This year I made it a goal to try 50 new recipes, so I'm thinking about 5 a month ought to work well! In January we tried: Pioneer Woman's Minestrone, her tomato soup with Parmesan croutons, Katie Brown's Dijon Chicken, a mixed berry pie for National Pie Day, Pioneer Woman's Meatballs, Cranberry Chipotle BBQ chicken, and Chicken and Dumplings. That's 7 total, and most of these were really good! Maybe I'll post more about them later for you guys who like to cook! :)

9) Listen to New Celtic Woman Album

I love Celtic Woman, I got the new album, but I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet! Hopefully soon!

10) Check! Clean Makeup Brushes

Easy peasy, I used Ursula's simple eco cleaner recipe, here. This was much needed you guys... ew.

11) Clean the Car

Whomp Whomp. Maybe this weekend....

12) Check! Try My Wacom Tablet

I got a Wacom tablet from my inlaws for Christmas, and I finally got a chance to install it and test it out a little. It seems like it has some really neat features... but I am going to need a LOT of practice! hehe Glad I got a chance to start testing it out!

Completed: 9/12
After the fact: 1 more 
Total: 10/12 - not bad!

Goals for February:

1) Try 5 New Recipes 
2) Read 5 Books
3) Plan a Pre-San Francisco Trip
4) Get Valentine's & Birthday Ideas for KC
5) Send A Secret Project to My Family in AZ - I promise to share later!
6) Buy More Bras
7) Send Mom's Birthday Gift
8) Get Supplies for the Modern Calligraphy Summit
9) Plan 1 Date with KC
10) Clean the Coat Closet
11) Get an Oil Diffuser
12) De-Clutter! - Lisa is doing a de-cluttering challenge in February... and I'm joining in! We have a small apartment (we've had smaller!) and it's FULL of stuff, I really want to keep downsizing what we own! We did a good job of this in the last half of 2015... but there's still room for improvement! :)
13) Do Yoga/Dance/Work Out 10 SOLID Times

Just for Fun.... KC can almost do a whole man bun. You're welcome. ;)

I hope you guys enjoyed some of my New Year posts, I'm hoping to do more throughout the year, because it's really something to focus on year-round, achieving our goals!

Linking up with Kristen and Gretch for, What's New With You?

In case you missed them: 12 Ways to Travel More in the New Year, & 12 Things You Can Do to Start The New Year Organized. (aka: 12 things you can do to start any month organized! )

What have y'all been up to? How are your goals going for the year? Have any of them changed yet?

What keeps you motivated to carry out your goals?!

XO,

Alexandra