Two weeks before Christmas our son-in-law asked if we would be available in January to watch their three children, while he and our daughter went out of town to the coast. “Of course we will,” I said, “they are our grandkids.” And with that, we began planning on enjoying a grandkids weekend in the near future.
From January 23 through the 25th they stayed at our house while their parents went away for some time of relaxing, fresh air, and being alone. When the three grandkids arrived on Saturday morning they practically ran into the house. No need to say goodbye to mom and dad. They love coming to our house. It may have something to do with how we spoil them.
December closes out 2020. But despite it all, I did make a little progress.
COMPLETED: We did it! We made it back from our trip on October 6. So I can now mark off Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri off my map. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
COMPLETED: I have completed 43 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year. I finally finished the long one I was reading, but that is it. This goal will have to increase next year, or I will have to read longer books. Read 30 books.
COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist gave me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself. This was probably my most important goal since it has given me the freedom that has brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
COMPLETED: I had my BAHA (bone attached hearing aid) surgery on July 22. On August 20 I received the outside portion of my implant. It was with great joy that I realized I could hear my husband speaking to me on the way home from that appointment. I’m still getting used to this, but as time goes on I think I will adapt to it a bit better. I didn’t regain any hearing in my ear, but I have the ability to feel like I am hearing in my left ear. All options have been pursued. To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery.
FAILED: We got it quite close, but not complete. I could blame this on my mom dying and me losing a lot of my free time, but I had a whole year and I have to accept that we didn’t complete it. We put the grass in the front yard. Sprinklers are in. Some of the plants are in. Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
COMPLETED: Unfortunately, this has been completed. Since my mom died, I ended up with her car, a newer version of mine. My husband organized things so that I can park it in the garage. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
FAILED: The weight roller coaster continues. Honestly, if it were a roller coaster it would be bigger changes. Sadly I have been eating too much. Stress never helps. I am now up 3.5 pounds for the year. Honestly, I was not determined enough to succeed. Lose 10 lbs.
COMPLETED: It feels great to no longer have any house or car payments. Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
COMPLETED/SORT OF: I have finished one baby quilt completely. I have two others at the quilters to have them quilted. I will receive them back in late January. At that time I will need to trim them and add the binding. So honestly, they are not complete. However, I did make two baby blankets that were super simple to make. So overall I think I’ve done enough work, but I should have started this earlier. Begin and finish three baby quilts.
FAILED: I was not very committed to this. In emptying out my mom’s house I found a Bible that my mother’s parents and siblings gave to my great grandmother and a bound book of the family ancestor on mom’s mom’s side. She had told me she had it, but she was unable to find it. I am now in contact with another cousin. We are trying to figure out her upline of relatives. She is adopted and knows her birth father’s name and thanks to 23andMe her great great grandfather, who was my great-grandfather’s brother. I love trying to solve a mystery. This can be so exciting. I have been in contact with a second cousin. This is one of my last things on my mind, hence it is not going quickly. I have started typing up my history on one side. Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.
December was somewhat productive, but I am ending up with 3 fails. I don’t think I was really committed to the goals that I failed this year. If you have goals set, don’t give up on yourself either. We have the time to do it if we put in the effort. Commitment is so important when you are trying to accomplish anything.
So let me know how 2020 went as far as accomplishing your goals. Have you set up goals for 2021? You can do it! Please comment below on how your 2020 went.
Remember Mary Poppins singing These are a Few of “My Favorite Things.” Her favorite things included things like raindrops on roses, bright copper kettles, snowflakes on noses, sleigh bells, and warm woolen mittens. Most of these things are sensory. They make a person happy and bring a smile to your face. They are nice things, but a little different from my list of favorite things.
We could make so many lists of things. How about things we cannot live without? My list of the actual things I can’t live without would include clean water, air to breathe, food, clothing, a safe place to live, etc. But those items are pretty much the same for everyone. That is except for people that are living in poverty and do not have access to shoes or clean water or enough food to eat. In a comparison of my life to someone living in poverty, pretty much everything I say I can’t live without is not even on their list of minimum things they would like to have. I am very aware of this and in no way is this meant to make light of them or their situation.
Unlike Mary Poppin’s list of favorite things, my list may not matter to you, but they do to me. Actually, if I had to live without most of these items, I could. But, to maintain happiness, I would have a hard time living without them. I admit they aren’t in order of importance. The ninth item is actually the most important to me. And I will admit it would be extremely hard to live without that one.
September seems like it was a short month, with grandkids visiting, doctor appointments (6 plus one for my mom), smoky skies, and high temperatures, and being out of town five days. Even though I made some progress I am looking forward to October. And I hope it doesn’t disappoint. At least the weather should be better and the skies clearer. And maybe no doctor appointments. I guess October 31 will be the day I’ll know.
COMPLETED: We did it! We made it back from our trip yesterday. So I can now mark off Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri off my map. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
COMPLETED: I have completed 37 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year. This goal will have to increase next year, or I will have to read fatter books. Read 30 books.
COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist gave me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself. This was probably my most important goal since it has given me the freedom that has brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
COMPLETED: I had my BAHA (bone attached hearing aid) surgery on July 22. On August 20 I received the outside portion of my implant. It was with great joy that I realized I could hear my husband speaking to me on the way home from that appointment. I’m still getting used to this, but as time goes on I think I will adapt to it a bit better. I didn’t regain any hearing in my ear, but I have the ability to feel like I am hearing in my left ear. All options have been pursued. To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery.
PROGRESS: We put the grass in the front yard. Sprinklers are in. I’m waiting for the heat to settle down to work in the yard again. We have looked for bushes a few times but haven’t found the ones we want yet. October is the month. I can just feel it. 🙂Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
PROGRESS: My husband had made a little progress on this. None since then. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
PROGRESS: The weight roller coaster continues. Honestly, if it was a roller coaster it would be bigger changes. I was out of town at the end of the month, with no scale available. I’m roughly down 2.5 pounds. I finally hit 500 miles walked in September. Since my goal has been 1000 miles a year for several years, and I’ve usually come close, this year, with three months left isn’t going to happen. If it did, I’d come closer to my 10 pounds lost. Lose 10 lbs.
COMPLETED: It feels great to no longer have any house or car payments. Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
PROGRESS: I have finished one baby quilt. I went fabric shopping before our governor wanted us to always wear masks, so oops, that was more enjoyable than it could have been. I have purchased more fabric, which does not get a quilt completed on its own. Begin and finish three baby quilts.
PROGRESS: I have been in contact with a second cousin. This is one of my last things on my mind, hence it is not going quickly. I have started typing up my history on one side. Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.
September was a big month, in that we visited three states, which results in completing another goal. I think October will be very productive. I’m not giving up yet. If you have goals set, don’t give up on yourself either. We have the time to do it if we put in the effort. Three more months to go!
PROGRESS: This is subject to the Coronavirus. I have visited AAA, of which I am a member, to pick up maps to assist me in making my plans. At this time the states I hope to be visiting are Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. Plans are finalized, except for making hotel reservations. The flight is booked. The nights we are staying in our timeshare are booked. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
COMPLETED: I have completed 31 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year.
COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist had given me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself. This was probably my most important goal since it has given me the freedom that has really brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
PROGRESS: I was scheduled to have my surgery on July 22. It was so much nicer than the first surgery. Easy recovery. I still have my glued stitches that itch, but I’m supposed to leave them alone. On August 20 I will receive the outside portion of my implant. Then I will learn how to use it and see how successful it was. To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery.
PROGRESS: We put the grass in the front yard. Sprinklers are in. The planters are in process, but not quite done. We have harvested a lot of things and even have hope we might get a few watermelons out there. We ate our first watermelon. It was ok, not spectacular – 27 lbs. Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
PROGRESS: My husband had made a little progress on this. None since then. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
PROGRESS: I have lost four pounds in May. This would be exciting, but I haven’t been feeling 100%, eating less, so I hope that I can maintain it. As suspected, I didn’t maintain that in June. Only down two pounds. Maintained that two pounds in July. Lose 10 lbs.
COMPLETED: It feels great to no longer have any house or car payments. Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
PROGRESS: I have finished one baby quilt. I went fabric shopping before our governor wanted us to always wear masks, so oops, that was more enjoyable than it could have been. Begin and finish three baby quilts.
PROGRESS: I have been in contact with a second cousin. This is really one of my last things on my mind, hence it is not going quickly. I have started typing up my history on one side. Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.
July was productive. Finishing the one quilt has gotten me more excited about the others. I have exceeded my goal of reading books. Maintained my weight, but didn’t lose anything. I’m not giving up yet. If you have goals set, don’t give up on yourself either. We have the time to do it if we put in the effort.
PROGRESS: I have visited AAA, of which I am a member, to pick up maps to assist me in making my plans. At this time the states I hope to be visiting are Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. I still have more work to go. Visit 3 states I haven’t been to before. I desire to visit every state in the United States in my lifetime.
PROGRESS: I have completed 10 books toward the 30 I plan to read this year.
COMPLETED: I am continuing physical therapy. However, my physical therapist had given me permission to attempt driving. So on February 19 my husband road along as I drove. We went on the freeway very briefly, mainly driving in town. Since then I have driven several times by myself This was probably my most important goal since it has given me freedom that has really brightened up my days. Drive by myself.
To have the hearing in my left ear improved to 30% or all options pursued. Another result of my brain tumor surgery.
Have our front and back yard landscaping completed so we can enjoy them.
PROGRESS: My husband has made a little progress on this. Clean up/organize our garage so I can park in the garage.
I hate to admit that I’m not making progress on this one. Lose 10 lbs.
COMPLETED: Pay off all debt. This was on my list for last year and I came close, but not quite.
Begin and finish three baby quilts.
Ancestry: Tie at least 10 more people that are my second or third cousins to my family tree.
