We're here! The third and final goals installment. This one is a new topic for me: Streaming. As some of you know, I started streaming on Twitch in September. I would love to bring more people in and to build a community of amazing people. It's not really about making money there, though that is possible. It's more about the community. 

Welcome back to the 2025 goals list: Editing edition! This is going to be a shorter list but no less important. I love my work as an editor and I have no intention of stopping any time soon. A lot of this is all about education...and education will lead to advancement!

If you read my post yesterday, you may have noticed that I said I had things that I want to share with you. Well, welcome to day 1 of those things! As 2024 winds down, a lot of us are turning our attention to the new year. I don't really do resolutions, but I do like to have a plan and a theme. The theme for 2025 is going to be ....

Today's question is perfect for this time of year when so many are thinking about the upcoming year and making plans.

Write about three realistic goals you would like to achieve in your lifetime.

1. Publish my stories - This seems kind of duh, huh? Except up until now, I've only been published alongside Nick. Don't get me wrong. I love working with Nick and would forever except he's pushed me out of the nest. He knows me well. If I continue working and writing with him, I'll never tell my own stories and he doesn't want me to miss out on that. He's a good friend. So, my goal is to write and publish my own stories and books. I'd love to sell them too, but right now, it's all about the act of being brave enough to publish.

2. Build up my editing business - I love working with other authors, helping them to build up their writing. While I love writing, I don't want to give up editing and proofreading. I have a goal of making enough money between the two to be able to successfully live without any kind of assistance. It's going to be a lot of work, but I love what I do and I'm okay with work.

3. Own my own house - This last one may be the biggest and hardest challenge, but it would be the ultimate sign of success if I could buy my own house. I like knowing that a space is my own. It gives me the security that I need. Right now, I'm renting a house that needs a crazy amount of work. I'm taking every penny that comes in to pay off old bills and to live. It's my hope that between the first two goals, that I can make enough money to start putting funds aside to save up for a down payment.

These are my goals, what about you? What are your three goals?






If you like what you've read here, please share it with others using these buttons:

So many of my friends are posting about how this is the last work day of 2017 for them. I love how some of them are posting how they're going to kick butt today and make it a great day at the office. For some, it isn't the last work day of the year but for all of us, it's the end of the year winding down in a hurry. As I look towards 2018, I wanted to take a few minutes and write down some goals for the coming year. I don't really do resolutions but 2017 was such a big year for us that I want to carry that momentum into the new year.

I have different goals for different areas of my world, so let's get started with a breakdown:

House:
1. Complete the downsizing and organizing of the downstairs.
2. Complete the downsizing and organizing of the landing.
3. Complete the downsizing, cleaning, and organizing of my bedroom.

Outside:
1. Clean and organize the barn.
2. Tidy up back deck.
3. Start preparing things for moving (packing up pots, etc)

Family:
1. Attend more things as a family.
2. Work towards both boys graduations.
3. Spend one on one time with both boys.

Writing:
1. Complete 2 full novels.
2. Set up a mailing list and have 1,000 subscribers.
3. Spend 1-2 hours each week learning things to help improve as an indie writer.

Personal:
1. Post on Welcoming Weight Loss at least 2x per month.
2. Work on plans for the "big move".
3. Be brave - this one isn't measurable but I know that there will be bad brain days and this goal is more about survival than about improvement.

So, there we go. I think all of these are attainable. I just need to find the focus that sometimes alludes me. I look at that writing goal list and I realize that I have a goal that I'm afraid to post. That tells me that it's a goal that's important to me and that's a good reason to get it added to the list. So...not so top secret writing goal #4: Make enough money from writing to replace the small amount of child support that I receive each month because it's going to be going away.

If you want to make your own goal list but don't know where to start, I want to recommend this great podcast/blog post done by Russell Nohelty. He doesn't know it, but he's kind of my hero when it comes to these things. Make sure you check out his site and his books.

Time for me to get to work!



If you like what you've read here, please share it with others using these buttons:

Three posts in one week! We're all going to get spoiled if I keep this up! It's been a while since I posted here about the house and what it's been like so I decided that it might be time to give y'all a bit of an update.

I'm not going to lie. I haven't done much over the past couple of weeks. I had hopes of a massive kitchen clean up over the boys' spring break, but life just plain got in the way. Their grandparents were in town (at their dad's house) and then I went out of town for the convention at the end of that week. In the middle, it was just plain busy. Then, when I got back from the convention, I had a bit of an emotional crash that took a bit to recover from.

That all sounds super negative, doesn't it? I promise that I'm not writing this post to bring you all down because absolutely nothing got done. Things have, just slower than I had hoped. Ben went into the kitchen one day and just did 5 minutes of tidying up. Both boys made a conscious effort to make sure that trash went into the trash and that things got put away. I've been incredibly proud of them for how they've jumped on board and are working with me to keep things going.

As for me? Well, I have a tiny bit of news. Tomorrow we have a plumber coming to look at the kitchen drain. It hasn't drained properly at all for over 2 years and not at all for the past 6 months or so. Some of you may recall that I was doing dishes in my bathtub. Then, the hot water stopped working a few months ago. I've been snagging showers at the community center and we've gone to all paper products for eating. It's also meant that I haven't been able to properly cook because I couldn't do dishes afterwards. It's been rough on all of us, but there hasn't been anything that we could really do about it due to finances and the state that the house was in.

Well, two days ago, Justin called and found a plumber who could come out to the house tomorrow. For me, that meant that the living room, kitchen, and laundry room had to be in good enough states
that the plumber could come in and access anything that he needed to and that I wouldn't have a complete meltdown over having him in the house. I'll admit it. I looked around and had a minor panic attack. Everywhere I looked, I saw something that needed to be done. The living room needed cleaning, the laundry room needed to be swept and to have the litter boxes changed and on and on and on the list went in my head.

But, guess what! It's just before 2pm the day before the plumber will be here (between 8 and 10am) and I'm relaxed on my couch, a candle lit, and Deadliest Catch running off the dvr. Why? Because I walked into the kitchen and in 5 minutes had the left side sink cleared and the new bookshelf box moved out of the way. I walked into the living room and in 20 minutes had everything tidied up and the floor swept. I walked into the laundry room and in 15 minutes or so had the floor swept, the litter boxes changed, and any/all litter mess cleaned up. I even cracked open the window in there and lit a candle to help with that icky cat litter smell that happens sometimes.

Did you do the math? In less than an hour, I had those three rooms at a level that I don't care if he walks into them. Sure, the dining alcove is still a disaster and we haven't touched the office/studio.
Oh well. I will. This is a journey..and each and every step counts. Each and every step is a step towards reclaiming this house, reclaiming my life and making a better world for myself and my boys. The best part? I've proven to myself that the work I started 4 months ago has been mostly maintained. I didn't backslide to a point where I wasn't 15-20 minutes from clean.

Earlier today I told a friend that I was ashamed to say that I hadn't been properly cooking for my family because of how I'd let the house get. I realize now that I was looking at things from my as usual skewed bipolar lens... Even when things are at their worst, nobody went hungry around here. It may not have been the healthiest food, but I made sure there was food and even if it was just throwing it on a cookie sheet, I "cooked". Two days ago, I looked around this living room and felt horrible about the way it looked. Turns out that it really wasn't all that bad. I need to remember the hours that I've put in and the changes that I've made. I'm happy to report that I'm doing okay and to give you a little sneak peek at my upcoming house plans...

Upcoming Goals:
1. Finish the dining alcove
2. Build/get the new bookshelf into place
3. Put the old bookshelf out by the curb for trash (unless someone snags it)
4. Clear the front porch & paint it
5. Repaint the front porch benches
6. Mow/trim the lawn and pick up any brush/trash that has arrived during the winter (this weekend!)
7. Repaint the tire planters
8. Refill the tire planters
9. Reclaim one flower bed
10. Start my seeds
11. Get a start on the "wall" aka the office/studio

Those are my goals for between now and the start of June. Will they all get done? Maybe, maybe not but we'll be doing them as we're able and before you know it, I'll have some new pictures to share with everyone! Keep your fingers crossed that the plumber can get the work done for $300 because that's the budget! If so, dishes will be on the agenda for this weekend too!



If you like what you've read here, please share it with others using these buttons:

It's actually been close to seven weeks since my birthday, but for one reason or another...or one excuse or another, I never sat down to write this post. Now, I am..it's time to recap, recover and roll out the goals for the coming year.

I'm happy to say that this past year brought no physical deaths to my doorstep. Sadly, it did bring the deaths of some friendships. As life changes, it seems that sometimes people do too. People move on and I'm learning to deal with the aftermath of that. I won't say it's been easy, but it's not knocked me down as hard as it may have in the past.

There have been good things, as well. Both of my boys are happy and healthy. Ben is up in high school now and though he's struggling with the amount of work and how not to become overwhelmed, he's doing well. He was even the girls' swim team manager, which I know that he loved. Roger is busy being Roger. He's a straight A student, was on the football team and is now doing basketball. Did I mention he's in band and jazz band, as well? As a mom, I do a lot of running around these days. While it can be exhausting, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

One of the not so great things that has happened has happened with me. I've really struggled with the bipolar side of things over the past year or so. I'm on new medication now so I'm really hoping that it helps. While I've come to terms that this is something I will always have to deal with, I haven't done so well in setting up routines and such to help keep the house functional. If I'm honest, the house is in pretty rotten shape right now. It's not as bad as it has been, but it needs to be a lot better.

Which brings us to the list...This year's goals:

Outside of the House:
1. Clear out all of the flower beds - They're overgrown and some even have trees in them!
2. Finish spray painting the tires and get new roses planted in them.
3. Clear the front porch and make it look inviting.
4. Paint the front door - It's time to give this house some character.
5. Finish clearing the back deck.
6. Get the front porch roof repaired/replaced. - This is a job for the owners and may include the entire roof.
7. Create a third composter for all of the after garden soil.
8. Complete barn re-organization.
9. Clear out any trash that has blown/been dragged under the front porch.
10. Get cable re-hooked up to the barn.
11. Clear out pile of rubble from in front of barn.

Inside of the House:
1. Replace living room flooring.
2. Complete wall redecorating (clean, new shelving, organizing, purging)
3. Complete living room redecorating (clean, paint, organizing, purging)
4. Get everything hung up in boys' room.
5. Complete master bedroom redecorating (clean, paint, organizing, purging, light repaired)
6. Purge until we're only surrounded by the things we need and the things we love.
7. Get dryer repaired - owner job
8. Get water repaired - owner job
9. Get heating repaired - owner job
10. Get living room ceiling repaired - owner job
11. Maintain what I've already accomplished.

In Life:
1. Continue to build up the websites, this one and Geek-o-Rama
2. Focus on true friendships ...quality over quantity
3. Travel
4. Spend as much time with the boys, doing things we love.
5. Learn Irish (again) on my own.
6. Take time for me.
7. Take care of me - mental health and physical health
8. Work on finding more writing and editing jobs.
9. Remember what's really important in life.
10. Build routines to help manage life.
11. Be someone that I can be proud of, no matter what others may think.

Whew..that's some list but instead of being overwhelmed or intimidated, I'm excited to see it down in writing. Now, to pick an area and get to work!



If you like what you've read here, please share it with others using these buttons:

After my last post, my heart has been hurting and my mind has been spinning. I had the opportunity to talk with Graham and I'm glad that I did. We've both realized that time is a blessing and if we don't take our chances now, the chance might not be there later. So, I've been thinking...What do I want to do with my life?

For the first time ever, I'm going to put it down into writing. What it is that I want to do with my life right now. Consider this to be a bit like What I See Myself Doing in 5 Years. Did anyone besides me hate those essays in school? Even then, I didn't have the first clue what I wanted to do with my life. Well, after a lot of thought, I have some idea and I want to share it with you. I'm going to put it out into the universe and see how it feels.

1. I want to write. I've spent major portions of my life writing and it's something that I love to do. I actually started a book. I want to pull that out and start typing it up and adding to it. I want to share things with the world. More than that, I want to write for a website. Specifically, I want to write and work for 5MinutesForMom.com. There, I said it. I don't believe that it's any great secret, but for the first time, I've made it a declarative statement and not a joking one.

2. I want to teach. I don't think that this one will surprise very many people either. I don't want to get a degree in it. I want to teach at conferences. I want to share what I know.

3. I want to learn to bootblack. I know that this seems totally random but those closest to me will understand that it's not.

4. I want to get back on air. I don't want to do a daily show anymore but I do miss dj'ing and I want to sign on and do a show from time to time. More than just music, I would love to incorporate an advice segment.

5. I want to be more open and transparent. For a variety of reasons, I have hidden certain aspects of my life and I no longer have a desire to do so. I don't know that it's possible right now to be 100% transparent but I would like to work towards that goal.

6. I want to travel. I want to attend conferences. I want to attend events, both in the more hidden aspects of my life and the more public ones. I would love to see me combine 2, 3 and 6 and/or various aspects of those.

7. I want to learn Irish. I started and stopped and keep making excuses for why I haven't picked it up again.

8. I want to be me. I'm pretty good at it and it's time that I let other people see that I'm good at it too. I have talents and abilities and it's time to share those with the world.

When I grow up, I want to do all of these things. Step 1 is done. I've put them down into writing. I've shared them with all of you. Now, it's up to me to put them into action. It's time to stop wasting my talents and my abilities and to use them. Time is a precious gift and I've been squandering it, assuming there will always be a tomorrow. My friends, sometimes tomorrow doesn't come and so we have to appreciate and live now.



If you like what you've read here, please share it with others using these buttons:

I love this graphic. I wish I could remember where it came from. It has my favorite flowers and my theme for 2011. For the past few years, I've heard about Ali Edward's One Little Word Project.  In fact, for the past couple of years, I've actually chosen a word. The problem is, after a couple of months, I've gone and forgotten the word! Tonight, while reading over at Forever Daisies, I realized what the problem was. They were all good words and good goals, but I made it far too complicated. So, this year, I've decided to go simple. Just like the lovely Kimberly, over at Forever Daisies, I've chosen Simple for my word.

I really believe that my life has gotten far too complicated over the years. I've become more and more reliant on technology and less focused on the things that really are goals I've had for years. I spend far too much time sitting online and not nearly enough creating wonderful things. I have collected far more things than I need.

Now, I can't say I've spent more money than I should because let's face it, there's just no money there to spend. I don't have a credit card and the little bit of money that I do bring in just covers my bills. The bit that I occasionally make here on the blog quite often goes to other things that pop up. However, that doesn't mean that I can't look for other ways to save money. Honestly, I should have been doing that ages ago. So, I'm going to work more on finding new ways to save money and I'm going to try to share those with my readers.
In fact, I would love it if people could post their tips here in the comments. I can them combine them all into a post and share them with everyone.

Simple. It's not only going to be my word, but my lifestyle goal for this coming year. It's going to mean more purging and maybe some tough decisions, but I believe I'll be a happier woman for it.



If you like what you've read here, please share it with others using these buttons:

Holy wow, bloggers! Not only is it Thursday, but it's also New Year's Eve! Can you believe that? I can't. All day long I've had to remind myself of the date because it just doesn't seem possible that today is the last day of 2009. I've put absolutely no thought into 2010 and if you know me, you won't believe that either. I'm a big time thinker.

Being that it's Thursday and the last day of the year, I decided that my time for me would be all about doing some of that thinking for next year and maybe doing a bit of reflecting on last year. I'm so lucky that my friend Edie posted some great things to our yahoo group to give me a starting point. Actually, I'm just super lucky to have those girls in my life at all. They're all wonderful and have such huge hearts.

Now, I'm not sure who had the original idea to pick one word and make it your focus for a year, but Edie just reminded all of us that it's time for us to pick a new word. Some of the words that have been chosen include serenity, faith, empowerment and purpose. Those are all such great words, but I think I'm going to go with Commitment.

So, for 2010, I'm going to be:
Committed to turning my home into a home, not just a house.
Committed to making the money that we need to support our family.
Committed to making some really tough decisions about what I want to do.
Committed to scrapbooking and crafting more.
Committed to being more involved at the boys' school.

Now, the other really awesome thing that Edie posted to the group was something that she had found over on Scrap-Room. I'm going to post it here too because I think it's a great way to think about the coming year.

One Year From Today I Would Like To Have:

Learned - Irish. I loved learning it for my degree, but have let it drop since graduation.

Changed - My finances and my weight. One needs to lose some and the other really needs to gain some.

Figured Out - What I want to do when I grow up. I have a college education in an area that fascinates me but I'm not sure if I want to continue in that field.

Completed - My paper piecing scrapbook that I must have started 5 years ago, before the divorce and the ensuing insanity.

Stopped - Doubting my abilities.

Started - Believing in myself more and having our home be a peaceful retreat, that always smells of something delicious.

Acquired - Enough money to buy anything we need for this house (including some badly needed bookshelves) and to have the van repaired.

Given Up - The remaining million or so boxes in this house along with a ton of clutter.

Visited - Arizona, Nebraska and maybe a lovely trip up north. I miss nature.

Left Behind - Debt, extra weight and renting this house. I would so love to find a way to buy it. It already feels like home, now I want it to officially be home.

So, I guess that sums up my goals for 2010, nicely. What are all of yours? Have you guys thought about 2010 yet? Leave me a comment or sign our linky here and let me know!