Starting on New Years Resolutions

I'm not very good and setting and sticking with a goal for a whole year. I have found however, that if I am working on that goal with someone else...I tend to do a little better.

Since we got married we have had a budget. In the earlier years I was really good at sticking to it because it was all there was. Over the last couple of years I have had Reed write up the budget in excel so that it was right there and automatically calculated everything for me. He began recording and going over it with me sometime last year...and I have since been much better at inserting #'s from receipts. That is one of my goals this year...to record everything purchased...to keep track and for a record.

Another is to go to the temple every month. It's one of those goals that is doable, but takes planning. It's also one of those goals that is easier to do if you are both working toward it. Another thing that we have going for us in this goal is an easy to find babysitter!

I have wanted to organize the garage for some time. I want everything on shelves or hanging. I want to be able to go out and sweep up easily on a weekly basis. Aside from the aesthetics of it, I want to keep the spiders and any varmints at bay. This is the one I started on today. I have been thinking a lot about it for quite a while...what way would work best to store bikes in the winter, hang chairs and get big long tables out of the way. Today was phase one. I purchased two big plastic containers and put summer stuff in one and tarps in the other (note to self, and Reed, we don't need any tarps). I then put the little garbage cans on top of these. These garbage cans will hold garbage and recycling until we dump them in the big ones outside. I got everything but the chairs off the floor, and I pinpointed where we can hand the bikes. I can now easily get in and out of my car as well as easily get to the freezer. There may be another 5 phases to this one...but I am determined!

Daily Scripture is study is another goal of mine. I seem to run into the same problems each time...not having a set time to do it, and not having a set thing to read. I have made a schedule for myself that I hope will work and I really think it will have to be an evening thing...mornings are too crazy. My schedule is Monday: FHE lesson prep, Tuesday: 20 minutes Book of Mormon, Wednesday is the same, Thursday: Sunday School Lesson, Friday is Sunday school reading, Saturday and Sunday are RS Lesson. I may have to tweak this a little, and I will definitely have to have everything in a certain place to make it doable...but again, I am determined! I would love to hear if you have found something that works for you.

I talked to a friend recently who keeps an excellent blog. For Christmas her husband had it all printed and bound in a book for around $47. So this year I have to decided to keep a record here. Hopefully with better journaling then usual, and with lots of pictures. I haven't really set a daily goal for this, but in reality there is probably something I could add daily, even if little, and I also hope this encourages me to take more pictures (I haven't been very good lately).