YouVersion is taunting me

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One of my goals for the year is to start reading the Bible more, right? My first plan of attack was to sign up for YouVersion to email me the reading plan each day. But it didn’t seem to be working (I’m not so great with technology) so I decided to go lo-fi and crack open my long neglected paperback One Year Bible. I planned to read every morning first thing when I woke up. I even found a reading buddy in the amazing Africankelli.

But, I gotta tell you – getting into this habit is really hard. I realize as a pastor’s wife people probably think that I am a Bible-readin’ fool. But sadly, I’ve really gotten out of the habit. I had a pretty good start to the year, but I totally fell of the wagon last week. Crazy mornings, busy at work… I can give a million excuses but they don’t really matter.

Around the same time, YouVersion decided it was time to start emailing my reading plan every day. You’d think maybe I’d take it as a positive sign and just start reading it? But no – that email just started feeling like a daily scolding… not fun. And it makes me even less motivated to actually DO what I’m trying to DO.

Argh…

But I’m not giving up. Try, try, try again. The emails are now turned off and I’m trying a new time of day for my reading. Giddy up.

I’ll take it!

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The jacket was totally unnecessary

I took some photos!  I remember why I stopped taking as many as I used to – it’s really hard to get a good shot of an active toddler!    I got a million pictures of closed eyes, back of his head, etc.  Even though this one is a little fuzzy, I’m still pretty happy with it.

But photography is really not the point of this post.  Perhaps I’m betraying my Midwestern roots, but I want to talk about the weather.  It is the middle of January – literally the middle of winter – and I went running in shorts and a t-shirt less than a week ago.  Even this week it got a little cooler, but I am still able to run outside.  It is so amazing!  I keep thinking a terrible snow or ice storm is going to come, but each time the temperature drops, it just stays cold for a couple of days and pops up to the 40s (or higher!) again.  Normally I find this time of year fairly depressing – stuck inside, it’s hard to exercise, etc. – but this January has been fantastic so far.

I’m still trying to pinpoint a good running goal for the year, and I’m beginning to think that a spring half-marathon might not be out of the question.  Another St. Louis Half Marathon?  Something local – the Frisco Railroad Run?  Hmm…

Pancakes!

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Last night we hosted 7 college students for dinner, and I finally came up with a homemade pancake mix that was a success! (We had “breakfast for dinner.” The kids loved it.) I also made a really yummy, easy, and reasonably healthy blueberry topping.

Pancake mix (feel free to double, triple, etc.): Put all these ingredients in an airtight container and shake well.
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. white flour
2 t. salt
2 T. baking powder
4 t. sugar

To make pancakes:
For each 1 c. of mix, use 1 egg, 3 T. oil/melted butter, and 1 c. milk or buttermilk.  1 cup of mix makes about 6 medium pancakes.

Cook on a medium-hot griddle and enjoy smothered in blueberry topping!

Blueberry sauce:
1 bag frozen blueberries
1/2 c. water
1 t. cornstarch
1/3 c. sugar

Mix the cornstarch and water. Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer until all the blueberries are soft (about 15-20 minutes).

Resolutions 2012: The Rest

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So much for announcing a month-long blog series… I get bored way too easily! I am ready to stop talking about what my goals for the new year are, and to start DOING them!

Here’s a recap of my 12 goals for 2012:

  • Do a pull-up
  • Run a really fast 5K.  (My best time ever is almost 20 minutes flat, back in my high school cross country days.  I don’t think I’ll manage to get that fast again, but it’s something to shoot for.)
  • Take more pictures.
  • Have girls’ night out on a regular basis.
  • Save money from each paycheck for a cool trip.
  • Create stuff.
  • Read the Bible daily.
  • Go on a weekend getaway with my husband (and without my son)
  • Read for fun.
  • Attend a training for the new areas of the law that I work in now.
  • Start volunteering when my boss asks for people to cover meetings for him.
  • Put more money into my retirement account.

(Some are more exciting than others, I know.)  We’re halfway through January, and I’m having mixed results with my goals so far. Some of them are done, others I’m struggling with.  How are you doing with your goals for the year?

Resolutions 2012: Take more pictures

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Because this sweet face can't photograph itself.

This goal is actually quite humorous to me, since I probably have taken more pictures in the last 22 months (since having a baby) than the rest of my entire life combined. But — somewhere around the 18 month mark, I got lazy.  I still snap photos, but usually I’m using my cell phone because that’s what’s handy.  I know you can take decent photos with an iPhone given the right conditions (good natural light, etc.) but usually I don’t have that.

So, for this goal, I need to make the effort to drag the big camera along so I can get a good picture if the opportunity presents itself.  That sounds doable!

I also really love looking back at the month-by-month photos I took of J during the first year.  I want to try to do at least one real “photo session” of Josiah per month.  Preferably this would be while we’re out enjoying some fun family activity, but I’m not going to stress over that.

Resolutions 2012: Girls Night Out

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[PHOTO WITHHELD TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT]

Just kidding.  I don’t mean anything too wild and crazy.  Mama just needs a night out every once in a while, you know?  Considering I work full time and have my kid in daycare all day long, I feel major mom-guilt to be gone in the evenings too.  But, I know it’s important for my own mental health, as well as keeping my friendships alive.

My resolution is to have a night out with girlfriends at least once every other month (preferably every month but I’m being realistic here).  I have a lot of options if I just put a little effort into it:  resurrect my monthly knitting/happy hour night, fitness meet-up, get together with friends, or just read a good book in a coffee shop!  Considering my husband’s crazy work schedule, I’m going to have to play it by ear, but I’m going to try to get something on the calendar at the beginning of every month.

I will report back on the festivities!

Resolutions 2012: Save a little from every paycheck for a cool trip

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Welcome Wine and A Spoon readers!  I’m currently in the middle of a series about my goals for the New Year.  I’m a bit of a goal-aholic, so I’m giving myself the whole month of January to yammer on about it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  Regular blog readers ( all 3 of you), check out my guest post on Wine and a Spoon today!

Isn’t that beautiful?  I swear, you really can’t do better for an outdoorsy vacation than Colorado in the summer.  My husband and I love to travel, but between a kid, 2 full-time jobs, and limited finances, we don’t get to go exploring the world nearly as often as we would like.

Of those three factors, I figure the money thing is the one that I can actually make a change in.  (Since I’m not looking to change my parental or employment status!)  My second resolution for the year is to put a small, set amount of money from every paycheck into a savings account for travel.  This might not completely fund a trip, but having a little nest egg to cover a big travel cost, like hotel room or plane tickets, would be really nice.

I’m not leaving this resolution up to chance every time payday rolls around.    I’m a long-time (completely volunteer) cheerleader for ING Direct savings accounts.  I recently set up an automatic savings plan to slurp that money away each payday before I even have a chance to try to spend it.

Since my budgeting method is to pay all my bills and spend what is left, adding in a travel savings account as a new “bill” actually works pretty well.  I just have a little bit less money to spend on Jimmy John’s Beach Clubs, trashy pop/dance music on iTunes, and the Banana Republic sale rack.  (It took me a while to come up with my spending vices – I really am a pretty frugal person – but I think this encapsulates them nicely.)

Now all I have to do is sit back and watch my pennies pile up!  (And keep my paws out of the honey jar.)

Resolutions 2012: Create stuff

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All things in this picture were made by me!

So, if you ever read this blog before my baby-induced hiatus, you might already know… I kinda like to make stuff.  Peruse my archives, you’ll find 6 1/2 years of knitting content.  That is some hard-core, committed craftiness.  But ever since I’ve had Baby J in my life, I’ve been a bit busier.  Which is totally to be expected, I’m sure, but I miss it.

This resolution is to create something at least once a week. Knitting, sewing, major cooking/baking project, gardening, setting up my worm farm* — I say anything goes as long as I’m creating something with my hands, it counts.  Of course, this includes the sew-along that I’m undertaking along with Africankelli, Finny Knits, Sue Walsh, and many others!  (Click here for more info about how to join us… there are prizes!)

In a way, this isn’t really a resolution.  I love making stuff.  It’s not a challenge in itself – it’s a challenge to make the time.  I also need to plan ahead a little bit to make sure I have all the supplies I need so I don’t have that frustration when I actually have the time to do something.

*  Worm farm, eh?  Yes, it was my Christmas gift from my husband.  You have to know a girl pretty well to buy her a worm farm for Christmas, but for me it’s perfect.  I’ve been calling around to local bait shops trying to track down a 1/2 pound of red wigglers to get my vermicomposting operation started.

Resolutions 2012: Do a pull-up

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photo credit: US Marine Corps via flickr

Girls — have you ever done a pull-up?  I never have been able to.  My first resolution of 2012 is to change that.  I’ve been lifting weights about 2x/week for a couple of months now, but I really want to take it to another level this year.  Unlike running or triathlons, there isn’t really a finish line, so I decided that doing a pull-up would be a good measure of making real progress in strength training.

To accomplish this goal, I plan to keep lifting weights – hopefully increasing to 3x/week – and incorporating some new exercises that are supposed to help get me closer to the elusive pull-up.

I feel like this resolution is a true physical challenge for me.  I’m not a naturally muscular person, and I’ve never felt like I’ve had much upper-body strength.  But I’m going to give it a shot, and I’ll keep you updated on how it goes.

ps — after my last post, I realized something cool.  12 goals is not too many…it’s perfect!  #12in2012 has been born.  (That’s not already taken is it?  It took me until Game 6 to realize that when people were tweeting #11in11, they were talking about the Cardinals getting their 11th World Series win in 2011.  Clearly I am not a superfan.)

Resolutions Month

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In case you couldn’t tell from my last post, I have quite a few plans for the new year.  I am unapologetic about this – I love fresh starts and making big plans.  Of course, the real trick is actually following through.  I found this post from Gretchen Rubin (author of The Happiness Project) really helpful in making my resolutions (and keeping them realistic!)

I might have gone overboard… (what’s new, really?) but I have 12 resolutions for the new year.  Some are year-long undertakings, others are goals to accomplish sometime within the year.  I am going to take the month of January to talk about my resolutions and I guess, by the time the end of January I can let you know how I’m doing so far!