Checklists and Planner

 

I keep going back and forth between bullet journaling and checklists in my planner. I would love to find some kind of balance using both, but I haven’t figured that out yet. 

For now, I'm back to using my planner. I feel like it gives me a better day to day overview and a more consolidated list of my daily goals that lead me to my larger goals. For the past couple of weeks, I have pulled out my markers and stickers usually used for the bullet journal. This has made it more visually appealing and fulfills part of the creative spirit I am often looking for in the bullet journal. Rather than writing a list in one or pencil on a black and white page, I get to create something that is unique to me each week. 

Harry Potter Sweater

I finished my Harry Potter sweater last fall, but I didn't block it and weave in the ends until this last week because we didn't really have much cold weather this winter. Since Tuesday was a bit on the cool side, I decided Monday that I would hand wash, block, and weave in the ends so I could wear it to the temple before it got too hot to even consider wearing it. Thank goodness it is a light sweater, though. It was barely cool enough to wear. 

Here is the finished product while blocking:

While wearing:

I love this sweater! I was worried that it was going to be too small because I have gained so much weight over the past few years, but it fit beautifully with a bit of room. I hope to be able to wear it a lot more in the future. 

Next Steps

Chad and I have written our mission statement as a couple. We are going to be working towards being prepared. I know it is a scouting thing, but it fits in with our goals as a couple and helps calm our fears. We are going to go back to our homesteading goals we started work on 2 years ago. We know that our yard is not big enough to do it all, but it is big enough to get a good start as we pay off our debt and work towards getter jobs or the possibility of owning our own business. 

After watching several YouTube videos, we made a garden plan and bought some seed for a few items that we learned needed to be planted in January inside because they have a longer germination time. We will also be clearing out some of our backyard for raised garden beds over the next few months and deciding what we will be starting as seed and what we will buy as starters. All I know is that I do not see a time of me ever trying to plant tomatoes from seeds again. I was really successful with the starter I got last year and am hoping to duplicate that result this year. As we wait for our garden, we will be buying extra canned fruit and vegetables to build up our storage. 

I am also going to finish some of the unpaper towels that I started a few years ago. I like the group that I made 2 years ago, and I don't know why I stopped midway in the batch I was making that had a towel on one side and fleece on the other side. They will be completed soon. To go with that, I am also working on making some hot pads to replace my old, ratty sets and an apron to match. When I finish all of that, we will see if I still feel like sewing. Unlike my daughter, I don't always love sewing. 

Of course, bread making will always be a cooler weather hobby for both Chad and me. We are currently working on baking twice what we need for the week so we can freeze some to have in the summer when it is too hot to bake. 

Lastly, we were given a 10-gallon water drum a few years ago when a friend of ours was moving. We will be filling that when the temperatures get warm enough that we feel comfortable hooking the hose up to the house. Then, we will look into other options for water storage. 

Things are getting scarier and more uncertain. Every day the news is filled with horrifying images and stories. The only way to combat the fear is to prepare for the worst. This is our start of that preparation. 

Trying to Write Mission Statements

Chad and I have been reading 7 Habits of Highly Effective People together. He has it on his Kindle, and I bought a 30th Anniversary Edition on Ebay a few months ago. Since we were each in the middle of other books, we agreed to wait until January 1 to start. Since then, we have been reading about 10 pages a day. At times, I have to read more because the anniversary edition has some bonus material at the end of each chapter, but I don't mind because it gives more clarity to the concepts.

Earlier this week, we read about mission statements when reading about the second habit, begin with the end in mind. The point of a mission statement to give you, your family, or an organization direction. It helps set priorities that will guide you. We both read this concept and just kept reading on thinking we could get to this step later. As we moved on to reading about the next habit, put first things first, and it became obvious that we needed to work on our personal mission statements. I finished mine but was not completely happy with it. Chad didn't finish his because he got overwhelmed and didn't know what direction he wanted to go with it. As we talked about our issues with trying to wright our personal mission statements, we realized that we have similar values and goals (no wonder we are so good together). We have decided that tonight or tomorrow after church, we will sit down and decided a couple's mission statement. The hope is that aby working on a mission statement as a couple, we can make personal mission statements that we are happy with for a while. 

I'm not sure if we are doing this properly. All I know is that we need to have focus as we continue on our journey self-improvement. We let so many things go in the wrong direction over the years (finances, cleanliness of the house, our weight). It is time to get things cleaned up our lives and environment. 

Goodbye 2025, Hello 2026

I definitely saw some big ups and downs in 2025. Mentally, it was a tough year for me mentally. I struggled with a lot of what was on the news. At times, it felt like it couldn't get worse. Then, something else happened. I also struggled with my cousin's death more than I thought I would. I didn't even know him and couldn't even remember the last time I saw him in person. Eventually, I realized it brought back memories of when my mom would lay in my bed crying telling me it would be easier if she would just run her car into a tree and end it all. (It was one of these interactions in which I learned that her telling this to professionals was the cause of her being admitted to mental hospitals multiple times.) Trying to work through my feelings of my suicidal mom and her eventual death in a different way than ever before has been a whole new experience. 

It wasn't completely a horrible year, though. I had may good experiences as well. I went on my first cruise with one of best friends. This trip included many first such as my first time in Florida, first time really seeing the ocean, first time in the Bahamas, and my first time snorkeling over the coral reef. I hope to be able to experience something like this again. I also finally graduated from BYU Idaho after 10 years of taking online classes. It was a long journey, but I am glad I kept with it. (I am so thankful to be married to a man that supports me in my efforts to improve myself.) Chad and I also took a trip to Colorado Springs for our anniversary and another one to Grand Junction in which we hiked Rifle Falls and went to the Grand Junction Temple open house. 

I am determined to make 2026 a good year. I can't do anything about newsworthy events. I don't see the awfulness calming down anytime soon. I can control what I do, though (hopefully). Chad and I are going to visit our friends in Florida for our anniversary this year, and we will go camping over the summer. We are also going to make a better effort to do our Come, Follow Me studies regularly. Personally, I will be working on relearning French, learning to play the ukelele, cleaning and organizing the house, and get back to running. 

Learning New Things

Last week, I watched a YouTube video about developing a personal curriculum. The idea is that people are meant to continually learn throughout our lives. We don't have to follow a curriculum set by a school and pay the money required to do so. We can learn about anything from the resources provided by the library and online. After watching this, I got so excited that I sent the link to my husband and my sister. Chad texted me back a little while later asking me what I wanted to learn and when I wanted to get started. I decided that I want to relearn French and finally learn how to play the ukelele. 

I learned French in middle school and high school. I knew enough that my friend and I used to speak to each other in French when we didn't want my boyfriend (her friend) to know what we were talking about. They were simple conversations, but it was fun at the time. I wouldn't say I was fluent, but I was on my way there. Since then, I have not used French at all except a few phrases here and there. Because of this, I have lost almost all of the knowledge that I had in this subject. It is one of my biggest regrets. I am determined to relearn as much as I can over the next year. 

Me wanting to learn to play the Ukelele came about in a slightly odd way. In 2021, Chad and I were on our way to church, listening to the radio, when John Tesch chimed in with his "Intelligence for Your Life" segment. This one was about the power of music. I don't remember everything he said, but I do remember that he said the ukelele was the easiest instrument to learn. For Mother's Day that year, I asked for a purple ukelele and got one. I learned to play a few songs that summer, but I haven't played it since. I am going to learn more about it and learn more songs this year. Maybe I can be as musical as my kids. Who knows? 

Of course, we will continue the learning paths we have been on for the last few years. We have a concrete plan for our spiritual learning together. It is the actual curriculum provided by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Come, Follow Me." We have worked on it off and on separately and together every year since it started. We have committed with each other to study it each night we are home. I think this will elevate our spiritual study and bring us closer together. We, also, will continue to read our ever-growing pile of lifestyle/self-help books/biographies. Our interests haven't changed. We just want to have more directed learning. 

I'm excited to get started on learning and relearning skills that I have wanted to work on for a while. This coming year will be my year to do so!

My Current Nonfiction TBR

This time last year, I had one bag with books in it that I wanted to read. Since then, the list has grown even though I read some of the books I had. I bought a few books with the money I got from my parents for my graduation (one by Kelly Bishop, and one by Eleanor Roosevelt), and I went through the books I already had around the house (mostly books that I had for some class or another and only read certain chapters). As this collection grew, I grew more excited to read them. I got a bit behind on my reading goal for a while because I was so busy with the internship, but I am back on track to succeed by the end of the year. 

You may ask how I decide which book I will read and when. That is a difficult question to answer. I have tried to put the books into a specific order, but it doesn't work for me. I am not always excited to read the next one that was preplanned. I basically read the next book that I'm excited to read and hope to be inspired from it in some way. It's not a perfect system, but it works for the most part. Over the past few months, I have chosen some books because they were short and I needed to catch up to a goal that I made for myself that no one even sees unless they follow me on Good Reads. Those were enjoyable enough, but my heart wasn't in them. The books that I feel inspired to read have brought me joy and made me really think about how I can incorporate the lessons learned into my life. What can I say, the more I read nonfiction, the more inspired I am to make changes here and there. 

In case you are wondering, I do read fiction as well. Most of those books I read on my Kindle because It is less distracting for Chad when he is trying to sleep. This year, most of those books have been books either Chad or I acquired through the years in one way or another that I haven't read yet. I found a new author that I really like this way: Lucinda Berry. There is a good possibility I will go back to the series I was reading last year because I really like it and want to finish it and find the other series by Nancy Warren, but now I know I can look for a book by Lucinda Berry along with a few others that I liked in the past if I need a break from witches and vampires. 

My reading likes and dislikes my change as I go, but one thing remains the same: I will not stop reading as long as I have the ability to do so. 

Need to Make a Change

 

I went to the temple yesterday and took a picture as I was leaving to post on social media, but I didn't post. There were two problems with this picture. First, the wind was so strong that I made a goofy face that slightly resembled a smile. I hate when I do that, but that alone wouldn't have stopped me from posting. The second problem, the one that made me think twice, was I looked so fat. I know I have gained a lot of weight since I started working from home, but I didn't realize how much it showed in my face. I need to make a change. I want to be confident enough to post a picture leaving the temple no matter what the wind make my face do. I don't know exactly what I will be doing yet, but I know I can't keep going in this direction with my health. 

September 2025 Bullet Journal

I am going to try to do a monthly bullet journal spread. A lot of people who do bullet journals do this, but I haven't tried it yet. I think it could be fun to have a theme for the month and just keep that theme going if I decide to add to it. For now, I have my main September page that I modified from an idea I found on Pinterest. I had fun making a fall theme because I am excited to be going to see the fall colors later this month. I took a picture of the main page before I filled in the boxes because I don't want to broadcast my weight or family birthdays. 

I really want to get back into doing regular exercise. For the last few weeks, I had a goal of 30 or 45 minutes a day, but I wasn't keeping up with it very well. I am hoping having a dedicated tracker will help keep me focused.

With the goal of reading 15 books this year and still needing to finish 6 books to make this happen, I made a page to track the book I just started. I am quite proud of how this one turned out. I didn't copy it from any specific idea that I had seen online, but I may have seen something like it in the past. Either way, I like how it turned out.

The last one I did was inspired by the potty-training charts I used to make for the boys many years ago. I just labeled the page and will put stickers on it anytime I eat a fruit or vegetable. 

I will likely add to this as the month goes on depending on my goals. I'm sure there will be at least one more book to track before the month is over. There could also be one to track my progress in finding a job that I can do with my degree because I don't know how much longer I can stand working in billing. 

Goals for this Week

 

During my internship, I threw a lot of my daily habits out the window because it was exhausting to essentially be working two jobs along with everything else that was going on. For the last few weeks, I have been trying to get back into doing the things that make my life better. It's a lot harder to get back to them than I thought it was. I decided the best thing to do would be to make a bullet journal spread to track my progress. It worked great when I was getting started on the Mirical Morning last year, so I figured it would be the best way to jump back into it and the other habits I have been working on. I am excited to get started on Monday!

One Month Left

I only have one month left of my internship. In some ways, it will be nice to be done. However, I will also be sad to be done. I love helping other people and feel that I am doing it in a small way in this internship. I like the people I have been working with and the many things I have learned about this population. Working with them gives me a greater sense of purpose, and I know I will find a way into this field again. The only thing I won't be sad about is the time commitment. Doing this on top of my regular job and everything else going on in my life has been hard. 

I am considering trying to find something part-time similar to what I have been doing when I am done with everything this summer. I would love to find my way into working more permanently with people experiencing homelessness, and I think that dipping my toe into it more would be beneficial. I have looked online at job openings and know that I would not be paid what I need to leave my current job. However, it I were to find my way into this field and work my way up to better pay and benefits, I would quit my current job and jump into this type of work full-time. I have said many times that my job just kind of fell into my lap as a way out of the call center, and I mainly stay because I have a wonderful boss who does what he can to keep our team together. It just doesn't fill the purpose I know my life needs to have.  

Getting Closer

I finally started my internship this week, and I love it! I have wanted to be part of the solution for so long. With this position, I can finally do just that. 

I am working 16 hours a week with Catholic Charities helping people who need it. I have only done 2 shifts so far, but I have already learned a lot about helping those in shelters. I have mostly observed at this point, but I can't wait until I am trained enough to have a more active role. 

When I was getting divorced, it was known that my job sucked and I wanted a different one. When asked what I wanted to do, I would just say, "I want to make a REAL difference." The problem was I didn't know what I wanted to do or how to do it. All I knew was working in a call center was not going to get me there. 

About 4 years later, after earning an associates degree in business, I decided to go back to school. This time I started with the Pathways program and transitioned into online classes through BYU Idaho. This time I prayed about the program in which I would be enrolled and what career I would be working towards. I had the distinct impression that I should work an a degree in marriage and family studies with the goal of working in a shelter. I have worked hard on this goal while working a full time job in the shipping industry, raising 3 kids, working to have a healthy relationship with my husband, and growing my faith in my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

This internship is the last step to achieving the goal of getting my bachelor's degree and a big step towards what will hopefully be a fulfilling career helping people who need it rather than helping line the pockets of corporate executives. Leaning what little I have at this point, makes me want to learn more and strengthens my resolve to do what I can to make this world a better place for those who need it the most. I can't wait to see what the future brings!

After Day 1

Yesterday was the first day of the April session of General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Chad and I watched the first 2 sessions of the day together, then he went to a Mammoth game with his brother while I watched the last session on my own. I really enjoyed listening to the talks and music. They filled my home with the Lord's spirit. 

I went into the day with one question. "What can I do to progress in life?" I have been working on getting an internship but feel like I have been stagnant or slipping backwards in so many other areas lately. I want to progress spiritually, financially, in my relationship with Chad, and in so many other areas of my life. Before conference started, I prayed for an answer to this question going that, like others have said they have done, I would receive an answer. I got my wish. 

As I listened to the talks, I got an overwhelming feeling that I need to grow my relationship with the Savior. I thought about this impression as the talks continued and during downtime. I'm pray daily, read my scriptures most days, go to the temple on a regular basis, and attend church and partake of the sacrament each week. What am I missing? 

I need to get past the checklists and follow the spirit to guide me towards a better relationship with my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I am going to read Jesus the Christ. At first, I thought I would have to borrow the book from someone since I am not buying new books this year. I was a bit worried about doing this because I am a slow reader, and it would probably take a few months for me to finish it and return it. Thankfully, I don't have to do this. The entire book is available on the Church's website. I can read it directly on the website or app, listen to it, or print it one chapter at a time. I have decided to print it piece by piece and put it in a binder as I go. It may take me a while to finish this book, but I feel strongly that it is my next step to grow my testimony and relationship with my Savoir. 

Internship Coming Together

 I have been working hard at finding an internship so I can graduate in July. I believe I have found one that will be a perfect fit for me. As long as everything continues to go smoothly, I will be doing my internship at Catholic Charities helping people with navigating employment options. I am so excited! 

When I interviewed for this position last week and learned more about the organization, I knew that I wanted to be involved in any way that I can. The supervisor I spoke to is exactly the kind of person I could see looking up to as a mentor. Everything about being there with her felt right. 

The only obstacle I have left is for my application with the school to be approved. I am little worried about that part because I am not sure it is related enough to Marriage and Family Studies. Honestly, if it isn't I would be devastated because I don't have a backup plan, and I really want to do this. 

When the internship is done, I hope I will be able to work for an organization like Catholic Charities. I want to be the kind of person that makes a difference in other people's lives. It has always been my wish and is even more so now that I am so close to the goal of graduation. 

So Close

 I am very close to getting my Bachelor of Science in Marriage and Family Studies. How close? I only have to do the internship. I have been this close for almost a year now, and I have put off the internship because I'm scared to put myself out there and don't know where to start looking for it. Ideally, I would find an internship that I can work in the evenings after I get off work and would be paid as a part time job. Realistically, I know it is unlikely that I would be paid, but I may be able to find something that I could do after work and on Saturdays. I have just let the fear take over and keep me from achieving this dream. (I do this way too much!)

Over the last few days, I have had two calls from the university. The first one was from advising reminding me that I need to do the internship by the middle of April. (I don't know if that is even possible.) She gave me a few options that could extend that deadline, but I would have to take more classes because I have been in school for so long. One of the options was to switch to a professional general degree in which I would have to take a handful of classes, but I would not have to complete an internship (very appealing). After talking over these options with Chad, I decided that changing to the professional general degree from marriage and family studies would be the best option and emailed her back telling her so. Today, the director of the department called me to let me know that if I could get going on an internship, he would do everything he could to help me complete the degree without taking any more classes. He said that this would be the best option because the internship could help me network and possibly lead to a job in a humanitarian field. This was followed up with an email that gives me the email address to reach out to the internship coordinator. 

I think I am ready to do an internship. I am worried about being gone most evenings. I don't want my kids or husband to feel neglected. However, I do like the idea of being able to switch to a career in which I can actually help people. That has been my goal for a long time.

Making Weight Loss Goals Again

I have rewatching Biggest Loser lately after watching a podcast episode on YouTube where Jillian Michaels interviewed some of her past contestants that have continued to be successful. I loved listening to them talk about their time on the show and decided to search out old episodes after they said they are available to watch. I found seasons 10 to 17 on Prime. It looks like the rest may be available to purchase on there, but I'm not willing to do that. 

I am very inspired by this show. I know that losing as much weight per week as they did is not healthy, but watching what I eat and exercising is healthy. This show gives me hope that weight loss is possible. 

I finished season 11 last week. For about the last month or so of that season, the girls were getting to be smaller than me and losing 3 or more pounds per week. So far, this is the most inspiring part of the show. I think I can lose 2 or 3 pounds a week if I really try. 

Another inspiration from this show came from one of the men. Each week, he wrote his goal weight of the week. Each week, he met or surpassed his goal. I have decided to follow this example by putting my goal for the week on my hand. This is not going to be an easy goal to meet, but I think I can do it through a lot of hard work. 

I know I have tried to lose weight many times just to gain it all back. I hope to be able to create the habits necessary to lose weight and keep it off. 

So Pretty

 

I have been making sourdough bread since last spring. I have been able to make it taste good, but haven't made one as pretty as I wanted yet. I had decided around Christmas time that I just wouldn't be one of those people that made fancy sourdough even though I had found a few recipes I liked. 

Today, I made another un-loaf thinking it would turn out just like the last one. However, this time my starter hadn't sat dormant for as long. I carefully followed the recipe, and ended up with my prettiest loaf to date. 

This may be my new favorite recipe after all. 

January 2025 Bullet Journal

I am determined to make this month more productive than last month. I won't be disobey trying to make Christmas magical for my adult children, and I hopefully won't be so sick that I land in the ER with asthma issues. I will, however, be working daily on my goals. I have made spreads in my bullet journal to do this. 

First, I have a page that lists my goals of the month and has a tracker to mark off the days that I have completed them:

Then, I have my Miracle morning tracker. On the opposite page is my affirmation for the month. 

Next is my "no spend" tracker. I could be more of a low spend type thing, but Chad and I came up with rules that we both agreed on that we feel will lead us in a better financial path. 

My next spread is for cleaning. This of course is the bare minimum. I hope that everyone else will pitch in. We'll see. 

The only other tracker that I am using is one I made last month for the book that I want to finish and implement what I have learned soon. 

I will be keeping track of my hobbies without a tracker, and the conference talks are being marked in the book. 

Hello 2025

Going into is honestly a bit scary. I have no idea what the future brings. All I know is I need more direction in my life. My hope is that by tweaking a few things, it will be one of my best years. 

This year, Chad and I will be working harder on our finances. We will be doing a no spend year (more to come on that). As we do so, we will work harder on paying off debt and building some sort of homestead on our kettle plot of land. I'm hoping this bring us closer together.

My crafting will have a new theme. This will be the gear of gifts. I will be making gifts for friends and family throughout the year. This will save money and break down my yarn stash a bit. I am already working on Eric's birthday present. I will for sure blog about this as I go as well as recap last year's theme, the year of the sweater, in future posts. 

I hope to finish my degree this year, but this is a very scary thing for me. All I have left is my internship unless I get procrastinate too long. Then, I will have to take a few more classes as well. I really want this to be done. I am just not good at being around new people and searching for something like this is terrifying. 

I will continue to work on my faith journey this year. I love that prayer and scripture reading have become a part of my morning routine. I want to incorporate General Confidence talks and regular "Come, Follow Me" study as well. My hope is to also make it to the temple at least once a month outside of our twice a month shift as ordinance workers. I am at a point in my life where I crave spiritual guidance. The more I learn about the Lord and His plan, the more I want to develop my relationship with Him. I hope I am in a better spot by the end of the year than I am now as I continue to grow my faith and knowledge. 

It is scary going into a new year. I hope that these goals will give me the direction and discipline I need in my life. 

December Bullet Journal Spreads

I have made a plan for December and put it in writing. I know we are a week into December, but I'm ok with that. There are still plenty of days to work on and accomplish goals this month. 

When making my plan, first I decided on what goals I wanted to focus on and used those goals to make a December cover page. 

Then, I went down the list and made bullet journal spreads for each goal in the order I listed them. My favorite is the one for tracking miles (the first goal).

My next spread is for the Miracle Morning. I'm not as happy with this one because I tried to use colors from the washi tape, and I'm just not a fan of brown. It works with my theme, though.

Then, I made one for a book that I really want to finish to help me towards my weight loss goals. I love the colors I used for this one! I wanted to make sure to include the appendix, so I made circles for each.

Finally, in conjunction with my affirmations, I will be tracking the amount of time that I clean. This is the only page I made without washi tape, but I think it turned out fairly well.

In had a lot of fun making these. I found most of my supplies at Hobby Lobby. Some of the stickers and the markers were things I already had around the house. Sometimes I still can't believe I have become a person who enjoys this kind of thing.