New Year's Challenge: Week 1: The Office

This year is about being good enough. I don't know about you, but this is a real struggle for me. To start this year's theme on the right foot, I am participating in an organizing challenge hosted by one of my favorite organizational blogs: A Bowl Full of Lemons.

I am participating in ABFOL's: 

Week One, of course, starts with the one room I was hoping I wouldn't have to think about for a while: the office!

Keeping this year's Good Enough theme in mind, rather than trying to overwhelm myself to the point of tears and trying to actually organize my abyss of an office, I focused on 1 section of some wall shelves for my essential oil business. Guess what? It worked! I had to fight myself quite a few times to stay focused on just do that section and no more. It took half an hour here, fifteen minutes there, and an hour or so when I could throughout the last several days, but I have completed Week One's challenge!

Is it huge? No.
Is it life-changing? Not really.
Did I say I would complete the challenge? Yes.
Did I complete the challenge? Yes!

Do you know how it feels? It feels GREAT!

Clutter-Free Challenge: Starting with the Most Important Part

What is the most important part when trying to conquer anything, clutter included?

Your Mind!

In the Clutter-Free Challenge post for Day 2, Glynnis talks about how to conquer your mind and get into the right place to prepare to clear the physical clutter. Here is her prayer to help you prepare:

Lord, You know how hard it is for me to focus sometimes.  It’s hard to figure out what needs to be done.  I just feel overwhelmed and discouraged.  I know You aren’t a God of confusion, so I ask for Your wisdom and clarity to help bring order to my chaotic mind.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Clutter-Free Challenge

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I am following a blog that is hosting a Clutter-Free 15 Day challenge. It sounds like it is up my ally, though I am not tying myself down to accomplishing it all in 15 days, because, for me, that is not realistic.

This is the prayer she suggests starting with. I have added my name with her's.

Heavenly Father, You alone know my heart as I start this challenge.  You know the depth of my discouragement and the loss of my hope that I’ll ever be free of the clutter in my life.  So today, as I take this step with Glynnis, Trailmixy Melanie, and other many others, I’m asking for Your help.  Help me have Your perspective on the areas of my life that feel overwhelming.  Clear my mind of the negative chatter.  Protect me from an enemy who wants to confuse and defeat me.  Reveal his lies and replace them with Your truth about my worth and potential.  With Your help I believe I can make progress.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Won't you join in this Clutter-Free adventure?

New Year, New Goals

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Resolutions....
Hmmm...I always feel like the *right* thing to do is make them each year. Then I get caught up in how important that word seems and how I can't possibly perfectly live up to those resolutions, and they start slipping fast. Once life steps in, those resolutions are history.

Goals...
To me, goals are much more attainable and open to revamping whenever I feel that I am straying and need to reevaluate. I am making a few new goals for this new year. I plan on reevaluating them on a quarterly basis to see how I am progressing, then reworking those goals as the need may be.

These are my new goals for the year:

PERSONAL

• Blog at least once per week = 52 posts for the year
• Work towards my weight loss and exercise goals 
• lower BMI by a minimum of 2.4 points
• lower my weight by 15 pounds
• lower my waist measurement by 5 inches
• lower my body fat percentage (according to my scale) by at least 2%
• Complete the doTERRA Slim & Sassy Challenge

SPIRITUAL

• Complete the 60 day reading plan (not necessarily in the 60 days, as long as it is completed)
• Choose another reading plan to complete

PROFESSIONAL

• Find at least 1 more business to create and manage a website for
• Increase my doTERRA team
• Hold a minimum of 1 essential oil class each quarter
• Teach 2 cloth diapering/ green mama classes this year
• Teach 2 green living DIY classes this year
•  Teach 1 mystery shopping class this year
• Attend at least 2 professional workshops/ conferences this year
• Attend at least 4 professional classes this year

FAMILY

• Continue to pay down debt and stay on track to be debt free (aside from mortgage) by the end of 2013
• Organize entire basement
• Reduce "stuff" by 10%

Splitting up my goals into categories seems like it will be easier for me to accomplish, and to not be overwhelmed. I will work on these and check in on these in 3 months. 

What are your goals for the new year?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 23

image from: stmaryourladyofransom.com
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 23: October 23, 2011

• Baptism for my daughter K
• Fall festival at church
• Friends and family who truly care
• God for blessing us with another wonderful daughter and entrusting her to us

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 22

image from: yardsellr.com
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 22: October 22, 2011

• Scrapbooking with my mom and sister
• My hands-free breast pump (Medela Freestyle)
• Memories

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 21

image from: nhpoai.wordpress.com
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 21: October 21, 2011

• Our biannual Rummage Saling  and Thrift shopping Day!
• Spending time with mom, sis, mom-in-law, husband N and daughters A and K
• Laughter and smiles for an entire day
• Fridays!

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 20

image from: http://www.mydoterra.com/22313/
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 20: October 20, 2011

• The end of my work week
• The Mother's Milk tea that my husband N makes me every morning
• Being able to share my things with others
• doTERRA Trimshake for breakfast to get me going and to help with the baby weight that won't budge

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 19

image from: getrichslowly.org
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 19: October 19, 2011

• Being able to run the office even when the boss is gone
• A good lactation day
• Canning homemade salsa
• Making kale chips (yum!)

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 18

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 18: October 18, 2011

• Being on time for work
• Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey
• God's gifts in my life
• Spending time with my husband N

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 17

image from: recipes.howstuffworks.com
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 17: October 17, 2011

• Staying busy at work (makes the time go by!)
• Slow cooker dinners (ready when we walk in the door...yum!)
• BBQ ribs

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 16

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 16: October 16, 2011

• Church (and being on time for it!)
• Donuts
• Clearance at the supermarket
• Visiting my grandma

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 15

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 15: October 15, 2011

• Free Boo Bash for the kids
• Sunshine and Blue Skies with a backdrop of autumn colors
• In-laws that I get along with very well
• Carving pumpkins together

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 14

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 14: October 14, 2011

• An extra day of work to add to the time card $$
• A great financial planner and friend....Thanks, Maria!
• Hello...Friday of course!
• Bunco with a few friends

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 13

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 13: October 13, 2011

• Four straight hours of sleep...not wonderful, but way better than 2!
• Coupons and frequent shopper programs to help stretch the money
• One more day until the weekend

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 12

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 12: October 12, 2011

• Mystery shops that provide nice clothes and jewelry for me to pad my budget
• Leftovers!
• Helpful Husbands...Thanks, N, for all you do to help!

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 11

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 11: October 11, 2011

• Getting some extra time on the time clock at work
• Mystery shops that get me pretty jewelry that I would never normally buy 
• A great husband who shares picking up the girls after work

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 10

image from: medelafreestylebreastpump.org
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 10: October 10, 2011

• Having a great dad and step mom who watch our girls for us, and get to know them while they are at it
• A great boss who is smart, funny, and most importantly: understanding!
• A hands free pump that I can us while sitting in my car to enjoy the last of the wonderful weather

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 9

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31 Days of Gratitude

Day 9: October 9, 2011

• GREAT weather and time to go for a walk with my girls, A and K
• Sunshine and warm breezes to dry our clothes and diapers on the clotheslines
• Feeling like at the end of the weekend you actually accomplished some things 

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?

31 Days of Gratitude Challenge Day 8

image from: heartofaloha.org
31 Days of Gratitude

Day 8: October 8, 2011

• Side jobs that help pay bills
• Nana's pumpkin patch....Our duaghter A had a great time picking pumpkins and yelling at 'her' chickens
• Being able to spend time with my mom and sister

Won't you share what you are grateful for today?