life list

So with the passing of my 27th birthday a few weeks ago, I had a slight freak-out about 30 being so close. I know, I know..... 30 is still 3 years away - BUT... 3 years ago, Jake and I were living in Portland and that seems like just a few months ago. The moral? Time goes by very quickly.

So, to make sure I do things I want to before time slips away from me, I've decided to make a list of things I want to do before I turn 30. Some will be big, some will be small, but all are things I've wanted to learn how to do and figure there's no time like the (semi) present to get them done.

- learn how to crochet so I can make cool things like this.
- knit a sweater for every person in my family
- learn how to play one (hopefully more) of the following instruments: fiddle, banjo, mandolin
- write down the children's book i have floating around in my head every day, even if no one other than any future children i may have read it
- start graduate school
- take some photography classes
- volunteer more of my time to people less fortunate
- get a pattern published in a major publication (got plenty of ideas for that one!)

I will, of course, continue to add to this list should anything else come to me, but for now.... this is what I want to accomplish in the next 3 years. It's possible.......... right?

And so this isn't a photo-less post, here's a friend I made at SAFF -

february goals

well, it's hard to believe, but today is the last day of January. this is a good thing because it means Spring is coming, and (more importantly), Spring Break is coming! definitely one of my favorite parts about working in the school system is the amazing schedule...can't ask for much more than that!

beach chairs watercolor print by lauratrevey

i want to do a quick recap on the january goals that i wrote out for myself.

my shop goal was to list 3 new items every week (not including relisting sold items). now i wasn't sure how this was going to work out for me, but i must say, it well really well! i had a little hiccup about a week and a half ago when i cut open two of my fingers and had to get stitches, but even that week i was able to list two items, and this past week after i got the stitches out, i was able to list two.

my new shop goal for the month of february is going to kinda play off of last month's goal. i want to still stick to three new items a month, but of the three, only one of them can be a pair of fingerless gloves - the majority of the items in my shop are fingerless gloves, so i need to make sure i mix it up a little. so that means more cowls, clutches and other fun things!

my personal goal last month was to step more outside my comfort zone - be embarassed. i'm a very by the book kind of girl, so this was pretty difficult for me to do. i did an okay job - nothing i feel i can really brag about. i did, however, remove my own stitches, which i felt was pretty outside of my comfort zone!

my new personal goal for this month is, well, really personal. so i'm not going to write it down (i know, lame, right?). but i knowing that i have to do it is enough.

another goal of mine (which i suppose would be both personal and could potentially have to do with the shop) is to learn how to use this....

(sorry for the crappy phone picture, haven't gotten around to taking a real one yet)

my new charkha!! jake bought me this while he was up in north carolina doing some thesis research, and i absolutely LOVE it! it's the perfect spinning wheel for a beginner like me, and it didn't break the bank. i'm so excited to learn how to use it, if for nothing else than for personal use. but hopefully i can get the hang of it and start to spin beautiful yarns for everyone else to enjoy as well!

do you have any goals you want to accomplish this month?

new years "resolutions"?

let's be honest. every january, we all make "resolutions" that more than likely fall by the wayside after about 3 weeks. i'll admit - i'm just as guilty of this as the next person. and although i would love to be able to keep these resolutions, i just get so overwhelmed with this thing called life, and end up feeling guilty because i've failed.

so, this year, i've decided to try something new. something different.

monthly goals.

2010 lunar calendar printable by bluetricycle

the way i see it, if i set certain goals for myself each month, i'm less likely to let them fall off since i'm doing them for a shorter period of time. the idea is for me to have one personal goal and one store goal. so, without much hesitation, i'm going to jump right in....

january 2010 goals:

store goal ::: 3 new etsy listings a week. relisting sold items doesn't count.

personal goal ::: step outside of my comfort "box" once a week. this is huge for me because one of my biggest fears is being embarassed. i'm trying to work on it :)

at the end of the month, i'll look back and see how i've done! if i've fallen a little short - it'll be time for a new goal!

happy 2010 everyone!

november goals

so i am not one to really sit down and write out goals, but right now there is so much running through my head, that i have to get it out. and if i don't write it out, i know i'll forget. and if i write it on paper, i'll lose it. so here i am. a list of my goals for the remainder of the month.
1 :: complete my list of knitting. i'm participating in my first craft fair at the beginning of december (yay!), so i need to make sure i have plenty of stuff knitted up for it.
2 :: read more. it's one of my favorite things ever, and since i started knitting more, i haven't had time for it. (also, if someone knows a way to read AND knit that isn't books on tape, i'd love to hear about it...or invent it)
3 :: keep this house CLEAN! it gets so cluttered so quickly! this weekend i've already planned to literally scrub everything from top to bottom, but it needs to stay that way.
4 :: start exercising more. i know i'm not fat by any stretch of the imagination, but when i think about the fact that i used to be a collegiate athlete who could run a 5 minute mile and a 17:30 5K, i get a little frustrated. but i hate running now, so i'll be sticking to the bike & doing some yoga.

those are 4 pretty good goals that i feel will keep me going through the rest of the month (by the way, it's already the 10th?? whaaaat??). they'll be on-going, as well, but no better time to start than now! i'd love to hear other people's goals as well - might give me some ideas of things for the future!!