Goals

I always dread the end of summer. School is the first sign that the best time of year is coming to a close. I live for the long days of sunshine and warmth. I don't look forward to short days, cold, and gloom. I know it's a while off, but knowing it's coming makes me feel anxious.

I have set a few goals to help me get to the end of the year. Keeping goals constantly helps me improve myself and get things done. I do love projects.

1. Exercise every weekday morning with James for 30 minutes. So far, I am really enjoying this. I got a fair amount of exercise over the summer with all the yard work, but there isn't enough outside to keep me busy anymore. We are doing Your Shape, an Xbox workout game, while listening to my Spotify playlists. I'm a little sore, but in a good way. I've already adjusted to getting up at 6. Exercise always starts the day off right, but if I don't do it first, it isn't likely to happen. Since I'm up, I can also make James a decent breakfast instead of him eating cold cereal. (I could write a whole blog about how lame I think cold cereal is!)

2. Finish using the denim squares I've cut out to make jean quilts. I actually already did this one! I just finished my last blanket yesterday, a twin size and my 5th one for our house. I'm going to take a very long break to hopefully make queen or king-sized blankets for my kids when they're a lot older. Since I need 288 per quilt, I will need to save for a long time! Maybe by then I'll have a decent sewing machine.

3. Go on adventures to finish exploring Uintah County. As mentioned before, we've done a ton of exploring this summer. We have about 5 day trips left to see the rest, and after that, we can do some hikes during cooler weather (September, October) before there's snow. I have everything mapped out. We just have to get in the car and go!

4. Finish the hard piano book I'm working on. It's a pre-virtuoso level, so I have to work really hard on the songs to make them sound good. I have only 3 left! After that, I really want to learn the additional music found on lds. org (stuff they print in Church magazines). We will have to buy a printer first. :) I also have a really hard LDS song book, meant for special musical numbers. I slacked off a lot over the summer, so I really hope to get back into practicing every day.

5. Finish trying recipes for the Happy Herbivore cookbooks. I have tried a ton so far and found lots that I've liked. I know my blog hasn't been updated in a long time with recipes, so I'll get on that too. HH's recipes are plant-based. I've learned some fun, new food combinations that are also easy, cheap, and healthy. Win-win!

With all this and being involved in Joseph's school, I'm hoping I won't have time to be depressed.