January recap/update!

So....January's highlight: Getting my hands on the Mary McDonald Collection for Schumacher!!! Holy stunning, batman. It was even more beautiful in person and I WISH I had unlimited funds to deck out my entire house. It was gorg! 

 

As January comes to a close, I've decided to take an honest look at my goals and see where I stand!  I've done pretty good! Here they are, just as a reminder:

January Goals:

1. Whole30 Challenge - We started. We reevaluated. We're now on week 4 of paleo 5-6 days/week! Two weekends ago was out of control - full of cheating (pizza, burger, a couple of french fries, and beer were consumed! yikes! (no, not all at once)), but this past weekend was MUCH better! And I baked gfree cupcakes for company. If we cheat, we're attempting to incorporate gfree versions of what we are wanting (ie. pizza, cupcakes, pasta). Already, I'm feeling better and I can tell the effects of not eating whole when it happens. Interesting how sensitive our stomachs are when we eat crap! That in itself is a great motivator. By no means have we been perfect, but I know when I'm on track, I feel so much smaller! Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. (Well, exept pizza!) Amen. E-Mealz.com has a Paleo plan worth following. The recipes are EASY, quick, and require no thinking or planning way ahead. They offer 7 meals, so we usually pick 5-6 of them and eat leftovers or salad for lunch! All you have to do is print the grocery list and it organizes your grocery trip into categories. Most ingredients coordinate. Breakfast is hit or miss, but we've been doing Ok with throwing on some bacon&eggs. This week I bought smoothie ingredients so I'm hoping we stop skipping the most important meal of the day! 

 

2. Walk 30 minutes 5 days/week - We've done this a few times, but definitely not 5 days/week. So cold & windy here! We try to take advantage of the nice days!

3. Start weekdays off by 7:30 with devotional & prayer - I love the YouVersion App for my phone. This has happened most mornings, but more like 8am, not 7:30!

4. Scope out a couple gyms - I haven't physically set foot in a gym yet, but I've asked around enough to know which gym might be the best fit! Heading there this evening with my friend, Katie!

5. Read Blog Inc. by Joy Cho - Halfway through.

6. Date Night: West Side Story - Had more fun with Steven at dinner and just being out of the house! I had forgotten how the play sort of ends on a negative note. wompwomp. Then we came home to the scene below. Not shown: dog crap. What a pissed off puppy. He seriously looked at Steven in the eyes and proceeded to pee on our rug. Next time, he'll be going to his Aunt Cassy's! Always keeping life interesting, Finn!

7. Initiate game night with friends-we got the new Catch Phrase for Christmas! - So, I've tried. Hard to get two couples to come over in one night with everyone's schedules. 

8. Get computer fixed - ugh. Needs to get done!

9. Register Finley - realized we need to wait for the microchip! I think that happens when he gets neutered, in a month or so. Other than that, the paperwork is ready to be mailed.

10. Update licence & registration to Texas - In progress. Did you know it costs nearly $200 to be a dern Texan!? 

11. Finalize ski trip plans for February - Hotel: Booked, Ski clothes: purchased (hello, academy, for selling cheap ski gear & thank you, Athleta for having a major sale on base layer stuff that can be worn as workout clothing!) Spa: BOOKED! So pumped!

12. Begin blog gameplan - I will probably work on this more this week/weekend!

Not bad, for 12 goals, right!? I've also been reaching out and making connections- some with other bloggers in Amarillo! I've put myself out there with an interior designer, magazine editor, and event designer. I did turn down the Jr. League, for now, because the first year is a HUGE time committment and I already knew a few Thursdays I'd have to miss! I think I am going to join a Tennis team, though! I also picked up some paint supplies and I'm hoping to start painting again. 

One major issue I had this past month was shopping! Occasionally the shopping bug gets into me in a BIG way and I go slightly overboard. SALES were everywhere! Though, I stayed in my budget, (per se) I blew through a little bit of my Santa Fe savings. (This is where the envelope system would do be good). To catch back up, I cannot spend anything for the next few weeks! I also bought NOTHING for the house, other than a couple of plants :) Which, I guess, is fine. I'm actually in no rush on that one, but I do need to save up for a few things on our house project list. So, yes, while my closet is happy, I am challenging myself in Feb. to do the 30 for 30 challenge. What?! This post explains it all. I'm potentially doing 35 for 35. I will allow myself to enjoy SF, as planned and saved for (we're only there for 2.5 days, so I don't even know if there will be time to shop!) and I will wear 1 already owned cocktail dress (that won't be included in my "outfits") for a dinner party we'll be attending for Valentines! Other than that, I'm gettin serious. Stay tuned.

How's your January looking? Are you sticking to your new year goals?

xo,

SugarMeg