Well, we are now half way through the year. It’s time to get serious about some of these goals if they are to be achieved by the end of the year! June has been a funny one here, with Mr C recovering from his operation and therefore some quiet times for going out and so on, plus me changing to full time supply work and travelling some very long distances for work. I feel like I’ve done a lot more of the boring ‘grown up’ stuff and less of the fun side of things!
17 cupboards/drawers/storage areas sorted (10.5)
Not quite a whole area sorted so only a 0.5, but I’ve put a lot of the children’s old things on eBay, as well as sorting through my own clothes. Also, I’ve taken the cloth nappies we had out of storage, given them a good wash and listed them for sale. It’s nice to have a little bit more space, and a few extra pennies from selling things.
16 new recipes tried (8)
I made elderflower cordial earlier this month, and it was delicious. The next recipe was a made up one (by me) which used the cordial. I mixed it with gin and lemonade to make a very refreshing and tasty cocktail!
15 minutes per day on household admin
This is still working ok, and on the days when work is quiet I have made the most of the time to sort areas and do a spot of deep cleaning with no one to trample all over wet floors or dive into the piles of things I’m trying to tidy. I even managed to remember non uniform day correctly, which was a miracle.
14 blog posts per month
I managed exactly 14 in June, which I was a bit disappointed with, I think being so busy meant I had less time to think of exciting posts and I feel like my blog has stagnated a bit. Maybe time to look at a freshen up, with new ideas. Definitely one to think about.
13 tutorial posts in the year (6)
I’ve not done any more this month, I’ve been working on larger projects from patterns so I’ve not done anything to write a tutorial for.
12 frugal things
It’s been a bit tricky to be frugal this month with a few things in the house breaking and needing replacing, but Mr C bought some plants that needed TLC from the ‘reduced’ section at the garden centre. They have revived very nicely and have added some colour to the patio for just under Β£3. We had to buy a new fridge and, because it was in the middle of the heatwave, we ended up paying a little more than we wanted to in order to get one quickly. 5 days with no fridge in very warm weather with two children just seemed a little too much. I’ve yet to decide whether our next decision was frugal or not, but we are getting a new car. My car has been temperamental for a while, but it has broken down on me 4 times this year. The most recent was 30 miles from home, and with Mr C (at that time) unable to drive to rescue me I was in a sticky situation-not to mention the fact my phone battery had died so I couldn’t call him anyway. Fortunately the fault reset when I started the engine again, though I was a bit nervous the whole way home after that. We looked into the fault and it seemed the cost would be up to Β£1000 with no guarantee of it being fixed. At that point we decided that it was no good having such an unreliable car, especially with me driving up to 40 miles for work. The garage we are buying the new car from actually gave us a reasonable part exchange price (even with the fault). Hopefully that will be the right decision, and although it’s not necessarily money saving, having a little piece of mind will be worth it. One area where we have saved money is home insurance-I shopped around and halved the cost!
11 photos of the whole family (1)
No more this month, hopefully we will get some good photos over the summer.
10 comments/likes/both on other blog posts per day
Still plodding on. The only time I didn’t manage this was when I was working really far away as I tend to read blogs last thing at night and I was just falling asleep as soon as I got into bed. Sorry if I am a regular follower of yours and I’ve missed reading your blog-I’m trying to catch up!
9 crochet projects completed (7)
One more-the little bootees. I’ve done a lot more knitting than crochet this month too.
8 times more spent setting up photos than taking them
I’ve been using outside more for photos, and that has brought new challenges as I’ve had to try to avoid getting unwanted background items in the shots. It’s also worked well for me as I mainly take photos in the evening and the light has been really nice for it.
7 patterns written (2)
Nothing, nil, nada. I’ve been making my WIPs and not experimenting with my own patterns. However, every new pattern I try helps me to learn a new technique or stitch, and this bank of information will hopefully come in handy when I do get around to writing more of my own.
6 new places visited (4)
One Friday after work, I arrived home to the news that Mr C’s parents were having the children and that we could have a day out. We went to a small local town (Horncastle) to visit a craft store and generally have a wander around. It was rather lovely to visit a new place (we’ve driven through it several times but never stopped there). We finished it off with a cup of tea and shared a slice of cheesecake. Here’s a photo of the cheesecake (with Mr C in the background, who insisted he needed his sling on for sympathy!)
5 outings with friends organised (3)
None this month, but I would have been reluctant to leave Mr C to care for the children alone with his poorly arm. Hopefully soon!
4 cards made per month
Lots made this month for birthdays and Father’s Day, none for the reserve stash but they have all been sent out and warmly received. I definitely need some birthday cards ready to go.
3 seasons of harvesting on the allotment
This one is still on, the first harvest has been and gone, we’ve been feasting on strawberries throughout June and the new potatoes are starting to be ready too. The other plants are growing well too, and we are getting ready to preserve some of them as they are ready in the next month, especially pickling beetroot and blanching and freezing green beans.
2 workouts per week
I’ve been far too tired after working and allotmenteering. I’m beginning to wonder if these are more of a winter thing for me, as the summer leaves me with so little spare time.
1 Slimming World Target certificate
The start of the month was a fail as I struggled to manage everything. However, since then I have lost weight every week so I can’t grumble.
0 unnecessary craft purchases
Maybe one or two have sneaked in, as I found some lovely stitch markers from Lulabella’s Hand Knits. (Check out the page, and don’t blame me if you end up buying too!)
Now we are half way through the year, I can see where I need to work a bit harder, and where perhaps I was a tad unrealistic in January. How are your goals going? Have you achieved any already?
Must be encouraging to be able to see what you have achieved already. Keep going!
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Thank you, yes, it has been good to see progress made. π
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Its lovely to play and have fun, but sometimes life things get in the way, and then you just count your blessings and get on with it. You have (from what I gather when I read your blog,) got a lovely hubby and a lovely little family, that is far more of a blessing than having a neat and tidy cupboard or clear draws lol.
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Thank you, you are right. I shall keep plugging away at the tidying side of things. I do have a lot to be thankful for. π
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I have a lovely clean and tidy home but I would change in a heart beat to have my children small again (apart from not wanting to give up my grandson lol). Then the house was usually untidy whilst I played with them or made things for them. Make the most of it – one day you too will turn round in a lovely tidy home and wonder where the years went.
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Thank you, I shall try to get a good balance π
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I think you’ve done really well – I have weeks, or so it seems, where I faff about pointlessly and achieve nothing…cheesecake looked totally yummy…!!!!πΈ
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I know what you mean, sometimes we all need a little down time! The cheesecake was yummy and totally a balanced meal as it was very fruity! X
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πππππππΈ
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I’ve fallen behind on the blogging too. It’s just harder to find the time to read and write blog posts when the weather is nice. π
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It is, especially with so much else to do! π
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Such a wonderful post! π You should be very proud of all the things you’ve accomplished! You most definitely deserved that yummy looking cheesecake! π Raspberry? π
As to your question…my goal is to write more enticing π posts, and up my views every month. So far, so good π Babysteps….but it is happening.
Thank you for being part of my journey! π
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Thank you, it was mixed berry cheesecake and extremely rich! Good luck with your goal, I enjoy your blog. π
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Thaaaank youuuu π€
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Oh…and Mr. C has my heartfelt sympathy π€
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Thanks, I’ll pass it on!
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And we come to terms with how hard we are on ourselves. The allotment counts as a workout. Gardening is good exercise. You could afford to replace broken things because you were frugal. People who aren’t frugal can’t replace broken things because they didn’t save. I have emergency money saved, which I consider frugality to the ninth. Tutorials are way too difficult to create, just forget about them, and if you write a pattern you can double dip and call it a tutorial, because you wrote some instructions. In general I see here the battle between loving to be at home and the reality of having to work. You’re a hard worker and doing it all by the sweat of your brow. Overall, I see here a very humble assessment of your month. Also, congratulations on sticking to your guns. You signed up in January and it’s June, and you’re staying on course with the plan. You have a lot more to be proud of this month than you allow yourself to be proud of. From here on out it’s all about sticking to your guns and striving for what you want to achieve.
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Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment, which gave me a new perspective on my month. Your support of my blog is much appreciated! π
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You’re welcome and my pleasure! I love your blog. I enjoy reading it because it’s got a different perspective and activities I don’t get involved in.
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π
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Lots to do each month – if a few things slip then nothing to worry about. That cheesecake caught my eye and made my tum rumble!!!
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Lol, sorry! The cheesecake has been very popular!
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You are doing great! Most people drop their goals in January. Look at all you’ve accomplished!
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Thank you, I’ve surprised myself by keeping up with them!
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Still half a year to go. Decide which is the most important you and go for it all out. That cheescake looks amazing.
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Thank you, it was amazing π
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Sounds like you are making progress with your sorting. I have done very little, but every little bit counts, right? Love the little baby boots. So adorable. Love the little stitch markers. They are very tempting. One day I will get some cute ones and give up the plain plastic ones I have π
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Thank you, I do love to have pretty things to craft with! Sorting is a task best broken down for me, otherwise I get fed up and abandon it.
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I think you have accomplished a lot! I love the booties!
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Thank you, they have been very popular. π
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So much to fit in in the summer months – you are dong really well!!!!
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Thank you, I underestimated how busy summer could be!
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