In September: Goals and Ambitions

I think the thing I love most about any new month is setting goals for the days ahead...But in September...I feel such ambition and anticipation that I can barely limit myself to just a few items.  I over plan: I daydream; I am scattered all over the place both planning to work and to savor the new season ahead.  It is no different for me this year.  

I worked in August, but I took my time about it.  The house is pretty much autumn ready now, as far as the cleaning tasks go.  There are a few of those I still want to tackle but the majority of that work is done.  The house is freshly decluttered.  I've slowly placed a few pretty things here and there to delight my eye.  

It feels like the right way to start this new month and a new season.   

Spiritual/Personal:  

I have completely lost interest in the Bible study I was doing.  It wasn't a planned study per se, but just reading I was doing on my own, but I think I would be happier with a study that prompts me to read, observe and asks questions of me.  I noted that there are several studies online on various subjects or chapters.  I've chosen a study by Pastor Chuck Smith at blueletterbible.org on the book of Romans which is what I've been struggling through.  I always fall that the Apostle Paul confuses me with his arguments so perhaps this Pastor will help clarify things for me.

Continue the Gratitude Journal journey.  I've had to stop myself a few times before going to bed to get the gratitude written out, but it has genuinely helped to remind me that I have much to be grateful for, well beyond monetary things.  

I completely stopped reading Joy Clarkson's book, You Are a Tree.  It didn't have a thing to do with not liking it (I did) or that it was difficult (it wasn't).  It had everything to do with me.  I didn't want to move on to the next chapter until I read/watched/looked at the recommended books, video and artwork that went with each chapter.  And some were very lengthy reads or watches or hard to find.  I could have gone right on without that part of the study, but my mind said, "Nope...not doing it properly..."  which is utter nonsense.  It is one of my goals this month to finish reading the book.

In late August I set up a self-care plan that I have loosely followed.  I'm going to create a self-care journal to get me on track with that (I'll include all of the above items as well).

Create my seasonal play list.

Read. Genealogy. Journal. 

Set up September Wardrobe.

Buy a new pair of athletic shoes.  

Make a fall Bucket List.  I think one reason I really enjoyed this summer was that I made a point of taking the time and money to go get peaches, eat the seasonal treats, do the seasonal things.  I want to do the same for these Autumn months. I want to savor the stuff that makes Autumn such a joy.

Home and Garden:

I'm slowly decorating my home for the coming season.  I don't want anything over the top fall but something that will look warm and cozy for the next few months, all through the colder months.  I'll add in some blatant fall decor (Glass pumpkins for one thing and later Christmas stuff) but I want the overall decor to stand on its own).  

Decorate the bookshelves and the buffet.

One thing I'm going to look for this year are some pretty throws that are soft and pleasant.  I have some lovely, crocheted ones, but they itch.  I don't like itchy throws.  I'm thinking something luxe, like velvet.

Get back into the home keeping routine I let drop in June.  Then I can do the deeper cleaning in bits and increments rather than knocking myself out trying to catch back up.

Find frames for the two Currier and Ives prints I want to hang in the kitchen.  Then hang them.  This might now seem like such a big goal but finding frames the right size, affording them if they happen to be new, making myself actually get out and do the shopping, etc. is a task all in itself.

Finish decorating the guest room.  I don't know if I want a new comforter or not, but I definitely want to make that room more comfortable.  I want to get a little table to sit beside the chair at the window, refinish and reupholster the chair and fix the seat, get throw pillows for the bed, remove the boxes of books in the corner behind the door, look for lamps for bedside tables and a reading lamp for the chair, hang pictures, paint the chifforobe...There's so much to do!  I made it look passably good for Lily's visit, but I'd like it to be a pretty room and a pleasant one that is functional for many things.

Look for and start to save for new curtains for the living room.

Make the outdoor planters pretty for fall.  I have some mums that wintered over nicely and are looking very lush, and the coleus should carry on a bit longer but I can add a bit more color to the planters.

Divide and replant iris.  

Buy daffodil bulbs and get those in the ground.

Clean up the patio and porches. Discard spent plants, empty and MOVE the empty pots, finish painting the furniture, clean.  

Plant fall vegetables.  My window is getting smaller the longer I push this off.  I have time enough to grow and harvest peas, green beans, parsley, lettuce.  I can plant a few other things if I get to the store and buy the seeds.  I'm not trying to have a huge crop of anything.  Just every little bit I can grow myself will help, right?  I'm not going to beat myself up though if I can't because money, money, money still comes into play.  I'll do what I can with what I have and add in any extras however I might.

Gather seeds: Echinacea, Rudbeckia, Balsam, Marigold, Coleus, Petunia, Portulaca.  Again, every bit counts and if I can save seed to plant next year, it will be nice to have them.

Finances:

We've already seen the grass slowdown in growth so that means we can reallocate those funds.  We had several bill increases over the past two months.  It's time to start planning for propane fill-ups, which is a fairly steady expense for at least the remaining months of this year.  But I'm also hoping that I might find a bit of wiggle room.  We'll see.  Reset the budget, again.

Get aggressive with Christmas savings.

Redetermine our grocery budget.  In July I cut our budget back to what we've had for years, even though I knew it didn't quite cover what we'd typically spend while being careful.  If I can go up, I will.  If I can't then I'll just dig in my heels and determine what else, I can make myself and turn the savings towards other grocery needs.  

You'll see in the above paragraphs that I am planning a lot of spending.  I'll watch for sales, look at thrift stores, cut costs everywhere I can, use my allowance... Most of all I'll be patient.  I've wanted plenty over the years and while I'd like to do it all at once, I work with the budgets I have to work with.  I don't rush ahead; I know what the priorities are and what's nice but not necessary.  One thing I'm trying to do lately is buy the very best I can possibly manage and not just buy something because it's cheap.  I'm planning for the long haul these days not the short term.  And I don't mind using what I have in the meantime until I can do better.  That's where the patience really comes in!

Be Grateful.  If everything doesn't go to plan, there will still be silver linings to look for.  

Kitchen:

It's all about the warming spices and Autumn goodness for me this time of year.  I'm not a Pumpkin Spice girl but Katie introduced me to a wonderful, spiced drink at Starbucks a few years ago, a Chai latte with espresso shot.  I found a recipe for a homemade Chai tea mix that I think will work well as a flavoring for my coffee in the mornings.  I plan to get that mixed up and start to enjoy it.

Spice cake, gingerbread, pumpkin loaf...but also Chilies, stews, pot roasts...Those are all on my radar.

Make Oatmeal cookies.  Katie put in an order for these two weeks ago.  I bought Old fashioned oats so I could get them made.

Granola.

Pull up the seasonal foods chart to see what should be fresh (and hopefully cheap) this month.  And determine what I can preserve of those foods.  I'd like to get into the habit of preserving something every month.

That's it.  There are tons of things I want to do besides just this.  Yet I am fairly sure we'll be busy enough this month.  There's a new baby, Caleb to watch for a few days, time with the other grandkids, small groups starting back up, the usual housework and vacation...I'm sure we'll be plenty busy.  

What do you have planned for September?

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