I've just been through my August goals, and I'm really pleased at how well I did overall in meeting goals. I think I touched on all except a few, three of which had to do with how I'd 'savor summer' and two items under family. Otherwise, I excelled this month as far as I'm concerned.
I am officially finished with the #everybitcounts challenge for 2025. I don't plan to can, harvest or purchase anything more through the end of this month and the first week of next. Although I do have a coupon for a free dozen eggs, I want to be sure to use before it expires next week.
So, what is September going to look like?
1. Fall cleaning. I plan to get started on this because, like my 'stock for the year ahead' impulses, this has kicked in. I don't have loads to do but there are things I want to get done. Mainly washing curtains, cleaning windows (inside and out), dusting walls and deep vacuuming each room. By deep vacuuming I mean moving furniture and getting under beds and along the edges of the room
That also means cleaning the siding (at least portions of it. There's one section I can't clean due to being too far from the hoses. Fortunately, that is the south end of the house where algae does not build up like it will on the northern ends.
I want to get both porches cleaned up, wash down the furnishings, etc. Really both porches and the patio have been badly neglected this year. Both porch floors need to be freshly painted. I don't know if I'm going that far or not.
2. Fall Garden. Technically I can plant quite a bit before frost date, (or waste the seeds trying as I've done since Spring). I also want to amend every pot and planter (except the one that has brand new soil) I have in the yard.
I want to keep harvesting herbs and seeds here and there, and lo and behold, I found three tomatoes today when I was outdoors. Now if the horned worms will just ignore the plants like they have all summer...I wish I had time to grow more tomatoes, but I don't.
I found a fuchsia-colored Balsam in two different flowerpots that have only just come up and bloomed so I want to be sure and get seed pods off those to add to the others I've harvested.
3. Pull a stack of books to read this month. Frugal Luxuries, Simple Abundance, The Artist's Way. I'll add in some fiction choices, too. The kids have asked to continue to go to the library so between my shelves and whatever I pick up at the library, I shall not be without books.
4. Order a bathing suit.
5. Get back on my eating plan. I haven't gained any wait these past six weeks. But I do want to see if I might lose another size (my goal is to take it one size at a time.) I'm not dieting. I am going to try to eat more fiber (mostly vegetables and fruit) and to cut down on carbs. And try to be careful about portions.
6. Christmas. It's John's request that I make a list now so that he can start to order it. I want to start to look for things for the kids and to set some money aside as well for the grown-ups that we give cash to.
7. Birthdays: Have I mentioned that we have a six-week spell from end of October to the first days of December that are birthday heavy? Josie's three children, and four grandchildren have birthdays in that time frame, so I need to ramp up birthday gift savings and get birthday cards ahead of time, etc.
8. Project Rediscovery. This will be mostly journaling, studying, Pinterest, some shopping. I am going to take this month to find my joys once more. Not just the seasonal pleasures (and it is time to start a Fall list of things to savor in this season), but of myself. To find the sort of creative pursuits, fashion style, routine.
It's not about being perfect, nor about presenting a facade, but becoming my authentic self, what I genuinely enjoy, find meaningful, etc.
9. Write an Ideal Life piece. What do I consider the ideal life as a semi-retired (I just cannot bring myself to say I am 'retired', when I'm still working! lol) mature woman? I want to be realistic about what my expectations are but also focus more on what my ideal is than on what my current reality might be.
10. Go one step further: figure out the path to that ideal life. I know it's great to have this 'whole' vision of a life, but it's more productive to break it down and figure out what the beginning of things looks like. What do I see as the first step? Where do I need to start? How much money do I think I'll need to begin? How much time? What materials? How can I use what I have? Where do I begin? I need to know these things if I'm going to ever do more than just daydream.
11. Family/Events.
I'm keeping the boys on September 2 and will keep the other kids three afternoons most weeks.
We will have a Gramma's Fried Chicken dinner with Katie and family.
Caleb and Millie have Grandparents Day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, that we will be attending.
We can't attend Isaac's Grandparents Day due to a scheduling conflict between his and Caleb's school (tickets were purchased for Caleb's event before Isaac's invitation came out). So, we plan to take Isaac out to lunch, just him and us and I need to schedule that day.
Henry's first birthday will be this month and we're celebrating with a party.
John has got a surgery appointment (outpatient for his basal cell cancer) and is playing for two different events this month.
Go visit Mama.
12. Visit BJs wholesale club. The new store opens this month in Warner Robins. I lucked upon a deal while ordering Henry's birthday gift where I could get a membership to BJs for $15. John had been asking me if I'd switch from Sam's to BJs and I'd told him I'd like to at least get a good deal on my first membership for BJs. Otherwise, if I had to pay $50, I might as well stick with Sam's since the cost was the same. However, this deal popped up, I purchased a membership. I don't plan to attend the grand opening, nor go over on a weekend, but thought we'd go by on a weekday when the crowds are thinner.
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