Leslie's Litter

I have been listening to Dave Ramsey for quite some time, after some gentle  urging from my husband to get on board with him and his financial outlook.   Now that we are on the same page, and working through our debt snowball (which will be finished by the end of 2013 with our current habits) I have decided that "hey, this guy really does  know what he is talking about and I should put more faith into ALL of his ideas." This all boiled to down to CASH.  I despise CASH.  I am nervous to carry it around with me, I feel like I should use it all right away, and I forget to actually use my change so after a while my purse weighs a few extra pounds ;)  I have gone to a cash only budget and quickly given up after running out of money within the first week.  Since I am more of a "I want it NOW" kind of girl my debit card has always come in handy during these moments. Now that it is a new year I had this great idea that I should follow the principles laid...

Another year has come and gone...  Memories have been made, Laughs Shared, and Countless Moments have Slipped by - Did you make the most of each of them? As the new year rings in I have made my list of goals so that I can be more intentional in my living, and accomplish more for myself and my litter.  I am hoping to create less stress  Stick to Monthly Budget/Use Cash Read 1 Non-Fiction Book Every Month        Along with Additional Fictional Novels 1 Baking Project Every Month 1 New Recipe Every Month Complete Couch to 5K and Run a 5k Race Pay Off Home Equity Line Make Homemade Gift for Holiday List Be More Prepared & Organized for Holiday Season Finish Resume Updates Yoga 1x/Week Re-organize/Decorate Office Area Re-organize closets & cabinets 1 Date Out per Month with Sean In order to be more organized and be better at ...

The end of the month (and year) are here!  So this is how I finished out the month.... Complete! -  1.  Read 4 Holiday Themed Books  Complete! - 2.  Send Out Holiday Cards to Friends & Family, by 12/5 Complete! - 3.  Take a Family Picture, Including the Entire Litter Complete! -  4.  Bake Christmas Cookies Complete! -  5.  Create a Rice Krispy Train Complete! -  6.  Holiday Decor Up, by 12/5 Complete! -  7.  All Gifts Purchased/Made,  by 12/9 Complete! -  8.  All Gifts Wrapped & Separated by Families, by 12/16 Complete! -  9.  Host Family Dinner for In-Laws, December 23rd Complete! -  10. Visit The Lights at The Toledo Zoo Complete! -  11. Adopt a Family in Need for Christmas Complete! -  12. Enjoy Hot Chocolate at least Once a Week Complete! - 13. Take Treats to Neighbors with Thank You Notes (Well I forgot the notes,          ...

So.... here is my goal post from January 2012, along with an update of how I did for each of goal. This year I have decided to challenge myself with goals in multiple different areas of my life... including in the kitchen!  I am planning on trying a new recipe, and baking something (FROM SCRATCH!) each month in 2012.  *My husband hasn't decided if he will try them all or not, but hopefully they are not complete failures and he enjoys eating them as much as I enjoy trying to make them. (I didn't do my best at baking and cooking, but I did try a few new recipes and made more food at home rather then eating out - A step in the right direction!) I have also made goals in the financials areas of my life with plans to follow the Dave Ramsey plan and paying off all debt and begin working on our mortgage with "gazelle intensity".  We have also laid out an updated Budget and I plan to strictly stick to this, allowing us more money to put on our debt . (We did wonderfully...

Today is the 15th... Almost halfway through the month, and only 10 days until Christmas!! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday spirit, and not letting the stress of the holidays take over.  I know that I have been able to find a lot more enjoyment in the season by focusing on the positive, and just letting things run their course. Here is another update on my goals so far this month....  1.  Read 4 Holiday Themed Books (I am on books #4 and #5 right now, and one is a beautiful story so far and won't take me long to finish up!) 2.  Send Out Holiday Cards to Friends & Family, by 12/5 (done) 3.  Take a Family Picture, Including the Entire Litter (done x2) 4.  Bake Christmas Cookies (done, and going to bake more tomorrow!) 5.  Create a Rice Krispy Train (still on our list, but hopefully we will be doing this on Wednesday night!) 6.  Holiday Decor Up, by 12/5 (done) 7.  All Gifts Purchased/Made,  by 12/9 ( ALMOST done... j...

For only being 6 days into the month I have completed quite a few things off of my bucket list, as well as a lot of things off of my regular to-do list, and some things I didn't even plan.   My favorite trip to make every year (how did I forget it on my bucket list) is to the Wildwood Manor House for a Holiday tour!  I even had some wonderful people join me, and we signed up to decorate a room of our own next year! 1.  Read 4 Holiday Themed Books (2 books started!) 2.  Send Out Holiday Cards to Friends & Family, by 12/5 (My last order was finally delivered to me yesterday, so they were all in the mail this morning!) 3.  Take a Family Picture, Including the Entire Litter (We took one last night, but I think I want another one complete with santa hats and princess crowns this weekend!) 4.  Bake Christmas Cookies (We made cookies last night with a wonderful helper!  Check out the pictures below....) She LOVED the sprinkles!!! ...

December is finally upon us.  My yearly goals have changed quite a bit since January, however I am still creating goals and working on completing them each day, week, and month! Here is what I hope to accomplish this December.  I decided to take a break from "the real world" and focus on friends, family, and the Holiday Spirit! 1.  Read 4 Holiday Themed Books 2.  Send Out Holiday Cards to Friends & Family, by 12/5 3.  Take a Family Picture, Including the Entire Litter 4.  Bake Christmas Cookies 5.  Create a Rice Krispy Train 6.  Holiday Decor Up, by 12/5 7.  All Gifts Purchased/Made,  by 12/9 8.  All Gifts Wrapped & Separated by Families, by 12/16 9.  Host Family Dinner for In-Laws, December 23rd 10. Visit The Lights at The Toledo Zoo 11. Adopt a Family in Need for Christmas 12. Enjoy Hot Chocolate at least Once a Week 13. Take Treats to Neighbors with Thank You Notes 14. Watch 2 Christmas Movie...