Category: BUCKET LIST

WORDS & LISTS for 2025 ~ BLOG 365.1B

Back in 2022 Jean over at Chit Chat with Jean did a word for the year and also a list of “22” things to accomplish in 2022. I liked the way she thought and realized that 2022 items would be unreasonable and using the last 2 numbers to do 22 items is completely acceptable, reasonable and even doable. Since that was my first time attempting that kind of list I didn’t have any ‘leftovers” from the previous year and that made me smile and approach the task as even more possible.

After giving this serious thought I decided to join in. Was I be as successful? YES, for the most part.

I’m seriously gave it a try. I did quarterly updates until the end of the year and then decided to do 2023 also 😀 Towards the end of 2023 I fell off the wagon and don’t even ask me about 2024! BUT, I’m back for 2025!

Your Word of the Year sets your intention or theme for how you want your life and year to flow as we move forward in 2025.

I found an Elizabeth Ryder post about selecting your word of the year. This is from her page on how to select your word of the year.

How to choose your Word of the Year:

  1. Grab a piece of paper and make two columns. On one side, write down everything that went well over the past year. On the other side, write what you would like to change.
  2. Review the list of what went well.
    • How do these things make you feel?
    • What do you want more of?
  3. Choose one to five words that really speak to how you want your year to feel. Nouns, verbs, anything works—just words that feel good to you. Don’t get caught up in the grammar.
  4. Review them all together, then narrow it down to one you know you need more of in your heart.

Then, write your word on a pretty note card and stick it to your bathroom mirror or anywhere else you’ll see it every day. Some other ideas are on your car’s sun visor, your office wall, or make it your computer desktop or phone wallpaper.

Choosing a “Word of the Year” is a personal and inspiring process. This is not a comprehensive list, but if you need some inspiration, here are 50 words to spark creativity and reflection:

Transform
Courage
Harmony
Adventure
Balance
Resilience
Growth
Mindfulness
Joy
Empower
Focus
Heal
Innovate
Thrive
Simplify
Connect
Explore
Gratitude
Peace
Create
Nurture
Discover
Inspire
Flourish
Awaken
Believe
Reflect
Elevate
Persevere
Dream
Sustain
Empathy
Challenge
Diversity
Kindness
Wisdom
Freedom
Renew
Resolve
Engage
Passion
Vibrant
Calm
Illuminate
Transform
Integrity
Breathe
Aspire
Unite
Evolve

Each of these words carries its own unique energy and potential for personal transformation. The key is to find a word that resonates deeply with your aspirations and challenges for the year ahead.

In my case I decided a single word just won’t work. There are too many things I want to accomplish so I chose a few, well actually 10. I even tried to make an acronym out of them. My words are:

  • BALANCE all my responsibilities with more fun and adventure
  • BREATHE before making a decision to get involved in ANY project
  • EVOLVE from the rut I’ve been in to a new lease on life with a Passion Project
  • SIMPLIFY by continuing to downsize all the stuff in our life and de-clutter most of it
  • HEAL or AKA continue to stay healthy and work on dietary issues
  • INSPIRE my own creative outlet and as many others as possible
  • PERSEVERE through all of my health issues and life itself
  • THRIVE despite the medical and dietary issues
  • PASSION for getting back to more of my favorite pass times – reading, quilting, painting
  • GRATITUDE for everything and EVERYONE in my life

In the end I realize I’d be happy if any of these words would happen for me on any given day 😀

My list for 2025 is (some are holdovers from 2023):

  • Do a Happy Homemaker Monday post each and every week. This keeps me more on track and organized about my home life. Doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively helps keep me on track as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for this week.
  • Do 1-2 devotionals every day
  • Follow a nightly skincare regime
  • Complete 4 quilts – at least 1 for each quarter.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my food blog, Savory Kitchen Table.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on Chasing MY Life blog. When I merged my old blogspot blogs into this single blog it duplicated many things and added an “ALL” category that I am having to eliminate one by one so it’s taking a LONG time.
  • Make a better effort to reach out and connect with friends and family more regularly.
  • Learn YOGA or Pilates or both!
  • Take at least a 3 mile walk daily.
  • Continue to downsize and declutter EVERYTHING.
  • Clean out photo files that date back almost 15 years!
  • Create shutterfly photo albums for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016 and then delete the photos from ALL my devices.
  • Go through scrap recipe tote and eliminate all the recipes I will never try – they’re just not worth saving.
  • Do more drawing and painting – at least one per month.
  • Focus on rewriting more recipes to work for only 2 with no leftovers.
  • Volunteer at least once a month for a community project.
  • Do a date weekend once a month – exploring a new place we’ve never been before.
  • Clean out old files and recycle or destroy old papers.
  • Clean out craft cabinets and donate craft parts no longer needed.
  • Eat at least 1 piece of fruit daily.
  • Do at least 1 random act of kindness every time I leave the house.
  • Read 48 books. Hopefully it will be more, but I think this is a realistic goal.

What do you think? Do you want to join in also?

MID YEAR UPDATE QUARTERLY LIST UPDATE ~ BLOG 365.181

It’s MID-YEAR update time. Can you believe we’re half way through the year already? This year seems to be pedaling by faster and faster!

When I took one of those silly Facebook games last December it said my word was RESILIENCE, but I liked PROGRESS better. So decided both words for RESILIENT PROGRESS were better! Then I saw a meme that spoke to me and decided to add BALANCE! I truly believe all three words work hand in hand to make life easier and happier.

Update to MY list for 2023 is:

  • Do a Happy Homemaker Monday post each and every week and link up with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom. This keeps me more on track and organized about my home life. Doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively helps keep me on track as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for this week.DONE TO DATE
  • I have also decided the join Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom for her Blog 365 challenge. A blog post every single day of 2023!  Sometimes the post might be a full one but other times it might simply be a picture. I may not always get the logo in, but I will get the post done! DONE TO DATE except 5 back posts I’m working on to get up to date.
  • Do a devotional every day. I seriously need to get better in this category. When time falls short and there is so much to do, personal time AND pampering time always take a back seat 🙁
  • Follow a nightly skincare regime. DONE TO DATE (pretty well)
  • Complete 4 quilts – at least 1 for each quarter. This year is starting off right with these 2 Christmas beauties being bound. I have several others that are 90% done, but need bindings and I’m hoping to get to them soon.
  • Make a better effort to reach out and connect with friends and family more regularly. Pretty good, but could still be better!
  • Learn YOGA or Pilates or both! I can’t seem to find the time to do these, but will keep working on it.
  • Take at least a 2 mile walk daily. While I USUALLY get this done in just my daily routine, it is something I need to be more conscious of accomplishing.
  • Continue to downsize and declutter EVERYTHING. DONE TO DATE and the garage sale was a GREAT success despite the weather (sun, rain, wind, snow and that was just the first hour). The BIG & HEAVY items are sold and gone which was the most important thing to me. As we continue to go antiquing I have added more questions to my thought process about whether I really need and/or will use something before I buy it. I have a couple boxes of old toys that I’m meeting with my antiques guy to sell.
  • Clean out photo files that date back 13 years! I’m working on it, but it’s really hard. This is a serious work in progress that will ALWAYS take ALL year, EVERY YEAR, mainly because I keep taking pictures 😀
  • Create Shutterfly photo albums for 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. These have been in the works for awhile, but I’m going to get them done this year.
  • Do more drawing and painting – at least one per every other month. NOT so good this year as it has been filled with working on the estate sales with a friend as well as our own garage sale through the horribly long and cold/wet winter. The remainder of our garage sale items were donated to the Eagles for their yard sale (enough to cover my good deed category).
  • Focus on rewriting more recipes to work for only 2 people with NO leftovers. This is a work in progress, but doing REALLY well so far. It has been seriously complicated by the increase in grocery prices 🙁 A friend loaned me her mom and grandma’s recipe boxes which was fun for some new recipes. It also helped with the “clutter” since I only photoed those recipes I REALLY wanted to make – so I only “rented” them.
  • Volunteer at least once a month for a community project. Since I’ve gotten more involved in the Eagles this is a category I SERIOUSLY accomplish regularly and enough for the both of us. 😀
  • Do a date weekend once a month – exploring a new place we’ve never been before. In February we were going to take a Valentine’s couples painting class that didn’t happen but in March we went for a special romantic dinner to TRUE KITCHEN for hubby’s birthday and it was fantastic. In January we were going to go to the beach antique shopping and a special dinner out at Waterfront Depot, an old train depot on the bay, but weather has been so bad and medical appointments didn’t line up so we will postpone this until later this year. In April we finally made it to the coast and did some antiquing also. Tomorrow night we going to dinner and see a local oldies band.
  • Clean out old files and recycle or destroy old papers. This is still an ongoing work in progress, but I’ve made seriously good progress in 2022 and so far through 2023 and will finish through next winter.
  • Eat at least 1 piece of fruit daily. Good so far.
  • I’m all about leading a positive life and carrying the Christmas spirit year round. There is no better way to do that than to do at least 1 random act of kindness every time I leave the house.
  • Read 36 books. Hoping for double this year over last year! 36 was a realistic goal and I actually reached 59 which makes me REALLY happy!  Here’s a list of the books I have in queue – a baker’s dozen+ to get this year started. When I’ve actually read them I’ll change their number to red. 1) A Fire Sparkling by Juliane Maclean 2) The Honey Bus by Meredith May 3) When It Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee 4) The Brighter the Light by Mary Ellen Taylor 5) The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman 6) The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James 7) The Silent Woman by Minka Kent 8) Waking Kate by Sarah Addison Allen 9) Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford 10) The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff 11) The D’Angelos by Catherine Bybee 12) Brewed Book #1 in the Cozy Coffee Shop series by Heather Sage 13) Cauldrons Call by Kristen Proby 14) The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham 15) Someone to Hold Wild Widows #2 by Marie Force. 16) State of Shock, First Family #4 by Marie Force 17) Summer Magic #1 The Thorne Witches by T.M. Crom 18) Clue Crewe by Jana De Leon 19) Cauldron’s Call by Kristen Proby 20) Find Her by Chris Patchell 21) The Sunrise Cove Inn (Vineyard series #1) by Katie Winters 22) Firefly Nights (Vineyard series #2) by Kate Winters 23) On The Market (Texas BBQ Brothers #1) by Audrey Wick 24) We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker 25) A New Choice (The new Beginnings Series #1) by Michelle MacQueen 26) The Copperfield House (A Nantucket Sunset series #1) by Katie Winters 27) Firefly Nights, #2 Vineyard series by Katie Winters 28) August Sunsets, #3 Vineyard series by Katie Winters 29) Under the Maui Sky #1 Maui Island by Kellie Coates Gilbert 30) Fortune Teller #25 Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon 31) State of Denial #5 First Family series by Marie Force 32) The Heart Match by Phillipa Nefri Clark 33) The Menu Match by Phillipa Nefri Clark 34) The Christmas Match by Phillipa Nefri Clark 35) Justice, A Rocky Mountain Thriller by Ann Voss Peterson 36) The Alice Network by Kate Quinn 37) Girl One Murder ~ FBI Suspense Thriller #1 by Maya Gray 38) Lost & Found ~ A Clean Small Town Romance #1 by Lucinda Race 39) A Vineyard Thanksgiving #4 Vineyard series by Katie Winters 40) A Vineyard White Christmas #5 by Kate Winters 41) A Vineyard Vow #6 by Katie Winters 42) A Vineyard Lullaby #7 by Katie Winters
  • I’ve added a “SEASONAL” list too. I started with fall that you can see here. And a simple winter list is here. I’ll work on a spring list if it ever happens 😀 – never got around to the spring list and it turned into the summer list which is primarily figuring out and solving the irrigation and water u=issues around here.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Food blog, Savory Kitchen Table. This is a serious work in progress and hold over from 2022 that WILL take ALL year.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Life blog, Chasing MY Life. When I merged my old blogspot blogs into this single blog it duplicated many things and added an “ALL” category that I am having to eliminate one by one so it’s taking a LONG time. This is a serious work in progress and roll over from 2022 that WILL take ALL year into the next also.

SPRING QUARTERLY LIST for 2023 ~BLOG 365.80

When I took one of those silly Facebook games last December it said my word was RESILIENCE, but I liked PROGRESS better. So decided both words for RESILIENT PROGRESS were better! Then I saw a meme that spoke to me and decided to add BALANCE! I truly believe all three words work hand in hand to make life easier and happier.

Update to MY list for 2023 is:

  • Do a Happy Homemaker Monday post each and every week and link up with Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom. This keeps me more on track and organized about my home life. Doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively helps keep me on track as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for this week.
  • I have also decided the join Sandra over at Diary Of A Stay At Home Mom for her Blog 365 challenge. A blog post every single day of 2023!  Sometimes the post might be a full one but other times it might simply be a picture. I may not always get the logo in, but I will get the post done!
  • Do a devotional every day.
  • Follow a nightly skincare regime.
  • Complete 4 quilts – at least 1 for each quarter. This year is starting off right with these 2 Christmas beauties being bound. I have several others that are 90% done, but need bindings and I’m hoping to get to them soon.
  • Make a better effort to reach out and connect with friends and family more regularly.
  • Learn YOGA or Pilates or both!
  • Take at least a 2 mile walk daily. While I USUALLY get this done in just my daily routine, it is something I need to be more conscious of accomplishing.
  • Continue to downsize and declutter EVERYTHING. This is a serious work in progress that has taken ALL 2022, BUT IS GOING REALLY WELL and will be done by the end of March when we are planning a HUGE garage sale weather pending.
  • Clean out photo files that date back 13 years! I’m working on it, but it’s really hard. This is a serious work in progress that will ALWAYS take ALL year, EVERY YEAR, mainly because I keep taking pictures 😀
  • Create Shutterfly photo albums for 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. These have been in the works for awhile, but I’m going to get them done this year.
  • Do more drawing and painting – at least one per every other month.
  • Focus on rewriting more recipes to work for only 2 people with NO leftovers. This is a work in progress, but doing REALLY well so far. It has been seriously complicated by the increase in grocery prices 🙁
  • Volunteer at least once a month for a community project. Since I’ve gotten more involved in the Eagles this is a category I accomplish regularly.
  • Do a date weekend once a month – exploring a new place we’ve never been before. In February we were going to take a Valentine’s couples painting class that didn’t happen but in March we went for a special romantic dinner to TRUE KITCHEN for hubby’s birthday and it was fantastic. In January we were going to go to the beach antique shopping and a special dinner out at Waterfront Depot, an old train depot on the bay, but weather has been so bad and medical appointments didn’t line up so we will postpone this until later this year.
  • Clean out old files and recycle or destroy old papers. This is still an ongoing work in progress, but I’ve made seriously good progress in 2022 and will finish through the winter and spring.
  • Eat at least 1 piece of fruit daily. Good so far.
  • I’m all about leading a positive life and carrying the Christmas spirit year round. There is no better way to do that than to do at least 1 random act of kindness every time I leave the house.
  • Read 36 books. Hoping for double this year over last year! 36 was a realistic goal and I actually reached 59 which makes me REALLY happy!  Here’s a list of the books I have in queue – a baker’s dozen+ to get this year started. When I’ve actually read them I’ll change their number to red. 1) A Fire Sparkling by Juliane Maclean 2) The Honey Bus by Meredith May 3) When It Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee 4) The Brighter the Light by Mary Ellen Taylor 5) The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman 6) The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James 7) The Silent Woman by Minka Kent 8) Waking Kate by Sarah Addison Allen 9) Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford 10) The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff 11) The D’Angelos by Catherine Bybee 12) Brewed Book #1 in the Cozy Coffee Shop series by Heather Sage 13) Cauldrons Call by Kristen Proby 14) The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham 15) Someone to Hold Wild Widows #2 by Marie Force. 16) State of Shock, First Family #4 by Marie Force 17) Summer Magic #1 The Thorne Witches by T.M. Crom 18) Clue Crewe by Jana De Leon 19) Cauldron’s Call by Kristen Proby
  • I’ve added a “SEASONAL” list too. I started with fall that you can see here. And a simple winter list is here. I’ll work on a spring list if it ever happens 😀

  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Food blog, Savory Kitchen Table. This is a serious work in progress and hold over from 2022 that WILL take ALL year.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Life blog, Chasing MY Life. When I merged my old blogspot blogs into this single blog it duplicated many things and added an “ALL” category that I am having to eliminate one by one so it’s taking a LONG time. This is a serious work in progress and roll over from 2022 that WILL take ALL year.

2022 IN REVIEW as 2023 LOOMS AHEAD

I joined up with Jean over at Chit Chat with Jean to do an accomplishment list for 2022 and a word for the year. This is my year in review. I wondered if I would be successful? I’m impressed that I did REALLY well. I’m also looking forward to doing this all again in 2023. I fell back FINALLY into my more organized ways. The minimalizing lifestyle has helped tremendously!!

My list for 2022 is:

  • Do a Happy Homemaker Monday post each and every week. This keeps me more on track and organized about my home life. Doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively helps keep me on track as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for this week. DONE
  • Do 1-2 devotionals every day. DONE, but not as consistent as I’d like 🙁
  • Follow a nightly skincare regime – DONE
  • Complete 4 quilts – at least 1 for each quarter. 1 and 2 Christmas quilt wall hangings (tree and Santa) done, but need binding, 3 Snowman lap quilt, and 4 and 5 batik table runners in opposing colors are done and a batik table runner.
  • Learn YOGA or Pilates or both! These are going to continue to be a work in progress.
  • Make a better effort to reach out and connect with friends and family more regularly. This is AND ALWAYS WILL BE a work in progress.
  • Take at least a 2 mile walk daily. DONE most days
  • Continue to downsize and declutter EVERYTHING. This is a serious work in progress that has taken ALL year and isn’t done yet, BUT IS GOING REALLY WELL and will be done by next March when we are planning a HUGE garage sale.
  • Clean out photo files that date back 13 years! I’m working on it, but it’s really hard. This is a serious work in progress that will ALWAYS take ALL year, EVERY YEAR, mainly because I keep taking pictures 😀
  • Create Shutterfly photo albums for 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. Yet to do 😀 but this WILL get done in January.
  • Go through scrap recipe tote and eliminate all the recipes I will never try – they’re just not worth saving. DONE
  • Do more drawing and painting – at least one per month. I’m still working on a few of these, but did complete several, one of which was for a Ukranian fund raiser. And hubby and I did one for a date night outing where we went to the afternoon class then dinner out 😀 Neither one of us liked it though so I’m not even posting it 🙁
  • Focus on rewriting more recipes to work for only 2 people with NO leftovers. This is a work in progress, but doing REALLY well so far. It has been seriously complicated by the increase in grocery prices 🙁
  • Volunteer at least once a month for a community project. DONE TO DATE I have gotten quite involved at the Eagles post doing various projects. I cooked dinner several times in 2022, helped with the Christmas parade float, food and presents for needy families, cleaned up a WAY OVERGROWN yard of an elderly friend in AUGUST as well as some grocery runs and various other projects.
  • Do a date weekend once a month – exploring a new place we’ve never been before. I’d like to say we’ve been really good about this, but it’s only happened a few times so far this past year, but three of those were 3 day trips so that counts extra right 😀 1) RICOTTA class at a local winery 2) BURGERS & BEER at a local brewery that opened a new BURGER BOMB food truck 3) Romantic dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant 4) We spent 2 days at a resort near Lassen National Park hiking and exploring 5) We spent 2 more days at Mt. Shasta also hiking and exploring 6) Afternoon paint class then dinner out at a favorite little rooftop bistro we like 😀 7) Trip to Silver Falls to go hiking and exploring and RELAXING 😀 8) Trip to Coos Bay for Shore Acres Light Show where we stayed at a cute little house on Oyster Cove
  • Clean out old files and recycle or destroy old papers. This is still an ongoing work in progress, but I’ve made seriously good progress and will finish through the winter and spring.
  • Clean out craft cabinets and donate craft parts no longer needed. DONE
  • Eat at least 1 piece of fruit daily. DONE
  • Do at least 1 random act of kindness every time I leave the house. DONE
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Food blog, Savory Kitchen Table. This is a serious work in progress that WILL take ALL year into next year.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Life blog, Chasing MY Life. When I merged my old blogspot blogs into this single blog it duplicated many things and added an “ALL” category that I am having to eliminate one by one so it’s taking a LONG time. This is a serious work in progress that WILL take ALL year into next year.
  • Read 36 books. Was hoping for double, but this was a realistic goal and now looks like I actually reached 59 which makes me REALLY happy! The books in blue are works in progress and will be moved to the 2023 list to begin the year. 1) State of Grace by Marie Force, 2) Swamp Sweets by Jana DeLeon, 3) Beside Golden Irish Fields by Ava Miles, 4) What Child Is This by Rhys Bowen, 5) Women and Children First by Gill Paul, 6) Return to Sender by Jennifer Peel, 7) The Cape May Garden by Claudia Vance, 8) South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber, 9) A Home for Unloved Orphans by Rachel Wesson and 10) All My Loving by Marie Force 11) Wild Widows by Marie Force 12) Return to Sender by Jennifer Peel 13) In Name Only by Jennifer Peel 14) Flame & Fortune by Jana DeLeon 15) The Restaurant by Pamela Kelley 16) Here, There & Everywhere by Marie Force 17) Someone Like You by Marie Force 18) Beach House Romance by Cora Seton 19) Return to Sender by Jennifer Peel 20) In Name Only by Jennifer Peel 21) Silent Partner by Jennifer Peel 22) The Wedding Charm by Susan Hatler 23) The Girl From the Channel Islands 24) Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas 25) The Book of Sorrel by Jennifer Peel 26) Written in the Stars by Noelle Fox 27) The Restaurant by Pamela Kelley 28) Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman 29) Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger 30) The Woman with the Blue Star by Pan Jenoff 31) The Lost Girls by Pam Jenoff 32) The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin 33) The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham 34) The Stationmaster’s Cottage, #1 Rivers End by Phillipa Nefri Clark 35) Accidentally Matched An Alaska Matchmaker Series by Cathryn Brown #1 36) Finally Matched An Alaska Matchmaker Series by Cathryn Brown #2 37) Hopefully Matched An Alaska Matchmaker Series by Cathryn Brown #3 38) A Fire Sparkling by Juliane Maclean 39) The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham 40) Jasmine Sea, #2 in the Rivers End series by Phillipa Nefri Clark 41) Palmerston House, #3 in the Rivers End series by Phillipa Nefri Clark 42) Last Known Contact by Phillipa Nefri Clark 43) The Honey Bus by Meredith May 44) Deadly Falls #1 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 45) #2 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 46) #3 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 47) #4 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 48) Hickory Lane by Heather Webber 49) Swamp Spirits #23 Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon 50) UNMISSING by Minka Kent 51) The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent 52) When It Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee 53) The Brighter the Light by Mary Ellen Taylor 54) Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes, Winter Series #1 by Joanne Demaio 55) Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 56) The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman 57) The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James 58) The Lost Girls of Paris by Pan Jenoff 59) Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne MacLean 60) State of the Union – First Family #3 by Marie Force 61) The Silent Woman by Minka Kent 62) Waking Kate by Sarah Addison Allen 63) Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford 64) The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach by Pam Jenoff 65) Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne Maclean 66) Someone to Hold – Wild Widows #2 by Marie Force 67) The D’Angelos by Catherine Bybee 68) Brewed Book #1 in the Cozy Coffee Shop series by Heather Sage 69) Adrift Book #2 in Tempest Island by Jana DeLeon 70) Hallows End by Kristen Proby 71) Cauldrons Call by Kristen Proby 72) Eight Maids a Missing by Jana DeLeon
  • I’ve added a “SEASONAL” list too. I started with fall that you can see here. And a simple winter list is here.

FALL UPDATE and WINTER 2022 TO DO LIST

I’d been doing a quarterly update of the MAIN list I made last January to participate with Jean and I’d never thought about making one that was seasonally specific to holiday menus and events, but I really like the idea that Jean got from her friend, Rebecca at Rebecca’s Hearth and Home. So I started with a Fall 2022 list. Here’s that update with a follow up of a Winter 2022 list. I’ll still do a BIG MAIN list again for 2023, but also include the seasonal ones as we move through the year.

FALL LIST

  • Plant the mums that my friend gave me for my birthday and clean out whiskey barrel planters in prep for winter. DONE and the mums are looking really colorful. They LOVE their new home.
  • Prep outside patio furniture and BBQ for winter months. DONE and no maintenance until the spring power washing is a real plus!
  • Deep clean oven and refrigerators. DONE but of course this is an EVERY season thing! I’ve been using the indoor NINJA grill so that has helped tremendously.
  • Fall trip to coast with hubby for my birthday. We had a WONDERFUL time! We went to the Oregon coast for 4 days. Our room had a balcony and was seaside with a great view for sunsets. Lounging around was perfect on a rainy day and when the weather was good we combed the beach and antiqued looking for winter projects is what I wanted to say, but REALITY was an early October trip to a small town that hosts a Christmas light/German market to plan a Christmas trip… but, that was also canceled and we’ve been looking for a new option.
  • Go to the Harvest Festival at the fairgrounds. DONE and I had a GREAT time. Most of my Christmas shopping was accomplished here.
  • Go to the Christmas Craft Fair at the fairgrounds. DONE and I had a GREAT time.
  • Deep clean bird bath and hummingbird feeders. DONE! Hummingbirds are year round here so this is also an EVERY season thing around here.
  • Sort through ALL clothes and donate EVERYTHING that doesn’t fit or I just don’t care for anymore.WHEW this was larger category than I thought, but I am almost done.
  • Finish cleaning out pantry, freezer and seasonings to start fresh in the new year. DONE
  • Clean out and cover garden beds as soon as zucchini and tomato plants are done – probably in about 2 weeks. DONE
  • Bake something once a week from my new cookbook. MOSTLY DONE I did miss a couple weeks, but have been working my way through the tagged and starred recipes.
  • Try a new and challenging cooking or baking technique every week. EVERY week might be too much as there really are very few things I haven’t tried to do, so I’ll change this to once a month 😀
  • Start indoor herb garden so I have them for the winter. DONE
  • Learn YOGA. I’m just not sure I have the patience for this as my list is always so long to get done, but I’m trying.
  • Take ALL Sundays completely off to watch football, NASCAR, snuggle up and read or WHATEVER I want for that 1 day a week.

Did you accomplish what you wanted to for the FALL? Now it’s time to move onto winter. 😀

WINTER 2022/2023 TO DO LIST – a much shorter list than the other seasons because of the holidays 😀

  • Prep the “neighbor plates” for Christmas. This year I’m making candied Jalapenos, Snickers Brownies, the normal sugar cookies and candies. Many of my neighbors are elderly and two different ones that we’re fairly close to have both had COVID recently and one had shingles at the same time! I also made them each BIG pots of soup and bread so they didn’t need to cook.
  • Continue to bake something once a week from my new cookbook.
  • Finish sorting, condensing and prepping for the spring garage sale. This category is going REALLY well and I can’t wait to finish.
  • Take ALL Sundays completely off per hubby’s rul snuggle up and read or WHATEVER I want for that 1 day a week.

2022 LIST UPDATE ~ 3RD QUARTER

I joined up with Jean over at Chit Chat with Jean to do an accomplishment list for 2022 and a word for the year. This is my 3rd quarterly update. I wondered if I would be successful? I’m impressed that I’m doing really well. I’m also looking forward to doing this all again in 2023. I seem to FINALLY be falling back into my more organized ways. The minimalizing lifestyle has helped tremendously!!

My list for 2022 is:

  • Do a Happy Homemaker Monday post each and every week. This keeps me more on track and organized about my home life. Doing Happy Homemaker Monday so extensively helps keep me on track as it summarizes the past week and lays out a fairly concise plan for this week. DONE
  • Do 1-2 devotionals every day. DONE, but not as consistent as I’d like 🙁
  • Follow a nightly skincare regime – DONE
  • Complete 4 quilts – at least 1 for each quarter. 1 Christmas quilt wall hanging done almost done, 2 batik table runners in opposing colors are done and but I’m still working on one more quilt, a batik table runner.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Food blog, Savory Kitchen Table. This is a serious work in progress that will probably take ALL year into next year also.
  • Finish indexing the recipes on my Life blog, Chasing MY Life. When I merged my old blogspot blogs into this single blog it duplicated many things and added an “ALL” category that I am having to eliminate one by one so it’s taking a LONG time. This is a serious work in progress that will probably take ALL year into next year also.
  • Make a better effort to reach out and connect with friends and family more regularly. This is a work in progress.
  • Learn YOGA or Pilates or both! These are a work in progress.
  • Take at least a 2 mile walk daily. DONE most days
  • Continue to downsize and declutter EVERYTHING. This is a serious work in progress that will probably take ALL year, but be done by next March when we are planning a HUGE garage sale.
  • Clean out photo files that date back 13 years! I’m working on it, but it’s really hard. This is a serious work in progress that will always take ALL year, mainly because I keep taking pictures 😀
  • Create Shutterfly photo albums for 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016. Yet to do 😀
  • Go through scrap recipe tote and eliminate all the recipes I will never try – they’re just not worth saving. DONE
  • Do more drawing and painting – at least one per month. I’m still working on a few of these, but did complete several, one of which was for a Ukranian fund raiser. And hubby and I did one for a date night outing where we went to the afternoon class then dinner out 😀 Neither one of us liked it though so I’m not even posting it 🙁 I’m scheduled for one more “Santa Gnome” this year the first week in November. Isn’t he adorable?
  • Focus on rewriting more recipes to work for only 2 people with NO leftovers. This is a work in progress, but doing REALLY well so far. It has been seriously complicated by the increase in grocery prices 🙁
  • Volunteer at least once a month for a community project. DONE TO DATE
  • Do a date weekend once a month – exploring a new place we’ve never been before. I’d like to say we’ve been really good about this, but it’s only happened 3 times so far this year 🙁 1) RICOTTA class at a local winery 2) BURGERS & BEER at a local brewery that opened a new BURGER BOMB food truck 3) Romantic dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant. 4) We spent 2 days at a resort near Lassen National Park hiking and exploring 5) We spent 2 more days at Mt. Shasta also hiking and exploring 6) hubby and I are doing one tomorrow. We’ll go to an afternoon paint class then dinner out 😀 7) We were putting together a trip not to far from home for our anniversary in August, but changed it to one after school started for my birthday and then changed it yet again – we leave on Tuesday! 😀
  • Clean out old files and recycle or destroy old papers. This is still an ongoing work in progress, but I’ve made seriously good progress and will finish through the winter and spring.
  • Clean out craft cabinets and donate craft parts no longer needed. DONE
  • Eat at least 1 piece of fruit daily. DONE
  • Do at least 1 random act of kindness every time I leave the house. DONE
  • Read 36 books. Was hoping for double, but this was a realistic goal and now looks like I’ll actually reach that original hope of double. Since I’m now 3/4 of the way through the year I have high hopes of making that double number. 60 so far — 1) State of Grace by Marie Force, 2) Swamp Sweets by Jana DeLeon, 3) Beside Golden Irish Fields by Ava Miles, 4) What Child Is This by Rhys Bowen, 5) Women and Children First by Gill Paul, 6) Return to Sender by Jennifer Peel, 7) The Cape May Garden by Claudia Vance, 8) South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber, 9) A Home for Unloved Orphans by Rachel Wesson and 10) All My Loving by Marie Force 11) Wild Widows by Marie Force 12) Return to Sender by Jennifer Peel 13) In Name Only by Jennifer Peel 14) Flame & Fortune by Jana DeLeon 15) The Restaurant by Pamela Kelley 16) Here, There & Everywhere by Marie Force 17) Someone Like You by Marie Force 18) Beach House Romance by Cora Seton 19) Return to Sender by Jennifer Peel 20) In Name Only by Jennifer Peel 21) Silent Partner by Jennifer Peel 22) The Wedding Charm by Susan Hatler 23) The Girl From the Channel Islands 24) Breakfast at the Honey Creek Cafe by Jodi Thomas 25) The Book of Sorrel by Jennifer Peel 26) Written in the Stars by Noelle Fox 27) The Restaurant by Pamela Kelley 28) Secrets Hidden in the Glass by Cate Beauman 29) Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger 30) The Woman with the Blue Star by Pan Jenoff 31) The Lost Girls by Pam Jenoff 32) The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin 33) The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham 34) The Stationmaster’s Cottage, #1 Rivers End by Phillipa Nefri Clark 35) Accidentally Matched An Alaska Matchmaker Series by Cathryn Brown #1 36) Finally Matched An Alaska Matchmaker Series by Cathryn Brown #2 37) Hopefully Matched An Alaska Matchmaker Series by Cathryn Brown #3 38) A Fire Sparkling by Juliane Maclean 39) The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham 40) Jasmine Sea, #2 in the Rivers End series by Phillipa Nefri Clark 41) Palmerston House, #3 in the Rivers End series by Phillipa Nefri Clark 42) Last Known Contact by Phillipa Nefri Clark 43) The Honey Bus by Meredith May 44) Deadly Falls #1 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 45) #2 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 46) #3 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 47) #4 Charlotte Dean Mysteries by Phillipa Nefri Clark 48) Hickory Lane by Heather Webber 49) Swamp Spirits #23 Miss Fortune series by Jana DeLeon 50) UNMISSING by Minka Kent 51) The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent 52) When It Falls Apart by Catherine Bybee 53) The Brighter the Light by Mary Ellen Taylor 54) Snowflakes and Coffee Cakes, Winter Series #1 by Joanne Demaio 55) Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 56) The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman 57) The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James 58) The Lost Girls of Paris by Pan Jenoff 59) Beyond the Moonlit Sea by Julianne MacLean 60) State of the Union – First Family #3 by Marie Force 61) The Silent Woman by Minka Kent 62) Waking Kate by Sarah Addison Allen 63) Real Bad Things by Kelly J. Ford
  • I’ve added a “SEASONAL” list too. I started with fall that you can see here.

AUTUMN SEASONAL LIST OF TO DO ITEMS

I’ve been doing a quarterly update of the MAIN list I made last January to participate with Jean and I’d never thought about making one that was seasonally specific to holiday menus and events, but I really like the idea that Jean got from her friend, Rebecca at Rebecca’s Hearth and Home. So here’s my Fall 2022 list.

FALL 2022 TO DO LIST

  • Plant the mums that my friend gave me for my birthday and clean out whiskey barrel planters in prep for winter.
  • Prep outside patio furniture and BBQ for winter months.
  • Deep clean oven and refrigerators.
  • Fall trip to coast with hubby for my birthday.
  • Go to the Harvest Festival at the fairgrounds.
  • Go to the Christmas Craft Fair at the fairgrounds
  • Deep clean bird bath and hummingbird feeders.
  • Sort through ALL clothes and donate EVERYTHING that doesn’t fit or I just don’t care for anymore.
  • Finish cleaning out pantry, freezer and seasonings to start fresh in the new year.
  • Clean out and cover garden beds as soon as zucchini and tomato plants are done – probably in about 2 weeks.
  • Bake something once a week from my new cookbook.
  • Try a new and challenging cooking or baking technique every week.
  • Start indoor herb garden so I have them for the winter.
  • Learn YOGA.
  • Take ALL Sundays completely off to watch football, NASCAR, snuggle up and read or WHATEVER I want for that 1 day a week.

Do you have any specific plans for the FALL?

BUCKET LIST UPDATE

TODAY I AM CELEBRATING 
LIFE AS IT HAPPENS EACH & EVERY DAY.
On 12-29-2010 my life changed forever with a cancer diagnosis so of course I made a BUCKET LIST.  No, not because I’m dying, but because I’m living. I’m doing well and getting close to being able say complete remission.

Miracles DO happen 

Then life kinda got out of control and I forgot about the list.  It is time to start thinking about it again make some fun plans.

There are so many things I want to do before I do die, but there never seems to be enough time, money or energy so I’m making a list as I go and changing that.  I’m fortunate that I have already done so many things, but there are so many more yet to do!  I no longer stress out over the small things and they were right, they are all small things! 
  • – Eat a hangover burger – 12-28-11
  • – Go to a PRO football game
  • – Go to a PRO hockey game
  • – Learn a new hobby
  • – Finish my novels
  • – Finish my cookbooks
  • – Get published
  • – Go to Vermont/New England and see the changing colors in the fall
  • – Go to Disneyworld/Epcot Center
  • – Go to an Olympics
  • – Get a postcard series of pictures published
  • – Go white water rafting
  • – Go Deep Sea Fishing (if only for the pictures)
  • – Go Parasailing
  • – Design and publish a quilt pattern
  • – Travel 1st Class (sort of) 10-7-14 (trip post to follow)
  • – Move to a new part of the country and start afresh learning new local history
  • – …
Every time I update this list I will change to the current date to show my progress.

My birthday is in September, but with the weather so hot during that month we waited until October to take a trip for my birthday, not that the weather was that much better.  In the “old” days we would take a little trip for each of our birthdays.  That all changed with hubby’s last alert, activation and eventual deployment.  With the fall out of the VA after that, then my cancer and 5 surgeries we never seemed to get back to the trip around my birthday – something ALWAYS came up.  Well, this year we made it.
So for my birthday present from hubby we spent 3 days and 2 nights aboard the historic Queen Mary living in a harbor view first class luxury stateroom with a trip to the Aquarium.  I promise a post and lots of pictures soon!

BUCKET LIST ~PLANS FOR THIS WEEK… BUCKET LIST

PLANS FOR THIS WEEK…  NOT MANY!
YOU SEE,
TODAY I AM CELEBRATING LIFE.

On 12-29-2010 my life changed forever with a cancer diagnosis so of course I made a BUCKET LIST.  No, not because I’m dying, but because I’m living. I’m doing well and recovering. Miracles DO happen.  Then life kinda got out of control and I forgot about it.  It is time to start thinking about it again make some fun plans.
There are so many things I want to do before I do die, but there never seems to be enough time, money or energy so I’m making a list as I go and changing that.  I’m fortunate that I have already done so many things, but there are so many more yet to do!  I no longer stress out over the small things and they were right, they are all small things! 
  • #  1 – eat a hangover burger – 12-28-11
  • #  2 – go to a PRO football game
  • #  3 – go to a PRO hockey game
  • #  4 – finish my novels
  • #  5 – finish my cookbooks
  • #  6 – get published
  • #  7 – Go to Vermont/New England and see the changing colors in the fall
  • #  8 – Go to Disneyworld/Epcot Center
  • #  9 – Go to an Olympics
  • #10 – Get a postcard series of pictures published
  • #11 – Go white water rafting
  • #12 – Go Deep Sea Fishing (if only for the pictures)
  • #13 – Design and publish a quilt pattern
  • #14 – Travel 1st Class
  • #15 – …
Every time I update this list I will change to the current date to show my progress.

THE NEW AND IMPROVED BUCKET LIST

PLANS FOR THIS WEEK…  NOT MANY!

YOU SEE,

TODAY I AM CELEBRATING LIFE.

2+ years ago, 12-29-10, my life changed forever with an ovarian cancer diagnosis followed by MAJOR surgery and recovery. Then came another surgery for a subsequent problem. Now there is another and bigger medical issue, but I’m coping.

What I am also doing is making a BUCKET LIST.  No, not because I’m dying, but because I’m living. I’m doing well considering and I’m recovering. Miracles DO happen.

There are so many things I want to do before I do die, but there never seems to be enough time, money or energy so I’m making a list as I go and changing that.  I’m fortunate that I have already done so many things, but there are so many more yet to do!  I no longer stress out over the small things and they were right, they are all small things! 

  • #  1 – eat a hangover burger – 12-28-11
  • #  2 – go to a PRO football game
  • #  3 – go to a PRO hockey game
  • #  4 – finish my novels
  • #  5 – finish my cookbooks
  • #  6 – get published
  • #  7 – Go to Vermont/New England and see the changing colors in the fall
  • #  8 – Go to Disneyworld/Epcot Center
  • #  9 – Go to an Olympics
  • #10 – Get a postcard series of pictures published
  • #11 – Go white water rafting
  • #12 – Go Deep Sea Fishing (if only for the pictures)
  • #13 – Design and publish a quilt pattern
  • #14 – Travel 1st Class
  • #15 – Take a Mississippi River Steamboat Cruise
  • #16 – Take a River cruise
  • #17 – Say what I mean in a nice way and quit sugarcoating it when the person needs to hear the truth.
  • #18 – Forgive ex, but follow through with WHATEVER it takes to finally get settlement even if it means being ruthless since he was the master manipulator and I was the naive laid back one.
  • #19 – Appreciate each moment and stop letting fear immobilize me…
  • #20 – Be kinder…gentler…more sensitive to others… Realize we are all dealing with difficulty…
  • #21 – Breath more…Talk less…Listen…
  • #22 – PURGE “items” from my life so my loved ones don’t have to do it later.

Every time I update this list I will change to the current date to show my progress.