!!! happy new year !!!

just wanted to wish you all a happy new year!  thanks for being part of this community at our hartbeat.  i had no idea so many people would start reading this blog in 2010.

i pray you have a sweet time ringing in the new year - whether you are out partying or at home with some loved ones.  i remember having a 5 week old baby and crashing at 9pm last year.  tonight we are caring for a sick luca while eating yummy fondue (cheese and chocolate) and watching movies and playing games.

i enjoyed making a few 10 in '10 lists this afternoon and will have a few more of those posts for next week.  things like that are such great ways for me to take a step and remember.  especially before jumping in to the new year.  

and happy birthday and anniversary to the many friends who decided to be born or get married on this day! 

love you all and see you next year!

xoxo,
annalea

happy blogiversary to me

three years ago today, i started a little project with no clue what i was getting into.  and in the last five months , it has really evolved.  i love it and am excited to see how the next year turns out.

oh, and how crazy is that whole 99 followers thing?  how did that happen?  all i know is you all are pretty awesome.  thanks for hanging out with us.

simplify.focus.create - march 2010

remember my vision for 2010?   

simplify.focus.create.

two months in - one-sixth of the way through the year - and i still rocking this.  does anyone else think of the year as one-sixth of the way through?  just me?  does anyone else think i am rocking this vision? or that i just rock in general?  i am really tired - i probably wouldn't ask otherwise.  or maybe i would. 

i kept telling myself i would post a february goal update last month. and it never happened.  last month was super fast.  days whizzing by.  i ended up combining my january and february goals anyway.  because i was in denial that january was over.  so here is a look at how things have gone so far.

january/february goals recap:

• sort through file cabinets/paperwork (reorganize files, shred dated paperwork, etc.) (simplify) - almost done
• sort through toys (purge and organize) (simplify) - ongoing
• give jesse time to clean and organize the basement workshop (simplify) - postponed due to kitchen facelift
• purge and reorganize kitchen (simplify)  finished!

• pray for my marriage everyday (focus) yes, but would like to pray with jesse as well
• pray for my children everyday (focus) - yes, but still would like more specifics
• exercise at least three times/week (focus) - no, but sick kids and sick mama are to blame
• pray for one area of ministry to serve in future (focus) - no, didn't make the time, on hold for now
• have a date with jesse every week (focus) - success!
• get time with a friend once/week (focus) - success!

• develop more efficient meal and grocery shopping plans (create) - still working on it, but progress made.
• develop potager plan and order seeds (create) - uggh - super behind schedule
• finish knitting luca's scarf (create) - finished!
• gifts from the hart projects/series for blog (create) - finished!
• paint kitchen (create) - finished!

obviously some hits and some misses. that's okay. giving myself grace.  interesting to look back at what i had hoped for and see how it worked out.  the unexpected hiccups - almost the whole hart clan getting sick for two weeks, jesse working crazy amounts of overtime, kitchen walls needing repairs after wallpaper came off, the latest fibro flair-up, and jesse's back issues this weekend (which i am still trying really hard to not be bitter about - cue music.)

the biggest lesson i am learning is to be more realistic with the time it takes to get stuff done with three kiddos.  we are definitely feeling the rewards of simplifying the kitchen and creating a more beautiful and cheerful place to cook.  i think this project has helped our grocery shopping and meal planning immensely.  we cut down our eating out spending to $14 for february by being better organized and focused. 

now here are my goals for march:

• finish filing paperwork (simplify)
• finish toy purge (simplify)
• set up new seed shelving (simplify)
• start reorganizing craft area (simplify)

• pray with jesse every week (focus)
• pray for my marriage everyday (focus)
• pray for my children everyday (focus)
• exercise at least 3 times/week (focus)
• pray about homeschooling curriculum (visit co-ops) (focus)
• have a date with jesse every week (focus)
• get time with a friend every week (focus)
• attend hearts at home conference march 13th (focus)
  

• plan luca's 5th birthday celebration (create)
• finish potager plan (create)
• start seeds indoors (create)
• plant outdoor seeds when soil warms (create)
• prune roses and apple trees (create)
• finish works in progress (create)
  
• plan blog party week for end of the month (super fun - stay tuned!!!) (create)
  

and as will probably be typical - this is just my starting point.  i will tweak things a bit as the month progresses.
keep you updated (for reals this time)

how is your 2010 progressing so far? are you rocking this year?

vision for 2010

(source)

as i mentioned before, my plan for 2010 was not quite worked out before january 1. but a lot of thought had gone into the theme for my new year. it seemed important to consider what my greatest needs might be and use these to develop my goals. i also wanted to streamline - to have some way of sorting out and prioritizing my usual flurry of ideas. ever want to paint your kitchen, bathroom, and hallway the same week you could make three season planting schedule for your vegetable garden, clean out three closets, and start hitting the gym after a 6 month break? just me? no way did i actually consider all those ideas just yesterday. so, to avoid the possible resulting chaos, here is what i have come up with:

my vision for 2010 is to simplify, focus, and create.

for example, for the month of january, i have set the following goals:

• sort through file cabinets/paperwork (reorganize files, shred dated paperwork, etc.) (simplify)
• sort through toys (purge and organize) (simplify)
• give jesse time to clean and organize the basement workshop (simplify)

• pray for my marriage everyday (focus)
• pray for my children everyday (focus)
• exercise at least three times/week (focus)
• pray for one area of ministry to serve in future (focus)
• have a date with jesse every week (focus)
• get time with a friend once/week (focus)
  

• develop more efficient meal and grocery shopping plans (create)
  
• develop potager plan and order seeds (create)
• finish knitting luca's scarf (create)

the idea is that if i work to simplify our lives, i can spend more focused time on my marriage, children, health, friendships and ministry, therefore allowing myself freedom to be a more creative homemaker and person. cool, huh? i think so.

i will be planning my goals monthly and quarterly rather than for the entire 12 months (although some will be consistent throughout the year, such as praying daily and exercising regularly). this month is pretty task heavy since we are still on break from many of our weekly commitments (college campus ministry schedule). i have come up with a week by week timeline to help keep us on track. not that i expect to stay "on track." because what does that really mean? what i hope is to use my time well when the unexpected crops up, to know where i can cut back and what is important.

did you make a plan for 2010? how did you develop it? or do you just keep on keepin' on, not much noticing the date on the calendar? regardless, my prayer is that we can all be more purposeful with our time.