February: Week 3 Check-In

Still behind, but managing!

FEBRUARY 2014 GOALS

Month is currently 86% over.

Overall: 55.9% complete.

CAREER - 97.3% Complete

Caricature practice sessions. – 300/360 minutes – 83% complete.

Caricature test session. – 20/20 celebrities – 100% complete.

Caricature studies. – 30/30 minutes –100% complete.

Make target income for the month. – 106% complete.

Up number of monthly illustrations. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

One personal illustration. – Done | Flatted | Lined | Sketched | Not Done

Some notes:  So I did do one personal illustration this month, but it wasn't for I am the Villain.  That's okay.  I'm just glad I got something completed for once!  I still have to complete last month's IATV illustration...  Also, I did finally get caught up on commissions.  Only took me all month.  I feel like I need a random free week to get fully caught up.  Or some additional caricature gigs.  That would be great.

FINANCIAL - 97.2% Complete

Research one investment or retirement option for freelancers. – 0/1 – 0% complete.

Make monthly additional payment for Aaron’s student loans. – 100% complete.

Make monthly savings deposit. – 100% complete.

Save for a new dining table. – 87/$87 – 100% complete.

Save for a new camping tent. – 29/$29 – 100% complete.

Maintain budget. – 24/28 Days – 86% complete.
Taxes. -  Done | Planned | Not Done

Some notes: Still need to do my research for this month.  I just can't figure out when between all the work I've been doing.

HEALTH - 53% Complete

Lose 5 pounds through daily exercises & walking 1 mi once a week. – 1/5 pounds – 20% complete.

Attempt doing a Sudoku puzzle whenever stressed out for one month. – 24/28 Days – 86% complete.
Eye exam. – Done | Planned | Not Done

Some notes:  I have gotten back on diet and exercise, but am experiencing some strange health issues.  I'm waiting for those issues to replicate themselves sometime today before I officially make an appointment.

HOME - 0% Complete

Simplify 1/3rd of the Kitchen Cabinets. – 0% complete.

Some notes:  LOL NOPE.  This month, this goal encompassed getting the top of the fridge cleared and putting shelves in our pots and pans cabinets so everything's not just stacked in there.  It doesn't seem like much, but I just can't get done.  I blame work.

KNOWLEDGE - 100% Complete

Read one book. – 288/288 Pages – 100% complete.

Daily mental exercises. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

Some notes:  Already ordered my books for next month and the month after (or maybe I'll just double up).  One's an audio book so I can work while I read, which should help.

PERSONAL - 0% Complete

Select plants to add to garden and obtain materials needed. – 0% complete.

Complete 9 pages of THIS IS NOT A BOOK. – 0/9 Pages – 0% complete.

Some notes:  LOLOLOLOL NOPE.  I usually use craft days with Sara to get caught up on TINAB, but, as noted by my last Life Update, I slept right through it.  I was barely functional that day.  This section is the easiest to bypass when I'm struggling to get caught up.

RELATIONSHIP - 0% Complete

One date night. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 0% complete.

Some notes:  Do taxes count?

SPIRITUAL - 100% Complete

Meditate twice this month. – 2/2 Times – 100% complete.
Attend Lushede Grove's Imbolc Ritual. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 100% complete.

Attend one Coffee Coven. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 50% complete.

Volunteer for both T.A.R.A. and ESFOA. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

Some notes: Ended up sleeping through the Coffee Coven.  Again, since I only want to attend four, I won't consider me behind on that until I hit the last four months of the year - and hopefully I'll have attended some or even completed that portion by then!

---

Check List for February

1. Select personal illustration villain.
2. Be 163.6 by the end of the month.
3. Choose book.
4. Determine plants for garden and create a list of things needed.
5. Plan date night.

Life Update Sunday (v. 2.23.14)

This week, my thyroid has been a douchebag.  I've been sleeping upwards of 14-16 hours a night and still feeling the need to crash mid-day. I've started adding exercise back into the equation, but nothing's worked so far.  On Monday, I went over to Sara's for a crafting day only to fall asleep on her couch.  And on Tuesday, I fully intended to go to Coffee Coven (since I needed some feedback on a project), but slept right through it.  I woke up over three hours past when it ended only to find out I completely missed it.  I have some new interesting symptoms I'm sure you'd rather not hear about, so it sounds like I'll be making a doctor's appointment for tomorrow.  Not looking forward to that.

He pretty much always sleeps like this now.

Other than that, I do have some good news!  I've been asked by LEARN Home Education Network to give a 25 minute presentation on my religion to a World Religion class.  I've tentatively selected March 19th, but I haven't heard anything back as of just yet.  I plan on working up some rough plans this weekend and fleshing it out over the week.  I'm particularly thrilled to have the March 19th date because I can run the presentation notes by the Liberty Coffee Coven and get their input.  It would be the night before, so I wouldn't be able to make drastic changes, but it's always helpful.

That's actually why I wanted to go to the Coffee Coven this past Tuesday - so I could get input on things to include.  Now I'm just going to have to wing it.  Not that I'm not used to talking about my religion anyway.

In addition, I've been fleshing out a new Circle with Sierra, Charli and Jessica (with guest member Tony at this point, but it sounds like we'll have a decent sum of guest members as the year floats on).  Not that I haven't enjoyed my previous circles, but I'm anticipating the responsibilities to be much more evenly divided on this one.  Each of the four main members will be taking lead on two rituals each year - including writing, hosting, leading and financing.  We also have membership roles, such as maintaining the Facebook group and events or keeping inventory or even maintaining the ritual book.  All of these things I usually did on my own.  It's such a relief!  I really, truly like the direction that this group is taking and can see this as a long-term thing.

I know I talk about my religion quite often, but it's very important to me.  Particularly in terms of transparency.  I'm never trying to be all in-your-face pagan, but I thoroughly believe that I should be able to speak freely of my beliefs without fear or guilt, particularly on my own corners of the universe (like this blog).  I think it symbolizes a dawn of a new era for pagans when my generation can do that.  Honestly, my coming out of the broom closet some time ago was well received by my friends and family.  Overall, it's been a truly positive experience.

Beyond all of that, not much has happened this week.  I've been plugging away at commissions and still trying to catch up from my cold.  I volunteered twice this week for TARA as usual - we have new kittens that are absolutely adorable!  They're all black and about the age of Apollo, but don't look anything like him in face or body structure so I don't think they're siblings.  That's always been a thought in the back of my head because I personally saw that he had a mother and three siblings, and I will probably always wonder if they all made it out okay.  As it stands, Apollo is safe, happy and healthy.  As are all of our pets, which is definitely an improvement from last week.

And with that, Aaron and I need to finish our taxes and get the apartment clean.  I hope everyone is well and has a fantastic end of February!

Frugal Friday

February: Week 2 Check-In

Honestly, because of everything that's happened this month, I'm pretty far behind.

Here's the check-in nonetheless.

FEBRUARY 2014 GOALS

Month is currently 64% over.

Overall: 42.2% complete.

CAREER - 46.3% Complete

Caricature practice sessions. – 120/360 minutes – 33% complete.

Caricature test session. – 20/20 celebrities – 100% complete.

Caricature studies. – 0/30 minutes – 0% complete.

Make target income for the month. – 52% complete.

Up number of monthly illustrations. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

One personal illustration. – Done | Flatted | Lined | Sketched | Not Done

Some notes:  

FINANCIAL - 92.8% Complete

Research one investment or retirement option for freelancers. – 0/1 – 0% complete.

Make monthly additional payment for Aaron’s student loans. – 100% complete.

Make monthly savings deposit. – 100% complete.

Save for a new dining table. – 87/$87 – 100% complete.

Save for a new camping tent. – 29/$29 – 100% complete.

Maintain budget. – 18/28 Days – 64% complete.
Taxes. -  Done | Planned | Not Done

Some notes: I'm honestly not exactly sure how our budgeting is going since I haven't been maintaining it the way I'd like to this month, but we really haven't spent outside of vet bills.  I decided to just look at what money we have saved in the bank and compare it with where we're supposed to be at.  Which... actually makes us ahead of schedule.  Guess I managed to actually save up some money last year.

HEALTH - 32% Complete

Lose 5 pounds through daily exercises & walking 1 mi once a week. – 0/5 pounds – 0% complete.

Attempt doing a Sudoku puzzle whenever stressed out for one month. – 18/28 Days – 64% complete.
Eye exam. – Done | Planned | Not Done

Some notes:  I haven't even had a chance to look for a optometrist yet.  Busy busy.  Also, diet?  Diet. :(

HOME - 0% Complete

Simplify 1/3rd of the Kitchen Cabinets. – 0% complete.

Some notes:  You know things have been busy when this isn't done before the half-way mark.

KNOWLEDGE - 100% Complete

Read one book. – 288/288 Pages – 100% complete.

Daily mental exercises. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

Some notes:  Ended up reading Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Step by Kelly Williams Brown and LOVED it. Blew through it in a weekend while I was sick.

PERSONAL - 0% Complete

Select plants to add to garden and obtain materials needed. – 0% complete.

Complete 9 pages of THIS IS NOT A BOOK. – 0/9 Pages – 0% complete.

Some notes:  Ha.  Nope.

RELATIONSHIP - 0% Complete

One date night. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 0% complete.

Some notes:  Even more nope.

SPIRITUAL - 66.7% Complete

Meditate twice this month. – 1/2 Times – 50% complete.
Attend Lushede Grove's Imbolc Ritual. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 100% complete.

Attend one Coffee Coven. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 50% complete.

Volunteer for both T.A.R.A. and ESFOA. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

Some notes: 

---

Check List for February

1. Select personal illustration villain.
2. Be 163.6 by the end of the month.
3. Choose book.
4. Determine plants for garden and create a list of things needed.
5. Plan date night.

Life Update Sunday (v. 2.16.14)

This.

Month.

Is.

Going.

To.

Kill.

Me.

I'm sorry I didn't stick to the posting schedule this week, but things have been absolutely loopy.  Every time I tried to stick to a decent schedule (beyond the blog; just waking up was a chore), something got in my way.

I started off the week still sick from whatever I caught at the Imbolc ritual.  It had turned into a cough which then turned into this nauseating, terrible phlegm attack.  I coughed so hard I threw up on multiple occasions - and once I throw up, there is no salvaging the day for me.  I couldn't keep Nyquil down, so I was feeling the full effects of the cold (flu?).

I still have a slight cough, but I'd say I'm over it.  Aaron still has a hard cough, so he's not quite there yet.

On late Sunday night/Monday morning, I was cleaning up my spiritual room when I heard one of the cats using the litter box in the bathroom.  There is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary about this, but my psychic (psycho?) pet mom intuition kicked in and I checked the litter box.  There absolutely is everything out of the ordinary about this - the litter box is not my chore, primarily because it gives me huge asthma attacks.  But something made me check it.  Lo and behold, whoever went prior to me checking it had dropped a bloody bomb.  Not good!  It was bright red blood, which fortunately meant it wasn't something lethal, but blood in stool is never something pleasant.  I was too slow on the move to see who it was, and frankly, it could have been a one-time fluke.  Thus I tried to ignore it, but my gut was telling me otherwise.

By Tuesday morning, the blood had not went away, and I had discovered it was little Apollo.  I tried to give it another 24 hours to diminish, but by Wednesday morning, I was making an appointment with my vet.

Picture this: I've been up for 24 hours working on Valentine's Day commissions.  I have an appointment for Apollo at 2 pm, the earliest they could get me in.  At 1:30, I'm plumb tired, but I scoop Apollo in the crate and drag him out to my car.  Some "wonderful" person has commandeered Aaron's spot, and there's a huge snow/ice dune between us, so I slip slide all over that in attempt to not scrape said person's car with the crate while trying to get it into my car.  I succeed, plop down into my driver's seat, buckle myself in and...

My car won't start.

I shit you not.

Analyzing the situation, I probably should have known.  In early January, I attempted to start my car in -33F weather (Stupid Marietta.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.).    It tried to turn but wouldn't and I knew pretty instantly that it involved my battery.  The next day, it struggled to turn on and my clock was set at 12 AM.

However, ever since that day, my car has not stalled, stuttered or hesitated on starting.  It's been fine!  I just assumed that it was the cold and the incident was isolated.

Ho boy was I wrong.

So here I am with a screaming (not meowing, not whining, screaming) 6-month-old kitten in my back seat who's, for all intents and purposes, bleeding from his anus, and my car won't start to get us to the vet.

I get out of my car and throw my purse down into the ice dune, screaming at my car.  I can see over the other car (tall ice dune, right?), that a neighbor is jumping another neighbor's car.  However, instead of being, you know, neighborly and offering me a jump, he just laughs.  And not the fatherly, "I'm going to offer to help" kind.  It might as well have been, well...

You get my point.

I try to call various people, including my husband, but everyone's too busy to come.  Fair enough; I'm asking for a huge favor - I need to get Apollo to the vet ASAP, so I need a ride pretty much right now.

But, as luck would have it, Sara and David were free!  Not only did they swoop by to rescue me, but they stuck around until Aaron and I could get a new battery for my car and helped install it!  Not that a battery's terribly hard to install, but I've never had to do it on my own before, so it definitely helped with confidence.

Thank you so much, Sara and David.  You guys are life-savers!

Apollo, on the other hand, has the IQ of a common household plant.  Apparently, he got into something he wasn't supposed to get into and that was the cause of his anal dysfunction.  Doesn't surprise me.  That kitten learned the worst traits from both of my older ones: how to climb the impossible (Hermes) and how to open the impossible (Zeus).  Likely, he got into the trash can cabinet and into the trash.

How do I know?  I caught him in there today.

Besides, the rodent will eat literally anything.  I've had to pull everything from plastic to Zeus's fur to dish soap from his mouth.  Seriously, I accidentally knocked over a bottle of dish soap and he was there before I could blink attempting to lap it up.

Dumb as bricks.

So that cost me, of course, and summed up my Wednesday.

But wait!  There's more!

I don't have nearly as elaborate stories for the rest of the week, but suffice to say it wasn't good. Aaron worked until nearly 8 pm on Thursday because of a program malfunction at his job.  And Hermes started wheezing with his tongue out on Friday morning, which is pretty much an insta-vet-visit.  When cats wheeze with their tongue out, that indicates something is obstructing the breathing passage.  It more or less means they're suffocating.  Granted, it was for less-than-one-minute spurts, but I didn't want to find out what would happen if it lasted longer than that.  So I took him in.  They hospitalized him for a day and did blood work, and now he's on medication too.

There honestly hasn't been a moment in this household since December that one of the pets has not been on some form of medication.  Between Zeus's UTI, Artie's stomach thing, Zeus's tooth surgery, Apollo's bleeding rear and Hermes's wheeze, it's been an active 30 days.  Every time I leave the vet, the desk nurses tell me they sincerely hope not to see me until our yearly.  I hope, at this point, that everything's over.

I'd say I feel like a giant hypochondriac for my pets, but everything I've taken them in for has been a legitimate issue that has ended up in either hospitalization, surgery, medication or some combination of the set.  And no single one symptom can be traced back to one common factor.  Zeus's UTI?  That cat's a stress ball, and it was left over from December.  Artie's stomach thing?  Lamb fat's too rich for him suddenly.  Apollo's rear?  Cat climbs and gets into everything.  Zeus's tooth? Apparently there was always something wrong with it; it was a ticking time bomb.  Hermes's wheezing?  Bronchial infection.

I guess what I can be thankful for is my fantastic intuition when it comes to it.  I spotted Zeus's UTI, Apollo's symptoms and Hermes's wheezing very early on.  Artie's stomach thing was a bit of an off-on fluke and Zeus's tooth almost had to break for me to notice what was going on, but everything else?  I was told repeatedly that I'm very observant of my pets and that their ailments were in the "very early stages - barely noticeable really unless you knew what to look for."

I know my babies.

That being said, I'm so ridiculously far behind on February's goals that I almost feel like merging them with March and calling this month off.  I'm exhausted.  Notice the immense amount of italics up there?  That's how exhausted I am.  Between everything that happened this week, and being worn out from my cold still, trying to work has been like pulling teeth.  I ended up having to ask for some deadline extensions (which I loathe doing, and only did so to repeat customers who know my typical output and would be more accepting).  It feels terribly unprofessional, but I tried to sort out something I could do to lower my stress this week and that was pretty much the only solution.

So with that, I've been up all night working on commissions and I need some sleep before I start up again today.  I hope you all have a fantastic Sunday.  Here's hoping this upcoming week is better!

Weigh-In Wednesdays

I will remember how to fly.

A few songs about moving forward.

I've been in the middle of a deeper life transition since the end of 2013.  It's been affecting everything, both positively and negatively, but I've let it fill up too much of my time.  Any kind of a change, even a positive one, can be draining.  It's probably why I've come down sick lately and let myself fall behind.  Talking with Sierra, then Charli, the past few days, I feel like I can finally move forward.

Over the weekend, I cleaned up my spiritual room to this song:

  And I was particularly feeling this song today as I thought about those that have stood beside me during this.  Specifically looking at you, Aaron, Mike, Sara, Sierra, Charli and Mel. I have a wonderful group of close friends, and an even more expansive network than I'd ever imagined.  If you don't know what's going on, know that, if I've seen you in the past month, you've helped me, and this song goes out to you too.

And, within the next week, I'm trying to push this feeling back into my life.

You know I'm feeling more myself when Evanescence re-enters my life.

Miscreant Mondays

So clearly, I didn't get finished with January's piece before the end of the month.  I'm still a long ways from done, including additional highlights and shading, and a background.  But it's getting there.

I still have to decide which villain I'll be taking on this month.  Hopefully I'll have time left after this one to do that as well.

Life Update Sunday (v. 2.9.14)

Only two real events to report this week.  It's been a slow week, and with reason.

On Tuesday, we received 15 inches of snow.  It was absolutely crazy!  And the wind was even worse.  This drift outside came up to my waist:

And the icicle aftermath?

For reference, I'm 5'3".  How crazy!

The pets enjoyed the massive snowfall in various ways - mostly by attempting to attack it through our sliding doors.  After Apollo rammed head-first into the glass (seriously not a bright cat), we decided to bring some of the snow in to them.

It was immediately clear that our oldest, Zeus, was comfortable with snow.  That makes sense as, when we picked him up, he'd been a garbage-can-and-sewer stray for three years.  His first inclination?  Snow's water.  Eat the snow!

Our middle cat, Hermes, wanted nothing to do with the snow at first because he's terrified of everything wet.  He left it alone for the better part.  However, this was our kitten Apollo's first encounter with snow.  It both intrigued him and terrified him all at the same time.

As Apollo began shoveling balls of snow out of the pan, Hermes found them amusing.

And Artie got in on the clean up process.

Snow summed up the front half of the week.  Illness the other half.  Turns out, I also picked up a cold from the public Imbolc ritual.  Mostly, it was a stuffy nose.  Now it's a cough.  No bueno.  Aaron picked it up as of last night and ended up hurling, so it's definitely something interesting.  No two bodies react the same, huh.

Also, as a note, I did get the Imbolc ritual photos posted up over at Witchy Words.  Check them out here!

Because of the snow and illness, I really haven't had a chance to do much of anything this week.  Not to mention, when I'm sick, about the only thing that sustains me is greasy, sugary foods.  So I've been way off my game.  That's why there's been no check-in.  I've barely had the energy to move, let alone manage my goals.

I've already been sick twice this year.  Three times if you count my bout of a stomach thing earlier this week.  My immune system needs to stop dragging its feet.  I'd like some help here, body!

And with that, I'll leave you with a couple more pictures of my pets.  Enjoy!

Before the Dawn

A beautiful cover of Shake It Out.

Tentative 2014 Progressive Planner Update Schedule

This is my current plan for The Progressive Planner.  I'm playing a bit of catch up this week, but expect it to begin this upcoming Sunday!

Life Update Sunday, er Monday, (v. 2.3.14)

I apologize for this coming late.  I haven't been feeling the greatest since yesterday evening.  I'm thinking I overdid the gluten yesterday afternoon and I'm paying for it.  Stabbing stomach pains and dizziness, among other things you really don't want to hear about.  I spent most of the morning sleeping on the floor of the bathroom.

Loyalty is a dog that stays with you despite his fear of being closed in the bathroom.  Usually, when Artie's in the bathroom, even with someone, he shakes.  This comes from when he had an allergic reaction to a medication and, again, with his weird stomach thing the other week. Having to lock him in the bathroom has scarred him for life from liking that room.  Yet, when I had to sleep on the floor for fear of making a bigger mess in the bedroom, he stayed with me, without shaking or whining, to keep me company.  I typically hate cuddling or being touched while nauseated but honestly, his warm fuzziness was good for my irritated stomach.

Zeus ended up in surgery on Tuesday for his cracked tooth.  Poor guy.  They took the root out, but apparently there was something already wrong with the tooth to begin with.  They checked him for periodontal disease, but the rest of his teeth are clean.  So now my Zeusy is missing his bottom right canine.  You can't really tell, but if he opens his mouth, it's kind of strange.

Bringing him home on Wednesday was an absolute disaster.  Apparently, Zeus refused to use the litter box at the vet, so the minute he got into "safe territory" (ie the crate) he wet himself.  I was told I couldn't bathe him because he had dissolving stitches in his jaw.  Because Aaron was working late, I was completely by myself on trying to give him a sponge bath.  After many scratches and two hours, I still couldn't get the smell off of him.  Once Aaron got home, we ended up bathing him anyway.  The stitches are safe (we kept his head well away from the water) and everything is fine.  He's just so damn stubborn.  He likes baths, but hates sponge baths and I was trying to give him one one-handed and stressed out.  What a mess.

They also gave him a liquid antibiotic in replacement of pills since he's hard impossible to pill.  Yes, try shoving a foul-tasting liquid down the throat of a cat who doesn't like to be force-fed anything.  I would have rather had a pill at that point.  Ugh.

Lil Bits (Apollo) learned a new bad habit this week...  Yes, that's exactly what you think it is.  I don't know why he has this sudden obsession with water.  We gave him a bowl in the bathtub to play with, which has helped a bit.  I moved the primary water bowl to the kitchen so it's on tile but, being a galley-style kitchen, it's kind of in the way.  I'm going to have to get a rubber mat for his new little trick.

Also, I have video.

On the bright side, the rest of the week was fairly uneventful.  I mostly worked myself into the ground.  With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I'm booked up to my eyeballs in commissions - because nothing says "I love you" like "Hey Honey, look at your monstrous nose!" Nonetheless, it's kept me busy.

Apparently, this week was also "Sleep on Mom While She Naps Week."  I missed the memo.

Finally, I celebrated one of my religion's holidays, February Eve, this weekend with our local Lushede Grove.  I took some pictures which should be posted over at Witchy Words sometime in the next few days!

And with that, I need to do a grocery run before the predicted 6-10 inches of snow comes in.  Catch you later!

Official February 2014 Checklist

FEBRUARY 2014 GOALS

Month is currently 0% over.

Overall: 0% complete.

CAREER - 100% Complete

Caricature practice sessions. – 0/360 minutes – 0% complete.

Caricature test session. – 0/20 celebrities – 0% complete.

Caricature studies. – 0/30 minutes – 0% complete.

Make target income for the month. – 0% complete.

Up number of monthly illustrations. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

One personal illustration. – Done | Flatted | Lined | Sketched | Not Done

Some notes:  

FINANCIAL - 0% Complete

Research one investment or retirement option for freelancers. – 0/1 – 0% complete.

Make monthly additional payment for Aaron’s student loans. – 0% complete.

Make monthly savings deposit. – 0% complete.

Save for a new dining table. – 0/$87 – 0% complete.

Save for a new camping tent. – 0/$29 – 0% complete.

Maintain budget. – 0/31 Days – 0% complete.

Some notes: 

HEALTH - 0% Complete

Lose 5 pounds through daily exercises & walking 1 mi once a week. – 0/5 pounds – 0% complete.

Attempt doing a Sudoku puzzle whenever stressed out for one month. – 0/31 Days – 0% complete.
Eye exam. – Done | Planned | Not Done

Some notes:  

HOME - 0% Complete

Simplify 1/3rd of the Kitchen Cabinets. – 0% complete.

Some notes:  

KNOWLEDGE - 0% Complete

Read one book. – 0/X Pages – 0% complete.

Daily mental exercises. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

Some notes:  

PERSONAL - 0% Complete

Select plants to add to garden and obtain materials needed. – 0% complete.

Complete 9 pages of THIS IS NOT A BOOK. – 0/9 Pages – 0% complete.

Some notes:  Memoirs of a Geisha ($3.66, 434 pages), Adulting: 468 Easy(ish) Steps ($11.34, 288 pages), Paganism: An introduction to Earth-Centered Religions ($11.80, 250 pages), Hunger Games ($4.47, 384 pages), They Don't Teach Corporate in College (Levit) ($10.60, 288 pages).

RELATIONSHIP - 0% Complete

One date night. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 0% complete.

Some notes:  Sheet fort.

SPIRITUAL - 0% Complete

Meditate twice this month. – 0/2 Times – 0% complete.
Attend Lushede Grove's Imbolc Ritual. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 0% complete.

Attend one Coffee Coven. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 0% complete.

Volunteer for both T.A.R.A. and ESFOA. – Done | Not Done

Some notes: 

---

Check List for February

1. Select personal illustration villain.
2. Be 163.6 by the end of the month.
3. Choose book.
4. Determine plants for garden and create a list of things needed.
5. Plan date night.

Final January Check-In

JANUARY 2014 GOALS

Month is currently 100% over.

Overall: 124.4% complete.

CAREER - 101% Complete

Caricature practice sessions. – 360/360 minutes – 100% complete.

Caricature test session. – 20/20 celebrities – 100% complete.

Caricature studies. – 30/30 minutes – 100% complete.

Make target income for the month. – 104% complete.

Up number of monthly illustrations. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

One personal illustration. – Done | Flatted | Lined | Sketched | Not Done

Some notes:  What do you know. I busted my rear this week and made out ahead of the game on my income!  And I even took a week off this month.  I'm a BAMF.

FINANCIAL - 93.8% Complete

Research one investment or retirement option for freelancers. – 1/1 – 100% complete.

Make monthly additional payment for Aaron’s student loans. – 100% complete.

Make monthly savings deposit. – 63% complete.

Save for a new dining table. – 87/$87 – 100% complete.

Save for a new camping tent. – 29/$29 – 100% complete.

Maintain budget. – 31/31 Days – 100% complete.

Some notes: 63% isn't even quite accurate for our monthly savings since Zeus had to have surgery on Monday to remove the root of his cracked tooth.  It's been a messy month with four separate vet appointments and two surgeries, so our savings took a good dent.  We still managed to save some and pay off the proper amount for Aaron's loans, so I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed.

HEALTH - 100% Complete

Lose 5 pounds by eating salad, drinking water and not eating out. – 5/5 pounds – 100% complete.

Attempt dancing doing push ups whenever stressed out for one month. – 31/31 Days – 100% complete.
Thyroid test by the 27th. - Done | Planned | Not Done

Some notes:  I had a horrible week when it comes to food.  I ate a whole cake all by myself to resolve some stress issues I had this week.  Hey, it's cheaper than therapy.  It's just going to cost me when it comes to my health goals.

HOME - 200% Complete

Simplify 1/3rd of the Kitchen Cabinets. – 200% complete.

Some notes:  

KNOWLEDGE - 100% Complete

Read one book. – 287/287 Pages – 100% complete.

Daily mental exercises. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done

Some notes:  Circles and Ceremonies was incredibly useful... or at least it would have been if I'd still be Circle Coordinator for COT.  Made it tough to get through it.  But maybe I can apply it to a future circle or grove.

PERSONAL - 100% Complete

Research each garden plant and create a chart. – 14/14 Plants – 100% complete.

Complete 9 pages of THIS IS NOT A BOOK. – 9/9 Pages – 100% complete.

Some notes:  Done and done.  Honestly, trying to come up with next month's garden goals is going to be tough.  I really can't do anything more until March.

RELATIONSHIP - 200% Complete

One date night. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 200% complete.

Some notes:  Done times two!  A 4 mile walk and our blanket fort.

SPIRITUAL - 100% Complete

Meditate twice this month. – 2/2 Times – 100% complete.

Attend one Coffee Coven. – Done | Planned | Not Done – 100% complete.

Volunteer for both T.A.R.A. and ESFOA. – Done | Not Done

Some notes: I'm not counting missing this month's Coffee Coven since my goal was to attend four total this year and it happens monthly.  My health and stress just got in the way.

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Check List for January

1. Put together folder of 200 faces for caricature practice.
2. Create a summary of research into one investment or retirement option.
3. Put together Weight Loss Wardrobe Money Jar.
4. Create a chart for each of the following plants: Basil, bay, mint, sage; cucumber, carrots, green onion, leaf lettuce, tomato, spinach, (potatoes?); blueberries, lemon tree; aloe, garlic.

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OVERALL 2014 GOALS

Year is currently 9% over.

Overall: 7.5% complete.

Strikeouts are goals that cannot be worked on at this time.

CAREER - 8% Complete

Caricature practice sessions. – 360/4320 minutes – 8% complete.

Make target income for the year. – 8% complete.

FINANCIAL - 10.3% Complete

Research twelve investment or retirement option for freelancers. – 1/12 – 8% complete.

Save for a new dining table. – 87/$350 – 25% complete.

Save for a new camping tent. – 29/$350 – 8% complete.
Maintain budget. – 31/365 Days – 9% complete.
Pay off 1/4th of Aaron's student loans. – 8% complete.

Create Year 1 Savings. – 4% complete.

HEALTH - 8.4% Complete

See an endocrinologist. - Done | Planned | Not Done – 0% complete.
Stress management. – 31/350 Days – 9% complete.
Lose 15 pounds (1). – 5/15 pounds – 33% complete.

Lose 15 pounds (2). – 0/15 pounds – 0% complete.
Maintain weight for three months. – 0/3 months – 0% complete.

HOME - 5.5% Complete

Swap storage cardboard for Tupperware. – 0/4 locations – 0% complete.
Simplify our home.  – .66/6 locations – 11% complete. 

KNOWLEDGE - 4% Complete

Read 12 books. – 1/12 books – 8% complete.

Relearn basic Spanish. – Done | On Schedule | Not Done – 0% complete.

PERSONAL - 4% Complete

Begin balcony/indoor garden. – 0/14 Plants – 0% complete.

Complete THIS IS NOT A BOOK. – 9/108 Pages – 8% complete.

RELATIONSHIP - 17% Complete

Do 12 date nights. – 2/12 dates – 17% complete.

SPIRITUAL - 2.7% Complete

Meditate twice this month. – 2/24 Times – 8% complete.
Attend six Lushede Grove rituals. – 0/6 Times – 0% complete.
Attend four Coffee Covens. – 0/4 Times – 0% complete.