August 2020 goals

As you’ll soon see, July was not the most illustrious month for my goals — BUT. But but but but but. While I did not complete many of the goals I set out to do, I did make MAJOR progress on a 2020 goal that was dead in the water up until a week ago. Drumroll, please…

YES! I MADE THOSE! While we were in Connecticut, I completed five whole ornaments from my Advent calendar kit (2020 goal no. 6!). You may remember that I opened the box early in the year, looked at the instructions, and quickly closed it back up, wildly intimidated. With some very kind encouragement from reader Carly (who is working on the same kit!) and a few tutorials from my wonderful mother-in-law, I was quickly sewing up a storm at nap times and in the evenings while on vacation. I’m still kind of in shock, but here we are! Just goes to show that goal progress doesn’t have to happen like you think it will to be really wonderful :)

On my calendar this month:
— Both kids head back to preschool. I have lots of thoughts about this, obviously, but I’m excited to make it a great transition for everyone.
— Otherwise, it should be a quiet month after lots of travel! Looking forward to digging into a few projects, catching up with friends, and getting back into some good rhythms.

What I’m loving right now:
— I hesitated to recommend this podcast episode, because at the end of the two hours, the conversation does not tie up neatly in a bow. But if you are newer to these voices and curious about nuanced solutions to the current racial crisis, I think it’s worth a listen. Plus, these are just some really smart, interesting black intellectuals and academics to have on your radar.
— We completed these DIY keychain kits on Team Cultivate in honor of our new office keys, and they were so fun! They’d make a great gift, and I love supporting another small business.
— I’m not usually your girl for makeup tips, but this under eye brightener is MAGIC! Turns out it’s the key missing ingredient in my very minimal summer/COVID makeup routine. I use it in place of under eye concealer and it is perfect – brightens, doesn’t crease, doesn’t make you choose from an array of 20+ colors (I always choose wrong). Highly, highly recommend!

As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!

What I read in July:
— Eligible | I picked this up while we were in Maine and it was an ideal vacation read! Funny, well-paced, and with very short chapters that made it perfect for picking up and putting back down :) The story is based on Pride & Prejudice, but because it’s been years since I read P&P, it had to stand on its own for me, and it did.
— Bet on Talent | Almost done with this work-related pick from my 2020 reading list. It’s interesting (always love hearing more about CFA), but I’m not sure I’ve read anything really Earth-shattering in it yet!

Revisiting my July goals:
Because I completed SO few of my July goals and many will be moving to my August list, here’s the quick update: I sold my chairs (yay!), had a walking date with my new neighbor friend (yay!), chose a song for June in June (yay!), and have part one of my photo organization guide ready to go up later this week! (YAY!)

August goals:
— Begin reading Mark with John
— Book our camping trip for this fall
— Sort through my SCC secretary responsibilities and make an easy-to-follow yearly checklist
— Watch Just Mercy with John now that I’ve finished the book
— Buy a new handbag
— Edit June in June, Volume 5
— Complete four more Advent ornaments
— Post all three parts of my photo organization guide
— Clean out downstairs craft supplies once kids go back to preschool
— Do something fun with at least one friend couple
— Mock up a design board for our upstairs bathroom
— Ride our stationary bike Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (trying something new to get me back in a good rhythm!)

Taken all together this list looks a little intimidating, especially given the month I just had (ha), but I’m hopeful that the lack of travel and the return to routines will give me a fighting chance!

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