18 for 2018

Hey friends.  Here it is, January 26, and I'm just now getting around to articulating my goals* for 2018.  They've been rolling around in my head for long enough.  It's time to get them out onto paper.  Or screen.  Whatever.

*Remember: I don't do resolutions for the new year; I do goals.

I'm operating under this theory this year:

I've decided my 2018 will start 

on February 1st;

January is a free trial month.

I like to listen to podcasts while I'm cooking or cleaning, and one of my favorites is Happier with Gretchen Ruben.  Inspired by a listener, Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth decided to make a list of 18 things they wanted to accomplish in 2018 (you can listen to the podcast, and check out Gretchen and Elizabeth's lists, here).

When I first heard about it, I loved the idea, but I thought 18 was probably too many for me.  I decided I would make a list of 8 things to accomplish in 2018, but as I was thinking of things I wanted to do, I kind of got on a roll, and ended up with 18.  Actually, I keep thinking of things, so I'm at more like 25 now, which is most definitely too many.

Here's my top 18 for 2018:

1. ** Make oyster shell and grit dispensers for the chickens
2. ** Plant a garden--with tomatoes and jalapenos
3. Can jalapenos--they don't necessarily have to be the ones I grow
4. Have everyone in the household take the love languages quiz--we could do this on Valentine's Day, but since it's also Ash Wednesday this year, I don't think that's gonna happen...
5. Go on a date with each of my boys
6. ** Send friend mail 8 6 times (if you'd like to receive friend mail from me, use the contact link above to give me your address--unfortunately, you need to live farther than 50 miles away from me for this one)
7. Obtain and begin using a to-do notebook--this has already been so useful!  I have a running to-do list now, instead of having to start fresh every day.  It's a lot more difficult to misplace than a random piece of paper.
8. ** Purge file cabinet and create paper organization system--Ugh!  We have so.much.paper.  Half of me wants to get rid of it all.  The other half is afraid I'll shred something we'll need later.
9. ** Create a household binder/legacy box--I think my boys would be lost if something happened to me.
10. Delete saved electronic mystery shop screen shots and receipts--yep, I've got every screen shot and almost every receipt from every mystery shop I've done in the past four years.  It's a lot.
11. ** Buy desk task light--I've already tried once this year, but I didn't like it, so I need to try again.
12. Buy phone charging cords for each of our vehicles--I told Hubby I was going to do this, and he was like, but we have charging cords in all the vehicles, don't we?  Well, yes, we do...for his phone, but not for AKD's and mine.
13. Make a chicken sign--It's going to have the silhouette of a chicken, and say something along the lines of, "Danger: Dinosaur Area."
14. Take a class through community education or a local craft store--I used to do this fairly often, but somewhere along the line, I stopped.
15. ** Finish valances for master bedroom.  I've only had the material for...3 years? 4?  A long time.
16. Crochet messy bun hat or Arm knit scarf
17. ** Get the boys' picture taken--the place I used to take them to closed, so I need to find a new photographer.
18. Send Christmas cards in 2018

You may notice that some of my 18 items are crossed off.  That's because I did them already.  Whoohoo!  Yay me!  You may also notice that some of the items are double asterisked.  Those are the eight that I would have chosen, if I had only chosen eight.  I figure as long as I get those done, anything else is bonus.  And, since I've already done two of the non-asterisked things, I'm already in bonus points!  Yay me, again!

I'll try to update y'all on how I'm doing once a month.  In the meantime, what are your goals for this year?