2019 Goals

2019 Goals

Family

-Focus on being present in the moment & not being distracted by social media/phones or tv; spending quality time as a family

Financial

-Pile up money to purchase a new car for me (thankful for family to borrow cars in the meantime)

-Build back our emergency fund; we used a big chunk of the EF to make a larger down payment on our new home

-Start throwing more money toward our mortgage balance to knock some years off & interest total

-Use money wisely, thinking about purchases instead of making them with a "just because" attitude; Thought: Will this item make us happier? Will I still be happy I bought this item in six months? Could the money be better used elsewhere?

Professional

-Erin: continue to be the best teacher I can be, but having a good work/home balance as well

-Bret: continue to be a leader and example on the deputy team he works (9Side); adjust sleep schedule to new working schedule to maximize time with family

First Birthday Party!!

Because William is our Little Nemo, we decided that would be the perfect theme for his first birthday party! I started planning toward the end of the summer since I had time while not working & while Will napped. Pinterest and Google Images have SO MANY good ideas. We decided not to go too overboard since Will is only 1 & won't remember his party. Let's get real: this party was more for Bret & me, that we survived a year as parents!!

There was a snow/ice storm the day of Will's party, which is par for the course of our lives. Some people were unable to make the venture to our home, but those who did had yummy food to eat & good times with friends & family!

Instead of bringing gifts for William (who would rather have the empty boxes & plastic containers), we asked our guests to bring donations to a local charity, The Blue Door Project. This organization provides teens who are aging out of the foster care system some stability and support. William is so loved by his family, but not all children have this net around them. We wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. We were overwhelmed by the donations given! We cannot wait to drop them off to The Blue Door Project!

My sister found these amazing invitations to use for Will's party:

Here are our delicious treats:

I baked Will a large cupcake (thank you, Amazon!) for his smash cake. He was completely unsure of what to do when we sang to him & put the cake in front of him and why he was shirtless in his highchair. Once he touched the frosting, he was instantly not a fan. The sticky consistency was not what Will had in mind. But Bret opened the cupcake up and gave him a taste of the cake part & Will changed his tune. 

Straight to the bathtub to get the frosting cleaned off!

Bret & I are so lucky to be William's parents, he is an awesome baby. He has made us not just husband & wife, but dad & mom. It's hard to comprehend that he's been in our lives for a year now, it seems like no time at all & an eternity at the same time. We waited a long time & cried many tears to become parents and William made it worth it all. Each moment is a cherished one & we are so happy to have amazing family & friends celebrate our little guy with us!!

Our family of three:

IKEA for the Win!

My husband is not the most organized man in the world. He tends to leave things wherever they end up at the end of his work shift. 

This is what his shoe pile normally looks like:

We were wasting time waiting around for the DMV (what a lovely Friday, right?) by walking around IKEA. In the closet section, I found a bench/shoe organizer. I intended it to be for our garage. But Bret said it would be great for him! And if he's willing to put it together, I said go for it!

This is what his shoe "pile" looks like now! (TJUSIG, from IKEA)

40 Bags in 40 Days

I know Lent has already started, but I found this 40 Bags in 40 Days and I want to see if I'm up to the challenge!

White House Black Shutters

 I have made my list, only got to 30 places to clean so far. But I'm thinking I can find 10 more to declutter!

Organizing in the New Year

After having time off work for winter break, I thought I would tackle organizing under my bathroom sink/drawers. I have many lotions and hair products as well as BirchBox product samples. I headed to Walmart to get a plastic drawer organizer. Each drawer is for a different product: hair, face, lotions.

Before:

 

After: