When September Ends...

(Disclaimer! I wrote the first two paragraphs of this post back in September! 

Hence the title and time-lapse.)

  September always feels like the other January to me... time for fresh starts, new beginnings, half-year assessments, etc. But when September ends, it feels like the countdown to Christmas begins! And for Danielle it truly has! I think she asks me every day, "How many days til Chris'sus?" (She is already doing this again now in 2020! Sigh. Siri and I are both tired of this question.) I hope the holidays live up to her expectations! She also goes out on the porch most every morning, checking to see if the cold has come, bless her little impatient heart. Anyway, September had me pondering on my "19 for 2019" list of aspirations for the year! And subsequently, my "18 for 2018" that never got blogged about! So just for records sake, I'm gonna list last year's list first and notate what happened and what didn't. Then on to 2019 where we still have some year left, thankfully.
   Last year was my first year doing the "18 for 2018" inspired by one of my favorite authors, Gretchen Rubin. It was fun even though I obviously didn't accomplish everything! But I love to make lists... and there's no penalty for not crossing off every item. I definitely did more things than had I not aspired at all!

18 for 2018

1. Grow roses again. This didn't happen in 2018 but see 2019!

2. Joy Spark entire house. Conquered this one except for a few kitchen cabinets and our bedroom.
3. Take Danielle to the zoo. This one is crossed out, but I can't remember doing it! I know Nana took her once...
4. Be a tourist in my own city. Too vague! Didn't happen. I'm learning that being more specific helps.
5. Get a Lifeproof phone case. Rhonda helped me snag one on Zulily! Didn't love it, it soon tore up, and I wouldn't ever buy one again!
6. Buy black shoes. Did this one double! Scored 2 pair from this shop recommended by my friend Jill. Love the acronym for their brand... B.A.I.T. But Another Innocent Tale... lol, you can't ever have too many shoes!
7. Create office/dressing room chandelier. This room just has an ugly single bulb fixture, so I created this elaborate yet simple spiral design in my mind using effervescent, glass Christmas ornaments. But that's as far as it got!
8. Catch up Danielle's baby book. I'm crossing this one off because I chose not to do it. Whatever I got recorded in it, will be good enough. It just wasn't my style. I am staying very faithful with daily entries in her little 5 year diary though.
9. Visit the Southern Living test kitchens. I still have the dream! But it needs wings.
10. Bathe the dogs monthly.  The results from having this as a priority were awesome!
11. Shoot a buck with points. I have the skull to prove it; it's a small, barely 5 point, but hey! It's bigger than my other buck that was only a cowhorn.
12. Try a food prep service. I LOVED Blue Apron, but sadly, I was the only one in our household with those sentiments.
13. Use my passport before it expires! We flew to Calgary for Isla's first birthday in June! 
14. Bake cinnamon rolls for the neighbors. I think I did this around Christmastime.
15. Get collars and dog tags for Diesel and Leroy. This would be nice so everyone would know which persnickety pet is which when they stay at the doggie hotel! But I guess I didn't shop hard enough to find the perfect getup, because our boys are still collarless.
16. Replace my favorite stove burner. Alas! I tried, but the new burner I purchased also refuses to rise to the challenge of cooking mostly on HIGH! 
17. Memorize Danielle's SSN. But as I type this, I realize that I have since forgotten it!! I'll have to do a refresher.
18. Monthly date nights with Danl. The criteria for what constitutes "date night" are pretty loose...nachos in bed counts!

12 out of 18! I'm happy with that!

Well, this post is long enough, and it's late enough, 

so 19 for 2019 will be saved for my next "write night!"