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Goals in Progress: July

Published on August 1, 2011 By Emily. Updated on August 31, 2011

…and it’s August.  Yikes. And yet, I don’t have that panicked “oh no! Summer vacation is almost over and then I have to go back to work!” feeling that some of my teacher friends get around this time.  I feel like, so far, the summer’s been really good and it’s not even over yet.

Last month, along with my progress, I listed all the goals I wished I’d made.  This month (and probably for the rest of the year), I’ll be documenting my progress on both my January goals and my June “if I’d only known” goals.

1.  Waste less time/Create a posting schedule and stick to it

Considering that it’s summer and I’ve had lots of time to waste, I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job of making good use of my time.  I taught summer school, worked hard on this website, finished a book, hung out with my husband, participated in some other work-related activities and got some good relaxing in.  Unlike last summer, which I felt like didn’t exist, I feel really good about July.

And, within the last week or so, I created a posting schedule and calendar and I’m feeling really excited about it.  I’ll be posting on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, which is close to what I was posting previously.  Now that I’ve formally set my own deadlines and mapped out when I’m writing about what, I’m hoping more quality, consistency and clarity is on the way, plus less stress.

2.  Read a chapter of the bible every day/(no revised goal)

July was definitely an improvement over June’s almost non-existent reading, but there’s still room to get even better.  Hopefully the majority of August days will feature some bible reading.

3.  Drink more water/Drink at least one water bottle of water a day and drink something else with every meal

I didn’t really keep track, but I’m pretty sure I made it on this one.  As I’ve mentioned, for some reason if I’m teaching, I tend to carry my water bottle around the room with me and drink from it often.  Teaching summer school, even though its not a full day, has once again increased my hydration.  That, and the miserable hot weather.

just don't fall

4.  Read at least one book a month/Read at least 12 books this year

During July, I read 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam.  I didn’t agree 100% with what she said, but I did pick up a lot of really good tips and have started looking differently at how I spend my time. There’s a full review of the book coming, I promise.  August’s book is Just Don’t Fall: How I Grew Up, Conquered Illness, and Made It Down the Mountain by Josh Sundquist, which I’m really looking forward to reading.  I’ve seen some of Josh’s videos on YouTube and they’re hilarious.

5.  Improve my fitness by going to the gym twice a week and doing sit ups and push ups on off days/Do something physically active at least 3 times a week

Again, I haven’t really been keeping track, but I did well this month.  I ran my second 5k (and set an awesome PR) mid-month and have run a few more times since then.  I haven’t been sticking to the 3000 in 35 ab challenge too closely, but I have been doing more ab exercises than usual.

me heather and liz

6.  Open our home at least once a month/Have at least 12 different groups of people over to the apartment

At one point, I thought we were going to double up this month, but there was so much stuff going on it just didn’t happen.  We did have some friends over at the beginning of July and I made my mom’s Spaghetti with Herbed Tomatoes and Cheese, which was a hit.  We’re definitely going to get together with them again.

7.  Give Relishments a makeover/(no revised goal)

The makeover was done this spring, but this month I discovered a new plugin that allows for easier printing of recipes.  Maybe if I get the chance I’ll edit some of my old posts to include it.  I’ve been feeling really good about what I’ve been producing for the blog, as well as the feedback I’ve been getting.  Finally, my readers are giving up lurking and have begun leaving comments!  I’m sure I’ll come back from HLS this month with a lot of ideas of how to keep making things better as well.

8.  See new things/(no revised goal)

Brian and I ventured to the Northampton/Hadley area one afternoon, partially to attend at Kim O’Donnel book signing, and had a lovely time walking around downtown.  We also explored a local park I’d never been to.  We’ve got some really great adventures coming up in August, so stay tuned.

IMG_4716

Don’t forget to check out my 2011 goals page to see how I’ve been progressing since January!

Speaking of adventures, in order to get the most out of what’s left of summer, I’m taking a little blogging break over the next couple of weeks.  Fear not-I have some really excellent guest posts lined up and I’ll fill you in on how I spent my free time when my break is over.

Related Posts

2016’s Word: Connect
My Two Words for 2019: Rest & Community
2011 Resolutions
Looking Forward to 2010
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Filed Under: life Tagged With: goals

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Comments

  1. Maggie says

    August 1, 2011 at 8:39 pm

    Your doing a great job with your goals! Wish I could get a little more organized with what I want to accomplish, but. As for now I am just going with the flow and enjoying summer…Fall always brings a little more time and a better schedule for us! Keep it up Em!

  2. Michelle @ The Cooking Life says

    August 2, 2011 at 11:04 am

    I’m such a goal-oriented person so I need to do a list like this. I think it’ll help me tremendously, to keep things in order. Enjoy your break :)

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Emily
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

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#igers413_food #igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #PublicEatAndDrink
New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-2023-theme-word-enrich/
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#YearlyTheme #MyOneWord #2023 #enrich2023 #NewYearsResolution
It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
5. @berkshiremuseum 
6.@sculpture.now at @themountlenox 
7. @massmoca 
8. @mountainviewfarm413 
9. The #AshuwillticookRailTrail
New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/reflections-on-resuming-in-2022/
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#resume2022 #newyearsresolution #myoneword #yearlytheme
New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#Boothbay #BoothbayMaine #CoastalMaineBotanicalGardens #GardensAglow #BotanicalGarden #MidcoastMaine
It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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https://www.relishments.com/blog/welcome-to-winter-farm-share-csa-menu-plan-148/
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #FallFoliage #FallColors #autumn #AshuwillticookRailTrail #JaeschkeOrchards #GreylockGlen
@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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#igers413 #InTheBerkshires #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #NorthAdams #NAmazing #FreshGrass #FreshGrassFestival #MassMoCA #MusicFestival
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