Goals: January 2016

Yesterday, I shared my goals for the entire year of 2016. Today, I'm here to share my goals for January. I want to be intentional about everything, and focusing on getting things done and making myself a better person is a great start.

Here goes...

1. Get the house back in order. 

We traveled a lot over the holidays, and I REALLY need to get decorations taken down and put away and give the entire house a nice cleaning. It's tough to find time, but I'll try to do it while Annabelle naps each day.

2. Run one mile without walking. 

Okay, so I ran a marathon in 2014. Then I injured my leg... and then I was pregnant and couldn't run because my heart rate would skyrocket every time I tried... so here I am, four months post-partum, and I'm running again. But I'm also walking a lot. And to reach some of my bigger running goals this year, I need to start small and simple.

3. Read one book.

This one is also small... but only because the book I have chosen is REALLY long. Well, it's over 500 pages... but it's for book club, and I've been so excited to finally read it. (All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr). Book club meets on January 26th, so I'll start another book by the end of the month. Maybe I can read two next month.

4. Type 30 recipes for my cookbook.

Since one of my big goals for the year is to completely finish my personal cookbook (with room to add to as I find recipes we love, of course), I need to really get ball rolling with getting recipes typed up. I have a giant basket with random recipes printed off from the Internet... so I will start there.

5. Complete one of my 30 Before 30 tasks.

I have already completed most of the "small" and "easy" tasks... so now I need to get my butt in gear and really start accomplishing some of these. I'm not sure which I'll do this month, but I do have an idea.

• What do you think? Are my goals reasonable?
• What do you hope to accomplish this month?

    

2016 Goals

I don't know about you, but I'm very much a goal-oriented person. I thrive with challenges, especially if I have a routine. That's why I want to share my 2016 goals with you all. It will help hold me accountable, but more importantly, I'll have a reference point.

Here you have it, friends... what I hope to accomplish in this great year of 2016:

1. Read Devotional Every Day - I have a few different devotionals, but I'm going to start with one (Jesus Day by Day by Beth Moore) and work my way into another (Jesus Calling) by Sarah Young when I finish the first. I'd really like a mother of a daughter type devotional after that, so I'll be looking for recommendations. I hope to do this each morning as I drink my coffee, but I know life (ahem, a baby) can get in the way of plans like that, so I'll fit this in wherever I can.

2. Be Intentional About Birthdays - this one will be easier with my new planner and stickers (Dan got me an Erin Condren for Christmas - woo!) 

3. Breastfeed Annabelle to First Birthday - I know, I know... she never would eat "correctly"... but I am pumping like a mad-woman and even have a whole additional month of milk stored in the freezer now - over 700 ounces! At the rate I'm going, I should be able to stop pumping sometime in May and still feed her my milk exclusively (we will add normal food too but keep her rate of breastmilk the same) until her first birthday in September.

4. Finish Cookbook - This isn't something huge... it's not like I'm planning on publishing a cookbook... but I do want a nice, organized, easy-to-follow book of all of the recipes my family enjoys... which is a huge undertaking since we try LOTS of new meals all the time. I currently have recipes printed from the Internet in a basket... we keep all the ones we like. I am going to type each one up in the exact same format so it's easy for me to make each one when I'm busy in the kitchen. I do have this project started, and I'm hoping to be done typing my current recipes by the time we move at the end of March, so I can focus on printing and putting together my book once we arrive at our new home.

5. Blog Twice a Week Minimum - This one is pretty self explanatory. I'll always shoot for three posts (M W F), but we saw how that worked out last year, so I'm trying to give myself a little grace here. ;-)

6. Complete 10 30 Before 30 Tasks - My list is found here, and I still have 13 tasks I have't even started in addition to some that are currently in progress. I need to get busy! I turn 29 in July...

7. Read 16 Books - Last year, I failed at reading the amount I set out for - 26 - but I think that whole having a baby thing got in the way a bit. I chose to keep my goal number lower this year in hopes that I won't give up. I use Goodreads to track my progress, find new books, and review the ones I read. I'd love to be friends - find me here. 

8. Set Monthly Goals to Stay Motivated - That's right - I'll be posting monthly goals on the blog and sharing how I did with them the next month. I know a few other blogger friends do this, and it seems like a great way to focus on short-term goals, so I'm going to give it a go!

9. Focus on My Digital Shop - I have unfortunately made the decision to close my shop, Two Cats Decorations. I love making products for people, but I hate packaging and shipping. My tile magnets are too fragile to pack haphazardly, and I was wasting way too much time preparing them for shipment... time I could be spending with sweet Annabelle. My husband was awesome about helping (he always is), but the amount of money I brought in from the shop in 2015 wasn't enough to justify staying open. Instead, I'll focus on my digital shop, Printspirational Art Co., since there's no packaging involved, and it'll be easier to keep up with on a day-to-day basis. I can always turn my shop off during busy times and not even worry about it! 

10. Be Intentional About Life (being a wife, being a mother, being a friend, being myself) - This one is also pretty self-explanatory. I want to make sure I'm being genuine and trying my hardest to fill my roles in life. That's pretty vague, I know, but I'm hoping this one kind of guides me. 

• What are your goals for 2015?

    

2015: A Recap

2015 was such a whirlwind of a year for us!

We found out we were expecting a baby, prepped everything for the baby, found out she's a girl, traveled to Europe, celebrated our one year wedding anniversary, bought a new car, went to a Royals game in Cincinnati, had maternity photos taken, and HAD A BABY!

Annabelle is the sweetest gift to ever come into our lives, and while we are sad to see the year of her birth go, we are extremely excited to watch her grow, develop, and learn new things!

• How was your 2015?
• Are you happy or sad that it's over?

    

2015 Christmas Card

It's that time of year again... the holidays are here!

From our family to yours... Merry Christmas!

    

Christmas Truffle Recipe Round-Up

Can you believe Christmas is NEXT week?! That's right - just one week away!

If you're anything like me, you need gifts for your neighbors... or your kids' teachers... or random family members who show up at holiday parties... or you just need something deliciously sweet to take your mind off of spending so much time with family over the holidays. ;-)

Whatever the case, these four truffle recipes are sure to hit the sweet-tooth spot AND be a big hit at all holiday gatherings.

Last year, I made all four of these truffles, packaged them up all nice and neat in these adorable Christmas tins (from Dollar Tree - holla!), used mini muffin wrappers to individually hold them... and I took them across the country for my family to eat devour after Christmas dinner. The four different truffle flavors are: Chocolate Peanut Butter, Gingerbread, Egg Nog, and Peppermint Chocolate. YUM.

This year? Yeah, that hasn't happened yet. Don't get me wrong: I want them. But I just got over a terrible sinus infection ordeal that involved a middle of the night trip to the ER on base... and taking care of Annabelle and making gobs of Etsy orders to ship out in time for Christmas has left me feeling less than motivated to do anything else before we head out on our road trip next week. Who knows? Maybe the feeling will strike, and I'll whip one or two of these up... but I promise you won't regret it if you make all four. They're worth it. 

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLES

Prep Time: 15 minutes                                                                             

Cooking Time: 1 hour (chill time)

Yield: 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 tbsp butter, melted

• 1/2 cup peanut butter

• 1+ cup powdered sugar

• 2 tbsp marshmallow fluff (optional)

• 8 oz chocolate candy coating

Directions

1. Melt butter in the microwave.

2. In a medium bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, and marshmallow fluff, and stir well to combine.

3. Using a spatula to mix, gradually add 1 cup of powdered sugar, adding more until dough is no longer sticky.

4. Whip peanut butter mixture until no longer clumpy looking.

5. Roll dough into a large ball, and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

6. Roll one inch balls from dough, and place on a cookie sheet.

7. Return the dough balls to the refrigerator.

8. Melt chocolate candy coating according to package directions.

9. Line another baking sheet with wax paper.

10. Dip dough balls into chocolate, and place on the wax paper to dry.

11. Refrigerate truffles when finished. 

GINGERBREAD TRUFFLES

Prep Time: 15 minutes                                                                             

Cooking Time: 1 hour (chill time)

Yield: 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 8 oz ginger snap cookies

• 12 oz white chocolate chips

• decorations (optional)

Directions

1. Line cookie sheet with wax paper.

2. Finely crush ginger snaps in a food processer.

3. Add cream cheese, and pulse until combined.

4. Refrigerate for a half hour.

5. Form into one inch balls, and place on cookie sheet.

6. Insert a toothpick in each one, and freeze for 30 minutes.

7. Melt chocolate chips, stirring often to avoid burning.

8. Use toothpick to dip each ball into melted chocolate, and then remove toothpicks.

9. Use decorations to cover the toothpick holes if you want!

EGG NOG TRUFFLES

Prep Time: 15 minutes                                                                             

Cooking Time: 1 hour (chill time)

Yield: 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar

• ¾ cup eggnog

• ½ cup butter

• 1 tsp rum flavoring

• 1 tsp nutmeg

• 1 cup marshmallow cream

• 3 cups white chocolate chips

• 1 bar white vanilla/almond bark

• 1 tbsp nutmeg, for garnish

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring sugar, eggnog, and butter to a rolling boil for two minutes.

2. Remove from heat, and mix in rum flavoring and 1 tsp nutmeg.

3. Pour mixture into a mixing bowl, and stir in marshmallow cream and white chocolate chips. Mix until completely melted and incorporated.

4. Refrigerate for one hour.

5. Roll mixture into one inch balls, and freeze for one hour.

6. Melt vanilla/almond bark, and dip each ball until coated.

7. Immediately sprinkle a small amount of nutmeg on each one (as you go so they don’t dry).

8. Allow to set in refrigerator for another 30 minutes. 

PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Prep Time: 15 minutes                                                                             

Cooking Time: 1 hour (chill time)

Yield: 2 dozen truffles

Ingredients

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1 cup chocolate chips, melted

• ½ tsp peppermint extract

• 1/3 cup crushed candy canes

Directions

1. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth.

2. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring often so they don’t burn.

3. Add melted chocolate and peppermint extract to cream cheese mixture, and beat until smooth and well combined.

4. Cover and refrigerate for one hour.

5. Roll into one inch balls.

6. Roll balls in crushed candy canes.

*Note: don’t roll in candy canes until the day you’re serving.

Do you like truffles?

What is your favorite kind?

Do you LOVE all the Christmas desserts like me?