Cabin in the City

Predictably, July went by quick just like any other summer month. Let’s see how I did on my goals.

1. Take some time up north. Done! Michael and I went up to our cabin the very first weekend in July. My oldest friend Amanda and her husband came to visit, and we did some of my favorite tacky tourist things in the Wisconsin Dells. We also had a very good fire. I also learned that gin and tonics are amazing. WHO KNEW?
2. Deepen my tarot practice. Did not even touch this. I spent a few weeks this month in a kind of stress spiral. I was tempted to shuffle the cards for some insight, but I thought all that anxiety wouldn’t yield the best reading.
3. Sew a dress from Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book. Didn’t get into this one either. To make matters worse, I bought even more summer fabric for another TBD dress. What is wrong with me?
4. Get back on the horse with my Great American Baking Challenge.  Back on the horse! I tried my hand at making dinner rolls over the 4th of July weekend and then focaccia the next weekend. I think they turned out really well!
5. Visit the Hoyt Park beer garden. Maybe I should have been less specific with this goal. I didn’t visit the Hoyt Park beer garden, but I did visit the one at Estabrook and I learned how to play kubb. Does this count? Half a point?

2.5/5. Overall, not super great, especially after I went 5/5 in June. I did kind of fall into an anxiety pit mid-month and lost control of my schedule a bit, and that definitely impacted how I spent my time. You can’t win them all, so let’s move on to August.

1. Get my summer reading list together. I know what you’re thinking: it’s August and you’re starting a summer reading list? I am! Every year my mom, aunts, sisters and I head way up north for a week. In this week, I typically read a half dozen books, so it’s time to search out some titles and get my library requests in.
2. Get a few more designs whipped up for Kaminski Handicraft. I added a few new designs to my Etsy shop last month and had some success. But I want to round out my shop with some new pieces. I’ve got some commissions in the pipeline, so maybe those will inspire some new work.
3. Apply for the Crafty Fair. I saw via Instagram that the Crafty Fair in Madison is taking applications. I know I’m not as up on my game as a lot of other participants, but everyone has to start somewhere. Once I get those designs done, I might stand a chance!
4. Get my stitching in order. I’ve been making a little headway on Etsy selling out of a few designs (this blerg! hoop is particularly popular). But every time I start to stitch a new one, I’m searching for an old pattern to trace and the right shade of floss. I think it’s time to get those things written down and organized. And maybe I can get some new office supplies to make it fun. (I love love love office supplies.)
5. Clean, like really clean, my bathtub. Clean your bathtub, Lisa? Really? Yes! I’ve been working toward updating our bathroom for a while now, and the project is getting bigger all the time. One issue that I’ve run into is whether to replace our old porcelain tub with a new fiberglass one or not. Well, new tubs are pretty expensive and fiberglass isn’t as durable as porcelain, so I’d like to try to get the existing tub into fighting shape. It can’t be so hard – Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict cleans up the nastiest tubs all the time. And it turns out that her secret weapon is super cheap and easy to find: Barkeeper’s Friend. Wish me luck!

Here’s hoping that August is a little more productive than July! On to the last (full) month of summer!

A girl’s gotta have goals, amirite? That’s why I’m going to follow the lead of Nicole from Writes Like a Girl and start sharing a list of monthly goals. I like seeing what people are up to, I like checking off lists and accomplishing tasks – this series is no brainer, right?

So let’s start with my small goals for June.

1. Celebrate our second anniversary – Last year we really celebrated our anniversary in a big way in Jamaica. Not every year is a vacation year, but every year is a reason to celebrate.
2. Get the house in order – Since the basement got tore up from the floor up, we’ve been living in quite the mess. You can’t move in our house without tripping over a box for Goodwill, a piece of furniture that’s on its way out or just general clutter. I hope to remedy that so we can get back on track with a clean(-ish) home.
3. Add a few non-wedding items to my Etsy shop – I recently made a Golden Girls hoop for my shop, and I really love how it turned out. I hope to add a few more fun pieces like it this month. I want to shoot for four more, but I’d be happy with three!
4. Visit La Crosse and Eau Claire – I’ve got friends up both ways with new homes (and one with a baby on the way!). It’s been too long since I visited, so I’m hoping to stop by and say hey all in one weekend.
5. Polka at Polish Fest – My dad and I started going to Polish Fest together about ten years ago. Now, it’s a family affair and the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day. I’m hoping I can con Michael into a polka before I stuff myself with too many pierogis.

Alright, folks! Let’s see how I do this month! I have good feelings about the fun stuff, and hopefully enough frustrated energy to accomplish the home stuff. I’ll see you back here in July with an update (and before that with other posts!).