No.868: Plan With Me for November 2024

I’m trying something a little different for goal planning this school year.  My new motto: we are not machines, we don’t have infinite energy levels, we can only do so much!  Hopefully this new method will help me reduce my stress and prioritize the right things at the right times.

Well, October has been a typical month full of highs and lows.  I’m happy to report that even with the basement mold and the water damage in the dining room, we definitely had our fair share of happy moments, thanks be to God!  Some highlights: I turned 40.  We have a new 16-year-old in the house.  I worked on a thirty-day decluttering challenge, which has ignited a huge spark to get my home in order.  My husband had basal cell carcinoma surgery and is cancer free! (Just dealing with a gnarly wound issue now.)  We made tiny baby steps of progress with my dyslexic kids.  We finished 95% of our farm projects before the frost warnings began.  My favorite tree’s leaves changed into a brilliant red and I thoroughly enjoyed the view before the wind blew them all away.  Anne Shirley says it best: “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

Onto the goals!  Let’s review my October goals first:

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

1. finish cleaning up the garden (Oof, this is the project that never ends.  I’m still not done, but closer)
2. densely woodchip the permanent pig paddocks (This will be a continual project all winter but we got a good start)
3. prepare for an October birthday (We have a new 16-year-old in the house!)
4. start picking up little things for Christmas (Getting it done, little by little…)
5. drop off sacrament paperwork to the church office (Done!)

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

1. restart a snail mail habit by sending at least three letters (I really wanted to get to this…maybe next month?)
2. read Dracula by Bram Stoker (I’m 150 pages in and will finish in November)
3. start cutting 2025 firewood (Much more to do, but we started)
4. check the snow gear and make a to-buy list (So thankful for hand-me-downs!  I just need a few items for my daughter and two sons)
5. complete Clutterbug’s 30 Day Declutter Challenge (Final numbers: 23/30 days completed and 305 items to sell, throw out or donate – I’m inspired to keep going!)

FIVE LITTLE STEPS TO GET AHEAD

1. debt reduction: earn $100+ to go toward the Car Loan Payoff Plan (Final amount earned: $173.19)
2. mother academia: finish reading With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln (I didn’t pick up this book once…oops)
3. walls project: paint the living room (This got delayed due to the water mitigation but I hope to finish the last wall next week)
4. hard times prep: continue adding to our food storage with 5 extra things/wk (Little by little, we’re getting the pantry stocked for winter)
5. farm: fortify pig houses for winter (We finished just in time before the cold front came in!)

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On to November!

FIVE TOP PRIORITIES

These tasks tend to have deadlines or really should be completed this month.

1. renew The Big White Farmhouse website for one more year
2. pray novena prayers for the holy souls in Purgatory
3. fix/replace our living room smoke detector
4. prepare for November birthdays
5. finish the majority of Christmas shopping

FIVE “WOULD BE GREAT TO DO” TASKS

Examples of these tasks would be seasonal goals or things that just generally have less urgency.

1. debrief the 2024 growing season and jot down initial plans for 2025
2. stay on top of woodchip distribution in the pig paddocks/barnyard
3. inventory Christmas wrapping paper stock
4. make a recipe from my vintage cookbook
5. make beeswax candles

FIVE LITTLE STEPS TO GET AHEAD

This area is for big, overwhelming goals that can be broken down into bite-sized, attainable steps.

1. debt reduction: earn $100+ to go toward the Car Loan Payoff Plan
2. mother academia: make a dent in With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln
3. home projects: survive the water mitigation/hardwood flooring situation!
4. hard times prep: read Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient when the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison
5. farm: move Millie and Fred into the same paddock for the winter (praying for baby piglets in the spring!)