2013 Goal Update

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For my own benefit and accountability, I thought I would post an update on my progress on the goals I set for the year back in January.  

First course of breakfast at the Mullan House Bed and Breakfast on our weekend getaway

• Read through the Old Testament - I've been doing pretty well on this goal, at the moment I'm one day behind on a one-year entire Bible reading plan
• Memorize the book of Ephesians - My ambitiousness has waned on this one - I've only memorized the first nine verses of the first chapter!  I hope to begin making progress on this again soon!  
• Re-establish a weekly date with my husband, including at least one date a month out of the house without the baby - I think we have been pretty consistent with this (We have missed one week so far this year).  In fact, just this weekend we even got to have a quick one-night getaway to a bed and breakfast.  As our lives become busier with ministry, baby Micah, and Caleb's seminary coursework, setting aside an evening each week to spend time together has become much more valuable for our marriage and is time that we treasure.  We've also gotten more creative this year at finding free or low-cost date night ideas so that we can save a little each month so we can get away for a night once or twice a year like we were able to do recently. 
• Pray more specifically for my husband every day - Yes, this has become much more of a habit.  And, we've been praying together more too!
• Read at least two parenting books - Nope, haven't done this yet.
• Read at least 2 books a month - Yes, I have surprised myself by actually accomplishing this so far - feeding Micah does give me lots of sitting down time to read.  At the top of this post are some of the books I have read so far.  The most helpful has probably been The Happiest Baby on the Block.   
• Try at least 6 DIY projects - I've tried making yogurt again and it failed...again.  I have been pleased with the homemade nursing pads I made, and I am using cloth wipes now, although instead of making them, I just use baby washcloths I already had been given.  My friend and I made laundry detergent together, and that has been the biggest success so far, and the biggest money-saver.  Plus it was pretty easy! I would roughly estimate that between the those three items, I have saved at least $30-$40 so far this year by not buying the disposable or store-bought versions.  On that note, we also save about $50 a month by using Sunbaby cloth diapers.  Now that's something to get excited about!