Final Update for My Winter 2025 Bucket List and Goals

 

Hey, ladybugs🐞!! Popping in to share the Final Update for my Winter 2025 Bucket List and Goals.  We’ve made some progress since the last update, here, but I am afraid there may be a few red Xs on some of my hopeful activities.

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Final Update Winter 2025 Bucket List

 

For each bucket list post, I use this key to indicate my progress on each activity.  This is my final update for the season.  Have a feeling there may be a few of these items with ⏱️s or ❌s bumped to spring.

Key to my Progress:

• ⏱️ = work on goal underway
• ✔️ = goal met
• ❌ = goal not met

Here’s how things look as we move from winter to spring.

• beach huts:  I purchased the video and online directions for this collage craft project through Jennifer Chamberlin at the Maker Beehive.  Our upstairs guest bedroom is beach-themed and I hope to put this ‘art’ – I use the termly loosely – in there.  So, here’s the deal.  I didn’t make my beach cottages – YET.  But I did participate in Jennifer’s Collage Challenge 2025 with The Maker Beehive and created this little cottage instead.  Bumping the beach cottages to spring but giving myself a checkmark for the cottage I did create. ✔️
• book challenges:  not sure what in the world got into me but I have signed up for 3, yes, THREE book challenges this year.  I have signed up for the 52 Book Challenge, the historical fiction book challenge, and Goodreads.  This will be an on-going bucket list activity throughout the year.  Continuing progress on all 3 challenges. ✔️
• Cincinnati Reds Spring training trip for PC’s birthday:  Paul’s bday was 02.28.2025.  In celebration that weekend, we more or less hopped in the car for an impromptu trip to Phoenix for spring training.  The weather was very nice, the Reds won 2 out of 3 that weekend, and PC met up with some long lost friends from his younger days. ✔️

Plus…

• cocoa and game night:  I love setting up a cocoa bar and having family over to indulge with me.  But it didn’t happen this winter!  A few weeks ago, I packed away all my cocoa bar things until next year.  But we did have game night.  And it was a big success. ✔️
• date night:  attend a play at our community playhouse or take the grands to see the “Dogman” movie. Did both.  Giving myself 2 checkmarks, here.  ✔️✔️
• Goodwill challenge:  this is something PC suggested.  We ran out of season before having this fun.  Bumping this to spring and will be sure it happens this time!! ❌
• host our writing group:  it has been almost 2 years since we joined Let’s Write, so I volunteered us to host the group for a meeting and informal dinner at our house.  ✔️

Finally…

• MasterClass, CreativeLive and DailyOm writing courses:  I have registered for a couple of online writing courses this year.  One a children’s writing workshop by Judy Blume through MasterClass,  a memoir writing workshop by Joyce Maynard through CreativeLive.  And I signed up for the DailyOm’s “A Year of Writing to Uncover the Authentic Self.” For now, I have been focusing on this third class but will wind them all up before year’s end.  This is an ongoing activity. ⏱️
• participate in Random Act of Kindess Week, 02.09-02.15.2025:  have done this kind of informally in the past in differents ways.  This year I have purchased books for several folks in a kind of Random-ish Act of Kindness. Donated to Brennyn’s nursing friend Kathryn who does amazing things for the NICU babies at Texas Methodist in Southwest Ft. Worth.  Check out this article for more information on the Kathryn’s holiday displays. Going to call this a success. ✔️

Last But Not Least

• put together a puzzle:  nope, didn’t happen and I finally put the kitty puzzle in the closet.  ❌
• try a new restaurant, coffee shop or pub:  we have started going to various restaurants and coffee shops to write – and EAT, of course.  We need to keep exploring new places.  For brunch one morning we sampled the Piedmont Cafe.  I had their Morrocan toast and PC had a breakfast burrito, which he discovered was regretfully vegan.  The food was pretty tasty but pricey – often one of the drawbacks of trying new places!! On the other hand, we really enjoyed our first visit to Freddy’s Frozen Custards and Steakburgers while in Phoenix.  We split a burger but savored our own sundaes.  Delish.  ✔️

*Would also like to have Cami and Cia spend the night with us.  But will pencil this in for now. – NOPE, not yet.  Probably won’t try again with this til summer.  ❌

Update Winter 2025 Goals

 

Here’s a quick look at our final progress on this winter’s goals.  Not bad, if I say so myself.

Home

• clean garage:  this was a fall goal that I moved to winter and it is done, son!!  We went through all of our shelves in the garage and reorganized, got rid of things and generally neaten up the place. ✔️
• winter ‘spring’ cleaning room to room for the second story of the house:  we tackled the first floor of the house in the fall and managed to get all but our master bedroom and bath on the second floor cleaned this winter.  You will likely see this among my spring goals later this week.  ⏱️
• finish the walk on the west side of the house:  Paul finished the walk this season and built raised garden beds in the fall.  We planted our seeds about 3 weeks ago.  No sign of growth yet, though.  Hopefully something this week.  ✔️

Then There’s…

• paint baseboards:  have mercy, this has been a goal for about a year now.  We have the paint but still no progress.  Will bump this again (and probably again) but hope to get this done in the next couple of months.  ❌
• touch up wall paint inside the house and paint the pullouts on the front porch:  this is another goal carried over from last summer.  Still hasn’t happened!!  ❌
• update linens in our room and purchase holiday quilts:  Amy at Amy’s Creative Pursuits shared a tour of her home all dolled up for the holidays.  Her Christmas touches in all the rooms were just charming.  I want to put Christmas spreads on our 3 beds next year.  Purchased the last one, this MarCielo winter blue candy quilt one for our room, a couple of weeks ago.  When the holidays come, hope to drape twinkly lights around each of our beds and maybe a few evergreen boughs for a festive look.  ✔️

Heart

• cellulite massage oil, hot cream and dry brushing:  back to using cellulite massage oil and hot cream several times a week and dry brushing, too. ✔️
• continue to faithfully use Revitalash and RoC Retinol and Musely:  yes, yes and yes. ✔️
• get back to walking, exercising regularly, at least 3x a week:  we rejoined the gym in mid-December and have been pretty good about going, adding in before-dinner walks, and my Supernatural virtual reality workouts.  Need to get better about doing our standing abs and my hip workouts. Always room for improvement. ✔️
• grow out my bangs:  not really sure about this one but I am going to try growing out my bangs which aren’t really bangs but more like hair curtains.  Still working on growing them out. ⏱️

Also…

• manis/pedis 2x a month:  my word of the year is nurture and I am doing better about pampering myself.  Have enjoyed this UV light in doing regular manis and showing myself a little self love.✔️
• Photomyne photos:  this is an app I am using to scan old photos and keep them stored for PC,the girls and me.  By the end of winter need to have labeled everything that has been scanned.  Check out Photomyne, here.  Have worked on this once so you know the drill…bumped to spring. ⏱️
• put on my face everyday:  my bff Sharon puts on her face every single day and she always looks pretty, and ‘dressed’ for whatever the day holds. Thanks to her good influence, I have upped my game. ✔️
• track my Weight Watchers points:  yes, I know, you have seen this goal before!! Ha!!  I have been tracking again but need to stick with it through spring.  Have lost about 5 pounds.  Would like to lose just a couple more, tone up (waaaaay up) and stay that way!!  Which means…hello, spring.  ⏱️

Bonus Goals After Reading My Friends’ Goals

 

• Use Rover.com and sub money to pay off Amazon card, and keep balance below $200:  no explanation required!!  Yikes, had to buy a new phone after having bought a phone in November.  I am phone-poor.  But I am still determined to get this done before summer??!! BUMPED!!⏱️
• Donate platelets:  I donate blood regularly but took a temporary hiatus after I hurt my foot.  I am ready now to donate platelets, and blood, again, of course.  But have had a change of heart.  My BFF, especially, has encouraged me to just stick with blood donation.  Her husband, who is my age, got into a mess after donating platelets fairly frequently.  I don’t need any messes.  Will make an appointment to donate blood. ⏱️

 

Your Turn

 

How are you coming on your resolutions, goals or seasonal bucket list?  Would love to hear all about it in a comment below.  Or link up your final update post right here.

And start thinking of those spring things you would like to accomplish!!  We will be sharing our spring plans later this week.

I have gotten behind on my reading and writing with the issues with my blog and some kind of stomach ailment that hit me hard last week.  Feeling back to normal this week so will be catching up I hope over the next few days.

Thank you for the visit, my friends.

Hugs and kisses,