Update - Winter 2025 Bucket List and Goals

Hey, ladybugs🐞!! Popping in to share my Update - Winter 2025 Bucket List and Goals. We’ve made some progress but still plenty today before winter’s official end.

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Update Winter 2025 Bucket List

 

For each bucket list post, I use this key to indicate my progress on each activity. This is my (more-than) mid-point progress report. Will share a final update on 03.23.2025.

Key to my Progress:

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

Here’s how things look as of today.

• 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. Still planning to make the beach cottages, so stay tuned. ⏱️

 

• 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. Happy to report I am doing well on all 3 challenges. P.S. this is the book my book club selected for our March book of the month. It is fabulous - I’ve already started reading!!⏱️

 

• Cincinnati Reds Spring training trip for PC’s birthday: Paul’s bday is this Friday. 02.28. We had talked about going out to Phoenix for spring training then decided we didn’t need to spend that money right now. Then reconsidered and now we are going out for a whirlfwind weekend; driving out Friday and home Sunday. Will share photos in my final update next month. ⏱️

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!! This week, I actually packed away all my cocoa bar things until next year. But we did have game night. And it was a big success. Hope to do a repeat when Brennyn and family come to visit in March. We played some party games at Lucia’s request and then this upside down challenge game that was great fun. We did drink cocoa this winter - just didn’t have a big night about it. And game night was a success. Giving myself a checkmark for this. ✔️

• date night: attend a play at our community playhouse or take the grands to see the “Dogman” movie. Being the overachievers we can be at times, we did both of these activities. For our Valentine’s Day date night, we went to dinner and to see “Marvin’s Room” at the playhouse. It was an impromptu evening which made it all the better. And Francisco treated the family to “Dogman.” The movie wasn’t our cup of tea but the babies enjoyed it and the popcorn was good. Giving myself 2 checkmarks, here. ✔️✔️

 

• Goodwill challenge: believe it or not, this is actually something PC suggested. We haven’t done it yet but will make this happen before the season’s end. ⏱️

 

• 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. Accomplished this on 02.11.2025. And didn’t take any pictures!! Well, this one of the food after we had eaten. Fixed 2 quiches, using this recipe. Had veggies and dip, and store-bought cookies. It was a success. And I didn’t get wrapped around the hub. So maybe I can entertain now and then. I also gave the lesson that evening about writing children’s picture books. ✔️

 

Finally…

• MasterClass, CreativeLive and DailyOm writing courses: I have registered for a couple of online writing courses. 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. I complete an exercise every week but this is a year’s worth of lessons so this will be ongoing through 2025. Will finish the other 2 courses in the next few weeks. And for this year’s #100DayProject, I am working everyday on questions from the book To Our Children’s Children. My mom completed all of these questions for us. Now I am returning the favor for my daughters. ⏱️
• 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. Want to take the El Paso grandgirls downtown, maybe even Cady when she visits, to put money in parking meters. I think that is fun. Would like to treat the next person in line somewhere to their order. Starbucks? Dunkin Doughnuts? ⏱️

Last But Not Least

• put together a puzzle: we bought a kitty-themed jigsaw puzzle in January and it is still unopened. We need to get on this. ⏱️

 

• 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 explore a couple of new places. Maybe the Unbranded Tavern and Kitchen or Piedmont Cafe. For coffee, we could check out 2Ten Coffee Roasters. Hasn’t happened yet. May have to count wherever we eat in Phoenix in order to earn this checkmark. ⏱️

*Would also like to have Cami and Cia spend the night with us. We have tried it twice before without much luck. And maybe they are still too young, which is why I am not going to make this an official bucket list activity. But will pencil this in for now. - NOPE, not yet. ⏱️

Update Winter 2025 Goals

 

Here’s a quick look at our progress on this winter’s goals. Not many checkmarks.

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. ✔️
• fall ‘spring’ cleaning room to room for the second story of the house: we tackled the first floor of the house in the fall. Now to the tough rooms upstairs – my loft, PC’s office, our bedroom, guest bedroom, 2 bathrooms, and the linen closet. We have completed the guestroom, guest bath and the linen closet. Started tackling our offices (PC’s office, my loft) this week. BIG JOB. Going through drawers, book shelves, closets and purging unneeded and unused items. ⏱️
• finish the walk on the west side of the house: Paul began work on this just before the holidays. He finished in January and it looks great. We pulled weeds on this side of the house, planted grass seed and planted vegetables in the raised bed PC made in the fall. So excited to see how the yard fills in and our ‘crops’ come up!! ✔️

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. ⏱️
• 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. I have already purchased this holiday quilt for our blue, beach-themed guest room. Ordered this tinsel quilt set for our elephant guest bedroom. Now to find the perfect holiday quilt for our room. ⏱️

Heart

• cellulite massage oil, hot cream and dry brushing: friends, friends, I bought a dry brush 10 years ago and have used it about 2 times. But have upped my game, girls, to twice a week. This article highlights the benefits of dry brushing. Back to using cellulite massage oil and hot cream several times a week, 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. Have gone 31 days out of 58 days this year. We are walking much more, at least 2-3 times a week. And I am back to my Supernatural, 21 virtual reality workouts this year. Need to get busy doing our standing abs and my hip workouts. ⏱️
• 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. Mine are about half the length of my longest layer. I did have my hair cut but the bangs were just trimmed. Letting it grow back out a bit in length. Still working on growing out the bangs. ⏱️

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. Have changed my polish 3x recently. Need to do it again tonight before our spring training getaway to Phoenix. In the photo below, you can see how swollen and discolored my broken foot still is. ⏱️

• 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. Yikes. Need to schedule this between 3:00-4:00 am, I guess. ⏱️
• 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. I am lucky to comb my hair some days!! Have been doing this everyday to some extent. Always combing my hair!! Adding blush, mascara and lip color everyday, too. ⏱️
• track my Weight Watchers points: yes, I know, you have seen this goal before!! Ha!! I am tracking again but need to stay with it. So, this goal is two-fold, track points and LOSE 5 POUNDS by spring. Have lost about 2 pounds. More work to do. ⏱️

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. And have only subbed once recently but signed up for a job next week. No recent Rover jobs either. But I am still determined to get this done before summer??!!⏱️
• 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. Will set this up for the coming week. Our blood donation organization is desperate for platelets for cancer patients. That could have been PC. Could be me. You. We should all do our part. Calling now for an appointment. ⏱️

I like having goals and activities to guide my days. And it surely won’t be the end of the world if I don’t earn checkmarks on everything. It’ll just be the end of the season!! Nothing says I can’t bump uncompleted items to spring.

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. Once again, mark your calendars for 03.23.2025 to link-up with the gals and I for our final update - winter 2025 bucket list and goals. And start thinking of those spring things you would like to accomplish!! We will be sharing our spring plans on 03.24.2025.

PC and I are hopping in the car bright and early to head to Phoenix. It is about a 6-hour drive which should put us at the Hohokam Stadium for the 1:30 pm LA Athletics-Cincinnati Reds game. Looking forward to celebrating 2 Reds’ wins.

Thank you for the visit, my friends. Hope you have a winning weekend planned.

Hugs and kisses,