11.14 Goals Roundup

November was an interesting month to say the least. The weather did a complete 180 on me and I had my first experience of living in the snow. There was just a little bit of snow, but still. While I've been to the snow countless times, I've never actually lived in it. The cold temperatures (which I'm not used to at all) made it feel a lot like Winter which kind of put me more into the holiday mode. I know it's only going to get colder here within the next month and I better soak up the remainder of the "warmer" days, but I don't want to even think about that yet!

Because it's been so cold I holed myself up inside a lot more than usual. Although this should make me more productive with getting stuff done, my productivity level hasn't actually been that great. This past week I've been sucking at blogging, but starting now I'm vowing to get back on track and blog more regularly.

So here's November's roundup since I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats!

1. Read a book: I borrowed "The Marriage Plot" and loved reading it. This is the second book I've read cover to cover by Eugenides and his style of writing just resonates with me perfectly. The topics he chooses to cover are really interesting to me and the way his stories unfold keeps my eyes glued to the pages. I also read "Middlesex" by the same author a few months ago.

2. Finish Summer Sampler blocks 11-15: I like to multitask while I watch T.V. Last month this meant that I got more knitting done in a few weeks than I had all last year. This month my Netflix addiction allowed me to have more cross stitching time. I finished these blocks and even started the 16th one!

3. Knit myself a hat: Sadly no hat was made this month, although I really should get going on this since my ears freeze every single time I step outside.

4. Finish THE quilt: I didn't finish the quilt either. I think my fear of messing up is preventing me from even trying. All that is left to do is the binding. I don't mind the tediousness of this step, but I really don't want to do it wrong.

5. Complete a project I've pinned: Although I've made a lot of recipes on my "Vegan Food" board this month, what I really wanted to accomplish was completing something off of my "Crafty" board. Yesterday morning as I was going through my list of goals to see how many things I actually got done, I noticed that I hadn't really crafted anything that I pinned. For the past month (at least) I've been meaning to sew up a yoga mat bag. About a month ago I pinned several styles and tutorials that I liked, but I knew that ultimately my finished product would be something I created. The links I pinned were good starting points, but I pretty much knew exactly what I wanted. I ended up taking ideas from the different pins (just looking at the pictures and not reading the tutorials) and created something I'm fond of. I enjoyed digging through my pins and making time to create something that I've been wanting to.

6. Get a good start on Christmas present making and buying: Even though I'm not completely done with my Christmas shopping or making, I'm still going to consider this goal complete. I pretty much know exactly what I'm going to get everyone on my list, which never happens this early. I've bought many of the presents that I plan on purchasing and got a decent start on making gifts. I still have a few more items to make and I hope to have the majority of them finished within the next two weeks since I'm not taking my sewing machine back to California for the few weeks I'll be there.

7. Use my big camera a lot: I started the month off taking a lot more pictures than I normally do (mostly of food), which was great. But about halfway through the month my big camera was pushed to the side and I was just using my phone to take daily photos for Project 365, and even that started seeming like a chore. Not good.

8. Run at least 100 miles throughout the month: Not even close. I ran slightly over 20 miles in November and I'm bummed about that. My only excuses are the coldness that I'm not used to and just pure laziness. I need to get my miles in so that I'm ready to participate in a few fun races next year without dying!

9. Try a new recipe: I loved this goal. I made chocolate chip apple pulp muffins, apple pulp pancakes, banana muffins (adapted), dinner rolls, whole wheat sandwich bread, and chocolate pudding pie! 

10. Paint my nails: I wanted to paint my nails in a festive color for Thanksgiving but never got around to it. Cooking for Thanksgiving was obviously more important. Seriously. So, instead I painted my nails a non-festive dark purple a few days after the holiday.

Score for November: 6 out of 10

Now it's your turn, December!