hello, september

I've always thought of September as one giant countdown to the best time of year. Fall is where my heart is, and October is always magical for me. 

I always neglect this month, though, and pass it off as a chunk of time I have to get through so that I can enjoy the good stuff. But staying in line with the life I've decided to create, I want this year to go a bit differently than most. Even if I don't post them, I always have a goal in mind to accomplish for each month, so rather than having a "get through" mentality for September, I'm going to shift my focus and challenge myself to get as much done as I possibly can before it's end.

official September goals:

1. continue to de-clutter! We're in the middle of building our first home & we couldn't be more excited about all the s p a c e we're about to have...but we don't want to fill it with junk & things we don't need. I've been on a purging & cleaning spree since the spring, but every time I clean or do laundry, I find things that can go. In September, I want to declutter as much as absolutely possible so that when we start packing later this fall, we don't spend our time packing away things that should have been removed already. Areas that I know need major attention? Our pantry, kitchen cabinets, the Monica closet (and if you don't know what this is, I suggest you take advantage of Netflix gracing us with every episode of Friends that ever existed), & bookshelf. These are places that are typically out of sight, out of mind & it's super easy to overlook the fact that they contain things that need to be donated or tossed. 

2. start & keep a major house shopping list! Even though I need to toss & donate a bunch of items in our house, we still have a lot of items that we've never purchased or need to repurchase that I would consider "staple" pieces. For example, I've been putting off throwing Scott's pot & pan set out because I haven't wanted to invest in a new one...but because the Teflon coating has started to flake, I'm super paranoid about what we're probably definitely adding as an ingredient to every meal we cook. So, a new pot & pan set is a must. My goal is to create a large list & begin searching for deals as soon as possible. 

3. purge my spring / summer capsule & post my fall / winter wardrobe! A few items I purchased for my spring / summer capsule didn't quite hold up like I had hoped, and a few pieces don't fit as well as they should, so I need to decide what I'm keeping to pack up & what I'm donating. A few days ago, my momma took me shopping as an early birthday present, and I came home with 11 new pieces for fall/winter (plus a pair of shoes & two scarves!) Along with the clothes I have in storage (that I'm really excited to get to wear again!), this almost completes my fall /winter capsule wardrobe! I still need to purchase two or three long sleeve, solid tees & a new black and white tank top to go under things, but after that (and hopefully a super cute pair of brown boots) and MAYBE a new pair of leggings? I'm done! I'll be posting my fall / winter capsule in October and I'm really excited about being able to do that! I think I'm going to be much happier with this capsule than I was with my spring /summer one...but fall clothes are way cuter, am I right?!

4. get back to meal planning! I've been super slack & didn't meal plan at all in August or the beginning of this month, but I've definitely suffered the consequences & realized just how much money planning can save! My goal is to plan the rest of September & all of October (and maybe get a head start on November?) by the end of the month. 

5. take more pictures! Scott's dad left his Canon DSLR for him last winter when he visited, and I've been meaning to put it to better use than we have been. I'm going to start taking more pictures for my blog, as this is also meant as a way for our family & friends to stay connected to us.

That's it! Some super simple goals that I think will help us out tremendously as we get ready for a really busy fall & winter. I was going to make it a goal to post a certain number of times per week, but I'm going to ease back into blogging. I miss how it holds me accountable and I think there's real potential to create an online space that I love updating & maintaining...so I want this to be a natural progression, although I'm a little impatient. 

Here's to a productive September!