Goals check part 3

Well, the end of the year rapidly approaches. I thought it would be a good time to do a final goals check. So here goes:

1. Complete Henry's 1 year memory book
Still a check. yay.

2. Make 72 hour kits for the family
Wow, I completely forgot I even had this goal. Whoops. Alright, better get on this, pronto.

3. Hold weekly family home evenings and plan them a month in advance
Checkedy check. I have had to do some adjusting so that everyone can benefit, which mostly means making lessons no more than five minuets and doing more activities with the lesson, but I think overall it is going pretty well. I haven't planned the exact lessons a month in advance each, but we have a schedule, like First Presidency message the first Monday, from the Friend the second, etc and it works out pretty well.

4. Get second blog up and running
http://pbamurk.blogspot.com/ As for running...my last post was in July. Whoops. I really should make more of an effort to write on there about whatever I am reading, studying, watching.

5. Forget all my stupid and embarrassing moments in the past; sans the ones that make me laugh rather than cringe
For the most part. Still working on it.

6. Attend the Temple as a couple monthly
Except for February, yes. And I have been able to go by myself a bit AND take some family names which has been wonderful. One of the times I was able to go, the worker who ended up being there for me was one of my long time friends from Apple Valley with whom I lose touch on and off. Hearing blessings pronounced by someone you love is definitely a tender mercy of the Lord and I am still so grateful for that and all the other experiences I have been able to have as I continue to make an effort to go to the temple.
I think if I had more time I could really get caught up in family history, but for now, the little I can do will have to suffice. It was great getting to take a couple I got off of newfamilysearch for the first time to be sealed. Nettie and Melvin Frederick. The workers were so kind and had me stamp the card myself too. =)

7. Go to ward activities
We went to an ice cream social one Sunday (but mostly because the couple we had dinner with was going and coaxed us along-THANKS!) and I went to a relief society week day meeting. Does that count? 1/4 check.

8. Learn the new family search
YAY! I am no pro but I can get names, find name, print ordinance requests etc. So thanks to my mom's friend, Karen, I can say check to this goal now. Woot!

9. Read through the standard works
Still working through the Old Testament, as you can imagine. Book of Mormon and New Testament finished. I just finished Proverbs so I am getting closer and if I keep reading at the same pace I'll finish around the beginning of November so I'll have time to start and finish the Doctrine and Covenants.
One thing I didn't expect to happen while reading the Old Testament is the fullness of feeling I have when reading books like Ruth and Hosea. Those books just envelope my soul with the messages and especially in Hosea, the language. "Calves of our lips" has become a phrase I can't help but think about when I am in the temple or partaking of the sacrament. Its so beautiful. And Ruth-with the imagery and allusion to everything that plays out in the rest of the Old Testament and prophesying what will come after, Ruth and her incredible faith, the sureness of the promises of the Lord-Ruth ties together the Old Testament for me.
There is so much power in the Old Testament and I am so happy to be discovering at least a portion of it. Next my goal will be to somehow obtain a great commentary for the Old Testament like Keil and Delitzsch and go through the Old Testament that way. Man, that would take a looooong time but I think it would be well worth it.

10. Accept help
I think this one is going well. I hate asking for people to watch Henry but I am happy to report we have had help from three different couples who aren't technically family with this since we've gotten back to Provo and I am very, very grateful to them.

11. Take a family portrait
We were planning on mid October but now we'll have to see about the weather. I know we will be doing family pictures on my side during Thanksgiving since my brother will be back from his mission-wee-so maybe I can have a shot or two of just our family and count that if mid-October doesn't work out due to rain or scheduling. Both would be best, but either way, right?

12. Read 15 novels from master book list and 5 scholarly texts
One scholarly text and five novels to go. I am kind of cheating here because I am counting a book my mom had me read as a scholarly text because I could see someone having it read in a womens history class. What our mothers didn't tell us: Why happiness elude the modern woman by Danielle Crittenden. I have a post about it here. I wouldn't call the book in and of itself scholarly but the study of it maybe I could, so I'm counting it. ha. I am also counting Flora Thompson's trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford as three though all together it only boasts about 550 pages. So am I cheating a bit at the end here-yes. Yes I am.
Lark Rise is a beautiful read, very informal. It is like listening to a relative talking about their upbringing. It isn't overly sentimental and really presents what appears to be a candid but still kind recollection of Thompson's upbringing. I would certainly recommend it. And if you haven't seen the PBS series based on the book, by the same name, you really, really should. The characters are incredible and the show is the cleanest thing I've seen on tv in forever!
Lastly I read The Princess de Cleves mostly because we were suppose to read it for one of my classes and I was only able to skim it and it is short. I appreciate it for all the different reasons we talked about in class but man, I am glad I didn't live as a french noblewoman in Henri II's court.
So now I am going to read Steinbeck's The Pearl, again, length considerations. After that I am thinking one other novel, not sure which and then I'll read Dicken's A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth to be in the Christmas spirit. And that should do it my friends. Oh and one more scholarly text...hmm, any recommendations? Remember length is a big consideration at this point too.

13. Clean up no more than twice a day (minus the kitchen, my OCD just won't allow that to stay dirty for very long quite yet).
I think I'm getting better, especially with cleaning up toys. I try really hard not to touch Henry's toy messes until just before nap and bed and he has to help. Now I am trying to teach him that when one thing comes out, it has to be put away before he starts in with another toy. It is a slow process but he isn't too messy on his own so hopefully we'll get it all together soon.

PHEW. That was a lot. I think I might reach most of my goals this year. yay!