I shared a self-improvement post back in August, and I thought I would check in and add some more items to my never-ending list! The photos have nothing to do with this post, but it's an outfit I wanted to highlight as Lake just launched some new pieces and sent me this gorgeous spring dress! I styled it three different ways: lunch with girlfriends, beach/pool, and walking Henry or a spring/summer sporting event. I also just got this inexpensive lipstick (under $10), and I've been loving it. I have both Glass Rudy and Shine Stealer and both are great colors. They're pigmented and very moisturizing! 

Ok now back to the focus of this post! To give you a quick rundown on August's list and where I stand with that:

- Less anxious, more calm: I've worked hard on this and am much better. 

- Read more: total failure. Total. Really need to prioritize this.

- Improve Flexibility: Every single day, I Love to stretch! 

- Improve gardening skills: I work on it every season. 

- Do something with my photos: I started to organize them, but then I dropped the ball. 

- Explore Pittsburgh: I have improved but could do more!

- Eat more vegetables: I have definitely improved my intake!

- Find another workout: I have recently started at-home workouts with my husband in the evenings. This wasn't really the goal, but I've really enjoyed it. They are just quick and decently easy, but because of that, it's easy to stick to them. I'm still doing Orange Theory, walking a ton, and rowing at home, but this is a good addition! I'd still love to find a once-a-week pilates class. 

Now, let's move on to more things I'd like to work on...

This is a small 'issue,' but it drives me nuts that I do this. I am a neat and organized person. Everything in our home has a 'spot' which helps keep any visual clutter at bay. Our beautiful bench at the end of our bed matches our headboard. It's more for decoration than anything else, but we sit on it to put on shoes and whatnot. Henry loves to lay on it. However, I have this annoying habit of putting clothes at the end of the bench. They're usually clothes I have worn but still need to wash. So, for example, I have a sweatshirt I wear to and from Orange Theory but I can get one or two more wears that week before I toss it in the laundry. Or maybe it's an outfit I wore on Tuesday that I plan to repeat and wear again on Friday. It clutters up the bench, and it's just annoying that I do this! My husband has this odd but also practical system where he has a double laundry basket. Instead of separating his laundry by lights and darks, he separates it by half-worn items and items that need to be washed. He says he doesn't want to return the half-worn items to his clean closet, so they go neatly into one side of the basket. Maybe I'll adopt his system, but I want to work on this! 

There is that saying, 'We are our own worst critic,' and I am exactly that. I am SO harsh with myself. It's gotten worse in recent years, and quite frankly, sometimes I am just downright mean to myself. I often ignore milestones and accomplishments and focus on shortcomings. Part of it is that I am always wondering how I can do better and be better, which is not bad, but it too often crosses a line into detrimental territory. 

I'm a night owl. I have written numerous posts about how I SO BADLY want to be a morning person. I've been going to bed too late, and I really need to get back into my routine of going to bed at a decent hour! My husband and I go to bed at the same time every night, so I keep jokingly telling him he needs to tell me it's bedtime, ha! 

If I'm being honest, our garage and basement are ridiculous. It is organized chaos. We have WAY too much stuff, and a lot of it is unnecessary. We have a small finished basement, and originally, when we moved in, we set it up as a media room with a sectional, big comfy chair, coffee table, TV, etc. It was cozy and had a nice setup. We bought a huge TV, thinking we would go down there and watch movies and have parties. We have never once watched a movie down there. When we host, we never host down in the basement. That space makes no sense for us and how we live and entertain. I'd love to remove the furniture and turn it into an organized storage space or something along those lines. I really have no idea, but it stresses me out. We have so much random stuff stored in our garage: things like coolers and Christmas decor; we are very suburban with our garage refrigerator and a few shelving units. It's not as annoying as our basement, but we must purge. I don't think we will be in this house for many more years, so I don't want to invest too much money or do anything too permanent. We shall see, but I am motivated to eliminate so much stuff! 

I'd love to find an organization where I can volunteer on a more scheduled basis and where I can go several times per month! Mostly, I give financial donations or attend one-off yearly events with a donation component.