Can I Have a Do Over?

I missed it... 

I totally missed the whole New Year hoopla of setting goals, making plans, lists and all that comes with a new year.  

I spent it, instead, flat on my back in pain for a week with muscle spasms.  LOL  

I am much better now but the healing time was longer than I anticipated.

It's ok.... I am ok with that because we just had the Chinese New Year this past weekend.  

New Year 2017 is saved!  

I have come to the conclusion, over the last several years, that plans and goals should be ongoing year round and I can start and stop anything I want anytime I want.

So, enter a new plan... starting in February!

I am taking some time off of social media.... 

Facebook specifically, for the month of February so I can do the following.  I am, however, going to be here.  I like my blog... it is a happy place for me.

For 2017... 

The details are in my Bullet Journal so this is the overview version.

1.   Read more... 2 to 3 books per month is the goal.

2.   Write more... blog more often here plus restart Morning Pages and work on a few short stories this year to practice writing fiction more in preparation for the NaNoWriMo 2017 challenge.

3.  Memorize more scripture

4.  Refine the diet more to be AIP compliant and gluten free completely... no cheating.

5.  Walk 4 days a week (or more but let's start there)

6.  More crochet and sewing and get the Etsy shop back up and running.

7.  More canning

8.  Picking up the Korean language study again.

9.  Learn to play this ukulele sitting in the closet.

10.  Reduce the stuff in my house more than I did last year.  It is an ongoing process...  

11.  Take a class in photography and play way more with my camera this year.

12.  Control the technology monster!

That will get me started.

Anybody else doing a reboot in February or maybe doing what 

I am doing and just kicking things off a month late?

What is something big you are tackling this year?

Autumn Reading...

I cannot really find an Autumn reading challenge to plug into and, honestly, I kinda suck at keeping up with those anyway.  I have decided to work on finishing books I have started and then pick up a few new ones as I can.

In Progress books...

*   Food Blogging for Dummies by Kelly Senyei

*   Made From Scratch by Jenna Woginrich

*   The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

*   Be Courageous by Warren Wiersbe

*   Knowing Scripture by R. C. Sproul

*   Introvert Power by Laurie Helgoe

*   The 100 Things Challenge by Dave Bruno


In the stack but not started yet...

*   To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

*   The Secret Life of Bees bySue Monk Kidd

*   September by Rosamunde Pilcher

*   Texas by Joe B. Frantz

*   Come to the Table by Doris Christopher

*   Gardening Without Work by Ruth Stout

*   A Full Life in a Small Space by Janice Emily Bowers

*   Bringing it to the Table:  On Farming and Food by Wendell Berry

*   Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

September Goals...

Buckling down this month to do the official kick-off to build the business.  Tomorrow is Labor Day and this week is the first full week of September.  My first e-mail goes out Tuesday with a list of items for the Fall.  I am doing baking to get things started.  I am still saving for a personal chef course and then I will work on that.  I am setting three to five big goals to do each week

For the week of September 5-10

*   Send out Fall Baking Price List and begin taking orders for Holiday items.  As I do the baking I will take photos for the portfolio to post on the blog and in the cookbook I am building with business recipes... see below for this goal.

*   Marketing Goal... put business magnets on vehicle and carry business cards everywhere I go.  Pass out at least 5 cards each week and keep building e-mail list and send weekly updates and reminders.

*   Continue reading Personal Chef and Catering Books by Denise Vivaldo and add Jay Conrad Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing Excellence book.  I will also be purchasing Dave Ramsey's new book, EntreLeadership by the end of the month.  I will do a book review on my favorites as I go.

*   Continue to revise and complete business plan (for the month of September)

*   Spend time building recipe collection.  I have purchased a notebook, stickers, recipe cards and tabs and will be typing in recipes to print and put in notebook to organize the menus and recipes I use.  Print all menus and price lists to put in notebook.  Be on the lookout for new things and spend time testing recipes as I go.  Purchase new printer cartridge soon...

IN THE TEST KITCHEN.... APPLE RECIPES AND PUMPKIN ALE RECIPES....

Finishing strong...

Book to read:

Continuing to read...

Denise Vivaldo's Home-Based Personal Chef Business

The rest of the goals are carried over from last week until the end of the month.  The biggest goal this week, though, is to get the prices lists for the fall together and get them out in e-mail and online by Thursday September 1st.  I will be putting up September goals by the end of the week, also.  

Goal Setting for the end of August

Book to read:

Continuing to read...

Denise Vivaldo's Home-Based Personal Chef Business

and also reading...

3 Organizing Goals to accomplish for the week

*  Set a daily schedule for me to follow... homeschool, housework, business tasks, etc...

*   More file cabinet maintenance as I go through crates and boxes

*   List making for event for Thursday - shopping and equipment list... shop and do some prep on Wednesday and finish and deliver Thursday - did I mention I have a job on Thursday, btw?  WOOHOO

Paperwork/Research tasks

*  Build contracts and pricing lists

*   cost recipes and input at least 5 new ones a day... 

build notebook once input is completed for hard copies

*   Business plan continued...

*   More pricing for shipping and send sample to see how it ships

*  Test 3 new recipes this week for the fall - this will make family happy!  LOL  

Contacts to make

*   Continue to build e-mail list

*   Purchase Personal Chef Course by August 31st

*   Adding electronic business card to all outgoing e-mail

*  Contact doctors offices and other office locations to see about leaving business cards in the lobby

*   Contact Chamber of Commerce for information and contacts on Women and Business locally

Week of August 15th... Goal Setting

I updated my list post from this past week and will rewrite a list of goals each week here for my business progress.

I think I am going to break it down for the rest of August like this...

Book to read:

Denise Vivaldo's Home-Based Personal Chef Business

3 Organizing Goals to accomplish for the week

*   Build a business notebook this week with customer information section, menu section and recipe section.  Input all into computer and then print hard copy for new notebook.  Later I will be adding forms for personal chef and such but for now I need a skeleton format to get started.

*   Continue to go through, at least, one box per day until clutter is culled and gone

*   Set up one file drawer for business only... the other three are children and family, educational notes and papers and scouting stuff.

Paperwork/Research tasks

*   continue to write business plan.  Spend at least one focused hour per day building this

*   Contact different companies about shipping cost for shipping foods and perishable items

*   Sign up for CIA newsletter.. build a file in bookmarks with food sites that are sources of industry information and trends.

Contacts to make

*   Continue to build e-mail list

*   Give out at least 5 business cards this week

*   Be in touch with Michelle this week on information gathered and menu items available right away. 

Goal Setting to kick off the week...

After I registered a business last week I started some list making and finally dug out some books I have been intending to read for quite some time.  Timing is everything I think.  LOL  The time is right now and these books are speaking directly to where I am.

The book I have chosen for this week is... 

I am already half way through this one in about two days.  I am a slow reader but I have been disciplining myself to sit and read more.  I will be writing goals each week to keep me on task and for the first few months I will be including a business book of some kind in the rotation.

Goals for this week are...

1.   Read the above book - completed

2.   Complete the process of writing a business plan - in progress... may take several weeks to complete

3.   Price and make a decision on which personal chef program I will complete for certification and register.... in progress... waiting on money to purchase course but have one chosen

4.   Make an equipment list and start pricing the items.  Decide what I will save for first for purchasing. in progress but written down

5.   Start building an e-mail list - in progress but written down

6.   Clean church kitchen thoroughly and start preparing it for use... wound up with emergency at home with plumbing and did not make it up there... next week for sure.

7.   Build holiday baking menu to start sending out for orders.  Set a deadline for placing orders.  Will send out by September 1st and pick a deadline soon.

8.   Write out menu for Eagle Court of Honor and start pricing items for purchase.  Budget for the extra expense on our personal budget and have oldest make his list of guests to prepare for.

9.   REFinish desk and set it up for business - in progress... Dan is refinishing this right now

10.   Set up filing system and add to it as I clean out all the crates and boxes around the house with papers in them... I am the crate lady it seems... it is pathetic!  LOL  I cannot resist a good crate. Cleaned out two a day and started filing system... still in progress... will take several weeks still